Click this spoiler link for more details about the background and purpose of the Guild: Show
The idea is to create "vanilla", standard characters that can be easily re-created using as few rulebooks as possible, and only core official rulebooks, ensuring the best possible balance, ease of reference, and accessibility for new players and DMs.
My idea of a pre-generated character is inspired by two things:
The D&D Starter/Basic sets: most versions of these include self-contained, generic, plug-and-play character that can be dropped into an introductory game with as few resources as possible. (In the case of the Starter and Basic sets, the only thing needed to run the character was the character sheet, and less than a dozen pages' worth of Player's Hand Booklet.)
The D20 Call of Cthulhu rulebook, which contains all Player and DM rules, all monsters, all campaign setting information, and even a few adventures and pre-gen characters, all in one volume, resulting in a complete and fairly inexpensive RPG to get started in.
So, the goal of this thread is to fill the demand for basic pre-generated characters for a variety of uses:
basic characters for introducing new players to gameplay without getting wrapped up in (time consuming) PC creation
quick characters for one-shot campaigns
unusual basic characters created within the limitations of the guidelines
convenient characters for quickly onboarding guest players without grinding a game to a halt
generic characters for use as NPCs
standard characters suitable for demonstrations and play-testing
...and more!
Some may find strict adherence to the Guidelines to be too restricting, but I hope you can think of it as a challenge to create an interesting character using only the most basic building blocks provided for the game.
Hopefully, the limitations set by the guidelines should inspire creativity and variety (rather than stifle it), allowing us to explore the endless role-playing possibilities offered by even the most basic options of the game
Strict adherence is not required, though.
Click this spoiler link to view Change Log (Updated 04/22/11):Show
04/22/11 - Added "Spoiler" roll-ups for various elements, to make things easier to read. 04/22/11 - Added a "guidelines" Guideline, to clarify that a little fudging is OK. 04/22/11 - Added clarification to "documentation" guideline: please remark and document non-core sources. 04/22/11 - Added clarification to "sources" guideline: the spirit of this is simplicity for the sake of new groups with limited resources, but some fudging is OK. 04/22/11 - Added clarifications to "races" and "classes" guidelines: 04/22/11 - Added "homebrew" guideline for house-ruled skill swaps and other simple changes 04/22/11 - Added Character Index to end of entry for ease of reference. 04/22/11 - Added 4E version of the Elite Array
Click this Spoiler link to view Guideline Details: Show
A more detailed version, with examples, of the Guidelines Short Version included later in this article.
guidelines: these are guidelines, not rules, with preferences rather than restrictions; please keep to the spirit of simplicity and accessibility, but feel free to "House Rule" things here and there.
entries: one character per reply
shared content: characters presented here are free to be used (and modified) by DMs, players, and WotC
documentation: please include the game system, rulebook source, level, race, and class in the header of the entry, and document any non-core elements
example, "3.5E D&D Player's Handbook, Level 3 Human FTR2/WIZ1"
example, "Skill: Craft Gunsmithing (used to build and repair firearms, requires Gunsmith's Toolkit to perform skill without penalty) [Homebrew; consult DM for approval before using, otherwise switch to Craft Weaponsmithing, for building/repairing Crossbows]"
familiarity: generic, basic, and vanilla is best; please keep races, classes, equipment, feats, and skills accessible and familiar. The best characters for our purposes will be those created entirely from one single Player's Hand Book
examples: Dwarf Clerics, Human Fighters, and Halfling Rogues are great; Halfling Paladins, Dwarf Sorcerors, and Elf Monks are just as great!
anti-examples: please, no Were-Griffon Outriders, and no semi-quasi-anti-undead Half-Vampire Half-Warforged 1/3-Tiefling Half-Treant 3/4-Drow Half-Dragonborn Ninja/Samurai/Treasonhacker/Trenchcoat-Gunslingers - thank you
systems: any WotC RPG system is welcome (particularly D&D 4E and D20/D&D 3.5E)
settings: any official WotC D&D compatible setting is OK, but it's best to create generic characters that can be plugged into standard fantasy RPG settings using the same system
sources: use official WotC core rulebooks only, with at most one or two official WotC supplements, preferably using as few books as possible
especially the 4E Essentials products, and the 3rd and 4th edition Dungeon Master's Guide and Player's Hand Book I, II, or III
additional official WotC resources (such as Psionics, Campaign Setting books, etc.) are OK in moderation, but keep things as simple as possible, and document sources of material
levels: create characters at one of the following arbitrarily-selected levels: 1, 3, 11, 21
level 1 selected as the preferred starting level
level 3 selected as the level where most starter sets recommend buying the core rulebooks
levels 11 and 21 selected as key points where Paragon/Epic level character levels start
the number of levels are limited for simplicity of indexing; it's assumed that users can "level up" characters from one of these levels with minimal effort to reach any other level
races: standard PHB races (preferred: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings)
Note: official campaign setting races such as Calaban (Ravenloft setting), Thri-Kreen or Mul (Darksun setting), and so on are OK, but include references for source material
Note: Monster Manual monster races with official information for use as PCs are OK, but I strongly discourage template characters (such as Undead and Lycanthrope characters), and any characters requiring a Level Adjustment
classes: standard PHB classes; multiclass characters are OK
for creating NPCs, NPC classes are also acceptible if available 3.5E tip: NPC classes Commoner, Warrior, Expert, Adept, Aristrocrat are described in 3.5E DMG pages 107-109)
any official WotC campaign setting or supplement classes are OK, but document the sources, and keep things as accessible for new RPG groups as possible
equipment: for level 1 characters, standard gear and, where appropriate for higher level characters, masterwork and simple magic equipment (equipment that can easily be referenced or created from core rulebook information)
3.5E tip: the NPC gear listed in the tables on 3.5E DMG pages 113-126 should be an adequate shortcut for equipping pre-gen characters of various levels
ability scores: ability scores for PCs preferably assigned from these Ability Score Arrays:
4E: 16,14,13,12,11,10
3E: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8
3E NPC: non-heroic (NPC?) characters can use one of these options, if desired:
3E Non-Elite Array: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8
3E Standard Array: 11, 11, 11, 10, 10 ,10
balance: "min-maxed", optimized specialist characters are OK, but, for the sake of role-playing, balanced concept characters with some generalist qualities are preferred; unusual cross-class skill selections or ability score assignments, and unusual race/class combinations (or unusual multi-class combinations) are also welcome (feel free to label an optimized, experimental, or NPC character as such)
homebrew: limited homebrew alterations to core materials are OK, but keep the changes as simple and direct as possible, and clearly tag homebrew changes as homebrew content requiring DM approval; I recommend providing standardized alternatives to these changes for DMs who prefer not to use the homebrew alterations
example, class skill for a 3.5E Fighter: "Diplomacy [Homebrew class skill, Diplomacy has been swapped for default Intimidate; seek DM approval to use this; otherwise, use Intimidate or assign points to Diplomacy as a Non-Class Skill]"
examples of simple homebrew alterations to core materials that should be fine for the Pre-Gen Character Guild:
Class Skill swaps
altered or relaxed Class requirements for Alignment (for example, a homebrew version of the 3.5E Paladin that requires only a general Lawful or Good alignment, rather than Lawful Good specifically)
3.5E "sub races" that have a different Preferred Class, direct swap of Racial Skills, direct swap of Racial Weapon Training, and/or a direct swap of Racial Combat Training
homebrew "fluff" descriptive text with no changes to race/class mechanics
background/fluff: about 2 to 5 simple sentences of background and motivation should be about perfect for a pre-gen character: just enough to prompt players to fill in the details themselves
for example, from the official WotC pre-gen Tordek, Dwarven Fighter: "Tordek is an eldest son in a dwarven warclan, on a quest to prove himself. He cannot return to his home until he has made his clan proud, and he intends to earn esteem by proving himself in battle. Tordek's job on an adventuring team is to kill monsters and protect his team mates."
Welcome:
Welcome to the Pre-Generated Adventurer's Guild, where you can create your own Pre-Generated PCs and NPCs, and recruit the PCs created by other DMs and players.
Please keep submissions in the spirit of "plug-and-play" simplicity and accessibility.
Ideally, these characters can be used easily by RPG groups armed with little more than the core rulebooks, or even a Starter/Basic boxed set.
The Guild's Guidelines, Short Version:
guidelines: these are guidelines, not rules, with preferences rather than restrictions; please keep to the spirit of simplicity and accessibility, but feel free to "House Rule" things here and there.
entries: one character per reply
shared content: characters presented here are free to be used (and modified) by DMs, players, and WotC
documentation: please include the game system, rulebook source, level, race, and class in the header of the entry, and document any non-core elements
familiarity: generic, basic, and vanilla is best; please keep races, classes, equipment, feats, and skills accessible and familiar. The best characters for our purposes will be those created entirely from one single Player's Hand Book
systems: any WotC RPG system is welcome (particularly D&D 4E and D20/D&D 3.5E)
settings: any official WotC D&D compatible setting is OK, but it's best to create generic characters that can be plugged into standard fantasy RPG settings using the same system
sources: use official WotC core rulebooks only, with at most one or two official WotC supplements
levels: create characters at one of the following arbitrarily-selected levels: 1, 3, 11, 21
races: standard PHB races preferred (Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings)
classes: standard PHB classes preferred; multiclass characters are OK
equipment: for level 1 characters, standard gear and, where appropriate for higher level characters, masterwork and simple magic equipment (equipment that can easily be referenced or created from core rulebook information)
ability scores: ability scores for PCs preferably assigned from Ability Score Arrays:
4E: 16,14,13,12,11,10
3E: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8
balance: generally, anything from "optimized" combat characters, to generic NPCs, through to generalist characters, out to strange multiclass or race/class combinations, are welcome
homebrew: limited homebrew alterations to core materials are OK, but keep the changes as simple and direct as possible, and clearly tag homebrew changes as homebrew content requiring DM approval (it's best to provide standard alternatives to homebrew elements)
background/fluff: about 2 to 5 simple sentences of background and motivation should be about perfect for a pre-gen character: just enough to prompt players to fill in the details themselves
Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
"Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
William is traveling after his honorable discharge from military service, with hardly two cents to his name, and little at home to return to. He had never considered adventuring before, but, being presented with the possibility, he finds the idea intriguing: adventuring would be a great way to keep his head above water, earn a little money, keep him out of trouble, and gain a sense of purpose and direction.
Atk: (+0 base melee), (+3 base ranged); +3 (1d6-1, Rapier); +0 (1d10, Crossbow, heavy)
AC: 16 (Flatfooted:14 Touch:12)
Skills (point assignments and resulting bonuses):
4x - Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +3
4x - Perform (String Instruments) +4
4x Swim -1
2x Climb -1
2x Jump -1
Feats:
Fighter Weapon & Armor Proficiency (all armor and shields, all martial and simple weapons)
Weapon Focus: Crossbow, heavy
Rapid Reload: Crossbow, heavy
Weapon Finesse
Weapons and Armor:
Crossbow, heavy
Bolts, crossbow (30)
Rapier
Dagger
Studded leather
Buckler
Possessions:
2 copper pieces
Explorer`s outfit
Backpack, Bedroll, Leather Belt Pouch
Flint and steel
Hooded Lantern + Oil (4 pints)
Rations, trail (5 days); Waterskin (full)
Rope, hemp (50 ft.)
Musical instrument, String
Bottom line: A sort of "Rennaisance Man" 3.5E Human Fighter: dextrous, charismatic, and intellectual, with a focus on Crossbows and Rapiers, as well as training in some athletic Class skills and two unusual cross-class skills: performing on a stringed instrument, and engineering & architecture. Some role-playing opportunities exist in the character's Low Strength and unusual choices in Cross-Class skills with resulting penalties.
Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
"Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
Note, as this slowly grows, perhaps editing the original post to include all the character listed under the specific eddition?
Anyway, my addition:
4E - PHB1 Level 1 - Eladrin Battle Cleric
Erevan "The Patient", Level 1 Eladrin Cleric.
Erevan once took a vow many moons ago to never take a weapon in anger and to focus his skills and practices on medicine and healing. His fathers sword still hangs in the family home, is it time for it to come off its mount? Either way, as more and more people bring stories from beyond the Feywild, it is time for him to take his skills beyond that of friends of family and perhaps try and make more of a difference.
NB: Everything in this list IS altered to reflect armour penalities. Stats were produced using the 4E PHB1 standard array on page 17. 16,14,13,12,11,10
+2 Dex, +2 Int +2 Arcana, +2 History Gain training in one extra skill from the skill list. Weapon proficiency: Longsword +1 Will, +5 saving throw vs. Charm effects. Enter a "trance" for 4 hours instead of sleep, you are fully aware of surroundings during this time. You can use Fey Step as an Encounter power (See powers list below)
+2 Will Healers Lore: Any healing (keyword) spell you cast, add Wisdom modifier to any hitpoints gained. Channel Divinity - See powers Healing Word - See powers Ritual Casting - See equipment
Skills: Bold highlight signifies training (+5) in that particular skill. Show
I love the idea :D couple things I noticed in the rules, you seem more familiar with 3.5 so you wouldn't be aware of the differences but starting magic items is different in 4 so allowances for this should be made. (I think its magic item of lvl, lvl + 1 and lvl - 1 with gc equivilant to an item of lvl - 1)
Also with the 4e level structure it might be worth throwing in a slot for level 20 characters as standard play range spreads from 1-30 rather than the 1-20 of 3.5.
A question as well, the source books are they only limited to the ones you listed there or are the power books fine as well? Coupled with this you limit races to those of the PHB, with the preferance of Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings. With 4e more races have been provided in the later PHBs and could provide some cool stock characters, is it fine to use those?
I would go for level 11 instead of 10 and add level 21 for 4e.
And remove the arbitrary restrictions on class/race. I feel like as long as it's coming from few books (as in: not have powers/feats from spread over all the books) it should be fine. MM1 new class builds should be good too, and newer races too. They generally don't provide much more complicated mechanics, while still giving builders plenty of options.
Get your Microsoft Word Monster Statistics Block Template here! My Campaign
Buchatar, regarding a Character Index: Great idea!
Rambaldi, regarding 4E Magic Items: Thank you, I'll add the 4E info to the Guidelines!
Rambaldi and Eldrazor, regarding 4e Levels: I was aiming for starting-level characters, but I guess some games start out with level 10 or 11, and level 21 characters, so I'll add it to the Guidelines.
Eldrazor and Rambaldi, regarding class/race and source book restrictions/preferences: I think of them as Guidelines rather than Rules, with preferences rather than restrictions; we're all DMs here, so feel free to "House Rule" things a bit. Just include references/sources, and aim for accessibility and ease of use for inexperienced groups.
They're "Guidelines" rather than Rules, and preferences rather than requirements, so posting a simple Warforged, Dragonborn, Calaban (Ravenloft setting), Thri-Kreen or Mul (Darksun setting), Gnome, or even 3.5E Monster Manual Goblin or Orc character is just fine by me: as long as there are no awkward templates (3.5E Undead and Lycanthrope templates, for example), or Level Adjustment, I welcome the Monster Manual characters.
Feel free to "House Rule" my Guidelines a bit here and there; I only ask that you please include references/sources, so any non-core elements can be referenced.
The Guidelines are there to help discourage broken, hard-to-find, and niche homebrew and 3rd-party stuff from slipping past the radar and causing headaches: I was mostly thinking of those poor new DMs who allow things in their games after a cursory glance only to find out later they OK'd something that looked innocent at a glance, but on closer examination should never have been OK'd. I don't want to contribute any more of that than is already out there
As for the Powers books, I'll leave that to your discretion (again, they're Guidelines rather than Rules.) I've never seen a Powers book, and I assume they are official supplements with additional daily, encounter, and at-will powers? If so, I'm sure they're a bit outside the guidelines but harmless, but nothing I'll panic over.
Just keep the spirit of simplicity in mind, though: I'm aiming for characters that a new group with only the core rulebooks (or even just the Red Box or similar starter/basic set) can use without too much trouble. (It's the only reason the Guideliens prefer the more "boring" starting races, classes, and levels.)
Rimbaldi and Eldrazor, I definitely appreciate the heads-up on any 4E adjustments to the Guidelines, and I'll update them with the suggestions shortly. You're right: I am definitely much more familiar with 3.5 Edition; I've got a couple of the Essentials products, but I've never used them for a 4E game, and I have no plans to do so anytime soon, so I'll need and appreciate all the help with that that I can get.
I love the idea of adding in sections with references to the characters by edition, Buchatar, and I'll see if I can add something like that to the end of the original post that can be "unfolded" with spoiler tags, to keep the original post easier to read.
Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
"Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
"I only ask that you please include references/sources, so any non-core elements can be referenced. "
The aim of this is to make Pre-Gen'd PCs that people can pick up and use. That is it. So, the more absurd books you decide to include, the more likely someone will go "But I don't own DDI #34, so what ability is that?!".
Make any character you like chaps, just aslong as in the header for it you include all the books you are using to make it! Let's see some rich characters! I might throw in another one soon.
"I only ask that you please include references/sources, so any non-core elements can be referenced. "
The aim of this is to make Pre-Gen'd PCs that people can pick up and use. That is it. So, the more absurd books you decide to include, the more likely someone will go "But I don't own DDI #34, so what ability is that?!".
Make any character you like chaps, just aslong as in the header for it you include all the books you are using to make it! Let's see some rich characters! I might throw in another one soon.
Exactly! (And that's a great Eladrin Cleric character - I look forward to seeing more!)
Like Buchatar said, don't let the Guidelines stress you. Feel free to go off the Guidelines' beaten path and do what you need to do to create a great pre-gen, but please remember that the further away from the core books you go, the greater your chances are that the pre-gen character will require additional support in groups with a limited library of rule books (we do exist out here )
Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
"Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
Time for me to shove another character in. I prefer making level 1 characters as one can simply add to them should you require a higher level. Anyway, here we go:
4E - PHB1 Level 1 - Halfling Ranger 'Barbarian'
Nebin Ostran, Level 1 Halfling Ranger
Bold, loud, quick to temper and with a spark of wit to match. Nebin could be classed as a typical Halfling angry with everyone looking down on him... and he is! This particular individual has a passion for battle, wearing a tatoo of Kord on his shoulder. After winning his clans wrestling tournament for the fourth time running, maybe it was time for something a bit bigger. Crossbow in one hand, axe in the other, the world better he prepared... Nebin has been set loose...
NB: Everything in this list IS altered to reflect armour penalities. Stats were produced using the 4E PHB1 standard array on page 17: 16,14,13,12,11,10 Even though I say "Barbarian", it is only for flavour and for the character... mechanics-wise he is a Ranger. (Personally, a better way to run it ).
Leather Armour Battleaxe Hand Crossbow - Crossbow bolts x20 Standard Adventurer's Kit Lantern w/ Oil 10gp
One quick thing I realised when making this character it that it followed a theme in my head that a few people would go "Eh?!" when reading everything through. Of course after reading, you understand everything about the mechanics of the character... below is a quick "how-to" just incase:
Just incase you're still scratching your head over the choice of abilities, this should shed a little light. Nebin is, in all sense of the word, a barbarian. He loves diving headlong into a battle and causing mayhem, fortunately he's not totally stupid. The reason for a combination of melee and ranged powers is to truly be able to run around the battle, attack one enemy, move back, turn and shoot another, run past one enemy and charge someone else... Really allowing you to bounce around.
"But what about his low AC?!" I hear you ask. Well, he has the feat Defensive mobility, aswell as his Halfling racial bonus, the feat Lost in the Crowd, alongside his power Second Chance. All in all, he's going to stay alive the more you run around and get stuck into things. Enjoy!
Flint Underwood, Private Investigator (Level 3 Human Rgr1/Rog2)
Flint volunteered to fight alongside the Dwarves in a subterranean war against an aberrant army, and lived to regret what soon became the most hellish experience of his life. Ill-suited at first to return to civilian life at the end of the war, he survived as best as he could between being fired from odd jobs, until he discovered he had a talent for finding people who didn't want to be found, and digging up secrets that people had gone to a lot of trouble to bury. Now, all the clues in his latest case are pointing in the direction of this adventure....
Bottom Line: A Level 3 Human, multi-classed Ranger/Rogue to represent the fantasy version of a hard-boiled detective, inspired by detectives from some of the old gritty detective movies and film-noir I've been enjoying. Feats and Skills have an emphasis on odd background, Stealth, and Investigation skills. To a certain pont, combat would be a weak point for this character, but he makes up for it with a range of skills that would be good for scouting, research, and investigation.
(My favorite characters are the ones like Buchatar's Halfling Barbarian created from a reflavored Ranger: they are a great way to show off the flexibility of the standard race/class combinations in the 3rd and 4th editions for creating unique character concepts. However, for my next post in this thread, I will create a party of more generic, by-the-numbers Level 1 adventurers, so I can make sure that end of the character spectrum is covered.)
Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
"Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
).