Nycter Druid

[Ivy]

Hello We are working towards starting a monster-only campaign in addition to our regular game, and in doing so of course we had a few restrictions to follow as to which monsters were allowed in (no evil, no changing natural alignment without a fantastic backstory to back it up, nothing over a 'large' size creature, etc.)

Anyway, the Nycter is from the Monster Manual 3 p112, and it is basically a cross between a bat and a halfling.

I saw the very helpful post of questions posted here just now (thank you very much!) which will be of a great assistance in fleshing her out.

It is going to be a fun-orientied campaign, light hearted, so I want her to have a few personal quirks to add to that.

So far, I have come up with she's flighty in every sense of the word. Not only forgetful, but will often crash into things while flying, and 'hanging out' literally. Luckily, she is going to be travelling with two large creatures, and due to her small size, they have graciously offered to give her a lift whenever needed. (Size between 2-2.5 feet tall and 20-25lbs, plus gear...easy enough for those large massive creatures to carry).

She's also wanting to be going into any caves they come across, and while in there, searching for any 'kin'.

I've been developing a series of squeeks for when she's getting reading for battle, instead of a standard warcry of sorts.

We will be starting I believe at level 8, due to the ECL's involved of everyone, so how we met and why we are adventuring together will be more of a group project. Suffice it to say, everyone gets along and are friendly with each other, so there is no intra-party conflicts to worry about.

I will have good Wisdom and Dexterity, so I will not be the one running into melee, and instead I want to focus more on spells. I'm not into wildshaping so much as a druid unless it's as a backup/last resort. So far I think she will focused more on the natural aspects of a druid, providing nourishment, healing, calling upon the powers of Mother Nature (water, weather, and the like) to help us out.

With these things in mind, can you help me think of any other quirks for my character that would add to the fun of the game?

Ohyes, and she secretly envies bards. Due to her flightiness, she can't remember the entire story or song anyone has ever told to her...lol.


Ivy

[Jeff]

Hmmm...Sounds like fun. If you like characters that can fly, though, you might try an Al Karak Elam (Winged Humans with above average mental and physical abilities). Heres the website we all use.
www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/5669/gaming/alkarakelam.html

And for future reference, here's the homepage of that.

www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/5669/gaming/gaming.html

[Andy]

How about the little hob-bat is drawn to bright lights like a moth?

My best (most personality, most infamous, most successful) 'monster' character was/is a Kenku (from the Fiend Folio) named 'Fingle'. He had several lower-level adventures with a various parties where he'd befriended a hobbit druid but just after he reached 2nd level / hd (our mean-old DM made me use the UA Barbarian xp table) his hobbit druid friend was ruthlessly gobbled up by an Umber Hulk and the rest of the party killed shortly thereafter. For quite some time, he would show up on an adventure, then the low-level party would be ambushed by wandering ogres, surprised by trolls, surprised by a pack of wandering vampries, you name it, his party died, and he just barely mananged to escape. He was even a scout for a party of powerful mid-level adventurers that were all killed and eaten in the Hall of the Hill Giant King.

Finally, he met the Houri Jasmine and her boyfriend Cavalier Grimrod and with them had many successful adventures where the party didn't get killed and eaten. He gained xp, and his natural abilities of shapechange and invisibility served him and his friends well as he learned more monsters he could shapechange into: Will 'O Wisps, Medusae, Dragons, Xorn, Bullettes, Golems, and more. He used them to give monsters incredible headaches, petrify oncoming armies with his gaze, and he even subbed in as a real Unicorn to carry the bride when a friend got married.

Alas his socializing led to his death at one point, where he'd been fraternizing as a dashing half-elf and left on a short journey to Greyhawk the next day. Camping in the wilderness, the party was ambushed by bandits, and he was slain by a fighter while attempting to back-stab the bandit's leader. Jasmine survived and brought his corpse to Treblo the wizard for Reincarnation (while only recently dead, just try to find a cleric that will raise a Kenku from the dead - hah)

Now Treblo had long been known for his off-kilter reincarnations, he routinely brought back pretty elven priestesses back as orcs, mighty clerics of Frey as bugbear, and all in the worst possible circumstances. The entire room was breathlessly silent, when Fingle the Kenku was rencarnated as..... a beautiful blond 18 charisma woman.

He/She took on the name 'Sabarelle' and laid low for a few years until a party gathered to travel to the Valley of Spirits. That party aka The Bladeseekers had actually ran afowl of Fingle many years previously where he'd quite unintentionally turned the Bladeseekers' Druid's Tiger to stone. However, the same licentious druid was quite eager to welcome a beautiful woman into his party...and bed.

The funny part was, when they reached the center of the valley of spirits and were returned to their true forms, a lowly fighter happened to be that very same very large tiger, who wasn't happy to see the same meddlesome Kenku, and had Fingle not quickly shapechanged into a Horned Devil and teleported himself home, his trip may have all been for naught.

Since then, Fingle has mostly laid low, despite actually fathering a child with the high-priestess Zarabell. He spends most of his time raising that child now, on the world of Eon.

[Ivy]

Jeff,
I like the looks of that! Looks like a fun one to play! And thanks, although Kari slipped me Buddha Bear's link a while back, I haven't had a chance to look at everything there

Andy,
Heeheehee...drawn to bright lights...I love that idea. *steals it* That would go hand-in-hand with being afraid of the dark...rofl. Totally opposite of what you would think a bat person would be.

Kenku's...ahhh yes I know them well. Just a few weeks back Iolana and her companions came upon a tribe of hostile Kenku's. It wasn't until all their precious cargo was replaced in one particular spot that they would quit attacking us on sight. Quite a lot of skirmishes ensued from that. Nasty, nasty beasts to fight, we barely escaped several times with our lives. I don't believe we came across any named Fingle though. He sounds like he has led quite a life indeed!


Ivy

[Ivy]

We are still working on backgrounds for this new group. It's often a combination of group input and individual ideas that end up telling the backstory of our characters.

So far, we know that Ibatty has travelled around a lot, but not always by choice. (We are starting the campaign at level 10 characters, so a lot has happened to get them up to the point where they are now!) We have learned that her animal companions will not leave the region they were born in, no matter their devotion, and so each time she travels to a new region she is left on her own until she communes and finds just the right companion for the journey ahead. (So far, she's been thru a dire bat and a one-humped camel).

Although she can fly, apparently it takes a lot out of her and she just doesn't like to do it if she doesn't have to, and due to her small size, her animal companion generally takes her on and gives her a lift.

Her current animal companion, a white mottled large wolf with blue eyes named Malachi, has been with her and trusts her and her new Uldra friend (yet to be officially named) well enough to do a special double mount (houserule/animal trick), since we are about the same size. Malachi is fitted for a special saddle, which allows him to carry both of us at once, one on each side to balance the load.

We will be travelling with some sort of Stone Giant Samuri and an Amethyst Dragon born Crystalline Troll. We figure anyone seeing those two walking down the street with a large wolf with "packs" on its side isn't probably going to notice right away that the wolf is packing in those saddlebags two spellcasters

Crazy as it sounds, that is how the 'background' so far is shaping up to be...lol. No adventures have actually taken place yet, this has all come out during character development sessions.

Good times ahead!

Ivy

[aaronthecow]

sounds like fun!

[Ivy]

Thanks, so far it's a blast! lol

I just need to take my starting gold now and purchase my starting equipment. We are starting at level 10 (not level 8 as I had originally thought), we get 49,000gp to spend, no more than 25,000 of which can be spent on a single magic item. Other than that, we can have pretty much whatever we want to buy. Our DM is fairly open about items, and any 3.0 or 3.5 book is fair game to buy from.

We will be starting in Icewind Dale (Forgotten Realms cold environment) I believe that's the name of it. Anyway, he's emphasized it's going to be cold and to make sure we're prepared for it.

That is the only thing he's let us in on as far as what to buy for. Other than that, we're on our own so to speak.

I'm just not so sure what else to buy for my druid. So far she hasn't spent all that much money. The saddle for her wolf and a spear I think is all that she's paid for. She doesn't yet have any armor, boots, rings, necklaces, bracers, etc., because I can't decide what yet to get!

I also like seemingly 'useless' items that I can pull out and make uses for. Those 'just in case I ever need it' things...lol. Of course as much fun as the sack that I had the last game was with the mule (stayed for 8 hours, but would not fight for you! It had some other objects in it too, but the mule was the best...) that I could pull out of, I can't use that one again....lol.

Having not yet actually played a druid in anything other than NWN1&2, I have no clue what to buy for her except something to boost her wisdom (for spells). She may go around for a while without much stuff until I play a bit and figure out what she needs! (The DM does not make us spend all of our starting gold).

So that is where I'm at with Ibatty!


Ivy