So... Hi this is my first and only character let me tell you about them.

Name: Vinx

Race: Changeling

Class: Level 4 Battle Smith Artificer

Languages: Common, Dwarvish, Elvish

Main Weapons: +1 Halberd, +1 infinite ammunition heavy crossbow.

Vinx grew up in a small unnamed farming town. His mom was a changeling named Zind, his father a High Elf named Soveliss Nailo a wizard who used his talents to seduce , have an affair, and marry Zind. Little Vinx grew up in fear and hatred of his father and when ever he would use his magic to control Zind Vinx would escape to their neighbor the dwarf smithy. It was these visits that sparked a love for tinkering and smithing from a young age. Zind and Vinx where very close, and hated Soveliss but couldn't escape his wrath. One day a adventuring party showed up in town and killed Soveliss (because he was a evil wizard). Vinx and Zind traveled to the city of Skyshade (my homebrew city ruled by a mercenary guild of flying ships lead by a ancient bronze dragon) where Vinx joined the artificers of the guild and honed his craft with magic. He would occasionally be sent on small scale hirings (usually protecting small villagers from raids) and full-on battles as a medic. Vinx befriended a Teifling who aspired to join the avowed of candlekeep. United by their love of books they spent hundreds of hours in the library together reading about a wide variety of topics. They where both members of uncommon even rare races they supported each other in hard times. Life was good for Vinx.

Then the thieves guild came to Skyshade.

The rumors spread like wildfire, a guild of secretive dopplegangers, changelings and other creatures who could change their skin, the guild would assassinate people in power and install its members into these positions. The guild approached Vinx with a invitation. Vinx turned it down. The guild invited him again worded more harshly. Vinx turned it down-with a frying pan. The guild attempted to kidnap Zind but failed after they caught Zind with the town watch. The dragon stepped in and invited Zind to its home so that the dragon could defend her. Vinx was run out of town and fired to Phandalin (where we started Dragons of Icespire Peak).

Please tell me what you think of my character! I also need background ideas (we haven't assigned them yet) and Steel Defender/Homununculis Servant ideas! Thanks!

My initial thought is: Thats a lot of stuff thats happened.

I think i would lose the stuff about you Dad being an evil wizard as this does bring in plot holes such as why you dad controlled your mum with magic but not you and why the rest of the town you lived in didn't seem to notice this going on or  permitted it to go on etc.

The Thieves Guild side is perhaps easier to bring to the game as your mum is a changleling she could have gone on the run to try and raise you outside of a criminal syndicate. When they started to pop up around town you both went on the run. You got an apprenticeship with the guild to pay for you mum to get away on one of the skyships and then struck up your friendship with the Tiefling. The Thieves guild might have approached you to "work" for them given your tinkering skills with the implication that they are not taking no for answer in a mafia style. I would have them otherwise unaware of your changeling nature and then you adventuring could well be you trying to disappear.

I'd lose the bit about the Dragon safeguarding your mum as this does imply you have a powerful individual that is looking out for you as well, I'd have you mum just on the run again trying to lead any potential investigations away from where you are and that way the DM can bring it up as a plot point at some point if they want to.

As for backgorund, the Guild Artisan would make most sense if you are working with a guild to learn the tinkerer's art. If you do keep the dad is an evil wizard bit then you could go with a Sage background as you have some rough understanding of the magical arts and he may have even been given some sort of tutoring.

As a long time DM, I feel like characters need simple backgrounds. Not every adventurer needs a terrible/ complicated background. Feels like your trying to hard to make something elaborate. At the end of the day what are you, a fighter? thief? While this stuff can be great to cook over time if your writing a novel, you need to leave it out of your character build. It becomes a lot when your already all of this stuff at 4th level. Are you playing a campaign or just cooking them at 4th? I get that it's fantasy, but don't' overexaggerate an idea. 

Most campaign settings will consider metallic dragons good. So keep that in mind in terms of challenging what a lot of players feel is canon. Mercenaries? 

It sounds like you already have your background stuff. You just need to refine the ideas.

I have been playing this character since level 1. The mercenary guild interprets the underlying cause of the war and others their services to the side they chose to help. Remember this is a bronze dragon, in Fizbans one of the example personality traits for bronze dragons is "My payment is a matter of principle. Requiring even a small fee for my service allows those I help to preserve their dignity. Its really for your benefit." The campaign I'm playing in doesn't really care about canon. Vinx was usually sent into battle as support staff helping repair gear usually. Thanks for your review!

First: thanks for a review. The town they lived in was very small village and my guess is they permitted it out of fear but I think I'll drop the posession idea and make the dad a good wizard who died defending the town from rampaging gnolls while Vinx and Zind made their escape.

I'm gonna say my mom was a former member who quit in the middle of a crucial time she probably didn't tell Vinx because she was trying to keep him safe. So the guild was after mom and learned about my tinkering skills and tried to recruit me (I think they would know I'm a changeling after spying) after the first attempt to recruit me Vinx laid low and pretended to be a human. I think that the guild would have ways of seeing through magical disguises so they found me with those skills. Vinx and Zind both ran away but got separated for a reason idk. Vinx ran and found safety in Phandalin were the adventure started. I'm gonna nerf the dragon safeguarding idea. I think I will go with the sage background because Vinxes father would have taught him a bit and Vinx spent more time studying with the Tiefling (I need a name for the tiefling. They are female) Sage background will also be my excuse to know what the Harper's do for example. Thanks for commenting on this thread!