Heyoka Jumps-Off-Mountains

Heyoka Jumps-Off-Mountains
Heyoka is like an excitable puppy with a bastard sword. He is enthralled with life, and happy to gain any new experience he can, no matter how dangerous. Born the runt of a litter of three shifters, to a single mother who in her youth had had been a wolf, Jericho has had to fight for most of his life. He fought his then-larger brothers, he fought the bullies in school who would tease and pick on him, and he still fights the bigots and barroom boors who mock his animal heritage. Jericho lives life viscerally, loving to fight, climb, fuck, and explore.

Heyoka takes things at face value, and is more than a little naïve. He is trusting by nature, and is still new to the concept of “lying” – why would anyone say something that they know isn’t true? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of saying it? As a result, even though he is quick to react to perceived insults, he’s also quick to believe even blatant lies, and perceives any accusation of “lying” as little more than made-up fighting words.

Heyoka is a shifter of slightly below average height, but powerfully built, like a musclebound badger. He has intense and vaguely animalistic features, yellow-brown wolf eyes, and shaggy grey-black hair. He is very careful to keep himself clean, but dresses simply, like a hunter or farmboy. When going into battle, he dons a well-worn scale hauberk, an old but well maintained longsword, and a beaten up heavy wooden shield.

In the Just Us League, Captain Artichoke acts like the pack leader, and Heyoka hasn’t feel any desire to challenge him to physical combat yet, so Heyoka follows him. Captain Artichoke’s obviously an experienced warrior, so Heyoka looks up to him with an almost puppy-like enthusiasm, earnestly parroting his trite slogans, even when he’s not quite sure what they mean. Heyoka doesn’t know what an “Artichoke” is, but he assumes it’s some sort of fierce bear-like creature that grumbles a lot.

Heyoka Jumps-Off-Mountains
Longtooth Shifter Fighter 6
Str 19, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 10. Initiative +6. Speed 6
HP 61 (Bloodied 30). Healing surges/day 9 (15 hp).
AC 21, Fort 19, Ref 17, Will 16

Feats: Disciple of Divine Wrath, Toughness, Two-Weapon Defense, Weapon Focus (heavy blades), Weapon Proficiency (double sword).
Skills: Athletics +14, Endurance +10, Heal +6, Perception +11 (Low-light vision), Religion +7.

Special abilities:
• Combat Challenge: Mark every enemy you attack. If adjacent marked enemy shifts or makes an attack that doesn’t include you, make a basic attack as an immediate interrupt.
• Tempest Technique: +1 to hit with weapons with the off-hand property, +1 damage to melee & close attacks when wielding two weapons (+2 with off-hand property).
• Combat Superiority: +3 bonus to Opportunity Attacks, opponent struck stops moving.

At-Will Powers
• Dual Strike: +14 vs. AC (two attacks against one creature). 1d8+7 damage.
• Footwork Lure: +14 vs. AC. 1d8+11 damage. Shift one square, and slide the target into the space you left.
• Ranged Basic Attack (javelin): Range 10/20. +11 vs. AC, 1d6+4 damage.

Encounter powers:
• Passing Attack: +14 vs. AC. 1d8+11 damage, can shift one square, and make secondary attack vs. different target: +16 vs. AC, 1d8+11 damage.
• Rain of Blows: +14 vs. AC (two attacks against one creature). 1d8+11 damage, and make secondary attack against the same or different target: +14 vs. AC, 1d8+11 damage.

Utility Powers
• Longtooth Shifting: Minor, only when bloodied. Gain +2 to damage until end of encounter, and Regeneration 2 while bloodied.
• Oath of Enmity: Minor, one in close burst 10, until end of your next turn. If the target is the only enemy adjacent to you, you make two attack rolls on melee attacks and use either.
• Shielded Sides: Minor, until end of next turn. +2 to AC & Reflex, do not grant combat advantage to creatures flanking you.
• Second Wind: Standard. +4 to all Defenses until the start of your next turn. Spend a healing surge (two if you’re bloodied).
• Settling the Score (Daily): Immediate reaction to being hit. Gain +2 power bonus to attack rolls until the end of the encounter vs. the triggering enemy.

Daily powers:
• Villain’s Menace: +14 vs. AC. 2d8+11 damage, and gain +2 power bonus to attacks & +4 to damage vs. that target until end of encounter. Miss: +1 to attacks & +2 to damage.
• Rain of Steel: Minor, Stance. Enemies starting their turn adjacent to you take 1d8+7 damage.


Magic Items
• Bloodclaw Double Sword +2 (lvl 7). At-Will, Free action: Take 2 damage, deal +4 damage on next melee attack (+6 w/ a weapon held in two hands).
• Bloodcut Hide Armor +1 (lvl 4). Healing surge, minor action: While bloodied, gain Resist 10 All until the end of your next turn.

• Cloak of the Walking Wounded +1 (lvl 4). If use second wind while bloodied, can expend two healing surges instead of one.
• Iron Armbands of Power (level 6). Gain +2 on melee damage rolls.

• Potions of Healing (lvl 5). Minor, expend healing surge to heal 10 HP.
• Fire Beetle Potion (lvl 6). Minor, expend healing surge, gain Resist 5 Fire until the end of the encounter, and gain 5 temp HP.

I've updated Heyoka to level 2. I would like to use a utility power from Martial Power (Shielded Sides), because I didn't like any of the 2nd fighter level ones in the PH, and Shielded Sides seemed especially appropriate for a character whose primary tactic seems to be "leap into combat so you can be surrounded and outnumbered".

I was also wondering if I could rearrange his stats slightly, according to the point buy, making him dumber by 2 points to make him wiser by 1

No problems at all, on either score.

Quote :

I was also wondering if I could rearrange his stats slightly, according to the point buy, making him dumber by 2 points to make him wiser by 1

Interesting... Odanais should really do that with his strength and wisdom....

I updated Heyoka to level 4, with magic items.

I just looked at the Warden playtest article online. Once the Player's Handbook II comes out, I may be tempted to convert Heyoka into a Warden. Its combination of wild toughness and animalistic shapeshifting powers looks perfect for him.

Atlatl wrote:

I just looked at the Warden playtest article online. Once the Player's Handbook II comes out, I may be tempted to convert Heyoka into a Warden. Its combination of wild toughness and animalistic shapeshifting powers looks perfect for him.

Sure. That does work well with the shifter race as well as Heyoka in particular, and from what I saw in a quick skim of the class, it looks good without there being any power creep that I noticed.

WotC just released their first set of errata/updates to Adventurer's Vault and Veteran's Armor got a big change, i.e. the daily power has been removed. It seems a reasonable ruling to me, and esp. so for a game like ours where we usually have no more than one fight a day, so I'm going to apply it. If you prefer to change the armor to something else, feel free to do so.

Huh. That makes the veteran's armor useless, so I'm going to change it to something else.

Mike, where the hell did you get your avatar image? It makes me laugh at the same time it makes my eyes bleed a little.

Glad you liked it.

I did a google search looking for a Heyoka-ish avatar, and found this: http://petsinuniform.com/gallery_of_pets.php

Shil, I've been increasingly dissatisfied with how Heyoka's shifting power work. Heyoka's only been able to use it in about half the fights so far, because it can only be activated on his turn, when he's bloodied, and very often he's healed back to being non-bloodied (often by only 2-3 hps) before his turn comes around. Could we house rule it to be an immediate reaction?

Atlatl wrote:

Shil, I've been increasingly dissatisfied with how Heyoka's shifting power work. Heyoka's only been able to use it in about half the fights so far, because it can only be activated on his turn, when he's bloodied, and very often he's healed back to being non-bloodied (often by only 2-3 hps) before his turn comes around. Could we house rule it to be an immediate reaction?

I'm not seeing how that would really help him, since if he activates it as an immediate reaction and is then healed before his turn, he still doesn't get the benefits when it comes to his turn. Once the ability is activated, he only gets the benefit when bloodied, right?

Or did you mean that the benefit is that he'd be able to activate it as soon as bloodied, whereas with it as a minor action he has to be bloodied when his turn comes up to use it?

The latter. Also, the extra damage continues until the end of the round, not just while he's bloodied.

Atlatl wrote:

The latter. Also, the extra damage continues until the end of the round, not just while he's bloodied.

End of the encounter, not round - right? Anyhow, doing it as an immediate reaction to being bloodied seems fine.

I just updated Heyoka to level 5. I took Rain of Steel as my level 5 daily, so Heyoka's tactic of "I'm surrounded and outnumbered, that means I'm winning!" finally comes to fruition.

I also swapped out Defensive Stance for Sweeping Sides. I really like defensive stance, but since we only typically have one fight per day, and you can't use two stances at the same time, I changed to a non-stance utility.

I'm thinking of changing Heyoka's fighting style to using polearms or great weapons, especially if Ed's fighter fights with weapon and shield. I would need a 15 Dex for Polearm Momentum to make that most effective, so either I would have to wait until 8th level or retcon one of his 4th level stat bonuses.

Atlatl wrote:

I just updated Heyoka to level 5. I took Rain of Steel as my level 5 daily, so Heyoka's tactic of "I'm surrounded and outnumbered, that means I'm winning!" finally comes to fruition.

I also swapped out Defensive Stance for Sweeping Sides. I really like defensive stance, but since we only typically have one fight per day, and you can't use two stances at the same time, I changed to a non-stance utility.

Sounds good.

Quote :

I'm thinking of changing Heyoka's fighting style to using polearms or great weapons, especially if Ed's fighter fights with weapon and shield. I would need a 15 Dex for Polearm Momentum to make that most effective, so either I would have to wait until 8th level or retcon one of his 4th level stat bonuses.

That would be a good way to separate the two fighters in the group, and retconning one of his 4th lvl stat choices is fine by me.

shilsen wrote:

That would be a good way to separate the two fighters in the group, and retconning one of his 4th lvl stat choices is fine by me.

Okay then. Here's a new version of Heyoka.

Longtooth Shifter Fighter 5
Initiative +5. Speed 6
Str 19, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 10
HP 55 (Bloodied 27). Healing surges/day 9 (13 hp).
AC 21, Fort 19, Ref 17, Will 16

Feats: Initiate of the Faith, Toughness, Two-Weapon Defense, Weapon Proficiency (Double Sword).
Skills: Athletics +13, Endurance +9, Heal +5, Perception +10 (Low-light vision), Religion +6.
Equipment: Bloodclaw Double Sword +1, Veteran’s Chain Armor +1, Cloak of the Walking Wounded +1, Parry Gauntlets, 2 Potions of Healing, 1 Fire Beetle Potion, 3 javelins, heavy shield, adventurer’s kit, climber’s kit, 145 gp.

Special abilities
• Combat Challenge: Mark every enemy you attack. If adjacent marked enemy shifts or makes an attack that doesn’t include you, make a basic attack as an immediate interrupt.
• Tempest Technique: +1 to hit with weapons with the off-hand property, +1 damage to melee & close attacks when wielding two weapons (+2 with off-hand property).
• Combat Superiority: +3 bonus to Opportunity Attacks, opponent struck stops moving.

At-Will Powers
• Dual Strike – +11 vs. AC (twice against one target). 1d8+3 damage.
• Footwork Lure – +11 vs. AC. 1d8+7 damage. Shift one square, and slide the target into the space you left.
• Ranged Basic Attack (Hand Axe) – Range 5/10. +9 vs. AC, 1d6+4 damage.

Encounter powers
• Passing Attack – +11 vs. AC. 1d8+7 damage, can shift one square, and make secondary attack vs. different target: +13 vs. AC, 1d8+7 damage.
• Rain of Blows – +11 vs. AC (two attacks against one creature). 1d8+7 damage, and make secondary attack against the same or different target: +11 vs. AC, 1d8+7 damage.

• Longtooth Shifting – Minor, only when bloodied. Gain +2 to damage until end of encounter, and Regeneration 2 while bloodied.
• Second Wind – Standard. Spend a healing surge (two if bloodied). +4 to all Defenses until the start of your next turn.
• Shielded Sides – Minor, until end of next turn. +2 to AC & Reflex, do not grant combat advantage to creatures flanking you.

Daily powers
• Villain’s Menace – +11 vs. AC. 2d8+7 damage, and gain +2 to attacks & +4 to damage vs. that target until end of encounter. Miss: +1 to attacks & +2 to damage.
• Rain of Steel – Minor, Stance. Enemies that start their turn adjacent to you take 1d8+3 damage.

• Healing Word – Minor, close burst 5. You or ally can spend a healing surge +1d6 HP.

Magic Item Powers
• Bloodclaw Double Sword +1 (lvl 2). At-Will, Free action: Take 1 damage, deal +2 damage on next melee attack.
• Bloodcut Hide Armor +1 (lvl 4). Healing surge, minor: While bloodied, gain Resist 10 All until the end of your next turn.
• Cloak of the Walking Wounded +1 (lvl 4). If use second wind while bloodied, can expend two healing surges instead of one.
• Parry Gauntlets (lvl 5). Gain +2 to all defenses when using total defense or second wind)

• Potion of Healing (lvl 5). Minor, spend healing surge to heal 10 HP.
• Fire Beetle Potion (lvl 6). Minor, spend healing surge, gain 5 temp HP & resist 5 fire.

Just one question (since I don't have Adventurer's Vault) - when using a double weapon like the urgrosh, shouldn't benefits like the Tempest Fighter's +1 to hit and +2 to damage with off-hand weapons only apply when using the off-hand, lower damage, end? Otherwise it seems like one is getting a two-handed weapon's benefits (the 1d12 damage) and also getting all the benefits of an off-hand weapon on top of it, without the penalties for an off-hand weapon (usually lower base damage).

shilsen wrote:

Just one question (since I don't have Adventurer's Vault) - when using a double weapon like the urgrosh, shouldn't benefits like the Tempest Fighter's +1 to hit and +2 to damage with off-hand weapons only apply when using the off-hand, lower damage, end? Otherwise it seems like one is getting a two-handed weapon's benefits (the 1d12 damage) and also getting all the benefits of an off-hand weapon on top of it, without the penalties for an off-hand weapon (usually lower base damage).

As written, no. Double weapons have the "of-hand" property, and don't specify that only one end gets the property.

Still, I see your point about it getting the benefits of a two-handed weapon as well as two-weapon, so I'll change it. Though IMO that mainly just reflects the serious weakness of the two-handed weapon style compared to two weapons and sword and shield.

I'm changing it to a double sword, which does the same damage on both ends.

Atlatl wrote:

As written, no. Double weapons have the "of-hand" property, and don't specify that only one end gets the property.

Still, I see your point about it getting the benefits of a two-handed weapon as well as two-weapon, so I'll change it. Though IMO that mainly just reflects the serious weakness of the two-handed weapon style compared to two weapons and sword and shield.

I'm changing it to a double sword, which does the same damage on both ends.

That works. Thanks.

As usual, you can describe the double sword as you want, so if you want to describe it as a dwarven urgrosh or something else, feel free.

BTW, I believe you were planning to change your Veteran's armor, in case you forgot. Or did you change your mind?

I waffled a bit over the armor, because there weren't any chain armor types that really appealed to me. But I decided to shift the stats slightly (swapping Dex and Wis) and use hide armor instead.

The Dex increase also enabled me to take Rain of Blows.

Atlatl wrote:

I waffled a bit over the armor, because there weren't any chain armor types that really appealed to me. But I decided to shift the stats slightly (swapping Dex and Wis) and use hide armor instead.

The Dex increase also enabled me to take Rain of Blows.

What kind of Hide Armor are you going with?

shilsen wrote:

What kind of Hide Armor are you going with?

Bloodcut, from the PH.