Class: Paladin (with one level dip into fighter if that's allowed, to get Two Weapon fighting style)
Intended subclass: Oath of Ancients (if you've got it, I've only got access to the free D&DBeyond stuff on my sheet)
Background: Haunted One
BRIEF backstory: Hatch had an unusual childhood - he was raised by a dracolich until adulthood. Why and how that came to be is the mystery of his life. But understandably the horror of it haunts him, leading him to reject all things evil in petty spite against his "mother."
(Basically the thought of taking a demon looking tiefling, giving him the most evil upbringing I can think of, and yet making him a sweet lawful good paladin tickles me pink)
I typically use point buy, which not counting racial/class mods is 15, 10, 14, 8, 10, 14, but I'd be interested in rolling for stats
Previous D&D experience: I only started playing early this year. I did that Hotel Corona campaign which was fun, currently doing one called Allansia Wildlands here too, and I've got another one on Discord I'm doing.
I'm going to try rolling for stats. It's just 6 d20s right?
if you click on the little dice icon, and go to the one marked ability scores it'll set it up for you, just make sure it rerolls 1s once. it's 6 sets of 4d6, not 6 d20s
if you click on the little dice icon, and go to the one marked ability scores it'll set it up for you, just make sure it rerolls 1s once. it's 6 sets of 4d6, not 6 d20s
“Tradition is the democracy of the dead - it refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”
Those are the words that first aroused suspicion among the congregation of the Raven Queen in Chalcottom. Their priestess - Talindra Gourael - had been a long favoured leader of the underground church. She was a Shadar-kai - the ghostly white elves who usually resided in the shadow of the Raven Queen’s own dread fortress.
Yet this underground cult in Chalcottom believed in a semblance of balance. Live and death each had their place, both were necessary, yet there was little need to hasten from one to the other. Perhaps it was this moderate view that meant the church went unharassed in Chalcottom, even with such an extraordinary priestess.
Sho Zuan’s parents were both nominal worshippers at the church of the Raven Queen. As their son, Sho Zuan had the oppurtunity be invited for the singular honour of serving at the altar. This largely consisted of assisting with liturgical items and processes, but it put him at the front of every ritual and ensured that, despite his young age, he earned the respect of the church and the priestess.
However, all was not as it seemed. Talindra was, in fact, no Shadar-kai at all, but a Dusk Elf survivor of Strahd’s purge in the realm of Barovia. This wisdom she had found not in the teachings of the Raven Queen, but of Vecna: the Raven Queen’s sworn enemy. Vecna was not at all about balance, but about the superiority of death - being eternal - and the frivolity of life, being a gift wasted on mortals and therefore soiled and worthless.
One day, in a sermon, Talindra spoke those words which betrayed her true beliefs. Many of the church members walked out with a mixture of disdain and concern. But young Sho Zuan was transfixed. Something about those words made sense to him. He realised that too much power lay in the hands of those who possessed life, and that it should be the duty of enlightened to re-enfranchise those from whom it had passed.
The next day, the city guard were banging on the door of the church. For so many years, they had turned a blind eye, but these rumours of necromantic inclinations could not be ignored. Knowing that death or imprisonment was certain, Talindra made to escape through a secret tunnel in the church, intending to leave Chalcottom forever. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw Sho Zuan watching her and felt a bond to the boy. She told him that, if he so wished, she would take him with her and teach him all there was to learn about Vecna and righting the imbalance between the enabled volition of the living and the dead. They fled and the city guard never found them. By the time the search was called off, the two were long gone.
Talindra introduced Sho Zuan to their new home, and proceeded to raise the boy herself. She never claimed to be any kind of ‘step-mother’ to him, instead very quickly training him to look after and provide for himself. What she did provide him in copious amounts, however, was knowledge and belief in the teachings of Vecna.
He spent time and learned much about necromancy, the practice of which Talindra no longer had to keep a secret. After many years, when Sho Zuan was a grown man, Talindra unveiled her plan to destroy a Vistani village and turn them into an army of the dead, who would spread her influence across the land. Despite his devotion, something about this sat uneasy with Sho Zuan. He had come to believe that the volition of the dead ought to be restored by giving unlife to those who passed naturally, not by murdering wantonly.
So, for the first time in his life, he defied Talindra and warned the Vistani of her intentions. The Vistani, being a proud people, were outraged. Against Sho Zuan’s expectations, they stormed the barrow and put Talindra to death.
The Vistani moved on and never returned to the site, and Sho Zuan was left alone to find his own way. It became clear to him that there was nothing more for him to learn at Talindra’s barrow, so he assembled a travelling pack and moved on, harbouring still an ambition to raise an undead army of his own, but to do it without robbing the innocent living of their lives. Hearing about the secrete cult gathering of Vecna followers up North, in the never-ending winter where death is always welcomed, he began his journey.
Experience: Been playing D&D for just over a year, got into PbP a couple months ago and played in a couple campaigns - I prefer text over voice as it gives me more freedom to roleplay, and immerse into the character.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Name: Matthias Blackwell
Race: Human
Class: Warlock (The Fiend, Pact of the Tome)
Background: Haunted One
Backstory: After being kidnapped and barely surviving a demonic ritual that left a dark power festering within him, Matthias Blackwell was forced to flee his wealthy merchant noble house in Waterdeep. In his absence, his uncle--who was working with foul cult--had killed his father and seized control of the family’s business empire. Only his newfound eldritch powers helped him escape being killed, even though the ritual left his body thin and weak. (OOC: Explaining that 7 Str)
Since fleeing the City of Splendors, Matthias has wandered the northern reaches of Faerun, finding adventure and more importantly seeking answers for how to master the dark power that threatens his mind and soul, sometimes feeling like a deep wintry chill in his very bones. He feels a vague pull, hears whispers in his dreams, that slowly and inexorably have pushed or perhaps pulled him northward.
Now, there is word of adventure and wealth to be had in the cold reaches of the north. Rumors heard at a crossroads tavern, rumors of magic and wealth and a chance perhaps to gain power and reclaim the family name, draw him to Icewind Dale. Perhaps here he can master the demonic powers burned into him after a half-finished dark ritual.
Ability scores: 101614111613
Previous experience: AD&D in the 80s, returned with 3.5 after many years off, playing tons of PbP. Recently got back onto PbP and embraced 5e.
I'm going to try rolling for stats. It's just 6 d20s right?
1911192016
As Bacon Expert was explaining, rolling stats is actually 4d6 per stat and drop the lowest number. Usually you can swap around the 6 numbers you get from that, too (you don't roll in order strength, dexterity, etc). There's a common house rule that I'm invoking here where you can reroll each 1 once.
It's good news because I think most DM's would consider having a "1" for a stat (any of them) as a devastating handicap that would not be conducive to adventuring.
I'm going to try rolling for stats. It's just 6 d20s right?
1911192016
As Bacon Expert was explaining, rolling stats is actually 4d6 per stat and drop the lowest number. Usually you can swap around the 6 numbers you get from that, too (you don't roll in order strength, dexterity, etc). There's a common house rule that I'm invoking here where you can reroll each 1 once.
It's good news because I think most DM's would consider having a "1" for a stat (any of them) as a devastating handicap that would not be conducive to adventuring.
Yeah, having to go with a 1 in any stat would be frustrating, I already dread rolling perception enough as it is with int as a dump stat in the point buy system...
“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman...You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
yikes, anyone is welcome to fall back on standard array or point buy if they prefer. But sometimes having lower stats can make for a funner RP game too!
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ability scores:151613121512
Name: Um
Race: Changeling
Class: Bard
Subclass: College of Swords
Background: Far Traveller
Backstory:
orphaned too young to remember much more than the half-orc matron that had no business raising children, um decided they'd be better off on their own. they quickly discovered that wasn't the case when they found themselves cornered by a jeering mob, only to be saved by a human bard that had taken pity on their sorry soul. though they likely wouldn't have died and they definitely didn't understand how life debts work, um devoted themself to their saviour, dorn sunheart, learning the trade, finding a family within the travelling bands of bards that brought them as far north as they'd ever been, mastering their ( favoured ) stringed instruments, stealing when their belts were tight, learning languages of old, and... finding comfort in the familiarity of a bearded human facade looking back in the mirror after dorn is... gone.
um isn't sure vengeance is their thing, not when they can't prove anything is truly amiss. but they've been around long enough to know there's more to the story. and storytelling? well, you aren't much of a bard if you can't weave one hell of a tale.
Exp: I know my way around a roleplay but I'm still fairly new to dnd mechanics as a whole.
Race: Kobold (if the "fundamentally evil" line in the alignment paragraph is set in stone, I can change it to Goblin. And if that would not work either, I can rework the character)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: leaning towards Beastmaster but Swarmkeeper looks cool.
Background: Knight (with retainers. If three extra NPC's are too much of a hassle, I can change it)
Azzagh is a social experiment that was either a succes or a mistake, depending on who you ask. In an effort to answer the age old question of nature versus nuture, Azzagh was taken in by an adventurer when he was but a newborn. The adventurer was Fastolph Hammercoin, a scion of the Dwarven clan of Hammercoin whose members frequent the minting and banking market. Fastolph raised Azzagh in equal parts like his child and squire, patiently teaching him the principles of knighthood and combat more refined than poking with a sharp stick.
Azzagh followed his mentor when Fastolph ventured to the north, to adventure in Icewind Dale as he was want to do. Alas, shortly upon arriving in the frozen land a blizzard seperated the two when they lost sight of each other and Azzagh was forced to take shelter in a nearby cave. While he waited for the snowstorm to die down, Azzagh found a trio of of shivering kobolds. They were a bit smaller than usual or perhaps Azzagh was a tad bigger than the average kobold, but the sight of them reminded Azzagh of his early years, Fastolph had conveniently not mentioned exactly how he had come across Azzagh, and he shared what rations he had with them, the three taking to Azzagh like a pack. When the storm died down several days later and it was safe to leave the cave, Azzagh took them with him as he set out to find his lost mentor.
Azzagh's most priced possession is a signet ring he carries on a chain around his neck. The ring set with the Hammercoin coat of harms: a harm striking an anvil from which fall three coins.
Experience with DND: Played 4th edition, switched to 5th when it came out and been a ForeverDM ever since (by choice no less)
Not the best but hey I've rolled worse but my PC still kick butt and I had a great time... I will use point buy however! Morwenna "Wenna" Edavane is dedicated, humorous, proud, and perhaps a little reckless at times ranger/rogue: multi-class (if allowed). The half-elf often using humor to defuse tension or pranks to put those who think they are above others in their place. Born in a middle-class family of tavern owners in the large port city of Luskan, also known as the City of Sails, Wenna was a rebellious child who listened to the songs of the bards and the tales of sailors from her infancy dreaming of adventure. As she grew up seeking out the tales and songs that her childhood inspired. This wanderlust took her from a simple life running her family's tavern and marrying 'well' to a life of adventure! At age 18 escaping an arranged marriage that would move her family into the aristocracy, Wenna stowed away on a ship and never looked back! With a great deal of determination, she made a living out of hunting for things no other person would seek. With Wenna's curiosity and perseverance, there's nothing to stop her from finding a way to great acclaim. She could quickly become a person of great importance and a legend in her craft having friends in high as well as the lowest of places in society.
“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman...You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Probably going to be hard justifying MtG races up in the cold North :p
Are 'monster' races all right?
Or Eberron's mark variants?
This adventure is set in the Forgotten Realms? In case it comes up in the backstory.
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Monster races work best as published in support books such as Theros and Volo’s. The setting is Forgotten Reams.
Ability scores: 18 12 11 12 17 11
Hmmm. Not bad.
Iymbryl; Elven Eldritch Knight in DM Jynne's LMoP,
Maker; Vect Wizard of Automata in Conspiracy in the Stars,
Valhik Steeltemper, Gnome Blood Hunter in Archie's Tomb of Annihilation,
Kallaia, Tiefling Bard in Minotaur's Storm King's Thunder
yeah, definitely!
I'm going to try rolling for stats. It's just 6 d20s right?
20 18 16 6 9 14
are you on pc?
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
My laptop yeah, why?
if you click on the little dice icon, and go to the one marked ability scores it'll set it up for you, just make sure it rerolls 1s once. it's 6 sets of 4d6, not 6 d20s
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
In the dice roll app there is a tab for ability scores, you can even set it to reroll 1's once :)
Ability scores: 9 11 16 10 15 13
Ah, never rolled for stats here before, thanks!
Ability scores: 14 15 16 16 15 16
Name: Sho Zuan
Race: Human (Variant)
Class: Cleric (Death Domain)
Background: Acolyte
Backstory:
“Tradition is the democracy of the dead - it refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”
Those are the words that first aroused suspicion among the congregation of the Raven Queen in Chalcottom. Their priestess - Talindra Gourael - had been a long favoured leader of the underground church. She was a Shadar-kai - the ghostly white elves who usually resided in the shadow of the Raven Queen’s own dread fortress.
Yet this underground cult in Chalcottom believed in a semblance of balance. Live and death each had their place, both were necessary, yet there was little need to hasten from one to the other. Perhaps it was this moderate view that meant the church went unharassed in Chalcottom, even with such an extraordinary priestess.
Sho Zuan’s parents were both nominal worshippers at the church of the Raven Queen. As their son, Sho Zuan had the oppurtunity be invited for the singular honour of serving at the altar. This largely consisted of assisting with liturgical items and processes, but it put him at the front of every ritual and ensured that, despite his young age, he earned the respect of the church and the priestess.
However, all was not as it seemed. Talindra was, in fact, no Shadar-kai at all, but a Dusk Elf survivor of Strahd’s purge in the realm of Barovia. This wisdom she had found not in the teachings of the Raven Queen, but of Vecna: the Raven Queen’s sworn enemy. Vecna was not at all about balance, but about the superiority of death - being eternal - and the frivolity of life, being a gift wasted on mortals and therefore soiled and worthless.
One day, in a sermon, Talindra spoke those words which betrayed her true beliefs. Many of the church members walked out with a mixture of disdain and concern. But young Sho Zuan was transfixed. Something about those words made sense to him. He realised that too much power lay in the hands of those who possessed life, and that it should be the duty of enlightened to re-enfranchise those from whom it had passed.
The next day, the city guard were banging on the door of the church. For so many years, they had turned a blind eye, but these rumours of necromantic inclinations could not be ignored. Knowing that death or imprisonment was certain, Talindra made to escape through a secret tunnel in the church, intending to leave Chalcottom forever. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw Sho Zuan watching her and felt a bond to the boy. She told him that, if he so wished, she would take him with her and teach him all there was to learn about Vecna and righting the imbalance between the enabled volition of the living and the dead. They fled and the city guard never found them. By the time the search was called off, the two were long gone.
Talindra introduced Sho Zuan to their new home, and proceeded to raise the boy herself. She never claimed to be any kind of ‘step-mother’ to him, instead very quickly training him to look after and provide for himself. What she did provide him in copious amounts, however, was knowledge and belief in the teachings of Vecna.
He spent time and learned much about necromancy, the practice of which Talindra no longer had to keep a secret. After many years, when Sho Zuan was a grown man, Talindra unveiled her plan to destroy a Vistani village and turn them into an army of the dead, who would spread her influence across the land. Despite his devotion, something about this sat uneasy with Sho Zuan. He had come to believe that the volition of the dead ought to be restored by giving unlife to those who passed naturally, not by murdering wantonly.
So, for the first time in his life, he defied Talindra and warned the Vistani of her intentions. The Vistani, being a proud people, were outraged. Against Sho Zuan’s expectations, they stormed the barrow and put Talindra to death.
The Vistani moved on and never returned to the site, and Sho Zuan was left alone to find his own way. It became clear to him that there was nothing more for him to learn at Talindra’s barrow, so he assembled a travelling pack and moved on, harbouring still an ambition to raise an undead army of his own, but to do it without robbing the innocent living of their lives. Hearing about the secrete cult gathering of Vecna followers up North, in the never-ending winter where death is always welcomed, he began his journey.
Experience: Been playing D&D for just over a year, got into PbP a couple months ago and played in a couple campaigns - I prefer text over voice as it gives me more freedom to roleplay, and immerse into the character.
Name: Matthias Blackwell
Race: Human
Class: Warlock (The Fiend, Pact of the Tome)
Background: Haunted One
Backstory: After being kidnapped and barely surviving a demonic ritual that left a dark power festering within him, Matthias Blackwell was forced to flee his wealthy merchant noble house in Waterdeep. In his absence, his uncle--who was working with foul cult--had killed his father and seized control of the family’s business empire. Only his newfound eldritch powers helped him escape being killed, even though the ritual left his body thin and weak. (OOC: Explaining that 7 Str)
Since fleeing the City of Splendors, Matthias has wandered the northern reaches of Faerun, finding adventure and more importantly seeking answers for how to master the dark power that threatens his mind and soul, sometimes feeling like a deep wintry chill in his very bones. He feels a vague pull, hears whispers in his dreams, that slowly and inexorably have pushed or perhaps pulled him northward.
Now, there is word of adventure and wealth to be had in the cold reaches of the north. Rumors heard at a crossroads tavern, rumors of magic and wealth and a chance perhaps to gain power and reclaim the family name, draw him to Icewind Dale. Perhaps here he can master the demonic powers burned into him after a half-finished dark ritual.
Ability scores: 10 16 14 11 16 13
Previous experience: AD&D in the 80s, returned with 3.5 after many years off, playing tons of PbP. Recently got back onto PbP and embraced 5e.
As Bacon Expert was explaining, rolling stats is actually 4d6 per stat and drop the lowest number. Usually you can swap around the 6 numbers you get from that, too (you don't roll in order strength, dexterity, etc). There's a common house rule that I'm invoking here where you can reroll each 1 once.
It's good news because I think most DM's would consider having a "1" for a stat (any of them) as a devastating handicap that would not be conducive to adventuring.
Yeah, having to go with a 1 in any stat would be frustrating, I already dread rolling perception enough as it is with int as a dump stat in the point buy system...
Always stats first:
Ability scores: 11 12 16 11 15 13
Ability scores: 13 15 13 14 12 11
“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman...You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
yikes, anyone is welcome to fall back on standard array or point buy if they prefer. But sometimes having lower stats can make for a funner RP game too!
Ability scores: 15 16 13 12 15 12
Name: Um
Race: Changeling
Class: Bard
Subclass: College of Swords
Background: Far Traveller
Backstory:
orphaned too young to remember much more than the half-orc matron that had no business raising children, um decided they'd be better off on their own. they quickly discovered that wasn't the case when they found themselves cornered by a jeering mob, only to be saved by a human bard that had taken pity on their sorry soul. though they likely wouldn't have died and they definitely didn't understand how life debts work, um devoted themself to their saviour, dorn sunheart, learning the trade, finding a family within the travelling bands of bards that brought them as far north as they'd ever been, mastering their ( favoured ) stringed instruments, stealing when their belts were tight, learning languages of old, and... finding comfort in the familiarity of a bearded human facade looking back in the mirror after dorn is... gone.
um isn't sure vengeance is their thing, not when they can't prove anything is truly amiss. but they've been around long enough to know there's more to the story. and storytelling? well, you aren't much of a bard if you can't weave one hell of a tale.
Exp: I know my way around a roleplay but I'm still fairly new to dnd mechanics as a whole.
Thili Bronzehelm - Delian Tomb One Shot (13); Dwarf Paladin lvl 1
Norixius Ghesh - Bounty Hunter's Guild; Dragonborn Ranger/Drakewarden lvl 3
Name: Azzagh
Race: Kobold (if the "fundamentally evil" line in the alignment paragraph is set in stone, I can change it to Goblin. And if that would not work either, I can rework the character)
Class: Ranger
Subclass: leaning towards Beastmaster but Swarmkeeper looks cool.
Background: Knight (with retainers. If three extra NPC's are too much of a hassle, I can change it)
Backstory:
Azzagh is a social experiment that was either a succes or a mistake, depending on who you ask. In an effort to answer the age old question of nature versus nuture, Azzagh was taken in by an adventurer when he was but a newborn. The adventurer was Fastolph Hammercoin, a scion of the Dwarven clan of Hammercoin whose members frequent the minting and banking market. Fastolph raised Azzagh in equal parts like his child and squire, patiently teaching him the principles of knighthood and combat more refined than poking with a sharp stick.
Azzagh followed his mentor when Fastolph ventured to the north, to adventure in Icewind Dale as he was want to do. Alas, shortly upon arriving in the frozen land a blizzard seperated the two when they lost sight of each other and Azzagh was forced to take shelter in a nearby cave. While he waited for the snowstorm to die down, Azzagh found a trio of of shivering kobolds. They were a bit smaller than usual or perhaps Azzagh was a tad bigger than the average kobold, but the sight of them reminded Azzagh of his early years, Fastolph had conveniently not mentioned exactly how he had come across Azzagh, and he shared what rations he had with them, the three taking to Azzagh like a pack. When the storm died down several days later and it was safe to leave the cave, Azzagh took them with him as he set out to find his lost mentor.
Azzagh's most priced possession is a signet ring he carries on a chain around his neck. The ring set with the Hammercoin coat of harms: a harm striking an anvil from which fall three coins.
Experience with DND: Played 4th edition, switched to 5th when it came out and been a ForeverDM ever since (by choice no less)
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
Not the best but hey I've rolled worse but my PC still kick butt and I had a great time... I will use point buy however!
Morwenna "Wenna" Edavane is dedicated, humorous, proud, and perhaps a little reckless at times ranger/rogue: multi-class (if allowed). The half-elf often using humor to defuse tension or pranks to put those who think they are above others in their place. Born in a middle-class family of tavern owners in the large port city of Luskan, also known as the City of Sails, Wenna was a rebellious child who listened to the songs of the bards and the tales of sailors from her infancy dreaming of adventure. As she grew up seeking out the tales and songs that her childhood inspired. This wanderlust took her from a simple life running her family's tavern and marrying 'well' to a life of adventure! At age 18 escaping an arranged marriage that would move her family into the aristocracy, Wenna stowed away on a ship and never looked back! With a great deal of determination, she made a living out of hunting for things no other person would seek. With Wenna's curiosity and perseverance, there's nothing to stop her from finding a way to great acclaim. She could quickly become a person of great importance and a legend in her craft having friends in high as well as the lowest of places in society.
Wenna'a character sheet
I've been playing forever but more recently been a DM. I'd like to be a player for once and this module seems super interesting!
“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman...You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King