I'm joining a group on Roll20 using Discord and they are level 6. This is the current party make up:
Paladin
Cleric
Another Paladin
Wizard
Ranger
Me the Human Bard (College of Lore)
I wanted to go a different route instead of being pigeon holed into playing a singing and dancing only Bard like 99% do, so I decided to forgo the usual Entertainer or Charlatan background route. Instead I opted for guild artisan: Artist/painter. The DM wanted a bio section about him put on the group's Roll20 page, so here it is copy/pasted and with his picture:
"Bio: There isn't a city along the Sword Coast that doesn't have a piece of Caddy's artwork hanging on a wall or outside a building somewhere. He's an artist extraordinaire, specializing in a concept called speed painting, which sees him often wielding two paintbrushes with the same accuracy as a two weapon fighter's blades.
While most Bards regale an audience with stories of yore through song and dance and storytelling, Caddy uses art to get his point across. He can often be found in a tavern or in the company of nobles, captivating them with his story of adventure while also painting it for them right there on the spot. He wows the crowd by incorporating sweet dance moves while slinging paint across canvas too.
He's multi-faceted. He knows that he can't be a one trick pony with the crowds. Therefore he mixes things up. When not painting he is dancing and singing to them, or using minor illusion and prestidigitation along with silent image and major image to recreate battle scenes as he remembers them, taking the audience through an almost live feed of how a battle went down.
He's not just an artist. He's not just a musician. He's not just a dancer or singer. He's a mishmash of it all, with an emphasis on art, and that delights the crowds.
Of course, there's a dark side to him. It's said that he uses some of the blood and gore of his slain foes in place of paint to make his art masterpiece of battle. He's also been known to taunt the evil leaders of those he and his adventuring parties have destroyed, by speed painting murals on the enemy's walls, showing the "highlights" of his party's epic moments during the battle. Some adventuring parties have kicked him out for such behavior, while other parties seem to enjoy his audacity and encourage him, often having Caddy to paint portraits of them sitting or standing in victory poses over the slain enemy while they rot before them.
There's even rumors that he uses his merchant connections and ties to other renowned artists to gain favor among high ranking officials, then when commissioned to do a piece of art for them he offs them nice and clean. Is he Zhentarim? Something else? Just a Bard who likes to art? He holds that information close to the chest, so who knows?
But if you're ever in Waterdeep, hit up "The Caddy Shack". It's the central hub of his family's business in all things art, paints, and signage. " end bio
..... I like this concept on the surface but don't know what else to do with it going forward or fleshing out his backstory. What are some of the things he can do in combat to flavor things? I have picked the spell "Hypnotic Pattern" for thematic appeal and a debuff since it's bright colors flashing. I also plan to do some things artsy with Phantasmal Force but have no idea what to do with it yet. I want to replace his musical instruments spell focus with masterwork paintbrushes but haven't heard back from the DM on it. I'm going to have him make signage cards or coins with his likeness on it and distribute them onto the bodies of the enemies he kills.
He has expertise in Persuasion for easing people into buying his art work or at least talking them into letting him paint them, etc, which could help in some situations and also help in earning some extra coin by setting up shop in towns and doing on the spot portrait paintings of them.
He also has expertise in Deception to pass off some of his rare shitty art work as something great in another part of the world. For instance, a person he is trying to con takes a look at the piece of art and says "Hmm this piece seems to have waaaay too much brown in it"... My bard could reply..... "Ah yes indeed, but that's because I was in (insert name of other country or province here) at the time, and there brown is a color that signifies great power and influence. I should have sold it there for a greater fortune but the jealous artists there ran me off before I could. That's why I'm trying to sell it now, on the cheap, it's taking up too much residence but I can't just give it away." .... *rolls deception* My bard was hoping to get the person to think he could buy it on the cheap from my bard then re-sell it later for a higher profit to tourists or such from the place my Bard named.
I picked Aura of Vitality and Lightning Bolt as my two Magical Secrets spells, what are some ways I can flavor/fluff those spells to fit an artsy artist type?
I'm joining a group on Roll20 using Discord and they are level 6. This is the current party make up:
Paladin
Cleric
Another Paladin
Wizard
Ranger
Me the Human Bard (College of Lore)
I wanted to go a different route instead of being pigeon holed into playing a singing and dancing only Bard like 99% do, so I decided to forgo the usual Entertainer or Charlatan background route. Instead I opted for guild artisan: Artist/painter. The DM wanted a bio section about him put on the group's Roll20 page, so here it is copy/pasted and with his picture:
https://imgur.com/1dF0ygv
"Bio: There isn't a city along the Sword Coast that doesn't have a piece of Caddy's artwork hanging on a wall or outside a building somewhere. He's an artist extraordinaire, specializing in a concept called speed painting, which sees him often wielding two paintbrushes with the same accuracy as a two weapon fighter's blades.
While most Bards regale an audience with stories of yore through song and dance and storytelling, Caddy uses art to get his point across. He can often be found in a tavern or in the company of nobles, captivating them with his story of adventure while also painting it for them right there on the spot. He wows the crowd by incorporating sweet dance moves while slinging paint across canvas too.
He's multi-faceted. He knows that he can't be a one trick pony with the crowds. Therefore he mixes things up. When not painting he is dancing and singing to them, or using minor illusion and prestidigitation along with silent image and major image to recreate battle scenes as he remembers them, taking the audience through an almost live feed of how a battle went down.
He's not just an artist. He's not just a musician. He's not just a dancer or singer. He's a mishmash of it all, with an emphasis on art, and that delights the crowds.
Of course, there's a dark side to him. It's said that he uses some of the blood and gore of his slain foes in place of paint to make his art masterpiece of battle. He's also been known to taunt the evil leaders of those he and his adventuring parties have destroyed, by speed painting murals on the enemy's walls, showing the "highlights" of his party's epic moments during the battle. Some adventuring parties have kicked him out for such behavior, while other parties seem to enjoy his audacity and encourage him, often having Caddy to paint portraits of them sitting or standing in victory poses over the slain enemy while they rot before them.
There's even rumors that he uses his merchant connections and ties to other renowned artists to gain favor among high ranking officials, then when commissioned to do a piece of art for them he offs them nice and clean. Is he Zhentarim? Something else? Just a Bard who likes to art? He holds that information close to the chest, so who knows?
But if you're ever in Waterdeep, hit up "The Caddy Shack". It's the central hub of his family's business in all things art, paints, and signage. " end bio
..... I like this concept on the surface but don't know what else to do with it going forward or fleshing out his backstory. What are some of the things he can do in combat to flavor things? I have picked the spell "Hypnotic Pattern" for thematic appeal and a debuff since it's bright colors flashing. I also plan to do some things artsy with Phantasmal Force but have no idea what to do with it yet. I want to replace his musical instruments spell focus with masterwork paintbrushes but haven't heard back from the DM on it. I'm going to have him make signage cards or coins with his likeness on it and distribute them onto the bodies of the enemies he kills.
He has expertise in Persuasion for easing people into buying his art work or at least talking them into letting him paint them, etc, which could help in some situations and also help in earning some extra coin by setting up shop in towns and doing on the spot portrait paintings of them.
He also has expertise in Deception to pass off some of his rare shitty art work as something great in another part of the world. For instance, a person he is trying to con takes a look at the piece of art and says "Hmm this piece seems to have waaaay too much brown in it"... My bard could reply..... "Ah yes indeed, but that's because I was in (insert name of other country or province here) at the time, and there brown is a color that signifies great power and influence. I should have sold it there for a greater fortune but the jealous artists there ran me off before I could. That's why I'm trying to sell it now, on the cheap, it's taking up too much residence but I can't just give it away." .... *rolls deception* My bard was hoping to get the person to think he could buy it on the cheap from my bard then re-sell it later for a higher profit to tourists or such from the place my Bard named.
I picked Aura of Vitality and Lightning Bolt as my two Magical Secrets spells, what are some ways I can flavor/fluff those spells to fit an artsy artist type?
Thanks in advance.
Aura of Vitality could be the positive energy of his paintings being channeled. and lightning bolt can be a storm cloud he paints.
Elliott Neve