In Which Your Obedient Serpent is plagued by a character who demands attention.

[athelind]

Does this ever happen to anyone else?

Every now and then, I get an idea for a character that just won't leave me alone. It would be one thing if it were a character that wanted me to write it—but when this kind of thing hits me, it's almost always a game character.

Sometimes, it's a game that nobody I know even plays. I have any number of files and character sheets and general notes for games like GURPS, Castle Falkenstein, and Mutants & Masterminds.

This time, it's for a game I don't even own, in a genre I haven't touched in years.

That's right. A Dungeon Fantasy character has my creative cortex by the short axons. He'd work acceptably in Dungeons & Dragons proper, but only in Third Edition. He'd work better by far in Pathfinder, Paizo's fork of D&D 3.X.

His story:

---

Twenty years ago, a dragon landed in an isolated Shire, lofty wings and gleaming copper scales, bearing an egg.

This caused quite a stir, of course. Such things simply didn't happen there.

And that was, it seemed, the point.

"You must care for this child, for there is no one else who can," said the dragon. "Keep it safe. Keep it secure. It will have many enemies; protect it from the world outside. Raise it as one of your own; it is your responsibility now."

And so they did.

A kindly couple took the egg, and kept it warm, and when it hatched, raised the child as their own. He was plainly half-dragon, of halfling blood; he shared their stature, but bore the scales and fangs and tail of his draconic progenitor.

He grew swiftly, and the strength of his dragon heritage was clear. He reached the height of a halfling adult years before his playmates. He was swift and cunning, and had a nigh-instinctive aptitude for the sorcerous arts that bemused and often frustrated the methodical halfling wizard who took him as an apprentice.

He's left the Shire now, young by halfling norms, but an adult in every way that matters. He's making his way in the world, seeking his fortune, seeking the dragon who left him with his family, seeking the truth of his birth-parents.

He is Doron Dragonsgift. He was raised by halflings. His ways are halfling ways. His culture is halfling culture.

He has no idea what a Kobold is ... nor that copper dragons are notorious pranksters.

---

Comments

[leonard-arlotte.livejournal.com]

I know what that's like. I once came up with a character for playing in a game based in the DC Universe. She would be a descendant of Killer Croc, but would be even more crocodilian in appearance. I'd conceived of a 100 year old voodoo queen who would have raised her (even before Princess and the Frog came out). Sure wish I could have found a game to play her in.

;)

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

I think this story idea and character is charming. Best wishes in directing the Serpent's Obedient Eye to matters more of your liking.

[silussa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've had that happen. I wish you luck making it work, as I doubt it will leave you alone otherwise.

[tombfyre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this happens all the time with me as well. I get some critter on the brain, and he/she won't leave me alone until they've been put down on paper, or into a story. :3 Sounds like you've got an amusing critter on the brain as well. No doubt he'd be a riot on an adventure.

crunch

[paka.livejournal.com]

Well... I like Pathfinder a lot, so I'm biased (I like 4e a lot too, but Pathfinder is a better extension of where 3.0/3.5 was going). While it's not a game system that lets you stomp around with wings and scales right out the gate, their dragonblooded sorcerer path does let your character go increasingly draconic, to the point where you start gaining a breath weapon as well as claws, and I believe eventually yep, you get wings. Sorcerer's a charisma based caster, so it's a very generous class for any halfling.

Re: crunch

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Well, you pegged most of the reason why he'd work best in Pathfinder dead-on ...

Sorcerer's a charisma based caster, so it's a very generous class for any halfling.

... but you may have missed the punchline.

Re: crunch

[paka.livejournal.com]

That part completely bounced off my skull. I'm not all that bright, after all...

Re: crunch

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I was worried that I delivered the punchline a little too quickly.

Don't feel too bad, though ... looking at the other comments, the only person who definitely got it was Gatewalker, who's heard the idea before. Most of the other responses are too general to tell.

(In fact, we came up with the "halfling luchador and his half-dragon brother" at the same time, when Gate mentioned that a friend of his was thinking about a halfling-centered campaign.)

Re: crunch

[paka.livejournal.com]

I think an all-halfling campaign would be pretty awesome, but I play a halfling paladin; I'm biased. I'd definitely go for a game where an intrepid group of about four halfling PCs with an array of different skills takes a massive buddy roadtrip to fight the ultimate evil, but it's been done before.

Re: crunch

[athelind.livejournal.com]

... that story would be a lot more fun with a paladin, a luchador, and an adopted Kobold accompanying the Ringbearer.

I kinda hate to say that, since Merry, Pippin and Sam are three of my favorite characters, both in that trilogy and the genre as a whole, but still ...

... we would ROCK.



Yes, we would. We totally would.

Everyone would have to take one level of Bard, just so we could rock.

I mentioned I had a cold, right? When I'm over it, I'm going to totally blame the virus for this post.

Re: crunch

[paka.livejournal.com]

Paladin/Bard is pretty much a set up for Eldrich Knight. If a luchador isn't some sort of Bard variant, then what could it possibly be?

(Insert standard gag about one of the party members having no musical talent whatsoever and being the drummer. I suppose with a luchador in the party, maybe the person with no levels in Bard could be the tuba player.)

Re: crunch

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Well, you pegged most of the reason why he'd work best in Pathfinder dead-on. PF also de-nerfed Dragon Disciple by letting a DD continue to improve as a spellcaster as he advances.

Sorcerer's a charisma based caster, so it's a very generous class for any halfling.

... alas, I think you may have missed the punchline.

[gatewalker.livejournal.com]

It happens to me sometimes, but I can generally turn said char into an NPC in one of the games I run if I really need to make them.

Also, if you ever do get to play this guy, I want to play his adoptive older brother, a halfing luchador. <_<;

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Alas, I have even less interest in running a Traditional Dungeon Fantasy Game than I've had in playing one up until Doron sank his claws into my brain.

[jirris-midvale.livejournal.com]

I was all 'hey, this is pretty cool...' Until I hit the last line and went 'oh noooo xD'

Still pretty cool, but that guy's life is going to be... Interesting to say the least.

[iridium-wolf.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it has.

(http://iridium-wolf.livejournal.com/420046.html)