I myself am non-binary and wanted to get some more representation in D&D! So I took some inspiration from our world mythos and religions and came up with this!
Description-
You've felt it since the moment you were born, your soul does not belong in this vessel. You have been slighted by a god, your soul was reincarnated in the wrong body. But if you were to bring this matter to the pantheon of the gods you will receive justice, the god that slighted you will have their godhood stripped from them. You will receive your rightful vessel, if you die in an encounter after getting to the pantheon and pleading your case you will automatically receive your true vessel and any damage done in the fight will be null and void, or you can receive your vessel right then and there. And you will receive compensation, a single wish that the gods cannot deny no matter how pure or vile, selfish or altruistic, it shall be granted.
But a god is a powerful enemy, they are not to be taken lightly you've learned. The clerics that worship this god are after you. So you must stay hidden or you will be hounded until you receive justice.
You have the sigil of the god that wronged you emblazoned somewhere on your body, (not on your scalp or nether regions please, I'm looking at you BARD!) If it is seen by an npc and you don't do anything about it (fail to persuade them, silence them, induce amnesia, etc.) then you are outed. And the hunt will begin.
-5 on a random stat, roll a d6 to determine which stat.
Anyone in their party that tries to commune with their god will have to make a nat 20 because the mark interferes with a character tattle-tailing to a god.
If you are outed in a town then roll d6, if 3 or lower a cleric will show up to assassinate you. Stats for cleric should be encounter appropriate, no more than 3 levels higher than the character in question.
After reaching level 10 the god will be taking you more seriously, a cleric will automatically show up but the number will be determined by the d6 you roll. Again stats should be level appropriate. These encounters are suppose to be exp. grinders not a way for the Dungeon Master to smoosh them under their thumb.
I'd suggest that they focus on bumping up their way of keeping themselves hidden whether that be persuasion, disguise, or silencing because these fights aren't suppose to be easy. They can be good side quests or even plot points, but not BBEG fights! There's practically a wish gift wrapped for them at the end of the journey, it's not to be served on a silver plater as well. They've got to EARN IIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!
So what do you guys think? What have I missed? All criticism would be helpful, including what I should call this! I'm excited to play a character with this and am currently putting together a mini campaign revolving around the potential here, slowly but surely!
So, while there are some interesting ideas bouncing around in here, taken altogether it feels like a bit much. It feels like you tried to create a background option that is really just an entire plotline. If that's what you were going for, then fine, but otherwise I think it needs fewer plot prescriptions.
My other two concerns are mainly mechanical:
1. How does the interference with communing with the gods impact Cleric and Paladin characters? Those characters rely on a divine connection for most of their main class functions, and depending on how you envision this feature working, that could really hurt those types of characters. I'm assuming that's not your intention, but clarify precisely what things are inhibited, and what things aren't.
2. -5 on a random stat... frankly, sucks. Now, if your player is willing to take that risk, fine, that's on them. But how many will be willing? I mean, think about the possible implications. Ever tried playing a rogue with 10 Dexterity? Or a wizard with 10 Intelligence? It could totally destroy a player's main stat that they need for their character to function. Most of the other comments I've made here are issues of what you want in terms of your game, but I would definitely change this aspect to -2 at the most. An even safer route would be penalizing something else, like particular ability checks or what have you. I just think that as you have it now, there too much risk of irrevocably hamstringing a character.
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I myself am non-binary and wanted to get some more representation in D&D! So I took some inspiration from our world mythos and religions and came up with this!
Description-
You've felt it since the moment you were born, your soul does not belong in this vessel. You have been slighted by a god, your soul was reincarnated in the wrong body. But if you were to bring this matter to the pantheon of the gods you will receive justice, the god that slighted you will have their godhood stripped from them. You will receive your rightful vessel, if you die in an encounter after getting to the pantheon and pleading your case you will automatically receive your true vessel and any damage done in the fight will be null and void, or you can receive your vessel right then and there. And you will receive compensation, a single wish that the gods cannot deny no matter how pure or vile, selfish or altruistic, it shall be granted.
But a god is a powerful enemy, they are not to be taken lightly you've learned. The clerics that worship this god are after you. So you must stay hidden or you will be hounded until you receive justice.
You have the sigil of the god that wronged you emblazoned somewhere on your body, (not on your scalp or nether regions please, I'm looking at you BARD!) If it is seen by an npc and you don't do anything about it (fail to persuade them, silence them, induce amnesia, etc.) then you are outed. And the hunt will begin.
-5 on a random stat, roll a d6 to determine which stat.
Anyone in their party that tries to commune with their god will have to make a nat 20 because the mark interferes with a character tattle-tailing to a god.
If you are outed in a town then roll d6, if 3 or lower a cleric will show up to assassinate you. Stats for cleric should be encounter appropriate, no more than 3 levels higher than the character in question.
After reaching level 10 the god will be taking you more seriously, a cleric will automatically show up but the number will be determined by the d6 you roll. Again stats should be level appropriate. These encounters are suppose to be exp. grinders not a way for the Dungeon Master to smoosh them under their thumb.
I'd suggest that they focus on bumping up their way of keeping themselves hidden whether that be persuasion, disguise, or silencing because these fights aren't suppose to be easy. They can be good side quests or even plot points, but not BBEG fights! There's practically a wish gift wrapped for them at the end of the journey, it's not to be served on a silver plater as well. They've got to EARN IIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!
So what do you guys think? What have I missed? All criticism would be helpful, including what I should call this! I'm excited to play a character with this and am currently putting together a mini campaign revolving around the potential here, slowly but surely!
So, while there are some interesting ideas bouncing around in here, taken altogether it feels like a bit much. It feels like you tried to create a background option that is really just an entire plotline. If that's what you were going for, then fine, but otherwise I think it needs fewer plot prescriptions.
My other two concerns are mainly mechanical:
1. How does the interference with communing with the gods impact Cleric and Paladin characters? Those characters rely on a divine connection for most of their main class functions, and depending on how you envision this feature working, that could really hurt those types of characters. I'm assuming that's not your intention, but clarify precisely what things are inhibited, and what things aren't.
2. -5 on a random stat... frankly, sucks. Now, if your player is willing to take that risk, fine, that's on them. But how many will be willing? I mean, think about the possible implications. Ever tried playing a rogue with 10 Dexterity? Or a wizard with 10 Intelligence? It could totally destroy a player's main stat that they need for their character to function. Most of the other comments I've made here are issues of what you want in terms of your game, but I would definitely change this aspect to -2 at the most. An even safer route would be penalizing something else, like particular ability checks or what have you. I just think that as you have it now, there too much risk of irrevocably hamstringing a character.