"There are those in this city who do not think that the law applies to them." replied the seated figure, shrouded in darkness. Only scarred hands were visible, resting on the table before them. "So it would seem. We, for example..." replied the figure standing before the table. While this figure was not enveloped in the darkness before them, they were hooded, with a tight mask across their face. Even should the hood come off, the face would be distorted and unrecognizable. The mask of an assassin. "We act for the cause of good, but in our own ways. If those who wish to do evil also wish to die for their doings, that is there own fault." The standing figure shrugged, revealing two sword hilts, one over each shoulder. The leather bound hilts showed frequent use, marking the baldes as those of a warrior. The sheathe in which they hung was supple, for quiet withdrawal of the deadly sharp blades, marking the whole set as the tools of a spy. "You accepted the oath knowing full well what it would mean. Are you saying you no longer wish to serve?" "No." The reply from the hooded figure came immediately. "Never. I serve the Dark Wolf. I will show my loyalty if it is needed..." "It is not. I merely wished to be sure. Tonight there is one who believes himself above the law. He has been abusing his power, forcing women of lower social status into his bed." "Why him? Surely other are more deserving of a visit from us." "The last such person he tried this with was not a commoner, but the Princess in disguise during one of her walks in the city core. She was not discovered, but due to this he has been uncovered. He is too well connected to march against openly, being a Senator. He is too powerful, being an archmage. But his abuse of power will not go unnoticed by us tonight." "I understand." "Here, take this rope and hook. There is an inn, which has a room facing the wizards tower. If you can make it into the tower, beware of the numerous traps bound to be in place. No doubt a powerful man such as him will be paranoid as well. Do not be seen leaving. The rest, is up to you." "I understand. Is there going to be an investigation about this, or does the means of death matter?" "Keep things simple. He is a powerful man, with powerful enemies. No doubt some of them would wish him dead. Assassination is common in this city." "I understand." With those final words, the hooded figure disappeared into the shadows behind.
At the Green Harpy Inn, many of her patrons were having the usual good time. Mead was flowing, drinks were spilling, and the room was spinning for many of the early customers. A lithe looking man, a woodsman who owned a shop in the merchant district, was having a particular good time recalling tales of the Dark Forest. He was telling all about the wolves that inhabit the area, and their eerie behaviour. He seemed to be spilling more than drinking, but the innkeeper didn't mind. He had given a good amount of gold before hand, and bought several rounds for his new friends since. With that kind of money, the mess was irrelevant. Clearly the alcohol was becoming too much for the poor man, though, as he threatened to vomit across his newly acquired friends, much to their disgust and amusement. Seeing this, the innkeeper guided the sick looking individual upstairs. The man lurched for one of the rooms, which the innkeep quickly opened before the poor fellow bashed his head into the door. Laying him down on the bed, the innkeeper opened the window to let in some fresh air. "I'll be back ta check on ya before I turn in meself. Don't go making a mess o' me bed, though, or else yar coffers'll be mighty empty tomorrow." With that the innkeep left the intoxicated man, locking the door behind him. HIs heavy footprint could be heard going down the hall, and finally down the stairs.
Without a moment to spare, the no longer intoxicated merchant quickly stood up, and took off his baggy, alcohol-soaked clothing, revealing clothing as dark as night, with shades of blues and greens mixed in. Without candle light, the man seemed to fade into the darkness around him. In his new suit, the man reached into several pockets. From one he withdrew the hook and rope, from another he drew the familiar mask he wore for so much of his life. After putting on the mask, he pulled up his hood, and looked down into the street below. The night was moonless, and the street below, while not empty, was unrecognizable. The hooded figure now reached for a drain pipe just outside the window, and pulled a package from behind it. Securing on end of the rope to the drain pipe, he moved back inside his room. Opening the package, the hooded figure retrieved his two swords, the blades smoke-kissed to reveal nothing of their incredible deadliness to the intended victim. Removing the sheath from the package, and putting it on, the keen blades slid home with a hiss, like padded feet on rock. Finally, from the package came a small device, looking somewhat like a crossbow, although clearly not made for a bolt. Using this, the hooded figure shot the hook and other end of the rope over to the wizards tower. The hook caught on the roof, nearly two stories higher than the inn. With the rope secure, the figure muttered some words to the divine, and began his ascent.
Upon reaching the roof of the archmage's tower, the hooded figure kept to the shadows, finding a locked window and avoiding the open ones. The open ones were sure to have magical traps, whereas locked ones perhaps only mechanical ones. The choice was a sound one, when finding a shocking surprise attached to the window below. Hanging upside down from the roof, the figure quickly inspected and removed the trap, keeping it for later use. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Moving into the room, the figure blended into the shadows with a few more prayers, and began to move slowly across the floor, keeping an eye out for traps. Arriving at the door, the figure quickly removed a small tool from another of the many pockets in his multicoloured garment and began to pick the lock. Opening the door a fraction of the way, the hooded man used a mirror to quickly scan the area. Inside was the wizard, sleeping on his bed. Without a sound, the hooded figure stole into the room, and began to set up the electrical trap he had found on the window on one side of the bed. Moving over to the otherside, the figure removed a piece of parchment, and began to whisper the contents. As he read, the parchment dissolved, swirling into a pattern on the floor. When the reading was done, the arcane symbol on the floor glowed, then faded into darkness. His job done, the dark figure moved back to the room from which he had come. Closing the door partway, we removed a dart from his pocket, and flung it at a set of vials near the archmage's nightstand on a shelf. Crashing vials rained down from their shelf, the wizard awoke with a start, leaping off the bed, right onto the electrical trap. The shock took the breath out of him, preventing him from screaming or muttering arcane words of death. With that, the figure rushed forward, out of the darkness, blades in hand. The mage only barely saw the figure, and the last thing he saw was his own blood spraying.
Moving quickly, the hooded figure went back to the window, leaving the dead mage in a large blood pool, but not before taking the head. Moving to the fireplace, the head was tosed intside, and using a small incendiary, the fireplace was lit. In the morning, ashes would be all that was left, and the suspicion would be on a bounty hunter, or some other hired help. Not on the Dark Wolf Society. As quickly as stealth would allow, the figure moved back onto the roof, and they using a strap of leather, he slid down to the inn, lightly bouncing of the side of the building. Moving back inside, he removed his mask and hooded, stowed his gear outside again, and put on his clothing. In the morning, he would be found sleeping off his hangover, allowing him some well earned rest.
While this character cannot dual-wield rapiers from level one, the use of tactics makes this irrelevant. Traps, stealth, animal companions, ranged and melee are all at this characters' disposal. They are in fact needed, since standing up to an uninjured enemy with only frequent critical damage to damage them is probably a bad idea. This character is quite handy in a party, because the role of tough rogue is easily taken. The use of varied equipment will be of great use to a pure dex character like this. Scrolls of darkfire, flame weapon, bull's strength and greater magic weapon are great, while defensive scrolls will give this char the edge in battle. But again, I must emphasize, this char doesn't play fair. Stealth and traps are the order of the day. Ambushing people in their own homes is just hilarious. Also, this char can dual-wield rapiers well enough, although sword and board is clearly an important option in stealthless situations. Due to the low strength, the use of magic bags (for carrying loot and the literal ton of traps you will need to clear any area solo) and strength boosting belts is a must. This will also boost the low damage. Luckily, the use of FEs will eliminate most tough adversaries, and the sneak attack coupled with stealth and IKD will prove very useful (and necessary). The UMD score allows for monk, shadowdancer, arcane archer and assassin clothing to be worn. Also UMD provides much needed magical support in terms of dealing with crowds and damaging while already in a fight. All in all, I was happy with the result.
Name: Dark Wolf Mercenary Classes: Ranger 32, Rogue 8 Playable 1-40, PvM Race: Human Alignment: Chaotic Good
Starting Stats:
Str 10 to 10 Dex 16 to 32 Con 14 to 14 Wis 14 to 14 Int 14 to 14 Cha 6 to 8
21 Ranger17 AS 22 Ranger18 23 Rogue5 24 Ranger19 Great Dexterity I 25 Ranger20 FE 26 Ranger21 27 Ranger22 Great Dexterity II 28 Rogue6 29 Ranger23 BoE 30 Ranger24 Great Dexterity III 31 Ranger25 FE 32 Ranger26 EWF 33 Rogue7 Great Dexterity IV 34 Ranger27 35 Ranger28 36 Ranger29 Great Dexterity V, EP 37 Ranger30 FE 38 Rogue8 39 Ranger31 Great Dexterity VI 40 Ranger32 FE
Spells: Ranger 1: Ultravision, Resist Elements, Grease x 2 2: Cat's Grace x 2, Protection from Elements x 2 3: Greater Magic Fang, Aid x 2 4: Summon Creature IV, Mass Camoflage, Polymorph Self
Buffing up the animal companion will reap lots of damage with the right strategy. Keeping animal back, then setting up traps ahead. Come back, buff the animal and yourself. Run ahead, stealth at the last second, and possibly sneak attacking with a ranged shot or two. Lead the baddies into your traps, then switch to dual wield and release the animal. I have found the panther good for this, since the sneak attack from it or me will add up nicely. While in the area of tactics, tangle traps, grease and gas traps had a nice effect, keeping baddies in the death zone longer. This means more damage they take and less that you do. Your hitpoints aren't great, but sufficient for most means. This is also why heal is pumped up a bit. You can easily heal 46 points (25 + 20 roll + 1 kit), while hidden in stealth. This is handy when low on potions or in need of healing in a hostile area. Also, make use of Polymorph self, to gain the troll's regen and heal up fully without resting and without using potions and kits if you are low or far from a merchant. Using the dire spider, while usually a dumb idea, can be helpful if the poison sets in. Keep attention off of it, since it won't last long, but against spellcaster this little creepy-crawly can be quite effective.
HP: 488 max
AC: 31, min 33 buffed with shield
AB: single Rapier 44, dual Rapier 40, Longbow 40
Saves:
Fort 23[27] Reflex 30[34] (Evasion) Will 18[22]
Pros: +4d6 Sneak Attack +2d6 + 7 Favoured Enemies Damage Find, Set and Disable Deadly Traps Good Stealth Decent AB even dual wielding Good AC 8 Favoured Enemies - more than enough to cover crit immune and common foes Good reflex save, mediocre fortitude save Uncanny Dodge Ranger Spells and abilities Ranger Companion for extra sneak attack damage UMD magic casting, good Heal score, Open some locks Dual-wielding rapiers - come on! That's just plain cool!
-c _________________ “If you bring a Ranger with you, it is well to pay attention to him...”
Edited By griphook on 12/06/05 23:20
When I first saw the level progression it looked like a pure level 40 Ranger
Looks fine to me, sneaks and FE (and as you say str belts) making up for low dexer dmg. Just noticed one thing: CHA is at 6 for Human. It's no problem - you've just sold your character short of 2 skill points. He lives in the wood for a reason does he?
Oh and:
Quote: Posted 12/06/05 17:47:08 (GMT) -- christian.schnabel Good AC
That's pushing it a little bit.
My one comment is that you already have a very high dex and Rogue levels - 5 more RGE levels would give access to Epic dodge, even just 2 more RGE levels (ie 30/10) would give you access to the Self Concealment feats (possibly swap AS for Grt Dex at 21)
Were you not in the least bit tempted?
Edit Just went and checked out the above. RGR 30/ RGE 10 Currently have 20% SC, Improved Evasion, for a loss of Armor Skin, 1 FE, and a Dex of 31 so 1 AB. Not great, not awful.
Changing Human to Elf (losing feat:Stealthy) gives you 30% SC and an end Dex of 32; on the flip side you face a -40 HP from Con (doesn't rlly matter), and a nasty XP penalty.
Anyway, I think I've chopped up your build enough, (and there wasn't much wrong with it in the beginning) Your turn to reply _________________
Quote: Posted 08/12/05 19:24:50 (GMT) by TheMageTeclis I wouldn't buy health insurance...we have the nhs
Edited By pocketbeetle on 12/06/05 19:39
This really doesn't fit into the role playing aspect, but if you take the last level as a monk and move things around to take a late rogue level such that your level split is ranger 32, rogue 7, monk 1 you'd pick up cleave and the ability to add your wisdom to your AC (+2, in this case). You'd lose 4 skill points and . . . nothing? Yup, nothing. Same sneak attack, 4d6.
to pocketbeetle:
Quote: When I first saw the level progression it looked like a pure level 40 Ranger...
that is a bad thing, i assume. Umm...well, sorry. this sorta was the idea, to make a dex ranger that wasn't horrible. i shoulda made that clear though. my bad.
Oh and thanks for the catch on the CHA score. I offer up a bottle of the old vinyard, layed down by the hobbits, to griphook for a change on that. CHA should be 8 not 6. thanks.
Quote: Oh and:
"Good AC"
That's pushing it a little bit.
Good, but not great. 31 is nothing to scoff at. beats a naked paladin.
Quote: ... Were you not in the least bit tempted?
yes, i was, but that has already been done. also, just as a side note on SC, many have argued that without hitting SC4 as a min, one shouldn't bother with SC, since improved invis grants just as good. not my opinion, but if i had made a SC build with only SC2 or SC3, i know people would have given that a thumbs down. ED was the most tempting, but i was aiming more for dual wielding rapiers, which i just managed to cram in. Although ED would have been sweet, it has also been done. again scrolls, of stoneskin or improved invis, will help in this regard.
Quote: Anyway, I think I've chopped up your build enough, (and there wasn't much wrong with it in the beginning)
i thank you for your response, and for the ideas. i guess that i need to rethink my dual wielding rapier idea, at least to include ED if not SC. solid suggestions all around.
to ithacan:
Quote: This really doesn't fit into the role playing aspect, but if you take the last level as a monk and move things around to take a late rogue level such that your level split is ranger 32, rogue 7, monk 1 you'd pick up cleave and the ability to add your wisdom to your AC (+2, in this case). You'd lose 4 skill points and . . . nothing? Yup, nothing. Same sneak attack, 4d6.
i never really thought about throwing in some monk. i was trying to think of a third class to add, with only a level or two in which to fit it. SD seemed too cheesy, but a level of monk cheese wouldn't be too bad. it would mean having to change the alignment, and the RP aspect would be all messed up, but the benefits are pretty good. In hindsight, a level of bard cheese to boost spellcraft up to 38 would be a good idea as well, although the benefit would have to come very late. thanks for the ideas. solid and simple to implement.
-c _________________ “If you bring a Ranger with you, it is well to pay attention to him...”
I like it. You have 8 FEs, which should pretty much cover all you'll regularly run into and with Bane, you'll mitigate the extra -2/-2 AB penalty from dual-wielding rapiers. All in all, a DEX Ranger that looks playable. Thumbs up here.
Liked the story too, Christian. Kudos. _________________ Wave upon wave of demented avengers marched cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream...
Quote: Posted 12/06/05 21:41:56 (GMT) -- Cinnabar Din
I like it. You have 8 FEs, which should pretty much cover all you'll regularly run into and with Bane, you'll mitigate the extra -2/-2 AB penalty from dual-wielding rapiers. All in all, a DEX Ranger that looks playable. Thumbs up here.
Liked the story too, Christian. Kudos.
i forgot about the +2 to AB with BoE. thanks. that does make the dual rapiers a little better. decent, actually.
thanks again. the story was fun.
-c _________________ "Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things." - Miyamoto Musashi
