#dnd character build

[marluzthedruid]

I just heard that half-orcs and half-elves no longer exist in the new books and i am kinda sad about it. Is mostly because my first (and shamelessly favorite) D&D character is a half-elf. But also i think those half-somethings are a intresting metafor for biracial or bicultural children.

You had the option of making a character more linked to one side of their ascendency slowly conecting to the other or a character who's perception of the world is molded by both parents cultures or even a character who admires both cultures but feel like they don't truly belong to any of them.

I think those were a lot of intresting things to explore in those types of characters. I hope in the new books they give some alternative for players who may want to build characters with those narratives in the new mechanics.

I also would like to know, what do you guys think of this change ? Do you like or dislike half-orcs and half-elves ?

[dodger-sister]

#DND #DungeonsAndDragons players & #XFiles fans, if you were making a traveling PI, profiler, conspiracy theorist named Wolf Mudder based on Mulder, what class would you make him? #FoxMulder #DNDCharacterBuild #DNDCharacters #TheXFiles

[theplotmage]

Principles and Laws of Magic for Fantasy Writers

Fundamental Laws

1. Law of Conservation of Magic- Magic cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

3. Law of Equivalent Exchange- To gain something, an equal value must be given.

5. Law of Magical Exhaustion- Using magic drains the user’s energy or life force.

Interaction and Interference

4. Law of Magical Interference- Magic can interfere with other magical effects.

6. Law of Magical Contamination- Magic can have unintended side effects.

8. Law of Magical Inertia- Magical effects continue until stopped by an equal or greater force.

Resonance and Conditions

7. Law of Magical Resonance- Magic resonates with certain materials, places, or times.

9. Law of Magical Secrecy- Magic must be kept secret from the non-magical world.

11. Law of Magical Hierarchy- Different types of magic have different levels of power and difficulty.

Balance and Consequences

10. Law of Magical Balance- Every positive magical effect has a negative consequence.

12. Law of Magical Limitation- Magic has limits and cannot solve every problem.

14. Law of Magical Rebound- Misused magic can backfire on the user.

Special Conditions

13. Law of Magical Conduits- Certain objects or beings can channel magic more effectively.

15. Law of Magical Cycles- Magic may be stronger or weaker depending on cycles (e.g., lunar phases).

17. Law of Magical Awareness- Some beings are more attuned to magic and can sense its presence.

Ethical and Moral Laws

16. Law of Magical Ethics- Magic should be used responsibly and ethically.

18. Law of Magical Consent- Magic should not be used on others without their consent.

20. Law of Magical Oaths- Magical promises or oaths are binding and have severe consequences if broken.

Advanced and Rare Laws

19. Law of Magical Evolution- Magic can evolve and change over time.

20. Law of Magical Singularities- Unique, one-of-a-kind magical phenomena exist and are unpredictable.

Unique and Imaginative Magical Laws

- Law of Temporal Magic- Magic can manipulate time, but with severe consequences. Altering the past can create paradoxes, and using time magic ages the caster rapidly.

- Law of Emotional Resonance- Magic is amplified or diminished by the caster’s emotions. Strong emotions like love or anger can make spells more powerful but harder to control.

- Law of Elemental Harmony- Magic is tied to natural elements (fire, water, earth, air). Using one element excessively can disrupt the balance and cause natural disasters.

- Law of Dream Magic- Magic can be accessed through dreams. Dreamwalkers can enter others’ dreams, but they risk getting trapped in the dream world.

- Law of Ancestral Magic- Magic is inherited through bloodlines. The strength and type of magic depend on the caster’s ancestry, and ancient family feuds can influence magical abilities.

- Law of Symbiotic Magic- Magic requires a symbiotic relationship with magical creatures. The caster and creature share power, but harming one affects the other.

- Law of Forgotten Magic- Ancient spells and rituals are lost to time. Discovering and using forgotten magic can yield great power but also unknown dangers.

- Law of Magical Echoes- Spells leave behind echoes that can be sensed or traced. Powerful spells create stronger echoes that linger longer.

- Law of Arcane Geometry- Magic follows geometric patterns. Spells must be cast within specific shapes or alignments to work correctly.

- Law of Celestial Magic- Magic is influenced by celestial bodies. Spells are stronger during certain astronomical events like eclipses or planetary alignments.

- Law of Sentient Magic- Magic has a will of its own. It can choose to aid or hinder the caster based on its own mysterious motives.

- Law of Shadow Magic- Magic can manipulate shadows and darkness. Shadowcasters can travel through shadows but are vulnerable to light.

- Law of Sympathetic Magic- Magic works through connections. A spell cast on a representation of a person (like a doll or portrait) affects the actual person.

- Law of Magical Artifacts- Certain objects hold immense magical power. These artifacts can only be used by those deemed worthy or who possess specific traits.

- Law of Arcane Paradoxes- Some spells create paradoxes that defy logic. These paradoxes can have unpredictable and often dangerous outcomes.

- Law of Elemental Fusion- Combining different elemental magics creates new, hybrid spells with unique properties and effects.

- Law of Ethereal Magic- Magic can interact with the spirit world. Ethereal mages can communicate with spirits, but prolonged contact can blur the line between life and death.

- Law of Arcane Symbiosis- Magic can bond with technology, creating magical machines or enchanted devices with extraordinary capabilities.

- Law of Dimensional Magic- Magic can open portals to other dimensions. Dimensional travelers can explore alternate realities but risk getting lost or encountering hostile beings.

- Law of Arcane Sacrifice- Powerful spells require a sacrifice, such as a cherished memory, a personal item, or even a part of the caster’s soul.

[deeranddragons]

Astarion’s first impressions of my tav Cain, because playing a good aligned paladin with a charlatan background is really, truly, deeply hilarious. I loved lying at every possible opportunity to make my life easier. I wish there wasn’t a cap on inspiration points because I was getting it left and right from cain and astarion combined.

[galacticsabc]

Pokemon gijinkas but make it dnd.

[notetakers-blog-of-holding]

Slightly Obscure D&D Character Questions!!

dedicated to those who can't stop thinking about their own characters ♡

What does your character typically keep in their pockets?

Do they consider themselves an optimist? Pessimist? Realist? What are they like in actuality?

How do they carry themselves around strangers? Friends/Lovers? Family?

If your character was a work of art, how would you describe them?

How does your character express they're comfortable?

How does your character express that they're uncomfortable?

How impulsive is your character?

What is something they cannot resist?

What is their favorite scent?

If they were in a rock band, what role would they play?

How does your character blow off steam? 

Physically, does your character feel warm or do they always feel cold?

If they were a body of water, what would they be?

Does your character value promises? Are they good at keeping them?

Describe their ideal date. 

What keeps them going?

Does your character swear? What's their favorite phrase/word?

How does your character act when they want to seem inviting?

How does your character act when they want to seem threatening?

Can your character flirt? Are they aware they're flirting? How do they do it?

If they were a potion, what would it look like? (Color, glass shape, smell, etc.)

What kind of person would they never side with?

Would your character want to be famous? Why or why not?

What's a controversial food opinion they would have?

How does your character feel about spending money?

What would they want for their funeral? 

If they were a ghost, how would they haunt in the afterlife? 

Why do they keep secrets?

What does your character have too much of?

What never gets old for your character? Something your character can't get enough of?

Can your character visualize actual concepts in their head? Or are they just vague thoughts? 

Does your character daydream? What do they usually keep their mind occupied with?

How do they feel about the unknown?

How do they respond to condescension? 

Do they consider themselves childish/mature for their age?

What makes them blush?

What are some ways your character acts silly?

What fairytale/myth suits your character the best?

What does your character believe their party lacks?

Describe a corruption/redemption arc version of your character.

What's a texture/sound your character cannot stand?

Is there something your character isn't very good at, but enjoys doing nonetheless?

Is your character good at apologizing? Why or why not?

How do they hold onto people?

What would they never forgive themselves for? 

How does your character feel about growing old?

Do they consider themselves funny? How do they use humor?

What do they want to leave behind?

Do they talk to themselves?

What is their native language? If they know multiple languages, how do they speak/act differently?

What makes them a hypocrite?

If your character was under quarantine, what type of quarantine person would they be? (Productive? Hobbyist? Lazy?)

What does freedom mean to them?

What is something they currently look forward to? What is something they dread?

How has your character's mental health been recently?

If your character had wings what would they look like?

How does the way they act seemingly contradict their ability scores?

What's a habit that needs to be broken?

What's something your character has realized?

Who do they go to when they need to bounce ideas off of someone?

Who do they go to when they've had a nightmare?

Who does your character think is the most put together in the party? 

Which party member would they pull a prank on? Who would they plan a prank with? 

What is one thing they want each party member to know?

Which do they value more?

65. Adoration or Intimidation?

66. Outward Passion or Quiet Rebellion?

67. Selflessness or Self-Preservation?

68. Objective or Subjective?

69. Journey or Destination? 

[heybiji]

"Ghosts, isn't it?"

the session my human bard Clarette (who can hear ghosts) became an apologist for the tiefling paladin Resolve because she noticed a ghost was following Resolve, and thought maybe she could hear them too, so she approached her about it. and Resolve lied and implied she could hear them even though she can't. and what Clarette was hearing Resolve's ghost say was, well... a sad thing to not want to hear.

[raeofgayshine]

Thinking again about the fact that when Eddie and Dustin finally convince Steve to play DnD with the party, all of them, but especially Eddie, quickly become exasperated with Steve who has extremely high charisma, and decides that he can fix almost any situation by flirting with whoever they were in conflict with. Especially the fucking monsters, this man is bound and determined to himself a monster boyfriend and until it happens, he will make every single person they come across fall in love with him. So naturally, this happens a lot:

Steve: I’m going to flirt with them

Eddie, exasperated: Steve, you can’t date this monster, he’s trying to kill you-

Steve: Hot.

Steve: I’ll flirt with them harder then

[uinferno]

Brennan Lee Mulligan MinMaxing yet another PC that will very likely make me cry while also bodying his opponents.

[tiredbread]

Im here representing the weeds and the wildflowers

[miscreantmagpie]

*shakes you by the shoulders*. Look at my son. Look how beautiful he is. He can do no wrong in my eyes.

And his full outfit line-up!

[daftpatience]

dnd session 0 went great here's a drawing I did of it

[astral-field-guide]

The Role of the Messengers (fan-made astral world building)

In the empty, vast reaches of the cosmos, it used to be difficult to deliver messages to one other. The role of the messengers assures that creatures may keep in touch with each other even across galaxies. When a messenger is sent on a job, the one looking to message will repeat what they want to be said to the messenger, causing them to write the words down in their daybook. The messenger will quickly fly/teleport to where they need to go to find the recipient and repeat the message to them. 

It's unknown what happens to the information in their daybooks. Some rumor that when the book fills up, it is taken to the Astral knowledge holders, kept for preservation of astral/alien life. Although others believe in the more devious theory, the counsel Astrals keep the books themselves and read the messages inside to keep tabs on certain beings. What actually happens to the books is unknown, however.

Messengers belong to certain classes. The most abundant messenger is the one that you'd probably see in more dinghy parts of the cosmos. The ones who deliver to the "common folk" of the galaxies. Some of them are quite inexperienced as it's where all messengers start and are often paid less as well. These messengers are quickly recognizable due to the bright flame situated just above their forehead. The next group of messengers are for the sort of nobleman among the astrals (Orion, Bootes, Lyra, etc). They tend to keep messengers close, sometimes even allowing them to live in their residency as a form of trade for their work. Like all messengers, these ones also have a flame above their forehead but are typically more wealthier dressed, dawning robes, jewelry, and other items to display their status. The final group of messengers are the ones that belong to the court astrals (Libra, Pisces, etc). These messengers are the most mysterious among the roles. They have the flame, some robes too, items of status, yes, but also have a magical shadowy veil that conceals their face from view. These messengers barely talk to anyone unless required for their job and typically speak in a low, hushed tone to the court astrals, almost as if not to anger them. It's unknown where they reside when they are free from their jobs for a short period of time. It's likely that like the second class of messengers, the court astrals allow them to reside and rest in certain places made for them.

The messenger flame is an old symbol of war. When the positive star creatures and the negative star creatures were at gruesome war with one another, the positive forces' messengers kept getting killed off in the crossfire of battles. This caused the positive force to attempt to make a deal with the negative force. If they were to have a specific symbol on their messengers as a warning not to kill, they would comply with the rule not to kill messengers on both sides. It took a while, but eventually, the negative forces agreed, leaving this settlement the first agreement between the sides in a long time. The agreement was eventually broken when the negative forces realized that they could disguise some warriors as messengers, claiming they had a message for the court astrals, only for them to invade and take innocent lives of many astral/alien creatures. This forced the court astrals to have to kill the warriors and confront the negative force about their broken agreement. The agreement was never amended, but the symbol of the flame just above the forehead serves as a reminder of the brief time of peace in the war.

The flame does not cause burns, rather, feels like a hot summer day on the skin. The flame can serve as a light in darker areas. The flame also dims when the messenger is asleep or unconscious.

Appearance: Messengers used to be jobs that only stars and other astral creatures could work. But the times have changed, and now you can find a variety of aliens working as messengers, too. The astrals seem to prefer ones that look more "humanoid", however.

Below, you can find a sketch of a higher ranking messenger.

[gildedbearediting]

Writing Exercise: Flashback

Today’s cue card writing exercise is straightforward and quick. Remember, if you recognize these cue card exercise then let me know where I got them from in order to properly credit the source. Alright, let’s get to it. Start with these memory prompts: 5 years ago… When I was a teen… My father used to… Keep it short, use the senses. Include important setting details and dialogue. You can use…

[bubblyernie]

More of Erril's notes, I think is from last October? Adding to his memoir :3 This one is on my take on how fey creatures have identifying stripes, like tiger stripes

art tag // commission info

[notetakers-blog-of-holding]

Writing Your D&D Character Backstory

Creating your D&D character can seem a bit overwhelming, especially if you're new to the game. You have to remember the numbers and abilities that tie into other numbers and your characters species- On top of that, you have to write a story for them? I'll admit, it gets to be a little much.

You can choose to not have a fully fleshed out backstory for your character, and build them with the world you're playing in. (Utilizing amnesia, forgetfulness spells, or curses are always good) Open ended backstories can become a great way for you and the DM to "Yes and-" your way into new plot hooks.

However daunting it might seem, writing your D&D character backstory can be one of the most fun things about the game. 

No matter how you play your game, backstories can come in useful, for both role playing your character, and for the DM to write more interesting plot hooks surrounding specific character arcs. It can provide you with contacts in certain cities, allied factions that can help you out in a pinch, or recurring rivals that seek to undo your best-laid plans. 

Without further ado, let's get into these tips and tricks I hope will help you through the process of writing your backstory.

1. Who are you?

The most important thing your backstory needs to cover is who exactly your character is. This is essentially what the whole backstory should be about; Building a fleshy cover for that skeleton you made on your character sheet.

A few major essential things your backstory should cover are: 

Your name, age, and a physical description of your character.

Where you came from

Does this character have a family? Do they know who they are?

At least one character belief and/or goal.

Simple, right? Your backstory doesn't have to be a 60 page epic about how you went from your hometown to the town over and found a sword along the way. 

Getting these things into a backstory is generally enough to begin role playing at a very basic level. It also provides you with a really good basis for adding more to the backstory at a later date, with your DM's approval. 

2. Add a bit of Drama

Once you have a good understanding of who your character is, writing drama into your backstory will add depth to your character. 

Does your character have love interest that was killed, breaking their heart? Or, maybe your barbarian resents her tribe for choosing a new leader above her? 

Whatever the drama is, it's important to have some be open-ended. Unresolved trauma/dramatic events can be an early present for any DM, and gleefully they may unfold your characters story arc in front of you. (Some DM's are not as excited as I am about backstory integration, so make sure to talk to your DM before adding them in.)

Having a few dramatic events in your backstory can help tie your character to the world. Maybe they can't go back to a certain tavern since they got caught cheating at dice, or maybe they need to get to the church several months ride away as quickly as possible to stop their true love from getting married. 

Your characters drama is what makes them more 'real'. Having talks with their new-found allies about their lives around campfires, or while in a lull traveling through hyperspace, these stories form unbreakable bonds between characters and will strengthen your own love of your character. 

3. Play to your weaknesses

You are flawed, and so is your character. Every character should have at least one major flaw, and a handful of minor ones. When creating your character (unless you are particularly lucky) you should have an ability score in the minuses: Utilize It!

A character with a minus in charisma could be a lovely fool that always manages to say the wrong thing, or a grumpy teenager unable to express themselves properly. 

Starting at level 1, your character is going to be inherently weak, whether that be due to lack of experience (EXP) or by some tragic mishap of having all of your powers and abilities stripped away. Writing for the situation is vital, you probably won't have achieved world peace, killed an evil demon, and reinvented the wheel before the campaign starts. 

Whatever your character flaws are, there are some simple guidelines that I tend to follow when writing weakness into my character: 

Don't go overboard. 

Use your character sheet and stats to help.

Don't be a god when you're level 1.

Tie your flaws to your dramatic/traumatic section.

Remember, your flaws are what makes your character interesting, but don't have so many it intrudes on other players fun. 

4. Work with your DM

It helps to ask your DM for help when it comes to writing your backstory, since they know how the world works. 

With their input you can develop secrets to keep from the other players, write in rivals to challenge you at every turn, write additional characters that can help you out when you need a place to stay in the middle of nowhere. 

Any DM worth their salt will help a player develop a character that they enjoy playing. After all, it is a game that we're playing for fun. Don't be afraid to do something weird and off the wall, characters that stray outside of the conventional character stereotypes are often really fun and interesting. That being said, character conventions are nothing to be scared of, adding a twist to the expected can be just as fun.

5. Do multiple drafts

Doing multiple drafts of a backstory is both a luxury and a necessity. 

I know I've made many MANY drafts for my PC's, it's fun to scribble down little ideas throughout the day or add in cool details you find in books or on the internet

Sometimes, you simply do not have the time to do multiple drafts, asking your DM if you can change and add certain things once the story starts should not be a problem. If you are unable to do multiple drafts prior to starting, an evolving backstory in this way is a great way to compensate, so long as your DM is game and you don't just make up game breaking character changes midway through a vital encounter. 

If you do have the time to do multiple drafts however, this is a vital thing to do. Drafting a characters backstory allows you to take a break, come back and adapt things, change the way some things are written, rethink and rework some of those weirder plot lines. 

Making sure that you wrote things in a clear cut, simplistic way so that ambiguity doesn't end up leading to a big misunderstanding in the plot line is very important. More-so, the more drafts you do, the better you end up knowing your character, which, helps those who are new or not confident at role playing.

6. Write in the first person

This one should be obvious, it really helps to get into character. 

Writing from your characters perspective allows you to make out-of-character notes within the backstory that clarify situations for anyone reading. Plus your character may have a skewed view of what happened in certain events. 

Checklist

Here is a small checklist of things that you might want to consider putting into your backstory, some that I've written about above and some I will leave until a later post. Feel free to pick and choose what you put in and what you leave out.

Description of your character

Information on their hometown and family

The story of how they got their powers/abilities

A good friend that you've lost contact with

A rival 

A major flaw

A few minor flaws

A secret

A mystery

An unresolved bit of trauma

A love interest

An object they need to get their hands on

Ties to a particular town / city / faction

A vice

A morally questionable belief or ideal

Odd quirks

I hope this post helped you to write your character backstory in some way, I will be doing a part 2 and further posts in my tricks and tips series, for players and DMs alike.

Thanks for reading my first ever post!