New party: The A-Team

[Caradhras]

I'm thinking of creating a new party based on the A-Team. I have some ideas but I'm not definitely set on how I could implement some aspects of the show.

Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team.

Which could work out if I replaced "commando unit" by "adventuring party", "stockade" by "dungeon", "Los Angeles" by "Luskan" and the "government" by "the Hosttower of the Arcane"...

--> Hannibal.
Don't know how to implement his fondness for disguises (a hint of the rogue class?).
I see him as a Paladin/Fighter type.

--> Face.
Definitely a Rogue with just a hint of a fighter type class to reflect his military experience. Obviously with maxed Bluff and Diplomacy skills.
Maybe half elf.

--> BA.
Barbarian type with uber Intimidate skill. I can't see how I could translate his technical skills though (Fighter levels?).

--> Howling Mad Murdock.
I can see him as a Bard with some weird MC thrown in. Maybe even 4 Fighter levels to translate his skills as a pilot.

That would be a good aligned party of course. It's definitely lacking spellcasting power. I don't see which one would fit as a fulltime Cleric or Sorcerer although I could imagine giving a few sorcerer levels to Face for Enchantment spells (especially Charm person) or some weird low level multiclass for Murdock (Bard Cleric Something, why not?) I could even bring myself to make Hannibal into a Paladin/Fighter/Cleric but I can't see him without the Fighter levels which means he would be a mediocre spellcaster (perhaps Fighter 4/Paladin X instead of Paladin 3/Fighter X although Paladins can't compete with Clerics as spellcasters).

Another option would be to add the girl from the first two seasons as a wizard or something. But I'd rather have only 4 party members.

I'm not trying to powergame, but I'd like a party that would work nonetheless. I know that heavy multiclassing is not an effective option but I can't see these characters fitting in just one class (Face could be a fulltime Rogue, Hannibal a fulltime Fighter and BA a fulltime Barbarian but that would leave out some of their abilities. Face has a military background, BA is not just a mass of muscles, Hannibal is a great leader and strategist).

I also have to think about what sort of weapons and items would suit them best. I would definitely need jewelry for BA.

So if you have any ideas on how to implement this themed party into the game, let me know, I could use some advice.
Thanks.

[raptor]

Some suggestions:

Hannibal: Fighter1/clericX: Remember that a Cleric is basically a warrior priest, and Hannibal is the "soul and spirit" of the gang Also this would show of that he isn't "as awesome" as B.A. in combat etc, and letting him pull a few "tricks out of hes sleves" with spellcasting.

Face: Fighter1/BardX or Fighter1/BardX sounds right. Definitivelly Halfelf.

B.A.: Well either pure Barbarian or fighter1/BarbarianX.

Murdoc, Howling Mad: Fighter1/anything really.... he's crazy enough to do it...... Rogue and Bard once again fits fine. Sorcerer... Heck anything that doesn't make him a better melee'er than BA really.

Use the 1 level of fighter to theme them together, and let them specialise past that (of corse, still start first level as rogue etc for those classes with lots of skills etc).

Could also be fun to use Ranger for some of them, as ranger often fits with the "commando" style of sneaking around and picking of lone targets etc. For some reason I just don't know which one I see most fitting for that kind of style though.

[Caradhras]

I've been doing some more thinking, here what I've got so far:

Hannibal: LG Aasimar Paladin 14 9 12 12 20 13 Concentration 4 Diplomacy 4 Luck of Heroes

Face: NG Half Elf Rogue 10 16 10 14 8 18 Bluff 4 Diplomacy 4 Hide 1 Intimidate 1 Move Silently 1 Open Lock 3 Pick Pocket 1 Search 4 Use Magic Device 1 Courteous Magocracy

BA: CG Human Barbarian 18 12 18 10 10 8 Alchemy 1 Intimidate 4 Knowledge (Arcana) 1 Spellcraft 1 Bullheaded + Great Fortitude

HM Murdock: CG Deep Gnome Bard 10 20 10 18 6 10 Alchemy 4 Bluff 4 Concentration 4 Diplomacy 1 Hide 1 Knowledge (Arcana) 4 Move Silently 1 Pick Pocket 1 Spellcraft 4 Dash

I'll level Hannibal up as a Pally 2 then as a Cleric of Helm X (good point Raptor, Cleric suits him nicely). Paladin makes sense since they often refused being paid for helping people. I chose Aasimar for extra ability points and because it's very handy for a Paladin build.

Face is going to be a Rogue X Fighter 4 Sorcerer 3-5 specialized in Enchantment spells (Charm persons mainly) and Ranged weapons. It's not a very effective build but I'd like to get something out of the uber CHA and I don't want a full time Sorcerer (casting 1st and 2nd level spells is a bit wimpy but anyway he's got a great personality and that what counts).

BA is going to be the tank and fulltime Barbarian. I considered Half Orc to get 20 STR but it meant having a low INT and CHA and I didn't feel it was right for this character and I really wanted the Bullheaded feat (besides from time to time BA would face a bad guy who would be really strong even compared to him so 18 STR still makes sense). I gave him a few ranks in magical skills because I decided how I would implement his fear of flying in the series: I'm going to replace it by a fear of arcane (not divine) magic. Hence he won't carry or bear magic items (excepting healing potions maybe and only as a matter of life and death) and he is going to be very agressive towards arcane spellcasters (hence his behaviour toward HM since the latter is going to be the main arcane spellcaster).

HM will have 1 Bard level (for items and fun) and 1 Ranger level (for dual wielding) the other levels will be Wizard (specialist) levels. I have doubts about making him DG but I wanted something a bit outlandish (and the high DEX and SR will be helpful).

Any thoughts or ideas?

[crucis]

Caradhras, I think that Murdock should be a CN Bard. As a "crazy person", a CN alignment seems perfect. Oh, sure, he's actually a "good" person, but IIRC, CN characters are the "craziest" of the lot and that seems to fit Howlin' Mad Murdock to a tee.

And I seem to remember some times when Murdock would sing in battle. Sound like a bard to me.
And I think that I'd make Murdock a regular ol' gnome, not a deep gnome. Murdock and Oswald Fiddlebender or Jan Jansen don't seem all that far apart to me. Murdock as a gnome seems like a perfect fit.


I think that you other class choices are spot-on. BA is definitely a Barbarian, or perhaps a Barb/Ftr MC. I might have been tempted to stick with BA as a half-orc or maybe a surly dwarf . Yeah, I know, BA as a "dwarf" definitely seems a bit different, but what the heck.


Face is definitely a silvery tongued rogue. I don't know if you really have to go with a maxed out CHA, but a good CHA and the talking skills is a must. I like the idea of Face as a half-elf. Good choice.

Hannibal doesn't really seem like a LG character. None of them do. But he does feel like a bit of a rogue-ish paladin. ("Rogue" in the dictionary sense of the word, not the class.) So, I suppose he could either be a Paladin. Alternatively, he could be a NG or CG Fighter X/Rogue 2-3 (for the talking skills).

[Caradhras]

CE would be really crazy IMHO. CN is unpredictable and without a clear sense of morals.

CG is better for Murdock. He may be crazy but for all his quirks he is still a very decent person. Plus despite his behaviour he would act rather sensibly when he had to. I like the bard idea, I just don't feel comfortable with giving him a very high CHA (his weirdness seems to forbid this) that's why I kept it to a minimum (one bard level). I like the Gnome idea though (faster level up and two ability points more). It makes sense, Murdock would always talk about his relatives which seems to be a fairly common gnomish trait.

I might reduce Face's CHA although it's his trade mark.

I thought about giving Fighter levels to BA but I decided not too since getting Greater Rage is much better than having Weapon Specialization for that character. I wanted to have the Bullheaded feat for BA so Half Orc was not an option. Dwarf would suit his attitude but I can't really picture him as a Dwarf.

I like the idea of Hannibal being a "rogue" Paladin, that's exactly what he is. He was a colonel in the army before being sent to prison by the military. But he didn't commit any crime so he couldn't "fall" and it can be assumed that he would retain his Paladin status. I have no solution to translate his fondness for disguises or his part time job as an actor specialized in horror movies... That's kinda difficult... As for being LG I guess it makes sense since in many ways he is upholding justice (he is "lawful" in this way) defying the authorities when they are corrupted and when they exploit the weak. Plus like I said I can't count the number of times when he refuses to be paid for their services (Face clearly remonstrates because he is the one in charge of the books). Rogue/Paladin could have been an option too but I need a divine spellcaster (if Murdock is the arcane spellcaster) and only Hannibal seems to fill the bill.

Thank you guys for the input, I appreciate the advice. I need to decide on classes/level progression and find portraits + soundsets. This is going to be fun.

[crucis]

Caradhras

I thought about giving Fighter levels to BA but I decided not too since getting Greater Rage is much better than having Weapon Specialization for that character. I wanted to have the Bullheaded feat for BA so Half Orc was not an option. Dwarf would suit his attitude but I can't really picture him as a Dwarf.

This really sums up the problem that's always faced (pardon the A-team pun) when trying to translate TV show characters into D&D characters.
You can go for the race/class combo that best fits the character's personality, but then you often are faced with trying to envision that character as X. Or you are faced with a conflict between the best fit for the character's personality/abilities and what you feel you need in a party.