I recently created a Tiefling Tomelock who's trying to pass himself off as a Human Wizard. The original idea was I wanted to play a deceptive character a lot like Loki.
Literally how I make my characters: "Hmm... What kind of character can I make that'll throw everyone in for a loop? It doesn't have to work mechanically, it doesn't have to be optimized... Oh! I know! An Alchemist Paladin Half-Orc!" The best thing that's come out of this: I have set fire to snow. x'D
A miniature can sometimes give that inspiration. I've often thought about that while painting a miniature - just who is this person. As a bonus, you already have the figure to play him in game.
Same :) I found a rainbow coloured Aarakocra once, and i just had to make a faboulously fabolous DEX barbarian! He cares more about his apperance than anything else, and he should because he looks magnificent :D
I have a bad habit of doing this. I tend to build around art I find (aka steal) rather than making a character of my own. Granted it's nice to bring said art (that I never claim to be my own work but don't always cite sources) to the table and be like THIS is my character, in the flesh, 100%.
A new thing I'm doing is trying to work the feats into the roleplay. A feat says there's something special about your character over and above everyone else. So, the Observant Feat makes you like that Sherlock Holmes character. I have a concept for a Human Wizard that starts out with Alert Feat and he has that because his master was killed for a magical crime he may or may not have committed and the character has been on the run since then constantly looking over his shoulder thinking that the people who killed his master are still after him.
A character I did for a one-shot once, their quirk was they where paranoid of traps and so they would always check for traps. The best part was I wasn't a Rouge, I think I ended up playing a fighter, so its not even like it was my job to find and disable traps. So everytime we went well anywhere I would always start by saying "I would like to check for traps". Tavern; Check for traps. Inn; Check for traps. Graveyard; Check for traps. Funky shaped hallway; Check for traps. Bathroom; Check for traps. The DM got slightly annoyed but everyone had a good laugh, especially when I acually found the 1 trap in that campaign. Also when we got to the boss (bascally some spycho ex, who was a cultist or something like that) she was up on a ledge, so when she started to monologue I just chucked a rock at her trying to knock her down, missed, then she threw a throwing knife in my shoulder which I then took out and threw back. Then everyone else joined in and threw rocks because she was out of our range. It took like 3 rounds to knock her down because we all kept missing. It was a fun one-shot.
I have found some great inspiration for NPCs from the names in the Pathfinder Codex, like the Cut Throat Lawyer. That one alone managed to generate three different encounters.
As a long-time Cyberpunk player, a lot of my character inspirations come from movies. A lot of the time I watch a particular scene and something screams to me "That lady's a Fixer!" or "Yep, that kid's a Techie," and inspiration strikes and I roll something up.
The title card artwork bit for the video is how I imagine most of my shield builds. Who needs a backpack when your shield is your arsenal/medicine cabinet
This video has inspired me to make Darnis Mostachian, a human bard that is more well known for his elaborate moustache than anything else. He hopes to one day start his own line of moustache waxes and creams.
Well, it was part this video and part the fact that I watched A Million Ways to Die in the west. If anyone has seen that movie, then you know what Darnis' favourite song is. Haha
When i was younger, i liked making up characters for fantasy novels and comic books and would draw them. I use DnD to revitalize some of those best I can. With altered flavor suiting the mechanics
I made a halfling monk that uses a staff-flute in 3.5, based on the main character in Circle of Iron. He tended to rely on his hearing rather than sight, so i chose his feats to expand his hearing ability. He wasn't the most effective character in combat(he was like a mosquito buzzing around the battlefield), but he was so much fun to play and while he didn't talk much, when he did it was usually from one of the lessons in Circle of Iron. I tend to fill in any holes in the party's makeup(i tend to play a great lipstick) when i make a character, so i come in with a few basic concepts and many time, i let the dice help make the character by rolling for my traits and stuff, then basing the character off that, modifying if need be. I made a dwarf fighter with 18 in con and str, but a 6 in charisma. i rolled that he was literally raised by wolves and is addicted to alcohol and his 6 charisma suddenly made sense, but i did get some looks when i howled in the comic store we were playing in.
You just revealed the big secret behind the "backstory or no backstory" debate. If you build the character mechanically, you either don't need a backstory ("I grew up really strong and tough, and learned to fight with a big axe"), or you add it after you're done with the mechanics like frosting on a cake (like Uthen-Gar). If you start with a concept, you're automatically going to have a backstory, regardless of whether it's written down, and regardless of how long it is. I was making a character for a fairy-tale-themed one-shot. I wanted a gnome, which is a good race to fit into such a setting. I made him a rock gnome, because I liked the whole toy-maker theme, and it also seemed to fit. I wanted him to be skilled, so I made him into a rogue. But it was definitely not going to be a classic back-stabby, slinky thief. So I decided that he became a rogue against his will, because he fell into debt, and had to repay a loan-shark that had dispossed his master by using his mechanical skills to do burglary jobs in order to earn enough to eventually get out of debt. Along the way, he became embittered at never earning enough to do that, having to use his old, beloved trade as a cover for his real job, so he started spending a lot of money on drink. I never wrote more than what would fit in the box on the second page of the character sheet. But I had a character built from the concept up. And - most importantly, I designed the character to fit into the setting. An oft-forgotten aspect of backstory-driven characters - incorporate what your DM is doing (otherwise, your 15-page backstory is indeed annoying).
I have started with concepts first and with mechanics first. I usually have more fun when I start with a concept vs mechanics, because then I tend to think more about the character than what it does in a fight. I know you can do that by starting with a mechanics viewpoint, but it isn't as easy for me for some reason. One of my favorite characters I still play currently started out as a concept. He is a hobo(urchin) dwarf fighter/thief who is just as gross and uncouth and oblivious to things as I can make him. He is a Tavern Brawler so he ends up grappling people or using objects like bear traps as weapons more often than his actual weapons. One time he grappled the last enemy, and to interrogate the guy, he started drooling into the enemy's mouth unless the guy spilled the beans. He hates being clean or cleaning things, but his go-to disguise is a dirty old janitor or garbage man. He will eat anything, sleep anywhere, and steal whatever isn't bolted down, but sometimes even those things too.
ClownKenny As a guy looking to play... That sounds awsome! Kinda what I had in mind for a first charter. Hadn't gotten as far along..(maga thief, brawler.. but similar just more hero, and Clint eastwoodsy, or Steve Magart from old Hawaii 5-0. But I love what you've come up with. How's He doing?
A concept of character I have, is kind of playing with the tiefling idea of demon kind, it would have to be accepted by the DM of course, but it would go someting like, a warlock "tiefling" with noble background and the fiend patron, he/she became a noble by making a pact with a fiend and by each warlock/player level he/she gets he becomes more and more like a demon. Starting with something like, after making the pact the hair would become white, horns would start growing, but small, as he/she levels his appearance changes, the skin changes color, the horns grow, the eyes become a single dark color, and on my idea he/she would be a pure warlock, so by the end of it all, assuming level 20, the tranformation would be complete as a "tiefling" but with very prominent demonic features, but always using noble clothes (dark) and a cane (a rod arcane focus) to use the demonic powers from the patron. The character would probably be chaotic neutral at the start, and maybe becoming more "evil" as the demonic powers grow. It could even be a villain NPC or something. using the Undying patron and almost the same idea, you could become something of a vampire lord growing in power (this one I had the image of Kain from Legacy of Kain when thinking about it)
Ryan, the Paladin/Warlock concept occurred to me as well. But my concept is an Aasimar with the Inheritor background. Imagine a rivalry between one specific angel and devil. Imagine that the angel won that rivalry a century ago, and it locked this devil in hell. The devil, biding his time, waited for the Aasimar to be born of this angel, and imbued it through his agents to "inherit" the ability to unlock a specific door to hell to unleash the devil. Both speak to the Aasimar in their way, like competing parents of this character. Which will win out? Will the Paladin fall? I imagine the internal struggle. That's my concept. As far as concepts, my inspiration comes from music and other art. Songs generate more "images" in my head than anything else. Multiple songs by "In This Moment" created Blackjack McGee and his Imp "Noir", for instance.
I'm currently playing an aasimer who's kind of on the run from his celestial dad because he became a warlock and was "corrupted". The fallen aasimer subrace works perfectly for it, too.
My character started out a bookish scribe and cleric of knowledge. Now after delving deeper and deeper into the elven library in the manor the party won the deed too, he has entered into a pact with a fey Lord. It has made Roran's personality change coming into contact with the feywild.
One of my favorites is to really juxtapose racial and class sterotypes. One of my favorite characters I've played recently was a half-orc wizard - it led to some really fun RP related to NPCs and PCs stereotypes of what a half-orc usually does. Obviously wasn't really optimized, but it was fun anyway. Also something like a Tiefling cleric or paladin or an Aasimar fiend pact warlock or a gnome barbarian. It just always leads me to interesting questions and answers about why or how this character ended up that way.
the best way to make a character concept is to look at the class or classes you want to use and their subclasses. choose one or two of them and go from their. add race to make some flavor or to boost stats, add background to make the character more alive and flavorful, and youre done. Half-orc Redemption Paladin with the Criminal background is a great outcome. the race/class/subclass/bg combo tells a story without one being made.
Two of the interesting characters I have are both examples of different ways of character conceptualization. One is a lore bard who role plays like a mixture between season 2 Blackadder and Gob Bluth from arrested development. He is witty, cutting and cool, but many things he tries fall flat, and his flashiness and affinity for entrance and scene music often do him more harm than good. The other is based off of the English King Edward III. A chivalrous knight who wields a broadsword from horseback and whose fiery temper and hotheadedness are compensated only by his strategic mind and great strength and intellect. The first began as a mechanical concept but became an engaging character, the second began as a character and became a well rounded fighter that feels cool to play. BTW if you read the book "Plantagenets" by Ben Hubbard, you will get at least 4 cool concepts and a greater understanding of medieval history, in addition to several good, true, stories.
It varies for me on how I come up with a character. Some times i choose a race first come up with a back story then figure out what class/es i level up in. Other times it starts off as just a concept like I want to play an avoidance tank or a ninja. I would then go into the mechanical aspect first to figure out how i could make it work then design a backstory from there.
My new favourite character concept (My characters die alot so i usually try a concept for a few weeks before changing), Is the orphan Aarakocra... At three years of age i feel like an adult, but i know nothing of the world other than what little info i got during my three year child period... Some many ways to take it.. Raised by bandits, raised by seagulls.. Raised myself on the rooftops of Triboar...
I do it both ways. I created my half-orc rogue thematically. I thought it was a kool idea to have a character that is much more lithe and dexterous than the typical half-orc and eventually I even wrote him into a James Bond type character who kills for the crown. On the other hand I created my barbarian/champion purely mechanically. it was literally sparked from the idea "How can I be the most beast in melee?"
I find an image first. Something that is interesting and detailed. Something that catches my eye, and makes me ask, "Who is that?" Then I build the mechanics of the character as suggested by what is evident in the image.. Then I make a personality and a backstory that I can play.
As a GM I try to encourage my players to start with a concept and use their numerical and mechanical decisions build upon and to expand that concept. Start small with something that sounds cool or interesting. Using an example that was mentioned in this video, start with something like a samurai or a spartan-like warrior. Then build your mechanical decisions based on that concept. What class would best fit your concept? What skills would that concept have? What background? What equipment? By deciding on the concept first and then building the mechanics around the concept it discourages min/max decisions by establishing boundaries and criteria. Choosing the concept first also encourages the player to develop a personality for the character in question creating a much more dynamic character for role-playing.
I "make" characters sometimes, as a diversion. I start by rolling up the stats raw, no cherry picking, and then randomly picking a background. Then I look at the stats, and imagine what that character would be like, filter it through the background and imagine what classes make sense. For instance, a high CON low STR decent WIS and average everything else sort of has to be a cleric or druid. But if he rolls a soldier or charlatan background, those classes don't really make sense. He's probably chubby and bookish with those stats... Maybe fighter (badly) until his first ability bump, and then multi into something more appropriate for his WIS...
I decided to actually make 2 characters as my first D&D character who are the same character but if something about them was slightly different. I made a Half-Elf (CG) who was formally trained as a Wizard (Sage background) and if he has tallent, he becomes a Wizard. But if he doesn't have talent, he goes searching through the various tomes for ways to gain power and gaining the powers of a Warlock. This, too, could have variations based on the background. He could be gaining the powers through his own fey bloodline and being a Warlock of the Archfey, or he could gain his powers by accidentally coming in contact with a Great Old One in his thrist for knowledge. He would not gain his powers from Fiends as he's still a good person (even though Fireball is so good...). As a twist, let's make him not just any Half-Elf, but a Half-Drow. He could hide his heritage by saying he's from a more tropical region originally or a seaside town, but any elves would be able to recognize the blood in him. Edit: I don't know if you can even do Half-Drow with just the 5E Player's Handbook.
I've a concept for a worldly dragonborn character. Not exactly trained in fighting, but uses spears and javelins. The story is that his father brought him to an inn in the middle of nowhere, and the townsfolk thought he would kill them. The character escapes the burning inn and runs for days. Essentially, the character grows up as a hermit, hunting and gathering and keeping away from people. How would I build this?
Barbarian, Ranger, Fighter, or Druid could all work for the class. The background could be Hermit or Outlander. Those are just some ways to go, you could really explain most class options however you want. -Nerdarchist Ryan
I don't know if this goes along with the "quirk" concept, but sometimes the idea of intentionally making a unique combination works too. Form,y brother's campaign, I created a fighter with a sage background, not two things you might ordinarily see together. Mechanically I determined the eldritch knight would how he would play out, but for his backstory, I decided that he attended magic school early on his in life, but also has trained in swordplay and would plan on combining both his natural affinities to use together.
I love creating characters. What I like to to is think about the race, the class, and the environment that the world is in. For example, the requirement of our present campaign was a sequel to our rather wild campaign from last year, in which I ran 3 characters. I enjoyed playing the druid, so I made another druid-I didn't want to play another gnome, so I just did some thinking and had the druid adopt a catfolk after mistaking her for a real cat when she was a baby, and now she's an outgoing, gregarious, quirky druid. I enjoyed playing a cleric, but another player already made three, and I'd rather play an elf this time, so I made my human cleric have a half-elf daughter who fights as a duskblade who has a cynical, honest outlook on things. Finally, I had a dwarf fighter from last year, ending his mission by getting rich-why would a dwarf of a rich family go adventuring? Because he was the youngest and didn't inherit anything-so I made a ranger/barbarian who lives outside and guards the perimeter.
For me I start with a word then I go through the classes and backgrounds for ways to make it happen and see if I can do some unconventional ones. For instance I thought Ninja. But doing it as a rogue, monk or bard didn't appeal. So I did one as a warlock using the invocations and the Hexblade build to make The Shredder who summons an infinite amount of weapons and you literally cannot tell who he is because unless he's in a fight he's under an illusion and he's always got the mask of a screaming demon on. To be honest he's kinda terrifying, shows up the hell out of nowhere looking like the personal gladiator of a pit fiend and covered in poisoned spiked armour then just flat out vanishes after doing a blitz of brutal attacks. Then he comes back an hour later and smashes into you again and again and again and again. He's more akin to a living nightmare than a proper combatant. And it's so much fun.
for me most of the time I choose a class and race and just build from there but occasionally I'll be struck by the concept of a game or book character, but not one most people would gravitate towards. For instance Styx, is a PS4 game about a Goblin or hobgoblin Assassin, Most of his other details are tied up in the lore of the game world but he's a very interesting character
Playing a human noble sorcerer of 15 years who was the second son of the emperor of an exotic land, and was forced to flee due to being a pretender to the throne. He is currently building up wealth and power to return at the head of an army and stake his claim. I have a character arc worked out for him where he reemerges in a future campaign in his twenties, then again in his fifties, each time becoming less impulsive and more Machiavellian. After that I will see if I can get a friend to run a solo campaign for him to achieve his goal. I have thought of all sorts of crazy character concepts but this is one of the coolest. The funniest however, is a Grung champion fighter with the knight background. He was an elite warrior in a grung tribe and commanded troops with a tacticool style. The tribe was destroyed by an elven anti-terrorist strike force and my character and two warriors escaped. He now demands to be referred to as chief, and him and his buddies con their way into many powerful positions and botch their jobs due to impulsive antics. The other two warriors brag about their own strength and battle prowess to no end but never actually fight. He is lawful evil, sort of a stereotypical adventurer who stirs up trouble, botches important tasks, breaks laws on a whim and drunkenly assaults people, but he needs to be able to justify whatever he does before he does it. My favorite part of his backstory is when he conned his way into a command in a dwarven army after hiring a wizard to disguise him. He invaded an elven kingdom, lost over half his force in minor skirmishes, and committed genocide against elves. My justification for him starting at level 4 was that he only ever fought militiamen, civilians, guards and street thugs. He also has a propensity for unplanned heists.
I'm playing a Gnoll ranger ever since my half-orc/half-elf got his life sucked out by a ghost in a trap room in a labyrinth we were going through for treasure. His name is Gyzz Gunkpaw and he was raised by one of the other players character the Succubus. He's going to have a guttural Russian accent and feircely loyal to his small party. (the succubus and a Kobold) Deadwood, the evil tree ent died to a fireball trap on the last rooms door. Gibberling, the goblin who may or may not have been a former pirate Captain (that's still up for debate. he was obsessed with loot, and carried four hand crossbows, and had a Irish/Australian accent combined) also got devastated by the ghosts in the trap room I got killed in. The Orc Oath breaker was the only one who survived and ended up with an awesome custom cursed battle axe from the treasure room behind the fireball trap. I think it does an extra 12 damage, but it's adds like 4 days of exhaustion if he's separated from it. Anyway, it's going to be super fun to play this type of character. It's an evil campaign where were on the run from the forces of good who are on this crusade to wipe out evil. Even a true neutral druid would work when you think about it.
Like with most things D&D, write lots of notes and categorize and sub-categorize them. What is your concept? What would you like to accomplish with the character? What can't they do? What might they do? How do the mechanics fit in with their backstory or the Lore (and vice-versa)? What are their other personality traits; needs, wants, fears, bonds, etc? Go back and go over these notes often and make revisions as necessary.
From what I’ve seen D&D players from the older editions tend to build from mechanics to the story where as more recent players from more recent editions think in the opposite terms of story then to the mechanics that will accommodate it.
I'm thinking about a minatour bard who is a lore keeper, map maker and writer for his people who was tasked to find work on a ship (owned by PCs) headed into unexplored waters
I try to make characters with ties specific to the adventure I'll be playing. When Curse of Strahd came out and my group wanted to play it, I thought of a character befitting of the dark, Gothic world of Barovia. Vampires ruled this land, so what better way to combat a vampire then a Vampire hunter? Thus my Ranger/Cleric hunter of the undead was created.
Here is the first character I ever ran. She was lots of fun to play. Jane STR 10 DEX 10 CON 10 INT 10 WIS 10 CHR 10 Race Human Class Fighter Alignment Neutral Age 13 proficiency: simple weapons proficiency: martial weapons proficiency: light armor EQUIPMENT: flanged mace leather armor Jane comes from a long line of famous adventurers going back at least seventeen generations. When each member of her family reaches puberty they are sent out to carry on the family reputation.
+Elias Von porat Awesome, do you recall what song or album? I love Mule Variations, Alice, Blood Money, and Swordfish Trombone as far as albums! -Nerdarchist Ryan
Nerdarchy Yeah he is a favorite of mine, i must say that my favorite is Alice (both the song and the album) and come on up to the house. Have you heard him reading Nirvana by Charles Bukowski? Im not really into poetry but that one is truly beautiful.
I go both ways when I'm making a character. I'll find a mechanic that I wanna get in there, or I think of a concept and I start thinking about how I can make it happen within the game's mechanics.
2nd Edition. I played a runaway mage who was staying undercover to not be found. So I was the party rogue. This was before multiplies. so I had no rogue skills. Best fun I have ever had. Story drove Character creation.
I've made a Pathfinder character who was the apetime of evil he was a dhampir plague alchemist/NECROMANCER he unleashes plagues and raises the bodies the plagues kills and then sends his undead creatures against whoever still lives
Look through the races and see how I can screw them up. I like the idea of a winged aasimar. Instead of giving him a light spell, I would make him shed light. Afraid that society would use the child before it became a character, he/she was taught to always hide his wings. So, now I have a basic idea of why he doesn't like people seeing his wings and a guy that is never going to sneak. Or, a genasi. I dislike that they can look part elven or part dwarvish, but have none of those abilities/racial traits. I'd talk with the DM. I want a Wood Elf/Fire Genasi. Having escaped through magical means with the aid of his grandfather, he is back in the forest. All the other elf kids are learning "Mask of the Wild." He's standing there, arms across his red chest. Hair, white like molten metal with a hint of orange/red blowing in the breeze and stinking of brimstone. Eyeing the teacher and saying, "Really?" Give him a 32 movement speed and screw this guy up. How is that character going to be haughty? Everyone in the clan can do the stuff that he can't. I do like min/maxing a character. Not for what the character can do in battle, (we've all had days where we were more surprised when we didn't roll a 1) but for what I can do to screw him up in a role playing situation. Bottom line is, we started enjoying this game for the camaraderie and friendship we had with those around the table. Have some fun with that. If the other people are laughing and having a good time with the foibles and such that your character shows as part of his "self," you are not going to be the only one to enjoy that character.
I read the rule book and try to work on my character role in the game play. Like in 4th I look at the ways I can use fey step. For 5th, never played it and I think I will stay with 4th. I hate the ideal of flaws or order background into the character build.
I want to play an Olgier von Everec character from the Witcher 3 game. So I'm stuck figuring out the mechanical side of things since the RPing I know what path to take.
Maybe OlgierD isnt more "immortal" than any PC that the DM just wont kill (ingame you made the pact, so you will just magicaly survive anything) Oh boy I have to do this, thx for the idea:D
Hey, Nerdarchy, Just a quick question: where can I find the link to the video about the stats you were talking in this video? I get the final answer here, but I would very much like to see for myself the entire thought process, if possible, off course. Thanks in advance. Lodewijk
We've probably had a couple of vids talking about stats. There's also lists online for all possible stat arrays on point buy- it ends up being 60 variations. -Nerdarchist Ryan
how would you build a Rincewind character from Discworld? A wizard that can't really do magic, but is great at running away and has a magical sentite item that does close combat for him I think you could do a lot with feats, but you only get like 5. One would be mobile and another would be lucky. What else would be a good pick?
Do you guys have any thoughts on the unlucky dice roller? My cousin has built a solid character, not only mechanically, but a fleshed out rp char. as well. But every time it counts, he fumbles the roll. No matter how many dice he buys, or switches between, or dice towers he's tried, he can't be trusted to make a clutch save or other successful dice check. Sure it makes for great drama and hilarity at the table, but I feel bad that he and his character are stuck in this comic relief type role. Better him than me, but do you have any tips or tricks?
Wizards, warlocks, bards and sorcerers don't have to role for a lot of spells besides dmg and maybe concentration checks, and can be very effective in and out of combat. If he is open to it have him play a caster, it won't help with arcana checks and the like but he can still do things in combat and rp without needing to role for them. Playing a caster is less about dice and more about using spells wisely and thinking outside the box to make life easier on the party.
this "just in case" worship style is pretty much what used to happen in ancient politheistic times. Socrates worshiped Hades! "And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's." (Genesis 31:19)
The Nerdarchy store. It can be found on the UA-cam about or Nerdarchy.com. Nerdarchist Ryan will be glad you liked it, it's his design. Nerdarchist Dave
I'm actually thinking a gnome. Eberron has gnomes as these curious, arcane people, so he could be a gnome from a poor family who's only friends have been holy men and such, so he become interested in traditional religion while clawing his way through the world
This reminds me of my first dnd game where I joined a tiny bit in to it at school and everyone had super edgy characters with the generic my family died back story. So I decided how can I be the guy all of these people with untrusting people trust me. Ah be a paladin and take sheild master and as much ac as possible. Made it really awkward for everyone to be super edgy because I'd always save everyones life.
All my characters have a destiny - what they will become if the story does not get in their way. To refuse to deviate from this is to fail to play with the team and DM. Refusing to play is how you lose.
I have often found that the character roll or out of game inspiration are the starting points for any character. No I do not chose class or race, but rather chose DPS or Tank to designate class and race. Or else I have some obscure concept aor character replication that designates roll and thus class and race. Above all (I FEEL) characters built for the fun of gameplay in the style that I play will ultimately be the best. Many a time have I had characters commit unintentional suicide because I was just bored with it or it just was not as fun to play as I thought. No matter what you want to play, you can figure out a class and race for it. And regadless of what you chose it should ultimately become whatever you thought would be cool to play way back before you ever considered class or race or said character! Please let me know if I am wrong... Never2Young2Retire@gmail.com
where it comes to spell casters, how much creativity and elaboration can go into spell casting? think gandalf and the horses in the waters that saved frodo and the elf or as in a spell from d&d when i cast otto's irresistible dance can i be singing something silly lik surfin bird?
I was thinking of this human rogue (with some levels of wizard, warlock or maybe cleric) who is on a revenge mission. His hands were cut off by this warlord who also killed his family. But now he has them replaced by crawling claws so he can pass on sneak attack and his assassin features to them when they sneak in to assassinate people. He has a disease resulting from contact with undead (the crawling claws) to even out his power.
I recently created a Tiefling Tomelock who's trying to pass himself off as a Human Wizard. The original idea was I wanted to play a deceptive character a lot like Loki.
Literally how I make my characters:
"Hmm... What kind of character can I make that'll throw everyone in for a loop? It doesn't have to work mechanically, it doesn't have to be optimized... Oh! I know! An Alchemist Paladin Half-Orc!"
The best thing that's come out of this: I have set fire to snow. x'D
Arlax Wolf same here i play a coast druid whos a hermit but wants to dual weild and create magical items
The Character that 'worships' all deities could be fun. I would name him Wage Pascal... xD
Just wanted you to know at least one person got the joke. Lol
I find that amusing as well
A lot of times I'm just browsing art I like and think, "who is this character, who can I MAKE this character?"
That is great way of coming up with ideas.
-nerdarchist Dave
A miniature can sometimes give that inspiration. I've often thought about that while painting a miniature - just who is this person. As a bonus, you already have the figure to play him in game.
Same :)
I found a rainbow coloured Aarakocra once, and i just had to make a faboulously fabolous DEX barbarian!
He cares more about his apperance than anything else, and he should because he looks magnificent :D
I have a bad habit of doing this. I tend to build around art I find (aka steal) rather than making a character of my own. Granted it's nice to bring said art (that I never claim to be my own work but don't always cite sources) to the table and be like THIS is my character, in the flesh, 100%.
That's pretty much how I decide how much I like artworks. Do I see a story?
A new thing I'm doing is trying to work the feats into the roleplay. A feat says there's something special about your character over and above everyone else. So, the Observant Feat makes you like that Sherlock Holmes character. I have a concept for a Human Wizard that starts out with Alert Feat and he has that because his master was killed for a magical crime he may or may not have committed and the character has been on the run since then constantly looking over his shoulder thinking that the people who killed his master are still after him.
Yeah, that's awesome. I wrote an article about several interpretations of the Lucky feat along those lines. -Nerdarchist Ryan
Nerdarchy do u know where i can get any good free custom character art because im not a artist at all
A character I did for a one-shot once, their quirk was they where paranoid of traps and so they would always check for traps. The best part was I wasn't a Rouge, I think I ended up playing a fighter, so its not even like it was my job to find and disable traps. So everytime we went well anywhere I would always start by saying "I would like to check for traps". Tavern; Check for traps. Inn; Check for traps. Graveyard; Check for traps. Funky shaped hallway; Check for traps. Bathroom; Check for traps. The DM got slightly annoyed but everyone had a good laugh, especially when I acually found the 1 trap in that campaign. Also when we got to the boss (bascally some spycho ex, who was a cultist or something like that) she was up on a ledge, so when she started to monologue I just chucked a rock at her trying to knock her down, missed, then she threw a throwing knife in my shoulder which I then took out and threw back. Then everyone else joined in and threw rocks because she was out of our range. It took like 3 rounds to knock her down because we all kept missing. It was a fun one-shot.
girclassgamer I'm disappointed you didn't look for traps inside the trap you found, lol
Aidan Wedgbury as a guy thinking of playing... good One!!
I have found some great inspiration for NPCs from the names in the Pathfinder Codex, like the Cut Throat Lawyer. That one alone managed to generate three different encounters.
As a long-time Cyberpunk player, a lot of my character inspirations come from movies. A lot of the time I watch a particular scene and something screams to me "That lady's a Fixer!" or "Yep, that kid's a Techie," and inspiration strikes and I roll something up.
The title card artwork bit for the video is how I imagine most of my shield builds. Who needs a backpack when your shield is your arsenal/medicine cabinet
This video has inspired me to make Darnis Mostachian, a human bard that is more well known for his elaborate moustache than anything else. He hopes to one day start his own line of moustache waxes and creams.
Well, it was part this video and part the fact that I watched A Million Ways to Die in the west. If anyone has seen that movie, then you know what Darnis' favourite song is. Haha
When i was younger, i liked making up characters for fantasy novels and comic books and would draw them.
I use DnD to revitalize some of those best I can. With altered flavor suiting the mechanics
I made a halfling monk that uses a staff-flute in 3.5, based on the main character in Circle of Iron. He tended to rely on his hearing rather than sight, so i chose his feats to expand his hearing ability. He wasn't the most effective character in combat(he was like a mosquito buzzing around the battlefield), but he was so much fun to play and while he didn't talk much, when he did it was usually from one of the lessons in Circle of Iron.
I tend to fill in any holes in the party's makeup(i tend to play a great lipstick) when i make a character, so i come in with a few basic concepts and many time, i let the dice help make the character by rolling for my traits and stuff, then basing the character off that, modifying if need be. I made a dwarf fighter with 18 in con and str, but a 6 in charisma. i rolled that he was literally raised by wolves and is addicted to alcohol and his 6 charisma suddenly made sense, but i did get some looks when i howled in the comic store we were playing in.
shallendor as a guy thinking of playing, I appricate the impute. Rolling dice to get a base is a great idea.
You just revealed the big secret behind the "backstory or no backstory" debate. If you build the character mechanically, you either don't need a backstory ("I grew up really strong and tough, and learned to fight with a big axe"), or you add it after you're done with the mechanics like frosting on a cake (like Uthen-Gar). If you start with a concept, you're automatically going to have a backstory, regardless of whether it's written down, and regardless of how long it is.
I was making a character for a fairy-tale-themed one-shot. I wanted a gnome, which is a good race to fit into such a setting. I made him a rock gnome, because I liked the whole toy-maker theme, and it also seemed to fit. I wanted him to be skilled, so I made him into a rogue. But it was definitely not going to be a classic back-stabby, slinky thief. So I decided that he became a rogue against his will, because he fell into debt, and had to repay a loan-shark that had dispossed his master by using his mechanical skills to do burglary jobs in order to earn enough to eventually get out of debt. Along the way, he became embittered at never earning enough to do that, having to use his old, beloved trade as a cover for his real job, so he started spending a lot of money on drink. I never wrote more than what would fit in the box on the second page of the character sheet. But I had a character built from the concept up. And - most importantly, I designed the character to fit into the setting. An oft-forgotten aspect of backstory-driven characters - incorporate what your DM is doing (otherwise, your 15-page backstory is indeed annoying).
Uthen-Gar's backstory also only exists in the box on the second page. It's the perfect amount of space.
-Nerdarchist Dave
I have started with concepts first and with mechanics first. I usually have more fun when I start with a concept vs mechanics, because then I tend to think more about the character than what it does in a fight. I know you can do that by starting with a mechanics viewpoint, but it isn't as easy for me for some reason.
One of my favorite characters I still play currently started out as a concept. He is a hobo(urchin) dwarf fighter/thief who is just as gross and uncouth and oblivious to things as I can make him. He is a Tavern Brawler so he ends up grappling people or using objects like bear traps as weapons more often than his actual weapons. One time he grappled the last enemy, and to interrogate the guy, he started drooling into the enemy's mouth unless the guy spilled the beans. He hates being clean or cleaning things, but his go-to disguise is a dirty old janitor or garbage man. He will eat anything, sleep anywhere, and steal whatever isn't bolted down, but sometimes even those things too.
ClownKenny As a guy looking to play... That sounds awsome! Kinda what I had in mind for a first charter. Hadn't gotten as far along..(maga thief, brawler.. but similar just more hero, and Clint eastwoodsy, or Steve Magart from old Hawaii 5-0. But I love what you've come up with. How's He doing?
A concept of character I have, is kind of playing with the tiefling idea of demon kind, it would have to be accepted by the DM of course, but it would go someting like, a warlock "tiefling" with noble background and the fiend patron, he/she became a noble by making a pact with a fiend and by each warlock/player level he/she gets he becomes more and more like a demon.
Starting with something like, after making the pact the hair would become white, horns would start growing, but small, as he/she levels his appearance changes, the skin changes color, the horns grow, the eyes become a single dark color, and on my idea he/she would be a pure warlock, so by the end of it all, assuming level 20, the tranformation would be complete as a "tiefling" but with very prominent demonic features, but always using noble clothes (dark) and a cane (a rod arcane focus) to use the demonic powers from the patron.
The character would probably be chaotic neutral at the start, and maybe becoming more "evil" as the demonic powers grow. It could even be a villain NPC or something. using the Undying patron and almost the same idea, you could become something of a vampire lord growing in power (this one I had the image of Kain from Legacy of Kain when thinking about it)
Ryan, the Paladin/Warlock concept occurred to me as well. But my concept is an Aasimar with the Inheritor background.
Imagine a rivalry between one specific angel and devil. Imagine that the angel won that rivalry a century ago, and it locked this devil in hell. The devil, biding his time, waited for the Aasimar to be born of this angel, and imbued it through his agents to "inherit" the ability to unlock a specific door to hell to unleash the devil. Both speak to the Aasimar in their way, like competing parents of this character.
Which will win out? Will the Paladin fall? I imagine the internal struggle.
That's my concept.
As far as concepts, my inspiration comes from music and other art. Songs generate more "images" in my head than anything else.
Multiple songs by "In This Moment" created Blackjack McGee and his Imp "Noir", for instance.
I'm currently playing an aasimer who's kind of on the run from his celestial dad because he became a warlock and was "corrupted". The fallen aasimer subrace works perfectly for it, too.
this makes me think of cartoons with the little devil and angel on each shoulder
My character started out a bookish scribe and cleric of knowledge. Now after delving deeper and deeper into the elven library in the manor the party won the deed too, he has entered into a pact with a fey Lord. It has made Roran's personality change coming into contact with the feywild.
One of my favorites is to really juxtapose racial and class sterotypes. One of my favorite characters I've played recently was a half-orc wizard - it led to some really fun RP related to NPCs and PCs stereotypes of what a half-orc usually does. Obviously wasn't really optimized, but it was fun anyway. Also something like a Tiefling cleric or paladin or an Aasimar fiend pact warlock or a gnome barbarian. It just always leads me to interesting questions and answers about why or how this character ended up that way.
the best way to make a character concept is to look at the class or classes you want to use and their subclasses. choose one or two of them and go from their. add race to make some flavor or to boost stats, add background to make the character more alive and flavorful, and youre done. Half-orc Redemption Paladin with the Criminal background is a great outcome. the race/class/subclass/bg combo tells a story without one being made.
Two of the interesting characters I have are both examples of different ways of character conceptualization. One is a lore bard who role plays like a mixture between season 2 Blackadder and Gob Bluth from arrested development. He is witty, cutting and cool, but many things he tries fall flat, and his flashiness and affinity for entrance and scene music often do him more harm than good. The other is based off of the English King Edward III. A chivalrous knight who wields a broadsword from horseback and whose fiery temper and hotheadedness are compensated only by his strategic mind and great strength and intellect. The first began as a mechanical concept but became an engaging character, the second began as a character and became a well rounded fighter that feels cool to play.
BTW if you read the book "Plantagenets" by Ben Hubbard, you will get at least 4 cool concepts and a greater understanding of medieval history, in addition to several good, true, stories.
It varies for me on how I come up with a character. Some times i choose a race first come up with a back story then figure out what class/es i level up in. Other times it starts off as just a concept like I want to play an avoidance tank or a ninja. I would then go into the mechanical aspect first to figure out how i could make it work then design a backstory from there.
My new favourite character concept (My characters die alot so i usually try a concept for a few weeks before changing), Is the orphan Aarakocra...
At three years of age i feel like an adult, but i know nothing of the world other than what little info i got during my three year child period... Some many ways to take it.. Raised by bandits, raised by seagulls.. Raised myself on the rooftops of Triboar...
My 1st character I decided I was going to build around the idea of a shield fighter. It was very interesting
I do it both ways. I created my half-orc rogue thematically. I thought it was a kool idea to have a character that is much more lithe and dexterous than the typical half-orc and eventually I even wrote him into a James Bond type character who kills for the crown.
On the other hand I created my barbarian/champion purely mechanically. it was literally sparked from the idea "How can I be the most beast in melee?"
I find an image first. Something that is interesting and detailed. Something that catches my eye, and makes me ask, "Who is that?" Then I build the mechanics of the character as suggested by what is evident in the image.. Then I make a personality and a backstory that I can play.
That method seems to be popping up through out the comments.
-Nerdarchist Dave
As a GM I try to encourage my players to start with a concept and use their numerical and mechanical decisions build upon and to expand that concept. Start small with something that sounds cool or interesting. Using an example that was mentioned in this video, start with something like a samurai or a spartan-like warrior. Then build your mechanical decisions based on that concept. What class would best fit your concept? What skills would that concept have? What background? What equipment? By deciding on the concept first and then building the mechanics around the concept it discourages min/max decisions by establishing boundaries and criteria. Choosing the concept first also encourages the player to develop a personality for the character in question creating a much more dynamic character for role-playing.
I "make" characters sometimes, as a diversion. I start by rolling up the stats raw, no cherry picking, and then randomly picking a background. Then I look at the stats, and imagine what that character would be like, filter it through the background and imagine what classes make sense.
For instance, a high CON low STR decent WIS and average everything else sort of has to be a cleric or druid. But if he rolls a soldier or charlatan background, those classes don't really make sense. He's probably chubby and bookish with those stats... Maybe fighter (badly) until his first ability bump, and then multi into something more appropriate for his WIS...
Christian Swensen as a guy thinking of playing.. I surprisingly sorta know what your saying..lol. Honestly tho.. I do. Thanks. I WILL give it a go.
I decided to actually make 2 characters as my first D&D character who are the same character but if something about them was slightly different. I made a Half-Elf (CG) who was formally trained as a Wizard (Sage background) and if he has tallent, he becomes a Wizard. But if he doesn't have talent, he goes searching through the various tomes for ways to gain power and gaining the powers of a Warlock. This, too, could have variations based on the background. He could be gaining the powers through his own fey bloodline and being a Warlock of the Archfey, or he could gain his powers by accidentally coming in contact with a Great Old One in his thrist for knowledge. He would not gain his powers from Fiends as he's still a good person (even though Fireball is so good...). As a twist, let's make him not just any Half-Elf, but a Half-Drow. He could hide his heritage by saying he's from a more tropical region originally or a seaside town, but any elves would be able to recognize the blood in him.
Edit: I don't know if you can even do Half-Drow with just the 5E Player's Handbook.
I've a concept for a worldly dragonborn character. Not exactly trained in fighting, but uses spears and javelins.
The story is that his father brought him to an inn in the middle of nowhere, and the townsfolk thought he would kill them. The character escapes the burning inn and runs for days.
Essentially, the character grows up as a hermit, hunting and gathering and keeping away from people.
How would I build this?
Barbarian, Ranger, Fighter, or Druid could all work for the class. The background could be Hermit or Outlander. Those are just some ways to go, you could really explain most class options however you want. -Nerdarchist Ryan
I don't know if this goes along with the "quirk" concept, but sometimes the idea of intentionally making a unique combination works too. Form,y brother's campaign, I created a fighter with a sage background, not two things you might ordinarily see together. Mechanically I determined the eldritch knight would how he would play out, but for his backstory, I decided that he attended magic school early on his in life, but also has trained in swordplay and would plan on combining both his natural affinities to use together.
I love creating characters. What I like to to is think about the race, the class, and the environment that the world is in. For example, the requirement of our present campaign was a sequel to our rather wild campaign from last year, in which I ran 3 characters. I enjoyed playing the druid, so I made another druid-I didn't want to play another gnome, so I just did some thinking and had the druid adopt a catfolk after mistaking her for a real cat when she was a baby, and now she's an outgoing, gregarious, quirky druid. I enjoyed playing a cleric, but another player already made three, and I'd rather play an elf this time, so I made my human cleric have a half-elf daughter who fights as a duskblade who has a cynical, honest outlook on things. Finally, I had a dwarf fighter from last year, ending his mission by getting rich-why would a dwarf of a rich family go adventuring? Because he was the youngest and didn't inherit anything-so I made a ranger/barbarian who lives outside and guards the perimeter.
For me I start with a word then I go through the classes and backgrounds for ways to make it happen and see if I can do some unconventional ones. For instance I thought Ninja. But doing it as a rogue, monk or bard didn't appeal. So I did one as a warlock using the invocations and the Hexblade build to make The Shredder who summons an infinite amount of weapons and you literally cannot tell who he is because unless he's in a fight he's under an illusion and he's always got the mask of a screaming demon on.
To be honest he's kinda terrifying, shows up the hell out of nowhere looking like the personal gladiator of a pit fiend and covered in poisoned spiked armour then just flat out vanishes after doing a blitz of brutal attacks. Then he comes back an hour later and smashes into you again and again and again and again. He's more akin to a living nightmare than a proper combatant. And it's so much fun.
for me most of the time I choose a class and race and just build from there but occasionally I'll be struck by the concept of a game or book character, but not one most people would gravitate towards. For instance Styx, is a PS4 game about a Goblin or hobgoblin Assassin, Most of his other details are tied up in the lore of the game world but he's a very interesting character
Playing a human noble sorcerer of 15 years who was the second son of the emperor of an exotic land, and was forced to flee due to being a pretender to the throne. He is currently building up wealth and power to return at the head of an army and stake his claim. I have a character arc worked out for him where he reemerges in a future campaign in his twenties, then again in his fifties, each time becoming less impulsive and more Machiavellian. After that I will see if I can get a friend to run a solo campaign for him to achieve his goal. I have thought of all sorts of crazy character concepts but this is one of the coolest. The funniest however, is a Grung champion fighter with the knight background. He was an elite warrior in a grung tribe and commanded troops with a tacticool style. The tribe was destroyed by an elven anti-terrorist strike force and my character and two warriors escaped. He now demands to be referred to as chief, and him and his buddies con their way into many powerful positions and botch their jobs due to impulsive antics. The other two warriors brag about their own strength and battle prowess to no end but never actually fight. He is lawful evil, sort of a stereotypical adventurer who stirs up trouble, botches important tasks, breaks laws on a whim and drunkenly assaults people, but he needs to be able to justify whatever he does before he does it. My favorite part of his backstory is when he conned his way into a command in a dwarven army after hiring a wizard to disguise him. He invaded an elven kingdom, lost over half his force in minor skirmishes, and committed genocide against elves. My justification for him starting at level 4 was that he only ever fought militiamen, civilians, guards and street thugs. He also has a propensity for unplanned heists.
I'm playing a Gnoll ranger ever since my half-orc/half-elf got his life sucked out by a ghost in a trap room in a labyrinth we were going through for treasure. His name is Gyzz Gunkpaw and he was raised by one of the other players character the Succubus. He's going to have a guttural Russian accent and feircely loyal to his small party. (the succubus and a Kobold) Deadwood, the evil tree ent died to a fireball trap on the last rooms door. Gibberling, the goblin who may or may not have been a former pirate Captain (that's still up for debate. he was obsessed with loot, and carried four hand crossbows, and had a Irish/Australian accent combined) also got devastated by the ghosts in the trap room I got killed in. The Orc Oath breaker was the only one who survived and ended up with an awesome custom cursed battle axe from the treasure room behind the fireball trap. I think it does an extra 12 damage, but it's adds like 4 days of exhaustion if he's separated from it. Anyway, it's going to be super fun to play this type of character. It's an evil campaign where were on the run from the forces of good who are on this crusade to wipe out evil. Even a true neutral druid would work when you think about it.
Like with most things D&D, write lots of notes and categorize and sub-categorize them. What is your concept? What would you like to accomplish with the character? What can't they do? What might they do? How do the mechanics fit in with their backstory or the Lore (and vice-versa)? What are their other personality traits; needs, wants, fears, bonds, etc? Go back and go over these notes often and make revisions as necessary.
From what I’ve seen D&D players from the older editions tend to build from mechanics to the story where as more recent players from more recent editions think in the opposite terms of story then to the mechanics that will accommodate it.
I heard Titus Pullo and I was immediately inspired
I'm thinking about a minatour bard who is a lore keeper, map maker and writer for his people who was tasked to find work on a ship (owned by PCs) headed into unexplored waters
I try to make characters with ties specific to the adventure I'll be playing. When Curse of Strahd came out and my group wanted to play it, I thought of a character befitting of the dark, Gothic world of Barovia. Vampires ruled this land, so what better way to combat a vampire then a Vampire hunter? Thus my Ranger/Cleric hunter of the undead was created.
Here is the first character I ever ran. She was lots of fun to play.
Jane
STR 10
DEX 10
CON 10
INT 10
WIS 10
CHR 10
Race Human
Class Fighter
Alignment Neutral
Age 13
proficiency: simple weapons
proficiency: martial weapons
proficiency: light armor
EQUIPMENT:
flanged mace
leather armor
Jane comes from a long line of famous adventurers going back at least seventeen generations. When each member of her family reaches puberty they are sent out to carry on the family reputation.
She is from a long line of adventurers and has a 10 in every stat? I have to say the concept is cool.
I like to ether design characters off of my favorite movies or fantasy stories I've read, I've come up with a few good characters.
A character based on Tom Waits, that sounds like so much fun!
Penny noo
Ha! I just listened to him before watching this video.
+Elias Von porat Awesome, do you recall what song or album? I love Mule Variations, Alice, Blood Money, and Swordfish Trombone as far as albums! -Nerdarchist Ryan
Nerdarchy Yeah he is a favorite of mine, i must say that my favorite is Alice (both the song and the album) and come on up to the house. Have you heard him reading Nirvana by Charles Bukowski? Im not really into poetry but that one is truly beautiful.
I go both ways when I'm making a character. I'll find a mechanic that I wanna get in there, or I think of a concept and I start thinking about how I can make it happen within the game's mechanics.
Back in pathfinder I spawned a character off of a pun name. Countless Tales, the Kitsune Bard, master of story telling.
2nd Edition. I played a runaway mage who was staying undercover to not be found. So I was the party rogue. This was before multiplies. so I had no rogue skills. Best fun I have ever had. Story drove Character creation.
I've made a Pathfinder character who was the apetime of evil he was a dhampir plague alchemist/NECROMANCER he unleashes plagues and raises the bodies the plagues kills and then sends his undead creatures against whoever still lives
Look through the races and see how I can screw them up.
I like the idea of a winged aasimar.
Instead of giving him a light spell, I would make him shed light. Afraid that society would use the child before it became a character, he/she was taught to always hide his wings. So, now I have a basic idea of why he doesn't like people seeing his wings and a guy that is never going to sneak.
Or, a genasi.
I dislike that they can look part elven or part dwarvish, but have none of those abilities/racial traits. I'd talk with the DM. I want a Wood Elf/Fire Genasi. Having escaped through magical means with the aid of his grandfather, he is back in the forest. All the other elf kids are learning "Mask of the Wild." He's standing there, arms across his red chest. Hair, white like molten metal with a hint of orange/red blowing in the breeze and stinking of brimstone. Eyeing the teacher and saying, "Really?" Give him a 32 movement speed and screw this guy up.
How is that character going to be haughty? Everyone in the clan can do the stuff that he can't.
I do like min/maxing a character. Not for what the character can do in battle, (we've all had days where we were more surprised when we didn't roll a 1) but for what I can do to screw him up in a role playing situation.
Bottom line is, we started enjoying this game for the camaraderie and friendship we had with those around the table. Have some fun with that. If the other people are laughing and having a good time with the foibles and such that your character shows as part of his "self," you are not going to be the only one to enjoy that character.
I read the rule book and try to work on my character role in the game play. Like in 4th I look at the ways I can use fey step. For 5th, never played it and I think I will stay with 4th.
I hate the ideal of flaws or order background into the character build.
I want to play an Olgier von Everec character from the Witcher 3 game. So I'm stuck figuring out the mechanical side of things since the RPing I know what path to take.
Maybe OlgierD isnt more "immortal" than any PC that the DM just wont kill (ingame you made the pact, so you will just magicaly survive anything)
Oh boy I have to do this, thx for the idea:D
You have to report back with your findings ;) I need to play this character just dont know how haha
Hey, Nerdarchy,
Just a quick question: where can I find the link to the video about the stats you were talking in this video? I get the final answer here, but I would very much like to see for myself the entire thought process, if possible, off course.
Thanks in advance.
Lodewijk
We've probably had a couple of vids talking about stats. There's also lists online for all possible stat arrays on point buy- it ends up being 60 variations. -Nerdarchist Ryan
Thanks. :)
13:06 I think the character's name was Benny.
have you done a video on your game world and who is the better king.
.
how would you build a Rincewind character from Discworld?
A wizard that can't really do magic, but is great at running away and has a magical sentite item that does close combat for him
I think you could do a lot with feats, but you only get like 5. One would be mobile and another would be lucky.
What else would be a good pick?
Do you guys have any thoughts on the unlucky dice roller? My cousin has built a solid character, not only mechanically, but a fleshed out rp char. as well. But every time it counts, he fumbles the roll. No matter how many dice he buys, or switches between, or dice towers he's tried, he can't be trusted to make a clutch save or other successful dice check. Sure it makes for great drama and hilarity at the table, but I feel bad that he and his character are stuck in this comic relief type role. Better him than me, but do you have any tips or tricks?
Wizards, warlocks, bards and sorcerers don't have to role for a lot of spells besides dmg and maybe concentration checks, and can be very effective in and out of combat. If he is open to it have him play a caster, it won't help with arcana checks and the like but he can still do things in combat and rp without needing to role for them. Playing a caster is less about dice and more about using spells wisely and thinking outside the box to make life easier on the party.
A holy berserker of tiamat (5 levels into paladin and 15 in barbarian)
this "just in case" worship style is pretty much what used to happen in ancient politheistic times. Socrates worshiped Hades!
"And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's." (Genesis 31:19)
Wher can I get one of those "Turasiqc Park" shirts that Ted is wearing?
The Nerdarchy store. It can be found on the UA-cam about or Nerdarchy.com. Nerdarchist Ryan will be glad you liked it, it's his design.
Nerdarchist Dave
SWEET!
i have a concept that will take some DM fiat a variant human champion who only takes the magic initiate feat over and over
A thief obsessed with holy symbols and daggers, what race should I pick with it?
Human.
half elf
I'm actually thinking a gnome. Eberron has gnomes as these curious, arcane people, so he could be a gnome from a poor family who's only friends have been holy men and such, so he become interested in traditional religion while clawing his way through the world
Aasimar trying desperately to find about his/her divinity.
This reminds me of my first dnd game where I joined a tiny bit in to it at school and everyone had super edgy characters with the generic my family died back story. So I decided how can I be the guy all of these people with untrusting people trust me. Ah be a paladin and take sheild master and as much ac as possible. Made it really awkward for everyone to be super edgy because I'd always save everyones life.
Roll dice to pick everything.
I'm sure you liked our totally rando character video! -Nerdarchist Ryan
Nerdarchy
a d13 for class, d19 for race, d15 for background. then normal dice rolls for personality traits, ideals, bonds, & flaws.
Woo Tom Waits!
You guys need to increase your strength and con stats. Looking flabby.
....."he used to give it to me all the time" ... haha
All my characters have a destiny - what they will become if the story does not get in their way. To refuse to deviate from this is to fail to play with the team and DM. Refusing to play is how you lose.
Awesome, you guys like Charlie Daniels. That is awesome.
hell yeah. that also makes me happy.
More like we like a Charlie Daniels song.
-Nerdarchist Dave
Two scimitars a panther that lives in a statue ok Drizzt do nuyerdan
28k Views: 423 Likes. wtf?
I have often found that the character roll or out of game inspiration are the starting points for any character. No I do not chose class or race, but rather chose DPS or Tank to designate class and race. Or else I have some obscure concept aor character replication that designates roll and thus class and race. Above all (I FEEL) characters built for the fun of gameplay in the style that I play will ultimately be the best. Many a time have I had characters commit unintentional suicide because I was just bored with it or it just was not as fun to play as I thought. No matter what you want to play, you can figure out a class and race for it. And regadless of what you chose it should ultimately become whatever you thought would be cool to play way back before you ever considered class or race or said character! Please let me know if I am wrong... Never2Young2Retire@gmail.com
Best character build for biggest damage with only one AR roll. A one-hit one kill character
Probably either a high level paladin, or an even higher level Rogue Assassin.
where it comes to spell casters, how much creativity and elaboration can go into spell casting? think gandalf and the horses in the waters that saved frodo and the elf or as in a spell from d&d when i cast otto's irresistible dance can i be singing something silly lik surfin bird?
I was thinking of this human rogue (with some levels of wizard, warlock or maybe cleric) who is on a revenge mission. His hands were cut off by this warlord who also killed his family. But now he has them replaced by crawling claws so he can pass on sneak attack and his assassin features to them when they sneak in to assassinate people. He has a disease resulting from contact with undead (the crawling claws) to even out his power.