I hope I have posted this in the right forum, but this seemed the closest to what this post is about. If I did post it in the wrong part of the forum, I'll apologize in advance.
I'm planning on making a Lizardfolk character for my friend's first time DM'ing. Since I wanted to try a class I haven't tried before I, at first, what debating between Sorcerer, Warlock, Paladin or Cleric, but have now narrowed it down to Paladin (maybe vengence or something, I'm not sure yet) or Cleric (either Grave or Tempest probably). While I know most Lizardfolk aren't really the most charismatic and emotional creatures in DnD, they are quite religious. I do have some vague ideas for each character's backstory, but I find it very difficult to decide.
Vengence Paladin's tribe would have been attacked and destroyed by a bunch of undead, who were controlled by the BBEG, now they're obviously out for revenge. - Not sure about this one because as far as I know Lizardfolk aren't very emotional and I'm not sure if they'd really be very vengeful about this. Yeah their entire tribe is gone, but they mostly think of survival.
Grave Cleric would have a similar backstory to the Vengence paladin, but instead wants to lay the dead bodies of their tribemates to rest after they were turned into undead. - Also unsure due to similar reasons as Vengence Paladin.
Tempest Cleric could have been chosen by their god, or a weather god, to go out into the world and do stuff (probably fight the BBEG or something). - Not sure since from what I know, the Lizardfolk god doesn't really do much for the Lizardfolk unless their entire race is at stake.
I'd really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice, or something.
This probably belongs more in Tips & Tactics or General Discussion as this doesn't seem like a rules question? A mod will probably move it if they agree.
I know most Lizardfolk aren't really the most charismatic and emotional creatures in DnD, they are quite religious.
The mental ability scores in D&D are somewhat catch-alls, so Charisma doesn't necessarily just mean charismatic; it also represents will, which is why it's the saving throw for Banishment, and why it's the casting ability for Paladin, Sorcerers and Warlocks. So you could just play it as strong-willed, stoic etc.?
Vengence Paladin's tribe would have been attacked and destroyed by a bunch of undead, who were controlled by the BBEG, now they're obviously out for revenge. - Not sure about this one because as far as I know Lizardfolk aren't very emotional and I'm not sure if they'd really be very vengeful about this. Yeah their entire tribe is gone, but they mostly think of survival.
The character could be thinking in practical terms; i.e- a rampaging army of undead is an existential threat, so rather than being just a personal vendetta, it's more like a quest to end that threat at any cost? I've never really thought of the Lizardfolk as being entirely emotionless, but more like they aren't governed by the emotions they have, so they can lean more towards being zen (let things wash over them) or calculating/ruthless (recognise the emotion, then act on it in a logical way).
Grave Cleric would have a similar backstory to the Vengence paladin, but instead wants to lay the dead bodies of their tribemates to rest after they were turned into undead. - Also unsure due to similar reasons as Vengence Paladin.
Lizardfolk aren't unaligned, but rather neutral, which fits in with clerics and druids that are devoted to nature; the basis for that is usually about maintaining balance. So it wouldn't necessarily be about putting only their own tribe's bodies to rest, but all of them, as the undead are unnatural. Or they need to do it simply because it's something that they believe needs to be done?
Tempest Cleric could have been chosen by their god, or a weather god, to go out into the world and do stuff (probably fight the BBEG or something). - Not sure since from what I know, the Lizardfolk god doesn't really do much for the Lizardfolk unless their entire race is at stake.
Rampaging undead horde sounds like a threat to the entire race? It doesn't necessarily have to be a god of the Lizardfolk though, deities are notorious for their meddling; the night their tribe was wiped out could have coincided with a terrible storm caused by another god that was trying to warn them about the horde, and chose to empower you as a survivor to put a stop to it?
I'd really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice, or something.
Not sure what advice to give except to go with your gut and work backwards; pick the idea that mechanically or thematically appeals to you most, then see if you can fill in the details for it and how you feel about the result.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
While I know most Lizardfolk aren't really the most charismatic and emotional creatures in DnD
The new version of lizardfolk got rid of that "completely cold and alien mindset" thing, but even if you want to stick with it, you don't have to play them as completely unemotional. They are adaptable and try to blend into their environment to improve their chances of survival -- that can apply to social environments too, so if a lizardfolk has been around other humanoids long enough, they might well "fake" emotions as a kind of interpersonal camouflage (with occasionally hilarious results if they misjudge a situation)
As far as your backstory goes, as Haravikk said, pick what you want to play then build the character's history around it, not the other way around. For instance, a vengeance paladin doesn't have to be driven by an emotional need for revenge -- they've sworn an oath to right wrongs and punish evildoers by any means necessary, which fits very well for a creature with a utilitarian, results-oriented mindset like lizardfolk. A grave cleric can be very "death is just part of the circle of life, it's no big deal", which seems right in their wheelhouse
Putting on my DM hat, the sticking point here seems to be that you want your backstory to tie very directly into the campaign story -- the BBEG massacred your village, etc etc. That's ultimately up to the DM, not to you, so making things a little vaguer might help you get a handle on your character a little better. Your village was still massacred, but you're heading out into the world to solve the mystery of who and why instead of being laser focused on the BBEG as the culprit. Ideally you want to give your DM hooks in your backstory they can surprise you with by tying them into the bigger campaign when you aren't expecting it, not writing out campaign plot points for them
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Thank you both very much, I'm still quite new to actually playing DnD, so this does help me out with not just this character's backstory and class but also my future ones.
I'll be keeping this in mind by working backwards with this character.
Keep in mind, Charisma is an abstraction of force of personality. Your Lizardfolk doesn't have to be what we'd typically call charismatic, rather the confidence and presence of the apex predator entering the room could silence conversations as everyone takes note of the 20 Charisma Lizardfolk who walked in.
You might also consider Devotion Paladin, because that bonus to all of your attack rolls for the minute is extremely useful for almost any combat, whereas Vengeance is extremely useful primarily against a "boss" and doesn't help you against minions.
If you're not opposed to a bit of cheese in the build, one level of Hexblade, then taking the rest in Devotion Paladin lets you add double your Charisma Modifier to your Proficiency bonus on your attack rolls when you use your Channel Divinity. Having a +11 to hit at L5 for a full minute is nothing to sneeze at.
Keep in mind, Charisma is an abstraction of force of personality. Your Lizardfolk doesn't have to be what we'd typically call charismatic, rather the confidence and presence of the apex predator entering the room could silence conversations as everyone takes note of the 20 Charisma Lizardfolk who walked in.
You might also consider Devotion Paladin, because that bonus to all of your attack rolls for the minute is extremely useful for almost any combat, whereas Vengeance is extremely useful primarily against a "boss" and doesn't help you against minions.
If you're not opposed to a bit of cheese in the build, one level of Hexblade, then taking the rest in Devotion Paladin lets you add double your Charisma Modifier to your Proficiency bonus on your attack rolls when you use your Channel Divinity. Having a +11 to hit at L5 for a full minute is nothing to sneeze at.
I'll keep that in mind, though we will be starting at level 3, so I can't do both yet unfortunately if I wanted to do that.
Keep in mind, Charisma is an abstraction of force of personality. Your Lizardfolk doesn't have to be what we'd typically call charismatic, rather the confidence and presence of the apex predator entering the room could silence conversations as everyone takes note of the 20 Charisma Lizardfolk who walked in.
You might also consider Devotion Paladin, because that bonus to all of your attack rolls for the minute is extremely useful for almost any combat, whereas Vengeance is extremely useful primarily against a "boss" and doesn't help you against minions.
If you're not opposed to a bit of cheese in the build, one level of Hexblade, then taking the rest in Devotion Paladin lets you add double your Charisma Modifier to your Proficiency bonus on your attack rolls when you use your Channel Divinity. Having a +11 to hit at L5 for a full minute is nothing to sneeze at.
I'll keep that in mind, though we will be starting at level 3, so I can't do both yet unfortunately if I wanted to do that.
Definitely, play what you want. My point was that the rules are abstractions, and some people view them as more significant than they really are, both on the low and high ends.
There are two versions of the Lizardfolk to choose from. The one in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse is a Lineage, letting you put the Ability Score increases anywhere. Or if you use the first version of it, you could still swap out the Ability Score Increases via the variant rule in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. However, the flavor you're describing for your character sounds more like the flavor for the Dragonborn, also a scaled humanoid race. That might be something else to consider if you have any interest in a breath weapon.
At L3, Hexblade 1, Devotion Paladin 2, starting with a 16 in Constitution and Charisma is a solid build, and it gives you the strongest Cantrip in the game, Eldritch Blast. Once you have your Charisma to 20, you can use a feat to get Agonizing Blast, so your character's ranged damage keeps up with your melee damage. And when you get to Level 9, you add your Charisma Bonus to ALL of your saves, including Death Saves. So your worst save would still be at a +4, if it's still an 8 and you aren't proficient. With this build your Strength doesn't need to be buffed above the starting 13 needed to multiclass, so it's pretty single-attribute-dependent.
Keep in mind, Charisma is an abstraction of force of personality. Your Lizardfolk doesn't have to be what we'd typically call charismatic, rather the confidence and presence of the apex predator entering the room could silence conversations as everyone takes note of the 20 Charisma Lizardfolk who walked in.
You might also consider Devotion Paladin, because that bonus to all of your attack rolls for the minute is extremely useful for almost any combat, whereas Vengeance is extremely useful primarily against a "boss" and doesn't help you against minions.
If you're not opposed to a bit of cheese in the build, one level of Hexblade, then taking the rest in Devotion Paladin lets you add double your Charisma Modifier to your Proficiency bonus on your attack rolls when you use your Channel Divinity. Having a +11 to hit at L5 for a full minute is nothing to sneeze at.
I'll keep that in mind, though we will be starting at level 3, so I can't do both yet unfortunately if I wanted to do that.
Multiclassing would also put you behind a level in getting your first Feat, if there's a particular one that's important to your concept. I'm very much a "decide what story you want to tell with your character" person and not an "optimize for combat, figure out the role-play angle later" person though
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Much of this relies on other things. What's the makeup of the other characters? While a party full of Paladins or Clerics can be fun (I've been in both), not everyone feels that way. If you want to stay with the 'cold and emotionless' thing then a Grave Cleric fits the bill. 'Beings live...beings die...it is the cycle of life.'
I would talk to the DM and the other players if possible to see what the best class fit would be before spending too much time planning further.
There's nothing wrong with this backstory. Don't feel like you need to be restricted in your character creation decisions because your character doesn't perfectly align with your character race's quote-a-quote "correct" position in the world.
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Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair
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I hope I have posted this in the right forum, but this seemed the closest to what this post is about. If I did post it in the wrong part of the forum, I'll apologize in advance.
I'm planning on making a Lizardfolk character for my friend's first time DM'ing. Since I wanted to try a class I haven't tried before I, at first, what debating between Sorcerer, Warlock, Paladin or Cleric, but have now narrowed it down to Paladin (maybe vengence or something, I'm not sure yet) or Cleric (either Grave or Tempest probably). While I know most Lizardfolk aren't really the most charismatic and emotional creatures in DnD, they are quite religious. I do have some vague ideas for each character's backstory, but I find it very difficult to decide.
Vengence Paladin's tribe would have been attacked and destroyed by a bunch of undead, who were controlled by the BBEG, now they're obviously out for revenge. - Not sure about this one because as far as I know Lizardfolk aren't very emotional and I'm not sure if they'd really be very vengeful about this. Yeah their entire tribe is gone, but they mostly think of survival.
Grave Cleric would have a similar backstory to the Vengence paladin, but instead wants to lay the dead bodies of their tribemates to rest after they were turned into undead. - Also unsure due to similar reasons as Vengence Paladin.
Tempest Cleric could have been chosen by their god, or a weather god, to go out into the world and do stuff (probably fight the BBEG or something). - Not sure since from what I know, the Lizardfolk god doesn't really do much for the Lizardfolk unless their entire race is at stake.
I'd really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice, or something.
This probably belongs more in Tips & Tactics or General Discussion as this doesn't seem like a rules question? A mod will probably move it if they agree.
The mental ability scores in D&D are somewhat catch-alls, so Charisma doesn't necessarily just mean charismatic; it also represents will, which is why it's the saving throw for Banishment, and why it's the casting ability for Paladin, Sorcerers and Warlocks. So you could just play it as strong-willed, stoic etc.?
The character could be thinking in practical terms; i.e- a rampaging army of undead is an existential threat, so rather than being just a personal vendetta, it's more like a quest to end that threat at any cost? I've never really thought of the Lizardfolk as being entirely emotionless, but more like they aren't governed by the emotions they have, so they can lean more towards being zen (let things wash over them) or calculating/ruthless (recognise the emotion, then act on it in a logical way).
Lizardfolk aren't unaligned, but rather neutral, which fits in with clerics and druids that are devoted to nature; the basis for that is usually about maintaining balance. So it wouldn't necessarily be about putting only their own tribe's bodies to rest, but all of them, as the undead are unnatural. Or they need to do it simply because it's something that they believe needs to be done?
Rampaging undead horde sounds like a threat to the entire race? It doesn't necessarily have to be a god of the Lizardfolk though, deities are notorious for their meddling; the night their tribe was wiped out could have coincided with a terrible storm caused by another god that was trying to warn them about the horde, and chose to empower you as a survivor to put a stop to it?
Not sure what advice to give except to go with your gut and work backwards; pick the idea that mechanically or thematically appeals to you most, then see if you can fill in the details for it and how you feel about the result.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
The new version of lizardfolk got rid of that "completely cold and alien mindset" thing, but even if you want to stick with it, you don't have to play them as completely unemotional. They are adaptable and try to blend into their environment to improve their chances of survival -- that can apply to social environments too, so if a lizardfolk has been around other humanoids long enough, they might well "fake" emotions as a kind of interpersonal camouflage (with occasionally hilarious results if they misjudge a situation)
As far as your backstory goes, as Haravikk said, pick what you want to play then build the character's history around it, not the other way around. For instance, a vengeance paladin doesn't have to be driven by an emotional need for revenge -- they've sworn an oath to right wrongs and punish evildoers by any means necessary, which fits very well for a creature with a utilitarian, results-oriented mindset like lizardfolk. A grave cleric can be very "death is just part of the circle of life, it's no big deal", which seems right in their wheelhouse
Putting on my DM hat, the sticking point here seems to be that you want your backstory to tie very directly into the campaign story -- the BBEG massacred your village, etc etc. That's ultimately up to the DM, not to you, so making things a little vaguer might help you get a handle on your character a little better. Your village was still massacred, but you're heading out into the world to solve the mystery of who and why instead of being laser focused on the BBEG as the culprit. Ideally you want to give your DM hooks in your backstory they can surprise you with by tying them into the bigger campaign when you aren't expecting it, not writing out campaign plot points for them
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Thank you both very much, I'm still quite new to actually playing DnD, so this does help me out with not just this character's backstory and class but also my future ones.
I'll be keeping this in mind by working backwards with this character.
Keep in mind, Charisma is an abstraction of force of personality. Your Lizardfolk doesn't have to be what we'd typically call charismatic, rather the confidence and presence of the apex predator entering the room could silence conversations as everyone takes note of the 20 Charisma Lizardfolk who walked in.
You might also consider Devotion Paladin, because that bonus to all of your attack rolls for the minute is extremely useful for almost any combat, whereas Vengeance is extremely useful primarily against a "boss" and doesn't help you against minions.
If you're not opposed to a bit of cheese in the build, one level of Hexblade, then taking the rest in Devotion Paladin lets you add double your Charisma Modifier to your Proficiency bonus on your attack rolls when you use your Channel Divinity. Having a +11 to hit at L5 for a full minute is nothing to sneeze at.
I'll keep that in mind, though we will be starting at level 3, so I can't do both yet unfortunately if I wanted to do that.
Definitely, play what you want. My point was that the rules are abstractions, and some people view them as more significant than they really are, both on the low and high ends.
There are two versions of the Lizardfolk to choose from. The one in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse is a Lineage, letting you put the Ability Score increases anywhere. Or if you use the first version of it, you could still swap out the Ability Score Increases via the variant rule in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. However, the flavor you're describing for your character sounds more like the flavor for the Dragonborn, also a scaled humanoid race. That might be something else to consider if you have any interest in a breath weapon.
At L3, Hexblade 1, Devotion Paladin 2, starting with a 16 in Constitution and Charisma is a solid build, and it gives you the strongest Cantrip in the game, Eldritch Blast. Once you have your Charisma to 20, you can use a feat to get Agonizing Blast, so your character's ranged damage keeps up with your melee damage. And when you get to Level 9, you add your Charisma Bonus to ALL of your saves, including Death Saves. So your worst save would still be at a +4, if it's still an 8 and you aren't proficient. With this build your Strength doesn't need to be buffed above the starting 13 needed to multiclass, so it's pretty single-attribute-dependent.
Multiclassing would also put you behind a level in getting your first Feat, if there's a particular one that's important to your concept. I'm very much a "decide what story you want to tell with your character" person and not an "optimize for combat, figure out the role-play angle later" person though
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Much of this relies on other things. What's the makeup of the other characters? While a party full of Paladins or Clerics can be fun (I've been in both), not everyone feels that way. If you want to stay with the 'cold and emotionless' thing then a Grave Cleric fits the bill. 'Beings live...beings die...it is the cycle of life.'
I would talk to the DM and the other players if possible to see what the best class fit would be before spending too much time planning further.
There's nothing wrong with this backstory. Don't feel like you need to be restricted in your character creation decisions because your character doesn't perfectly align with your character race's quote-a-quote "correct" position in the world.
Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair