Kam

This is a character I’m planning on playing in a 4th Edition Eberron game. He’ll be a 3rd Level Shifter, either Fighter or Monk class.

Born into a small tribe of shifters in the Eldeen Reaches, Kam spent his early childhood in a village deep within the forests. As the Last War raged elsewhere in Khorvaire, the Black Talon Tribe was mostly untouched by the war. Kam filled his days with fishing, playing with his friends and exploring the woods around the village. Kam was an only child and was very close to his parents. His father, the village chief was very protective of his son.

Towards the end of the war, the fighting began to move towards the borders of the Reaches. The village’s warriors left to join the other villages in order to repel the invaders. They believed that their village was safe, far from the frontlines. They were wrong. While the village was left relatively unguarded, raiders snuck over the border and attacked. Most of the women and children were able to escape, but Kam and his mother were not so lucky. As Kam hid, he watched as the raiders butchered those that hadn’t been able to escape. Then they reached his hut. From his hiding place, he saw one of the raiders kill his mother. Enraged, he leapt out of hiding and attacked the man, killing him. Before he could do anything more, another raider struck him on the side of the head knocking him unconscious. The leader of the raiders stopped his men from killing Kam, recognising the boy’s natural fighting ability was worth more than a few coin. He took the boy prisoner and left with the spoils of their raid. That was the last time Kam saw his home.

Kam was sold to a particularly cruel master. He beat and tortured the boy, chaining him up like an animal and forcing him into caged fights withmonsters and other slaves. After one particularly gruelling battle which Kam lost, his master lost a lot of money and ordered the boy whipped as punishment. However, tired of hearing Kam screaming for mercy, he strode into the boy’s cell, grabbed the boy’s tongue and cut it out, yelling at the boy that “speech is for people, not beasts like you!” Afterwards, Kam’s mind retreated deep within itself, unable to cope any longer with the abuses. The primal part of him, the part that is within all Shifter’s, took over and in order to survive, he became little more than an animal.

The years passed slowly for Kam who rapidly moved up the pit-fighting circle as his combat skills improved. Eventually, he was traded to an organised crime syndicate from Sharn in order to pay off a debt. Slavery and deathmatches of the type that Kam was forced to fight in were illegal in Sharn, but very lucrative. Thousands of gold pieces could be on every fight, and a fighter like Kam was worth a lot of money. Now fourteen, the boy began to be used as a deterrent by the syndicate. “Pay your debts or we’ll put you in the cage with the kid and let him go wild.” The bloodlust of the crowd was insatiable and the desire for blood and ever more violent battles drove the syndicate to abduct citizens from Sharn’s lower levels. This was what led a small band ofadventurers to the syndicate’s door. They had been investigating the disappearance of one of their comrades who had vanished while visiting the lower levels. They followed the trail to the arena but they found that their friend had already died in the pit, killed by a young Shifter slave, Kam. Luckily, one of the adventurers managed to convince her comrades not to take their revenge on the boy, but on the slave masters and owners of the pit. They freed the slaves and shut down the pit for good.

After being freed with the rest of the slaves, Kam’s future was uncertain. Traumatised by the years spent fighting in the pit, he was feral and barely able to communicate with anyone. He couldn’t remember anything about his past or where he had come from; nor could he remember his own name. “Kam” was the name given to him by one of the adventurers. Luckily, his rescuers took pity on the boy and allowed him to “tag along,” if only to keep him out of trouble. Over the next few months, Kam slowly recovered as his new companions learned to communicate with him through sign language. Everything was new to him, and he was often left wide-eyed with wonder when taken to a new place. Kam’s fighting abilities proved useful to the party, even if his newfound personality disappeared during combat, being replaced by his old animal self. A savage and uncontrolled fighter, he preferred to fight unarmed or with the aid of spiked gauntlets, a weapon that seemed particularly well suited to his unorthodox fighting “style.” Still, mentally he was on the mend. Kam is loyal to a fault to his new friends, showing them the same kind of devotion that a loyal dog might show to his master. He still has a lot to learn about how to behave in public, often acting shy or defensive around strangers. If anyone threatens him or his friends, his gentle nature is quick to disappear, and he once again becomes a savage attack dog.

Killing Game Interest

So, our 4th Ed game (see here and here) has finally come to an end. I can’t say that I’m unhappy about that. That last few weeks its felt more like a chore than something fun. Although I was sckeptical about 4th edition, I did begin to enjoy it. That was until lady luck decided to shaft me. For 3 weeks I was unable to roll above a 4 on a d20. For three stinking weeks. Coupled with the fact that the game was basically: Enter room, kill occupants, loot bodies/room, enter new room. There was virtually no character interaction of roleplaying. Together this completly killed my interest in the game/system.

 

That said, a friend has convinced me to join the game he’s playing in a few weeks. So I’m ready to give it 4E another chance. But this is the last time.

Ty Ellison

So, been playing 4th Edition for the last few weeks on Monday. Despite the rough start, I’ve really started to enjoy playing my character, a 16-year-old “i’m not a thief!” Rogue. Only about 48xp from 3rd level.

Did some more doodling over the weekend and ended up with the piccy to the left. It’s meant to be Ty. Probably just got out of bed or something. Screwed up a little on the ears. He’s meant to be half-elf so he should have elven ears, not human.

Apart from that I kinda like this pic. I’m also using it as a character ref for one of the characters (Ben Ford) in the next chapter of Ryan’s Story.

Ty Ellison -DnD4E Character

Ty Ellison, 1st level Rogue

Age: 16
Height: 5′9″
Weight: 134 Ibs
Hair: Scruffy blond
Eyes: Blue

Likes: Sugared Apples, Reckless Stunts
Dislikes: Bullies and Tyrants, Sticklers for the Rules
Fears: Spiders and Ghosts
Favourite Bards: Crossbows and Roses, Blink Dog 182, AC/HP, My Alchemical Romance

Ty grew up in the village of Benbridge on the western shores of Arcadia. A small woodland kingdom, it’s predominantly a human realm but it does have a large elven population that make up most of the kingdom’s nobility. Consequently, there are also a large number of half-elves present in Arcadia.
The illegitimate son of the local Lord, Ty was raised by his mother who was a maid in the Lord’s household. His father made sure that all his offspring, legitimate or otherwise, had at least some education. Although he was a bright child, it was clear that Ty did not have the temperament or attention span for “book learning”. Like most young boy’s he dreamed of a life filled with adventure and heroic battles. When he was not in school or playing with his friends, Ty worked in the stables.
One day, whilst out in the forest alone gathering fire wood for the kitchens, Ty came across a strange red gemstone buried in the undergrowth. The uncut gem sparkled in the early morning sunlight. He put the stone in his pocket and didn’t think anything more of it. Later that night, Ty took the stone out and examined it. In the dim candlelight of his room, Ty realised that the stone glowed softly and sparkles danced inside it. Intrigued, on his next day off he went back to the woods to see if he could find another.
While there, he stumbled across a group of men searching for the stone. The stone apparently had some sort of mystical quality that their employers desired. With weapons drawn, they threatened the boy who, armed only with a small knife, ran. The men gave chase, taking pot shots and Ty with spells and arrows. Thanks to his agility and knowledge of the local woods, Ty was able to fend them off just long enough to reach the village. Ty hid while the Lord’s guardsmen fought the men. One of the cowl-wearing men found Ty’s hiding place and attempted to kill the boy in order to retrieve the stone. Fighting for his life, Ty mortally wounded the man and escaped. The rest of the men were killed by the Lord’s guardsmen.
Shortly after the incident, Ty decided to leave Benbridge figuring that now was a good opportunity as any to seek adventure. He took the stone with him and still wears it around his neck, considering it a good luck charm.

Character Sheet