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I might DM for a 1 on one game with my brother and since we haven't played before, I'm going to stick to the most basic rules and some loose house rules. I might take control of an NPC too just so we're both playing. But for characters, is it okay for beginners to use homebrew races and classes from the wiki? Like for example, mine will be a plague doctor kenku and will likely be a healer for the party.

If it’s your first game, I wouldn’t do homebrew. You want to get a taste for the balance of the game, and homebrew is very often unbalanced (I even stopped allowing it when I DM). If you’re doing 3.5, there are over 100 books with classes and races. 5e is more limited, but you still have Player’s Handbook, Volo’s Guide To Monsters, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Elemental Evil Player Companion, and Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and Unearthed Arcana. You can easily take the Plague Doctor motif and apply it elsewhere, specifically Unearthed Arcana’s Alchemist class for 5e. And Kenku is available in Volo’s.

I'm planning on doing a campaign where the players are working for an elderly and infirm dragon, managing her dungeon full of traps and monsters, making sure there's a steady stream of treasure, dealing with rival monsters, etc. I'm looking for some character concepts for individual monsters who live in the dungeon in the dragon's employ. Maybe an accountant of some kind, a big strong monster, the person who keeps all the little monsters in line, etc. Do as much or as little depth as you want.

What edition is this campaign set in? Just so I know what creatures I can and can not include.

Basic Villain Idea

While at work today I was toying around with an idea for a tragic villain that I wanted to share.

Very often you see sentient items make their way into the hands of an enemy, and the wielder has no problem announcing what they have found or talking to it right in front of the party.

What if that is truly what the party believes, even if it is not true? They face off multiple times against an enemy who rambles on about his sword that speaks to him, and commands him to do what he does. But eventually, upon slaying him or taking the blade, the party realizes it has no magic to it at all, or perhaps its is a very basic magic weapon.

There was never any sentient artifact. This was just a man who was sick and never got the help he needed. The voices in his head were just that, and nothing more. They commanded him day and night to do what he did not want and eventually they broke him. Maybe this forces the party to consider their actions, maybe not all who oppose them are as evil as they think.

Just an idea.

Might do more of these ideas without stories when not doing asks.

#d&d #Dungeons and Dragons #d&d character

charactersforall-blog

Hey, I'm planning on DMing a 3.5e campaign for a group of my friends But one of them REALLY wants to play a Bard, but wants to put a twist on it, I'm having trouble coming up with a character like this, but I was hoping you could help She had mentioned she wanted a kind of darker twist on it, but I find it hard to come up with one that isn't off the deep end for a bard or isn't too bland, y'know? Thanks in advance

Are you allowing books beyond the basic player’s handbook? (Complete Arcane, Complete Adventurer, etc.)

lady-sarenrae

I wanted to make a bard character who was chosen by the evil goddess Shar who is also called The Night Singer. Could be a Cleric multiclass situation and occasionally the character has to perform a dark deed at the command of Shar. Just an idea.

charactersforall-blog

That would be incredibly bad-ass.

If I remember correctly, I think there were one or two actual darker bard classes. I’ll have to go through all of my 3.5 books and mags, but I may be able to find them. I can work on a story from there.

inkynewt

I once played a pretty neat criminal bard. He was a half elf who was born to a noble and a commoner, and while he lived with his noble mother, he spent most of his time raising himself on the streets, picking up a LOT of pickpocket and disguise skills. He also developed a nasty sense of macabre humor and a knack for performing little magic tricks for coin, as well as selling Pesh for extra coin.

He was a devotee to a god of storms he learned to worship from halfling sailors in the streets of his home city, and considered himself an agent of the world’s underlying element of chaos in a lot of ways. His performance skill was comedy; his /thing/ was making jokes about his teammates fighting to their deaths. He made a lot of his in-game diplomatic decisions based on whether or not it would further his comedic career, his attachment to his god, and whether he could sell pesh to whoever was involved or not.

He wasn’t necessarily a character who was evil, and he’s not the darkest bard I’ve seen (I played with a sick creepy bard in that same campaign actually, I’ll add to this later when I’m not about to eat dinner maybe) but he was a really fun not entirely traditional take on a bardic personality.

charactersforall-blog

Another cool character. I’d love to hear about the other bard too if you want to share via submission or ask, then we can make sure all these good people can read it as well.

A Darker Bard

If someone talented in the musical and arcane arts persues these paths they are a bard. Bards are almost always cheerful, inspiring, and pleasent.

That isn’t inherent however. It’s merely the norm. Sometimes a bard has dealt with many hardships in their life, and instead of singing of Valor and Joy they sing of Sorrow and Defeat.

Amelia was one of these such bards. She grew up alone most of her life, her mother dying when she was young, and in her city young women alone on the streets did not have the easiest of times. She found a way to survive with her talents. Working as a singer at local clubs, even in her early teens, and using magic to persuade those around her to help her. She eventually got the means to leave her hometown, and found a travelling group of folks who took her in.

Her new family of adventurers she traveled with loved her very much, and could not imagine fighting without her by their side anymore. Though she did not offer them inspiration and rallying as other bards often do, she would sing beautiful and haunting melodies to their enemies, causing them the lose focus and shake with fear. And once they were off their guard, she would strike with her powerful bardic spells.

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Hey, anon, this one isn’t as detailed of a story. I figured with a baseline maybe your player would want to flesh her out. If you’d allow it, I also have a mechanical suggestion:

Class: Harbinger (Bard Variant from Dragon Magazine 337, page 93)

This class does what the story says, instead of buffing teammates, you de-buff your enemies. It fits well with a darker bard and honestly doesn’t change a whole lot, which keeps it well balanced.

#bard #Bardic #d&d3.5 #d&d #d&d character #Dungeons and Dragons

charactersforall-blog

Hey, I'm planning on DMing a 3.5e campaign for a group of my friends But one of them REALLY wants to play a Bard, but wants to put a twist on it, I'm having trouble coming up with a character like this, but I was hoping you could help She had mentioned she wanted a kind of darker twist on it, but I find it hard to come up with one that isn't off the deep end for a bard or isn't too bland, y'know? Thanks in advance

Are you allowing books beyond the basic player’s handbook? (Complete Arcane, Complete Adventurer, etc.)

lady-sarenrae

I wanted to make a bard character who was chosen by the evil goddess Shar who is also called The Night Singer. Could be a Cleric multiclass situation and occasionally the character has to perform a dark deed at the command of Shar. Just an idea.

charactersforall-blog

That would be incredibly bad-ass.

If I remember correctly, I think there were one or two actual darker bard classes. I’ll have to go through all of my 3.5 books and mags, but I may be able to find them. I can work on a story from there.

Hey, I'm planning on DMing a 3.5e campaign for a group of my friends But one of them REALLY wants to play a Bard, but wants to put a twist on it, I'm having trouble coming up with a character like this, but I was hoping you could help She had mentioned she wanted a kind of darker twist on it, but I find it hard to come up with one that isn't off the deep end for a bard or isn't too bland, y'know? Thanks in advance

Are you allowing books beyond the basic player’s handbook? (Complete Arcane, Complete Adventurer, etc.)

Ramblings of a Rogue

I’m not usually fond of the word ‘Rogue’, y’know? People hear of my training and assume I’m some sneaky-footed little backstabbing thief. I am most certainly not. I always prefer a one-on-one fight to any stealthy shenanigans. Besides, what do you think of when you picture a rogue? Take a second. Let me guess. Some weird guy or gal with pale skin, sunken eyes, and black hair? Probably brooding or something?

Frankly it’s insulting.

I have beautiful red hair and I would never taint it with wretched dyes. I even trim my beard every day. Every. Day. You don’t need to do that, they don’t grow that fast. I just like to look nice and presentable no matter if I’ll be at a dinner party or a scuffle with some orcs.

And another thing. The blade. I don’t even own a dagger, STOP TELLING ME I SHOULD. They are USELESS. Might as well put the cutlery from breakfast in a sheath. My rapier can cut beasts and men alike down in matter of seconds. But people are relentless with that crap, even my friends and family. I tell them a good stance and attention to the fight can be just as useful as stabbing a man while his back is turned, and it’s much more worthy of a good story.

-From the journal of Harry Von Havelstein, the self-proclaimed ‘Handsomest Duelist There Ever Was’.

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For @fluffoffury

I went with something a bit different for yours. Such a different rogue deserves a different style of writing, no? If you are playing 5e and your DM is cool with Unearthed Arcana (WOTC official playtest content) I would suggest the following to maybe suit what you are looking for:

Rogue Archetype: Swashbuckler (Unearthed Arcana - Waterborne Adventures)

Feat: Blade Mastery (Unearthed Arcana - Feats)

The swashbuckler isn’t actually based around water for abilities, so it works very well for a duelist-type character. The feat gives this to you when using a shortsword, longsword, scimitar, rapier, or greatsword:

• You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with the weapon.

• On your turn, you can use your reaction to assume a parrying stance, provided you have the weapon in hand. Doing so grants you a +1 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn or until you’re not holding the weapon.

• When you make an opportunity attack with the weapon, you have advantage on the attack roll.

#Rogue #d&d #d&d character #Dungeons and Dragons #d&d 5e #d&d 5th edition #unearthedarcana

Hellish Breath

Tieflings are far too often feared by humankind, and there are many out there who seek to do good and disprove this notion that they should be feared as monsters. Others embrace it.

Kalvess sees the utility to his infernal heritage. He knows that the moment his enemies see his red horns, they will feel a shudder down their spine. He knows that the moment his enemies witness his rage-driven attacks, they will tremble in their boots. But he also knows that the moment his enemies see pain on his face, the illusion will fade. He is but a Tiefling, nothing more. He feels pain and succumbs to it as does any other man.

That is why Kalvess went with a special request to the local blacksmith. A plain metal mask, shaped to a humanoid face, nothing more. After its completion, Kal donned the mask and instantly became aware of a beautiful aspect he had never thought of, the noise. The mask was so close to his lips that with every breath came a hissing, ragged noise amplified by the curvature of the piece.

Whenever enemies stuck him, the were not met with a yelp nor a grimace. They only ever got the same reply: A cold stare through the mask and that horrid, monstrous breath.

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@crazytalk, here you go buddy. I know it’s not a whole lot, but I hope you like it.

#d&d character #d&d #tiefling #barbarian #Dungeons and Dragons

Do you think it'd be possible to make a story up for a human rogue I'm planning on using pretty soon? When I say rogue, I mean more of the agile, rapier wielding, swordsman

Can do.

Thank you for the explanation! If it's no bother, could you try a Tiefling Barbarian who wears a metal mask please? Again, thank you.

On it.

Perfect Harmony

The band of Gnomes took their instruments and got off the stage in the pub. Their song was complete, and they were sure it would win in this band-battle. They were good, there was no doubt of that, but the crowd had never seen anything like the act that was to follow.

A young Tiefling man, probably in his early twenties, walked up to the stage with a chair. He placed it down a few feet away from him and looked back to the audience.

“Hi, uh, thank you all for letting me perform here tonight. I hope you all enjoy the show. This is my band, All of Me.” The man, named Uldric, brushed off his fine clothes and tugged on his cape to make sure it was firmly attached.

The crowd started to glance around confusedly, a few even whispering questions to each other. The performer was alone, what kind of band was this?

Uldric started in a soft voice, a sound suitable for a lullaby. As he reached his first extended note he slid to the left, assuming the posture of a man in the middle of playing the flute, then slid back to the right. The crowd gasped. Where Uldric had just been there was now another Uldric, playing the flute in time with the first’s singing. The song began to grow in intensity, and Uldric went into a spinning flourish to his right with his cape hiding much of his movement. He kept his momentum through the flourish, but another did not. This third Uldric whipped up to a standing position from behind his cape with a beautiful lute and began playing immediately. Applause began to grow in the bar, and the other bands were clearly aware they would not be winning.

Uldric was not yet done however. He fell back into the chair he brought earlier, then immediately used all his strength to spring over the back of the seat and behind the curtain at the back of the stage, leaving another replicate and an elaborate drum set, and allowing an instrumental bit to his song while he prepared for the finale.

Multiple voices began to swell, and all flames in the room began to dim and brighten with the rhythm of the music. Suddenly Uldric stepped out from behind the curtain, holding open for another ten of him that folllowed. Their voices boomed in a beautiful symphony, and the original stepped forward. He came to the final crescendo of his song and let loose a note that echoed even into the streets, far louder than he could’ve normally sang.

Needless to say, All of Me won the contest, and Uldric left the pub a few days later after indulging in all of the pleasures of his new popularity.

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There you go, @magmasteelix, that’s what I can come up with. I know yours was less of a request and more of a real question, but I figured I’d post a little story here regardless. Thank you.

Everyone feel free to send requests, no matter what you need the character for. I may not be able to immediately get to it, as I have a fair bit still waiting, but I WILL get to it.

If you find yourself liking this stuff and want to help me out, I set this up too:

https://www.patreon.com/CharactersForAll

#d&d character #d&d #Dungeons and Dragons #bard

You ever think about a Bard/Illusionist who just creates illusory copies of themself to play different instruments. Or to harmonize with themself

Sure have. I actually had an npc in a campaign do this once. I’d love to elaborate on it. Working on it now.

I have internet again

Internet troubles combined with work issues have kept me from getting on, but now I am back and will be getting to a few requests tonight, hopefully.

Also, I am setting up a Patreon just because I’ve been having a rough time with unforeseen expenses piled on top of those I expected to have. I will obviously take zero offense if nobody donates to it, but I figured it can’t hurt. I don’t really know how the website works, but I will be trying to figure it out. My posts will all be going there, probably nothing will be restricted to patrons-only, though I may add rewards or something, I don’t know. Please let me know if there’s anything I did wrong with the Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/CharactersForAll

Alright, time to get to some requests. Roll well, friends.

This blog is awesome and I really appreciate all the work you're putting into this!

Thanks friend, I’d like to put more work into it, but I’ve got a busy schedule. I appreciate that you enjoy it though.

Captain Hern Birdseeds

The orphaned gnoll lived alone in the wilds for his youngest years. He hunted small game and ate seeds from the vegetation from the ground. He was more beast than humanoid, but that all changed when he came across a young human warrior one day.

The gnoll dashed at the child, thinking it an easy meal, but the young girl slammed her fist into his gut as he pounced and he fell to the ground. The grunt that left his lips as the wind escaped his lungs was an odd sound. The gnoll stood, and was slightly humbled, but not afraid. He looked at the human, waiting to see her intent.

“Ha. Stupid gnoll. You couldn’t take me. What’s your name?”

No response.

“Well then I’m gonna call you the first thing I heard out of your mouth. Hern.”

Turns out the girl was alone too. So they traveled together for years, figuring there was strength in numbers. They one day came upon the sea, standing on a coastal cliff. The wind felt amazing flowing through Hern’s fur, and the smell of the sea brought a wide grin to his face. He reached into his pouch of seeds and shoved a whole handful into his toothy maw.

“You like it here, Hern?” The young woman asked her hairy friend.

Hern nodded his approval, seeds spilling out from his lips.

“Then perhaps we stay here. Maybe ride on a boat.”

“No.” Said Hern. “Get boat. Our boat.”

“You want a ship just for us?” The girl laughed aloud. “That would be so expensive, dear. We’ll have to work hard to get that kind of money.”

Hern gave her serious look, and she could not deny her closest friend. They fought together as mercenaries, she being a nimble fighter, and he being a rage-driven barbarian. Eventually their coin purses were full, and they did indeed buy a ship.

The Registry Office asked who was to be the rightful owner of the ship for its paperwork. The woman who had lived beside Hern for years gave him a glance, taking note of his enormous grin.

“Hern.” She said with a smile.

“Ummm... I need a family name as well, or tribe name, whichever.” Said the clerk.

“Oh, uh, yes, well...” She glanced about looking for anything, she gave him his first name and she could do so again. Her eyes fell upon the sack tied to his belt, full of seeds usually meant for domesticated birds. “Birdseeds. Hern Birdseeds.”

“CAPTAIN Hern Birdseeds.” Came Hern’s voice from behind her.

The two left and recruited a small team of men and women to crew their ship, and they set off. The open waters were exactly what they had always desired, and now the world was their oyster.

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And that’s my initial though as to where Captain Hern Birdseed is from. So, @captain-hern-birdseeds, feel free to tell me how wrong I was. It truly is a truly interesting name that could have a million different origins. I also can’t seem to tag you, don’t know why.

#d&d character #d&d #gnoll #captainhernbirdseeds

My username is based off of a Gnoll barbarian I made in my first DnD campaign. Captain Hern Birdseeds was his name. Using your imagination, how do you think I came up with his character amd backstory?

Hmmm... Let me think...

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