Across Shattered Planes (D&D 5e) [Worldbuilding, Chargen, and OOC talk]

Just to make sure you know, because you mentioned being new to D&D and I didn't spell it out: you can put those rolls into any stat you want. Some groups do the hard-and-fast positional thing, and it can be fun, but the norm at this point is usually getting to choose where to put them. So if you want to be a cleric, you can have the 16 go into Wisdom, say, and get the benefit there where you want it. It means you can do what you want more than being constrained so much by the rolls.

As a partial aside, the variants for Tiefling, as they're scattered in other areas:

Infernal is the basic Tiefling in the PHB.
Abyssal Tieflings swap the Intelligence boost for a Constitution boost, speak Abyssal instead of Infernal, and gain hp equal to half their level (minimum 1). They also swap the spells for some that are randomized daily. They were first introduced here, and that's where I'm leaving the spellcasting explanation.

On top of those, the SCAG provides the following additional options:
Feral Tieflings swap the Charisma boost for a Dexterity boost.
Devil's Tongue changes the Infernal Legacy spells for vicious mockery, charm person, and enthrall, gained at the same time. Only available to Infernal Tieflings.
Hellfire changes out the hellish rebuke of Infernal Legacy for burning hands, but requires Infernal Legacy to do so.
Winged Tieflings gain a flying speed of 30 ft in exchange for whatever spellcasting they'd pick up.

...which is why I said they could do almost anything to some degree, with all the different options for stats and such. If you go the Ranger path I might suggest Feral (if it fits your character, regardless of Infernal or Abyssal choices), as a potential 18 Dexterity to start is pretty great.

Oh nooooo. I'm not excited at the prospect at all. How dreadful, to discuss backstory in-depth. :P

Well, the slavers part makes total sense, as that's something of a thing, unfortunately. The priestessing likewise makes sense, going to probably stick with Lolth as the Sidereal especially can have more obvious/direct contact with deities of whatever variety given their focus on such.

The big thing would be the "most powerful house in an empire's capital city" bit. Not in that I'd discourage it or that it'd be hard to fit, but just in making sure you want the ramifications.

An empire, in this setting, would basically mean being a city-state, sect, or clan that has subjugated many others and has them as underlings, usually due to having a few particularly powerful members at some point in (potentially recent) history. This means that their best and brightest (or at least the wealth belonging to such) filters up the ladder to promote the growth of the core members of the empire. An Imperial Heir going out on adventure would probably consider Level 6 to be a reasonable start, and the whole first tier of a class would be for children, the untalented, and other such "lessers". This helps them maintain power (as they can provide more training and magical gear to their talented heirs than those they subjugate, helping them subjugate more), but they also can have pretty powerful groups grow within their borders due to the multiplanar thing in ways that traditional Earth empires rarely have to deal with to the same extent.

A powerful city-state, then, would be the same thing on a smaller scale. Probably the dominant place in the plane, given lots of face by the locals, a bit less able to demand tribute from those around them. They might be known in nearby planes, but their name alone isn't going to be enough to give everyone some degree of pause.

If you want them to be smaller-scale, I'd suggest that Rhyl's family is just as you describe, with his mother ruling the city and handling affairs while his grandmother is a powerful priestess (and possibly the sort of powerful entity that makes the other city-states in the area think twice before moving against the city). They'd be very powerful within their region, able to influence a few other regional powers to keep an eye out, but would probably be hesitant to just have people out to keep an eye on him. A bounty might be out there, though.

If you want them to be larger, I'd say that his mother probably has pushed the affairs of the city proper off onto a sibling or cousin of his, and that she does more management of the empire (which'd consist of at least a half-dozen planes under the family's direct control, a dozen whose Drow populations for themselves but are definitely subordinate to the family, and maybe a couple dozen more who are "shared" with another empire but know better than to argue too much about it with either). His grandmother, then, would be one of the High Priestesses of the Drow, in a "could trace lineage to Lolth if that's a thing, but even if it isn't is the sort of worshipper who Lolth knows by name" sort of way, the kind of powerful entity that a traditional D&D group might aspire to overthrow after quite a lot of adventuring. They'd have a lot more power able to be out and looking, but that doesn't mean they'd be looking all the time or necessarily successful due to how huge and fragmented the world is... more just that going near Drow settlements without a disguise might be a bad plan. People have definitely been hired to locate him.

Makes sense! Definitely makes the size of their power base all the more important, though!

Regarding the above point about the sorts of things an Imperial Heir might expect, was Rhyl raised to be a Cleric? Could see Lolth revoking that (and, say, all of his levels) when he transitioned and took flight, which'd leave him building things back up. Might make sense to then go for Paladin, being something similar enough to throw previous experience into, but more self-reliant and less prone to deity-sniping.

(Note for others: Deity-sniping here used for narrative effect to explain potential de-leveling, de-leveling shouldn't be expected in-game without your direct narrative request for such.)
QUOTE="esotericPrognosticator, post: 601571, member: 1050"]what even is dragonchess? chess? with dragon-themed chess pieces?? or??? uh, but instruments are bulky, I'll take the gaming proficiency (I've already pencilled it in) unless you're willing to give him another language instead. he hid in his library for quite a while there. :P[/QUOTE]
It's an actual thing that Gygax came up with, and I wasn't joking about it being a right pain to learn.

*whispering* roll the dice, roll the dice, roll the dice...

My thinking is that you'll be equipped with some things, and have the chance to get the rest soonish, but that unless someone specifies the capture might have been fairly recent for most of you. Kind of a "round up anyone that doesn't already belong to us or to someone we can't afford to piss off" thing. So they might've just not bothered to strip people of their basic gear, because the group holding you prisoner is stronger and has some folks of a higher level.

There's a reason the two DM suggested routes have been "go inside and look for treasure to help with getting free" and "escape while they're busy" and not "try and take on the group that captured y'all head-to-head" because the amount that'd need to be sacrificed to RNGsus to make that a probable victory... probably isn't worth it. So they're unlikely to be too worried about people turning on them to bother taking away their weapons. Fantasy stuff makes things weird when compared to real life, what can I say?

 

ooh, uh. hmm. note that his mother doesn't rule the city; I was thinking more along the lines of an (possibly immortal) Empress Somebody-or-Other being on the throne, with a bunch of noble houses one step down fighting for influence in the court, wealth, lands, etc. his mother happens to be the matriarch of the house that's currently ascendant and probably has been for a couple generations, i.e., a long-ass time. alternatively there could be either an Uber-Priestess on the throne or a small council thereof filling the role, and maybe a Roman-Catholic-Church-style organization of priestesses down from there. his grandmother could be either the Uber-Priestess/one of the ruling council or, like, one step down, the equivalent of a cardinal, I guess. positions in the religious hierarchy wouldn't be directly heritable, but anyone in his family would definitely benefit from his grandmother's position were they to go into Lolth's service.

point being, he wouldn't be an imperial heir in any case, just next in line for matriarch of the house (assuming none of his relatives usurped him, of course). or he'd have a very big leg up if he wanted to go into the priestesshood, and the actual affairs of the house would end up in someone else's hands. I'm liking the idea of an empire, tbh, so, like, House Helvirret would own lands and resources and have agents and so on throughout the empire, it's just that this one city is the center of power and the house's headquarters (and its matriarch) are there. I do like the idea of his grandmother being, like, a 10th-level villain, though. >:] "tight with Lolth" sounds spot-on. and I definitely like the can't-approach-drow-settlements thing, that's about the level of renegade I imagined him being.

ah, hmm. he might've been? certainly if he were to become a priestess he'd've been a cleric, but I imagined him being presented to the temple (maybe Lolth herself!) at some point and being like "NOPE." that's not to say he wasn't forced to be in the temple for some time, however... tbh I hadn't imagined him adventuring or even traveling much before getting the hell out of Dodge. I mean, he had weapons training and riding lessons, I'd imagine, and at some point he'd've been trained to go into the priestesshood, but I figured his reaction to high society once he got older would consist of going "NO" and barricading himself in his rooms. :P not the type to be sent on quests, if he had any say about it. paladin could definitely still be a reaction against that clerical upbringing, though.

Jesus fucking Christ, wow, uh. boy, those sure are a lot of rules to remember while planning strategically! wow! I wonder if anyone ever actually plays it. and how the hell is that supposed to be the kind of equipment you can carry around in a backpack?? are the in-universe sets slightly magic, or???

 

Oh hey, I totally did not realize this! Okay, cool, that makes sense. I'll have to consider what makes the most sense for her and plan accordingly.

 

Ahhh, I see now. Okay, one of the major branches in the city/empire, rather than the main one, but a major branch on the ascent all the same?

Imperial heir was more meant as a generic thing, but yeah, him shirking on things also makes a lot of sense given the situation, especially if he just... never had much of a connection to Lolth to begin with.

His grandmother wouldn't be 10th-level, though. Even if she were to only be a particularly important Cardinal, and not higher (which I'm still tempted by, as part of the reason for why the family has risen into such prominence without being a longstanding power themselves) we're probably looking at level 14+. 12 at a bare minimum. NPCs get to level a fair bit in this setting. There aren't a tonne of Tier 4 and above folks running around, but each major faction in a realm probably either has at least one or has the patronage of an equivalently strong being (Kobolds, for instance, are more likely to have a Red Dragon at the top than some demigod of a sorcerer, but even then they probably have a Tier 3 caster somewhere).

General Note: For those without the books/who don't remember, D&D 5e breaks levels into tiers of power. Tier 1 is level 1-4, and tends to be local in terms of power and influence. Tier 2 is level 5-10, and tends to be more regional or national in their adventures. Tier 3 is level 11-16, and tends to have more global concerns. Tier 4 is 17-20, and gets to have more interdimensional adventures. "Epic" is a sort of Tier 5, consisting of the Epic Boons and other adjustments heroes can get after level 20, and tends to make up the sort of parties that try to fight outright gods.

I'm considering giving the Tiers different in-universe names, as that's sort of a thing in some of the Xianxia stuff that's inspired the setting, but I'm still working on what. That said, levels are going to be a bit more tangible in the game because of that influence, though not in a RPG Setting Manga sort of way.

I mean, it's a Gygax thing, so I'm sure someone plays it occasionally, but yeah, the in-game set is supposed to only weight 1/2 lb. which I call bullshit on. I guess a travel version wouldn't be impossible, with tiles and light wood construction, but half a pound is still pretty tiny. It is the only game set to have any weight at all, though. Magic would also work, for fancier ones.

 

Whoops, meant to respond to this in m'last post and don't know if editing it in would ping you.

Sounds good! It's a lot of fun to use the rolls you make (the 16 in particular is pretty great, too), but if you get frustrated with the rolls you have, remember that you can swap out for the standard array, which is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. It's not as unique as having your own rolls, and it doesn't get the 16, but some classes benefit from having multiple decent rolls over one great one, and if that's the case for what you want I don't want you to feel overly hampered or anything.

 

Thought I might roll up some characters myself, one from each of the suggested starting kingdoms. Figured they could be fellow slaves, other NPCs down the line, or for players if anyone ends up wanting to join and doesn't have a character. If nothing else, backgrounds in the setting might prove useful, I thought. Some of these rolls, though, are just... wow.

Spoiler: what even are these rolls

• 18 15 15 14 14 18 Sand Garden, probably a Hobgoblin Fighter
• 14 15 9 18 13 11 Thousand River, probably a Genasi Barbarian
• 11 17 14 14 9 14 Twin Moon, probably a Vampire Warlock
• 10 15 15 14 13 16 Dark Stone, probably a Minotaur Paladin
• 16 14 8 13 11 13 Fire Forest, probably a Kobold Sorcerer
• 13 8 16 10 13 13 Shattered Mountain, probably a Kor Rogue
• 10 9 16 12 14 15 Copper Valley, probably a Halfling Monk
• 16 12 14 9 7 17 Peaceful Rest, probably an Elven Ranger

The first one is especially ridiculous. And here I thought the rolls I had in the Tyranny of Dragons thread were ridiculous...

I confess, I did reroll the last one entirely. It was originally 12 11 11 10 10 9 and that felt just waaay too average to do much with.

Again, these are bonus characters I might make in case there are only a few players and you wind up needing more support, or to use later. Don't feel in any way pressured or encouraged to not take races or classes (or both) if they're used here. Even among PCs, duplication isn't a major issue (so long as different sub-classes get chosen), so it'd obviously be even less of a problem here. Mostly I just like building characters.

 

I mentioned in-universe explanations for tiers and levels a bit, let me break that down more:

Basically, levels are points where you've broken through a particular degree of cultivation. You've gathered the spiritual energy (or whatever it is you train) necessary to reach a higher level of power and understanding. Your proficiency bonus doesn't just come from training, but an increase in your basic abilities to interact with... well, everything in the world, to some degree. HP is another function of that: as you increase in power you become more resilient, more able to withstand injury that would leave a normal person more-or-less dead. Cultivation takes a great deal of work for most, but the benefits can include extended life, on top of the raw power boosts represented by in-game boosts.

There are roughly six stages of cultivation, each with some number of stages between them:

None/Mortal -- Level 0 -- basically, you haven't cultivated anything. You can do basic stuff, very basic, but you haven't awoken your power in any way and will have an extremely hard time in the world.
Essence (Essence Gathering/Refining) -- Level 1-4 -- you've taken the first steps on the path of cultivation. You're working out the basics and have some power, but you're still gathering... well, everything. You're still pretty much mortal, just better. A plurality of people fall into this category, most likely, as it's usually worth it to pursue cultivation if you can.
Foundation (Foundation Building/Establishment) -- Level 5-10 -- a sign that you've either got some talent or some experience. Most people won't reach past this even if they're lucky enough to make it this far, managing to attain this at a relatively young age is usually a sign of talent. Your spirit grows rapidly during this time, and it occurs naturally after one crosses a particular threshold.
Core (Core Formation) -- Level 11-16 -- the point at which "mortal" stops being quite as reasonable a term. Your lifespan probably doubles, because you've managed to turn your soul into something special and formed a golden core within yourself (or something similar), often by doing something unusual as part of breaking through (like condensing your spirit into a more pure form, say). Probably doubles your expected lifespan, might even triple it if your race isn't as long-lived. The big hurdle, but also the generally-acceptable goal for a talented practitioner.
Nascent (Nascent Soul) -- Level 17-20 -- the end-goal for most practitioners, in theory if not usually in practice. At this point you've basically a second primordial soul within your regular soul, and all kinds of weird power shit can happen on account of that. If you don't live for at least five hundred years it's because someone killed you. These are the sorts of practitioners that entire Realms pay close attention to, and they usually have massive sway on top of their ridiculous personal power.
Immortal -- Epic Level 20+ -- not literally, but... close enough for most people. There are those who think that most "gods" are simply those that ascended to this point long before even the oldest Nascent Souls can recall. They might not be wrong. How it happens and what is involved is so secret, even I don't know! Even among the greatest talents, very few make it this far.

How does that sound?

Also, here are the Cultural Realm NPCs/pregen folks I was mentioning doing. Hope they're more interesting/useful to see than annoying.

Spoiler: From Sand Garden...

Tafle Sudrek
Hobgoblin Soldier, Wizard 1

AC 13
11 hp
Speed 30 ft.
Longsword +6 melee (1d8+4 bludgeoning)

Abilities
Str 18 (+4)
Dex 15 (+2)
Con 20 (+5)
Int 16 (+3)
Wis 14 (+2)
Cha 14 (+2)

Proficiencies (+2)
Skills: Athletics (+6), Intimidation (+4), Arcana (+5), Insight (+4)
Tools: vehicles (land), dragonchess
Armor: light
Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, longsword, greatsword
Saves: Intelligence (+5), Wisdom (+4)
Languages: Common, Goblin

Features
Darkvision 60 ft.
Saving Face: If you miss with an attack roll or fail an ability check/saving throw, you may add a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies you can see within 30 ft. (max +5). Once used, need to rest to recover.
Military Rank: Easily recognized as a junior officer of the Devastators by those familiar with the Goblinoid Hosts.
Spellcasting: see below
Arcane Recovery: Once per day, after a short rest, recover 1/2 of Wizard level in spell slot levels, rounded up. (So, one level's worth, right now.)

Spellcasting
Spell Save DC: 13
Spell Attack Modifier: +5
Cantrips Known: create bonfire, frostbite, ray of frost
1st Level Spells (2 slots, italics indicate prepared): absorb elements, find familiar, ice knife, magic missile, detect magic, burning hands

Equipment
component pouch, leather armor, longsword, dragonchess set, traveler's clothes, spellbook, 7 gp

Background
It's thought that a hobgoblin born with a bright red or blue nose is destined for great things. Born with a nose that's divided between the two colors (split along the slight cleft between nostrils), Tafle was thought to be destined for even greater feats than most. She was immediately made an inner disciple of the Ghost Sand sect where she was born, and was raised in a manner that befits a future warlord: harshly. Since her infancy, Tafle has had the expectation of perfection both in and out of battle. Since she could walk she was being trained in how to move, how to fall, how to fight; her great stamina allowing her to endure training even after her teachers would grow tired. Her strength was unparalleled amongst her generation, and it was widely accepted that she would continue to grow into a spectacular battlemaster some day, elevating the Ghost Sand sect's position in the Goblinoid Hosts dramatically.

Everything changed when the testing for magic took place when she was seven. The Sand Garden had only one proper Academy of Devastation, in the very sect that gave the kingdom its name, and they took their time testing the other sects' disciples for magical power. The sect was stunned at Tafle's proclivity towards the arcane arts, even if she wasn't as naturally gifted there she was still at least as sharp as any eldritch knight from the sect before her despite her young age. Initial efforts were made to channel her into focusing predominantly on the blade, with magic being a backup, as the sect had never had to train a wizard and didn't have the materials. Instead, she all but devoured what magical texts they did have, managing to even summon a familiar before she was twelve.

The last straw with regards to her education was the way she studied the hows and whys of magic in ways that most Devastators didn't, seeking out texts and scrolls from other kingdoms to assist her in furthering her understanding. Rather than continue to try and force her to fit the mold of what sort of warlord they wanted, the Ghost Sand sect instead threw their weight behind her and helped her become the sort of leader only she could. They gave her a new name to befit her position -- Sudrek -- and formed a small company out of her generation to begin drilling them all to work as a single unit. Despite her careful study of magic, she didn't leave the martial traditions behind entirely, keeping up the study of swordplay to be able to take to the field in person with sword should her magic fail her in some far off plane.

Such was her talent, and that of her sect, that the Sand Garden sect and kingdom began to prepare to rely on them more and more heavily. If the campaign starts in Sand Garden, she is almost certainly either the one in charge of rounding up and controlling prisoners or a prominent lieutenant overall. If the campaign starts elsewhere, her company was sent out into hostile territory for some mission or another and wound up in the local area, where she was defeated and captured, leaving the rest of her people -- including her bugbear lieutenant/lover -- dead, so far as she knows.

Spoiler: From Copper Valley...

Verna
Ghostwise Halfling Urban Bounty Hunter, Monk 1

AC 17
10 hp
Speed 25 ft.
unarmed +6 melee (1d4+4 bludgeoning)
shortsword +6 melee (1d6+4 piercing)
dart +6 ranged 20/60 (1d4+4 piercing)

Abilities
Str 9 (-1)
Dex 18 (+4)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 10 (+0)
Wis 16 (+3)
Cha 12 (+1)

Proficiencies (+2)
Skills: Deception (+3), Insight (+5), Stealth (+6), Acrobatics (+6)
Tools: artisan's or instrument,
Armor: none
Weapons: simple weapons, shortswords
Saves: strength (+1), dexterity (+5)
Languages: Common, Halfling,

Features
Darkvision 60 ft.
Silent Speech: You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.
Lucky: When you roll a 1 on a d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Brave: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Unarmored Defence: Add Wis to AC alongside Dex when unarmored.
Martial Arts: Use Dex for unarmed strikes and monk weapons, with dice changing by level (d4 currently), can do unarmed strike as bonus action when using monk weapons/unarmed strike

Equipment
shortsword, dungeoneer's pack, 10 darts, common clothes, 20 gp

Background
Verna wasn't lucky enough to be born into a sect that would teach her what she needed to awaken her powers. Instead, she worked for some time on her own before managing to become affiliated with the outer sect of South Copper Mountain. However, that left her in an awkward position. She needed contribution points in order to get techniques to practice, but needed techniques to earn many contribution points. To solve this she worked all kinds of odd jobs, even those that weren't on the up and up, and wound up getting into a fair few fights. She channeled her earnings into learning how to do better and better at these things, until she broke through and was able to start earning more.

The sort of work she focused on was primarily on capturing criminals and troublemakers within the cities of Copper Valley Kingdom, particularly the more violent cases. Her ability to speak to people without moving her mouth allowed her to play on her targets' fears and convince them they were going mad with guilt. It was there she grew fascinated with death and the impact it has on people at various stages of cultivation. Eventually, she even learned to apply some of these lessons to things she was learning in the sect, inadvertently blending the teachings into a new form. Unfortunately for her, her lack of proper training in the formative stages of her new path meant she was more susceptible to harm than she ought to have been.

One of the larger bounties of the kingdom managed to get the drop on her and injure her badly enough that her cultivation was impacted (she lost, like, 4 levels), and the power she'd worked so hard to bring under control drained out of her, leaving her weaker than she was before. Despite this, she has put no small amount of time and effort into tracking down her quarry. If the campaign starts in Copper Valley, she'll likely be still recuperating, and thus assigned to guard the captives while waiting for the operation to begin in earnest. Perhaps her quarry has escaped into the tower, or has a connection to one of the players. If the campaign starts elsewhere, she left her element to track the bounty and found that the hostile wilderness was not nearly close enough to the city streets for her to catch up. At least, not before someone else caught her, instead.

Verna's got less backstory than Sudrek despite having been a higher level at one point. Ohhh well. Happy to expand on either of these if people want. Otherwise, gonna start on one of the other realms' peeps.

 

Took me a bit and both backstories feel a bit lacklustre in comparison, but I hope this helps some, too. Probably doing the Sidereals next. If there are any more questions or ideas arising from the backgrounds or whatnot, do please share 'em.

Spoiler: From Thousand River...

Marbollos
Earth Genasi Pirate, Barbarian 1

AC 17
17 hp
Speed 30 ft.
maul +5 melee (2d6+3 bludgeoning, heavy, two-handed)
handaxe +5 melee/ranged 20/60 (1d6+3 slashing, light, thrown)
javelin +5 meelee/ranged 20/120 (1d6+3 piercing, light, thrown)

Abilities
Str 16 (+3)
Dex 14 (+2)
Con 20 (+5)
Int 11 (+0)
Wis 13 (+1)
Cha 9 (-1)

Proficiencies (+2)
Skills: Athletics (+5), Perception (+3), Survival (+3), Nature (+2)
Tools: drum
Armor: light, medium, shields
Weapons: simple, martial
Saves: strength (+5), constitution (+7)
Languages: Common, Primordial

Features
Earth Walk: You may move across difficult terrain made of earth and stone without expending extra movement.
Merge With Stone: You can cast pass without trace without any material components, once, and regain the ability to do so with long rests. Con is casting modifier (don't think it matters here).
Rage (2, +2 damage): Enter rage as bonus action if no heavy armor, get: advantage on Strength checks/saves, bonus damage when using strength for melee weapon attacks, resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, slashing damage. No spells. Rages lasts 1 minute, ends early if knocked out or your turn ends and you haven't either attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since your last turn. Can also end as a bonus action. Replenish rages after long rest.
Unarmored Defence: Dex + Con + 10 = AC when wearing no armor. CAN use shield.

Equipment
maul, 2 handaxes, 4 javelins, explorer's pack, shield, 50 ft silk rope, common clothes, 10 gp

Background
Marbollos grew up almost alone, hunting and farming to take care of his parents from a young age. His body was naturally sturdy, and he found that it was easy for him to move over some of the more difficult ground. Broken land would become a trap for him to spring on animals hoping to escape from the large man, and he exploited the advantage heavily. When animals would turn to fight him, his thick skin provided plenty of protection, and he could easily make even a fallen tree into a tool to beat prey into submission. It was a rough life, but a good one.

The reason for this, ultimately, was the magic that infused his body, the power of the earth itself. He never knew why he was born with runes and seals within his body that made it so easy for him to draw power from the land around him, but it was the sort of birthright others might kill for. So some did. Thinking that his parents -- otherwise ordinary humans living in Primal lands -- had somehow found a way to grant Marbollos his powers, they were ambushed. Living in the wilderness alone had given them a chance to raise their son, but had not kept him from being noticed entirely, and without a sect or even a town to turn to, they had no real way to defend themselves when their son wasn't home.

Whether or not they were behind his might, Marbollos never found out. He returned home to find one parent dead, the other taken, and three people waiting to ambush him, too, to take and study his body to try and reproduce the effect. He doesn't remember anything more about them, because he flew into a rage that destroyed his family home and the three people hiding within. When he returned to himself he was by one of the many rivers of the plane, contemplating how to build a boat. Fortunately, he never needed to try and sail the ramshackle raft he created; a band of pirates saw him and took him aboard when they saw him pulling the raft into the water on his own. They taught him how to more effectively channel his rage, how to fight properly, and how to search for the people that had ruined his life. In exchange, he provided the crew with a degree of brute strength and surprisingly stealthy movement on land.

If the campaign begins in Thousand River Kingdom, he and the crew he's with will either be assisting with one of the larger groups, or will have captured people to try and force their way through one of the prisons that's not the focus of a larger team. If the campaign begins elsewhere, he'll have been captured either while away from the crew looking into who might have purchased his remaining parent and where they might have ended up, or after having attempted to sneak a peek at some techniques or treasures himself while out on his own (as he hasn't had a proper education and would like more techniques).

Spoiler: From Fire Forest...

Gilisk
Kobold Noble, Sorcerer 1

AC 16
8 hp
Speed 25 ft.
dagger +5 melee (1d4+3 piercing)
light crossbow +5 ranged 30/120 (1d8+3 piercing, two-handed, loading, ammunition (20 bolts))

Abilities
Str 6 (-2)
Dex 16 (+3)
Con 13 (+1)
Int 11 (+0)
Wis 13 (+1)
Cha 16 (+3)

Proficiencies (+2)
Skills: Persuasion (+5), History (+3), Deception (+5), Intimidation (+5)
Tools: dragonchess
Armor: none
Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaves, light crossbows
Saves: Constitution (+3), Charisma (+5)
Languages: Common, Draconic, Primordial

Features
Darkvision 60 ft.
Grovel, Cower, and Beg: As an action, can cower pathetically to distract nearby foes. Until end of your next turn, your allies gain advantage on attack rolls against enemies within 10 ft. of you that can see you. Once you use this, can't use again until after a rest.
Pack Tactics: You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is both within 5 ft. of it and not incapacitated.
Sunlight Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, your target, or whatever you're trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Spellcasting: See below.
Sorcerous Origins: Draconic Bloodline.
Dragon Ancestor: Gold, gain Draconic proficiency (already had, so means another language), and gain expertise on charisma checks to interact with dragons.
Draconic Resilience: +1 hp/level of sorcerer, unarmored defence of 13 + Dex.

Spellcasting
Spell Save DC: 13
Spell Attack Modifier: +5
Cantrips Known 4: create bonfire, prestidigitation, acid splash, shocking grasp
Spells Known 2: shield, sleep
Spell Slots: 1st-level (2)

Equipment
two daggers, arcane focus (crystal), explorer's pack, light crossbow, 20 bolts, fine clothes, signet ring, 25 gp

Background
It's a hard life, being a kobold. It's hard, and no one understands. Even in a mixed draconian clan they tend to be at the bottom of heaps both proverbial and literal. While they're still better than non-dragons, of course, that doesn't stop most of their lives from being painful indeed. Gilisk, in comparison, has lived something of a charmed life. Despite his frail body, his golden scales marked him out as something special from the very beginning. The flight took notice. When that potential began to shape itself into magical talent, notice taken turned into attention given. He was elevated at a young age into an echelon of nobility that some Dragonborn would envy, let alone most Kobolds.

Of course, nobility isn't without its obligations. The greatest of those was always politicking. While Gilisk might have preferred to live lazily and accumulate only the power that came to him naturally, that just wasn't an option as a kobold among dragonborn. He had to ingratiate himself with various factions of the flight in order to stay in a position of relative power, but this was something that came somewhat naturally to him. He was pathetic and potent at once, and could lean on his frail body or potential import both as the situation dictated to keep himself afloat. While never powerful enough to be a major player, it was enough to allow him to continue to live a somewhat sumptuous lifestyle, albeit one that involved more actual effort than he might have preferred.

If the campagin starts in the Fire Forest, he'll be one of those leading this incursion, hoping to find treasures to allow him to better his position within the flight and increase the odds of him living long enough in general to manifest the more potent dragonly powers he's sure are coming. If the campaign starts elsewhere he'll have been leading a raiding party abroad when he got captured, staying alive largely through the same combination of helplessness and helpfulness that kept him in good standing within the flight.

 

I don't know how much time I'm going to have for this in the next few weeks, but this seems pretty interesting. I'm probably going to be a human wizard. Two questions, would this be on the forums or on something like roll20, and do you think the soldier background would work for a magic user?