(First time posting in a forum thread, long time reader of other forums. So uncertain if this topic fits this section)
After listening to some Adventure Zone's The Suffering Game. An NPC named "Cam" reminded me of a character I played a long time ago. The DM had us wake up as risen dead of our characters by a junior necromancer (3.5e). At some point I was "dissembled" by a monster with blades, and asked if I could use "mage hand" to pull my pieces back together. It was hilarious, but sadly turned into a one shot campaign when our full group returned to resume the main campaign.
The idea that struck me was playing a 5e character that from the beginning is just a head. I haven't been able to find any other posted character ideas like this (though I'm sure they exist) so I figured I'd start a thread here.
Some basic ideas I've considered so far (please add ideas or observations! Or links to similar concepts! I'm curious for play-ability fun, and a bit of playing within the rules without excessive homebrew)... I've run a character once that was from a race that was armless but their legs were flexible and dexterous enough to act in place when needed like archery or cooking (much like many humans do daily out of necessity and/or training).
Cam the Headless (technically body-less but that flows less).
Races for Cam: Kinda tricky, as it could be any race, but also for movement speeds (and being undead to not bleed out) perhaps calls for a homebrew pseudo-race. Like "zombie" or a displacer from The Beyonders series.
Potential Backstory: A twisted mind that sought to preserve them-self or sacrifice much to gain more knowledge or achieve a goal. Cam is now just a head. Even today they exist with a somewhat warped sense of reality, and perhaps a bit of a Joker/Cicero like insanity. Maybe they believed that the body was excess and limited the mind from fully engaging with the arcane. So, much like a lich they disregarded the value of "the human experience" and committed to their current state. Regardless of the how or why they are content with their condition and the disturbing nature they give off to others.
Classes: Spellcasters - benefits are the option of Mage Hand (which works on a 10lb object, and the human head tends to weigh about 10-11lbs according to google). As well as other mobility, commanding, or battlefield controlling options. Sorcerer - allows for points to warp and change spells (including multi and shaped or ranged casting, more slots and less reliance on objects like scrolls). Also no spellbook to have to flip through. Wizard - plays on backstory's inquisitive nature and need to gain more arcane secrets. Hilarity of setting up camp and a head propped on a log, magically flipping pages by the fire. Bard - mix of some benefits of sorcerer and wizard? (haven't given this one much thought). Flavor-wise could be weird or intriguing. Melee classes - The thought a fighter head does sound hilarious. Using their tongue or mouth to perform feats of sword maneuvering. And with a strong strength and dex score to justify them rolling with control on the battlefield. Any natural 20 by a fun DM is going to be amazing and memorable. Really forces player creativity. Fighter - all the above mentioned. The maneuvers to disarm, etc. would be fun. Haven't played a 5e fighter so not as familiar with it's options. I know there's a mixed spellcaster? Ranger - not an option I'm suggesting. Just thought a ranged ranger for this concept was a necessary picture to paint... Rouge - maybe sneak attacks look like them rolling with a dagger in mouth, stabbing the back of the ankles, and rolling back out again. Monk - wow. I just felt a pit in my stomach I imagine I would feel if a player came up to me with this character/class concept... Probably would make some DM's noses bleed while processing. Class: oddly enough looking back, I realize bard has the largest mix all options benefits... Though the flavor would have to be tailored I feel. And bardic performance would be odd.
Background: The Knight option would be nice because you get a follower from the get-go. Much easier if you have someone to command to carry you around or point you as you cast "dragon's breath". I'd love to see the NPC that's in that situation. I always like Sage, but I'm super biased. Other fun ideas?
Equipment: would have to travel light. Even traveler's clothes are 4lbs (obviously they wouldn't require those). However a dark cloak would be fun. Then the head could float about 6 feet up, and let it drape to appear as a fully-formed humanoid (really would hope a DM would allow this, as the idea of a city rouge trying to backstab Cam and hit nothing would be priceless). Thoughts on weapons? Daggers or even swords seem plausible (if not ridiculous). A club or blunt weapon probably couldn't get enough momentum. Blowgun darts could make a lot of sense, once reloading is figured out. Bow probably no, crossbow would only be funny the first time after they take all combat loading one shot, and risked potentially launching themself. An arcane focus could be an amulet or small orb that they had embedded on themself prior to their experiment (sounds like a cool visual for the darker mage concept), such as a crystal either on the forehead or tongue. Any other equipment that would be interesting to have or useful? Rogue-ish ball bearings, oil flasks, strings, or poles/ropes seem less usable in quick moments. Though a mastermind who sets careful series of Rube Goldberg and social traps to make large foes end up tied up and fallen at his feet (I mean neck?) could be fun for an intro.
Plot twist: the DM might have fun with Cam's previously thought to be destroyed body to actually be found moving around on it's own. Perhaps with a sentience, similar to those cartoon moments. Perhaps it's under the control of someone in a way they'd find demeaning, or wandering around like a fool. Or view it more coldly, as a resource that could replace their lackey or perform additional actions. Stat-wise could act as obtaining a flesh golem...
Class build Recap: So race, class, are kinda up in the air. I'd lean towards a spell caster, pure fighter, or rouge out of personal interest/bias. Though any suggestions would be welcome! I feel like the Knight background is a solid option, though would be curious of other ideas I haven't considered.
Any major problems or opportunities people see with the base concept? I made a test character on the site's creator, and realized movement speed was a major question. As a DM would you allow a player to play it? As a player does it sound potentially fun or awful? Or have you played/seen this before?
It sounds like a fun idea for social role-playing, but it's kind of falls apart in combat and exploration. A head swinging a sword by any means other than telekinesis would have to either be really big to start with or, yeah, I don't know how else that would happen.
The character would need to be undead (or a Warforged?). That means you would first need to create or find a homebrew "race" that you like that is already undead to start with. And that can get weird once you go into combat situations because your character definitely isn't living or humanoid, which creates balance issues and means that you won't benefit from any heal spells or potions.
IOW, this would probably be fun for a one-shot or as an NPC, but over any sustained campaign, there are A Lot of issues to be worked out for this to be viable.
Warforged does seem like the simplest playable race to make with this class.
My problem with it from a functional standpoint as a caster class would be... how would this character perform the somatic side of spellcasting? I know in many cases it's a minor detail, but it's an important one. It's the in-world explanation for how a wizard can't just cast a spell to get out of any situation they find themselves in, since if their hands are bound they're unable to cast most of their spells. A warforged could solve this problem, since Warforged are often built with custom mechanical parts that allow them to perform specific functions under unusual conditions. So maybe they would have dexterous attachments on their heads that were originally meant for some other function, but they've learned to repurpose for use in somatic casting.
Of course, at that point it changes the concept from "disembodied head" to "oddly shaped robot".
Warforged does seem like the simplest playable race to make with this class.
My problem with it from a functional standpoint as a caster class would be... how would this character perform the somatic side of spellcasting? I know in many cases it's a minor detail, but it's an important one. It's the in-world explanation for how a wizard can't just cast a spell to get out of any situation they find themselves in, since if their hands are bound they're unable to cast most of their spells. A warforged could solve this problem, since Warforged are often built with custom mechanical parts that allow them to perform specific functions under unusual conditions. So maybe they would have dexterous attachments on their heads that were originally meant for some other function, but they've learned to repurpose for use in somatic casting.
Of course, at that point it changes the concept from "disembodied head" to "oddly shaped robot".
A head with attachments that dextrous would basically be like MODOK from the Iron Man comic series.
I can see a Warforged Artificer or Wizard that is 90% a head. I guess one could also go with something like an octopus race, the kind with cherubicly diminutive tentacles.
Well, something that comes to mind with that would be some kind of undead Mindflayer. Not as cute, obviously lol but the tentacles would solve a lot of the issues this concept has in justifying how it gets around or performs actions.
Well, something that comes to mind with that would be some kind of undead Mindflayer. Not as cute, obviously lol but the tentacles would solve a lot of the issues this concept has in justifying how it gets around or performs actions.
That would be difficult to balance unless the DM rules the Mindflayer, being undead, now can't use most of it's psionic powers. Still, it's definitely an NPC I would like to see.
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(First time posting in a forum thread, long time reader of other forums. So uncertain if this topic fits this section)
After listening to some Adventure Zone's The Suffering Game. An NPC named "Cam" reminded me of a character I played a long time ago. The DM had us wake up as risen dead of our characters by a junior necromancer (3.5e). At some point I was "dissembled" by a monster with blades, and asked if I could use "mage hand" to pull my pieces back together. It was hilarious, but sadly turned into a one shot campaign when our full group returned to resume the main campaign.
The idea that struck me was playing a 5e character that from the beginning is just a head. I haven't been able to find any other posted character ideas like this (though I'm sure they exist) so I figured I'd start a thread here.
Some basic ideas I've considered so far (please add ideas or observations! Or links to similar concepts! I'm curious for play-ability fun, and a bit of playing within the rules without excessive homebrew)... I've run a character once that was from a race that was armless but their legs were flexible and dexterous enough to act in place when needed like archery or cooking (much like many humans do daily out of necessity and/or training).
Cam the Headless (technically body-less but that flows less).
Races for Cam: Kinda tricky, as it could be any race, but also for movement speeds (and being undead to not bleed out) perhaps calls for a homebrew pseudo-race. Like "zombie" or a displacer from The Beyonders series.
Potential Backstory: A twisted mind that sought to preserve them-self or sacrifice much to gain more knowledge or achieve a goal. Cam is now just a head. Even today they exist with a somewhat warped sense of reality, and perhaps a bit of a Joker/Cicero like insanity. Maybe they believed that the body was excess and limited the mind from fully engaging with the arcane. So, much like a lich they disregarded the value of "the human experience" and committed to their current state. Regardless of the how or why they are content with their condition and the disturbing nature they give off to others.
Classes:
Spellcasters - benefits are the option of Mage Hand (which works on a 10lb object, and the human head tends to weigh about 10-11lbs according to google). As well as other mobility, commanding, or battlefield controlling options.
Sorcerer - allows for points to warp and change spells (including multi and shaped or ranged casting, more slots and less reliance on objects like scrolls). Also no spellbook to have to flip through.
Wizard - plays on backstory's inquisitive nature and need to gain more arcane secrets. Hilarity of setting up camp and a head propped on a log, magically flipping pages by the fire.
Bard - mix of some benefits of sorcerer and wizard? (haven't given this one much thought). Flavor-wise could be weird or intriguing.
Melee classes - The thought a fighter head does sound hilarious. Using their tongue or mouth to perform feats of sword maneuvering. And with a strong strength and dex score to justify them rolling with control on the battlefield. Any natural 20 by a fun DM is going to be amazing and memorable. Really forces player creativity.
Fighter - all the above mentioned. The maneuvers to disarm, etc. would be fun. Haven't played a 5e fighter so not as familiar with it's options. I know there's a mixed spellcaster?
Ranger - not an option I'm suggesting. Just thought a ranged ranger for this concept was a necessary picture to paint...
Rouge - maybe sneak attacks look like them rolling with a dagger in mouth, stabbing the back of the ankles, and rolling back out again.
Monk - wow. I just felt a pit in my stomach I imagine I would feel if a player came up to me with this character/class concept... Probably would make some DM's noses bleed while processing.
Class: oddly enough looking back, I realize bard has the largest mix all options benefits... Though the flavor would have to be tailored I feel. And bardic performance would be odd.
Background: The Knight option would be nice because you get a follower from the get-go. Much easier if you have someone to command to carry you around or point you as you cast "dragon's breath". I'd love to see the NPC that's in that situation. I always like Sage, but I'm super biased. Other fun ideas?
Equipment: would have to travel light. Even traveler's clothes are 4lbs (obviously they wouldn't require those). However a dark cloak would be fun. Then the head could float about 6 feet up, and let it drape to appear as a fully-formed humanoid (really would hope a DM would allow this, as the idea of a city rouge trying to backstab Cam and hit nothing would be priceless).
Thoughts on weapons? Daggers or even swords seem plausible (if not ridiculous). A club or blunt weapon probably couldn't get enough momentum. Blowgun darts could make a lot of sense, once reloading is figured out. Bow probably no, crossbow would only be funny the first time after they take all combat loading one shot, and risked potentially launching themself.
An arcane focus could be an amulet or small orb that they had embedded on themself prior to their experiment (sounds like a cool visual for the darker mage concept), such as a crystal either on the forehead or tongue.
Any other equipment that would be interesting to have or useful? Rogue-ish ball bearings, oil flasks, strings, or poles/ropes seem less usable in quick moments. Though a mastermind who sets careful series of Rube Goldberg and social traps to make large foes end up tied up and fallen at his feet (I mean neck?) could be fun for an intro.
Plot twist: the DM might have fun with Cam's previously thought to be destroyed body to actually be found moving around on it's own. Perhaps with a sentience, similar to those cartoon moments. Perhaps it's under the control of someone in a way they'd find demeaning, or wandering around like a fool. Or view it more coldly, as a resource that could replace their lackey or perform additional actions. Stat-wise could act as obtaining a flesh golem...
Class build Recap: So race, class, are kinda up in the air. I'd lean towards a spell caster, pure fighter, or rouge out of personal interest/bias. Though any suggestions would be welcome! I feel like the Knight background is a solid option, though would be curious of other ideas I haven't considered.
Any major problems or opportunities people see with the base concept? I made a test character on the site's creator, and realized movement speed was a major question. As a DM would you allow a player to play it? As a player does it sound potentially fun or awful? Or have you played/seen this before?
It sounds like a fun idea for social role-playing, but it's kind of falls apart in combat and exploration. A head swinging a sword by any means other than telekinesis would have to either be really big to start with or, yeah, I don't know how else that would happen.
The character would need to be undead (or a Warforged?). That means you would first need to create or find a homebrew "race" that you like that is already undead to start with. And that can get weird once you go into combat situations because your character definitely isn't living or humanoid, which creates balance issues and means that you won't benefit from any heal spells or potions.
IOW, this would probably be fun for a one-shot or as an NPC, but over any sustained campaign, there are A Lot of issues to be worked out for this to be viable.
Warforged does seem like the simplest playable race to make with this class.
My problem with it from a functional standpoint as a caster class would be... how would this character perform the somatic side of spellcasting? I know in many cases it's a minor detail, but it's an important one. It's the in-world explanation for how a wizard can't just cast a spell to get out of any situation they find themselves in, since if their hands are bound they're unable to cast most of their spells. A warforged could solve this problem, since Warforged are often built with custom mechanical parts that allow them to perform specific functions under unusual conditions. So maybe they would have dexterous attachments on their heads that were originally meant for some other function, but they've learned to repurpose for use in somatic casting.
Of course, at that point it changes the concept from "disembodied head" to "oddly shaped robot".
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
A head with attachments that dextrous would basically be like MODOK from the Iron Man comic series.
Okay, I changed my mind... I love this idea now. Warforged Modok is now my next character :P
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I can see a Warforged Artificer or Wizard that is 90% a head. I guess one could also go with something like an octopus race, the kind with cherubicly diminutive tentacles.
Well, something that comes to mind with that would be some kind of undead Mindflayer. Not as cute, obviously lol but the tentacles would solve a lot of the issues this concept has in justifying how it gets around or performs actions.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
That would be difficult to balance unless the DM rules the Mindflayer, being undead, now can't use most of it's psionic powers. Still, it's definitely an NPC I would like to see.