4, 11, 38, 45, 56, and 69 for Cass, Sunny, and Sabetha!
(it was so hard to narrow this down; all of the questions on that ask meme were so good.)
Omg right?? Thank you for these!
4. if they could learn one spell that isn’t available to them at present, which spell would it be?
Cassiopeia - I honestly think counterspell. She wants to be able to protect her friends and loved ones as best as she can, and being able to just knock a spell out of the air would make her feel so powerful, since that’s not something she can do but would love to be able to.
Sunburst - commune, I think. She wants to get some things straight with Lathander. Although sunbeam would be sick too. Really get that pure concentrated power of the sun laser vibe going.
Sabetha - I think she would also like commune but not to talk to a god but to her fiendish patron. Although, modify memory would be helpful as well….
11. what skills are they proficient in? why?
Cassiopeia - in her original campaign, she had insight, medicine, persuasion, and religion. Religion and medicine because she is a religious figure and a healer, brought up in a temple. She’s good at reading people and seeing the intention behind their words, so insight. She’s a paladin so she has persuasion based on her sheer force of personality.
Sunburst - she’s proficient with perception, medicine, insight, and religion. Similar to cass, she was brought up in a church and trained as a healer, so medicine and religion (even tho she’s maybe succeeded one (1) religion check over the entire year-long campaign). Perception for her awareness of her surroundings and bright light, and then insight because she really has an ability to connect with people and glean the truth from them.
Sabetha - so I don’t remember her original stats and I lost her sheets, but for the purposes of my dnd-inspired story with these guys, she has history, arcana, religion, and deception. History, specifically religious history, and arcana are her special interests so naturally she’s proficient with those, and she’s a warlock, of course she can lie. It’s all she’s got.
38. what do they smell like?
Cassiopeia - she smells a bit like brimstone and smoke, but she wears a wild rose perfume, so kind of a smokey rose
Sunburst - pure woodsmoke and embers, and if you get really close, burning range close, a bit like gasoline
Sabetha - warm damp earth, sage, incense, myrrh, and a bit of iron
45. how do they hug people?
Cassiopeia - she gives the best hugs - she’s tall and strong and soft and warm. She hugs in the way she wants to be hugged - tight and close like she’ll never let you go.
Sunburst - her hugs start a bit timid and a-frame, she’s terrified of burning someone. But if you’re not afraid of that, she’ll hug you so gently and so warmly that it’s almost reverent.
Sabetha - her hugs are soft and warm and a bit afraid, like they’ll be taken away from her too quickly.
56. what animal do they most relate to?
Cassiopeia - guard dog, or better yet, fighting dog
Sunburst - bird of paradise
Sabetha - some kind of crow or magpie, something slightly skittish that can be caged
69. (Nice) how would they describe their party members?
Ooohh so cass and sab no longer technically have parties, as their campaigns ended (and I don’t remember sab’s party members since it was like 8 years ago), so sadly I won’t be able to answer for them, but Sunny has a party! She has many thoughts on them!
the barbarian - that's Sunny's bestie, that's her girl. They're ride or die, even though they couldn't be more different. Sunny thinks she's a bit rash, a bit wild, a bit shortsighted, and she cannot stand the necromancy, but doesn't want to make any decisions for her, so she grits her teeth and tolerates it. She'd do anything for her.
the ranger - Sunny thinks very highly of him. She thinks he's a gentleman and that people are way too mean to him given he's an outsider. She is too, and she thinks he's got a good heart, even if he's fine with casual violence. Although he did lie to her face last session, and she let slide because she could tell he was uncomfortable. But a lie's a lie....
the wizard - Sunny is very curious about them, and a little startled by their violent nature. She just learned about their past a bit, and she's a lot more sympathetic, and just wants to make them feel comfortable and safe.
4. Somebody calls your character “good [insert gender word here].” How do they react?
Sunny - if someone called her a good girl she'd probably just preen a little and agree with you, like yes i am a girl and i'm very good
Sabetha - if someone called her a good girl, in any context, she's blue-screening a bit and is immediately turned on, it's one of her biggest uh. kinks?
9. What's something about your character that they find embarrassing? Not just something that happened in the past, but a regular/recurring trait they can't help?
Sunny - so the thing about sunny is that she's a bit delulu and doesn't get embarrassed easily, because she's perfect didn't you know? although i think she's a bit embarrassed whenever she loses her temper, since she very much doesn't want to be "angry" or "hateful" so she gets embarrassed about it, but alas she is made of fire and is only a person, so she does get angry, even if she denies it and claims to be so chill (the hair flaring gives it away)
Sabetha - oh boy the poor gal has so much social anxiety she's embarrassed by pretty much everything she does. Gets excited about a topic and rambles? embarrassed. A girl flirts with her and she flirts back? embarrassed. Does "poorly" on a school assignment? double embarrassed. Does ancient forbidden magic? embarrassed.
12. Somebody asks your character which of two loved ones they would save in a hypothetical situation. How do they go about responding? With logic, or perhaps getting upset at the thought? Refusing to play along at all?
Sunny - she's not playing your silly mind games, how dare you assume there's a situation where she wouldn't try her absolute darnedest to save them both! she's a cleric, give her a chance, she'll save 'em all
Sabetha - I think she'd be upset at the thought, make a sad comment that she'd need two loved ones firstly, and then explain her reasoning logically, and include spells etc that she would use. She loves a hypothetical situation, so long as it stays hypothetical.
18. Your character just set off the smoke alarm. What were they doing?
Sunny - this would be a regular occurrence in her house, so she'd just sigh and reach up to hit the button, or get a chair if the ceiling is high. She was just chilling! Not her fault her hair's fire!
Sabetha - she's immediately overwhelmed and grabs a towel or something to flap at the alarm until it stops, then she opens all the windows. If it keeps going and she can't reach it and the towel isn't working, she might just eldritch blast it. She does Not like the volume!
Sunburst - oooh this is tough because she'll talk about anything. She's afraid of failing - spiritually, physically, emotionally. She doesn't want to let down her god or her friends.
Sabetha - Oh boy she is riddled with anxiety! She is deeply afraid she'll never get her soul back and reclaim her selfhood, and forever just be what other people (or entities) want her to be.
[ 🫳 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho do they feel they owe, but never paid back ?
Sunburst - She owes the party's wizard money for something she never actually asked them to do and hasn't paid them back yet. But also, in a way, I think she feels like she owes her mentor perfection and hasn't yet delivered.
Sabetha - in a fucked up way, she feels like she owes her patron for "saving" her, and she's waiting for the day the devil comes to collect
[ 📿 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat superstition or ritual do they cling to ?
Sunburst - she's a pious cleric and god's favourite princess, she loves a ritual. She does a sun salutation ritual every morning followed by a meditation. She also prays before bed every night. It's grounding for her.
Sabetha - she also loves a ritual! Doing her makeup and getting dressed each day has become a bit of a ritual for her to build her confidence and sense of self. She also does literal rituals on full and new moons.
[ 🪶 ]ㅤ.ㅤhow do they laugh ?
Sunburst - she has kind of a breathy, cackling laugh. She sounds like she smokes a pack a day (she has never had a cigarette in her life! she's just Made Of Fire)
Sabetha - kind of bubbly and shy at first, but then a bit louder and more joyous as she gets going or when she's more relaxed.
[ 🧩 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s a truth about themselves they refuse to admit ?
Sunburst - that she's not as patient or understanding as she claims to be. She's internalized a lot of not-so-healthy things throughout her life in the church, but she denies denies denies that anything's wrong. She's convinced if she is understanding and kind enough, then any anger/hurt/offense she feels will just go away.
Sabetha - she doesn't want to admit the lengths she'd go to to find knowledge and power, and how much she wants that power. It makes her feel like she's in control of her life for once, and it scares her how much she's willing to sacrifice for that control. She'd never say it out loud.
She's not the most fidgety person, as she's trained it mostly out of herself, but she'll worry her hands and whatever rings she's wearing. She'll shift her weight from foot to foot if she's standing, and fusses with her hair and circlet. These days she's been fiddling with a certain shield...
11. How does your PC show affection?
answered here!
23. What is your PC’s #1 personality flaw?
what a good question omg probably her moral condescension. She doesn't mean to, but she is very privileged and sheltered, and when her friends do something that doesn't fit in her rigid worldview, she can be quite holier than thou (literally) about it. She thinks she knows best. And her toxic positivity.
24. If your PC found a book that detailed their whole life, from birth to whatever death they’ll have, would they read it and why?
So I think Sunburst would say she would never, but she 100% would read it. She would genuinely want to know what's in store for her, especially since she would deem it within Lathander's tenets to know the truth. She would want to prepare for what's coming.
41. Does your PC have a favorite spell, and if so, which?
Hmmm, probably protection from good and evil or bless. She wants to fortify her friends. That's also because we haven't hit level 5 yet and she hasn't tried her hand at fireball. She's gonna love fireball.
42. Who is your PC’s favorite NPC(s) and why?
Her favourite NPC's are one my DM made up for her specifically - Mornmaster Mathlessa, the head of the church of Lathander in Baldur's Gate. Mathlessa has been more of a mother to Sunburst than her actual mother, and sees her as a mentor and someone to aspire to be like. She also really likes Raya for her conviction!
5, 13, 18, and 30 for Sunny and Sabetha — we love problematic women in STEM (spellcasting, thaumaturgy, eldritch magicks)
Omg thank you! Wait until you find out about The New Wizard (now that’s a problematic woman in STEM!)
5. What is your OC's gender identity and sexual orientation? Is this also what they identify as in canon, or are they not (fully) aware?
Sabetha: she’s kind of a bicuriois lesbian. She gravitates strongly towards women, always has, but she has a male friend she could see herself with… and she identifies as a cis woman! She’s pretty aware of this in her canon, she’s spent a lot of time pondering.
Sunburst: she’s pan/queer! Definitely the type to be attracted to a personality not a gender. She’s also a cis woman but she hasn’t thought on it much. She definitely doesn’t have the language for it in canon, and if asked just kind of shrugs and blushes and says she doesn’t think about that sort of thing. She’s catholic.
13. What is something your OC does (to others) that they would not like if others did to them? Are they aware that they do this?
Sabetha: oof she wouldn’t really like the clingy, very anxious guilt-tripping that she kind of does without realizing it. It’s not intentional because it’s very panicked, but it wouldn’t feel great to be on the receiving end of.
Sunburst: oh dear she’d be lowkey pretty offended if someone treated her with the moral superiority she treats other people with. She thinks she’s being helpful but it can come across as condescending. It would be quite a wake up call as she wouldn’t realize that’s how it feels, and she’d want to work on not always getting up on her high horse.
18. What are your OC's bad habits?
Sabetha: cigarettes, always assuming that people think awful things about her, letting anxiety make the decisions, and dark magic
Sunburst: it’s a double edged sword but trusting too easily that everyone has the same good intentions as her, giving unsolicited advice, and repressing her emotions
30. How paranoid is your OC? How does this affect their daily life?
Sabetha: oh the poor baby is very paranoid and has debilitating anxiety a lot of the time, so she’s very jumpy and insecure. It affects her relationships (not that she’s had many) and her general well-being, becoming a vicious cycle.
Sunburst: honestly, she’s not really paranoid at all. A little cautious to avoid her god’s retribution if she strays from his path, but she’s also aware that’s pretty unlikely. She’s very trusting and posi-vibes only, and whole-heartedly believes people have good intentions (more often than they do).
Ahh thank you! I got kind of rambly so under a cut!
6. How does your character express that they're uncomfortable?
Sabetha: she’s a bit obvious about it, even though she’d desperately try to hide it. She takes a bit longer stringing together sentences, her tail flicks like a nervous cat’s, she can’t make eye contact, and fidgets with her hands and jewelry. If she’s with trusted people, she’ll probably try to say she’s uncomfortable if there’s something they can do to help, but otherwise she’ll try to keep it to herself to avoid being a “burden”
Sunburst: her eyes go really wide and her hair flickers and flares. She’s confident enough though that she’ll announce that she’s uncomfortable with whatever aspect she’s uncomfy with, and she’ll remove herself from the situation as calmly as possible. If she can’t leave, she holds herself quite rigidly as an attempt to seem not uncomfy, and will excuse herself at the first opportunity.
20. Can your character flirt? Are they aware they're flirting? How do they do it?
Sabetha: so. She can flirt, it takes a lot of conscious effort though and doesn’t really come naturally so those attempts seem a bit uncanny valley or insincere. When she’s genuinely just being herself and talking though is when she may be accused of flirting just because she’s being nice, and those situations usually work out better than her intentional attempts. Let her infodump about magic and compliment your outfit!
Sunburst: she cannot flirt to save her life but could be accused of flirting because she is genuinely very kind and complimentary, and doesn’t plan on changing anytime soon.
36. What makes them blush?
Sabetha: a lot! Compliments, people being bare-minimum nice to her, women (especially muscular and athletic women…. Or knights. Knights make her blush).
Sunburst: oh goodness so much! She’s a bit of a prude so anything overtly sexual, flirts, cool combat tricks, guilt/shame, drinking alcohol, a particularly beautiful sunset
40. Describe a corruption/redemption arc version of your character.
Sabetha: omg I’ve thought about this one! Evil ending sab! She would lean more on her patron for emotional validation and regulation, following without question whatever was asked of her. Her magical experiments would take a darker and more self-inflicted route, turning to blood magic as her research becomes more esoteric and niche. She’d isolate herself from most of her friends (with encouragement from her patron “you don’t need them, you only need me”), and cling on to her morally-ambiguous ones who are less likely to intervene (ie she can drag judas into whatever situation given he’s not going to dissuade her because of his own blind loyalty), having massive breakdowns if they go against her. She’d spiral into the deep depths of anxiety and depression, and her patron would have her convinced that’s fine.
Sunburst: she’s sort of on a semi-corruption arc now? A full corruption arc would include getting stuck in the hells and breaking under the weight of all the horror there. Being surrounded by unfettered evil and suffering would eventually erode her optimism and hope, and in a last-ditch attempt to hold onto that, she’d probably go scorched earth zealotry. To be fully corrupted though, I think she’d have to listen to Gideon and the shield/Gargoth and denounce Lathander’s light. There’s nothing he can do for her down here. There’s nothing he can do for anyone down here. He’s not even going to try.
56. If your character had wings what would they look like?
Sabetha: I think classic devilish and bat-like, but small and cute
Sunburst: ooohhhh would it be too cliche to say fire? Almost biblical avenging angel wings of feathers and flame?
57. How does the way they act seemingly contradict their ability scores?
Sabetha: she is a walking contradiction! Her charisma is very high but she presents awkward and unsure in most social situations due to her various mental illnesses. You’d think she’d have good wisdom from years of self-reflection, but no, she’s not very wise. Can’t learn life experience from books really. But she has good insights into what her friends need to hear. Her con is decent even if she looks seconds away from fainting at any given moment.
Sunburst: she goes into any situation with the attitude of someone with 20 charisma and talks boldly like she’s the rizzler. Her charisma is 11. She’s got a plus nothin. Zero proficiency in talking to people. Just pure belief that people want to be kind and honest like she does. She’s tall and willowy with breakable-looking wrists but she is very sturdy and can take hits almost as good as the barbarian. She can, however, do negative damage with her mace. And has.
1. why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es)?
Sunburst - I don’t think she really chose her own class/subclass. Even from childhood, she knew she wanted to help people, so cleric was only natural, especially as she became an acolyte - that’s also what people expected of her. The light subclass just felt Right. She wanted to fully embody the sun, and her own fiery nature.
Salt - there was no world where Salt wasn’t a druid. They were born into an ancient enclave and their mum was a druid so she passed along her knowledge kind of without even asking them what they wanted. But they enjoyed learning martial fighting and picked up on sword fighting pretty quickly, and then with their passion and honesty, open sea paladin just clicked. Their oath is their driving force.
6. which party member do they relate to the most?
Sunburst - I’m not sure if she relates to one more than the others. She has her bestie, Ever the nepo-baby barbarian, who she relates to about a bunch of privileged girlie things and day-to-day life. She relates to the ranger on feeling like an outsider and having moral lines she won’t cross. She doesn’t know much about the wizard, but they had a breakthrough last session! Even if she won’t admit it to herself, she relates to their sense of loneliness and isolation.
Salt - honestly, at least at first, they didn’t really relate to anyone. They know they’re not the most likeable and can be an acquired taste. They related to the monk a lot, but then they kind of deviated since the monk started hanging out with an NPC Salt really doesn’t like. They relate to the barbarian to some degree, but his emotional constipation drives them mad. They vibe the most with the sorcerer, even if they’re very different people.
26. who do they miss?
Sunburst - she misses her pseudo-mom, her real mom, and a sense of self she’s never had before.
Salt - their parents, especially their mum. And Uvenda.
52. from whom do they seek validation?
Sunburst - oh everyone! Mostly god though, so that’s… good
Salt - their parents, but mostly they seek validation from themself
2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?
Salt - not really, no. I design my dnd characters to the campaign setting and vibes. I guess the closest in-universe character I had in mind while building salty baby was the voice of the tempest herself, keyleth (she is salt’s nemesis and she doesn’t even know it)
Sunburst - also not really, but when creating dnd characters I usually start with a class and I didn’t for her! That decision was based off what the party needed since we have two newer players and I wanted them to feel a little protected, so she became a cleric!
8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?
Salt - oh hahaha I accidentally projected soooooo much onto them so we’d be here forever if I was to detail all of that - but mostly I relate to their passion, ways of thinking, and insecurities
Sunburst - hmmm that one’s harder but I think I relate to her people-pleasing tendencies and lack of selfhood. She kind of is what people have told her to be, not who she wants to be.
14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?
Salt - they are a very nuanced character but two things to keep in mind when working with salt are: 1) they are painfully honest and unfiltered - they will be equally blunt with their opinions and earnest in their kindness. 2) they love the ocean more than anything else in the world (bonus third thing - very horny)
Sunburst - 1) she is very naive about the world and it comes across as prudish privilege and 2) she is genuinely very kind and caring
18. What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?
Salt - I’ve recently discovered that they’re more comfortable talking about their feelings with people they trust! Instead of hiding and running from them, they’re willing to open up if someone is willing to listen
Sunburst - I learned literally this week that she’s got a bit of a rebellious streak! She wants the worldly experiences even if said experiences are doing a drinking competition and puking
