Tyranny of Dragons Campaign OOC Thread

Goshdammit now I can't decide between drow bard, half-orc hippie druid, or a human from a noble house who ran off to become a ranger. Maybe I'll wait till more characters are in so I can see what is most useful?

Spoiler: God explanation- its very silly

I kinnnnda want the drow bard to be a follower of my character from my first pathfinder game, who became a god via book shanigans. He's a lesser known god of rivers, wanderers, and families of bond, rather than blood. Its p silly tho I understand if you're not cool w it <.<

 

I've never played play-by-post before, only IRL and Roll20, so this should be interesting!

Stats-wise, looks like I've got 10, 9, 9, 15, 16, 9. Certainly have had better, but it could definitely be worse, so I'll take it!

As I said in the other thread, I'm sorta inclined towards a sorcerer (second choice would be wizard)... but I'm also up for something else if we need to diversify the party, class-wise. Mostly I'd just like to try something new, ie. not a fighter or druid. Race-wise... high elf, maybe? Or maybe a halfling... or a tiefling... hrm...

 

The Human variant presented in the PHB, swaps out some of the stat increases for a feat at first-level.

 

wellllll, your character don't gotta be evil! especially since some devils (pedantically speaking, most fiendish warlocks deal with devils, not demons; devils will keep their word, whereas demons are... unpredictable) lean Neutral/Lawful Neutral. but anyway you could have a Lawful Good character who didn't know what they were getting into making this deal and are repulsed by the whole business, or a character who enjoys the power but struggles against their patron's demands, or a character who's deeply conflicted about the whole situation...

nah, not too silly! go for it. I'mma need more detail about him if you want me to work him into the setting somehow, though.

ah, yeah! that'd be okay by me too.

ALSO GENERAL NOTE FOR Y'ALL TO THINK ABOUT WHILE CRAFTING YOUR BACKSTORIES: this adventure is called Tyranny of Dragons because it has a lot of dragons in it! (most of them are chromatic, hence the tyranny bit.) your character will be much more invested in this campaign if they have some draconic connection or experience, be it negative or positive, and the stronger that is, the more frequent your opportunities in the adventure to roleplay based off of it.

a couple suggestions for connections: your character could have witnessed a dragon attack or lost their home/family to one; lived in a domain ruled by a dragon, either chromatic or metallic; spoken to/interacted with a dragon; have a familial connection to dragons—maybe one of their family members was a legendary dragon slayer, or maybe one made friends with a metallic dragon who drops by to check on the family now and again; be of draconic descent; be a worshipper of Bahamut; or really anything else you can come up with.

note also that you will be interacting with the Cult of the Dragon, a long-established organization worshipping chromatic dragons and historically working to create dracoliches. your character might have connections to the cult, too.

 

Thank you! What info would I need in specific (just wanna make sure I get it right)

 

his name would be a start. :P also what he was like before he was a god, how he became a god, and what kind of god he is—does he go in for direct interaction with his worshippers, or is he more hands-off? why does he govern the domains he does? how is he worshipped? is there a church or large organization? a smaller cult kind of deal? is he an old god who's faded into obscurity or a new one who's not yet gathered a following? are there any rituals, symbols, etc. his worshippers use? what myths are told about him? ...and anything else you see fit to include, but that should about cover it. ;P

 

Seeing as many people seem to be choosing glass cannons or squishy casters, I think we may need the pally. Furry murderer-aesthete can wait.

*TWO HOURS LATER* ...whoops I made the entire character.

Spoiler: Marian

Half-orc folk hero paladin, level 1

Neutral
Speed 30 ft.
Darkvision 60 ft.
13/13 hp
AC 16 (18 w/ shield)
+6 longsword (1d8+4 slashing (versatile 1d10+4))
+6 quarterstaff (1d6+4 bludgeoning (versatile 1d8+4))

Abilities
Str 18 (+4)
Dex 12 (+1)
Con 16 (+3)
Int 12 (+1)
Wis 13 (+1)
Cha 14 (+2)

Proficiencies (+2):
Saves: Wisdom +3, Charisma +4
Skills: Athletics +6, Intimidation +4, Insight +3, Animal Handling +3, Survival +3
Languages: Common, Orc
Other: Armor, shields, simple & martial weapons, smith's tools, land vehicles

Features
Relentless Endurance (once per long rest, when reduced to 0 hp but not killed outright, choose to drop to 1 hp and remain conscious)
Savage Attacks (roll additional weapon damage die on melee crit)
Divine Sense (3/long rest, detect celestial, fiend, undead, or hallowed or desecrated ground within 60 ft. unless behind total cover)
Lay on Hands (5 hp worth of healing, or remove poison or disease, as an action, replenished on long rest)
Rustic Hospitality (can find refuge among the ranks of the common folk)

Equipment
Longsword, shield, quarterstaff, explorer's pack, holy symbol (maybe just the shield painted white? what's the Bastard's symbol?), chain mail, smith's tools, shovel, iron pot, common clothes, 10 gp

Background
Marian was orphaned while still a toddler, by an expedition retaliating against an earlier orc raid. She was saved by a soft-hearted camp follower and adopted by a village smith somewhere in Lords' Alliance lands. Being the only half-orc in an insular rural community was difficult, but she quickly learned to turn the older boys' taunts back on them -- and after she was sixteen, she didn't need to, as she could throw the strongest of them in the wrestling ring.
Marian lived a happy enough life for some time, taking over more of her mentor's work as his beard started to come in white. The villagers came to respect her skill and strength. The old smith joked that she liked the horses more than the people who brought them in for shoeing, and there was some truth to that. But she got on best with the outcast and the so-called misborn -- people like her.
If her life had stayed happy, she wouldn't have been an adventurer, of course. Some traveling nobleman beat her aged master for a small insolence, injuring him badly. The noble and his retinue showed no plans to leave before they'd robbed and assaulted a number of the villagers... so, Marian made the only prayer anyone ever makes to the Bastard (other than "keep away"). She didn't think it had worked when she woke up next morning, so she walked out very calmly to where the hungover nobleman was helping himself to a hair of the dog and beat him to death.
Three guardsmen got broken bones and concussions trying to protect him, and one of them managed to shove a dagger in Marian's gut. She passed out from blood loss and grief, slumped over in the saddle of a stolen horse miles away.
The Bastard came to her in her fever dreams. Marian woke up with the wound closed and the infection vanished. Going back home would invite retaliation on anyone who sheltered her. She gave the horse his head and followed the road.

Personality
She's been on the road for a few years now. Marian is a soft-hearted grouch, with a sense of humor by turns dry and ribald. She still has the Bastard's affinity for all those "born out of season." She has no patience for blowhards or liars. She speaks to her god much as she speaks to horses and dogs, with resigned affection and exasperation. Killing holds no joy for her, so she avoids it when possible; when this is not possible, she is terrifyingly swift and efficient. Good food and fine craftsmanship are her chief pleasures.

 

Alright!

Spoiler: Info

His name is Zaire Emeris, but as a god he is just called Emeris. When he was human he was a noble from a house in a cold and inhospitable land, with a cold and inhospitable family. He ran away at about the age of 13 and was taken in by a small cult worshiping a god that turned out to be himself in an example of timey-wimeyness, It was from them he got the name Emeris, since the god offers his name to all those who wish to leave behind their old one, and he became a cleric of himself, though he didn't know it at the time. It's weird. The main plot of the session was a slightly modified version of the codex of infinite planes, where the pages had been scattered to the planes and Zaire, who critfailled a will save against the first page he saw, was compelled to reunite them (he was also eternally bound to his body and therefore never aged beyond 15, which he is still kind of sore about.) He slowly became horrified at how what the tome could do, and sought to break himself away from it- he became a god basically when he managed to kill a god that was trying to seize the power of the codex for himself, in order to kill another god- but a page of the codex was damaged by the divine power, both transferring the gods Divine Ranks to Zaire and sending Zaire way back in time. So, um, he is both an obscure old god and a new one.
He has fairly direct interaction with his worshipers, because one of the things he hated was how hands off most of the gods were- although now he better understands the ethical dilemmas inherent in divine power. As he was once a lost child, he is very favorable towards those who cannot return home, those who are wandering, those who are trying to find a new place to call their own, or who travel in order to protect others. 5e domain-wise, he might be protection from this UA? That or life maybe, or knowledge because he's an absolute nerd? He is associated with rivers because he traveled along one while running away from home, and with found families because he's a dnd character. He is worshiped in smaller cults, who take in all those who need shelter and have fucking fabulous clothes (he loved to design and sew clothes in life.) Those who worship him either live in these cults or take up his life of wandering and seeking both knowledge and justice (although given he is chaotic good, his followers often don't correlate "justice" and "law".) Myth wise I can imagine the time he killed an evil god is up there (it was a homebrew god of void or something like that), and maybe the deeds he did in life (founded a city as a refuge, saved peoples from the north (kobolds) and the west (these wierd frog things?) and the south (a tribe of goliaths), and of course the codex of infinite planes thing, although that's weird so.)

 

...hm, perhaps. is there a list of patrons anywhere, by the way? Like, specific Archfey or Fiends or Old Ones that could be contracted with.

 

The SCAG has one! I'm not going to copy the descriptions for all of them because it's late, but the names they give (in case any spark your interest) are:

Archfey

• Titania - Summer Queen, might be the most powerful
• Oberon - Green Lord, Titania's lover, moody, attuned to trees
• Hyrsam - Prince of Fools, the first satyr, prankster but the asshole kind sometimes
• The Queen of Air and Darkness - rules the Gloaming Court, an invisible but potent presence
• The Prince of Frost - Went from Sun Prince to this after his betrothed ran away, keeps trying to reunite with her mortal reincarnations

Fiends

• Baazka - pit fiend behind most recent attacks on Sword Coast
• Belaphoss - servant of Demogorgon who considers itself a rival due to being the greatest servant
• Eltab - was bound under a city built to be his cage, now free and grumpy about it
• Errtu - the balor that rolled Drizzt on the "chungus you specifically hate and harry" table, banished from the world
• Gargauth - mysterious power who seeks godhood while trapped in a magic shield
• Lorcan - cambion who collects warlocks like mortals might collect butterflies
• Malkizid - solar who fell from grace, hates elves and tries to get them to fight each other for fun
• Wendonai - balor lord who first tempted drow to summon demons in ancient elf war, turned them onto Lolth worship

Old Ones

• Dendar the Night Serpent - Eater of the World, said to be spawn of first nightmare, devourer of foul visions
• Ghaunadaur - That Which Lurks, Underdark god of aberrations, Elder Eye, worshipped by slimes, oozes, etc. (as far as they can)
• Kezef - the Chaos Hound, imprisoned in unbreakable leash and a glowing ward, bit off Tyr's hand
• Moander - dark power of corruption and decay, rules its followers with threats and fear
• Tyranthraxus - the Possessing Spirit, the Flamed One, seeks to rule the world through the bodies of others
• Zargon - the Returner, the Invincible Tyrant, said to be undying and unkillable, some claim he was the original master of the Nine Hells, others claim he was a powerful Demon Prince exiled from the Abyss

Pre-EDIT: Decided to paraphrase because names alone say very little about most

 

...you know I would quite like to see eldritch unknowable god-horrors that were ACTUALLY unknowable and not just 'evil, but with more tentacles and eyes where eyes shouldn't be.'

 

Yeah. I'm much more of a fan of the "sometimes you build a little raft for an ant and have a fun afternoon watching it sail down the river, you are that ant at best" take on them myself. There's not even one primordial chaos creature on the list of Old Ones, whoever wrote that part of the fluff really missed the mark.

 

Considering a tiefling rogue. I like stealthy quick-talkers and tieflings are adorable. Playing with background/backstory ideas. Considering a rewrite of a character I never got to play, a noble-turned-thief because I can replace "foreigner" with "tiefling" and have it work even better.

Spoiler: sketchy thoughts

Short version: Born to a minor house, her father was a younger brother who upset a lot of people when he married a tiefling for love. They were probably adventurers themselves and died doing adventure-y things. Babby Sibylline was taken in by her reluctant uncle, who was married to politics and expected his brother to produce a suitable heir and not. Y'know. A part-fiend. But he and his brother were close and because Sibby's dad lived a dangerous life he promised (before the idiot went and married a tiefling and had a tiefling kid) to take care of any kids he may have if he dies being all knightly and shit. So he took her in, though he kept her out of the public eye and generally tried to pretend she didn't exist. Once she was an adult he got himself assassinated, which was unsurprising since he was always ass-deep in intrigue and the local dragon ruling the place was trying to push out the more meddlesome human families.

Instead of stepping out of the shadows as the Hidden Heiress Sibby went "fuch this shit I'm out," showed up on the doorstep of a smuggler her uncle was in contact with a country over, and became a rogue.

I think I saw somewhere a tiefling can swap the spells for developed wings? SRD doesn't have stats on that and it sounds Fun.

 

...oh no. oh noooooo.
<_<
>_>
/scurries off to make a second character because. undead cult. and dragons. and things.

 

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is where it's at, but it's not the only set of options available! Other options include:

Feral: Swap the normal stat bonuses for +2 Dex, +1 Int
Devil's Tongue: Swap the spells for vicious mockery, charm person, and enthrall, gotten in the same sort of "as you level" way.
Hellfire: Swap hellish rebuke for burning hands.
Winged: get flight speed of 30 ft. in exchange for the spellcasting

Unfortunately, inherent flight speed makes the Winged Tiefling variant banned in Adventurer's League play. It's not what we're doing, but I dunno if @esotericPrognosticator wants to deal with flight speed, as it's pretty unbalancing.

Two other cool things from the SCAG, though, are new Roguish Archetypes! I dunno if you'd settled on one already, but... Mastermind and Swashbuckler both seem kinda cool. Mastermind is all about the intrigue it sounds like your character might be trying to leave behind, Swashbuckler is about fighting with two weapons and looking amazing doing it.

 

I don't think He has a symbol per se (i.e., nothing stylized), but I do know that rats and crows are sacred to Him? having one of those on Marian's shield would work, plus a silhouette of a black crow in flight on a white field (or vice versa) would just look really cool. :3 also,

snerk

and otherwise, she looks good! kudos to you for your rapid and decisive character creation. :P I think I'll link to character sheets on the first post of this thread as they're completed, so I'll have Marian's up in a mo'.

afaik the list @Helen of Boy provided is the only "official" list of patron entities, but tbh it's kinda shit, so feel free to make up a patron yourself. Great Old Ones could be pretty much anything sufficiently eldritch-flavored, go nuts (though personally I think of Homestuck-style horrorterrors—oh, and canonically Great Old Ones reside in the Far Realm beyond the planes), archfey just have to be, like, fey nobility (who reside in the Feywild, that is to say, Faerie), and like I said, warlocks' fiends tend to be powerful devils from the Nine Hells, whatever that means to you. also, feel free to import patrons from preexisting media... I've been thinking recently that Lucifer from, well, DC Comics' Lucifer would make a sick-ass patron but that's just me

uh, and if you want some more details on the cult, hit me up! I can give you/completely make up stuff that isn't spoilery.

yeah, flight speed might be kinda. hard to manage on both of our ends. tell you what, @Lazarae, I can give you ornamental (i.e., not conferring a flying speed, but still sick af) wings free of charge, or we can try the flying thing with the caveat that I might nix it early in the adventure if it gets out of hand. sound good?

 

The not quite naive cultist who discovers something's bullshit even from the inside standards, who does something terrible (like idk make a pact with a fiend) to get tf out, can't seem to meaningfully escape so they eventually make a mission of tearing apart the group they were once part of? Good shit that's some good shit man.

So yeah I'm Very Interested in making something

Why do only sorcerers, warlocks and wizards get chill touch, honestly. I'm gonna just avoid all social skills and let them be energetic and even attention-grabbing but not skillful about words.

 

....Ok so I made three character sheets. None of them are completely done yet, and I rolled new ability scores for each one, so tell me if I shouldn't have done that?

Spoiler: Auralee

Name: Auralee Emeris

Gender: Cis Female

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Race: Drow (Dark Elf)

Class: Bard

College: Lore (at level 3)

Age: (I am thinking very young for an elf, like 27, but dunno if that would work or not?)

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Appearance:

Height: 5’3”

Weight: 123 lb

Auralee has dark skin and white hair, as is common with drow. Her eyes are very pale lavender, and around them she has teal tattoos that match the teal lipstick she commonly wears. Her ears are pierced many times over. She is short and fairly slight, with a bit of baby fat still, and has a fairly flat figure. Her hair is very long and wildly curly, and she does it up in series of braids and a bun on the top of her head, although much of her hair still escapes. She wears round glasses, but she takes them off when performing.

Background: Cloistered Scholar

Auralee was a foundling- a drow child who, as an infant, was found by a cleric of the Daughter of Spring. She was taken into the cloister and raised there, although many disapproved of her presence. She took to learning with ease but to obedience with far more difficulty, leading many to blame her heritage for her behavior. As she neared her twenties she found that there was not much else she could learn from the cloister, but although her heart longed to travel she was afraid- afraid of what people would think of her, afraid of what might happen on the road, afraid of failing on her own two feet. She found an answer, of sorts, in a tome at the back of the library, detailing lesser known gods and small cults. There she found a story of the god Emeris, who had once been mortal, who was the patron of those who wander by night and those who wish to leave home. In the middle of the night she took a few of her most prized possessions (although possessions might be a strong word) and snuck out, setting off on the road with only her skills at the lute and her knowledge of arcana to get by. She’d never had a last name, and so she took the name of her new patron god, as devoted to him as any cleric even though she had taken a different path. She spent the next few years alternating between performing and study, travelling to cities with famous libraries and performing to get by. Lately, the topic of her research has mostly been dragons- and in her research, she has found whispers of a cult.

Personality:

Auralee has an easy smile- she feels she has to, with the public sentiments about drow. She is driven to see the world, to understand it inside and out- how it works, its history, the people who live in it, and how it got to be the way it is. She wants to know and be known, like and be liked, help and be helped. She can be vain, especially when it comes to her looks and her musical talents, but she has a good heart and make friends easily. In her eagerness to learn, however, she can often become kind of a one-woman ram, ignoring signs of discomfort and resistance in order to pry information out of people. When performing, she tries to play up the angle of an exotic drow maiden- mostly to protect herself.

Ability Scores-

Strength: 12 (+1)

Dexterity: 14, +2 from Elf (+3)

Constitution: 13 (+1)

Intelligence: 16 (+3)

Wisdom: 12 (+1)

Charisma: 17, +1 from Drow (+4)

Stats-

Level: 1

Speed: 30 ft

AC:

HP: 9/9

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Size: Medium

Languages: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish, Draconic (or Gnomish if Uncommon languages aren’t allowed)

Proficiencies-

Armor: Light Armor

Weapons: Simple Weapons, Hand Crossbows, Longswords, Rapiers, Shortswords

Tools: Lute, Flute, Viol

Skills: Perception, Performance, Acrobatics, Arcana History, Religion

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma

Feats-

Race: Darkvision +120 ft, Sunlight Sensitivity, Drow Magic (Dancing Lights), Fey Ancestry, Trance

Background: Library Access

Spells-

Equipment-

140 starting gold

Leather Armor (10 lb), Rapier (2 lb), Lute (2 lb), Flute (1 lb), Explorer’s Pack (Backpack (5 lb), Bedroll (7 lb), Mess Kit (1 lb), Tinderbox (1 lb), 10 Torches (10 lb), 10 Rations (20 lb), Waterskin (5 lb), Hempen Rope 50 ft (10 lb)), Costume Clothes (4 lb), Traveller’s Clothes (4 lb), Common Clothes (3 lb), 16 Sheets Parchment, Ink Pen, 1 Ounce Ink Bottle, Flask (1 lb), 6 Candles, Blanket (3 lb), Flask of Oil (1 lb), 2 Person Tent (20 lb), Book (blank if possible, book of draconic history if not) (5 lb), Amulet Holy Symbol (1 lb), Soap, 7 gp

Spoiler: Rawl

Name: Rawl

Gender: Cis Female

Sexual Orientation: Romantically attracted to girls, asexual

Race: Half-Orc

Class: Druid

Circle: Moon

Age: 20

Alignment: Neutral Good

Appearance:

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 236 lb

Rawl is tall, and built like anyone would expect a half-orc to be. Her long, snarled black hair has been wrangled into two thick braids, and it is anyone’s guess what would happen if they came undone. She has shining hazel eyes, and her fanged mouth is always quick to smile. While she has scars, they are not the battle scars many half orcs have but instead the results of running around the forest with little regard for safety and, in one memorable instance, wrestling a bear.

Background- Outlander

Rawl’s father and mother met in battle- her father, an orc, was nearly killed by her mother, a human ranger, before she let him go. Amazed at her mercy, he became dedicated to paying it back until he was no longer in her debt. However, over time they fell in love, and both escaped into the woods to have and raise their daughter, who they named Mari. When Mari was about three years old, an old adventuring partner of her mother’s came to ask them for help- a dragon that had been a nemesis of the group many years ago had reemerged, and was intent on vengeance. Both of Mari’s parents went to fight it, but her mother left her faithful animal companion, the wolf Starlit, to watch over their young daughter.

Neither of her parents ever returned.

Starlit did her best to take care of the young half-orc. Although Mari longed for her parents, over time the memory dimmed and faded- she even forgot her own name, and took to identifying herself with the sound Starlit made to summon her- the closest common approximation being Rawl. With no parents around to teach her, she turned to the forest to learn. She spoke to the trees, the flowers, the river, and the animals, and pretended that they spoke back. It was when she was hard at work with her “school”, around the age of ten, that she was discovered. An old half-elf druid named Ilyven Stormheight had come to the forest to live a life in solitude, away from the horrors of the world. Instead they found a chattering little girl, speaking some language made of animal grunts and the half-remembered vestiges of common and orcish. Although they were loathe to have company- they were an old grouch, and had wanted to escape annoyances- something in their heart went out to the small girl, and instead they took her as an apprentice. They taught her druidic, the secret language of druids, and trained her in their arts, in the knowledge of the natural world, and in noticing and becoming one with the world around you. Although she never remembered her name, Rawl eventually remembered what had happened to her parents, and, saying farewell to Ilyven, set off to find any trace of them.

Personality-

Rawl is a gentle soul, soft spoken, and despite her intimidating form she is the one who's often scared. She is very ignorant of the outside world, and often puts her foot in her mouth, but she has a sort of emotional intelligence that makes her good at finding the cause of other’s discomfort. She can be very odd, speaking to trees as readily as she’ll speak to people, breaking into a broken, off key song at a moment's notice, and getting very nervous around large quantities of people, but she makes up for it with a warm and loving personality. She is hard to anger, but once she is angry her orc ancestry stands out, and she does not forgive easily.

Ability Scores-

Strength: 12, +2 from half-orc (+2)

Dexterity: 13 (+1)

Constitution: 12, +1 from half orc (+1)

Intelligence: 13 (+1)

Wisdom: 16 (+3)

Charisma: 12 (+1)

Stats-

Level: 1

Speed: 30 ft

AC:

HP: 9/9

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Size: Medium

Languages: Common, Orc, Druidic

Proficiencies-

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields (druids will not w ear arm or or use shields made of metal)

Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, m aces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears

Tools: Herbalism kit, Flute

Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom

Skills: Perception, Nature, Athletics, Survival, Intimidation

Feats-

Race: Darkvision 60 ft, Relentless Endurance, Savage Attacks

Background: Wanderer

Spells-

Equipment-

Greatclub (10 lb), Quarterstaff (4 lb), Leather Armor (10 lb), Explorer’s Pack (Backpack (5 lb), Bedroll (7 lb), Mess Kit (1 lb), Tinderbox (1 lb), 10 Torches (10 lb), 10 Rations (20 lb), Waterskin (5 lb), Hempen Rope 50 ft (10 lb)), Wooden Staff Druidic Focus (4 lb), A staff, a hunting trap, a trophy from an animal you killed, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

Spoiler: Yew

Name: Yew Kelowood (or Yew Snagheart)

Gender: Trans Female

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

Race: Human

Class: Ranger

Conclave: Beast

Age: 21

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Appearance:

Height: 6’ 2”

Weight: 162 lb

Yew is tall and slender, with tawny skin and pale green eyes. Her hair is straight and amber, and pulled back into a ponytail that reaches to her shoulderblades. Her face is thin and always serious, her lips nearly perpetually pulled down in either concentration or annoyance. She has freckles covering every inch of exposed skin.

Background- Noble

Yew was born as the heir to a family of very good standing. She was taught all manner of courtly things, but her favorite activity was always hunting. She would spend days out in the great forest by her family’s estate, hunting bears and boars and all manner of beasts, and when she came home she would tell the stories of her adventures to her five little sisters, who she was fiercely protective of. However, her life of carefree freedom had to end someday. One night she came home from a successful hunt to find her parents waiting for her. They told her that they had arranged a marriage with another noble family, that Yew was to marry their daughter, Callisto. The problem was, Yew and Callisto absolutely despised each other. No matter how much Yew protested, her family would not budge. Yew stormed out in a rage and spent a week and a half in the forest, living off the land and scorning her family. However, her loyalty, especially to her sisters, won out, and eventually she snuck back home- only to find it burned to the ground, destroyed by a dragon that had long been an enemy of her father. Yew could recover very little from the wreckage, but she managed find her father’s ring and title and some basic supplies, and with that she retreated into the woods once more, this time with a purpose. Once more changing her name, both to reflect her true self and to mourn her lost family, her thoughts became focused on revenge.

Personality-

Yew is quiet and very serious. She has been greatly changed by the loss of her family, and fears getting close to people lest she lose them as well. Although she can still pull up her courtly manners in an instant, usually she is brusque and to the point. The only time she feels happy is when she is on the hunt, dashing through the forest and matching strength and wits with a beast. However, even this is laced with guilt, and she never does it for long. She does not afford distractions and does not make friends easily, but once she is close to you she will be loyal to you for life, no matter what happens. On the contrary, her memory is long, and she will stop at nothing to get you back if you have wronged her. Although her emotions run deep beneath the surface, they are as strong as the tide.

Ability Scores-

Strength: 9, +1 from human (+0)

Dexterity: 17, +1 from human (+4)

Constitution: 16, +1 from human (+3)

Intelligence: 16 , +1 from human (+3)

Wisdom: 16, +1 from human (+3)

Charisma: 10, +1 from human (+0)

Stats-

Level: 1

Speed: 30

AC:

HP: 13/13

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Size: Medium

Languages: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish

Proficiencies-

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields

Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Tools: Dragonchess set

Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity

Skills: Perception, Stealth, Survival, History, Persuasion

Feats-

Background: Position of Privilege

Spells-

Equipment-

Leather Armor (10 lb), 2 Shortswords (4 lb), Dungeoneer’s Pack (backpack, a crowbar, a hammer, 10 pitons, 10 torches, a tinderbox, 10 rations, waterskin, 50 feet hempen rope), Fine Clothes, Signet Ring, Scroll of Pedigree, 25 gp

 

So, uh, I've spent far too much of my breaks (and some of my not-breaks, shhhhh) coming up with character stuff. I now have... a couple... several... too damn many several fully-fledged ideas. Gonna post a blurb about each in a spoiler, see if any are more appealing to folks than the others, I guess? Failing that I might just roll a die to work it out, I guess. I'm just glad we're quasi-limited to Common/Uncommon races, that helped me axe like, six more ideas.

Spoiler: Cora Goodbarrow, Halfling Monk Acolyte

Cora is a happy, cheerful sort, and being the only survivor/witness to her entire group of friends and relations being killmurdered by a dragon hasn't really changed that. Instead, it's given her a deep interest in the mechanics of the body, and specifically death. What happens when something dies? How do things react to death? What do things do after they die? It's not like the whole body goes to the afterlife, what about the rest of it? In the interests of studying the process more, well, dragons cause a lot of death. Why not go looking for situations where she might get to get some answers firsthand?

Looking at the Way of the Long Death, being a somewhat more-tanky-than-normal monk who is occasionally quite frightening despite trying to be friendly. Known for friendliness and smallness, a halfling seemed best for that.

Spoiler: Rieta 'Pax' Allorea, Tiefling Monk Outlander

Pax was so named by the wandering monk who found her as a child in the woods and took her in. Her time in the monastery was... difficult, as whatever parents she'd had seemed to have dumped her as an infant, leaving her to survive on instinct. Eventually she was taken to go wander with the monk who found her, which worked much better for both of them. She's a bit spiteful about having been abandoned by her first family, and wants to prove them wrong by becoming a real hero and making something of herself (she assumes she was abandoned for looking too evil and being thought of as a demon, even though logically one of her parents must've contributed something to said appearance). A dragon killing her mentor gives her something of a target.

Way of the Sun Soul monk, I like the idea of a tiefling learning to use the brightness of their soul to shut the haters up, and the "feral" option for tieflings made me wonder about the circumstances that would lead to it... though I dunno if she was dumped in a city and then learned of the wild, or dumped in the wilds. Lots of ranged attack options, pretty useful stuff.

Spoiler: 'Salt', Lizardfolk Monk Folk Hero

Salt was named such by mammals who have a hard time pronouncing Salt's actual name. Salt doesn't really understand the things that make the mammals do what they do, but Salt has learned to deal with things in particular ways to ensure the mammals keep Salt around and in comfort, as Salt was separated from Salt's tribe. Salt doesn't know why the mammals around Salt seem to think Salt is particularly unusual or important, but mammals are somewhat inscrutable and Salt will ride this wagon all the way to the end.

Don't know the specifics, quite, I just like lizardfolk and monk seemed like a good class for one. I also like the idea of a Folk Hero who really doesn't get why people think they're doing impressive things, because to the Hero it doesn't matter if the thing is scary or upsetting, it just needs to be done.

Spoiler: Naian 'Dreamer' Yarjerit, Dragonborn Fighter Knight of the Order

Naian dedicated herself to improving the lives of the people and honouring her draconic heritage. The fact that there are some dragons out there making that heritage less honourable is something of a sore spot for her. She spent most of her youth either yearning to be a hero or trying to be one, and it hasn't been enough. It's time to take what she's learned and apply a different sort of approach to things than she could in the order.

A tough fighter who can get in the midst of things and provide lots of benefit to the allies around them. Definitely thinking Purple Dragon Knight for the ally-boosting abilities, and Dragonborn provides both story-connection and also a ranged/AoE attack to help out in battle.

Spoiler: Vaunea 'Treefeller' Kalagiano, Goliath Barbarian Hermit

Vaunea grew up believing that the strong survive, the weak don't, and that's just how things are. She still kind of believes that, but her tribe being attacked by dragons or their servants has started to motivate a new way of thinking. Specifically, about how to get stronger by working with those who aren't as strong as she is, in order to get rid of something much, much stronger than her entire tribe. The plan is a work in progress, but she spent years in the wilderness training before coming to the conclusion that she'd never be strong enough on her own, so it's not like she hasn't given the problem any thought.

Goliaths are a solid build for barbarians, lots of strength and the ability to shrug off or reduce a pretty heavy blow both count for a lot. Not able to do as much extra damage as a half-orc, but can carry quite a bit more and do some other more physical stuff. Also good at mountaineering, which might be handy depending on the sorts of dragons we have to deal with.

Spoiler: Mishann 'Shieldbiter' Manastan, Dragonborn Barbarian Urchin

As a dragonborn kid on the street, Shieldbiter got her name by being relentless and not knowing when to give up. That trait has only gotten worse as time goes on. As dragons have kept doing worse and worse shit, she's been more concerned with how people view her, even if she's pretty sure she can take them all on. Going hunting for dragons is a way to improve her standing, but mostly by stealing their treasure and getting out of poverty that way.

With a hardy constitution, a ranged option in the breath weapon, and a reason to go adventuring... I dunno, just seems like a fun combo, really.

 

While it's not a thing until 4th level unless you're a variant human, the Magic Initiate feat can give you any two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from any one casting class... even if you're already in another, different casting class. So you could get chill touch that way, if you wanted, even if you weren't going into the class more heavily. It's one of the best feats in the game, particularly as the cantrips scale with your character level, so they stay useful.