The Glorious Gnome Rogue. My namesake is in his honor for this little guy has followed me to the Nine Hells and back. When I first started playing DND back in AD&D rules, we were playing in Greyhawk because my DM loved the fact there was an expansive dungeon underneath one of the largest cities ever built. My first game session, I made a human fighter to get accustomed to the game mechanics but she only lasted one session as the night ended with a TPK. Not a good start. I felt maybe I was playing too aggressive and decided to play a tiny character being the smallest person in the group. ( I was ten years old and the rest were my dad and his military buddies)
Thus, Gimble Guerado was born. We had a human paladin (gimble's begrudging best friend), a half-orc monk with a 7 INT, an elven wizard, and a half-elven ranger. The first few sessions went remarkably well and seemed to be rather normal, no funny business or crazy Monty Python and the Holy Grail styled games, that is until Gimble found a Ring of Feather Fall. Well I say found as though he found it in a chest of loot or on the corpse of a monster but he actually just found it in his pocket. Being a Kleptomaniac, my DM would randomly roll pick pocket checks while we were in a town with any level of crowds and thus Gimble ended up in jail....a lot. But not this time. Anyway he finds the ring of feather fall in his pocket, knows what it is, and decides to put it on without telling anyone else...especially the dang wizard who was a loot hoarder.
Anyway that very next session our party arrived at a fortress that we were supposed to storm. Up to this point (we are currently averaged around level 5 and have since switched to 3.0 instead.) everyone had been making jokes about "THROW THE GNOME!!" and how it was akin to dwarf tossing and whatnot because apparently that's a common joke to make in DND, when Gimble gets a fantastic idea. Instead of storming the fortress and attempting to break in, why not simply throw me over the wall with a rope!? My other players looked at me as though I had two heads. (because only the DM and myself knew about Gimble's magical gear) The half-orc (both the player and the character) laugh at this idea and thinks its pure fricken genius and proceeds to roll a nat 20 on a str check to chuck my happy little gnommish butt up the wall...THROWS ME OVER THE WALL AND PALLISADE!! and everyone is thinking. "Good job monk....ya killed our mascot." but thanks to my handy dandy feather fall ring, Gimble was able to float harmlessly down to the ground on the other side of the wall. We bypassed the entire underground dungeon that we were supposed to discover an entrance to on the outside of the wall and made a break for the boss...DM was not thrilled.
Since then, Gimble has returned as a gestalt rogue/sorcerer, an arcane trickster, has killed pretty much every single god in the pantheon with the help of his now evil allies... (long story for another time) and has traveled to different worlds causing chaos and destruction in his wake. He has also accidentally absorbed the power of a Luck deity granting him near unkillable powers. He can die...its just really hard to keep him dead since his spirit belongs to him and will not pass on to the next life but instead seek out another gnome body to be his host...This little gnome ended up being an unwitting god of luck, who still finds random magical junk in his pockets that he has no idea where they came from.
He sounds like a thug version of Bilbo/Frodo...and he sounds AMAZING. Dude that halfling tossing idea was genius.
The best part about this story is the fact that as a rogue between levels 1-4 I had not hit a single attack. Not even sneak attacks were successful. The dice were never on my side. But when it came to picking a lock, picking a pocket, disarming a trap, Gimble was your best friend. Thus being dubbed "the mascot" of the party. He was useless. Until the halfling toss idea. Afterward we managed to sneak into the bosses "throne room" but sadly as the others were not as sneaky as Gimble, (who had rolled a nat 20 for stealth) the others were forced to face the boss's minions. Gimble snuck his way behind the boss, (against the better judgement of the rest of the players due to the afore mentioned bad luck with combat) and proceeded to sneak attack the boss, not only hit, but critically maxed out damage on the poor baddie dealing far more than half his health, (i believe the following was a home brew rule) which was sufficient enough to kill the boss instantly. With a moderate amount of surprise and pride Gimble cried out, "HEY LOOK!! I DID A THING!!"
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I can count the number of people I'd call friend on one hand....It's the other hand you have to worry about.
I have one more that I would like to discuss. The Bald and Bearded Monk, Tao-Shen. Like many of my characters, he has been made and remade when the various rule sets have been implemented since I am the kind of person that likes to fully flesh out a character's personality before making another.
Tao-Shen was originally designed to be a Haiku speaking monk but the DM told me he wouldn't allow that so instead I made him a strong silent type; only speaking when it was absolutely necessary. Tao-Shen hailed from a monastery high in the mountains West of Greyhawk (Or East of the Sword Coast once we moved to Faerun) His home had been destroyed by the same catastrophe that had occurred within Waterdeep, a necromancer attempted to acquire power and build an undead army (as some of them do) and fortunately, Tao-Shen managed to meet the other characters within one of the Necromancer's hideouts. At first Tao-Shen wasn'y too keen on traveling with others but they seemed trustworthy enough and St. Cuthbert would not want me to step on the toes of others attempting to acquire their retribution from the same man who had wronged them as well so he decided he would travel with them for the time being.
Fast forward several dungeon crawls later, many attempts at stopping the wizard only having him to flee laughing maniacally as he knew he had thwarted our attempts to bring him to justice once again. We were all around tenth level and thoroughly peeved with this necromancer. We were ready for him to be dead. We had tracked him down to a dwarven mountain but by the time we arrived, he had captured most of the dwarves, enslaved a few, and held the others captive so that he learn what he needed to become a master of the mountains tunnel system. In the process of trying to locate the wizard, his newfound demon friends ambushed us and took several of us captured while half of us fled.
So there I was with a wizard with no spellbooks, a cleric without his undead slaying heavy mace or his holy symbol, and a bunch of dwarves all held captive. To ensure Tao-Shen was not to be a problem, the wizard ordered his men to "disarm" the monk....so they cut off his hands. I as a player was quite afraid that this awesome character I had grown to love was going to die. (our DM had banned revival magic with the exception of a wish spell) Then an idea dawned on me. They had only removed two of my character's weapons. I had Tao-Shen leap up to one of the guards when they came to feed us and kicked him square in the head with a flurry of kicks and broke us free from the dungeons. Over the next two sessions, we were able to free the other dwarves, rendevous with the rest of our party who had managed to find a few roaming dwarves attempting a rescue on their own and make yet another attempt at the necromancer. This time we finally killed him, or so we had thought. Before we managed to kill him, he had made a deal with his new demon lord, Duke Sallos, to help him obtain lich-hood and once again fleed the scene, taking what was left of his undead army with him.
Needless to say we were pissed. Especially Tao-Shen. The dwarves however were very grateful and asked if there was any way they could repay us. Tao-Shen looked down at his stumps and inquired what they could do about fixing him up or healing him. Sadly his arms could not be saved but instead the Dwarven King had a fantastic idea. He and his forge masters crafted Tao-Shen magically evolving gauntlets that acted as a prosthetic! These new hands were forged from dwarven steel (something i think my DM made up) and would get stronger depending on the traits of the foes i fought....which were mostly demons and undead at this point. These hands literally made it so that Tao-Shen didnt ever really need weapons ever again as he was able to quite literally bear hug a wight and make him explode...
In the end, it wasnt even us who defeated the necromancer, but the demon lord who had grown quite impatient with his constant failures (thanks to our constant meddling) and had taken his phylactery to the nine hells to be tormented until the end of days....we then had to fight a pit fiend...Truth be told, that demon caught these hands.
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I can count the number of people I'd call friend on one hand....It's the other hand you have to worry about.
Here's a (semi) recent creation of mine, the Rune Knight dragonborn!
SKRYMIR TITANFIST
Race: Dragonborn (Bronze)
Class: Fighter (Rune Knight)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Raised by giants and taught their ways, Skrymir Titanfist is certainly an odd dragonborn to behold. Covered in runes learned from his colossal teachers, Skrymir has the ability to invoke these magical scribings to unusual effect.
When he was just an egg, Skrymir was accidentally left behind by his tribe during a lengthy journey. A storm giant named Odin Thunderbeard stumbled upon the egg by pure coincidence. Instead of leaving it behind, Odin decided to raise the egg. When the dragonborn hatched, Odin named him Skrymir, a worthy name of the giants. Through Odin, Skrymir learned how to use runes, the giants’ language, as magical abilities. From the temperamental fire giants, Skrymir learned craftsmanship. The storm giants taught Skrymir wisdom. Cloud giants gave Skrymir lessons in strength, and frost giants endurance. From what little they could teach, hill giants gave knowledge in hunger to the dragonborn, and stone giants were excellent teachers in patience.
Finally, the day came for Skrymir to set out on his own. He wished a solemn farewell to Odin, promising to visit and use his gifts for good. The human world confused Skrymir. They were so small and short-lived, yet so determined. It was a wonder they had gotten this far at all. After some adjustment, the bronze-scaled dragon learned what customs were and weren’t acceptable in the world of man. He still is quite confusing at times, but a good friend and person, more than willing to share his runes.
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I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
Here's a (semi) recent creation of mine, the Rune Knight dragonborn!
SKRYMIR TITANFIST
Race: Dragonborn (Bronze)
Class: Fighter (Rune Knight)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Raised by giants and taught their ways, Skrymir Titanfist is certainly an odd dragonborn to behold. Covered in runes learned from his colossal teachers, Skrymir has the ability to invoke these magical scribings to unusual effect.
When he was just an egg, Skrymir was accidentally left behind by his tribe during a lengthy journey. A storm giant named Odin Thunderbeard stumbled upon the egg by pure coincidence. Instead of leaving it behind, Odin decided to raise the egg. When the dragonborn hatched, Odin named him Skrymir, a worthy name of the giants. Through Odin, Skrymir learned how to use runes, the giants’ language, as magical abilities. From the temperamental fire giants, Skrymir learned craftsmanship. The storm giants taught Skrymir wisdom. Cloud giants gave Skrymir lessons in strength, and frost giants endurance. From what little they could teach, hill giants gave knowledge in hunger to the dragonborn, and stone giants were excellent teachers in patience.
Finally, the day came for Skrymir to set out on his own. He wished a solemn farewell to Odin, promising to visit and use his gifts for good. The human world confused Skrymir. They were so small and short-lived, yet so determined. It was a wonder they had gotten this far at all. After some adjustment, the bronze-scaled dragon learned what customs were and weren’t acceptable in the world of man. He still is quite confusing at times, but a good friend and person, more than willing to share his runes.
Zedair would get along well with Skrymir! Like it alot
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Viktor Dreamweaver - Cleric - "I'm the stuff of nightmares kid."
Tyril Strongbones - Ranger- "I prick and poke until I get what I need... Whether it be supple flesh or cold steel"
Zedair Daardendarian- Fighter- "You were not a challenge. How unfortunate for you."
DM. Player. Teacher. Husband. Cat owner. Dog Lover
Gumlir, first of the Runekeepers, Mage Warden of Mountainhome, Stood before the slowly closing doors of Kuruk Donmar. In the last moment before the heavy stone portal slammed closed an echo of a scream bellowed out and reverberated though the valley.
The last voice ever to leave Kuruk Donmar.
Gumlir began the enchantment to seal the doors. A spell begun generations before, it was meant to keep the affairs of men and elves out. Now it was used to keep a horror in.
Gumlir had warned to elders of the mountainhome. "Never dig to deep, beware your avarice, the stories of your ancestors warn you. The Greed of Dwarves is a terrible thing.
The Last syllable escaped his lips, the Gates sealed Kuruk Donmar was a mountainhome no more. It was now a tomb and a terrible prison.
Gumlir wept, turned away from his home and began to walk down the mountain. He steeled himself and swore an oath. "Terrors exist in this world, I will hunt down knowledge of them and strike them away"
The enemy army wanted no survivors from the battle. Rhogar had been in trouble, he was looking for shelter. He and his fellow dragon folk retreated to a small mountain cave. Inside there was a group of ancient giants. They were intrigued by the intruders of their cave. They decided to test them, test them all. They were going to award the single winner with the power of runes. Runes that would aid the one winner in their adventures. They first taught them the language of the giants. Once they learned this language they were put to the test of their morals. They were asked if they would rather be folk heroes or bounty hunters. The ones who wanted to be folk heroes were taught by half of the giants. The elite half taught the bounty hunters. They taught them different runes so that they would write them in their leather back books. Rhogar chose the fire ruse and the cloud rune. They trained for 5 years. Then there was the test. The test where all the bounty hunters would fight, to the death. The folk heroes were let go without a test but were taught less, and knew a lot less about the runes. Rhogar refused to kill his fellow Dragonborn. The Giants were satisfied by this and all the other bounty hunters were dismissed. The Giants chose him because he had honor. The Giants gave him one single job. They wanted him to make a name for himself. They also wanted him to study the runes further, learn them and use them. But above all he got his money from his job as a bounty hunter. Rhogar was named the "Rune Hunter" by his bounty hunter friends and had gotten a few more missions than just the one the giants gave him. On his journeys he met Luciferus Bloodscar a blood hunter. They became very good friends. Luciferus had told him of the Mad Mage threat. So he stayed in Waterdeep doing bounties in case Luciferus needed help. There he met Luciferus's brother, and they too became good friends. Rhogar had been relaxing in the inn when someone had said something quite important. The mysterious person wanted Rhogar to bounty hunt the Mad Mage. They would pay him handsomly. However to make sure he was going to do it they stole a ring. The ring of Dragons. It bonded all dragonborn. And if he did not take the bounty they would never give it back. So he set out on his quest.
I'm going to try something new. Someone either give me a character that doesn't have a backstory, and I'll write one, or give me a character idea. Let's see how this goes!
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I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
I have one more that I would like to discuss. The Bald and Bearded Monk, Tao-Shen. Like many of my characters, he has been made and remade when the various rule sets have been implemented since I am the kind of person that likes to fully flesh out a character's personality before making another.
Tao-Shen was originally designed to be a Haiku speaking monk but the DM told me he wouldn't allow that so instead I made him a strong silent type; only speaking when it was absolutely necessary. Tao-Shen hailed from a monastery high in the mountains West of Greyhawk (Or East of the Sword Coast once we moved to Faerun) His home had been destroyed by the same catastrophe that had occurred within Waterdeep, a necromancer attempted to acquire power and build an undead army (as some of them do) and fortunately, Tao-Shen managed to meet the other characters within one of the Necromancer's hideouts. At first Tao-Shen wasn'y too keen on traveling with others but they seemed trustworthy enough and St. Cuthbert would not want me to step on the toes of others attempting to acquire their retribution from the same man who had wronged them as well so he decided he would travel with them for the time being.
Fast forward several dungeon crawls later, many attempts at stopping the wizard only having him to flee laughing maniacally as he knew he had thwarted our attempts to bring him to justice once again. We were all around tenth level and thoroughly peeved with this necromancer. We were ready for him to be dead. We had tracked him down to a dwarven mountain but by the time we arrived, he had captured most of the dwarves, enslaved a few, and held the others captive so that he learn what he needed to become a master of the mountains tunnel system. In the process of trying to locate the wizard, his newfound demon friends ambushed us and took several of us captured while half of us fled.
So there I was with a wizard with no spellbooks, a cleric without his undead slaying heavy mace or his holy symbol, and a bunch of dwarves all held captive. To ensure Tao-Shen was not to be a problem, the wizard ordered his men to "disarm" the monk....so they cut off his hands. I as a player was quite afraid that this awesome character I had grown to love was going to die. (our DM had banned revival magic with the exception of a wish spell) Then an idea dawned on me. They had only removed two of my character's weapons. I had Tao-Shen leap up to one of the guards when they came to feed us and kicked him square in the head with a flurry of kicks and broke us free from the dungeons. Over the next two sessions, we were able to free the other dwarves, rendevous with the rest of our party who had managed to find a few roaming dwarves attempting a rescue on their own and make yet another attempt at the necromancer. This time we finally killed him, or so we had thought. Before we managed to kill him, he had made a deal with his new demon lord, Duke Sallos, to help him obtain lich-hood and once again fleed the scene, taking what was left of his undead army with him.
Needless to say we were pissed. Especially Tao-Shen. The dwarves however were very grateful and asked if there was any way they could repay us. Tao-Shen looked down at his stumps and inquired what they could do about fixing him up or healing him. Sadly his arms could not be saved but instead the Dwarven King had a fantastic idea. He and his forge masters crafted Tao-Shen magically evolving gauntlets that acted as a prosthetic! These new hands were forged from dwarven steel (something i think my DM made up) and would get stronger depending on the traits of the foes i fought....which were mostly demons and undead at this point. These hands literally made it so that Tao-Shen didnt ever really need weapons ever again as he was able to quite literally bear hug a wight and make him explode...
In the end, it wasnt even us who defeated the necromancer, but the demon lord who had grown quite impatient with his constant failures (thanks to our constant meddling) and had taken his phylactery to the nine hells to be tormented until the end of days....we then had to fight a pit fiend...Truth be told, that demon caught these hands.
Your monk sounds bad a** man! That was good out of the box thinking! The Necromancer/Lich reminds me of Thanquol of Warhammer as in he keeps trying so hard but keeps failing.
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Hadgar Greystone, Lv 10 Duergar Death Cleric. Call of Cantraxis campaign, Moonshae.
DM: Imperia Regnum Ancient Rome Theros Homebrew.
Gri'im the Red, LV 7 Orc Druid Rime of the Frost Maiden Campaign.
Gumlir, first of the Runekeepers, Mage Warden of Mountainhome, Stood before the slowly closing doors of Kuruk Donmar. In the last moment before the heavy stone portal slammed closed an echo of a scream bellowed out and reverberated though the valley.
The last voice ever to leave Kuruk Donmar.
Gumlir began the enchantment to seal the doors. A spell begun generations before, it was meant to keep the affairs of men and elves out. Now it was used to keep a horror in.
Gumlir had warned to elders of the mountainhome. "Never dig to deep, beware your avarice, the stories of your ancestors warn you. The Greed of Dwarves is a terrible thing.
The Last syllable escaped his lips, the Gates sealed Kuruk Donmar was a mountainhome no more. It was now a tomb and a terrible prison.
Gumlir wept, turned away from his home and began to walk down the mountain. He steeled himself and swore an oath. "Terrors exist in this world, I will hunt down knowledge of them and strike them away"
This sounds rad! Have you ever read the Dwarves comics? Your guy reminds of the dwarves of the Temple caste aka Runesmiths who fight demons or contain them. Sounds like Gumlir is right up their alley.
When people see tieflings, they think of devilry and chaos. This isn't the case with Orley Lightsoul. Orley is a do-gooder, helping those in need and always ready to lend a hand and pitch in.
Let's go back several years. Orey was living by himself in the woods. He had built himself a hut to call his own, along with a small farm. One day, as Orley was fishing in his pond, he caught a most peculiar vase. It was inscribed with primordial runes and odd sketches of wind gusts. Curiosity won Orley over, and he opened the vase. He didn't know it housed a genie, who asked for the person who freed it. When it found that Orley had been the one to open the vessel, the elemental offered Orley a portion of its power. In return, the tiefling must do good wherever he could and wherever he saw fit. Orley readily agreed.
The nearby town of GreenMeadow was the perfect place to start. Using his newfound powers, Orley began helping people build their houses, farm their fields, and chase off unwanted pests and intruders. The townsfolk, skeptical and wary at first, gradually warmed to the devil, to the point of greeting him with fresh goods and kind words. Once he did all that he could in GreenMeadow, Orley moved on to other places. His patron always provided him with a moral compass of where to go, and to this day, Orley follows it.
Orley is quite the jokester and friend. Those who have grown to know him all swear on their lives that he is a friend worth having at their side. He can be a help in and outside of combat, readily providing an easygoing and loveable atmosphere. Always count on him for help.
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I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
For a random short campaign I made a Human Sorcerer with a dragon background and an affinity for ice. After writing this whole backstory about how she's been dreaming of a silver dragon all her life, parents tried to convince her it was all in her head and not real, until she woke up one morning to find her room entirely coated in ice, I made a horrible yet amusing realization.
I made Elsa. With dragons.
So my level 10 Sorcerer then became Elsa, with all the "Let it Go" and "cold never bothered me anyway" jokes you can shake a stick at. Do I regret it? NOPE!
Gumlir, first of the Runekeepers, Mage Warden of Mountainhome, Stood before the slowly closing doors of Kuruk Donmar. In the last moment before the heavy stone portal slammed closed an echo of a scream bellowed out and reverberated though the valley.
The last voice ever to leave Kuruk Donmar.
Gumlir began the enchantment to seal the doors. A spell begun generations before, it was meant to keep the affairs of men and elves out. Now it was used to keep a horror in.
Gumlir had warned to elders of the mountainhome. "Never dig to deep, beware your avarice, the stories of your ancestors warn you. The Greed of Dwarves is a terrible thing.
The Last syllable escaped his lips, the Gates sealed Kuruk Donmar was a mountainhome no more. It was now a tomb and a terrible prison.
Gumlir wept, turned away from his home and began to walk down the mountain. He steeled himself and swore an oath. "Terrors exist in this world, I will hunt down knowledge of them and strike them away"
This sounds rad! Have you ever read the Dwarves comics? Your guy reminds of the dwarves of the Temple caste aka Runesmiths who fight demons or contain them. Sounds like Gumlir is right up their alley.
My original inspiration was Dwarf Fortress and "FUN" I also wanted to do a Dwarven Wizard for a longtime in Medium Armour with a Staff and Battleaxe. I'm joining an on-going home-brew campaign where the party is chasing down a demonologist who is opening portals to the nine hells and causing havoc. I'm really looking forward to it.
Dave of rein was a child displaced by a war to a city of valor. He was inspired to take up a sword in defense of his new home. During the war Dave due to his acts of strength ended up at the rank of Sargent. But after the war he was lost. Now he searches the land for a righteous cause to lend his strength to. In honor of his town and due to not having a last name he took the name of rein as his own. Recently he has join a party of adventure in finding a dragon’s egg
When people see tieflings, they think of devilry and chaos. This isn't the case with Orley Lightsoul. Orley is a do-gooder, helping those in need and always ready to lend a hand and pitch in.
Let's go back several years. Orey was living by himself in the woods. He had built himself a hut to call his own, along with a small farm. One day, as Orley was fishing in his pond, he caught a most peculiar vase. It was inscribed with primordial runes and odd sketches of wind gusts. Curiosity won Orley over, and he opened the vase. He didn't know it housed a genie, who asked for the person who freed it. When it found that Orley had been the one to open the vessel, the elemental offered Orley a portion of its power. In return, the tiefling must do good wherever he could and wherever he saw fit. Orley readily agreed.
The nearby town of GreenMeadow was the perfect place to start. Using his newfound powers, Orley began helping people build their houses, farm their fields, and chase off unwanted pests and intruders. The townsfolk, skeptical and wary at first, gradually warmed to the devil, to the point of greeting him with fresh goods and kind words. Once he did all that he could in GreenMeadow, Orley moved on to other places. His patron always provided him with a moral compass of where to go, and to this day, Orley follows it.
Orley is quite the jokester and friend. Those who have grown to know him all swear on their lives that he is a friend worth having at their side. He can be a help in and outside of combat, readily providing an easygoing and loveable atmosphere. Always count on him for help.
Good background, you weren't kidding you could make one up! Makes sense as well...didn't know Warlocks could make pacts with djin though! Good to know when I roll one!
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Hadgar Greystone, Lv 10 Duergar Death Cleric. Call of Cantraxis campaign, Moonshae.
DM: Imperia Regnum Ancient Rome Theros Homebrew.
Gri'im the Red, LV 7 Orc Druid Rime of the Frost Maiden Campaign.
Since you butchered my challenge, I want to give you something harder.
Tiefling Blood Hunter named Luciferus Bloodscar. Order of the Lycan.
Btw this is kinda good for me, I am using this character in a campaign and I would like some sort of twist that would add some more interest to his character. E.G ulterior motive, traumatic backstory. his own demons, is haunted by the procedures he went through to become a blood hunter, etc-
Thank you! The Noble Genie pact is kind of goofy and, if I'm being honest, lame, though. Sure, it has a ton of spells, but the powers coming from it seem more like a carnival performer rather than a student of a djinn.
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I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
The best part about this story is the fact that as a rogue between levels 1-4 I had not hit a single attack. Not even sneak attacks were successful. The dice were never on my side. But when it came to picking a lock, picking a pocket, disarming a trap, Gimble was your best friend. Thus being dubbed "the mascot" of the party. He was useless. Until the halfling toss idea. Afterward we managed to sneak into the bosses "throne room" but sadly as the others were not as sneaky as Gimble, (who had rolled a nat 20 for stealth) the others were forced to face the boss's minions. Gimble snuck his way behind the boss, (against the better judgement of the rest of the players due to the afore mentioned bad luck with combat) and proceeded to sneak attack the boss, not only hit, but critically maxed out damage on the poor baddie dealing far more than half his health, (i believe the following was a home brew rule) which was sufficient enough to kill the boss instantly. With a moderate amount of surprise and pride Gimble cried out, "HEY LOOK!! I DID A THING!!"
I can count the number of people I'd call friend on one hand....It's the other hand you have to worry about.
I have one more that I would like to discuss. The Bald and Bearded Monk, Tao-Shen. Like many of my characters, he has been made and remade when the various rule sets have been implemented since I am the kind of person that likes to fully flesh out a character's personality before making another.
Tao-Shen was originally designed to be a Haiku speaking monk but the DM told me he wouldn't allow that so instead I made him a strong silent type; only speaking when it was absolutely necessary. Tao-Shen hailed from a monastery high in the mountains West of Greyhawk (Or East of the Sword Coast once we moved to Faerun) His home had been destroyed by the same catastrophe that had occurred within Waterdeep, a necromancer attempted to acquire power and build an undead army (as some of them do) and fortunately, Tao-Shen managed to meet the other characters within one of the Necromancer's hideouts. At first Tao-Shen wasn'y too keen on traveling with others but they seemed trustworthy enough and St. Cuthbert would not want me to step on the toes of others attempting to acquire their retribution from the same man who had wronged them as well so he decided he would travel with them for the time being.
Fast forward several dungeon crawls later, many attempts at stopping the wizard only having him to flee laughing maniacally as he knew he had thwarted our attempts to bring him to justice once again. We were all around tenth level and thoroughly peeved with this necromancer. We were ready for him to be dead. We had tracked him down to a dwarven mountain but by the time we arrived, he had captured most of the dwarves, enslaved a few, and held the others captive so that he learn what he needed to become a master of the mountains tunnel system. In the process of trying to locate the wizard, his newfound demon friends ambushed us and took several of us captured while half of us fled.
So there I was with a wizard with no spellbooks, a cleric without his undead slaying heavy mace or his holy symbol, and a bunch of dwarves all held captive. To ensure Tao-Shen was not to be a problem, the wizard ordered his men to "disarm" the monk....so they cut off his hands. I as a player was quite afraid that this awesome character I had grown to love was going to die. (our DM had banned revival magic with the exception of a wish spell) Then an idea dawned on me. They had only removed two of my character's weapons. I had Tao-Shen leap up to one of the guards when they came to feed us and kicked him square in the head with a flurry of kicks and broke us free from the dungeons. Over the next two sessions, we were able to free the other dwarves, rendevous with the rest of our party who had managed to find a few roaming dwarves attempting a rescue on their own and make yet another attempt at the necromancer. This time we finally killed him, or so we had thought. Before we managed to kill him, he had made a deal with his new demon lord, Duke Sallos, to help him obtain lich-hood and once again fleed the scene, taking what was left of his undead army with him.
Needless to say we were pissed. Especially Tao-Shen. The dwarves however were very grateful and asked if there was any way they could repay us. Tao-Shen looked down at his stumps and inquired what they could do about fixing him up or healing him. Sadly his arms could not be saved but instead the Dwarven King had a fantastic idea. He and his forge masters crafted Tao-Shen magically evolving gauntlets that acted as a prosthetic! These new hands were forged from dwarven steel (something i think my DM made up) and would get stronger depending on the traits of the foes i fought....which were mostly demons and undead at this point. These hands literally made it so that Tao-Shen didnt ever really need weapons ever again as he was able to quite literally bear hug a wight and make him explode...
In the end, it wasnt even us who defeated the necromancer, but the demon lord who had grown quite impatient with his constant failures (thanks to our constant meddling) and had taken his phylactery to the nine hells to be tormented until the end of days....we then had to fight a pit fiend...Truth be told, that demon caught these hands.
I can count the number of people I'd call friend on one hand....It's the other hand you have to worry about.
Here's a (semi) recent creation of mine, the Rune Knight dragonborn!
SKRYMIR TITANFIST
Race: Dragonborn (Bronze)
Class: Fighter (Rune Knight)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Raised by giants and taught their ways, Skrymir Titanfist is certainly an odd dragonborn to behold. Covered in runes learned from his colossal teachers, Skrymir has the ability to invoke these magical scribings to unusual effect.
When he was just an egg, Skrymir was accidentally left behind by his tribe during a lengthy journey. A storm giant named Odin Thunderbeard stumbled upon the egg by pure coincidence. Instead of leaving it behind, Odin decided to raise the egg. When the dragonborn hatched, Odin named him Skrymir, a worthy name of the giants. Through Odin, Skrymir learned how to use runes, the giants’ language, as magical abilities. From the temperamental fire giants, Skrymir learned craftsmanship. The storm giants taught Skrymir wisdom. Cloud giants gave Skrymir lessons in strength, and frost giants endurance. From what little they could teach, hill giants gave knowledge in hunger to the dragonborn, and stone giants were excellent teachers in patience.
Finally, the day came for Skrymir to set out on his own. He wished a solemn farewell to Odin, promising to visit and use his gifts for good. The human world confused Skrymir. They were so small and short-lived, yet so determined. It was a wonder they had gotten this far at all. After some adjustment, the bronze-scaled dragon learned what customs were and weren’t acceptable in the world of man. He still is quite confusing at times, but a good friend and person, more than willing to share his runes.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
Zedair would get along well with Skrymir! Like it alot
Viktor Dreamweaver - Cleric - "I'm the stuff of nightmares kid."
Tyril Strongbones - Ranger- "I prick and poke until I get what I need... Whether it be supple flesh or cold steel"
Zedair Daardendarian- Fighter- "You were not a challenge. How unfortunate for you."
DM. Player. Teacher. Husband. Cat owner. Dog Lover
Gumlir, first of the Runekeepers, Mage Warden of Mountainhome, Stood before the slowly closing doors of Kuruk Donmar. In the last moment before the heavy stone portal slammed closed an echo of a scream bellowed out and reverberated though the valley.
The last voice ever to leave Kuruk Donmar.
Gumlir began the enchantment to seal the doors. A spell begun generations before, it was meant to keep the affairs of men and elves out. Now it was used to keep a horror in.
Gumlir had warned to elders of the mountainhome. "Never dig to deep, beware your avarice, the stories of your ancestors warn you. The Greed of Dwarves is a terrible thing.
The Last syllable escaped his lips, the Gates sealed Kuruk Donmar was a mountainhome no more. It was now a tomb and a terrible prison.
Gumlir wept, turned away from his home and began to walk down the mountain. He steeled himself and swore an oath. "Terrors exist in this world, I will hunt down knowledge of them and strike them away"
----------
Name: Gumlir
Race: Mountain Dwarf
Class: Wizard (Enchantment)
Background: Sage
Level 4 feat: Linguist.
My Dragonborn fighter, Rune Knight.
The enemy army wanted no survivors from the battle. Rhogar had been in trouble, he was looking for shelter. He and his fellow dragon folk retreated to a small mountain cave. Inside there was a group of ancient giants. They were intrigued by the intruders of their cave. They decided to test them, test them all. They were going to award the single winner with the power of runes. Runes that would aid the one winner in their adventures. They first taught them the language of the giants. Once they learned this language they were put to the test of their morals. They were asked if they would rather be folk heroes or bounty hunters. The ones who wanted to be folk heroes were taught by half of the giants. The elite half taught the bounty hunters. They taught them different runes so that they would write them in their leather back books. Rhogar chose the fire ruse and the cloud rune. They trained for 5 years. Then there was the test. The test where all the bounty hunters would fight, to the death. The folk heroes were let go without a test but were taught less, and knew a lot less about the runes. Rhogar refused to kill his fellow Dragonborn. The Giants were satisfied by this and all the other bounty hunters were dismissed. The Giants chose him because he had honor. The Giants gave him one single job. They wanted him to make a name for himself. They also wanted him to study the runes further, learn them and use them. But above all he got his money from his job as a bounty hunter. Rhogar was named the "Rune Hunter" by his bounty hunter friends and had gotten a few more missions than just the one the giants gave him. On his journeys he met Luciferus Bloodscar a blood hunter. They became very good friends. Luciferus had told him of the Mad Mage threat. So he stayed in Waterdeep doing bounties in case Luciferus needed help. There he met Luciferus's brother, and they too became good friends. Rhogar had been relaxing in the inn when someone had said something quite important. The mysterious person wanted Rhogar to bounty hunt the Mad Mage. They would pay him handsomly. However to make sure he was going to do it they stole a ring. The ring of Dragons. It bonded all dragonborn. And if he did not take the bounty they would never give it back. So he set out on his quest.
Youll have to help me find that one. They sound cool!
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
I'm going to try something new. Someone either give me a character that doesn't have a backstory, and I'll write one, or give me a character idea. Let's see how this goes!
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
Tiefling Warlock, Patron the Noble Genie
Your monk sounds bad a** man! That was good out of the box thinking!
The Necromancer/Lich reminds me of Thanquol of Warhammer as in he keeps trying so hard but keeps failing.
Hadgar Greystone, Lv 10 Duergar Death Cleric.
Call of Cantraxis campaign, Moonshae.
DM: Imperia Regnum
Ancient Rome Theros Homebrew.
Gri'im the Red, LV 7 Orc Druid
Rime of the Frost Maiden Campaign.
This sounds rad!
Have you ever read the Dwarves comics? Your guy reminds of the dwarves of the Temple caste aka Runesmiths who fight demons or contain them.
Sounds like Gumlir is right up their alley.
https://www.comixology.co.uk/Dwarves/comics-series/67826
Hadgar Greystone, Lv 10 Duergar Death Cleric.
Call of Cantraxis campaign, Moonshae.
DM: Imperia Regnum
Ancient Rome Theros Homebrew.
Gri'im the Red, LV 7 Orc Druid
Rime of the Frost Maiden Campaign.
Challenge accepted.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
When people see tieflings, they think of devilry and chaos. This isn't the case with Orley Lightsoul. Orley is a do-gooder, helping those in need and always ready to lend a hand and pitch in.
Let's go back several years. Orey was living by himself in the woods. He had built himself a hut to call his own, along with a small farm. One day, as Orley was fishing in his pond, he caught a most peculiar vase. It was inscribed with primordial runes and odd sketches of wind gusts. Curiosity won Orley over, and he opened the vase. He didn't know it housed a genie, who asked for the person who freed it. When it found that Orley had been the one to open the vessel, the elemental offered Orley a portion of its power. In return, the tiefling must do good wherever he could and wherever he saw fit. Orley readily agreed.
The nearby town of GreenMeadow was the perfect place to start. Using his newfound powers, Orley began helping people build their houses, farm their fields, and chase off unwanted pests and intruders. The townsfolk, skeptical and wary at first, gradually warmed to the devil, to the point of greeting him with fresh goods and kind words. Once he did all that he could in GreenMeadow, Orley moved on to other places. His patron always provided him with a moral compass of where to go, and to this day, Orley follows it.
Orley is quite the jokester and friend. Those who have grown to know him all swear on their lives that he is a friend worth having at their side. He can be a help in and outside of combat, readily providing an easygoing and loveable atmosphere. Always count on him for help.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
For a random short campaign I made a Human Sorcerer with a dragon background and an affinity for ice. After writing this whole backstory about how she's been dreaming of a silver dragon all her life, parents tried to convince her it was all in her head and not real, until she woke up one morning to find her room entirely coated in ice, I made a horrible yet amusing realization.
I made Elsa. With dragons.
So my level 10 Sorcerer then became Elsa, with all the "Let it Go" and "cold never bothered me anyway" jokes you can shake a stick at. Do I regret it? NOPE!
My original inspiration was Dwarf Fortress and "FUN"
I also wanted to do a Dwarven Wizard for a longtime in Medium Armour with a Staff and Battleaxe.
I'm joining an on-going home-brew campaign where the party is chasing down a demonologist who is opening portals to the nine hells and causing havoc. I'm really looking forward to it.
Dave of rein was a child displaced by a war to a city of valor. He was inspired to take up a sword in defense of his new home. During the war Dave due to his acts of strength ended up at the rank of Sargent. But after the war he was lost. Now he searches the land for a righteous cause to lend his strength to. In honor of his town and due to not having a last name he took the name of rein as his own. Recently he has join a party of adventure in finding a dragon’s egg
Name Dave of rein
class Fighter (battle master)
race (human)
background ( soldier )
Mostly nocturnal
help build a world here
Good background, you weren't kidding you could make one up! Makes sense as well...didn't know Warlocks could make pacts with djin though! Good to know when I roll one!
Hadgar Greystone, Lv 10 Duergar Death Cleric.
Call of Cantraxis campaign, Moonshae.
DM: Imperia Regnum
Ancient Rome Theros Homebrew.
Gri'im the Red, LV 7 Orc Druid
Rime of the Frost Maiden Campaign.
Since you butchered my challenge, I want to give you something harder.
Tiefling Blood Hunter named Luciferus Bloodscar. Order of the Lycan.
Btw this is kinda good for me, I am using this character in a campaign and I would like some sort of twist that would add some more interest to his character. E.G ulterior motive, traumatic backstory. his own demons, is haunted by the procedures he went through to become a blood hunter, etc-
Thank you! The Noble Genie pact is kind of goofy and, if I'm being honest, lame, though. Sure, it has a ton of spells, but the powers coming from it seem more like a carnival performer rather than a student of a djinn.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.
Don't worry, I got your back. You'll have your backstory by the end of the day, probably earlier.
I'm not begging for attention, but if you like World Anvil, go give me a look.