Official Blood and Bewitchment Character Creation Thread

[Superfluous Crow]

I think that if you just come up with a balanced spell, Steerpike will accept it. There might be reason to draw some inspiration from the D&D warlock; many of his invocations are darkly themed combinations of common spells that might fit with the esoteric spells of CE.

Here is the background for Mr. Carver. I still lack a proper physical description of him though, but you can probably figure it out from his equipment list. I made a few changes to his character sheet btw.

[ic=The Story of Mr. Carver]
25 years back there was a small family in Hexwarren called Jaggedspine. They were a father and his three sons. The mother had died giving birth to the youngest of them, a son who had been conceived with a man who wasn't the father. The father abhorred him and his brothers blamed him, locking him in a cellar where they fed him once a week . But one day the Jaggedspines were gone; the two brothers and the father lay sprawled on the floor of the house, drenched in their own blood, with their throats slit and a single tooth wrenched from each of their mouths.

At about the same time a young orphan calling himself Carver found his way to the crime-ridden slums of Macellaria, his only possession a small lacquered box. He lived as a beggar and a thug, ensuring his safety by providing certain "services" for the gangs that prowled the streets. His hatred for humanity now fully awakened, he would have killed himself had it not been for Woundtender. Woundtender was an old leechkin, a wandering doctor with a morbid fascination with both his primary means of sustance and anatomy. He took young Carver in as an apprentice, and paid coin and knowledge in return for blood.
When Woundtender died a few years later at the hand of human supremacists from the House of Untainted Flesh, Carver fled the house with his small inheritance and retreated into obscurity.

A few years went by and Carver finally found his redemption with the Graft peddlers. Unmaking his own identity as a man, he became the heavily grafted Mr. Carver, intent on replacing every little bit of flesh that he was born with.
He took to the calling that Woundtender had set him on, but every so often his patients would disappear. Yet no one was the wiser, and Mr. Carvers humanity slowly eroded.      

But he shouldn't have sought revenge. When he killed an Untainted a price was put on his head and he was dragged into the pits. If only they knew his true crimes.
[/ic]

[spoiler=character sheet for comparison]

[ic=Character Sheet]
Mr. Carver
Human (macellarian)
Executioner 4

Abilities
Strength: 13 [+1]
Dexterity: 16 [+3]
Constitution: 16 [+3]
Intelligence: 12 [+1]
Wisdom: 15 [+2]
Charisma: 12 [+1]

Attack (standard): Agony Knife +7 (1d4+1 and penalty/19-20)
Attack (razor fiend):  Agony Knife +5/+5 (1d4 and penalty/19-20)
Options: venom, power attack, sneak attack

HP: 35
Defense: 18 (+4 BDB, +3 dex, +1 chitinous plates)
Armor: 1d3 (studded leather)

Initiative: +3
BAB: +4
BDB: +4

Traits: City rat (bravo), fleshy (chitin plates)
Abilities: Execution pool (2), sneak attack +3d6, executioner's eye, hindering cut, armor-piercing strike  
Skills:

Mastery: Finesse 2, Power 2, Lore 1
Feats: Razor Fiend 1, weapon finesse 1, power attack  1, venom mastery 1
Skill ranks: Perception 7, Stealth 7, Athletics 3, sleight of hand 4, bluff 7, Tumble 7, heal 4, survival 3, knowledge(local: Macellaria) 7
Languages: Shambles, Alleyspeak

Equipment: the Agony Knife (rusty bone-handled Agonizing masterwork dagger covered in sickly glowing purple glyphs; enchanted with pain-enducing hexes), discreet masterwork studded leather outfitted with overt knife scabbards, 12 daggers of various sinister designs, a bowler hat, a dark ancient military coat (haphazardly patched, with three sleeves)  dark glasses, humanskin gloves, small lacquered box containing 4 human teeth, various venom ingredients in a pouch, a purse with 736 obeloi in it.  
Grafts and modifications: a third half-blind eye (green iris) attached by way of a small lump of deformed muscle to the side of his head, black grafted leechkin muscle on his right arm, a dangling ornamentary vestigial arm in his left side, sharpened teeth, acid burns on hands, small squirming subcutaneous plates (chitinious plates)
[/ic]

[/spoiler]

[Steerpike]

[blockquote=Cataclysmic Crow]On magic items: Keeping in mind that this system is balanced for essentially no magic items, are you sure you have this under control Steerpike? Most everybody seems to have one or more magical items, which is understandable as you said that we could pretty much only get it at character creation. But right now it seems that every person who ends up in the pits has a magical weapon[/blockquote]I'm not obsessed with game balance, but I take your point that there do seem to be a lot of magic items about.  I do picture more magic items in CE than in regular Iron Heroes, though, and none of the items are game-breaking.  In short, I'm, not worried about it - but later items found may have some serious drawbacks.  As Nomadic's rifle, Meteor, advances in power, I may add some minor drawbacks with his permission, though not the kills/week thing necessarily.

[LD]

Crow-

Okay re the LA= no extra HP.

That being said please compare the HP of my character with any of the others and see how I fear disaster. Any suggestions?

HP=23. (mitigated somewhat by the Diehard feat) (note: CON is 15, which is decent.) (I could switch out Endurance for Toughness, but it seems useful to be able to sleep in Armor given CE's deadliness.) (raising CON by 1 only gets me 3 HP, likewise, and means that my dex defense goes down by 1 or my int by 1 or my cha by 1. Potentially the CHA could go down, but I'd like to avoid that. My best option appears to be to switch out Endurance.)

vs: Ghul Witch 1/Gunfighter 3 HP 37
vs: Executioner 4 HP 35
vs: Human Man-At-Arms 4 HP 48 (Llum's old character)
vs: (Ghul Witch 4) HP 27
vs: Level Four Armiger HP 54
vs: Leechkin Berzerker 4 HP 57

[Steerpike]

Ghostman - feel free to homebrew any kind of spell you like - just run it past me and I'll decide whether it's balanced compared to other spells of its level.

For cool additional spells that fit CE, I recommend the infamous Book of Vile Darkness and the excellent Libris Mortis.  here are a couple of example spells:

BLADE OF PAIN AND FEAR
Evocation
Level:Witch 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard
action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: Swordlike column of gnashing teeth
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

A 3-foot-long column of disembodied gnashing teeth springs forth from your hand, screaming and chanting with unholy vigor. You make melee touch attacks with this blade of pain and fear. The blade deals 1d6 points of damage +1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A creature that you successfully deal damage to must also make a saving throw or become frightened.

NECROTIC CYST
Necromancy
Level: Witch 2
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
The subject develops an internal spherical sac that contains fl uid or semisolid necrotic flesh. The internal cyst is noticeable as a slight bulge on the subject's arm, abdomen, or face (wherever you chose to touch the target) or it is buried deeply enough in the flesh of your target that it is not immediately obvious'" the subject may not realize what was implanted within her. From now on, undead foes and necromantic magic are particularly debilitating to the subject'"the cyst enables a sympathetic response between free-roaming external undead and itself. Whenever the victim is subject to a spell or effect from the school of necromancy, she makes saving throws to resist at a '"2 penalty. Whenever the subject is dealt damage by the natural weapon of an undead (claw, bite, or other attack form), she takes an additional 1d6 points
of damage. Victims who possess necrotic cysts may elect to have some well-meaning chirurgeon remove them surgically. The procedure is a bloody, painful process that incapacitates the subject for 1 hour on a successful DC 20 Heal check, and kills the subject with an unsuccessful Heal check. The procedure takes 1 hour, and the chirurgeon can't take 20 on the check.

BONEBLADE
Necromancy
Level: Witch 2
Components: V, S, F, Undead
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Effect: One bone that becomes a
blade
Duration: 10 minutes/level
The caster changes a bone at least 6 inches long into a longsword, short sword, or greatsword (caster's choice). This weapon has a +1 enhancement bonus on attacks and damage for every five caster levels (at least +1, maximum +4). Furthermore, this blade deals an extra +1d8 points of damage to living targets. This spell confers no proficiency with the blade, but the caster doesn't need to be the one wielding the blade for it to be effective.
Focus: A 6-inch-long bone.

Spells such as this will be available for purchase/learning as well!

[Nomadic]

[blockquote=Cataclysmic Crow]On magic items: Keeping in mind that this system is balanced for essentially no magic items, are you sure you have this under control Steerpike? Most everybody seems to have one or more magical items, which is understandable as you said that we could pretty much only get it at character creation. But right now it seems that every person who ends up in the pits has a magical weapon[/blockquote]I'm not obsessed with game balance, but I take your point that there do seem to be a lot of magic items about.  I do picture more magic items in CE than in regular Iron Heroes, though, and none of the items are game-breaking.  In short, I'm, not worried about it - but later items found may have some serious drawbacks.  As Nomadic's rifle, Meteor, advances in power, I may add some minor drawbacks with his permission, though not the kills/week thing necessarily.

As I said I wouldn't mind if you made the weapon demand things of me. Made it greedy/vain/jealous. Not working if I didn't buy it new things and polish it up regularly, destroying any other weapons I tried to carry with me, sapping me with nasty penalties if I tried to use other weapons, etc. If it's vain it might demand that I always wear it proudly where others can see it, which could create some amusing instances when I go somewhere that doesn't allow weapons and come back to it pissed off at me because I had to leave it with the doorman.

[Mason]

NECROTIC CYST
Necromancy
Level: Witch 2
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
The subject develops an internal spherical sac that contains fl uid or semisolid necrotic flesh. The internal cyst is noticeable as a slight bulge on the subject's arm, abdomen, or face (wherever you chose to touch the target) or it is buried deeply enough in the flesh of your target that it is not immediately obvious'" the subject may not realize what was implanted within her. From now on, undead foes and necromantic magic are particularly debilitating to the subject'"the cyst enables a sympathetic response between free-roaming external undead and itself. Whenever the victim is subject to a spell or effect from the school of necromancy, she makes saving throws to resist at a '"2 penalty. Whenever the subject is dealt damage by the natural weapon of an undead (claw, bite, or other attack form), she takes an additional 1d6 points
of damage. Victims who possess necrotic cysts may elect to have some well-meaning chirurgeon remove them surgically. The procedure is a bloody, painful process that incapacitates the subject for 1 hour on a successful DC 20 Heal check, and kills the subject with an unsuccessful Heal check. The procedure takes 1 hour, and the chirurgeon can't take 20 on the check.

  I've had at least two characters die by that spell.

[Steerpike]

That sounds both hilarious and disturbing, Nomadic - I fully approve.

I really like Carver's background, by the way - the teeth thing is so creepy!  And its nice to have someone with enemies as well as allies, too.

[blockquote=Sarisa]I've had at least two characters die by that spell. [/blockquote]Wow!  It's pretty nasty, especially the high-level spells (Nectrotic Burst, etc) that interact with it.  *Shivers*

[LD]

Nomadic- I actually think that makes more sense for an intelligent weapon- why would it necessarily care about killing people-- it would be more likely to care about if it's taken well care of, prominent, and loved. Good work!

[Superfluous Crow]

Okay, looking over the numbers you should be 6 hit points down on average from a witch with the same constitution. One issue might be the hit point boost every class has been given. Bards should probably get 1d4+4 as their hit die. But you'd have to ask Steerpike for that boost. But it does make sense. Then your race would cost you 4 hit points, but in turn you would be able to fly which means that you are only really vulnerable to ranged attacks and hexes. That seems fair to me.
Admittedly, the combination of LA races with low hit point classes seems to be a risky business.

[LD]

I could take that modification of Bard HP. The rest of your reasoning sounds fair.

What does Steerpike think?

[Steerpike]

Yes, Bard HP modification makes perfect sense.  In a pinch, you can always fly above foes that can only engage you in melee (of course, if you tried to fly to escape the pits, sharpshooters would likely gun you down).

Incidentally, my quasi-tenuous justification for the spontaneous casting of Bards is that jatayi have such perfect memories (exceeding even those of humans with eidetic memory) that spells are never wiped from their minds as they are from other Witches, so long as they are encoded in song and performance.

EDIT: I have given jatayi a +2 Perform bonus.

[Mason]

Steerpike, I don't know if you have mentioned date/time for the game, but I would like to at least observe. (school,work,summer etc) make it difficult to commit to anything else at the moment.
 
 

[LD]

Thank you. I'll fix that up.

Also, PDF of the setting (but not the rules) has been sent. (~206 pages). Word document may potentially be sendable but that file is nearly 5 MB.

>>Incidentally, my quasi-tenuous justification for the spontaneous casting of Bards is that jatayi have such perfect memories (exceeding even those of humans with eidetic memory) that spells are never wiped from their minds as they are from other Witches, so long as they are encoded in song and performance.

Makes sense.

[Ghostman]

Suggested spells:
(EDIT: tweaked for hopefully better balance)

BLOOD BAIT
Necromancy
Level: Witch 1
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Ray
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Special
Spell Resistance: Yes
The caster smears his hand or other appropriate body part in blood, either from a container or by wounding himself, and shapes it into a sanguine ray which shoots forth from the limb. The caster must succeed on a ranged touch attack to strike a target. Any living creature struck by this ray becomes drenched in blood that cannot be washed away. As long as this enchanted bloodstain remains, all haematophagic creatures (such as leechskin or goreflies) within a radius (10 ft. + 1 ft./level) will be attracted to the subject and desire to feed on him over any other prey. Sentient haematophages that succeed at a Will save may choose to resist this compulsion, but non-sentient ones will find the subject irresistible. The bloodstain loses it's bewitched qualities when the spell ends.
Focus: A smearing of blood.


DIABOLIC EYE
Conjuration
Level: Witch 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: Special
Spell Resistance: Yes
You call upon unfathomable entities beyond the fabric of reality, offering to partake in a twisted pact. An extra eye tears open on your forehead or another body part of your choosing, a gaping black orb staring with the hideous nothingness of cosmic void. Nameless horrors peer through this eye into the corporeal world, striking terror in all those souls their gaze falls upon. For the duration of the spell, you possess a Gaze Attack. Enemies affected by the gaze must make Will saves each round or become shaken. When the spell ends, the eye closes and withers away, leaving a bleeding wound; you suffer 1d4 points of damage.

[Steerpike]

[blockquote=Sarisa]Steerpike, I don't know if you have mentioned date/time for the game, but I would like to at least observe. (school,work,summer etc) make it difficult to commit to anything else at the moment.
[/blockquote]We're planning on trying it for 1:30 PM PST, unless I'm getting mixed up.  The roster seems to have filled up with six players rather quickly, but if you'd like to play the occasional NPC you'd be welcome to, and if someone has to drop out there'll be a spot waiting.

Light Dragon - holy crap!  I am greatly flattered, and amazed.  It's a beautiful PDF.  I'm going to host it and link it to the main thread.