Those men over there with the tattoos are really nice! They gave me this…thing –What is this? Some sort of wierd looking sword. It’s huge! I’ve never seen a black one before. It’s kind of creepy, but they said it would bring me good luck! Luck is now on our side! And at a bargain price!
Does it have a name? Why would you name a sword? Errr, I think that I might remember them calling it a storm-something…Storm-Hanger? Noooo…Storm-Chimney…that’s not it. Storm Bringer, the sword is Stormbringer!
Why are you guys backing away? Why is this blade glowing? Why do I have this insatiable desire to feed this with the blood and souls of my enemies?
Did I err?
Races
- Human
- Half-Orc
- Halfling
Classes
- Paladin
- Barbarian
- Ranger
In Combat: You are no tactician. No, you are the blunt instrument of Fate, crashing blindly into your enemies. You tend to pick one combatant qua victim to focus on and beat him until he falls. And then you beat on him a little more. The only thing that can stop you is if one of your friends is in trouble. You’ll tear through an army without hesitation to save a failling comrade. In part this because you are a bit dull, and don’t stop to think that it’s an army, but mostly it’s your fierce loyalty to your friends that snaps you out of your focused, simplistic battleplans.
In Play: You are goofy, lovable, kind and loyal to a fault. No seriously. To a FAULT. Beyond common sense, beyond all reason, you are a friendlyperson. Your simple mind and generous heart make it hard for you not to trust, well, anyone. Your friends are also loyal to you, though they are constantly pulling you away from discomforting and dangerous situations that your gullibility puts you in. Not everyone is trustworthy. When are you going to learn that? And…put that down please.
Opportunities for Growth
- You trust someone unworthy of trust. This is your modus operandi, but one time it doesn’t just hurt you. It hurts someone that’s been with you for a long time. You take the price of trust on your own head with a smile, but what do you do when someone else suffers for your choice?
- Betrayal. Someone you trust deeply betrays your trust. What are you going to do about it? Do you seek revenge? Do you forgive?
Ok, so I couldn’t help it. Here he is, Groo the Wanderer, 4e style:
A Jack of All Trades ,or if you prefer, an extreme example of multi-classing, Gamefiend, a.k.a Quinn Murphy has been discussing, playing and designing games straight out of the womb. He is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of this site in addition to being an aspiring game designer. As you would assume, he is a huge fan of 4e.
By day he is a technologist.
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Man, next to conan the barbarian groo was one of my favorite comic characters as a kid. This is tight, I think I might try my hand at being a foolblade the next time I get to make a character.
I love taking these old stereotypes and figuring out how to make them D&D appropriate. And what better model to use then Groo the Wanderer.
I think you’ve been a little too generous by making Groo’s Intelligence 9. It seems a little high. I always imagined him in the 4-6 range. I might also argue that his Charisma should be lower, but people do seem to love him and often take pity on him so I can live with 12. Otherwise, I think you’ve nailed it.
Hi guys! Apologies for the late response.
@kaeosdad You too? Groo is fricken awesome. Let me know how the Foolblade archetype works for you if you use it.
@Ameron yeah, I was playing by the book in the Character Builder, but believe you me I warred with that Int score.
Thanks for stopping by!