Mellow

Name

Hagai Mellow

Concept

Recruited when the party was in need of a rogue, I was requested to fulfill this role and took some liberty in doing so in order to be more useful to the party when not clearing trapped dungeons.

Initially conceived as an aesthetic monk / thief but drifted into becoming a rogue-like artificer: performing the academic roles of a rogue himself while delegating the combat roles of a rogue to a homunculus.

While still as competent as (if not moreso than) a Level 8 rogue with Dex 18 at all rogue-specific tasks, Mellow can only keep this up for as long as he has spell slots to burn on it. A full day packing in dozens of locks, traps, and needs for stealth will quickly deplete his reserves while a real rogue would continue unfazed. On a full day with few (or no) demands for picking locks, detecting and defusing traps, covert infiltration, etc. Mellow can fulfill a number of other functions from grappling to healing as befits the situation.

I have never seen MacGyver (although I did watch Hunter) but apparently I have inadvertently created the D&D version of MacGyver. If that is so then let Gumby (which I have watched) have a similar personality and disposition to Johnny Five (not the recent reboot) or Max.

Sources

• System Reference Document
• Players Handbook: only for ability advancement
• Races of Destiny: 1 feat "Able Learner"
• Complete Arcane: 1 feat "Obtain Familiar"
• Spell Compendium: 1 spell "Divine Insight"
• Pathfinder Player Companion Alchemy Manual: Craft options

see Appendix 2

Standard Operating Procedures

Unless described otherwise, Mellow:
• always has Divine Insight active and shared with Rowena
• sleeps in a Rope Trick with Gumby on watch all night (constructs don't sleep)
• has Gumby stowed at other times
• has Rowena perched on his shoulder
• has an undead mount carry his equipment
• casts Goodberry with all of his Level 1 slots remaining at the end of the day, and therefore generally has 280 goodberries on his person at the start of every day
• Shares with Rowena every Cure, Divine Insight and Polymorph spell cast on himself
• uses empathic link to coordinate Move actions while shared spells are active to maintain a distance of (no more than) 5 between Master and Familiar (taking into account reach)
• obtains Aid Another (+2) from Rowena on every test where it makes sense to do so

Mellow the Fellow

Outlook

Alignment: True Neutral (Lawful tendencies)

Deity: Fharlanghn - God of Roads and Travel

To pull his weight in society, Hagai Mellow masters a trade constructive to both industry and art. Extravagance is the prerogative of the gentry. Their whimsies and acumen support an entire economic ecosystem. While the stability of court employment sharpens his wits, the gamble of adventure keeps his physique in shape. Balance in all things. Life's journey takes him to respectable career opportunities, gruesome dungeon challenges, and every step in between. He appreciates all of it. All experience equips him better - the strict, the good, the bad and the ugly - they all add perspectives he hadn't seen previously, and tools to bring to bear in future encounters. Each encounter is an opportunity to be true to oneself and further fulfill your potential, or to dismiss significant segments of reality by giving way to their opposition. He strives to resist the negligence that anthropocentric bigotry nurtures, since so many valuable lessons are learnt from Nature. He strives for victory without conquest - where everyone wins and nobody loses. He's a cosmic conservationist at heart.

Race

Human

By having a familiar with Low-light and Darkvision, he'll get a warning what's in the surroundings.

By having a homunculus with Low-light and Darkvision, he'll get to see what's in the surroundings via the telepathic link: it "can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of 1,500 feet." This is probably inadequate for combat, but sufficient for most tasks.

By having Polymorph he gets Low-light and Darkvision himself for 8 minutes each time, three times a day. This is probably long enough to cover day-to-day combat.

Class

SRD Spellcaster:

• type: Arcane
• key ability: Intelligence
• class skills (4 + Craft, Knowledge, Profession):
  • Disable Device (Int)
  • Hide (Dex)
  • Move Silently (Dex)
  • Open Lock (Dex)
  • Craft
  • Knowledge (all)
  • Profession
• saves:
  • good saves: Will
  • poor saves: Fortitude, Reflex
• proficiencies:
  • armour: none
  • weapons: quarterstaff

Hitpoints

Abilities

Improvements: PHB p22 (the SRD doesn't provide ability advancement)

Saving throws

• Guidance grants +1 competence to a single Saving Throw for 8 minutes

Armour class

• Shield of Faith grants +3 deflection to AC for 8 minutes

Attacks

The Balanced Shillelagh functions for 1 minute, twice per day. The rest of the time, it is a non-magical (but masterwork) quarterstaff. If it is resized in the course of Polymorph, it gains 1d6 per size gained and the assumed Strength bonus applies.

Spells per day

"The spellcaster most closely resembles the sorcerer, though she has fewer spells per day than that class."

"Some spellcasters (such as sorcerers and bards) have a natural talent for spellcasting and essentially employ a spell merely by completing its final portion. An instinctive caster readies spells each day rather preparing them (see page 179 in the Players Handbook). To ready spells for the day, an instinctive caster must first rest for 8 hours. After waking, an instinctive caster requires 15 minutes of concentration to make all his daily spell slots available."

• DC to resist: 10 + spell level + Int(+5)
• The only Spells Known that require saving throws are Sanctuary and Cure (against Undead).
• "When a spell has a target entry, the caster knows when the target makes a successful saving throw or not. When a spell can affect several targets at once, the caster notes each successful or failed saving throw. The caster does not sense successful or failed saving throws when a spell has an area of effect entry instead of a target entry."
• Scribe Scroll (RotG) can be used (at a price) to "save" unspent slots at the end of the day and use them on later days.
• If possible, one level 2 slot is set aside for Rope Trick as a safe place to sleep.
• Any surplus level 1 slots at the end of the day are spent on Goodberry (2d4 (ie 4+1) berries * 8 slots per day, lasting (CL -1) days)
• "When selecting a spell to place into an available spell slot, a character can choose any spell of the slot's level or lower"

Spells known

"Whether arcane or divine, the spellcaster has an array of magical effects at her beck and call. Depending on her choice of spells, she can be a healer or an enchanter, a necromancer or a trickster."

"New spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of by study."

"Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered sorcerer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a sorcerer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the sorcerer "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one."

• * These spells are part of the Cleric or Druid spell list. The Spellcaster instinctively casts these as arcane (like a Bard casting Cure spells). Therefore arcane spell failure chance from armour does apply, even though it wouldn't matter for a Cleric or Druid.
• Share Spells allows the Master to cast the following spells and for the Familiar to get their benefit in addition to himself:
  • Cure spells: simultaneously heal Master and Familiar
  • Detect spells: get two chances to notice things as both Master and Familiar get the benefit (such as making a Spellcraft test with Detect Magic)
  • Guidance and Divine Insight: both Master and Familiar get a boost to a skill check each
  • Sanctuary and Shield of Faith: both Master and Familiar get a boost to defence
  • Polymorph: both Master and Familiar can assume new forms for double effect or synergistic effect

Languages

Common +Int (+5):

0. Common
1. Celestial (Good outsiders)
2. Infernal (devils, Lawful Evil outsiders)
3. Draconic (dragons, kobolds, troglodytes, lizardfolk)
4. Dwarven (dwarves)
5. Daan (the Plane of Law, Inevitables, formians). Yes, practically useless, I know, but this is a RPG.

Feats

Skill points

• 2 +Int (x4 at first level)
• +1 (+4 at first level)
• All skills are class-skills. (Able Learner: Races of Destiny p150)

• A natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure.
• Masterwork Tools & Masterwork Thieves' tools
• Skill Synergy (and for Autohypnosis)
• (F)amiliar within 5ft grants Alertness
• A Familiar has the same skill ranks as its master (and gains from Skill Synergy) and can Aid Another for a +2 bonus
• Raven Familiars grant +3 to Appraise
• Find Traps grants +4 insight bonus to Search to find traps with a higher DC than 20 as a rogue
• Knock obviates Open Lock - but Divine Insight obviates Knock (an 8th level Rogue with 18 Dex would get 11 ranks +4 Dex +2 Tools +1d20; I get 1 rank +1 +13 +2 Tools +1d20; ie the same)
• Invisibility grants +20 to Hide (+40 if immobile) - but Rope Trick obviates it for long-term stationary concealment and Polymorph obviates it for short-term mobile discretion
• Guidance grants +1 to any skill
• Divine Insight grants +13 to any skill
• Polymorph grants racial skill bonuses in addition to +10 Disguise
• Detect Magic allows Spellcraft check of DC 15 + spell level to identify the strength and one category of the spell (effect)
• When making either a Listen or Spot test, additionally roll for Familiar and Homunculus both mentally linked to the character. (Familiar: +5 Listen; +7 Spot. Homunculus: +1 Listen; +1 Spot)
• This also applies to Search, trained Knowledge tests, etc. - get a second opinion from a Familiar perspective.
• Taking 10 When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10.
• Taking 20 When you have plenty of time (generally 2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round, one full-round action, or one standard action), you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. Common "take 20" skills include Escape Artist, Open Lock, and Search.
• Items that might be touching the subject of a polymorph spell (or vice versa), but that aren't exactly equipment, usually don't change form along with the subject. For example, a character chained to a wall with a set of manacles probably ought to just slip out of the manacles (or pop them open) when polymorphing.

Familiar

Description

Rowena is a black raven perched on Mellow's shoulder, keeping up a running critique on everything going on in the vicinity. Unlike most familiars, she is capable of speaking Common in addition to master/familiar pidgin. She is empathically linked with her master within 1 mile.

Language (Su)

• Common
• Speak with Master (Ex)
• Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex)

Purpose out of combat

1. Aid Another
2. Speak with Animals of its Kind (birds) and anything that speaks Common using Diplomacy 11 +6 (Synergy) -2 (Cha 6) = 15
3. Alertness, with Low-light and Darkvision

Purpose in combat

1. Deliver Touch Spells by landing on friendly units
2. Join Grapples while polymorphed

Abilities

Saving throws

• Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Armour class

Attacks

Movement:

• Average Maneuverability: The creature can fly as adroitly as a small bird.
• It can:
  • not hover on the spot: half speed per round required to stay aloft or fall 150
  • spend 5 movement to rotate its facing by up to 45° with a maximum of 90° turn in its space
  • after moving 5 in one direction, change direction by up to 45°
  • fly at any descending angle at double speed
  • fly at an ascending angle no steeper than 60° at half speed, after flying at least 5 horizontally before ascending
• Carrying Capacity & Encumbrance:
  • 0lb (current load)
  • 1.5lb (light load): can fly
  • 3lb (medium load): cannot fly; max Dex mod = +3; check penalty = -3;
  • 5lb (heavy load): cannot fly; max Dex mod = +1; check penalty = -6;
  • 25lb (push or drag)

Feats

• A natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure.
• A Familiar has the same skill ranks as its master (and gains from Skill Synergy) and can Aid Another for a +2 bonus
• Share Spells allows the Master to cast the following spells and for the Familiar to get their benefit in addition to himself:
  1. Find Traps grants +4 insight bonus to Search to find traps with a higher DC than 20 as a rogue
  2. Knock obviates Open Lock
  3. Invisibility grants +20 to Hide (+40 if immobile)
  4. Guidance grants +1 to any skill
  5. Divine Insight grants +13 to any skill
  6. Polymorph grants racial skill bonuses
  7. Detect Magic allows Spellcraft check of DC 15 + spell level to identify the strength and one category of the spell (effect)

Homunculus

Description

Gumby is a 1ft-high, asymmetrically sculpted, humanoid construct made of dark green clay. Unlike most constructs, he is intelligent which grants skills and feats. He is telepathically linked with his creator within 1500ft.

Abilities

A newly created construct has average hit points for its Hit Dice.

Because its body is a mass of unliving matter, a construct is hard to destroy. It gains bonus hit points based on size. For Tiny constructs, this is 0hp.

Repair an item by making checks against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item's price. The homunculus's Craft DC is 12 +8. A homunculus's Price is &emdash;.

If that fails, buy up to 20hp per day at 50gp each. A complete repair would cost 2700gp.

Although a homunculus has a bite attack, constructs do not eat so Goodberry probably doesn't benefit them. Pathfinder's Make Whole spell repairs 1d6 per caster level (max. 5d6) as a 2nd level spell.

Skills

• Int +2 (x4 at first level)
• Int 10(+0) x 9HD
• = 24

A homunculus's creator determines its precise features. Homunculi are little more than tools designed to carry out assigned tasks. They are extensions of their creators, sharing the same alignment and basic nature.

• Invisibility grants +20 to Hide and ends if the creature attacks. Gumby has 23 to Hide (+1d20) and takes -20 to Hide if he attacks
• A creature in an area of shadowy illumination can make a Hide check to conceal itself.
• Cloak Dance: You can take a move action to obscure your exact position. Until your next turn, you have concealment. Alternatively, you can take a full-round action to entirely obscure your exact position. Until your next action, you have total concealment.
• When moving at a speed greater than one-half but less than your normal speed, you take a -5 penalty to Hide. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to hide while attacking
• When moving at a speed greater than one-half but less than your full speed, you take a -5 penalty to Move Silently. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to move silently while running or charging.

Feats

Attacks

Special attacks:

• Spit Poison (Ex): (contact, ranged Touch, 15ft) Fort save DC18 (10 + half HD +2 racial +2 feat) 1 minute sleep (secondary +5d6 minutes). No attack-of-opportunity for natural weapons but -4 in grapples.
• Acid Breath (Su): (15ft line of acid breath weapon) Reflex save DC14 (10 + half HD) 4d6 damage (save for half). No attack-of-opportunity.
• Rapid Shot allows two ranged attacks as a full-round action at -2 to hit (for both attacks)
• Cloak Dance: You can take a move action to obscure your exact position. Until your next turn, you have concealment. Alternatively, you can take a full-round action to entirely obscure your exact position. Until your next action, you have total concealment.
• Facing an Unseen Opponent: (visually undetectable) When facing a totally concealed foe, a creature is denied Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class and the attacker gets a +2 attack bonus as well.
• A tiny character only threatens its own square so can only make attacks of opportunity to opponents moving through its own square. A reach weapon gives it reach 5, so it threatens adjacent squares.
• A construct is immune to (its own) poison, so suffers no risk from coating itself, door-knobs, thrown weapons, etc. in its poison (or even wyvern poison). It can be cleaned with Prestidigitation when necessary.
• If you shoot or throw a ranged weapon at a target engaged in melee with a friendly character, you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll. Two characters are engaged in melee if they are:
  1. enemies of each other
  2. with 5 of each other
  3. either threatens the other
• A character who shoots or throws a ranged weapon at a target involved in a grapple must roll randomly to see which grappling combatant the attack strikes. That defender loses any Dexterity bonus to AC.

Movement

• Good Maneuverability: The creature is very agile in the air (like a housefly or a hummingbird), but cannot change direction as readily as those with perfect maneuverability.
• It can:
  • hover on the spot: no need to keep flying forward to stay aloft
  • spend 5 movement to reverse without turning around
  • spend 5 movement to rotate its facing by up to 90° with no restriction on how far it can turn in its space (given sufficient movement to spend)
  • after moving 5 in one direction, change direction by up to 90°
  • fly at any descending angle at double speed
  • fly at any ascending angle at half speed, with no need to fly horizontally before ascending
• Carrying Capacity & Encumbrance:
  • 1.5lb (current load): Armour & Shield
  • 13lb (light load): can fly
  • 26lb (medium load): cannot fly; max Dex mod = +3; check penalty = -3;
  • 40lb (heavy load): cannot fly; max Dex mod = +1; check penalty = -6;
  • 200lb (push or drag)

Flightpath: fight or flight

Flightpath: duck roll

Flightpath: bombardment

Saving throws

A creature with no Constitution has no body or no metabolism. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. The creature is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain, and automatically fails Constitution checks. A creature with no Constitution cannot tire

Armour class

Proficiencies:

• Proficient with its natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with any weapon mentioned in its entry (ie, none).
• Proficient with no armor.

"A character who uses a weapon with which he or she is not proficient takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls."

Wearing defences with which the character is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks.

Paying a premium price for Special Materials which reduce the armour check penalty (to zero in the case of particularly unimpeding items) mitigates the effect of non-proficiency through expending wealth, rather than Feats.

Equipment

DIY item crafting and enchanting

All items restricted to characters with Neutral alignments: no extremists to benefit from these labours!

6. Making magical items
7. Making magical items

Background

Present Day

Hagai Mellow leant back against the legs of a skeletal horse, heavily laden with a dismantled sculpting workshop, but not the least bit tired from bearing it all day and all night for the past week.

Outside the tent, the rain spattered, masking sounds as he broke open some trail rations - first feeding Rowena, his raven familiar, before tucking in himself. The undead horse needed no food, and nor did the tiny construct in the saddlebags. Any weary traveller happening upon the two roadside shrines to Fharlanghn he'd passed that afternoon would find the handful of Goodberries he'd left.

Where would the road tomorrow lead? Perhaps adventure? But more likely he'd come across a village in need of statue repairs, or a temple with ambitious renovations - they were always lucrative. Whatever it turned out to be, it was bound to be a learning experience and a challenge. Covering the undead pack horse in cloth barding was effective in country lanes but wouldn't go unnoticed in an inn's stables; extremists might even take exception to its entire existence! What with hawkers urging unnecessary purchases to prove loyalty to the economy, many people despise him for repairing, recycling or repurposing to eek out utility a little longer. Mellow could put up with that; each to their own. Worse things happen at sea.

He withdrew a short length of rope from a pouch, hung it from a Rope Trick and crawled inside off the cold, damp ground. Once he and Rowena were settled, he pulled the skeletal horse in too, vanishing from the material plane for the next eight hours. He fell asleep to the patter of rain.

T MINUS 1 day

Mellow had been been leading the breathless horse along the country road as it entered a wood; up ahead the burbles of a river announced a ford was likely. The ever-vigilant Rowena alighted on Mellow's shoulders, describing an ambush prepared ahead.

Mellow had no bone to pick with bandits. He didn't want them injured or exterminated - there are countless reasons why someone would turn to a life of crime in desperate times, and corporeal punishment wasn't the solution, nor was he entitled to teach them a lesson. "Because I can" is seldom a valid justification to interfere with others. His journey may lead him back here to employ and train them one day if he got a chance, but for now he wanted to reach a town and set up shop. If an ambush damaged the horse and it dropped its load, there's no way he could continue unaided.

Reaching into the nearest pannier, Mellow felt the familiar plasticine construct that had cost him so much. "Gumby, up ahead are bandits hiding in shadows near the ford. Take your time." The one-foot-high clay figurine darted off obediently.

After five minutes, Rowena reported the all-clear and Mellow proceeded through the encounter unimpeded. The highwaymen would awaken some minutes later, none the wiser, and no harm done on either side.

He stowed Gumby back in the saddlebags and strode on. The horizon beckoned.

T MINUS 7 days

"There's been a change of plan," Gizmo exclaimed in agitation, bursting into their shared workshop. Gizmo was Mellow's collaborator and an artificer.

"Now they want a passive defence and warning system from pirates and land-based assaults, rather than mobile units?" Mellow was getting fed up of scope-creep.

"No - worse. Morag made adviser. She's questioned our operation. We're to present our progress in ten minutes to the court." Morag had had it in for them for ages.

Well, nothing could be done about it. Mellow gathered up the one prototype they'd completed, its schematics, documentation and basic equipment, dumped them in a box and headed down the helical staircase with his colleague. He sighed inside every time someone called it a spiral staircase - sure it looks like a spiral from one perspective, but it isn't really.

The court was assembled; Morag hovering at the boss's elbow, gloating sweetly. Gizmo started distributing handouts while Mellow set the box down and took the floor: "My lord, may I present -"

"Just get on with it. Bring it in. Dispense with the histrionics - and we don't need whatever he's handing out. Let's see it." This wasn't going well.

"As you wish, m'lord." Mellow tipped out the box on the red carpet and began, "While we are still working on increasing telepathic range limitations, this prototype represents our work to date in early detection and defeat of coastal assaults and -"

"Very funny. It's an empty box. Now bring my prototype into the chamber... And you meant land-based threats."

Mellow scooped up the tiny clay homunculus and was surprised to hear shrieks of "it's alive!" from various corners of the room. He continued undeterred, "- and indeed land-based assaults by locating and compromising enemy forces so they are significantly weakened upon arrival if they persist. This prototype is the Micro Colonel."

"That? That toy is all you've got to show for the investment so far? I can envisage a world market for maybe five microkernels. I don't know what use one would be to me. It can't intimidate a fly!"

And now the delighted drawl of Morag's jurassic jowls broke into the conversation like a shattering glass bowl, "Is it true that a Golem Manual would cost a fraction of the cost of this prototype?"

Mellow could only nod.

"And that it would have twice the endurance, be able to ignore most damage types, be ten feet tall, and pulverise its opponents?"

There was a clear flaw with this suggestion he and Gizmo had considered initially, "But it would sink like a stone in the sea." The moment the words left his lips and Morag's eyes lit up like Will-o-wisps, he knew he'd fallen for her machinations. Marvelous.

"Nobody in this court has deemed the sea worthy of consideration since Marina. Your microkernel is obsolete. Dismissed." Well that had been anticlimactic.

"Very good m'lord." It pays to be gracious.

"Dismissed. From service. Today," he clarified, "and take that nasty gremlin away with you, and clear out the workshop from my tower - it is to be repurposed as a seer tower for my new adviser."

And that was that.

Appendix 1

[2016-05-30 02:51:34] <mainstreet>	btw, *do* you have interest in joining the group here? That hasn't really been discussed, and I can't, by myself, say it's good, but... you've watched a few games by now.
[2016-05-30 02:53:54] <MeatDog>	I'm interested, yeah, sure. But it seems you have a tight-knit group who all know each other well and coordinate well.
[2016-05-30 02:55:09] <MeatDog>	I am not feeling left out :-)
[2016-05-30 02:55:57] <mainstreet>	Well, the core group of me, Capn, BLusk, and Ieth have been playing for years. But TrueWolves and annafirtree have both only played one game each at this point. (Well, one plus a little for Wolves, as he was here for the start of the current game as well.)
[2016-05-30 03:02:43] <MeatDog>	Ah OK fair enough. Well, I'd be happy to join and play if people would be interested. I've played druids, rogues, a bard, monks, a hexblade (melee sorcerer). It's all been fun.
[2016-05-30 03:03:11] *	mainstreet nods. I suspect capn might appreciate you taking the rogue slot if Anna goes with her original Wizard concept :P
[2016-05-30 03:07:28] <MeatDog>	I was thinking a Neutral (but negative energy) Cleric with a small army of skeletons or zombies would complement the existing cleric quite well. But if thief type skills are required, there's a prestige class in Races of Destiny called Chameleon, open to Humans, which allows them to choose whether they are going to be a mage today, a rogue today, a cleric today, etc.
[2016-05-30 03:11:48] <mainstreet>	It's not a build that's ever occured to me. Could be interesting.
[2016-05-30 03:52:51] <mainstreet>	I start gaming Friday, 6PM
[2016-05-30 03:53:05] <mainstreet>	well, that's the official start time, it's usually closer to 7PM
[2016-05-30 03:54:12] <MeatDog>	Friday 6pm for you would be Saturday 11am for me, which is quite convenient!
[2016-05-30 04:04:19] <mainstreet>	and okay, yeah, now that Wolves won't be around at least to start, definitely a space, because that would make 5

[2016-06-10 04:38:55] <mainstreet>	Sika: Do you want to do a practice D&D run tomorrow? Shadowrun was canceled, but I can see the benefits in a one-off for D&D...
[2016-06-10 04:40:38] <Sika>	Should I play Vivian then?
[2016-06-10 04:40:46] <Sika>	(the wizard)
[2016-06-10 04:41:31] *	MeatDog has http://jackpoint.neocities.org/dnd/mellow.htm
[2016-06-10 04:47:27] <mainstreet>	MeatDog: So, generic spellcaster... is this like a wizard, or not?
[2016-06-10 04:47:43] <mainstreet>	Sika: Possibly. Either way might work. As far as the campaign is concerned it depends on what Capn does.
[2016-06-10 04:48:18] <MeatDog>	It's a Sorcerer (spontaneous casting) based on Int (not Cha) who can cast a small number of known spells, picked from Druid + Cleric + Wizard/Sorcerer spell list.
[2016-06-10 04:48:41] <MeatDog>	It gets no Familiar without taking a feat to do so, no armour, one weapon.
[2016-06-10 04:49:23] <MeatDog>	http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm#spellcaster
[2016-06-10 04:50:00] <mainstreet>	Interesting.
[2016-06-10 04:50:42] <MeatDog>	Yep, so it can cast Cure spells as arcane spells, just like a Bard can.
[2016-06-10 04:50:49] *	mainstreet nods
[2016-06-10 04:51:39] <mainstreet>	So, yeah, if Capn goes Ranger you *might* be better off with the Rogue if Mellow here works to do wizard things, but if Capn's character covers enough of the Roguey stuff Wizard might be better.
[2016-06-10 04:52:53] <MeatDog>	I've taken rogue skills. I can detect traps, use Knock to open locks, detect secret doors, all through magic. And I have a sidekick who can dish out the rogue kind of damage if needed - it's just expensive to repair if it gets damaged.
[2016-06-10 04:53:35] <MeatDog>	So my small list of known spells includes "do rogue stuff" spells, plus some backup healing.
[2016-06-10 04:59:04] <Sika>	Hmm. If I worked on a different character, which kind would *not* overlap with anyone? :)
[2016-06-10 05:08:50] <mainstreet>	I mean, the warblade fits the tanky role. We have a cleric. We have a monk (sort of, he'll be in and out). We have you. And MeatDog here. And Capn.
[2016-06-10 05:18:25] <MeatDog>	What about a Ranger/Barbarian? Get the Track feat. Mid-level armour. Rage for battle. Favoured enemies. It's a pretty decent mix.
[2016-06-10 05:18:36] <mainstreet>	Well, Capn might go Ranger.



[2016-07-16 13:22:25] <@Capn_Shoe> So...
[2016-07-16 13:22:33] <@Capn_Shoe> I have to ask this at the start of any new game.
[2016-07-16 13:22:39] <@Capn_Shoe> Who's character is whose, again? :3
[2016-07-16 13:24:17] <@Capn_Shoe> Sika is Vivi, and Meatdog is Mellow.
[2016-07-16 13:24:35] < Mellow_> I am new here, MeatDog, Tony, playing Mellow a male human sculptor (kind of sorcerer, but with a homunculus)
[2016-07-16 13:24:36]  * Capn_Shoe will have to get used to having another person in the party.
[2016-07-16 13:25:01] <@Capn_Shoe> Yeah, I remember you being around, I just keep forgetting you were joining us this time. :d
[2016-07-16 13:27:03] < Mellow_> So I am filling Rogue slot in the party, by request, only I am doing it rather unconventionally as a spellcaster who buffs himself to be rogue-like, but the rest of the time can be a little more flexible.
[2016-07-16 13:27:16] <@mainstreet> uh, Shoe's a rogue
[2016-07-16 13:27:17] <@mainstreet> >>
[2016-07-16 13:27:20]  * mainstreet shrugs
[2016-07-16 13:27:45]  * Capn_Shoe blinks.
[2016-07-16 13:28:12] <@Capn_Shoe> Yeah, I'm a rogue. A rather thiefy one, at that. Not that he steals stuff. Why, that would be wrong. And illegal. >.>
[2016-07-16 13:28:24] <@mainstreet> Eh, more spellcasty doesn't hurt, regardless of how it goes.
[2016-07-16 13:28:34] < Mellow_> Oh? Oh well if things have changed, I can drop quite a bit from my character sheet in that case.
[2016-07-16 13:28:51] < Mellow_> At the time though, the request was for rogue, so I took a little liberty with that :-)

So at some point I will probably shift some skill points away from Thief focus, and pick different spells.

[2016-06-05 07:08:26] <MeatDog>	So, what the set of rolls needed to create a character? 6x 5d6 drop lowest 2; followed by 7d(HD) + max(HD) for 1st level?
[2016-06-05 07:13:16] <mainstreet--AWAY>	yes
[2016-06-05 07:16:02] <MeatDog>	Sweet.
[2016-06-05 07:16:19] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6 x6
[2016-06-05 07:16:20] <GameServ>	Syntax: XdY [ {-|+|*|/} Z ]
[2016-06-05 07:16:42] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6 * 6
[2016-06-05 07:16:42] <GameServ>	Syntax: XdY [ {-|+|*|/} Z ]
[2016-06-05 07:16:47] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:48] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 3 4 2 4 1  <Total: 14>
[2016-06-05 07:16:49] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:49] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 6 1 4 2 1  <Total: 14>
[2016-06-05 07:16:50] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:50] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 2 2 6 1 6  <Total: 17>
[2016-06-05 07:16:51] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:51] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 6 4 1 2 1  <Total: 14>
[2016-06-05 07:16:52] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:52] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 2 3 5 3 3  <Total: 16>
[2016-06-05 07:16:53] <MeatDog>	`roll 5d6
[2016-06-05 07:16:54] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 5d6: 3 1 1 6 2  <Total: 13>
[2016-06-05 07:18:48] <MeatDog>	So that looks like 11 12 14 12 11 11 to me.
[2016-06-05 07:24:05] <MeatDog>	Yep. OK so hitpoints are 4 + ...
[2016-06-05 07:24:11] <MeatDog>	`roll 7d4
[2016-06-05 07:24:11] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 7d4: 1 2 3 2 1 3 1  <Total: 13>
[2016-06-05 07:24:23] <MeatDog>	OK 17 HP. Sweet.

[2016-06-07 16:11:09] <MeatDog>	I'll reroll the 1s from the first character too:
[2016-06-07 16:11:14] <MeatDog>	`roll 1d6
[2016-06-07 16:11:15] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 1d6: 2  <Total: 2>
[2016-06-07 16:11:17] <MeatDog>	`roll 2d6
[2016-06-07 16:11:17] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 2d6: 2 2  <Total: 4>
[2016-06-07 16:11:19] <MeatDog>	`roll 1d6
[2016-06-07 16:11:19] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 1d6: 1  <Total: 1>
[2016-06-07 16:11:22] <MeatDog>	`roll 2d6
[2016-06-07 16:11:22] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 2d6: 5 4  <Total: 9>
[2016-06-07 16:11:24] <MeatDog>	`roll 2d6
[2016-06-07 16:11:25] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 2d6: 1 1  <Total: 2>
[2016-06-07 16:12:38] <MeatDog>	Wow - looks like 1s and 2s are my lucky number!
[2016-06-07 16:12:44] <MeatDog>	`roll 1d6
[2016-06-07 16:12:44] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 1d6: 6  <Total: 6>
[2016-06-07 16:12:46] <MeatDog>	`roll 2d6
[2016-06-07 16:12:46] <GameServ>	MeatDog rolled 2d6: 3 4  <Total: 7>
[2016-06-07 16:12:54] <MeatDog>	My first 6!
[2016-06-07 16:17:06] <MeatDog>	So that looks like 11 12 14 12 11 11 changes to 11 12 18 15 11 13, so 3 attributes rose.

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

The Pursuit of Happiness: a practical Guide to playing True Neutral.
When you find yourself in a morally demanding situation, you have to make choices, those choices will give you an alignment, and even doing nothing is a choice. They have a worldview; they're making a statement. They consciously reject Good values (self-sacrifice, uncompromising rejection of Evil) in favor of other values. And unlike Evil philosophies that, most often, make sense and enthuse you until you figure out that you had not realized all the implications and you don't wanna be such a jerk, Neutral philosophies are easier to follow through with, and actually make sense to most people. Everyone has something deeply important to them, something valuable. In your TN's character case, that's not going to be ideology or strong ideas about how people should behave, or how the world should turn. Because their personal ties is often what they most believe in. Besides, TN people won't alienate their friends by having radically different ideas, and they can understand or at least tolerate most worldviews, which means they can and will enjoy long-lasting personal commitments delightfully devoid of bickering about ethics. True Neutral doesn't have to be an excuse for roleplaying inconsistently, poorly or just dispense with ethical and moral issues entirely. If you're interested in psychological realism and would like to make a case study of how an average, normal, relatable person would react in a D&D setting, TN is your option. In eight cases out of nine, the alignment tends to mask or take precedence over the character; in TN's case, because its prescriptive value is so small, the alignment tends to step back and let the character shine. The truth he's interested in is practical rather than theoretical: theories are judged according to how well they perform in a given context. Various problems need various perspectives and various tools. It is reality's place to judge ideas, rather than the reverse. He's smart enough to realise that "Whatever works" is itself subject to context. It's viable within certain limits, but there are actions so extreme that you can't just treat them as means to an end, because they change you. It's just not worth risking. In such cases, it is better to choose another course of action slightly less efficient and direct, that preserves the person you are. This guy is either an intellectualist, or a sceptic/relativist. He is very good at reasoning and analyzing, and he mostly relies on that to determine his ethical and moral behaviour. Therefore all ethical and moral stances have the same value to him, that's to say exactly none until they're found rational and consistent. Rationality and logic is the criterion by which he sets his course, which makes him textbook TN (though he might drift a bit towards the Lawful side, but nothing irredeemable). Furthermore, seeing as we're not Exemplars made of pure Alignment matter, there is a part of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos in each of us and, like it or not, it's not going away. Thus, it is better to get to know it intimately, accept it and reconcile it with its opposite as parts of the greater whole When you try and ignore it or repress it, it creates imbalance and infighting and always backfires on you eventually. To such a character, what is wrong with the world is not Evil. It's the nature of the clash between Good and Evil (or Law and Chaos), when it's destructive instead of constructive. To restore balance is to be truly free (and yes, to such a character, Chaos threatens freedom as much as Law does, because the personal definition of freedom is not that of absolute indetermination, but that of a judicious action subtly worked into an existing worldly canvas, all things considered). With the wacky way D&D alignment is written (that is, human point of view becoming objective concepts with universal application), a lot of things with alien mindsets end up Evil. What you don't understand, and what seems to follow its own logic (which is very different from no logic at all), should be True Neutral, as a Chaotic label would indicate some patterns that a lot of people actually understand and identify with. Fundamentally, Nature is a primal force that long predates moral or ethical considerations. It's not a moral agent, and indeed it doesn't have an agenda. For the world and for the soul to function, balance must be found between the same forces: Good, Evil, Law and Chaos. Thus the soul and the multiverse mirror each other. This gives TN's spirituality a particular outlook: the multiverse is at once too great to be measured, and profoundly relatable. True Neutral is the alignment of a mortal who's recognized and embraced his condition. By this act of acceptance, he's already transcending it somewhat. Fharlanghn, God of Roads and Travel, resonates more with TN people. Indeed, he's concerned about the journey through life as well as the journey through space. His followers see him as the patron of human experience, who watches over them as they travel through their mortal life, pursuing balance and happiness. Often mock or criticize Good people for being naive, Chaotic people for being irresponsible, Lawful people for being uptight and Evil people for being jerks. Occasionally, applaud Good people for being just, Chaotic people for being free-spirited and Lawful people for being reliable. After all, they mean well and they're your friends.
(Seto)

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Familiars:
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050906a
	a familiar has Hit Dice equal to its own or equal to the master's character level, whichever is higher.
	reasonably assume that a familiar uses its own hit points if they're higher than half the master's hit points.
	A familiar uses its own skill ranks or the master's, whichever are higher.
	A familiar uses its own Intelligence score if it is higher than what its master's level allows.
Libris Mortis p30: Stitched Flesh Familiar
	Hit Points: Use half the master's total, or the familiar's normal, whichever is higher.

Craft Construct:
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050816a
Homunculus improvements from PathFinder:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-creation-feats/craft-construct-item-creation

Homunculus customisation with feats and skills:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType
	Skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die, if the construct has an Intelligence score. However, most constructs are mindless and gain no skill points or feats.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/homunculus.htm
	A homunculus's creator determines its precise features. Homunculi are little more than tools designed to carry out assigned tasks. They are extensions of their creators, sharing the same alignment and basic nature.

Wealth by level:
https://www.dndarchive.com/forums/depth-roleplay-qa/character-wealth-level
Level	Gold
8th	27,000 gp

Armour and shields:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#nonproficientwithArmorWorn
	not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#masterworkArmor
	All magic armors and shields are automatically considered to be of masterwork quality.
	armor check penalty is lessened by 1.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#armorForUnusualCreatures
	Tiny or smaller humanoid: half price
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/craft.htm
	Pay one-third of the item's price for the cost of raw materials.
	If you fail by 5 or more, you ruin half the raw materials and have to pay half the original raw material cost again.
	Craft: Armorsmithing	DC: 10 + AC bonus
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/usingSkills.htm#skillChecks
	a natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure.

Enchanting armour and shields:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#casterLevelforArmorandShields
	For an item with only an enhancement bonus, the caster level is three times the enhancement bonus.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm
	Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed).
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#spellcastingAndServices
	The indicated amount is how much it costs to get a spellcaster to cast a spell for you. Spell level x Caster level x 10gp.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm#creatingScrolls
	Scroll cost: 12.5 × level of spell × level of caster
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm#otherConsiderations
	Once you have a final cost figure, reduce that number if either of the following conditions applies:
	Item Requires Specific Class or Alignment to Use: Even more restrictive than requiring a skill, this limitation cuts the cost by 30%.