Author Topic: Making Ranma.  (Read 2032 times)

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Kuroimaken

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Making Ranma.
« on: August 17, 2008, 12:16:43 AM »
That's right. I'm trying to make Ranma. 40-point buy, no ToB allowed.

Here are the basic points that, for me, make Ranma... Ranma.

A) An outright ABYSMAL Sense Motive. Good perception skills otherwise, though.

B) Speed-based Martial Artist (i.e. kung fu-ish; deals more damage by attacking more often rather than making massive blows (though those are not out of the question)). With no ToB, this means Monk would be the obvious though not necessarily desirable choice.

C) Changing gender by being doused with cold water (if male) or hot water (if female). This could arguably be done with a simple Greater Curse.

D) Having the ability to make anyone of the appropriate sexual inclination fall for him/her upon first visual contact (provided there are no previous love interests in sight), I.E. In male form, he can make a gay man or a straight woman fall for him, with the reverse being true for female form (as only THAT explains how someone could possibly get interested in someone with Ranma's temper... since the guy is a jerk).

E) Not particularly bright, but not stupid either.

F) Neko Ken. He's outright freaked out by the presence of cats. If he cannot escape them, he starts acting like one. In this state, any of his attacks cause ludicrously high damage (cat-induced rage?).

G) Slightly different combat abilities when in male/female form (less Str in male form, more Dex in female form).

H) Unarmored fighting (natural armor would work well, because some of the things he gets bashed "for real" with are outright painful).

I) MAYBE Fast Healing (he's noted to recover really fast).

K) Preferrably Lawful Neutral. Ranma isn't unloyal but he's not outright paladinesque either.

Oh, right. I forgot to ask.

Please help?
« Last Edit: August 17, 2008, 12:18:41 AM by Kuroimaken »
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Negative Zero

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2008, 01:47:07 AM »
Start off with levels in Monk. Flurry of Blows and Snap Kick are all good for more hits but less power. Don't you have any ideas at all?

AfterCrescent

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2008, 02:00:50 AM »
A) An outright ABYSMAL Sense Motive. Good perception skills otherwise, though.
Just avoid taking any ranks in the skill. There may be a trait that can help... Easygoing or Honest come to mind.
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B) Speed-based Martial Artist (i.e. kung fu-ish; deals more damage by attacking more often rather than making massive blows (though those are not out of the question)). With no ToB, this means Monk would be the obvious though not necessarily desirable choice.
You may also want to crack open Unapproachable East for the Shou Disciple.
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C) Changing gender by being doused with cold water (if male) or hot water (if female). This could arguably be done with a simple Greater Curse.
Greater Curse is a great idea. Changeling could also work.
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D) Having the ability to make anyone of the appropriate sexual inclination fall for him/her upon first visual contact (provided there are no previous love interests in sight), I.E. In male form, he can make a gay man or a straight woman fall for him, with the reverse being true for female form (as only THAT explains how someone could possibly get interested in someone with Ranma's temper... since the guy is a jerk).
Mechanics in D&D don't handle this kind of thing, although charm X could work. Perhaps mix Monk with a psionic class and get Tashalatora so you can still get greater flurry.
Quote
E) Not particularly bright, but not stupid either.
Mental stats are easy to mix up, his Wis should be higher than Int, ideally.
Quote
F) Neko Ken. He's outright freaked out by the presence of cats. If he cannot escape them, he starts acting like one. In this state, any of his attacks cause ludicrously high damage (cat-induced rage?).
Greater Curse again?
Quote
G) Slightly different combat abilities when in male/female form (less Str in male form, more Dex in female form).
I assume you mean MORE Str in male form. Either way, I actually don't think there's a big difference in form, but if you disagree, this can be covered in Greater Curse too, have the curse that switches gender switch dex & str.
Quote
H) Unarmored fighting (natural armor would work well, because some of the things he gets bashed "for real" with are outright painful).
Roll with it is a feat you may want to look at (not the greatest, but an idea).
Quote
I) MAYBE Fast Healing (he's noted to recover really fast).
I don't think that's necessary.

Anyways, those are some ideas.
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Kuroimaken

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2008, 02:43:13 AM »
Quote
Start off with levels in Monk. Flurry of Blows and Snap Kick are all good for more hits but less power. Don't you have any ideas at all?
I don't have any experience in building Monks. There's a difference.
Quote
Just avoid taking any ranks in the skill. There may be a trait that can help... Easygoing or Honest come to mind.
I actually meant as in his having a massive penalty to it. Think -10. Though that's a personality thing rather than mechanics.
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You may also want to crack open Unapproachable East for the Shou Disciple.
Good thing I've gained an Indiana Jones hat recently. It may prove necessary to fish for that specific book around here.
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Greater Curse is a great idea. Changeling could also work.
Aye. I actually aimed for Greater Curse rather than plain curse because it's harder to remove.
Quote
Mechanics in D&D don't handle this kind of thing, although charm X could work. Perhaps mix Monk with a psionic class and get Tashalatora so you can still get greater flurry.
Hmmm. The closest thing that comes to mind are the Nymph (Su) abilities, but at +7 LA that's not an option, specially because this guy has no spellcasting on him. Maybe if the Druid spellcasting/DD SLA is kicked out I can think of a lower LA? It could be argued that this is coverable by Greater Curse too, because the fact people fall in love/lust with him never actually benefits him in any way (his ability to actually influence said would-be love interests is slim to none).
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Mental stats are easy to mix up, his Wis should be higher than Int, ideally.
Hmmm. Works for me. Not like Monks use their brains for anything (besides bashing stuff, that is. Cookie for the reference).
Quote
Greater Curse again?
A Confusion effect giving you more strength, as well as making you act like a cat on weed, perhaps?
Quote
I assume you mean MORE Str in male form. Either way, I actually don't think there's a big difference in form, but if you disagree, this can be covered in Greater Curse too, have the curse that switches gender switch dex & str.
Yes I do. Thanks for pointing it out. And yes, it's argued in the series that the male Ranma is stronger than the female Ranma (who gets slightly faster, though not enough to prevent having her clothes ripped at strategic locations on occasion).
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Roll with it is a feat you may want to look at (not the greatest, but an idea).
Adding other stats to AC could work too. Where's Roll With It from?
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I don't think that's necessary.

Anyways, those are some ideas.
And no, the Fast Healing isn't necessary, it's just a plus (why I put it up as a maybe).

Thanks for the suggestions, too.
Gendou Ikari is basically Gregory House in Kaminashades. This is FACT.

For proof, look here:

http://www.layoutjelly.com/image_27/gendo_ikari/

[SPOILER]
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Katana of Enlightenment.
Get yours.[/SPOILER]

I HAVE BROKEN THE 69 INTERNETS BARRIER!


Vrrrgnnn

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2008, 05:00:02 PM »
For the Sense Motive thing, just create a Flaw called "Gullible" that imposes a -10 penalty to Sense Motive checks.  Given what you're trying to do, very few DMs should have an issue with that.  There's an alternative class feature from Arcana Unearthed that replaces the Monk speed bonus with Barbarian damage reduction:
Durable (UA, p 58): Gain damage reduction as barbarian. Lose speed enhancement bonus and bonus to AC (but not wisdom to AC).

Overall, it's a pretty bad trade, but it seems to work for what you're suggesting.  If you're worried about the loss of speed, you could always take the Quick trait (-1 hp per level, +10 to your movement speed).  Shou Disciple is generally a good choice for a monk, since it increases your versatility and bab.  If you want to go the natural armor route instead of (or in addition to) switching out for damage reduction, there's always the Improved Natural Attack feat.  It won't help your char be more like Ranma, but it will help him/her deal a shit-load more damage per hit.  I wouldn't do that, though...what you were talking about is definitely DR rather than natural armor.

Greater Curse is probably the best way to handle the gender-switching and the cat thing.  In the latter case, he/she becomes panicked around cats (within X-feet proximity), and if he/she cannot escape within X-rounds, he/she becomes enraged (as the Barbarian ability, or maybe just a bonus to strength or damage, depending on how it works in the comics).

A lot of people dislike monks, but I think the class is the best way to represent a kung-fu flavored martial artist without too many supernatural, over-the-top abilities (i.e. ToB)...look through this thread for more ideas on customization:

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=967118

Maybe just go straight monk, or monk/shou disciple...multiclass a little or look at the thread I posted if you don't like the flavor of the monk's supernatural abilities.

I'm not actually familiar with the Ranma character beyond what I've read in the Wikipedia article, so I think that's the best I can suggest.

Edit:  Actually, Monk 16/Shou Disciple 4 with the UA alternative class feature seems like a good, simple build for this...you get 16 bab, flurry with light martial weapons, 2 bonus feats, none of the REALLY supernatural abilities from the monk class, plus light armor and the Shou Disciple dodge bonus to make up for the loss of your monk AC bonus.   
« Last Edit: August 17, 2008, 05:16:33 PM by Vrrrgnnn »

AfterCrescent

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2008, 05:03:50 PM »
If you can get access to Dragon mags allowed, check crystal keep for the half-nymph template. It's a much lower LA, and still has the stunning beauty ability, iirc. That may be an option.

Roll with it is a feat from Savage Species.
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Kuroimaken

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2008, 11:11:43 PM »
Quote
For the Sense Motive thing, just create a Flaw called "Gullible" that imposes a -10 penalty to Sense Motive checks.  Given what you're trying to do, very few DMs should have an issue with that.  There's an alternative class feature from Arcana Unearthed that replaces the Monk speed bonus with Barbarian damage reduction:
Durable (UA, p 58): Gain damage reduction as barbarian. Lose speed enhancement bonus and bonus to AC (but not wisdom to AC).

Overall, it's a pretty bad trade, but it seems to work for what you're suggesting.  If you're worried about the loss of speed, you could always take the Quick trait (-1 hp per level, +10 to your movement speed).  Shou Disciple is generally a good choice for a monk, since it increases your versatility and bab.  If you want to go the natural armor route instead of (or in addition to) switching out for damage reduction, there's always the Improved Natural Attack feat.  It won't help your char be more like Ranma, but it will help him/her deal a shit-load more damage per hit.  I wouldn't do that, though...what you were talking about is definitely DR rather than natural armor.

Greater Curse is probably the best way to handle the gender-switching and the cat thing.  In the latter case, he/she becomes panicked around cats (within X-feet proximity), and if he/she cannot escape within X-rounds, he/she becomes enraged (as the Barbarian ability, or maybe just a bonus to strength or damage, depending on how it works in the comics).

A lot of people dislike monks, but I think the class is the best way to represent a kung-fu flavored martial artist without too many supernatural, over-the-top abilities (i.e. ToB)...look through this thread for more ideas on customization:

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=967118

Maybe just go straight monk, or monk/shou disciple...multiclass a little or look at the thread I posted if you don't like the flavor of the monk's supernatural abilities.

I'm not actually familiar with the Ranma character beyond what I've read in the Wikipedia article, so I think that's the best I can suggest.

Edit:  Actually, Monk 16/Shou Disciple 4 with the UA alternative class feature seems like a good, simple build for this...you get 16 bab, flurry with light martial weapons, 2 bonus feats, none of the REALLY supernatural abilities from the monk class, plus light armor and the Shou Disciple dodge bonus to make up for the loss of your monk AC bonus.   

It's not that Ranma's gullible, it's the fact he can't really catch on to people's feelings. You know the guy who mentions over and over how awesome it is to see a live car crash when he's in the funeral of a traffic accident victim? That's him.

Hmmm... I prefer to keep the speed bonus. Ranma is a pretty good runner (specially when it comes to running away. It's one of the Saotome's secret techniques! He definitely has Run as a feat).
Quote
If you can get access to Dragon mags allowed, check crystal keep for the half-nymph template. It's a much lower LA, and still has the stunning beauty ability, iirc. That may be an option.

Roll with it is a feat from Savage Species.
Neat. I'll check out Crystal Keep.

Any other PrCs worth mentioning? Maybe I should start getting a build stub ready...
Gendou Ikari is basically Gregory House in Kaminashades. This is FACT.

For proof, look here:

http://www.layoutjelly.com/image_27/gendo_ikari/

[SPOILER]
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Katana of Enlightenment.
Get yours.[/SPOILER]

I HAVE BROKEN THE 69 INTERNETS BARRIER!


Rebel7284

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2008, 03:10:39 PM »
Splash fist of the forest[complete champion] and have the feral trance trigger automatically around cats.
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Kuroimaken

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Re: Making Ranma.
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2008, 11:54:54 PM »
Quote
Splash fist of the forest[complete champion] and have the feral trance trigger automatically around cats.

It could work if I can convince the DM to let me sleep indoors. It's the only thing that doesn't fit with Ranma.
Gendou Ikari is basically Gregory House in Kaminashades. This is FACT.

For proof, look here:

http://www.layoutjelly.com/image_27/gendo_ikari/

[SPOILER]
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Katana of Enlightenment.
Get yours.[/SPOILER]

I HAVE BROKEN THE 69 INTERNETS BARRIER!