This series will be 5th edition D&D characters I make up, just for the fun of it. I haven't played the game in 1.5 decades but like to keep up with nerdly news and I do really like this new edition. I'm hoping to make at least one character of each class, probably spread out over the long term as time and inspiration allow.
My character creation policy goes like this:
My character creation policy goes like this:
(1) Ability score are rolled on 4d6, discard the lowest.
(2) Create them to d3+2 levels in the chosen class.
(3) Give them an appropriate magic item at 3rd and 5th levels.
(4) I believe the PCs are the heroes of the story, so I generally give them max hit points, no rolling. Though I do like the 5thedition roll or take better-than-half system.
(*) While I like the personality traits, bonds, etc. of the background portion of the new creation process, I figure the big write up I'm doing covers that stuff.
I've also taken a shine to the optional "speed factor" rules in the new DM's guide, so you'll see those modifiers applied to combat initiative values.
PART I: Character story and description
PART II: Game stats.
PART III: The mechanics and ideas behind the D&D character creation and the decisions I made.
Please also consider these characters to be copyrighted, as I’ll likely use them to write fantasy stories and novels in the hopefully not-too-distant future.
Damen Fireheart, Knight of the Obsidian Rose
I.
Thirteen years ago, a tiefling boy was running for his life. He and his parents had been traveling and happened into the wrong human city. His parents were killed by a lynch mob prejudiced against his people, who are widely feared for their demonic traits. The young boy, ten or twelve years old, scarcely had time to process his family’s death before his survival instincts drove him to flee for his own life. He stumbled down an alley, around a corner, and smack into a cloaked man. The boy bounced off the man and landed on his rear end.
The man drew a polished rapier from his belt.
The tiefling boy, overwhelmed with fear, confusion, and injustice, closed his eyes and prepared himself for death.
His savage pursuers rounded the corner in search of their prey and came face to face with the man and his rapier. He offered them a chance to turn around and go home. None of them took it. Though he was outnumbered eight to one, the cloaked man dispatched six of them before the last two decided that their hatred wasn’t worth dying for.
The cloaked man took the young tiefling under his wing and after two months of traveling, delivered the boy to the monastery that had raised him. The Order of the Obsidian Rose was an organization shrouded in mystery, though rumor of their quest for perfection and justice was widely known in that quarter of the world. The young orphan, whose name was Damen, was taken in and made an acolyte by the Order. By virtue of his passionate and sometimes wild nature, the boy became known as Damen Fireheart.
For nine years, Damen Fireheart lived and studied within the monastery. He became a monk and knight of the Obsidian Rose; indeed, he eventually became one of the most noble and powerful of their small number. The Order emphasizes perfect control and purity through physical and psychological means. The tenements include justice and respect for all, no matter their race, status, or creed, and their first priority is non-violence. When this is not possible, however, it is their duty to be the most powerful violent force involved in any conflict. They are as the wind or the flame: to first be perfectly still and barely exist at all, and when required, to become an irresistible force that consumes all who refused their offer of grace and mercy. Inwardly, this is achieved by perfecting one’s own mind and body. Outwardly, this is evident by their mastery of the rapier and of magic.
The Knights’ focus on mastering their own skills are so great that, unlike other adventurers, they refrain from carrying or using magic items. To compensate, their Order teaches them “vow spells”. As long as they do not make use of magic items to enhance their abilities (including wearing magic armor), they gain access to these as bonus “known spells.” At 3rd level they learn Shield, and at 5th gain Magic Weapon.
Nine years of training is the First Phase of the Rose. Damen Fireheart then began the Second Phase of the Rose: to spread mercy and justice everywhere fate takes him. And when he feels the time is right, he will enter the Third Phase of the Rose and return to the monastery to train the next generation until his death.
II.
DAMEN FIREHEART
Fighter (5th level) Race: Tiefling
Bkgrd: Acolyte Align: LG
STR | 13 | +1 |
INT | 16 | +3 |
WIS | 16 | +3 |
DEX | 16 | +3 |
CON | 13 | +1 |
CHAR | 16 | +3 |
HP: 55
AC: 15 (chain shirt + DEX, max 2)
PROF: +3
SAVES: STR (+4) CON (+4)
INIT: +3
SPD: 30
COMBAT:
Rapier | Init +5 | +6 to hit | D8+3 (+5) dmg | Finesse |
Sickle | Init +5 | +4 to hit | D4+1 dmg | Light |
Darts | Init +5 | +6 to hit | D4+3 dmg | Finesse, Thrown (20/60) |
Spells | Init +3 (- level) | +6 to hit | Save DC (14) | |
RACIAL/CLASS /BACKGROUND FEATURES:
Racial:
Darkvision, Resistance to Fire, 3 spells added below
Background:
Shelter the Faithful, Vow Spells, Reputation of the Order
Class:
Fighting style: Dueling (+2 dmg if using single one-handed wpn)
Action Surge, Second Wind, Extra Attack (makes 2 instead of 1)
Martial Archetype: Eldritch Knight – Bonded weapons (rapier, sickle), spells
SKILLS:
Insight (+6)
Arcana (+6)
Athletics (+4)
Acrobatics (+6)
FEATS:
Martial Adept
-- 1D6 superiority die
-- Save DC (14)
-- abilities: Parry & Reposte
SPELLS:
Spell Save DC (14) Spell Attack Bonus (+6)
Spells Known (4) plus Tiefling spells
Cantrips (2), 1st slots (3)
0: Thaumaturgy, Bladeward, Magehand
1: Witchbolt, Charm Person, False Life, Protection vs Evil & Good
Vow Spells: Shield, Magic Weapon
Racial Spells: Hellish Rebuke (1/day, as 2nd level), Darkness (1/day)
GEAR:
Chain shirt
Heavy Cloak
Traveling Clothes
Only keeps as much money as he needs to get by
(Basic survival stuff)
III. As I’ve said before, my goal with these character creation exercises is to make non-typical D&D heroes. I also like to blend genres and in looking at the Eldritch Knight path of the fighter, I started assembling in my mind what that might look like. The image I had quickly resembled Luke Skywalker’s darker look from Return of the Jedi, so I figured that was the perfect pitch for this idea: the D&D version of the Jedi Knight! So most of the spells I selected were chosen to resemble a Jedi. I also found that this order favored mastery of a single weapon, and so the Japanese Kensai came to mind. So I melded these ideas together into something I think works as a cool character concept and altered the background and class just slightly to accommodate.
I also got incredibly lucky with rolling out the stats. I usually roll out two or three sets of them and go with the best ones. And I generally don’t mind having half of them pretty mundane (like in the 8 to 11 range) to be balanced and realistic, but I rolled great and once I added the +1 and +2 racial bonuses, I got a lot of 16s! Ironically, the stats I cared about least for him were the iconic Fighter abilities of Strength and Constitution.
Again, I wanted to emphasize mastery of one weapon and magic. A sword was pretty much a must, and among swords what weapon is more graceful and requires more study than the gentleman’s rapier? To supplement the perfection of that art, I selected Deuling as his fighting style, and as his 4th level Feat I took Martial Adept, giving him two abilities from the Battle Master aspect of the Fighter class. These, naturally, would be parry and reposte.
You might also notice that I swapped out a skill for the Acolyte background: arcana for religion. In this monastic order, magic is taught over gods. And when trying to decide what magic items to give him, as according to my own blue print a fifth level guy gets two, I was coming up empty. I was going to roll some out for inspiration, then decided to not give him any. I came up with the “vow” idea and compensated him for his lack of items by giving him bonus spells.
Racially, I wanted to not go human again (as I usually do go human), and figured having a race with innate magical abilities would mesh well with this. I also figured having the hated outsider would work well. (Worked for Drizzt, right?)
As with all these characters, I enjoyed the process of creating Damen and hope to make use of him (or some semblance of him) in my fiction in the future.
Now here's a bonus image for your Drizzt fanboys and girls (of which I am not):
Now here's a bonus image for your Drizzt fanboys and girls (of which I am not):
I happened on this amazing live-action cosplaying Drizzt by Farmerownia, which can be found here.