Yup! Is love to see it in action. It should be available soon, right? One possibility is multiclassing to artificer after a couple of levels, I would think.
Yeah, it definitely looks fun! A bit sad they removed the mechanical construct because I had my heart set on a totally useless robot allosaurus for one character idea, but there's still a lot to like. I'll give that some heavy consideration for my app then, and hopefully it'll be up on DDB soon. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
Your reason for being at the circus: (Entertainer) Harlo is a puppeteer, as his father was before him. He's only known the circus life, where he was born and raised.
Backstory (an actual backstory, as in, more than just "Folk Hero"): Harlo was created by an Elven Master Crafter one early morning as the first rays of the sun peaked over the horizen. He was visited by a woman of Fey ancestry who said she was there to answer his call with the power of a wish as the story goes. Created for the sole purpose of mending a broken heart Harlo was raised as the crafter's son. Taught the trade of a puppeteer, Harlo knew that one day he would take over for his father. What he didn't expect was to be the reason his father was gone. You see... one day a force was awakened in Harlo and as a result of some unknown deal with the Fey woman, it was time for Harlo's father to leave. Left on his own, every day is a struggle for Harlo. Does he stay with the only life he has ever known, or does he go in search of his father?
Your reason for being at the circus: Tyrol prefers to work behind the scenes rather than be directly in the spotlight, and as such he functions as the circus's primary prop master, set designer and creator of any necessary practical effects. He's quite good with tinkering, and with creating machinery and effects for those troupe members without the magical ability to produce those effects themselves (rope harnesses, trap doors and trick floors, pyrotechnics, etc.).
Backstory (an actual backstory, as in, more than just "Folk Hero"):
Tyrol doesn't remember a lot from his early days; he assumes he was just another orphan out on the street. He doesn't think too hard about it, honestly. He doesn't much like dwelling on bad memories. What he does recall is the first circus: sneaking a peak through the crowds that gathered outside the city, catching glimpses of light and sound and magic and people vaulting through the air, gasping and laughing at wonders the little minotaur had never seen before. That, Tyrol knew, was what he wanted. To dazzle crowds with light and sound and magic, to awe and amaze and inspire and ignite the same swooping, soaring, electric feeling in the audience's heart that he'd felt that day.
At some point—he doesn't remember what led up to it, only the more pleasant times that came after—Tyrol found himself apprenticed to an alchemist, a master of chemicals and constructs. He proved to be surprisingly dexterous for such a large creature, a quick study of chemistry and mechanics and even quicker to iterate on new ideas, though he was often more interested in tinkerings and curious experiments rather than those that were strictly practical or pragmatic or saleable. Over time this lead to a disagreement with his master over his "lack of appropriate focus". Tyrol doesn't remember the full details, doesn't quite recall the state he left his master and the workshop in, because he doesn't much like dwelling on bad memories. He just remembers leaving.
After some time wandering from settlement to settlement and doing odd jobs where he could, Tyrol caught a performance by another circus. He was quite impressed by the acts he saw, at least until a pyrotechnic display nearly set a portion of the audience on fire. After the head of the troupe dismissed or reassigned the person responsible, Tyrol sidled up and offered his suggestions on what went wrong, how it might be made safer, how it might be made more spectacular. He was hired a short time after whipping up a demonstration of how he'd have handled it instead. Now he travels with the circus, content to tinker and craft and experiment and work on new tricks, to hear the laughter of the children and the gasps of the audience. It's nice to be able to lose himself in that wonder and not think about what might've come before. It tends to drown out the bad memories.
Link to DnD Beyond Character Sheet:https://ddb.ac/characters/9650081/Zgp8zR (Created as a wizard for now; will finish setting up when the artificer hits DDB. If that doesn't happen by the time the game starts I can do a temporary sheet somewhere else with the correct info (I would prefer to jump into artificer right at 1 rather than multiclass, if that's all right). Things like background, languages, alignment, etc. should be correct as-is, barring any tweaking I do if any better/more refined ideas for the character come to mind.)
Roll for starting gold: 10
So that's 100gp. Bought a set of tinker's tools with the gold, so I have 50gp left for now.
I'm happy to adjust whatever based on how minotaurs work in your world, or based on what sort of circus this is/what their shows are usually like/what its history is. There were also a few other races I was considering (namely bugbear or dwarf), so if any of those would work out better for whatever reason then I can roll with that as well.
I think I have a good idea of what I want to play but I'm wondering if I could choose Grung as a race. I know that Grung is technically not an official race, but I was able to find some rules for them (a pdf called One Grung Above). If not, that's totally fine. Thanks.
Backstory- only son of the chief's brother. His tribe lived at the base of a volcano and ruled a large area. From a young age Feytok didn't like the isolation of the village. He was one of the earliest youth to ever volunteer for a raiding party. It was uncommon among the young because of the dangers sure, but mostly because the boys were just there to carry gear and loot, little learning and NO glory.
The family was proud when he started going and happy he never embarrassed himself at first. Eventually he earned Participation but it was lack luster more often than not. Wiping out bandit dens and he raged with a blood lust, but raid a farmhouse and worthless. Family connections can only cover up so much and finally his father cast him out rather than shame the whole family including his brother the chief.
Disillusioned he left hoping to make a living with the only thing outside of fighting that he knew, fire.
Your reason for being at the circus: Is using it as cover to lay low for the time being.
Backstory: Carrion was raised in the streets of Neverwinter, he father passed when he was around 4 and his mother had to work late nights at the inn meaning he needed to take care of his younger sister. Carrion would do what he could to feed his sister sometimes resulting in theft, a loaf of bread here a silver or two there. Never anything huge one day he decided that if he took something larger he could feed his sister for longer and not have to go out everyday to pick pockets or swipe some food. He decided that he would wait for someone with a heavy purse before sneaking up and taking it from them. He saw someone who he thought was the perfect mark, a young man who had his purse hanging loosely at his side. Carrion walked slowly towards the man "accidentally" bumping into him and cutting his purse stuffing it away quickly he apologized for bumping into the man and as he turned to leave he heard him say "That was a good try anyone else and you would have been scotch free" as Carrion turned around he saw the man holding his hand out waiting Carrion set the purse in his hand when he did so the man grabbed his wrist. Dragging him down the street try all he could Carrion couldn't escape his grip. The man took him into a warehouse and tossed him to the ground "You've got potential let's see to it that it's not wasted." For the next 8 years Carrion worked and trained under the man who he later learned was the leader of a small thieve's guild in the city. Once more though Carrion had set his sights to high, now on the run he decided the best place for someone like him to hide was the circus.
Your reason for being at the circus: After a long travel, Elon spots a town up ahead. As he wanders into town he notices a circus. “ hmm, that might be an easier way to travel.” He approaches the ring master, “excuse me but I have been traveling a long while and was wondering if I could catch a ride with you when you leave town?” The ring master looks him over rubbing his chin, “do you have any talents? No body travels for free. You must be able to perform to pay your way” he says with a grunt of his voice. With that, Elon takes his short sword out, stretches out his back and lifts his head before plunging the blade down to the hilt in his throat, then pulls it back out. Looking a little impressed, the ring master put an arm around Elon, “come my boy, let’s talk about your employment”
Backstory: Elon doesn’t know where he came from. The fellow monks refuse to talk about it. All his memories have been of this monistary. He always felt different from the others, even other elves. He excelled at his studies and was a natural at ‘the way of the open hand’ best all others at his level. His curiosity soon got the best of him and he ventured off to find who and where his family is.
So many great characters here, and the campaign setup thus far seems really interesting - I would love to join!
Name:Doggear Brakespine Race: Goliath Alignment: Neutral good Class: Fighter Reason for being at the circus: Keep the bad folks away or at least harmless; show off physique/break things when asked (bouncer/guard/reluctant strongman) Backstory: Son of a goliath who got kicked out of his herd for being too weak and "small" (and smart) and who started working for an arcanist with a big library, practicing some magic here and there. Dad stayed out of trouble and started a family and one of the kids was Doggear, who couldn't stand dad's more refined/weak approach to life, and distrusted magic because of his father's employer. Left home early to go wander, fell in with several mercenary companies who valued him as a big intimidating presence but he got bored with mercenary life. Eventually joined the circus as a strongman/bouncer/muscle to make a living and travel, seeking out his people.
Your reason for being at the circus: I was taken as a child and forced to work for a dark elf who calls himself my "patron." He appreciated my dexterity and skill with a blade and spells and has me and others earn money for him in various ways.
Backstory (an actual backstory, as in, more than just "Folk Hero"): I will flesh it out more if chosen, but here's what I have so far: I want to try to get away when I can, but he seems powerful and I am afraid he would hunt me down and hurt me even more if I were to try to escape. He is volatile and abusive, and hurt me anytime I didn't do a good enough job for him or bring him enough coin. He isn't around all the time, but expects to receive good earnings from my work whenever he drops in. The circus has become my family, though I can't confide in most of them out of fear and shame. I have had a close friend here and there over time. I awe the crowds with my skill with blades, dancing as I weave them through the air, doing flips and acrobatics and landing with my feather falling spell. The stress and abuse has taken a toll on me mentally, and it is difficult some days just to make it through my performances.
Wow, I created this character on the fly to apply for this, but I kinda love her now and need an opportunity to use her somewhere, even if not selected for this!
Reason for joining the circus: B'lang'a'Nang joined the circus as an attempt to gain fame and wealth for his god NangNang. However, when B'lang'a'Nang joined the circus, he didn't join to entertain people. In the Grung language, the word "cer'cu" means "holy war", and the similarities between "circus" and "cer'cu" confused B'lang to no end. In his first act, he wildly praised NangNang to the crowd, burned a mannequin (which had been set aside by the propmaster) to a crisp with his magic, and overall made a fool of himself. The people loved this absurd act, and B'lang'a'Nang continued to preach NangNang to the people in his unintentionally funny show.
Backstory: B'lang'a'Nang was born into the warrior life of the Mee'ya'Nang tribe of Grung. As an orange grung, he was born with a responsibility to oversee the other hunters. He was always most loyal to his god, NangNang, and always made sure to carry out his sacrifices. Because of this, B'lang'a'Nang was thought of as the spiritual leader of the tribe. After a few more successful tribe wars, B'lang'a'Nang summoned enough courage to visit the Cave of the Frog. This cave was not just any regular cave. Not at all. It was the holy site where NangNang ascended to godhood. This cave was notoriously dangerous because of the three froghemoths that guard its entrance. despite this, B'lang'a'Nang made it inside and was met by visions of NangNang. He was commanded to go out to the human world and spread the word that Lady NangNang would return. Although B'lang was a devout worshipper, he was hesitant to leave his homeland. NangNang would have none of this. In an act of the goddesses' signature ruthlessness, a NangNang sucked the water from the Mee'ya'Nang tribe's land. B'lang was forced to die or fulfill his duty. After traveling farther than he ever had before, B'lang'a'Nang reached Arcion and began his journey to satisfy NangNang.
Reason for Being at the Circus: After years of no work, Xavice finds himself in need of money to continue his teachings and pay off his student loans, and takes to the circus to be the world's first flying Monk. While swooping near the audience, he often pickpockets the richer members for petty cash on top of his wages. As a monk, you do not allow yourself to keep much, which is fine as most of it goes to paying off your insurmountable debt.
Backstory:
Xavice were born into an oppressive cult where he was punished for any speech or actions out of line, as a result, he rarely speaks unless necessary. In his youth he was freed of his cult and became a monk. With his ever growing martial arts prowess, he continues to entertain the masses and train for whatever danger lays ahead.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Wait found it.
11
Character Name: Dean Morgan
Race: Half-elf
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Paladin
Your reason for being at the circus: Security/Protection Enforcer
Backstory: Dean grew up in a very religious village. In this village there was a law to give your second born to the temple to aid in the worship of Oghma, a god of knowledge. Dean grew up in the temple, skipping classes and prayer in favor of climbing trees and playing hero. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, his physical abilities made him a great candidate for a paladin of Oghma. Dean learned some simple pieces, but never felt a connection to Oghma other than family obligation. So after only a year of training, Dean left home to join the army, where his willingness to fight and protect were put to good use. He also found the god Helm, who he felt a connection with, unlike Oghma. Seven years pass and Dean is now a Lieutenant. Everything was going smoothly until his habit of getting blackout drunk and getting into fights on leave came to bite him in the ass. Usually the members of his platoon would volunteer to get more hand to hand experience with him, but today a Colonel came to get a drink at the wrong time. She took a right hook to the chin and went down, and Dean was unceremoniously discharges, stripped of his gear, with only his year pay. Fortunately there was a circus in need of guards/enforcers to keep the peace. Dean got the job and has spent the last two years traveling with the circus, knocking heads together and keeping the the circus folk safe from harm.
I'm closing this thread in a little over 24 hours, so this is the last chance to throw your hat in the ring! Thanks everyone who has posted an application so far.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
4
Character Name: Keyrie
Race: Firbolg
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Druid (Planning on being Circle of the Shepherd)
Your reason for being at the circus: Animal Trainer/Caretaker, raised for a good portion of her life in the circus
Backstory (an actual backstory, as in, more than just "Folk Hero"): Keyrie was born to a Firbolg tribe that lived deep in the woods. Unfortunately when she was still rather young, yet to even turn 20, her tribe got on the wrong side of a demon. She ran for her life as her home burned around her, collapsing near a river, and later being found by the circus as they were traveling to a new town. Seeing that she was hurt the circus master tried to help her but she refused to talk to anyone, spending all her time with the animals. She became rather close with a panther named Yaru.
Yaru was actually the animal companion of the head animal trainer, a ranger named Kesef Roz. With Yaru's help he eventually gained her trust and learned about her situation. Seeing as she had no where to go he decided to adopt her as his own, giving her the first name Keyrie and his own last name. Keyrie slowly began to trust the other members of the circus as time went on and has now spent at least a decade traveling with them.
She is now reaching adulthood, in Firbolg years, and has become the assistant head animal trainer. Kesef is trying to get Keyrie to be more active in the show but she prefers to help at the sidelines training the animals between shows, and taking care of their needs. Keyrie views the circus as her new family, having lost her old family she promises to hold onto this one much better. Because of her attitude of putting the needs of her family before her self she has become trusted member and is friends with most of the other veteran members of the circus. She is slow to trust new members but once they pass her test she treats them as family.
Yup! Is love to see it in action. It should be available soon, right? One possibility is multiclassing to artificer after a couple of levels, I would think.
I took a look at the UA they released last week. It looks really interesting! It sounds like it will be available sometime this week on DnDB.
Yeah, it definitely looks fun! A bit sad they removed the mechanical construct because I had my heart set on a totally useless robot allosaurus for one character idea, but there's still a lot to like. I'll give that some heavy consideration for my app then, and hopefully it'll be up on DDB soon. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
Tyrol doesn't remember a lot from his early days; he assumes he was just another orphan out on the street. He doesn't think too hard about it, honestly. He doesn't much like dwelling on bad memories. What he does recall is the first circus: sneaking a peak through the crowds that gathered outside the city, catching glimpses of light and sound and magic and people vaulting through the air, gasping and laughing at wonders the little minotaur had never seen before. That, Tyrol knew, was what he wanted. To dazzle crowds with light and sound and magic, to awe and amaze and inspire and ignite the same swooping, soaring, electric feeling in the audience's heart that he'd felt that day.
At some point—he doesn't remember what led up to it, only the more pleasant times that came after—Tyrol found himself apprenticed to an alchemist, a master of chemicals and constructs. He proved to be surprisingly dexterous for such a large creature, a quick study of chemistry and mechanics and even quicker to iterate on new ideas, though he was often more interested in tinkerings and curious experiments rather than those that were strictly practical or pragmatic or saleable. Over time this lead to a disagreement with his master over his "lack of appropriate focus". Tyrol doesn't remember the full details, doesn't quite recall the state he left his master and the workshop in, because he doesn't much like dwelling on bad memories. He just remembers leaving.
After some time wandering from settlement to settlement and doing odd jobs where he could, Tyrol caught a performance by another circus. He was quite impressed by the acts he saw, at least until a pyrotechnic display nearly set a portion of the audience on fire. After the head of the troupe dismissed or reassigned the person responsible, Tyrol sidled up and offered his suggestions on what went wrong, how it might be made safer, how it might be made more spectacular. He was hired a short time after whipping up a demonstration of how he'd have handled it instead. Now he travels with the circus, content to tinker and craft and experiment and work on new tricks, to hear the laughter of the children and the gasps of the audience. It's nice to be able to lose himself in that wonder and not think about what might've come before. It tends to drown out the bad memories.
Roll for starting gold: 10
So that's 100gp. Bought a set of tinker's tools with the gold, so I have 50gp left for now.
I'm happy to adjust whatever based on how minotaurs work in your world, or based on what sort of circus this is/what their shows are usually like/what its history is. There were also a few other races I was considering (namely bugbear or dwarf), so if any of those would work out better for whatever reason then I can roll with that as well.
Thanks for your consideration!
I think I have a good idea of what I want to play but I'm wondering if I could choose Grung as a race. I know that Grung is technically not an official race, but I was able to find some rules for them (a pdf called One Grung Above). If not, that's totally fine. Thanks.
Can you link the PDF?
https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/Tamu/characters/9668118
FeyTok
Fire genassi barbarian
Lawful good
Circus- new arrival, hoping to be a fire eater
Backstory- only son of the chief's brother. His tribe lived at the base of a volcano and ruled a large area. From a young age Feytok didn't like the isolation of the village. He was one of the earliest youth to ever volunteer for a raiding party. It was uncommon among the young because of the dangers sure, but mostly because the boys were just there to carry gear and loot, little learning and NO glory.
The family was proud when he started going and happy he never embarrassed himself at first. Eventually he earned Participation but it was lack luster more often than not. Wiping out bandit dens and he raged with a blood lust, but raid a farmhouse and worthless. Family connections can only cover up so much and finally his father cast him out rather than shame the whole family including his brother the chief.
Disillusioned he left hoping to make a living with the only thing outside of fighting that he knew, fire.
Elon Andrael- High Elf sorcerer- Waterdeep Dragon Heist
Tomac- goliath barbarian- Yet Another Storm Kings Thunder
So many great characters here, and the campaign setup thus far seems really interesting - I would love to join!
Name: Doggear Brakespine
Race: Goliath
Alignment: Neutral good
Class: Fighter
Reason for being at the circus: Keep the bad folks away or at least harmless; show off physique/break things when asked (bouncer/guard/reluctant strongman)
Backstory: Son of a goliath who got kicked out of his herd for being too weak and "small" (and smart) and who started working for an arcanist with a big library, practicing some magic here and there. Dad stayed out of trouble and started a family and one of the kids was Doggear, who couldn't stand dad's more refined/weak approach to life, and distrusted magic because of his father's employer. Left home early to go wander, fell in with several mercenary companies who valued him as a big intimidating presence but he got bored with mercenary life. Eventually joined the circus as a strongman/bouncer/muscle to make a living and travel, seeking out his people.
Gold roll: 120
Wow, I created this character on the fly to apply for this, but I kinda love her now and need an opportunity to use her somewhere, even if not selected for this!
Edited to fix formatting.
KestrelEliot on Twitter
(Sorry if this is a bit late)
Character Name: B'lang'nang
Race: Grung
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Warlock (may multiclass to Rogue)
Reason for joining the circus: B'lang'a'Nang joined the circus as an attempt to gain fame and wealth for his god NangNang. However, when B'lang'a'Nang joined the circus, he didn't join to entertain people. In the Grung language, the word "cer'cu" means "holy war", and the similarities between "circus" and "cer'cu" confused B'lang to no end. In his first act, he wildly praised NangNang to the crowd, burned a mannequin (which had been set aside by the propmaster) to a crisp with his magic, and overall made a fool of himself. The people loved this absurd act, and B'lang'a'Nang continued to preach NangNang to the people in his unintentionally funny show.
Backstory: B'lang'a'Nang was born into the warrior life of the Mee'ya'Nang tribe of Grung. As an orange grung, he was born with a responsibility to oversee the other hunters. He was always most loyal to his god, NangNang, and always made sure to carry out his sacrifices. Because of this, B'lang'a'Nang was thought of as the spiritual leader of the tribe. After a few more successful tribe wars, B'lang'a'Nang summoned enough courage to visit the Cave of the Frog. This cave was not just any regular cave. Not at all. It was the holy site where NangNang ascended to godhood. This cave was notoriously dangerous because of the three froghemoths that guard its entrance. despite this, B'lang'a'Nang made it inside and was met by visions of NangNang. He was commanded to go out to the human world and spread the word that Lady NangNang would return. Although B'lang was a devout worshipper, he was hesitant to leave his homeland. NangNang would have none of this. In an act of the goddesses' signature ruthlessness, a NangNang sucked the water from the Mee'ya'Nang tribe's land. B'lang was forced to die or fulfill his duty. After traveling farther than he ever had before, B'lang'a'Nang reached Arcion and began his journey to satisfy NangNang.
(I will finalize the character if I am selected)
Character Sheet Link: https://ddb.ac/characters/9766709/1kk13Z
Tons of great characters in here. I am starting to narrow down the candidates but there is still a couple of days left to submit a character.
Character Name: Xavice
Race: Aarakocra
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Monk
Reason for Being at the Circus: After years of no work, Xavice finds himself in need of money to continue his teachings and pay off his student loans, and takes to the circus to be the world's first flying Monk. While swooping near the audience, he often pickpockets the richer members for petty cash on top of his wages. As a monk, you do not allow yourself to keep much, which is fine as most of it goes to paying off your insurmountable debt.
Backstory:
Xavice were born into an oppressive cult where he was punished for any speech or actions out of line, as a result, he rarely speaks unless necessary. In his youth he was freed of his cult and became a monk. With his ever growing martial arts prowess, he continues to entertain the masses and train for whatever danger lays ahead.
DDB Sheet: https://ddb.ac/characters/9792738/mbHCnB
Gold Roll: 15
So we roll for gold here? Where can I find that?
Wait found it.
11
I'm closing this thread in a little over 24 hours, so this is the last chance to throw your hat in the ring! Thanks everyone who has posted an application so far.
Hope I make the cut. Sounds like a cool adventure.
Elon Andrael- High Elf sorcerer- Waterdeep Dragon Heist
Tomac- goliath barbarian- Yet Another Storm Kings Thunder
4
Character Name: Keyrie
Race: Firbolg
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Druid (Planning on being Circle of the Shepherd)
Your reason for being at the circus: Animal Trainer/Caretaker, raised for a good portion of her life in the circus
Backstory (an actual backstory, as in, more than just "Folk Hero"): Keyrie was born to a Firbolg tribe that lived deep in the woods. Unfortunately when she was still rather young, yet to even turn 20, her tribe got on the wrong side of a demon. She ran for her life as her home burned around her, collapsing near a river, and later being found by the circus as they were traveling to a new town. Seeing that she was hurt the circus master tried to help her but she refused to talk to anyone, spending all her time with the animals. She became rather close with a panther named Yaru.
Yaru was actually the animal companion of the head animal trainer, a ranger named Kesef Roz. With Yaru's help he eventually gained her trust and learned about her situation. Seeing as she had no where to go he decided to adopt her as his own, giving her the first name Keyrie and his own last name. Keyrie slowly began to trust the other members of the circus as time went on and has now spent at least a decade traveling with them.
She is now reaching adulthood, in Firbolg years, and has become the assistant head animal trainer. Kesef is trying to get Keyrie to be more active in the show but she prefers to help at the sidelines training the animals between shows, and taking care of their needs. Keyrie views the circus as her new family, having lost her old family she promises to hold onto this one much better. Because of her attitude of putting the needs of her family before her self she has become trusted member and is friends with most of the other veteran members of the circus. She is slow to trust new members but once they pass her test she treats them as family.
Link to DnD Beyond Character Sheet: https://ddb.ac/characters/9866591/90rGil