#eye write?

[eyeloch]

Virtue names, and some tieflings that have ‘em

Aesthetic

They are, somehow, even more flamboyant than you may imagine!

Ascetic

Is always very grumpy when people mix-up their name with their sibling’s!

Benevolence 

Is definitely not a scam artist.  But does need some of your enchantments in their quest to save the material plane!

Love

Has never experienced attraction, but does wonderful work for their friends, family and community - easily fulfilling their name.

Fury

Actually a very chill monk, who named herself that as a reminder that she should hate injustice.

Parsimonious 

Despite his best efforts, he just can’t stop giving gifts to people.

Also despite his best efforts, people nickname him “Parsnip”

Silence

Despite his parent’s best effort, has become a bard

Vengeance

May or may not be an overgrown angsty teen

Might actually not be all that torn up about the event they’re supposed to dedicate their life towards readdressing

Passion 

Loves fruit

And also fruit trees 

Hunger

They chose this name to remind themselves to take regular meals

Epicureanism 

Is very chill, and living their best life!

Cowardice

Despite a first-rate education in thievery, this barbarian/paladin still disappoints herself (and her mum) with her headlong rushes into extreme danger

Chastity

Is a bard

Hope

As a life-long cynic, they chose this name to redress the balance in their life.  They are trying to live up to this name.  They’re trying their best.

Aponia

A grave cleric, who will always find a way to ease everyone’s pain.  This does (unfortunately) require killing, at times.

[eyeloch]

I can’t help but think the background feature of 5e is a wonderful boon - especially for newer players, or those who don’t yet have a firm idea of their character as they start.  

You may argue that classes already more-or-less do so - but by doing backgrounds separately, it decouples some of the obvious character backstory from a class.  It also gives the DM some basic plot hooks to dangle for characters’ personal quests/side-quests.

And that doesn’t even get onto the best part! 

What is the best part, you may ask?

Seemingly incongruous background and class combinations!

For Example:

Barbarians with the courtier background?  Fantastic opportunities for backstory and for NPCs who knew them before - would they be surprised or unsurprised by how they now act?

The effect could be much the same with a noble background.  

A druid with a sailor background?  Perhaps they found commune with a reef their ship was caught on?  Or perhaps they were stranded on an island after they supported the wrong side in a mutiny, and discovered a connect with nature through necessity.

Would a paladin with an entertainer background use a travelling show to mask the vigilante justice they dole out?  Or would they be open about their faith and abilities - but simply believe that putting on a good show where they go is an important part of the oath they swore?

Would a warlock with the noble background be using a pact to seek advancement (familial or just plain self-advancement) through the labyrinthine dynastic struggles of the kingdom they’re a part of?  

Would said pact be a long-running family tradition (perhaps taken to worrying extremes by the player character), or something entirely new?

Would a sorcerer with the charlatan background have always been hiding their magic in plain sight?  Or would the tricks they pull be entirely unrelated to their magical nature?

A cleric with a solder background?  Would they have always been something of a field medic, in whatever wars they’ve been a part of?  

Did they come to faith later in life, feeling guilt over the carnage they’ve been involved in?

Perhaps a bard with the cloistered scholar background spent all their life in an isolated musical college - learning about the rest of the world only through poetry and songs.  How much of their knowledge would be entirely up to date?!

Perhaps this music college was in the faewild, or similar.  While they did have a life before joining it as a young adult, time passed much faster in the prime material plane - their old friends are now old friends, and many things have changed while they were gone...

A barbarian with a city watch background could be interesting.  Did they always feel such fury in combat?  What (if anything) made them lose faith in the rule of law?

[eyeloch]

DnD character concept

a Druid Warforged (probably of the envoy type, for stat reasons), who’s found new purpose in caring for the lands that they were made from.

Ores were mined and trees were chopped here once.  The land was torn apart to make a fierce vanguard for a great war.  Perhaps even a righteous war.

But the warriors are gone, now.  The builders long departed.  One warforged, left behind, slowly found a new purpose through healing the lands that birthed them.  Over decades, this communion with nature brought forth powers they’d never been designed with.

They’ve druid-crafted the wood of their own body into a more tree-like appearance. Vines growing goodberries sprout from their body (when that spell’s cast), and other times their wooden “skin” is alive with blossoms.

Their land is healing.  If necessary, they’ll defend it.

[eyeloch]

Drider man, drider man, Became part spider, ‘cus he can. He’s got 8 legs, dark-elf-sized, He gets off to fearful cries.

Look out, here comes the drider man!

He can’t stand sunlight, So he’ll there and brood. And he’ll spin his webs, And makes you into food!

Drider man, drider man, Became part spider, ‘cus he can. He’s got 8 legs, dark-elf-sized, He gets off to fearful cries.

Look out, here comes the drider man!

[eyeloch]

My focus has bled, This coursework won’t quit, Each new complication, I feel like a twit.

[eyeloch]

The thought occurs that the “Holy Blood” and associated story details in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War could be some great fluff for a warlock or sorcerer character in Dungeons and Dragons (at least in 5th edition, which is what I’m familiar with).  

The way the minor and major bloodlines are inherited in the game would make for a great sorcerous origin, I think - ancestors made a deal with immensely powerful dragons, and took some of their blood.  This blood has been passed on - sometimes weakening through generations, sometimes combining with other dragon’s bloodlines.  Such ancestry can lead to abilities beyond what some would consider. . .natural...

Alternatively, the character making the pact themselves (strengthening a pre-existing bond made from lingering familial ties, or dealing with a dragon face to face) could be a rather fun way to play a warlock character. 

This might seem fairly generic so far, but I think there’s a little more to it.  As we see in the game, at least two of the “Holy Weapons” cause the wielders to take on more aspects of the dragons’ personality alongside their power - which I think could be a fantastic thing to roleplay!  (I think such a thing could be especially interesting if the dragon in question has similar goals to your character, but different ways of thinking and acting.)  

The way Lewyn was saved from death by his connection to Forseti in part 2 of the game I’ve been talking about, but at the cost of much of his original personality, is the kind of thing that is brimming with roleplay potential to me.  I think it’s all the more interesting that both characters (assuming Forseti’s in the driver’s seat for much of part 2) have similar views on how it’s the common people that always suffer in war, and how you should always think critically about your own capacity to inflict evil onto others.  All the more interesting because while these core morals are the same, Lewyn was rather irreverent in his actions (while caring deeply for those he loved), while Forseti is much more direct in his actions and beliefs - yet he’s downright cold to most of Lewyn’s potential children (it depends on the play-through), with only fragments of Lewyn’s original feelings showing through at times.

I think taking on more aspect’s of a patron’s character as a player levels up could be a fascinating thing to roleplay.  But, hey, I’m prone to overthinking and I fear death of personality greatly - so I suppose my thoughts about this are probably unsurprising in that regard!

[eyeloch]

Some More Trinkets

A palm-sized gemstone, that grows more clear (or more clouded) when sung to

A fragment of ancient masonry, with a strange pattern carved into it

A small box of spices, native to your old homeland

A geode

Small wind chimes, made from leftover scraps of wood and metal

A wooden charm said to bring destiny towards you, carved beautifully by a well-wishing friend or relative

A ridged disc of colourful crystal - when a damp finger is run along the whorls and whirls, a mournful sound emanates

A misshapen wooden drinking bowl, made by a friend

Some fool’s gold

An unfinished sash of woven grass - the wearer is supposed to weave in new grass as they travel

A colourful bracelet of thick cords

A rusted, worn-down dagger - only traces of gilt on the hilt speak of its heritage

A threadbare doll, frayed and faded from age and attention

An otherwise unremarkable rock, passed down your family for generations

Teeth that a vagabond swore were from an eldritch being, before pressing them into your hands

A nail file 

Some bits of frayed thread and rope, that sometimes feel nice to run your hands over

A set of flints, that give off sparks of all kinds of colours

A necklace of glass beads

An odd fossil, found on a beach by a friend of a friend

A large, silver-y feather from an unknown source - it makes a pleasant sound when swished through the air

A tin bell you bought from a local rag and bone man