I currently am playing an Eldritch Knight with a group of friends, and have other classes such as warlock, wizard, and paladin in my party. I feel like most of the time, the quests focus around them, and I can understand that, as they are rather easy to center around from a DMing point of view. I was curious if anyone has found a way to make themselves more important to the plot as a fighter without having a very complicated backstory.
I don't really understand what your class has to do with narrative role. It doesn't define your character's motivations, bonds, or other traits - that's what your background is for. If your character is a helpful go-getter, offer his/her help to anyone who passes. If your character would do anything for a noble title, work tirelessly for the Lords' Alliance in the (possibly vain) hopes of being awarded a Dukeship. Do things in the name of god, guild, or gold so the DM knows what your character wants. I suppose an Eldritch Knight might also be particularly interested in magical lore, or anything related to where their powers flow from - but these should be defined by your character's personality. In the absence of anything else, dedicate your character as personal bodyguard to the other party members and share in their individual glories.
Would be helpful to have more information on your character, as well as the types of quests so far that have been targeted at the other classes.
You can add a personal quest to the backstory (In the "Bond" section of the character sheet): a missing relative or heirloom to be found, an artefact to be tracked down, a quest from your organization.
Then work with the DM to add details and hints of your quest to the adventure the DM is running.
You are a fighter. A guy in armor with a weapon. And you stand side by side with a group of people who can literally reshape reality to their will or call upon the forces of nature or Gods to destroy their enemies. But you are right there, with them, doing your part. Protecting them and killing enemies, just the same as them. But you're doing it through tireless training and force of will, pushing your body beyond the limits of an average person and through tactics and intelligence. You need no god, arcane, or primordial gifts to stand up to the monsters of the world, just your body, some wits, and some iron. I'd say that makes fighters even more powerful than any wizard, druid, cleric, paladin, or warlock.
There's a reason the leader of the entire Alliance in World of Warcraft and the strongest person in that universe is a fighter.
As part of my backstory and the background i did the Knight of Myth Drannor (plan on doing the Eldritch Knight path, and the Knights of Myth Drannor basically reskinned soldier background). As part of that i took the officer path and then i basically have my dude this expert in all types of combats and have seen many battles to craft strategies for the group, working with my DM to help insert more into the story and around this. I think it will serve well over time for our group, we are currently just a my fighter, a paladin, a warlock, and possibly getting a bard added. So far its worked pretty well for the group looking to my combat prowess for ideas in battle. Maybe you can do something similar, as time progresses you can insert yourself in as the go to person for combat related ideas.
My fighter has a noble background, essentially a pampered rich boy on the mend (trained as a the leader of his father's war band, but little bit in the Kevin Costner Robin Hood mould), and we've used this background to assist in dealing with other NPC's that our group comes across (would rather talk to someone who can actually speak with respect, and not insult every living thing under the sun. Not that it always works mind you :)
We've also had to use my fighter to intercede between two of the party going at it because one of them is a little bit of a argumentative numbskull.
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Odo Proudfoot - Lvl 10 Halfling Monk - Princes of the Apocalypse (Campaign Finished)
I'm about to start a campaign where my fighter is a city watch investigator. I feel this background will allow him to get involved in each mission from the perspective of someone who feels their duty is to deliver justice. I've given him tavern brawler and intend on taking grappler to make him good at arresting rather than killing. He'll probably want to do trials and make the party deliver their captive to the nearest jail. There's also the possibility of him trying to get new laws put in place where he sees there is a miscarriage of justice.
I think you've got to create your characters story and almost force it on the DM. So in my game there's no courthouse or police force in my home town, my character will be trying to change that through his actions and beliefs.
In terms of your game what are the current stories around your party and how can you get involved?
I see your an Eldritch Knight but what type of beliefs and codes does your fighter follow. Use them to figure out why your fighter is motivated to complete the quests for their own purpose as well as assisting the party.
My first fighter from Fifth Edition also had the City Watch Investigator background. A half orc named August (he was adopted, and his new mother gave him that name over his former orc name), he often referred to himself as detective, and liked to approach sidequests as mysteries to be solved. He was kicked out of the City Watch because (unbeknownst to him) he was about to uncover corruption among the lords of the city, and so he constantly wants to prove his mental worth.
I got back to D&D after 20-or-so-year break and rolled a fighter... A deep gnome one since a three foot tall killing machine just felt right...
We're playing Tomb of Annihilation and so far I got to level 2 with my scimitar still unused. The rest of my party mainly talks, negotiates payment and sneaks upon people at night while I wait for some proper action. Next time we are going straight into the jungle so here's hoping I get to prove my worth to them before we all die of dehydration and/or zombie bites. I believe that when there's no chance of stabbing enemies in the back and paper-thin pyjamas get torn by dinosaur claws, it is steel and board in hands of the real heroes that matter.
That said, I enjoy being a calm, mature stoic that conserves his strength and waits for an opportunity to act. As a Sverfneblin I don't talk much, still trying to wrap my head around the fact there's no ceiling above us most of the time, but hey, that is what they invented wide-brimmed hats for!
I'm planning to become Battle Master at level 3, to further develop this you-can-count-on-me-folks archetype. Am I the leading voice in my party? No. Do I want to be one? Ditto. I am just a small cocky gnome trying to make my way on this Material Plane...
Wow, I think I've just found my signature motto!
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"[D&D] is like hanging out... but with math" - Dan Harmon
I got back to D&D after 20-or-so-year break and rolled a fighter... A deep gnome one since a three foot tall killing machine just felt right...
We're playing Tomb of Annihilation and so far I got to level 2 with my scimitar still unused. The rest of my party mainly talks, negotiates payment and sneaks upon people at night while I wait for some proper action. Next time we are going straight into the jungle so here's hoping I get to prove my worth to them before we all die of dehydration and/or zombie bites. I believe that when there's no chance of stabbing enemies in the back and paper-thin pyjamas get torn by dinosaur claws, it is steel and board in hands of the real heroes that matter.
That said, I enjoy being a calm, mature stoic that conserves his strength and waits for an opportunity to act. As a Sverfneblin I don't talk much, still trying to wrap my head around the fact there's no ceiling above us most of the time, but hey, that is what they invented wide-brimmed hats for!
I'm planning to become Battle Master at level 3, to further develop this you-can-count-on-me-folks archetype. Am I the leading voice in my party? No. Do I want to be one? Ditto. I am just a small cocky gnome trying to make my way on this Material Plane...
You can begin by asking what does your character want? why is he out of for adventure? is it the thrill? is he going to find someone? recover something lost? knowing where did he obtain his magical power from? Talk to your DM it's not very hard to make a story for your character or get quests that revolves around your character.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I 100% agree with this. If you want your character more involved in the storyline of the quests you definitely need to talk to the DM so he/she knows this when creating said quests. However, you will need to work on your character’s backstory, wants, needs, desires or at least make sure others know what they are if they don’t.. Making the work easier for your DM will definately help them to get it into the campaign.
I felt the same way early on with one of my characters. I just had some brief out of game communication with the DM to see what he could do, and what I could do to assist him by building a more fleshed out character. I learned that I needed to have more meat to my story which I was not great at. I also had another player help by asking me about my past in game to kind of force me to get out of my comfort zone. After a few sessions I felt like my fighter was more than just a guy with a sword that hits things. He was now someone who was working towards a goal because of something that had happened in my past. Made me feel more a part of the story being told than just reacting to stuff that happened. Definately a better experience for me and I got better at making characters that were not just one dimensional. As a player, still a work in progress though :)
You are a fighter. A guy in armor with a weapon. And you stand side by side with a group of people who can literally reshape reality to their will or call upon the forces of nature or Gods to destroy their enemies. But you are right there, with them, doing your part. Protecting them and killing enemies, just the same as them. But you're doing it through tireless training and force of will, pushing your body beyond the limits of an average person and through tactics and intelligence. You need no god, arcane, or primordial gifts to stand up to the monsters of the world, just your body, some wits, and some iron. I'd say that makes fighters even more powerful than any wizard, druid, cleric, paladin, or warlock.
There's a reason the leader of the entire Alliance in World of Warcraft and the strongest person in that universe is a fighter.
You’re saying that he is Hawkeye fighting with the Avengers. Thought he is playing an EK, so he does have magic so it is a little different, but your point is still valid.
either way your class shouldn’t have impact, as others have said, on your role in the story. You should talk to your dm and express your concerns, maybe they don’t realize they haven’t been sharing the spotlight.
I just finished playing a Fighter Battle Master - he's actually the character in my profile pic. He played a quite large role in the story because... well, I made him do it. I played him as an outgoing, charismatic individual (his CHA was 16 actually) who was always eager to strike up conversation with people, to meddle in people's business, etc. So he just sort of forced himself into the center of the story, even if mechanically speaking he wasn't as fancy or flashy as the warlock or the druid. I also gave my character lots of hooks in his backstory for the GM to hang plots off of, and when the GM would provide us with new storylines I would come up with reasons why my character would be personally invested in the quest (that were consistent with his previously established backstory and personality, of course).
Definitely talk to your GM about what sort of quests you'd like to see that would focus on your fighter. But also look at what stories your GM has already provided and see if you can't twist them around a little bit to better fit your fighter.
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"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
I understand your feelings completely . I play the fighter in my groups home brew campaign , and all I am is a meat shield during combat . Yes , in towns / civilized areas , my character interacts with shopkeepers and such , but in battle - " I attack . I attack . I attack . " . He has no useful skill outside of combat , and all of the other character deal more damage in battle than he does .
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I currently am playing an Eldritch Knight with a group of friends, and have other classes such as warlock, wizard, and paladin in my party. I feel like most of the time, the quests focus around them, and I can understand that, as they are rather easy to center around from a DMing point of view. I was curious if anyone has found a way to make themselves more important to the plot as a fighter without having a very complicated backstory.
I don't really understand what your class has to do with narrative role. It doesn't define your character's motivations, bonds, or other traits - that's what your background is for. If your character is a helpful go-getter, offer his/her help to anyone who passes. If your character would do anything for a noble title, work tirelessly for the Lords' Alliance in the (possibly vain) hopes of being awarded a Dukeship. Do things in the name of god, guild, or gold so the DM knows what your character wants. I suppose an Eldritch Knight might also be particularly interested in magical lore, or anything related to where their powers flow from - but these should be defined by your character's personality. In the absence of anything else, dedicate your character as personal bodyguard to the other party members and share in their individual glories.
Would be helpful to have more information on your character, as well as the types of quests so far that have been targeted at the other classes.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
You can add a personal quest to the backstory (In the "Bond" section of the character sheet): a missing relative or heirloom to be found, an artefact to be tracked down, a quest from your organization.
Then work with the DM to add details and hints of your quest to the adventure the DM is running.
You are a fighter. A guy in armor with a weapon. And you stand side by side with a group of people who can literally reshape reality to their will or call upon the forces of nature or Gods to destroy their enemies. But you are right there, with them, doing your part. Protecting them and killing enemies, just the same as them. But you're doing it through tireless training and force of will, pushing your body beyond the limits of an average person and through tactics and intelligence. You need no god, arcane, or primordial gifts to stand up to the monsters of the world, just your body, some wits, and some iron. I'd say that makes fighters even more powerful than any wizard, druid, cleric, paladin, or warlock.
There's a reason the leader of the entire Alliance in World of Warcraft and the strongest person in that universe is a fighter.
As part of my backstory and the background i did the Knight of Myth Drannor (plan on doing the Eldritch Knight path, and the Knights of Myth Drannor basically reskinned soldier background). As part of that i took the officer path and then i basically have my dude this expert in all types of combats and have seen many battles to craft strategies for the group, working with my DM to help insert more into the story and around this. I think it will serve well over time for our group, we are currently just a my fighter, a paladin, a warlock, and possibly getting a bard added. So far its worked pretty well for the group looking to my combat prowess for ideas in battle. Maybe you can do something similar, as time progresses you can insert yourself in as the go to person for combat related ideas.
My fighter has a noble background, essentially a pampered rich boy on the mend (trained as a the leader of his father's war band, but little bit in the Kevin Costner Robin Hood mould), and we've used this background to assist in dealing with other NPC's that our group comes across (would rather talk to someone who can actually speak with respect, and not insult every living thing under the sun. Not that it always works mind you :)
We've also had to use my fighter to intercede between two of the party going at it because one of them is a little bit of a argumentative numbskull.
Odo Proudfoot - Lvl 10 Halfling Monk - Princes of the Apocalypse (Campaign Finished)
Orryn Pebblefoot - Lvl 5 Rock Gnome Wizard (Deceased) - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Deceased)
Anerin Ap Tewdr - Lvl 5 Human (Variant) Bard (College of Valor) - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
I'm about to start a campaign where my fighter is a city watch investigator. I feel this background will allow him to get involved in each mission from the perspective of someone who feels their duty is to deliver justice. I've given him tavern brawler and intend on taking grappler to make him good at arresting rather than killing. He'll probably want to do trials and make the party deliver their captive to the nearest jail. There's also the possibility of him trying to get new laws put in place where he sees there is a miscarriage of justice.
I think you've got to create your characters story and almost force it on the DM. So in my game there's no courthouse or police force in my home town, my character will be trying to change that through his actions and beliefs.
In terms of your game what are the current stories around your party and how can you get involved?
I see your an Eldritch Knight but what type of beliefs and codes does your fighter follow. Use them to figure out why your fighter is motivated to complete the quests for their own purpose as well as assisting the party.
My first fighter from Fifth Edition also had the City Watch Investigator background. A half orc named August (he was adopted, and his new mother gave him that name over his former orc name), he often referred to himself as detective, and liked to approach sidequests as mysteries to be solved. He was kicked out of the City Watch because (unbeknownst to him) he was about to uncover corruption among the lords of the city, and so he constantly wants to prove his mental worth.
I got back to D&D after 20-or-so-year break and rolled a fighter... A deep gnome one since a three foot tall killing machine just felt right...
We're playing Tomb of Annihilation and so far I got to level 2 with my scimitar still unused. The rest of my party mainly talks, negotiates payment and sneaks upon people at night while I wait for some proper action. Next time we are going straight into the jungle so here's hoping I get to prove my worth to them before we all die of dehydration and/or zombie bites. I believe that when there's no chance of stabbing enemies in the back and paper-thin pyjamas get torn by dinosaur claws, it is steel and board in hands of the real heroes that matter.
That said, I enjoy being a calm, mature stoic that conserves his strength and waits for an opportunity to act. As a Sverfneblin I don't talk much, still trying to wrap my head around the fact there's no ceiling above us most of the time, but hey, that is what they invented wide-brimmed hats for!
I'm planning to become Battle Master at level 3, to further develop this you-can-count-on-me-folks archetype. Am I the leading voice in my party? No. Do I want to be one? Ditto. I am just a small cocky gnome trying to make my way on this Material Plane...
Wow, I think I've just found my signature motto!
"[D&D] is like hanging out... but with math" - Dan Harmon
You feel that the story centres on the other characters, so go talk to your DM about this and let them know how you feel.
Be prepared for a constructive conversation and have some ideas on additional back story that could be introduced for your character.
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You can begin by asking what does your character want? why is he out of for adventure? is it the thrill? is he going to find someone? recover something lost? knowing where did he obtain his magical power from? Talk to your DM it's not very hard to make a story for your character or get quests that revolves around your character.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I 100% agree with this. If you want your character more involved in the storyline of the quests you definitely need to talk to the DM so he/she knows this when creating said quests. However, you will need to work on your character’s backstory, wants, needs, desires or at least make sure others know what they are if they don’t.. Making the work easier for your DM will definately help them to get it into the campaign.
I felt the same way early on with one of my characters. I just had some brief out of game communication with the DM to see what he could do, and what I could do to assist him by building a more fleshed out character. I learned that I needed to have more meat to my story which I was not great at. I also had another player help by asking me about my past in game to kind of force me to get out of my comfort zone. After a few sessions I felt like my fighter was more than just a guy with a sword that hits things. He was now someone who was working towards a goal because of something that had happened in my past. Made me feel more a part of the story being told than just reacting to stuff that happened. Definately a better experience for me and I got better at making characters that were not just one dimensional. As a player, still a work in progress though :)
You’re saying that he is Hawkeye fighting with the Avengers. Thought he is playing an EK, so he does have magic so it is a little different, but your point is still valid.
either way your class shouldn’t have impact, as others have said, on your role in the story. You should talk to your dm and express your concerns, maybe they don’t realize they haven’t been sharing the spotlight.
I just finished playing a Fighter Battle Master - he's actually the character in my profile pic. He played a quite large role in the story because... well, I made him do it. I played him as an outgoing, charismatic individual (his CHA was 16 actually) who was always eager to strike up conversation with people, to meddle in people's business, etc. So he just sort of forced himself into the center of the story, even if mechanically speaking he wasn't as fancy or flashy as the warlock or the druid. I also gave my character lots of hooks in his backstory for the GM to hang plots off of, and when the GM would provide us with new storylines I would come up with reasons why my character would be personally invested in the quest (that were consistent with his previously established backstory and personality, of course).
Definitely talk to your GM about what sort of quests you'd like to see that would focus on your fighter. But also look at what stories your GM has already provided and see if you can't twist them around a little bit to better fit your fighter.
"We're the perfect combination of expendable and unkillable!"
I understand your feelings completely . I play the fighter in my groups home brew campaign , and all I am is a meat shield during combat . Yes , in towns / civilized areas , my character interacts with shopkeepers and such , but in battle - " I attack . I attack . I attack . " . He has no useful skill outside of combat , and all of the other character deal more damage in battle than he does .