Dude this is so briliant! The character is well thought off and i like how you describe him, by telling us a story. I must say i wouldn't mind reading some of his books :)
Jack was "recruited" into the Black Network for killing one of their members. He was thrown into a fighting pit against wolves, bears, anything they had on hand armed with only a dagger. after battle after battle Manshoon took a liking to the boy and took him under his wing. After a few years of being Manshoon's right hand man and a prodigy he was a very skilled assassin (College of Whispers) that would torture and kill the Black Networks most dangerous targets. But he was betrayed by one of the other high ranking officers in the Black Network. 3 of their own men were killed and he failed a high profile assassination that really screwed the Zhentarim. As punishment for his failure his tongue was cut out and was branded the Mask of The Zhentarim. (home brew magic item) that marked him to be a slave and only used for suicidal missions. His mission in life is to find out who betrayed him and make him pay for what he has done. (This is a very big homebrew backstory sense Manshoon isn't that nice of a guy and my DM was cool with it and implemented it into his highly homebrew campaign)
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“Games give you a chance to excel, and if you're playing in good company you don't even mind if you lose because you had the enjoyment of the company during the course of the game.” ― Gary Gygax
So I have been out of D&D since 3.5 and notice now there are multiple new (since3.5) spells that use words to physically cause damage. At first I read Vicious Mockery and laughed to my self about hanging back and just trying to shit talk people for my own amusement. But reading further I see Dissonant Whispers (1) Crown of Madness (2) fear (3) and other spells like message and such would allow me to make a character whose whole attack is to try and use psychology to hurt people and try to make them go insane/commit/ attack their friends suicide ect... In short. I can talk shit the entire campaign. This and a ring of mind sheilding is a perfect combo lol. (if my character gets killed the soul would go into the ring. Enabling the trash talk to continue from the afterlife lol) . Not a metabuild power character but one that is sure to get a lot of laughs with some creative trash talk. Thoughts?
(disclaimer: people who played Dragon Age 2 and beyond probably recognize big parts of this concept..)
Name: Taric Vethras
Race: Dwarf
Background: Guild Artisan/Merchant (Tinkerer)
Level: 5 (Lore Bard)
Taric Vethras; Inventor, Storyteller, Adventurer and the only Dwarf you will ever meet with more hair on his chest than on his chin.
Taric was born a third son of a fifteenth heir to a claim of a long lost Dwarven stronghold. At a young age he already knew he wanted more than what life was given to someone so low on the social ladder in Dwarf culture. Though his family was technically nobility, the fact they had no claim to anything real anymore meant they were basically considered beggars by those truly highborn. This low standing combined with an inflated sense of self worth meant that Taric did many things to try and stand out. He was a boastful young lad and a quick talker who would often outwit other Dwarves in any contest. The fact that he does not wear a beard is one of these tricks. Many Dwarves see beardless kin as young, children basically. This means it would be dishonorable to hit them if a brawl came to be, and his kin often underestimate him initially, thinking him too young to have any real skills.
But skills is exactly what Taric has. He is not the largest, toughest or strongest a Dwarf can be. But he loves to read. He is curious far beyond what many other Dwarves are and is well read in legends as well as knowledge. He adores learning of new stories to tell his kin and can spend hours entertaining them in a tavern telling lively stories about the heroes and villains of old.
Through his own studies Taric has also became an accomplished tinkerer. He gained a position in the Crafter's Guild on merit alone because of his skills in making small machinery, often inspired by Gnome inventors he met or read about. His two most prized machines he carries on him at all times. The first is Lilian; his Crossbow. This weapon is an entirely over engineered piece of junk to most. A crossbow with all kinds of added bells and whistles that do not add any real functionality. But the weapon is his own prized possession, and the one machine he is constantly tinkering on. The second is a music box he himself invented which he carries on his side at all times. The machine works through a set of small instruments set inside of a sound chamber and paper music sheets determine the songs he plays.
It was through this invention, and his studies, that he learned of the potential of the travelling Bards and their magical abilities through song and performance. It was this that caused him to pick up his things and leave the safety of his Dwarven hold to join an expedition of exploration and settlement towards a newly discovered continent. He knew that the only way for him to improve further was through experience. And he decided for himself that from now on, he will no longer tell the stories of other heroes, but become the hero of the stories themselves!
Even if for that to be true he maybe has to sometimes pretty often kind of embellish the truth a tiny lot of bits.
Might as well post my bard. This is the first character I've ever made, and the first one I've ever played
Eudyptes Estrel
Male Silver Dragonborn Bard (Level 3/Lore)
Ability Scores: 15/15/13/8/9/15
He was born in a far off kingdom, and hatched in an orphanage (I'm using this as an excuse in case I want to dip into draconic bloodline sorcerer). He joined the military, but due to a series of mishaps and tomfoolery, had to flee the country. Joined a swords bard adventuring guild, and works as an adventurer for hire, until he got stranded in this magical archipelago where the campaign takes place for 3 years. Just recently he got a rapier made out of some sort of magical supermetal (the metal hasn't been specified, but the rapier deals 1d12 piercing damage). Almost every NPC and many player characters have repeatedly called him an idiot. One stellar example of his idiocy was when he rang a tongueless bell with his longsword in a place where music was strictly forbidden (this was due to homestucky time shenanigans).
SPOILERS REPEAT SPOILERS REPEAT SPOILERS for TOME OF ANIHLATION ……………………...Be kind and don't spoil
Bjorn The Shrike
Level 8 : College of Lore
Stats: 10/14/14/10/10/20
Originally Human Male but surviving the wilderness of "Tome of Annihilation" Left some changes. For starters was ritually turned into Snake person "Yuan-ti" followed by drinking some magical water turning me into a woman..... I don't mind. Currently Yuan-Ti Female.
This is an Adventure League PC as the only item worth anything I got was "Instrument of the Bards" Ollamh harp. Def a lot of fun as taking Magic Initiate 1st level with Druid for 1st level spell good berry, guidance, and magic stone. It def comes in handy when I get to Inspire any team mate with an Inspiration Die and give a boost of guidance to top it off. The whole point of this bard was just to survive. My favorite thing to do is use polymorph to transform my Teammates into dinosaurs since my PC actually fought dinosaurs and lived to tell the tale. I can't wait to get to level 10 where I can use my second set of magical secrets finally Wall of Force, Destructive Wave, Dream, but Im torn from Hold Monster or Awaken. The thoughts of having a talking T-Rex and call it "Barny" just for the LOLS.
Well I would say it was a pretty normal adventuring party tell we came to the Yuan-Ti Temple where the old gods and new gods and yatta yatta. As we thought we were very clever till we weren't and got captured and couldn't escape. The bigger issue was we had to be turned into Yuan-Ti or You'll Die....see what I did there haha. Which my Character was all about just surviving so Yuan-Ti here I come. It was pretty standard for a minute till we had one player commit suicide with a magical statue that turned your stuff into Rust. Once we got passed that we found this magical pond or river but my other Yuan-Ti paladin drank from the water. Of course his holiness of his dice allowed him to heal and which when I drank from my Sexual Devious dice turned me into the one thing I love more beside my life. The most beautiful creatures on the planet a woman. Which at first I have to admit I was upset till the next guy I forget his name lets call him PC 3. Well PC 3 drank from the water where he instantly died and turned into dust DIEING a horrible death...….I didn't feel so bad turning into a woman after that.
We moved on and fell into river where the river took the party over a water fall to our dooms thankfully my handy dandy Feather Fall Spell saved the day on that one. BUT the biggest issue was yes we were safe but we bypassed most of the dungeon where all important loot, keys, ect ect. so we had to go back to at least get the key through the door. We get to this room where our noble paladin wanted to try this Sun/Moon machine room which tested fate or what not I forget what its called. I was shamelessly admiring my new Female features but what I do remember is something that doesn't happen every day. Our Paladin rolled the percentile dice and rolled a 100.
HOLY shit that doesn't happen especially for adventure league and not just that it was for a wish spell but here is the kicker The Paladin didn't know what a wish spell was so before anyone could spoil it I convince the room to leave for the DM and Paladin to discuss his options. The Paladin was an old time dnd player but its been 25 years since he last played so really at this moment this is him reexperiencing "The Wish" Moment where your jaw drops and have to think and be careful to what you wish for.
So His exact wish was "I wish that all the treasure in this dungeon is transported here" which is amazing since we literally skipped most of the dungeon and missed out of everything in the process. A fun time as that is where I got my Baby "Ollahm Harp" which I sleep next to more than any other woman.
But it was a special moment because of having someone who got to experience the wish moment and correctly say the wish without it back firing in an Adventure League with rolling a percentile dice with the party saying to him before he activated the Machine "DONT TURN IT ON" it might kill you to showing all of us off by rolling a 100 to get a Wish. Talk about DnD moment. I would like to say I wish that wish wasn't the last good thing that happened but....
We eventually get to the last boss which is a BABY ABOMINATION and killed it but we didn't know how to win as the real boss pops out and most of us died but I survived as I had Dimension Door to GTFO. So my character still has the death CURSE. Which sucks but def challenging which I really enjoy a lot still but that was my first campaign to Adventure League def fun.
Anyways that's my bard hopefully I don't die before I can have some major fun later on.
Karl is a peculiar hero...he was the son of a silver dragon named Sagani, who had been masquerading in the form of a human woman. She had a romantic dalliance with a wandering drow mercenary, and though she spoke little of him, she did describe him as "a handsome, charming dark elf, who dressed in rather fancy-looking attire".
While inheriting the appearance of a drow, Karl was taught the innate morality and perspective of the silver dragons by his mother. By the time he came of age, Karl was compelled to wander the world, and seek adventure. Eventually, he would become a mercenary himself, in the hopes that one day he might cross paths with his mysterious father.
Karl's full name is "Karlaxle"; a namesake from his father. And when I rolled his stats, I did pretty good...rolled an 18 for his Charisma!...but I also rolled a 7.
So I put this stat in Wisdom...his silver dragon mother educated him, so he is by no means dumb, but due to his drow-like appearance, his early life was spent in a sheltered village. As such, he doesn't really understand the common sense of keeping a low-profile...he is friendly and boisterous to anyone he meets, even if it is to his detriment. His naivety and innocence ended up being an endearing quality, and his Charisma helps him smooth out any conflict his dark elf heritage causes. He also sometimes doesn't register danger until it happens...but that's when the blades come out. ; )
He likes a good fight, and is very honorable. He depends upon his companions to help him navigate the treacherous and deceitful parts of the world. And while he carries enough currency to sustain himself, treasure holds little value to him...aside from the thrill of seeking it. Often, he will pay for a round of drinks for everyone in a local tavern; and send the most precious jewels or stones back to add to his mother's dragon hoard.
I am assisting my son as he prepares to DM his first homebrew. I talked a little with him and he came up with the central encounter for the adventure and then I set to work on creating a setting for this to happen. To do that we needed a "Province" for the action to be centered in, and the province needed a government and an economy. I like to use Bards as a tool for the government to communicate at different levels. Not all Bards wish to enter government service but Bards are walking about as government agents and unless you engage them a bit you won't know at first which sort you are dealing with.
In this campaign we have a province led by a level 7 Paladin and he has a group of advisors including a level 5 Paladin, a level 5 Cleric and a level 4 Wizard. A level 5 Bard walks through the countryside taking messages from one province to the next and reports back to the County Magistrate on the affairs of each province. He serves as a messenger, and a spy, and an ambassador when necessary. He talks with the province's leaders and delivers his messages, some written and some from memory that are not meant to be written. He visits with townsfolk to see how they are doing so he may report back to the magistrate about how well both the leaders and the commoners are doing. He has many means for assisting the provincial leaders while he is there and may become an investigator if necessary.
As such he is a very trustworthy sort and not the sort that would try to take advantage of folks. He is, like all Bards, able to talk his way into your confidence and get you to reveal things you wouldn't to others. He is gregarious and popular among the common folk, always a big hit in the tavern the first few evenings he stays in the province. The tavern owners even offer to pay him to come to their taverns and sing and tell stories while throngs of commoners visit the taverns these nights to enjoy themselves. Occasionally the clerics ask him to dial it back so folks won't miss the service the next morning. These Bards don't try and sleep with a pretty face every night, but are more reserved and only court young ladies with sincerity. They recognize their duty requires them to avoid such personal entanglements.
I recommend all DMs consider adding a Bard led ambassador network to their settings as well. It provides many opportunities for things to "happen" in an adventure.
Vango Le'Strahd Level 10 Half Elf Valor Bard 7/ Bladelock 3 Harper agent Magic items: Bag of Holding, Pearl of Power, Driftglobe, Cloak of protection, Harp of Ohgma*, Elven Scale maille* (*homebrew items) Stole an amazing warhorse from the Zhentarim agents (along with the cloak of protection) using mask of many faces and suggestion. feats: Martial Adept- Parry and Rally (helps avoid some squishiness)
Been playing Vango since 4e, converted him into 5e when my group got back into it. Been working him into a bit of the old 4e bard taxi idea. Inspired by bold vocals such as Meatloaf and Florence and the Machine. Mixed into Warlock to get some spells and features I thought were great. He currently can't be held anywhere he doesn't want to be. Between a silver tongue, charm spells, teleportation and mask of many faces, Eyes of the Rune keeper, there isn't much he can't escape and never without a weapon.
Vango grew up an orphan with a group of pickpockets until he met a bard one day and began to learn the arts. Since then, he's been searching for adventure and amazing deeds. He rather recently dipped into levels of Warlock escaping some assassins from Calimport, rushing off into the Neverwinter woods to escape they all stumbled into a Fey wedding. Winning over the powerful Fey with his elvish heritage and a damn good song, he was allowed to leave and gained a patron from one of the Summer court.
Been fun, and I look forward to playing him again for my big summer weekend game.
"I will find freedom through my own choices. Not yours."
Kinareet Zoritt
Chaotic Good Bronze Dragonborn Age 23
Valor Bard 9/Battle Master 3
The Kinareet clan of the Bronze Dragonborn live for battle. The battles they fight are for their own glory and they view life as a fleeting thing that is meant to be used to fight for what is right.
Zoritt, the chieftain's only son, was on the front lines of a major battle that ended in a bloody stalemate. He later found an enemy Dragonborn dying in the mud, clutching onto his clan's banner. When Zoritt went in to finish him, the enemy spoke his final words.
"Is this really all there is for us? A bloody, pointless death?"
Zoritt ran from the field that day. He could not bring himself to finish him. Instead, he buried the enemy's remains, took half of his banner, and left for smaller, more peaceful lands. He took with him one of the vanguard's shieldrums used in the opening rally. It was in a small town that he met the rest of the party and the story unfolded.
Zoritt is a somewhat scruffy-looking Dragonborn, and though he is a positive presence in the party, he....well....he's dumber than a bag of rocks. He means well, but without the guidance of his party members, his actions can potentially cause trouble for everyone. (First thing he did was lightning breath a river full of skeletons...with the Paladin still in it.). However, when times are tough, he will have no problem spurring everyone around him to action.
As a Bard/Battle Master dual-class, he has lots of support options and some combat tricks to aid others in battle. He is a bit of a glass idol with only 55 Max hp and 16 AC (18 + Blade Ward with Shieldrum), so his focus in battle is aiding the party with DPS and evasion tricks.
He is honest to a fault, which makes for some surprisingly hilarious situations especially when they involve the Paladin or the Barbarians. It is this same honesty, however, that enables trust between the party and NPC's alike.
Freedom is his drive. He believes in the power of choice and what it means to make your own decisions. However, in the end, if anything threatens the safety of the party or anyone he cares about, he will be among the first to respond to the call.
Concept I have at the moment is college of swords bard. No interest in music. Going to pitch to my DM that he's more of an emotional broadcaster, so, for example, vicious mockery isn't him casting a spell exactly... it's more that the target of his dislike can feel how much my guy wants it dead and it frightens/affects them negatively. Song of rest wouldn't be a song, just his companions taking some solace from my character's confidence.
You don't have to be "Musical" to be a bard, although it would certainly be a rare bird that wasn't musical in one form or another. But it is possible to focus your bard craft on epic poetry, ballads and, for the opposite sex, sonnets. If you spent some time away from the table between sessions writing an epic poem to share, I believe your party and DM would appreciate your contributions beyond the Inspiration Dice.
Concept I have at the moment is college of swords bard. No interest in music. Going to pitch to my DM that he's more of an emotional broadcaster, so, for example, vicious mockery isn't him casting a spell exactly... it's more that the target of his dislike can feel how much my guy wants it dead and it frightens/affects them negatively. Song of rest wouldn't be a song, just his companions taking some solace from my character's confidence.
Ooh...that sounds like a bard-barian.
But yes, a College of Swords Bard is capable of having either their feats of swordplay or their innate charisma as being their spellcasting focus.
I do like the concept of their emotions being the source of their power...basically pathokinesis.
Concept I have at the moment is college of swords bard. No interest in music. Going to pitch to my DM that he's more of an emotional broadcaster, so, for example, vicious mockery isn't him casting a spell exactly... it's more that the target of his dislike can feel how much my guy wants it dead and it frightens/affects them negatively. Song of rest wouldn't be a song, just his companions taking some solace from my character's confidence.
Ooh...that sounds like a bard-barian.
But yes, a College of Swords Bard is capable of having either their feats of swordplay or their innate charisma as being their spellcasting focus.
I do like the concept of their emotions being the source of their power...basically pathokinesis.
Basically, yes. I've never been able to get away with bards singing along etc in battle, think I'd much prefer styling the bard benefits as described and leaving the actual spellcasting as actual spellcasting so... components, gestures, and chants. Also, I meant college of valour, not swords. I only have the PHB.
I did a bard who styled his spells in a similar manner to the Dragonborn from Skyrim.
He essentially would quote ancient phrases handed down through fables and stories, channeling them into spells.
The Chanter from "Pillars of Eternity" had a similar concept...they would say "At The Sight Of Their Comrades, Their Hearts Grew Bold" for buffing or summoning....or "Come, Soft Winds Of Death" for attacking. They had plenty of material.
That last one makes a great phrase for "Dissonant Whispers", for example.
Brave, drunk, into free love movement. Edit* Know it all. she knows 8 languages and has magic reading spectacles. We started in 4e, but our DM let us bring some stuff over to 5e.
Backstory
Her parents met in a small market town. Her mother came from the world renown flower business in Rosedale, and her father was an elf, heir to the Honey Baronny from Gallanoer, the tree city. Their union was frowned upon by both families (which is silly because honeybees and flowers would provide a beneficial union), so they eloped to the capitol of Adimore, where mixed race couples weren't a big deal. They bought an old farmhouse on the edge of town and a shop in the city, and grew and produced their own poultices, herbal remedies, and a mainland brand of honey that her father cultivated in his spare time. They had two girls, Lordaelyn (Dally to her friends) and Ladella.
When Lordaelyn was 13 and Ladella was 8, the city's monarchy was overtaken by a democratic system. The coup was quick and brutal, the city rioted for days and Lordaelyn's folks were murdered. Lordaelyn took to the streets, busking and pickpocketing to supply enough money for rent and food to take care of her sister. After a year of performing throughout the city a wealthy Deva discovered her and offered to take the girls in. In exchange Lordaelyn would perform at his many house parties. He sent her to the hippy-est of bard schools for official training and when she was old enough to seek out her grandparents there were some good and bad results.
Her human grandparents tried to get her to enter an arranged marriage, and were pretty awful to her. Her elven grandparents, on the other hand were surprisingly helpful and had actually sent people to look for them after the fall. She travelled between their isolated tree city in Gallanoer and her new home in SIlverstrand with her patron. She brought her sister back with her on one trip and the sister ended up marrying into nobility. The family's honey business was doing amazing, but always looking for new and unique flavors to blend with their traditional mix. Lordaelyn volunteered to explore, looking for exotic plants that could thrive on the island.
Adventure So Far
She ended up wintering at a priory, reuniting with a couple paladin friends she knew from the parties at her patron's house. When one of them, a young dragonborn, was tasked with some business for the king, she decided to tag along. They met and befriended a druid and warlock, who helped them search for an old friend of the king. They uncovered a goblin pact with some townsfolk, which lead them to a deeper conspiracy to end the world. They ended this attempt but were unable to pursue any leads, as when they returned to the capitol, famine and plagues had started raging across the land. Tracking the famine to Ratmen, they were able to end the famines which helped with bringing the plagues into check. They were promptly named the Heroes of Valishdal.
The king sent the four of them on a caravan escort quest to another country. In exchange for a bunch of goods and a new influx of merchants with a new set of skills, we were going to bring a bunch of gems and minerals home from one of the major mines of the continent. When they arrived, they noticed the lack of poor and suspiciously cleanly streets. After some probing they found out that the city had giant magic obelisks funneling power from slaves to ward off any monsters or invading forces.
The group was almost okay with it, as most of the townsfolk agreed that you give up x amount of your life and the city will support you in whatever means you want to start a new life, and most considered it a blessing. But when Lordaelyn got alone time with the slaves, they found out that the life-draining process caused terrible pain and agony. They also uncovered that the merchants that they had escorted to the city were contracted to suffer through the ward-powering service before integrating into daily life. While the king had signed the contract, he was notorious for being a dumb-dumb who is bad at contracts.
They also found out that the Prelate of the city was actually a blue dragon in disguise. The adventurers, two of whom have strong stances against slavery, staged a coup, killing the blue dragon and placing a temporary leader in control of the city. The leader, a trusted mage, quickly made a pact with a copper dragon and declared themselves a sovereign nation, separate from the power of the king of the country. This prompted a war between the countries and a lot of mixed feelings toward the heroes.
Lordaelyn and her paladin friend escorted the citizen back to their country, while the druid and warlock had some side business on the way home. That business ended up taking most of a full year. When Lordaelyn and the paladin returned home, they were still regarded as heroes and the king refused to turn them over to the ruler of the attacking country. This continued for the majority of a year. Lordaelyn spent her time on small research missions for the honey baron and general bard business, and the paladin trained new paladins, sometimes accompanying her on dungeon dives as they awaited the return of their friends.
Near the end of the year, the king's betrothed is announced dead, just a month before the wedding. The fragile-hearted king retreats into his palace of solitude and is not seen from, but begins writing declarations. Two weeks later the Heroes of Valishdal are proclaimed traitors to the throne by the king himself, arrested and thrown in jail. The druid, warlock, and 4 friends(the new adventuring party) they have picked up roll into town two weeks later and rescue the king from some powerful magic, freeing Lordaelyn and the paladin. The king celebrated the Heroes of Valishdal, who had also rescued his betrothed, uncovering the plot to overthrow the king.
Lordaelyn decided to go home for a while and reconnect with her people, reporting back her discoveries and taking some time to party until something might spring up and she is called back to adventuring.
viola (obvi) and harmonica, also has a magic fancy crystal rapier she's never used, she just thinks it looks pretty
Viola is all sparkle and showmanship. She grew up in a traveling circus where she learned all the essentials (music, acrobatics, and curse words. a lot of curse words) before she eventually struck out on her own with her viola, ready to find new sounds to add to her music. Despite only being able to mimic, she's very talented at talking her way into and out of trouble. During the first arc of the campaign, she talked her way into 2 gangs, 1 guild of spies, 1 cult, and a dragon's horde. She's the skill monkey of the party and pretty stacked with utility spells, doing a bit of in-combat healing here and there and with a high enough dex to tag along with our rogue on stealth missions, but has thus far been pretty useless on doing damage. In our most recent fight, the whole party almost got wiped out and Viola couldn't do anything. She wants to be able to protect her friends and herself better, so she turned to the Aboleth trapped in a stone that she'd attuned to earlier for a pact, granting her her warlock powers.
She also collects teeth from every enemy they defeat. Nobody knows what she does with them. She's a weird little bird.
Yazlyn "Yaz" Ousstyl Age: 20 Half-drow Birthplace: Menzoberranzan, in the Underdark Glamour Bard, level 3
Yaz was born into slavery, the product of a human slave and a noble of the drow House of Ousstyl. His slavemaster was terribly abusive, and his father secretly trained him, brutally, in the use of a rapier, hoping one day to take over the House through a child that no one knew he had. Thankfully for Yaz, he was saved in a rescue mission led by the Church of Eilistraee. As he escaped, he lost the rescue party, but he encountered a mysterious drow woman with long, silver hair, who was humming a beautiful, unrecognizable tune. She pointed him in the direction of the rescuers. Sadly, after they were both rescued and brought to the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, his mother, who feared that his father might have "planted" something like a trigger word on him and that he may turn one day into a deadly weapon, poisoned him. Luckily, half-drow are resistant to drow poison, so he survived.
After waking, Yaz no longer trusted anyone, and escaped the Promenade, stealing a curious artifact simply labeled "Eilistraee's Fife" and hoping to pawn it off for money. He escaped to Waterdeep via a portal in the Promenade, but the fife, ordinary in appearance, wouldn't sell for more than one gold piece. Instead, he learned to play it and eventually enrolled in the Bard College, using the singing and dancing skills he used to use to distract his slavemaster and protect himself from harsh punishments. After two years of study, he earned enough money to rent a small house before meeting the group of adventurers whom he currently accompanies.
One day, while futzing around on the fife, he recalled that mysterious drow woman's tune, and played it, awakening a locked power in the instrument. You see, after visiting Earth, Eilistraee (that mysterious drow woman) had used this pipe to "record" many of her favorite songs, which just happened to mostly be disco tunes. Now, Yaz somehow has access to all of those tunes, and when he plays one of them, his appearance takes on something more akin to Eilistraee, and he can inspire and empower his friends.
TL, DR: Say hello to your friendly neighborhood disco-drag-queen Glamour Bard.
He was a king of an ancient kingdom who was betrayed and trapped with the Imprisonment spell. Having been recently freed he is traveling as a simple entertainer to learn more about the world and come to terms with the fact that everything that he once knew is now gone.
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Dude this is so briliant! The character is well thought off and i like how you describe him, by telling us a story. I must say i wouldn't mind reading some of his books :)
Name: Jack Trixter
Race: Variant Human
Lvl: 8 (so far)
Jack was "recruited" into the Black Network for killing one of their members. He was thrown into a fighting pit against wolves, bears, anything they had on hand armed with only a dagger. after battle after battle Manshoon took a liking to the boy and took him under his wing. After a few years of being Manshoon's right hand man and a prodigy he was a very skilled assassin (College of Whispers) that would torture and kill the Black Networks most dangerous targets. But he was betrayed by one of the other high ranking officers in the Black Network. 3 of their own men were killed and he failed a high profile assassination that really screwed the Zhentarim. As punishment for his failure his tongue was cut out and was branded the Mask of The Zhentarim. (home brew magic item) that marked him to be a slave and only used for suicidal missions. His mission in life is to find out who betrayed him and make him pay for what he has done. (This is a very big homebrew backstory sense Manshoon isn't that nice of a guy and my DM was cool with it and implemented it into his highly homebrew campaign)
“Games give you a chance to excel, and if you're playing in good company you don't even mind if you lose because you had the enjoyment of the company during the course of the game.” ― Gary Gygax
So I have been out of D&D since 3.5 and notice now there are multiple new (since3.5) spells that use words to physically cause damage. At first I read Vicious Mockery and laughed to my self about hanging back and just trying to shit talk people for my own amusement. But reading further I see Dissonant Whispers (1) Crown of Madness (2) fear (3) and other spells like message and such would allow me to make a character whose whole attack is to try and use psychology to hurt people and try to make them go insane/commit/ attack their friends suicide ect... In short. I can talk shit the entire campaign. This and a ring of mind sheilding is a perfect combo lol. (if my character gets killed the soul would go into the ring. Enabling the trash talk to continue from the afterlife lol) . Not a metabuild power character but one that is sure to get a lot of laughs with some creative trash talk. Thoughts?
(disclaimer: people who played Dragon Age 2 and beyond probably recognize big parts of this concept..)
Name: Taric Vethras
Race: Dwarf
Background: Guild Artisan/Merchant (Tinkerer)
Level: 5 (Lore Bard)
Taric Vethras; Inventor, Storyteller, Adventurer and the only Dwarf you will ever meet with more hair on his chest than on his chin.
Taric was born a third son of a fifteenth heir to a claim of a long lost Dwarven stronghold. At a young age he already knew he wanted more than what life was given to someone so low on the social ladder in Dwarf culture. Though his family was technically nobility, the fact they had no claim to anything real anymore meant they were basically considered beggars by those truly highborn. This low standing combined with an inflated sense of self worth meant that Taric did many things to try and stand out. He was a boastful young lad and a quick talker who would often outwit other Dwarves in any contest. The fact that he does not wear a beard is one of these tricks. Many Dwarves see beardless kin as young, children basically. This means it would be dishonorable to hit them if a brawl came to be, and his kin often underestimate him initially, thinking him too young to have any real skills.
But skills is exactly what Taric has. He is not the largest, toughest or strongest a Dwarf can be. But he loves to read. He is curious far beyond what many other Dwarves are and is well read in legends as well as knowledge. He adores learning of new stories to tell his kin and can spend hours entertaining them in a tavern telling lively stories about the heroes and villains of old.
Through his own studies Taric has also became an accomplished tinkerer. He gained a position in the Crafter's Guild on merit alone because of his skills in making small machinery, often inspired by Gnome inventors he met or read about. His two most prized machines he carries on him at all times. The first is Lilian; his Crossbow. This weapon is an entirely over engineered piece of junk to most. A crossbow with all kinds of added bells and whistles that do not add any real functionality. But the weapon is his own prized possession, and the one machine he is constantly tinkering on. The second is a music box he himself invented which he carries on his side at all times. The machine works through a set of small instruments set inside of a sound chamber and paper music sheets determine the songs he plays.
It was through this invention, and his studies, that he learned of the potential of the travelling Bards and their magical abilities through song and performance. It was this that caused him to pick up his things and leave the safety of his Dwarven hold to join an expedition of exploration and settlement towards a newly discovered continent. He knew that the only way for him to improve further was through experience. And he decided for himself that from now on, he will no longer tell the stories of other heroes, but become the hero of the stories themselves!
Even if for that to be true he maybe has to sometimes pretty often kind of embellish the truth a tiny lot of bits.
Might as well post my bard. This is the first character I've ever made, and the first one I've ever played
Eudyptes Estrel
Male Silver Dragonborn Bard (Level 3/Lore)
Ability Scores: 15/15/13/8/9/15
He was born in a far off kingdom, and hatched in an orphanage (I'm using this as an excuse in case I want to dip into draconic bloodline sorcerer). He joined the military, but due to a series of mishaps and tomfoolery, had to flee the country. Joined a swords bard adventuring guild, and works as an adventurer for hire, until he got stranded in this magical archipelago where the campaign takes place for 3 years. Just recently he got a rapier made out of some sort of magical supermetal (the metal hasn't been specified, but the rapier deals 1d12 piercing damage). Almost every NPC and many player characters have repeatedly called him an idiot. One stellar example of his idiocy was when he rang a tongueless bell with his longsword in a place where music was strictly forbidden (this was due to homestucky time shenanigans).
Spells:
Cantrip: minor illusion, prestidigitation
1st Level: cure wounds, detect magic, disguise self, feather fall, speak with animals
2nd Level: zone of truth
SPOILERS REPEAT SPOILERS REPEAT SPOILERS for TOME OF ANIHLATION ……………………...Be kind and don't spoil
Bjorn The Shrike
Level 8 : College of Lore
Stats: 10/14/14/10/10/20
Originally Human Male but surviving the wilderness of "Tome of Annihilation" Left some changes. For starters was ritually turned into Snake person "Yuan-ti" followed by drinking some magical water turning me into a woman..... I don't mind. Currently Yuan-Ti Female.
This is an Adventure League PC as the only item worth anything I got was "Instrument of the Bards" Ollamh harp. Def a lot of fun as taking Magic Initiate 1st level with Druid for 1st level spell good berry, guidance, and magic stone. It def comes in handy when I get to Inspire any team mate with an Inspiration Die and give a boost of guidance to top it off. The whole point of this bard was just to survive. My favorite thing to do is use polymorph to transform my Teammates into dinosaurs since my PC actually fought dinosaurs and lived to tell the tale. I can't wait to get to level 10 where I can use my second set of magical secrets finally Wall of Force, Destructive Wave, Dream, but Im torn from Hold Monster or Awaken. The thoughts of having a talking T-Rex and call it "Barny" just for the LOLS.
Well I would say it was a pretty normal adventuring party tell we came to the Yuan-Ti Temple where the old gods and new gods and yatta yatta. As we thought we were very clever till we weren't and got captured and couldn't escape. The bigger issue was we had to be turned into Yuan-Ti or You'll Die....see what I did there haha. Which my Character was all about just surviving so Yuan-Ti here I come. It was pretty standard for a minute till we had one player commit suicide with a magical statue that turned your stuff into Rust. Once we got passed that we found this magical pond or river but my other Yuan-Ti paladin drank from the water. Of course his holiness of his dice allowed him to heal and which when I drank from my Sexual Devious dice turned me into the one thing I love more beside my life. The most beautiful creatures on the planet a woman. Which at first I have to admit I was upset till the next guy I forget his name lets call him PC 3. Well PC 3 drank from the water where he instantly died and turned into dust DIEING a horrible death...….I didn't feel so bad turning into a woman after that.
We moved on and fell into river where the river took the party over a water fall to our dooms thankfully my handy dandy Feather Fall Spell saved the day on that one. BUT the biggest issue was yes we were safe but we bypassed most of the dungeon where all important loot, keys, ect ect. so we had to go back to at least get the key through the door. We get to this room where our noble paladin wanted to try this Sun/Moon machine room which tested fate or what not I forget what its called. I was shamelessly admiring my new Female features but what I do remember is something that doesn't happen every day. Our Paladin rolled the percentile dice and rolled a 100.
HOLY shit that doesn't happen especially for adventure league and not just that it was for a wish spell but here is the kicker The Paladin didn't know what a wish spell was so before anyone could spoil it I convince the room to leave for the DM and Paladin to discuss his options. The Paladin was an old time dnd player but its been 25 years since he last played so really at this moment this is him reexperiencing "The Wish" Moment where your jaw drops and have to think and be careful to what you wish for.
So His exact wish was "I wish that all the treasure in this dungeon is transported here" which is amazing since we literally skipped most of the dungeon and missed out of everything in the process. A fun time as that is where I got my Baby "Ollahm Harp" which I sleep next to more than any other woman.
But it was a special moment because of having someone who got to experience the wish moment and correctly say the wish without it back firing in an Adventure League with rolling a percentile dice with the party saying to him before he activated the Machine "DONT TURN IT ON" it might kill you to showing all of us off by rolling a 100 to get a Wish. Talk about DnD moment. I would like to say I wish that wish wasn't the last good thing that happened but....
We eventually get to the last boss which is a BABY ABOMINATION and killed it but we didn't know how to win as the real boss pops out and most of us died but I survived as I had Dimension Door to GTFO. So my character still has the death CURSE. Which sucks but def challenging which I really enjoy a lot still but that was my first campaign to Adventure League def fun.
Anyways that's my bard hopefully I don't die before I can have some major fun later on.
Name: Karl
Race: Half-Elf (Half-Drow)
Subclass: College of Swords
Background: Folk Hero
Karl is a peculiar hero...he was the son of a silver dragon named Sagani, who had been masquerading in the form of a human woman. She had a romantic dalliance with a wandering drow mercenary, and though she spoke little of him, she did describe him as "a handsome, charming dark elf, who dressed in rather fancy-looking attire".
While inheriting the appearance of a drow, Karl was taught the innate morality and perspective of the silver dragons by his mother. By the time he came of age, Karl was compelled to wander the world, and seek adventure. Eventually, he would become a mercenary himself, in the hopes that one day he might cross paths with his mysterious father.
Karl's full name is "Karlaxle"; a namesake from his father. And when I rolled his stats, I did pretty good...rolled an 18 for his Charisma!...but I also rolled a 7.
So I put this stat in Wisdom...his silver dragon mother educated him, so he is by no means dumb, but due to his drow-like appearance, his early life was spent in a sheltered village. As such, he doesn't really understand the common sense of keeping a low-profile...he is friendly and boisterous to anyone he meets, even if it is to his detriment. His naivety and innocence ended up being an endearing quality, and his Charisma helps him smooth out any conflict his dark elf heritage causes. He also sometimes doesn't register danger until it happens...but that's when the blades come out. ; )
He likes a good fight, and is very honorable. He depends upon his companions to help him navigate the treacherous and deceitful parts of the world. And while he carries enough currency to sustain himself, treasure holds little value to him...aside from the thrill of seeking it. Often, he will pay for a round of drinks for everyone in a local tavern; and send the most precious jewels or stones back to add to his mother's dragon hoard.
I am assisting my son as he prepares to DM his first homebrew. I talked a little with him and he came up with the central encounter for the adventure and then I set to work on creating a setting for this to happen. To do that we needed a "Province" for the action to be centered in, and the province needed a government and an economy. I like to use Bards as a tool for the government to communicate at different levels. Not all Bards wish to enter government service but Bards are walking about as government agents and unless you engage them a bit you won't know at first which sort you are dealing with.
In this campaign we have a province led by a level 7 Paladin and he has a group of advisors including a level 5 Paladin, a level 5 Cleric and a level 4 Wizard. A level 5 Bard walks through the countryside taking messages from one province to the next and reports back to the County Magistrate on the affairs of each province. He serves as a messenger, and a spy, and an ambassador when necessary. He talks with the province's leaders and delivers his messages, some written and some from memory that are not meant to be written. He visits with townsfolk to see how they are doing so he may report back to the magistrate about how well both the leaders and the commoners are doing. He has many means for assisting the provincial leaders while he is there and may become an investigator if necessary.
As such he is a very trustworthy sort and not the sort that would try to take advantage of folks. He is, like all Bards, able to talk his way into your confidence and get you to reveal things you wouldn't to others. He is gregarious and popular among the common folk, always a big hit in the tavern the first few evenings he stays in the province. The tavern owners even offer to pay him to come to their taverns and sing and tell stories while throngs of commoners visit the taverns these nights to enjoy themselves. Occasionally the clerics ask him to dial it back so folks won't miss the service the next morning. These Bards don't try and sleep with a pretty face every night, but are more reserved and only court young ladies with sincerity. They recognize their duty requires them to avoid such personal entanglements.
I recommend all DMs consider adding a Bard led ambassador network to their settings as well. It provides many opportunities for things to "happen" in an adventure.
Vango Le'Strahd
Level 10
Half Elf
Valor Bard 7/ Bladelock 3
Harper agent
Magic items: Bag of Holding, Pearl of Power, Driftglobe, Cloak of protection, Harp of Ohgma*, Elven Scale maille* (*homebrew items)
Stole an amazing warhorse from the Zhentarim agents (along with the cloak of protection) using mask of many faces and suggestion.
feats: Martial Adept- Parry and Rally (helps avoid some squishiness)
Been playing Vango since 4e, converted him into 5e when my group got back into it. Been working him into a bit of the old 4e bard taxi idea. Inspired by bold vocals such as Meatloaf and Florence and the Machine. Mixed into Warlock to get some spells and features I thought were great. He currently can't be held anywhere he doesn't want to be. Between a silver tongue, charm spells, teleportation and mask of many faces, Eyes of the Rune keeper, there isn't much he can't escape and never without a weapon.
Vango grew up an orphan with a group of pickpockets until he met a bard one day and began to learn the arts. Since then, he's been searching for adventure and amazing deeds. He rather recently dipped into levels of Warlock escaping some assassins from Calimport, rushing off into the Neverwinter woods to escape they all stumbled into a Fey wedding. Winning over the powerful Fey with his elvish heritage and a damn good song, he was allowed to leave and gained a patron from one of the Summer court.
Been fun, and I look forward to playing him again for my big summer weekend game.
"I will find freedom through my own choices. Not yours."
Kinareet Zoritt
Chaotic Good Bronze Dragonborn Age 23
Valor Bard 9/Battle Master 3
The Kinareet clan of the Bronze Dragonborn live for battle. The battles they fight are for their own glory and they view life as a fleeting thing that is meant to be used to fight for what is right.
Zoritt, the chieftain's only son, was on the front lines of a major battle that ended in a bloody stalemate. He later found an enemy Dragonborn dying in the mud, clutching onto his clan's banner. When Zoritt went in to finish him, the enemy spoke his final words.
"Is this really all there is for us? A bloody, pointless death?"
Zoritt ran from the field that day. He could not bring himself to finish him. Instead, he buried the enemy's remains, took half of his banner, and left for smaller, more peaceful lands. He took with him one of the vanguard's shieldrums used in the opening rally. It was in a small town that he met the rest of the party and the story unfolded.
Zoritt is a somewhat scruffy-looking Dragonborn, and though he is a positive presence in the party, he....well....he's dumber than a bag of rocks. He means well, but without the guidance of his party members, his actions can potentially cause trouble for everyone. (First thing he did was lightning breath a river full of skeletons...with the Paladin still in it.). However, when times are tough, he will have no problem spurring everyone around him to action.
As a Bard/Battle Master dual-class, he has lots of support options and some combat tricks to aid others in battle. He is a bit of a glass idol with only 55 Max hp and 16 AC (18 + Blade Ward with Shieldrum), so his focus in battle is aiding the party with DPS and evasion tricks.
He is honest to a fault, which makes for some surprisingly hilarious situations especially when they involve the Paladin or the Barbarians. It is this same honesty, however, that enables trust between the party and NPC's alike.
Freedom is his drive. He believes in the power of choice and what it means to make your own decisions. However, in the end, if anything threatens the safety of the party or anyone he cares about, he will be among the first to respond to the call.
Concept I have at the moment is college of swords bard. No interest in music. Going to pitch to my DM that he's more of an emotional broadcaster, so, for example, vicious mockery isn't him casting a spell exactly... it's more that the target of his dislike can feel how much my guy wants it dead and it frightens/affects them negatively. Song of rest wouldn't be a song, just his companions taking some solace from my character's confidence.
You don't have to be "Musical" to be a bard, although it would certainly be a rare bird that wasn't musical in one form or another. But it is possible to focus your bard craft on epic poetry, ballads and, for the opposite sex, sonnets. If you spent some time away from the table between sessions writing an epic poem to share, I believe your party and DM would appreciate your contributions beyond the Inspiration Dice.
Ooh...that sounds like a bard-barian.
But yes, a College of Swords Bard is capable of having either their feats of swordplay or their innate charisma as being their spellcasting focus.
I do like the concept of their emotions being the source of their power...basically pathokinesis.
Basically, yes. I've never been able to get away with bards singing along etc in battle, think I'd much prefer styling the bard benefits as described and leaving the actual spellcasting as actual spellcasting so... components, gestures, and chants. Also, I meant college of valour, not swords. I only have the PHB.
I did a bard who styled his spells in a similar manner to the Dragonborn from Skyrim.
He essentially would quote ancient phrases handed down through fables and stories, channeling them into spells.
The Chanter from "Pillars of Eternity" had a similar concept...they would say "At The Sight Of Their Comrades, Their Hearts Grew Bold" for buffing or summoning....or "Come, Soft Winds Of Death" for attacking. They had plenty of material.
That last one makes a great phrase for "Dissonant Whispers", for example.
Lordaelyn Penrose | Half-Elf Lore Bard | Courtier Background
Brave, drunk, into free love movement. Edit* Know it all. she knows 8 languages and has magic reading spectacles. We started in 4e, but our DM let us bring some stuff over to 5e.
Backstory
Her parents met in a small market town. Her mother came from the world renown flower business in Rosedale, and her father was an elf, heir to the Honey Baronny from Gallanoer, the tree city. Their union was frowned upon by both families (which is silly because honeybees and flowers would provide a beneficial union), so they eloped to the capitol of Adimore, where mixed race couples weren't a big deal. They bought an old farmhouse on the edge of town and a shop in the city, and grew and produced their own poultices, herbal remedies, and a mainland brand of honey that her father cultivated in his spare time. They had two girls, Lordaelyn (Dally to her friends) and Ladella.
When Lordaelyn was 13 and Ladella was 8, the city's monarchy was overtaken by a democratic system. The coup was quick and brutal, the city rioted for days and Lordaelyn's folks were murdered. Lordaelyn took to the streets, busking and pickpocketing to supply enough money for rent and food to take care of her sister. After a year of performing throughout the city a wealthy Deva discovered her and offered to take the girls in. In exchange Lordaelyn would perform at his many house parties. He sent her to the hippy-est of bard schools for official training and when she was old enough to seek out her grandparents there were some good and bad results.
Her human grandparents tried to get her to enter an arranged marriage, and were pretty awful to her. Her elven grandparents, on the other hand were surprisingly helpful and had actually sent people to look for them after the fall. She travelled between their isolated tree city in Gallanoer and her new home in SIlverstrand with her patron. She brought her sister back with her on one trip and the sister ended up marrying into nobility. The family's honey business was doing amazing, but always looking for new and unique flavors to blend with their traditional mix. Lordaelyn volunteered to explore, looking for exotic plants that could thrive on the island.
Adventure So Far
She ended up wintering at a priory, reuniting with a couple paladin friends she knew from the parties at her patron's house. When one of them, a young dragonborn, was tasked with some business for the king, she decided to tag along. They met and befriended a druid and warlock, who helped them search for an old friend of the king. They uncovered a goblin pact with some townsfolk, which lead them to a deeper conspiracy to end the world. They ended this attempt but were unable to pursue any leads, as when they returned to the capitol, famine and plagues had started raging across the land. Tracking the famine to Ratmen, they were able to end the famines which helped with bringing the plagues into check. They were promptly named the Heroes of Valishdal.
The king sent the four of them on a caravan escort quest to another country. In exchange for a bunch of goods and a new influx of merchants with a new set of skills, we were going to bring a bunch of gems and minerals home from one of the major mines of the continent. When they arrived, they noticed the lack of poor and suspiciously cleanly streets. After some probing they found out that the city had giant magic obelisks funneling power from slaves to ward off any monsters or invading forces.
The group was almost okay with it, as most of the townsfolk agreed that you give up x amount of your life and the city will support you in whatever means you want to start a new life, and most considered it a blessing. But when Lordaelyn got alone time with the slaves, they found out that the life-draining process caused terrible pain and agony. They also uncovered that the merchants that they had escorted to the city were contracted to suffer through the ward-powering service before integrating into daily life. While the king had signed the contract, he was notorious for being a dumb-dumb who is bad at contracts.
They also found out that the Prelate of the city was actually a blue dragon in disguise. The adventurers, two of whom have strong stances against slavery, staged a coup, killing the blue dragon and placing a temporary leader in control of the city. The leader, a trusted mage, quickly made a pact with a copper dragon and declared themselves a sovereign nation, separate from the power of the king of the country. This prompted a war between the countries and a lot of mixed feelings toward the heroes.
Lordaelyn and her paladin friend escorted the citizen back to their country, while the druid and warlock had some side business on the way home. That business ended up taking most of a full year. When Lordaelyn and the paladin returned home, they were still regarded as heroes and the king refused to turn them over to the ruler of the attacking country. This continued for the majority of a year. Lordaelyn spent her time on small research missions for the honey baron and general bard business, and the paladin trained new paladins, sometimes accompanying her on dungeon dives as they awaited the return of their friends.
Near the end of the year, the king's betrothed is announced dead, just a month before the wedding. The fragile-hearted king retreats into his palace of solitude and is not seen from, but begins writing declarations. Two weeks later the Heroes of Valishdal are proclaimed traitors to the throne by the king himself, arrested and thrown in jail. The druid, warlock, and 4 friends(the new adventuring party) they have picked up roll into town two weeks later and rescue the king from some powerful magic, freeing Lordaelyn and the paladin. The king celebrated the Heroes of Valishdal, who had also rescued his betrothed, uncovering the plot to overthrow the king.
Lordaelyn decided to go home for a while and reconnect with her people, reporting back her discoveries and taking some time to party until something might spring up and she is called back to adventuring.
Viola is all sparkle and showmanship. She grew up in a traveling circus where she learned all the essentials (music, acrobatics, and curse words. a lot of curse words) before she eventually struck out on her own with her viola, ready to find new sounds to add to her music. Despite only being able to mimic, she's very talented at talking her way into and out of trouble. During the first arc of the campaign, she talked her way into 2 gangs, 1 guild of spies, 1 cult, and a dragon's horde. She's the skill monkey of the party and pretty stacked with utility spells, doing a bit of in-combat healing here and there and with a high enough dex to tag along with our rogue on stealth missions, but has thus far been pretty useless on doing damage. In our most recent fight, the whole party almost got wiped out and Viola couldn't do anything. She wants to be able to protect her friends and herself better, so she turned to the Aboleth trapped in a stone that she'd attuned to earlier for a pact, granting her her warlock powers.
She also collects teeth from every enemy they defeat. Nobody knows what she does with them. She's a weird little bird.
Yazlyn "Yaz" Ousstyl
Age: 20
Half-drow
Birthplace: Menzoberranzan, in the Underdark
Glamour Bard, level 3
Yaz was born into slavery, the product of a human slave and a noble of the drow House of Ousstyl. His slavemaster was terribly abusive, and his father secretly trained him, brutally, in the use of a rapier, hoping one day to take over the House through a child that no one knew he had. Thankfully for Yaz, he was saved in a rescue mission led by the Church of Eilistraee. As he escaped, he lost the rescue party, but he encountered a mysterious drow woman with long, silver hair, who was humming a beautiful, unrecognizable tune. She pointed him in the direction of the rescuers. Sadly, after they were both rescued and brought to the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, his mother, who feared that his father might have "planted" something like a trigger word on him and that he may turn one day into a deadly weapon, poisoned him. Luckily, half-drow are resistant to drow poison, so he survived.
After waking, Yaz no longer trusted anyone, and escaped the Promenade, stealing a curious artifact simply labeled "Eilistraee's Fife" and hoping to pawn it off for money. He escaped to Waterdeep via a portal in the Promenade, but the fife, ordinary in appearance, wouldn't sell for more than one gold piece. Instead, he learned to play it and eventually enrolled in the Bard College, using the singing and dancing skills he used to use to distract his slavemaster and protect himself from harsh punishments. After two years of study, he earned enough money to rent a small house before meeting the group of adventurers whom he currently accompanies.
One day, while futzing around on the fife, he recalled that mysterious drow woman's tune, and played it, awakening a locked power in the instrument. You see, after visiting Earth, Eilistraee (that mysterious drow woman) had used this pipe to "record" many of her favorite songs, which just happened to mostly be disco tunes. Now, Yaz somehow has access to all of those tunes, and when he plays one of them, his appearance takes on something more akin to Eilistraee, and he can inspire and empower his friends.
TL, DR: Say hello to your friendly neighborhood disco-drag-queen Glamour Bard.
Me:
Class And Race: Moon Elf Bard (Level One)
Stats: 10 STRENGTH 16 DEXTERITY 12 CONSTITUTION 14 INTELLIGENCE 8 WISDOM 15 CHARISMA
Background: My Character Is Trying To Learn About Many Sorts Of Art. He was a noble in his homeland and decided to leave for adventure.
Dorian Mode - Drow Lore Bard, lv 3
He was a king of an ancient kingdom who was betrayed and trapped with the Imprisonment spell. Having been recently freed he is traveling as a simple entertainer to learn more about the world and come to terms with the fact that everything that he once knew is now gone.