Backstory: Wren Fayden was born and raised in Baldur's gate's Lower City in a bustling loving family that includes his parents, grandfather, and 5 siblings. The family trade was stone masonry, but Wren never took to the craft. Joining the Flaming Fist mercenaries was tempting but he aspired to be a knight and so left Baldur's Gate to seek his knighthood. To the north he discovered an Order focused on military discipline and its ranks includes knights and advisors. Right then and there he joined as a page and worked his way up the ranks and encountered an awakening of sorts that gave him a strong sense of spirituality. Since then, the deity, he looks to for guidance is the Red Knight which is also known as the Red Lady. He took the Oath to become a knightly Paladin and as per tradition he left to prove the worth of his training and to be found worthy by the Red Knight.
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter Delphine Bennett in TheDark Below Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Name: Loralai Darkleaf Race: Half-Elf Class: Bard - Glamour Background: Entertainer Ability Scores: 17 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 Backstory: Loralai's love for music was evident from a young age. Growing up in a small, bustling town, she would often be found singing to herself while completing her chores or entertaining the local children with her impromptu performances. Her talent didn't go unnoticed, and when she was old enough, she became an understudy to a locally famous performer, Marlow, at the renowned tavern, The Dancing Wyvern. Marlow saw great potential in Loralai and took her under his wing, teaching her not just the art of singing, but also the intricacies of stage presence, storytelling, and captivating an audience. The young half-elf thrived under Marlow's mentorship, and her performances soon became a highlight at the tavern.
Despite her success and the adoration of the tavern's patrons, Loralai always felt a yearning for something more. The stories she heard from traveling adventurers and the songs she sang about distant lands and grand adventures ignited a wanderlust within her. She longed to see the world beyond her small town, to experience the places and meet the people she had only ever sung about. When the time felt right, she made the difficult decision to leave her mentor and her comfortable life behind, embarking on a journey to explore the world and seek her own adventures. Her farewell performance at The Dancing Wyvern was a bittersweet one, filled with tears and promises to return someday.
As Loralai traveled from city to city, she paid her way by offering her musical talents to adventurers and performing at various inns and bars. She also often joined adventuring parties, providing them with inspiration through her songs and aiding them with her bardic prowess. Each new place she visited and every new person she met added to her repertoire of stories and songs, enriching her performances and fueling her desire to see more of the world.
House rules you think I should use (if any): Drinking a Healing Potion as a Bonus Action
I'd also prefer a start at Level 5, but Level 1 is totally fine. Thank you for your time!
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter Delphine Bennett in TheDark Below Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Prefer to start at level 5. Character will be a human paladin 2/shadow sorcerer 3. Depending on how far we go in levels, after character development, I would like to get him more paladin levels and take the Oath of Redemption.
Agar is a man with two secrets, which he goes to great lengths to hide from the rest of the world in shame. He has always aspired to be a knight but even more so a paladin, and strove to act in a way fitting of such at every opportunity, bringing light and good to everyone and everywhere he could His days were filled with acts of good and honor, and his daydreams with visions of ridding the world of great monsters, Holy Avenger in hand. His nights, however, and his dreams were quite different. In them, he walked a world lacking in color, everything and everyone seemingly composed of shades of grey, including himself.
Hidden from all but the gods, a shadow lay behind his eyes, flowed through his veins and pooled in his heart. He could feel it, and imagined its taint in every impulse or thought which was other than absolutely pure. Fleeing from the shadow, seeking to purge it, he joined the paladin order and chose to follow the track which might have led him to swearing the highest oath - the oath of Devotion. And he almost did... He passed every test, fulfilled every mission, and even stood before the altar of Tyr to make his Oath, attended to by several of senior paladins of the order and a High Priest of Tyr, when the shadow overwhelmed him. Out of his eyes, his mouth, seemingly even through his pores, a darkness poured forth so powerful that no light, even magical, could penetrate it. A few moments later he regained consciousness to find himself standing in a sphere of total darkness. He could see through it, though apparently the others could not, and he could clearly make out the horror, disgust and alarm on their faces turned in his direction. Fortunately, there was a side door and he stumbled out of it.
After that display, he was sure there was no chance he could be allowed to become a full paladin of Tyr. He considered himself lucky to have slipped away in the confusion. Fleeing that land, he wandered for months until his money ran out and he was forced to become an adventurer to earn more, a mercenary. He saw this as an indignity, a part of his fall, his failure, and sank into despair and bitterness. He told everyone he was just a fighting man, nothing more. Carefully keeping his secret as best he could, he sought out wise men and magicians for advice, hoping to cleanse himself of what he viewed as corruption or a curse, but though they tried to help him nothing seemed to work. He even briefly considered getting in touch with Shar's agents, but her evil repelled him.
One day, he joined other adventurers on a job which saw them guard a caravan. Orcs attacked and as he fought one, the creature knocked his shield out of his hand. He lost his footing and fell backward and as the axe came down he could tell it would strike true and end him. He focused for an instant on his need for a shield - any shield - to stop the weapon. He had to have one, would not accept not having it.
Was it just his imagination? Was he wrong about the axe's trajectory? Did he really see a part of his own shadow detach itself and strike the weapon's blade, deflecting it just enough for it to miss him? He stuck out his sword toward the orc's heart as the creature overextended toward him, and it impaled his enemy. Afterward, he agreed with everyone else that he was extremely lucky that the orc missed - but he knew better. The shadow within had reacted to his will, almost eagerly, and saved him from certain death. Perhaps it was not wholly evil, he thought. After that, whenever he would stand watch over his sleeping party, he would practice wielding this power. He still wanted to keep it secret, though, so he made every effort to avoid drawing attention to it, eventually figuring out how to make it happen without any outward sign.
He noticed, as well, that though this power was clearly linked to darkness and shadow, it did not influence him in any way. His will was still his own and he still could and did act with goodness and honor, just as he did before. Perhaps his dream of becoming a paladin was not as impossible as he thought...
Name: Zostri "Thunderheart" Erlamin (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/126155067 [WIP]) Race: Firbolg Class: Warlock (the Archfey) - Pact of the Chain Background: WIP - leaning towards Feylost, but possibly Outlander if Hyrsam drew him away a little later in life Ability Scores: 11 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 --- (+2 INT / +1 STR picked for racial bonuses) Backstory: Zostri tried. He really tried to be a ranger like his mother, or a druid like his father. He even took on a spirit name that he thought would be sure to awaken the woodland defender in him and make him worthy of seventeen generations of Erlamins who had guarded the wilds of the Far North since ... well, since there WAS an Erlamin family among the firbolg. But somehow, the magic of the Wyld kept lurking just out of his reach, Tantalizing him, maddening him ... calling him? but then fleeing with a mocking laugh so soon as he got close enough to see the hooves and horns of it. And those hooves and horns ... he saw them more and more, became more and more convinced that if he could finally see the whole Spirit of the Wyld intact, somehow that would set his destiny on the right path.
Of course, eventually he did see them. And that sight most certainly set his destiny on SOME sort of path. But aside from that, he's not certain of anything anymore, except the name of his new mentor, master, perhaps maddener.
Hyrsam. The Prince of Fools.
Well, at least it's a WYLD foolishness. Perhaps among all the madness he can still do deeds worthy of an Erlamin guardian of the wilderness. House rules you think I should use (if any): Can't think of any offhand beyond the Rule of Cool ;)
As for level, I'd be fine either way but if we're fighting giantkin right off lv 5 might have better chances ... haven't played this one through b4 so not really sure what the styarting challenges are klike
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
You grew up as a normal, human child. Actually, you were a bit of a brat. Things did not improve as a young adult. You found out you had some minor power and abused it at every turn.
By some unknown circumstance, you stumbled through a fey crossing during a twilight stroll in the woods. Wandering in the Feywild, you left a path of damaged plant life, injured animals and polluted a pool of a nymph. The Queen of Winter took note and decided the best punishment would be to become Fey... to see how it is to live as a fey.
Perhaps, if you can survive AND 'do certain tasks' to make amends, you might be turned back into a human one day. Perhaps. Time has passed and the years have blurred in your memories. You gradually fell under the Feywild’s spell and learned a little about the nature of the mercurial tricksters that dwell there. And still, the Queen has not removed this 'lesson'.
When you finally returned to your home plane, you did not come back unchanged. Although your memories of the Feywild grow fainter with each passing year, your heart swells with a mixture of fear and joy at the prospect of one day venturing back to the Plane of Faerie — your 'lesson' one day coming to an end.
>>> Just a wee thing trying to make his way back to ... ??? after all these years he just isn't certain WHY he wants to go back. <<<
I'm honestly flabbergasted, was so expecting to need to use Point Buy!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter Delphine Bennett in TheDark Below Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
I find that stats don't matter as much as people think. I'm glad I rolled well but it's really just a 5% boost here and there, no big deal.
The stats matter for skill checks and stuff, so getting good stuff on the stats your class doesn't use is good for things like a) a wizard with a 19 in intelligence but a 16 in strength can wield a staff and do some damage. b) A fighter with a 20 strength and 18 dex and 16 con can do some crazy stuff, etc. Three stats that are good are extremely important.
Sweet. Will also say that groverbloom and I do have some shared character background stuff that we have talked on, so our characters could know each other if we are both chosen.
I find that stats don't matter as much as people think. I'm glad I rolled well but it's really just a 5% boost here and there, no big deal.
The stats matter for skill checks and stuff, so getting good stuff on the stats your class doesn't use is good for things like a) a wizard with a 19 in intelligence but a 16 in strength can wield a staff and do some damage. b) A fighter with a 20 strength and 18 dex and 16 con can do some crazy stuff, etc. Three stats that are good are extremely important.
Stats do matter, yes, which is why you could make a character in point buy with three 16's (after racials) for all your important stats. I just don't think they matter as much as some people think. The difference between starting with 18 in your main stat and a 16 is 5% on your primary rolls. Yes, I'm glad I could put 14's into Wis and Dex instead of dumping them, but if you ruled that I had to use point buy, I'd be fine.
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Ability scores: 12 16 11 18 15 12
Name: Wren Fayden
Race: Standard Human
Prefer starting at level 5
Class: Paladin/ Oath of Conquest subclass
Background: Acolyte
Backstory: Wren Fayden was born and raised in Baldur's gate's Lower City in a bustling loving family that includes his parents, grandfather, and 5 siblings. The family trade was stone masonry, but Wren never took to the craft. Joining the Flaming Fist mercenaries was tempting but he aspired to be a knight and so left Baldur's Gate to seek his knighthood. To the north he discovered an Order focused on military discipline and its ranks includes knights and advisors. Right then and there he joined as a page and worked his way up the ranks and encountered an awakening of sorts that gave him a strong sense of spirituality. Since then, the deity, he looks to for guidance is the Red Knight which is also known as the Red Lady. He took the Oath to become a knightly Paladin and as per tradition he left to prove the worth of his training and to be found worthy by the Red Knight.
Ability scores: 17 13 15 14 16 16
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter
Delphine Bennett in The Dark Below
Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer
Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder
Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains
Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Name: Loralai Darkleaf
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Bard - Glamour
Background: Entertainer
Ability Scores: 17 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16
Backstory:
Loralai's love for music was evident from a young age. Growing up in a small, bustling town, she would often be found singing to herself while completing her chores or entertaining the local children with her impromptu performances. Her talent didn't go unnoticed, and when she was old enough, she became an understudy to a locally famous performer, Marlow, at the renowned tavern, The Dancing Wyvern. Marlow saw great potential in Loralai and took her under his wing, teaching her not just the art of singing, but also the intricacies of stage presence, storytelling, and captivating an audience. The young half-elf thrived under Marlow's mentorship, and her performances soon became a highlight at the tavern.
Despite her success and the adoration of the tavern's patrons, Loralai always felt a yearning for something more. The stories she heard from traveling adventurers and the songs she sang about distant lands and grand adventures ignited a wanderlust within her. She longed to see the world beyond her small town, to experience the places and meet the people she had only ever sung about. When the time felt right, she made the difficult decision to leave her mentor and her comfortable life behind, embarking on a journey to explore the world and seek her own adventures. Her farewell performance at The Dancing Wyvern was a bittersweet one, filled with tears and promises to return someday.
As Loralai traveled from city to city, she paid her way by offering her musical talents to adventurers and performing at various inns and bars. She also often joined adventuring parties, providing them with inspiration through her songs and aiding them with her bardic prowess. Each new place she visited and every new person she met added to her repertoire of stories and songs, enriching her performances and fueling her desire to see more of the world.
House rules you think I should use (if any): Drinking a Healing Potion as a Bonus Action
I'd also prefer a start at Level 5, but Level 1 is totally fine. Thank you for your time!
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter
Delphine Bennett in The Dark Below
Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer
Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder
Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains
Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
Ability scores: 11 13 15 12 14 16
Will think about these and apply in the morning. I find Giants fascinating, have read Bigby's but never played in an SKT, so am very interested.
Sounds fun!\
Ability scores: 10 9 15 17 16 10
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Ability scores: 13 17 15 10 10 16
Prefer to start at level 5. Character will be a human paladin 2/shadow sorcerer 3. Depending on how far we go in levels, after character development, I would like to get him more paladin levels and take the Oath of Redemption.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/126158098/myHoQ4
Agar is a man with two secrets, which he goes to great lengths to hide from the rest of the world in shame. He has always aspired to be a knight but even more so a paladin, and strove to act in a way fitting of such at every opportunity, bringing light and good to everyone and everywhere he could His days were filled with acts of good and honor, and his daydreams with visions of ridding the world of great monsters, Holy Avenger in hand. His nights, however, and his dreams were quite different. In them, he walked a world lacking in color, everything and everyone seemingly composed of shades of grey, including himself.
Hidden from all but the gods, a shadow lay behind his eyes, flowed through his veins and pooled in his heart. He could feel it, and imagined its taint in every impulse or thought which was other than absolutely pure. Fleeing from the shadow, seeking to purge it, he joined the paladin order and chose to follow the track which might have led him to swearing the highest oath - the oath of Devotion. And he almost did... He passed every test, fulfilled every mission, and even stood before the altar of Tyr to make his Oath, attended to by several of senior paladins of the order and a High Priest of Tyr, when the shadow overwhelmed him. Out of his eyes, his mouth, seemingly even through his pores, a darkness poured forth so powerful that no light, even magical, could penetrate it. A few moments later he regained consciousness to find himself standing in a sphere of total darkness. He could see through it, though apparently the others could not, and he could clearly make out the horror, disgust and alarm on their faces turned in his direction. Fortunately, there was a side door and he stumbled out of it.
After that display, he was sure there was no chance he could be allowed to become a full paladin of Tyr. He considered himself lucky to have slipped away in the confusion. Fleeing that land, he wandered for months until his money ran out and he was forced to become an adventurer to earn more, a mercenary. He saw this as an indignity, a part of his fall, his failure, and sank into despair and bitterness. He told everyone he was just a fighting man, nothing more. Carefully keeping his secret as best he could, he sought out wise men and magicians for advice, hoping to cleanse himself of what he viewed as corruption or a curse, but though they tried to help him nothing seemed to work. He even briefly considered getting in touch with Shar's agents, but her evil repelled him.
One day, he joined other adventurers on a job which saw them guard a caravan. Orcs attacked and as he fought one, the creature knocked his shield out of his hand. He lost his footing and fell backward and as the axe came down he could tell it would strike true and end him. He focused for an instant on his need for a shield - any shield - to stop the weapon. He had to have one, would not accept not having it.
Was it just his imagination? Was he wrong about the axe's trajectory? Did he really see a part of his own shadow detach itself and strike the weapon's blade, deflecting it just enough for it to miss him? He stuck out his sword toward the orc's heart as the creature overextended toward him, and it impaled his enemy. Afterward, he agreed with everyone else that he was extremely lucky that the orc missed - but he knew better. The shadow within had reacted to his will, almost eagerly, and saved him from certain death. Perhaps it was not wholly evil, he thought. After that, whenever he would stand watch over his sleeping party, he would practice wielding this power. He still wanted to keep it secret, though, so he made every effort to avoid drawing attention to it, eventually figuring out how to make it happen without any outward sign.
He noticed, as well, that though this power was clearly linked to darkness and shadow, it did not influence him in any way. His will was still his own and he still could and did act with goodness and honor, just as he did before. Perhaps his dream of becoming a paladin was not as impossible as he thought...
Name: Zostri "Thunderheart" Erlamin (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/126155067 [WIP])
Race: Firbolg
Class: Warlock (the Archfey) - Pact of the Chain
Background: WIP - leaning towards Feylost, but possibly Outlander if Hyrsam drew him away a little later in life
Ability Scores: 11 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 --- (+2 INT / +1 STR picked for racial bonuses)
Backstory: Zostri tried. He really tried to be a ranger like his mother, or a druid like his father. He even took on a spirit name that he thought would be sure to awaken the woodland defender in him and make him worthy of seventeen generations of Erlamins who had guarded the wilds of the Far North since ... well, since there WAS an Erlamin family among the firbolg. But somehow, the magic of the Wyld kept lurking just out of his reach, Tantalizing him, maddening him ... calling him? but then fleeing with a mocking laugh so soon as he got close enough to see the hooves and horns of it. And those hooves and horns ... he saw them more and more, became more and more convinced that if he could finally see the whole Spirit of the Wyld intact, somehow that would set his destiny on the right path.
Of course, eventually he did see them. And that sight most certainly set his destiny on SOME sort of path. But aside from that, he's not certain of anything anymore, except the name of his new mentor, master, perhaps maddener.
Hyrsam. The Prince of Fools.
Well, at least it's a WYLD foolishness. Perhaps among all the madness he can still do deeds worthy of an Erlamin guardian of the wilderness.
House rules you think I should use (if any): Can't think of any offhand beyond the Rule of Cool ;)
As for level, I'd be fine either way but if we're fighting giantkin right off lv 5 might have better chances ... haven't played this one through b4 so not really sure what the styarting challenges are klike
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
)btw are you using feats?
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Oh yeah feats are great.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Oh dang
This is crazy.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Name: Sleet
Race: It's complicated (Fairy)
Class: Sorcerer / Essence of Eternal Frost
Level: 5
Background: Punished
Things did not improve as a young adult. You found out you had some minor power and abused it at every turn.
I'm honestly flabbergasted, was so expecting to need to use Point Buy!
Juniper Summers in Drakkenheim - Mind and Matter
Delphine Bennett in The Dark Below
Ilmrae Zolier in Dragon Heist - One Hell of a Summer
Loralai Darkleaf in The Storm King's Thunder
Eris Tourmaline in An Adventure in the Mountains
Circe Somerset in Candlekeep Mysteries
You could bully me to death with that, everyone here is rolling crazy.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
I find that stats don't matter as much as people think. I'm glad I rolled well but it's really just a 5% boost here and there, no big deal.
Does this pass your approval, Ripped?
Yeah, doesn't look too op.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
The stats matter for skill checks and stuff, so getting good stuff on the stats your class doesn't use is good for things like a) a wizard with a 19 in intelligence but a 16 in strength can wield a staff and do some damage. b) A fighter with a 20 strength and 18 dex and 16 con can do some crazy stuff, etc. Three stats that are good are extremely important.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Sweet. Will also say that groverbloom and I do have some shared character background stuff that we have talked on, so our characters could know each other if we are both chosen.
Stats do matter, yes, which is why you could make a character in point buy with three 16's (after racials) for all your important stats. I just don't think they matter as much as some people think. The difference between starting with 18 in your main stat and a 16 is 5% on your primary rolls. Yes, I'm glad I could put 14's into Wis and Dex instead of dumping them, but if you ruled that I had to use point buy, I'd be fine.