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A Toast to New Characters

New characters are dominating my gaming life right now.  I've gotten a spot in a Saturday night Pathfinder game, so I am underway in building my new character.  The party currently consists of a sorcerer and a cleric, so rogue skills are needed.  I don't really want to play a rogue, though.  I don't even really want to play any class.  So my plan was to make up my own unique combination.

I want to be able to tank.
I need a moderate number of skill points, so I can cover rogue skills for traps.
I need feats, because I want to get a prestige class early.

Rogues really need dex, so I need to be a quick fighter (dex-based).  Fighter is THE class for feats.  Shadowdancer seems like a fun prestige class that one can hit the requirements for early.

For race, I looked really close at elf and human.  Human's bonus feat is nice, but only a real advantage at first level.  Elf has nice ability boosts, but half-elf gets a lot of the elf stuff and +2 to any (dex!) and an automatic skill focus.

Half-elf.  Ranger, fighter, ranger, fighter, ranger, shadowdancer.  Medium armor to start, moving to heavy armor, and eventually transitioning back to light armor as a shadowdancer.

Because we're sticking with core, I plan on fighting melee with a short sword and shield (heavy, then tower), and fighting ranged with a composite longbow.  A spiked chain would be better, but isn't in core.

Skills: perception, disable device, and stealth at every level.

Female.  Red hair.

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On Friday nights, my youngest daughter Sarah is playing a Fighter 5 / Rogue 1 character named Victaerrus.  We're working through her back story and how to fit into the new group.  Her fighter is a melee tank.  She took a rank in every knowledge skill.  In her background, she came from Waterdeep.  Her parents were guards for Waterdeep and she picked up a lot of stories of things from them.  She joined a merchant crew in Waterdeep at 16 as a guard.  On their first voyage, they were overtaken by pirates and she managed to get away on a dinghy.  She was picked up by the Friday night pirate crew.  The captain and first mate treated her badly, but the captain was killed.  Other PCs also have giver her a hard time, as she does what makes sense with little regard for the views of the pirates around her.  Now she tries to find a way to fit into the crew.

I'm not sure the rest of the officers understands how badly they have treated Victaerrus.  They treat her like a willing part of the crew.  She hasn't been asked to join the crew.  She hasn't been given responsibility.  She has been given little reward.  She has been given no encouragement.  The crew yells at her when she doesn't do what they ask.  How quickly the oppressed become the oppressors.  She is basically a slave.

Working with Sarah I think we have come up with her plan ahead.  She wants to take power.  With two ships about, it seems like Kroop has a good chance with his influence on the crew of ending up in a position of standing.  Kroop has worked with her, treated her well.  Through him, she can find her place.  Maybe he will grow to like her and help her.  Maybe the crew will like her, even if the officers don't.


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