#the boy in faerun

[kyluxtrashpit]

Also I made this meme when Kylo's love triangle resolved lmao

[orykorioart]

What if TAZ Balance, but isekai? (Or, voidfishing woopsie made Taako think he’s an isekai protagonist.)

[Image description:

Digital Illustration styled like a manga cover featuring Taako, Magnus, Merle, and the Red Robe. Most prominent is Taako, dressed in purple starry wizard hat and cloak atop his chef’s outfit, holding onto a chef’s hat with little chibi Merle and Magnus excitedly popping out. Taako is looking down at them confusedly.

In the background is the Red Robe, their figure faded into the dark background, but their hand is visible, holding up seven red strands trailing off into the background.

In the middle is the title, in ornate lettering, says “Transmigrated into a (disgraced) chef, destined to save the world?!” Beneath it says “Vol. 1”, stylized as a closed umbrella.

End description.]

[coyotejone-s]

soldier_battlecry06.wav

misc characters here

[raeynbowboi]

Translating the Teen Titans to Faerun

A long time ago I did a post translating the Gaang from Avatar: the Last Airbender to the world and lore of DnD, making Katara a Cleric of Selune, Toph a blind-fighting Ranger, etc. While that was a good first foray into the idea, I wanted to explore the idea again with my favorite team of heroes: the Teen Titans. I've built all of them before, Raven more than anyone else. But today, we're not building the Teen Titans based on their powers. We're building them based on how they would fit into DnD lore as if they were natives of Faerun, born and raised in the setting. How would this change their backstories, or would it simply change their powers? Let's find out.

With a well-crafted team like the Teen Titans, we want to be sure each character stays true to their general party role, and the group works well together in a campaign. An all monk party isn't going to fare as well as a party with diverse roles and classes. So, while we won't get too hung up on this, it's worth thinking about. Robin is the leader, and specializes in stealth, infiltration, and investigation. Cyborg is the meat shield, gadgeteer, and primary doctor. Starfire is the flying warrior princess with laser powers and super strength. Raven is the scholarly wizard with powerful psionic powers from a dark origin and minimal healing powers. Lastly, Beast Boy is the goofball comedic wildcard shapeshifter. These basic ideas we want to keep in tack as much as possible, while filtering the team through the lore of Faerun.

ROBIN

DICK GRAYSON

Before moving to Jump City, Robin mentored under Batman, a master detective and vigilante crimefighter in the crime-infested major city of Gotham. In some Teen Titans media, the Titans are firmly located in San Francisco, California, but even in the cartoon, Jump City appears to be located in southern California. Gotham has influences of major American cities like Detroit and Chicago. Meanwhile, Superman's Metropolis is more closely based on New York City. There are three major cities in Faerun: Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and Neverwinter. Of the three, Waterdeep seems the most like New York City as the biggest city in Faerun. Baldur's Gate started as a smuggler's den, mapping well onto Gotham. And that leaves Neverwinter to map onto Los Angeles/San Francisco. This would mean that Batman is a Baldurian nobleman, and that Robin moved from Baldur's Gate to Neverwinter to pursue his own career as an adventurer.

Robin is an ordinary human in every definition of the word. There's nothing special about his bloodline and his biology was not altered in any way. Robin is a Standard Human.

While Robin did begin his career as a performer in the Flying Grayson Circus Act, he's not really a performer anymore. Robin's true training came from being mentored by Bruce Wayne in Baldur's Gate, learning the tricks and tools of crime-fighting, investigation, martial arts, and stealth. We'll say his background is an Investigator for Insight and Investigation proficiency.

It really is worth pointing out that Robin became a villain twice while trying to chase Slade. When he lost to Kotaro, Robin disappeared to the other side of the world for weeks, possibly even a month or longer with little notice. When he broke his arm chasing Johnny Rancid, the entire team tackled him back into his chair thinking he was going to insist on hunting down Rancid in spite of his broken arm, and they were all surprised he was just grabbing the remote. Robin is textbook Chaotic Good.

CLASS

Battle Master Fighter: Fighters are trained warriors. They're soldiers, guards, knights, and faith militants. Battle Masters are experts in strategy and tactical combat. Their maneuvers allow them to command their party, crowd control enemies, or gain advantages in a fight. Robin is well-versed with a variety of tools and weapons, and puts tactics at the forefront of his fighting style. Way of Shadow Monk: while Robin is a skilled martial artist trained by the Grand Master and talking animals, monks possess a mystical, not quite magical power. Their ki is beyond human ability. And a major aspect of both Batman and Robin is the complete lack of supernatural powers. Shadow Monk is not a horrible way to build Robin. He is a martial artist who favors stealth and secrecy. But, it's not the most in-character option there is. Inquisitive Rogue: Rogues do not need to be ruthless cutpurses loyal to some lowly den of thieves. They are simply highly specialized experts in the areas of infiltration, stealth, espionage, forgery, and extraction. It just so happens many use these talents for criminal offenses. Inquisitive Rogues are skilled detectives and investigators. They can study an enemy for weaknesses to exploit, gaining advantage even in a 1v1 scenario and dealing extra damage. It's also worth remembering Robin was trained by Batman, a man often called the world's greatest detective.

Looking at Robin's abilities, backstory, and training, I would ultimately declare him to be an Inquisitive Rogue. They excel at sizing up enemies that are bigger and stronger than them, they're designed to be great detectives, and their littany of skills and talents sure sounds like our Boy Wonder. You could reasonably multiclass with Battle Master Fighter for the maneuvers. Or you could go straight Rogue and just take the Martial Adept feat to gain Maneuvers.

STARFIRE KORRIAND'R

Korriand'r is the princess of Tameran, a planet somewhere in the Vega system. Her race are proud warriors with emotion-heightened powers, including superstrength, flight, and starbolts. Tameraneans are similar to Kryptonians, except they aren't weak to Kryptonite, and they get their powers from emotion instead of the Earth's sun.

There are a few Alien species that Starfire could be:

Astral Elf: Space-faring elves that left the Feywild to explore the stars, Astral Elves have starlight in their eyes, and automatically know either Light, Dancing Lights, or Sacred Flame. Astral Elves can also teleport 30 ft as a bonus action a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus. Dragonborn: Contrary to popular belief, Dragonborn are not the result of a dragon and a bard doing the horizontal monster mash. Rather, they are aliens from the planet Abeir that crossed over to Toril during the Spellplague. Once the unpaid servants of Abeir's dragons, they overthrew their masters and made their own culture. They have a strong warrior culture, and value their clansmen and kin above all else, even faith. Dragonborn aren't always religious as the gods could not hear their prayers on Abeir, but Bahamut is a very popular god for worship in Dragonborn society, and other dragon deities do see worship in Dragonborn society. Githyanki: The Githyanki are the psionic warriors of the Gith race. Once the unpaid servants of the Illithid Empire, they freed themselves from servitude. However, in the aftermath, the Gith separated into two factions: the Githzarai and the Githyanki. The Githyanki serve the undying Lich Queen Vlaakith, hunt Mind Flayers, and ride Red Dragons. They also have a very "the strong eat the weak" mentality, and have extremely harsh policies on failture and usefulness.

While the Astral Elf looks the most like Starfire, I'm going with the race that seems the closest to Tameraneans. I'll be making Starfire a Gold Dragonborn. If the setting allows, you could absolutely make her a Crystal Dragonborn for Radiant energy, but not every setting is going to work for gem dragonborns, so I chose to stick to the classic varieties.

As for her background, Starfire is the Princess of Tameran which could make her work as a Noble. She is a highly skilled fighter which could make her a Soldier. She's also an alien from a far-away planet new to this earth and its strange customs, which could make her a Far Traveler. As being a princess is what shocks the Titans the most, it's what defines her more than the other two things. We'll call Starfire a Noble, but we'll swap out her History proficiency for Athletics, and keep her proficiency in Persuasion. She speaks Draconic as a Dragonborn, as well a language of her choice. We'll go with Gith for flavor, as it's another alien language. If you want a more core rulebook language, Deep Speech is the language of Aberrations. If both those languages feel too alien and you want a language she's more likely to encounter in a campaign, then the strong warrior cultures of Goliaths and Orcs could be nice choices for her, having her speak Giant or Orcish respectively. Because Tameraneans learn languages through lip contact, if you wanted to play up this aspect, you could have Starfire take the Linguist Feat once or twice to learn more languages, but this is entirely optional and mostly for flavor and roleplay.

Starfire always follows her heart. Even when told not to do something, she will do it if she believes it is right, which leans more Chaotic. However, Starfire can also usually be expected to keep her word, dislikes fighting unnecessarily, does not like lying, cheating or stealing. She was even willing to marry Glgrdsklechhh if it meant avoiding war, unaware it was a gambit for Blackfire to gain a powerful artifact in exchange for Starfire's hand in marriage. As such, I would say that Starfire is Neutral Good. She will always do whatever she feels is best in the moment. Whatever course of action she believes will do the most good for the most people.

CLASS

Like with her race, there are a few build options each of which translates Starfire to DnD's world and lore in different ways.

Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer: Being a dragonborn, the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer translates nicely as her race's natural affinity for draconic magic, mirroring how all Tameraneans have starbolts. She gives up her melee warrior aspects to focus on her dragonborn magic, specializing in Fire magic. Light Domain Cleric: Cleric is a surprisingly good choice for what Starfire would be if raised in the world of DnD. Clerics aren't just healers, some join their faith militant, acting as the sword of their god's divine justice. Clerics can cast radiant spells like Guiding Bolt, Sunbeam, and Sunburst, they're decent frontline warriors, and they heal and support their friends. War is a better fit if she wishes to worship Bahamut, but Light lets Starfire make better use of radiant magic, and also gives her a few fire spells as a Cleric as well, letting her keep the heavy light and fire theme. She may worship Tamara, the Draconic Goddess of Light, Mercy, and Forgiveness. Oath of Devotion Paladin: She starts to really lose her Starbolts at this point, but she puts greater emphasis on her warrior spirit, and she still has radiant smites. Whereas the Cleric angle makes Starfire a better support for her friends and Sorcerer puts all the attention on her starbolts, the Paladin focuses on turning Starfire into a heavy-hitting tank that shakes off the hits her friends can't handle. She still gets some healing with her Healing Touch, and a few healing spells. Starfire fits the mold of fighting for beliefs, as her powers manifest through strong convictions such as righteous fury, boundless confidence, and the joy of flight.

While I was tempted to make Starfire a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer as a good translation of her canon emotion-based powers native to her race, I had to remind myself that we are not just building Starfire. Dragonborn are not Tameraneans. While they have access to draconic magic and blood, draconic sorcery is not a universal thing across their race the way it is with Tameraneans. We are asking what would Starfire be if raised in Faerun? And I don't believe Starfire would be a Sorcerer. However, Cleric and Paladin is a much tighter race. Both gain their powers from convictions and beliefs, which reflects the way Tamaraneans like Starfire draw their power from strong emotions and beliefs. But which one you favor comes down to splitting hairs. Ultimately, I would chalk Starfire up as an Oath of Devotion Paladin. For starters, we are ignoring their canonical powers when picking a class. Paladins are great warriors, and the people of Tameran are a strong and proud warrior race. Dragonborn are not super religious with Dragonborn Clerics being rare, but Paladins are extremely common in Dragonborn society. Finally, their main stats of Strength and Charisma is very fitting and appropriate for Starfire. She is strong and very charming. While I favor Paladin, the divide between Paladins and Clerics is extremely narrow, and being a Light Domain Cleric is not a bad way to build Starfire. She'd have ample access to tons of radiant and fire spells, she'd be able to heal and support her friends, and nothing is stopping her from putting points into Strength as a Cleric and being a decent front-liner. If you want her to draw strength from her convictions, be effective in melee, and be a full spellcaster, then Cleric is an equally great choice. As I said, Paladin only barely squeaks past Cleric in my analysis, and in the first draft, I did originally settle on Cleric. Both work for Starfire, and thus, I'll leave a spell list for both. For her Paladin build, I had Starfire take Magic Initiate: Sorcerer to give her some ranged spell attack options. You could also do a dip into Sorcerer with a Paladin build as opposed to taking the Magic Initiate feat.

PALADIN SPELLS

Bold: Magic Initiate (Sorcerer) Orange: Oath Spells

C Firebolt, Light 1 Burning Hands, Cure Wounds, Protection from Evil & Good, Sanctuary, Searing Smite 2 Branding Smite, Lesser Restoration, Warding Bond, Zone of Truth 3 Blinding Smite, Beacon of Hope, Crusader's Mantle, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Revivify, Spirit Shroud 4 Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Guardian of Faith, Staggering Smite 5 Banishing Smite, Circle of Power, Commune, Destructive Wave, Flame Strike

CLERIC SPELLS

Orange: Domain Spells

C Guidance, Light, Resistance, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying, Thaumaturgy 1 Bless, Burning Hands, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Faerie Fire, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith 2 Aid, Flaming Sphere, Lesser Restoration, Prayer of Healing, Scorching Ray, Spiritual Weapon 3 Daylight, Fireball, Mass Healing Word, Remove Curse, Spirit Guardians, Spirit Shroud 4 Aura of Life, Banishment, Guardian of Faith, Wall of Fire 5 Commune, Dawn, Flame Strike, Greater Restoration, Holy Weapon, Scrying, Summon Celestial 6 Heal, Sunbeam 7 Divine Word, Fire Storm 8 Sunburst 9 Mass Heal

CYBORG VICTOR STONE

Victor "Vic" Stone is the son of famous cyberneticist Silas Stone that grew up in Detroit. Once a prolific high school athlete, Victor was horribly injured by an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs caused by an invasion by Darkseid. With his cybernetics expertise, Silas saved Victor's life by infusing his son with the Mother Box.

Because Cyborg was born human but has since been infused with technology, we'll call Cyborg a Variant Human. Why is he not a Warforged? Becaues he was not built the way Grid was. Cyborg is not a robot, so he is not a warforged. He's also shown several times needing to eat and sleep in order to function, two things Warforged do not require. As a Variant Human, we'll give him +1 Strength and +1 Constitution. And we'll add on the Tough feat to increase his durability. Cyborg is the team meat shield, after all.

In terms of background, Cyborg was a high school athlete before the accident, so we'll call him an Athlete for Athletics and Acrobatics.

When Brother Blood steals Cyborg's blue prints, he becomes determined to stop Blood because it's his plans. His technology. He feels it is his responsibility. He similarly gets upset when any of his technology or gadgets is commandeered by villains. He puts his heart and soul into those inventions, and gets very upset when they're hurt or stolen. Cyborg is a lot more laid back than Robin as a leader, but still cares about getting the job done. I find it hard to really say whether he leans more Lawful or Chaotic. He has principles and sticks to them, but he's also left the team multiple times after a heated argument with Robin. I ultimately land on Neutral Good for Cyborg's alignment.

Now, how does his prosthetics come into it? Well, there's an item in DnD called the Prosthetic Limb, a common wondrous item that can replace lost limbs, doesn't require attunement, can be detached, but not against the user's will. But Cyborg's metal body clearly acts like armor, how do we incorporate this? We travel to Theros. Mythic Odysseys of Theros introduced an item called Molten Bronze Skin that comes in Breastplate, Half Plate, and Plate Armor variants. This item molds itself to the wearer's body, allowing them to easily wear clothes over the armor, and making it impossible for someone else to take off. This item does require attunement, but it accomplishes the same effect of giving Cyborg "built-in" armor, the way a Warforged would have.

CLASS

Artillerist Artificer: Artificers are gadgeteers and magical smiths that can defy logic with their inventions. Both Cyborg and his father are experts in cybernetics, metalworking, coding, and engineering. Cyborg built a car, a submarine, and then turned that submarine into a spaceship. The artillerist can make a tiny cannon they can carry with one hand that can fire a force ballista. Just try to say that's not Cyborg's sonic cannon. Champion Fighter: Cyborg is the tank of the party. It's his job to take the hits others wouldn't survive. In a low-tech fantasy world where Artificers don't belong, this version of Cyborg is a blacksmith who forged his own weapons and armor. The Champion is an athlete who prioritized physical strength over other aspects. When Cyborg isn't using his sonic cannon, he's throwing punches and lifting heavy weights, and he was a high school athlete until his accident. This is also a good multiclass option to get both sides of Cyborg: the tech and the muscle.

At minimum, Cyborg needs at least to be level 3 in Artificer to gain his Eldritch Cannon. After that, he can put as many levels into Artificer or Fighter as he wants. If he manages to become a level 11 Fighter, he'll get to make 3 weapon attacks then fire the Force Ballista as a bonus action, giving Cyborg 4 attacks at level 14. If you choose the Unarmed Fighting Style, Cyborg can wreck shop with his fists, making him an effective pugilist. Thanks to Action Surge, he can attack up to 6 times with just his action, and 7 times once you include his Eldritch Cannon. This makes him a pretty effective damage dealer, and the fighter levels would boost his Hit Points to make him a more effective tank. If you choose to take Artificer to level 9, his Force Ballista increases from 2d8 to 3d8. If you're okay with odd numbered levels and losing out on ASI, then Artificer 9/Fighter 11 could work. But for those who like getting ASI, then Artificer 4/Fighter 16 or Artificer 8/Fighter 12 may be more appealing. Just make sure to max out his Strength, and give him good Constitution and Intelligence, while dumping Dexterity. As an Artificer, we'll add Medicine and Perception to his skill list.

SPELLS

Blue: Artillerist Spells

C Light, Mending, Message, Shocking Grasp 1 Alarm, Cure Wounds, Identify, Shield, Thunderwave 2 Heat Metal, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Vortex Warp, Web 3 Fireball, Glyph of Warding, Haste, Tiny Servant, Wind Wall 4 Fabricate, Ice Storm, Mord's Private Sanctum, Summon Construct, Wall of Fire 5 Animate Objects, Cone of Cold, Creation, Greater Restoration, Wall of Force

This spell list was made for those who build Cyborg as a pure Artillerist Artificer, while those who build him as a Fighter multiclass will obviously have fewer spells.

RAVEN RAVEN ROTH

In her youth, Raven's mother Arella was lured into joining a cult that worshipped Trigon. She was chosen to be Trigon's bedmate, and afterwards, was approached by the Monks of Azar. They offered to shelter her and the child from Trigon, agreeing to raise the child in another dimension. A dimension named Azarath.

I believe the best translation of Raven's backstory is that Arella was lured into the cult of a powerful Fiend. Afterward, Arella was approached by Githzerai monks who offered to shelter both her and the unborn child with them in their home: the Chaotic Neutral Plane of Limbo. It would be here in the monasteries among stoic and scholarly Githzerai monks and wizards that Raven would learn to control her emotions, expand her mind, and hone her psionic powers. And one day, she would leave Limbo to return to the Prime Material Plane. This encompasses every part of Raven's backstory: being raised in another dimension, learning to control her emotions, honing her psychic powers.

As a half-demon, Raven translates nicely to Tiefling. Due to her empathy powers to manipulate other people's emotions, we'll go with a Fierna Tiefling. This will give her Friends, Charm Person, and Suggestion.

Having been raised in another plane, I would call Raven a Far Traveler. This grants her proficiency with Insight to get a reading for people's true feelings, and Perception to sense things around her, both of which can be flavored as her empathic powers and her extrasensory abilities. It also grants her proficiency with a Dragonchess Set, and she learns the Abyssal language.

When Robin becomes Slade's apprentice, Raven is the one to remind the team that he's a villain now, and they have to take him down. No matter how much the thought of it upsets her. When Cyborg leaves the team, Raven rationalizes that it's pointless to get upset and to focus on their duty as heroes. When Raven and Starfire switch bodies, Raven explains that she has to remain in control of herself to keep her powers from leaking out of her and destroying everything around her. When Trigon's prophecy comes to pass, Raven reveals that the reason she became a hero was that she wanted to do as much good as she could before the prophecy came to pass, hoping her good deeds would redeem her for the horrible destiny she knew she would one day fulfil. Raven is inarguably a perfect example of Lawful Good.

TRIGON

But what about Raven's father? After all, we're not importing Trigon into the setting, we're picking an existing DnD Fiend to be the stand-in for Trigon. Firstly, we have to settle whether Trigon is a Devil or a Demon, and I believe he is a Demon. He betrays Slade the first chance he gets once it's time to pay up on his side of the deal, and his very presence on Earth changes the entire planet. Demons in DnD are Chaotic Evil, untrustworthy to keep their word. They also have an impact on the world around them that corrupts everything to resemble the Abyss. And prolonged demonic presence only makes these changes worse. But which Demon Lord is her father?

Graz'zt: Graz'zt is an interesting choice because he's actually had a relationship with a human: the witch Tasha. He is the Demon Prince of Lust and Pleasure. Graz'zt will take any opportunity to turn any moment that is sweet, beautiful, and tender into something perverse, degrading, and carnal. If anyone was going to sleep with Arella just to use her to make a kid he can manipulate, it would be Graz'zt. He's not as big as Trigon, but his personality does support that he'd play the waiting game. After all, he used to be a devil before he realized he would never rise high enough to stand beside Asmodeus, and defected to the Demon side. So unlike other Demons, Graz'zt is more clever and patient. It also means Tasha could be a DnD counterpart to Arella, and also gives Raven a grandmother: Baba Yaga. This places Raven in a very prolific magic bloodline of powerful female spellcasters. Before Demogorgon showed up, Graz'zt was contending with Orcus, the Demon Lord of Necromancy for supreme rulership of the Abyss, so he's no slouch in terms of power. He is a Large CR 24 Demon. Baphomet: Baphomet's strongest argument is that he resembles Trigon the most, with his cloven hooves and antlered head. However, Baphomet is more of a king of beasts and brutes, and his general behavior does not support Trigon's plot to conceive Raven. However, Baphomet's sphere of influence is brutality, aggression, rage, and conquest. Red Raven or Dark Raven literally embodies Raven's rage, and anger causes Raven's demonic powers to rise to the surface. Which is on point for Baphomet. The biggest point against Baphomet however is that he favors those with natural weapons such as claws and horns, as his followers should want to rampage and gore with their natural weapons. So a magical daughter like Raven doesn't really fit the bill. This could be her rebelling against his physical aggression mindset, but that's stretching to make it work. Trigon also doesn't care about fighting the Titans, using magic to distract them while he gathers his strength. Baphomet would take glee in the fight, something Trigon does not do. He is a Huge CR 23 Demon. Demogorgon: The Prince of Demons, Demogorgon is the most powerful of all the Demons in the Abyss. He's enormous, and an absolute world-ending level threat. But is he clever enough to plot to conceive Raven? Yes, but only partially. Demogorgon's two heads are basically his left brain and his right brain. One calculating and clever, the other feral and impulsive. The clever head could plan to use Raven as a portal, but the other head might be too impulsive and ruin the plan. He is a Huge CR 26 Demon.

Ultimately, I have to go with Graz'zt as Raven's father. He's not as powerful or as huge as Demogorgon, but he's more manipulative and cunning. He has the patience to wait for his plan to come to fruition, he's manipulative enough to use false love and affection to coerce people into obedience, and he's depraved enough to get a sick pleasure out of using, debasing, and defiling any amount of love shown to him. More importantly, half his brain isn't impulsively trying to undermine every single one of his schemes. While Demogoron is more of a world-ending 'we are so f*cked' threat, Graz'zt is still a Demon Lord. Just because he's prettier does not mean he's not still an enemy that even high level adventurers would struggle with. Graz'zt, after all, is a CR 24 Fiend. Certainly nothing to scoff at. That's only 2 CR below Demogorgon.

CLASS

Raven is clearly a practitioner of arcane magic, but the source of her magic is so muddled that she could be any one of the three main arcane casters.

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer: Raised in Limbo amongst the Githzerai, the Aberrant Mind works well for Raven's backstory. For sorcerers, magic is infused into their very being. They don't need to study or make a deal, they just have a well of magical power innately. How they get this well varies. Usually, it passes along bloodlines. But it can also be like a mutation. One could go to the Shadowfell for Spring Break and return as a Shadow Magic Sorcerer. One can be given a spark of magic by a willing benefactor, they could touch an object that imparts magic to them, or awaken the power in a moment of dire circumstances. They could be born during an eclipse, travel to another plane, or be exposed to the weave itself. Their magic is constantly bubbling up inside of them, and leaking out if they don't contain it. Their magic can be explosive and hard to control. All of which sounds remarkably similar to Raven's powers and the constant struggle she undergoes to contain and control these powers. With Revelation in Flesh, Raven can fly for 10 minutes at a time at the cost of a single Sorcery Point. There's also no limit to how often she can reuse this power, other than her sorcery point pool. Granting Raven something akin to limitless flight, though not exactly. Fiend Warlock: While Raven herself did not make a deal with Trigon, Arella did. Arella was in Trigon's cult. According to Xanathar's Guide to Everything, one way a warlock might be joined to a patron is that their patron has been a benefactor to their family for generations, meaning it is possible to inherit one's otherworldly pact from their parents. There's also something I like to call the Sleeping Beauty Rule. The princess didn't choose to have fairy godmothers, but the king and queen did. The Player's Handbook also highlights that it is entirely possible to stumble into a pact without realizing it, or to become a warlock by simply reading an esoteric tome or touching a sentient blade. As such, it is entirely possible for Raven to be an unwilling warlock of her father. In the show, Trigon says that he gave Raven her powers, and Raven herself says in The End Part III that now that Trigon has no need of her, she no longer has her powers. But this is false, as Raven still has her powers, and uses them to fight back against Trigon. However, this is sort of fuzzy on how this works. Did Trigon really give her those powers, but could not take them away from her, or was Trigon mistaken and was never the source of her power to begin with? There's also the issue that in DnD canon lore, while a warlock Patron can bestow powers, they can't necessarily take them away. And Sorcerers can also have their powers bestowed upon them, further blurring the lines on whether Raven's gifts are more of a sorcerous origin or an otherworldly pact. The w Enchantment Wizard: I've built Raven several times, and every time, she's a Wizard. Raven is the brains of the party. She's a utility spellcaster with a vast knowledge of arcane lore and history. She's a polyglot who speaks several ancient languages, and has a library's worth of creepy esoteric books of arcane lore and eldrtich knowledge in her bedroom. Every spell that deals Psychic damage is under the School of Enchantment, and the school is full of spells that manipulate the mind, the senses, and emotions, all things Raven has displayed the ability to control. But we're not building Raven based on how she behaves in the comics or show. We're building Raven based on DnD lore, and Raven's powers were not cultivated through study. Yes, she learned new spells from Malchior. Yes, she is a highly intelligent person. But scholarly study is not the source of her powers. She does not have a connection to the Weave or any other sort of magical energy in the DC Universe. There are metaphysical forces in DC Comics, such as The Green, The Red, The Black, and other such forces, none of which Raven herself is linked to in any way. As such, I cannot confidently label Raven as a Wizard in accordance with DnD's lore.

Ultimately, I have to go with an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer. Her magic is innate. She works to control and maintain it. And a lack of restraint leads to her magic flooding out of her and impacting the world around her if left uncontrolled. Raven is a Sorcerer. However, she is a good candidate for multiclassing if you so choose. The main reason Raven is said to have left Azarath was due to Trigon finding her, forcing Raven to flee. However, in some versions, it is Raven herself --driven by curiosity -- that seeks her father out. In so doing, alerting him to her location, and dooming Azarath in the process. Either way, the moment of Trigon finding her could be the moment her pact is sealed, multiclassing Raven into a Fiend Warlock. Thus, Raven can start out as a Sorcerer, and possibly dip a level or two into Warlock to boot. This is also a large part of why I didn't make Starfire a Sorcerer. The party doesn't need two sorcerers, and Sorcerer works much better for Raven than it does for Starfire. For my spell recommendation, I will be assuming Raven has 2 levels in Warlock, and 18 levels in Sorcerer. For her Sorcerer skills, we'll give Raven Arcana and History.

SPELLS

*Racial Spells Bold: Aberrant Mind Origin Spells Italics: Warlock Spells Purple: Sorcerer Spells

C Blade Ward, Eldritch Blast, Friends*, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Mind Sliver, Mold Earth, Prestidigitation, Toll the Dead 1 Arms of Hadar, Catapult, Cause Fear, Charm Person*, Command, Dissonant Whispers, Hex, Shield 2 Calm Emotions, Detect Thoughts, Mind Spike, Suggestion*, Tasha's Mind Whip 3 Counterspell, Hunger of Hadar, Fly, Sending 4 Dimension Door, Evard's Black Tentacles, Raulothim's Psychic Lance, Summon Aberration 5 Bigby's Hand, Rary's Telepathic Bond, Synaptic Static, Telekinesis 6 Globe of Invulnerability 7 Plane Shift, Teleport 8 Demiplane 9 Time Stop or Psychic Scream

ELDRTICH INVOCATIONS

Agonizing Blast

Eldritch Sight

BEAST BOY GARFIELD LOGAN

Garfield Logan was born an ordinary human, but when he became sick as a child, his father injected him with a serum using the DnA of a green monkey. The serum saved Beast Boy's life, but he turned completely green as a result, and unlocked his shapeshifting powers. Beast Boy can turn into more than just garden variety zoo animals. He has turned into alien lifeforms, microorganisms, dinosaurs, and dragons. The Werebeast Form he got in the 2003 cartoon episode "The Beast Within" later became Comic Cannon when Beast Boy was captured by Lupus, a minor werewolf villain. Beast Boy's best skill lies in his wild card shenanigans, as he can do things like turn into a whale to make use of how quickly whales think to artificially inflate his intelligence. When the Borneo Rainforest faced extinction, Beast Boy and Swamp Thing worked together to restore the ecosystem. Swamp Thing provided the seeds and flora, and then Beast Boy dispersed himself into a swarm of insects to help pollinate and stimulate the regrowth of the rainforest. Raven even tells Swamp Thing that when Beast Boy does this, he risks losing small parts of himself should anything happen to his many insect forms, but he takes on these risks willingly for the benefit of nature. While Beast Boy's green skin and shapeshifting are a result of the monkey serum he was injected with, Beast Boy's actual ability to shapeshift comes from a metaphysical energy field in the DC Universe called The Red. Think of it like the Force but specifically for all animal life forces in the universe. A similar force called The Green caters to all plant life in the universe, and this power is wielded by characters like Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy.

In terms of his race, because Beast Boy was a normal human until he turned green, I'd have to chalk him up as a Variant Human. Because he's short and green, there is a primal urge to make him a Goblin, and it would be cute, but inaccurate. There's also an urge to make him one of the partially bestial races like Leonin, Hadozee, Satyr, Minotaur, or Yuan-Ti. Even Simic Hybrid has a valid excuse to be in consideration. However, because Beast Boy was born human, I have to go with such. We'll give him +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, and the Charger feat to dash into melee range and get a free attack out of it.

Beast Boy has pretty much always been a hero, first being adopted by the Doom Patrol, and later joining the Teen Titans. Momento ran the Doom Patrol like a military outfit, and Beast Boy grew up respecting rank and following orders. As such, I'd call him a Soldier making him proficient in Athletics, but we'll substitute in Performance to replace Intimidation.

Beast Boy wants to do good, but he's also the Lancer to Robin's stoic serious Leader. Beast Boy is a goofball knucklehead who often shows little regard for the rules. Upon running into the Doom Patrol again, Momento chastises Beast Boy for prioritizing his team's safety over completing the mission. He's usually also the first to suggest bizarre plans or spout off ridiculous theories. As such, I would say Beast Boy is Chaotic Good. He'll do what's right, just in a very unorthodox way.

CLASS

Moon Druid: the most obvious choice, Druid is the only class in the game with access to Wildshape, the ability to shapeshift into animals. Although Beast Boy's powers were originally from genetic experiments gone wrong, his current lore makes Beast Boy connected to The Red, a metaphysical energy that links all animal life in the universe under the Parliament of Limbs. The Red is closely connected to The Green, which characters like Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy are connected to. Due to his connection to the energy of all living animals, Druid is fitting for Beast Boy. The Circle of the Moon is the most fitting option, granting Beast Boy Combat Wildshape. Lycan Blood Hunter: Before he was connected to the Red, Beast Boy's powers were a form of genetic mutation. Blood Hunters are the class that deal with altered DnA. While Beast Boy can't turn into every animal, his Lycan form is suitably animalistic and primal. It can also be a good option if you want to specifically play into the WereBeast form from the episode "The Beast Within". Because Beast Boy lacks supernatural powers beyond his shapeshifting, this version of Beast Boy sacrifices the variety of his wildshaping to keep him a strictly martial character. The Path of the Beast Barbarian also works, but Beast Boy only really has rage issues in "The Beast Within", and it is not otherwise a core aspect of his character, to the point that I didn't feel Barbarian was a good fit for his character. Valour Bard: If we ignore his powers entirely, then Beast Boy's role in the group is comedic relief and unexpected wildcard, which sounds like a Bard. Polymorph is on the Bard spell list, giving Beast Boy a backdoor method of wild shaping without being a druid. Through magical secrets, Bards can also pick up spells from other spell lists, letting Beast Boy pick up Druid spells like Web, Insect Plague, Summon Beast, Conjure Animals, and Guardian of Nature for the Primal Beast form. None of the subclasses jumped out to me for Beast Boy, but Valour Bards are great cheerleaders and sidekicks. Beast Boy has a chronic people pleaser mentality, and uses humor to lift his friends' spirits. Beast Master Ranger: Much like the Bard, this class option doesn't really fit Beast Boy, but it works as a variant build option that rather than being a full caster druid, Beast Boy protects his animal brethren as a mighty hunter. Tigers, Cheetahs, Lions, Gorillas, Elephants, and Rhinos are among his favorite animals to turn into, and would work well as Beasts of the Land. He also favors turning into a Hawk, Falcon, or Pterodactyl for a Beast of the Air. If you want a Beast of the Sea, he tends to favor Crocodiles, Sharks, Octopi, Whales, Swordfish, and Turtles.

While each of these offers interesting character angles, I obviously have to chalk up Beast Boy as a Circle of the Moon Druid. The Lycan Blood Hunter is a very close second choice, but lacks the connection to nature that Beast Boy (especially his Comic counterpart) definitely has. The bard was mostly thrown in to consider his personality, and it wasn't a terrible idea. He is funny, and would absolutely spam Vicious Mockery. A Beast Boy native to Faerun becoming a funny bard feels very organic to his character. But Druid feels just as organic, if not more-so. Finally, the Beast Master was pretty much thrown out as an extra idea, but not one I was taking seriously. Thematically, the idea of Beast Boy as a Lorax but for P.E.T.A. is interesting. Using his bond with animals to protect other animals. But the Druid was the clear winner. For his Druid skills, we'll give Beast Boy Animal Handling and Perception.

SPELLS

Because Beast Boy does not really have magical powers beyond his wildshaping, I put together his spell list by trying to focus on shapeshifting, summoning animal companions, and any other bodily augmentation spell I could find. Spells that change some aspect of a person's body or enhances their senses in some way. I steered clear of any spell that felt too plant-themed or elemental, as Beast Boy is more connected to beasts than he is to storms or the elements.

C Druidcraft, Guidance, Infestation, Primal Savagery 1 Absorb Elements, Animal Friendship, Beast Bond, Speak With Animals 2 Animal Messenger, Beast Sense, Darkvision, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce, Locate Animals and Plants, Summon Beast 3 Conjure Animals, Protection from Energy, Water Breathing 4 Charm Monster, Dominate Beast, Giant Insect, Guardian of Nature, Polymorph 5 Commune with Nature, Insect Plague 6 Primordial Ward 7 Draconic Transformation 8 Animal Shapes 9 Shapechange

I will say, more than anyone else, his spell list really surprised me. I've always avoided building Beast Boy and hated the idea of him being a druid because it meant giving him spells. But I am surprisingly content with the spell list I have devised for him. It puts all the correct emphasis where it should be: on making Beast Boy the master of body modification, as well as allowing him to channel The Red as well through his animal spells. I used to think Beast Boy didn't work flavor-wise as a Druid, and now I can't believe I ever thought to build him any other way.

TERRA TARA MARKOV

Terra is yet another princess, this time the illegitimate daughter of King Viktor Markov of Markovia. In the Comics, she made her living as a mercenary and criminal, taking odd jobs to get by, while in the show, Terra is a wandering homeless teen. In the comics, Tara was already working for Deathstroke before she met the Titans, while in the show, Terra met the Titans before she met Slade. This is to say, Terra has two completely different personalities. Comics Tara is a villain through-and-through, while Show Terra is a misguided hero turned villain turned reformed villain. Because the other characters are mostly going by their show counterparts, I'll mostly be looking at the Comics version of Tara only to answer any questions about her backstory we don't have from the show. The most important detail from the comics is that Tara's half-brother, Geo-Force (Prince Brion Markov), also has geokinetic powers. However, these powers are not signs of a magical bloodline, as neither King Viktor nor King Gregor Markov had these same powers. Their powers came about from the experiments of Helga Jace, the royal scientist of Markovia. Later, Brion's wife, Denise Howard, exposed herself to the same energies, turning her into Geode. Both Denise and Tara suffered from mental instability after the experiment, suggesting that the source of their powers had a debilitating effect on their mental states. Tara hated pretty much everyone and everything, while Denise desired to kill her own husband. In the comics, Tara was at one point part of the Black Lantern Corp, which raise their members as zombies to harness the power of death and hatred. This zombie Tara then sought revenge on the Teen Titans. I won't be covering this, but thought it was neat trivia.

We're going to stick mainly to the show's lore, so we'll call Terra a Variant Human since her powers are a result of scientific experimentation. We'll give her +1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom and the Actor feat so she can pretend to be somebody else.

For her background, Terra is a wandering homeless kid. We'll call her an Outlander for Athletics and Survival. However, if you want to play more into Tara's backstory, then Criminal, Spy, Urban Bounty Hunter, and Haunted One could also work.

Show Terra's alignment seems to me to be True Neutral. She joins the Titans because it's offered. She works with Slade because he's an option. It never feels like her betrayal is personal until after Beast Boy turns his back on her. Up until then, she's hesitant and guilty about it. Terra looks out for Terra. That to me says True Neutral. Terra never seems to care that much about helping people or stopping villains. It was always more about just wanting to belong and to have a home. No strong convictions to be a hero or a villain. Which explains why The Girl Who Might Be Terra in Things Change is just an ordinary school girl. Not some great hero or wicked villain. If you're going by Comics Tara, that's straight up Chaotic Evil. The girl hated everyone and everything, and wanted a horizontal relationship with a middle-aged man. Comics Tara was just really unstable. I mean, she saw a Jerricho-possessed Deathstroke freeing the Titans, and instead of talking to him or trying to figure out what was going on, she just pushed the Big Red Button and brought the building down on herself in an attempt to take everyone with her.

CLASS

Terra's class is tricky because unlike Starfire with her light and fire theme, or Raven's psionics and general magic, there's not really a clean and simple class for Earth-based spells. Druids are connected to nature, and Sorcerers and Wizards have pretty wide elemental coverage, but there's not a clear and clean answer like with the other titans. So, let's look at our options:

Wild Magic Sorcerer: While there was a Stone Sorcerer, this subclass never made it past Unearthed Arcana, so we can't really count it. In the show, Terra has poor control over her powers, often causing side effects accidentally. The possibility that the source of her powers also warped her mind in the comics also fits, as wild magic is the pure chaos of the feywild. Sorcerers sometimes get their powers from being exposed to a source of magical energy, visiting other planes, or being born during cosmic events. And the Wild Magic Sorcerer often causes chaos and problems at the table because of the random side effects of their magic, such that a lot of tables hate playing with the subclass because of just how detrimental it can be to have around. Which seems really fitting for Terra. Swarmkeeper Ranger: Like Toph, Terra in the show is an outdoorsy girl who prefers roughing it in the great outdoors. This rough and tumble lifestyle translates well to being a Ranger. The Swarmkeeper can be aided by a swarm of just about anything, and nowhere does it say it has to be sentient. So, Terra could be a ranger aided by a swarm of rocks or sand fighting alongside her. It's certainly an interesting and flavorful option. Rangers get a few earthy spells, but not a ton of them. However, you could always ask your DM to homebrew a rule that would let Ranger Terra pick up some more earthen-based spells from the Druid spell list. Mutant Blood Hunter: If we ignore Terra's powers completely to focus more on where they come from, Terra makes for an interesting Blood Hunter. Her powers are a result of scientific experimentation. Mutants literally alter themselves to fight, fitting that genetic experiment angle nicely. The only difference is that this version of Terra has learned to do it herself. It's not a bad choice. Assassin Rogue: Like the Blood Hunter, the Rogue is being considered without her geokinetic powers in mind. Rather, I'm looking at the Rogue because of how rogues are often infiltrators, spies, and thieves. I chose the Assassin as they have the ability to create a false identity, which is very fitting for Terra and the Judas Contract. Whispers Bard: This one is being suggested mostly for the worldbuilding implications. Bards from the College of Whispers work as spies and saboteurs, infiltrating parties and guilds disguised as other kinds of bards, then selling their cohort's secrets back to whatever spy network they serve. They literally pull off a Judas Contract as a Subclass. And with their Magical Secrets, a Whispers Bard Terra can pick up the few spells that actually let her throw rocks.

If we were just building Terra based on her powers, Wild Magic could have been a decent fit thematically. However, the purpose of this post is to ask ourselves 'what would the Teen Titans be if they were born and raised in Faerun?' And being exposed to the crazy magic of the Feywild just doesn't feel right for Terra. Whispers Bard creates an interesting angle for roleplay, but it caters more to players wanting to play more into her Comic Book Tara counterpart. The willing traitor. Whispers works great for a villainous version of Terra, but not for Show Terra. Blood Hunter and Assassin Rogue are decent ideas, but Terra isn't much of a scientist, and again, Assassin caters much more to Comics Tara than Show Terra. Ultimately, I have to go with the Swarmkeeper Ranger for Terra. As a girl roughing it in the great outdoors, sleeping in caves, and taking care of herself, becoming a ranger seems like a natural extension of the lifestyle she was already leading by the time she met the Titans. And if we're asking what the characters would become if raised in Faerun, that's a pretty cut and dry answer. Terra would have naturally gravitated toward the life of a roaming Ranger, aided by swarms of rocks and sand. Terra Markov is a Swarmkeeper Ranger. For her Ranger skills, we'll give Terra Perception and Stealth. If you want to give her Deception, swap one of the background skills she gets from Outlander, then pick up the dropped skill from the Ranger skill list.

SPELLS

While we decided to make Terra a Swarmkeeper Ranger, it does sacrifice a lot of her Earth-based abilties. However, if you have an open-minded DM, Terra does get a few spells from both Primal Awareness and the Swarmkeeper Subclass that don't quite fit the theme, and a cool DM might be okay with letting you make a few substitutions for Terra's spell list, pulling more Earth-based spells from the Druid and Wizard spell list as an exchange for the excess spells than the base Ranger class gives her. But even without homebrewing in more Earth magic, Terra still gets a few stone-based spells, and Wrath of Nature can let Terra chuck rocks at enemies every turn as a bonus action so long as she maintains concentration on the spell. So even a pure Swarmkeeper Ranger will still get some earthen flavor as Terra. And you could also reflavor spells, such as treating Web like quicksand to keep Terra's earthen flavor.

Italics: Primal Awareness Spells Bold: Swarmkeeper Spells Pink: DM Approved Earth Spells (Homebrew)

C Mage Hand (Mold Earth) 1 Ensnaring Strike, Faerie Fire, Hunter's Mark, Speak With Animals (Catapult, Earth Tremor) 2 Barkskin, Beast Sense, Pass Without Trace, Web (Earthbind, Max's Earthen Grasp) 3 Conjure Barrage, Gaseous Form, Meld Into Stone, Speak With Plants (Erupting Earth, Wall of Sand) 4 Arcane Eye, Locate Creature, Stoneskin, Summon Elemental (Stone Shape) 5 Commune With Nature, Conjure Volley, Insect Plague, Swift Quiver, Wrath of Nature (Transmute Rock, Wall of Stone)

Conclusion

I felt this was an interesting thought experiment. Some characters like Robin and Cyborg changed very little from the last time I built them, while Raven and Beast Boy stayed what I expected but offered new insights into how they fit into the lore of the world. Starfire and Terra had the biggest changes, but those changes I feel are for the better, at least for this post. At least now, you could play a campaign with the Teen Titans while also being completely faithful to DnD lore.

[symphony-calamity]

I should be allowed to use the tadpole connection to let Astarion taste food. I think he'd like chocolate.

Also I enjoy imagining the Emperor in the background like "why are you using a powerful psychic connection for such petty purposes... wait this "chocolate" stuff is actually pretty good".

[defira85]

I generally treat FR canon like I'm at a buffet and I just pick and choose the things I want to use and ignore the rest in my writing but having just flicked through the synopsis for the world's most specialist bestest boy drow's recent series, I'm pushing that whole thing into a dumpster with a broom so I don't have to touch it

[dragonagitator]

It's canon that our Earth is part of the same multiverse system as Faerun:

(from the Ed Greenwood Wikipedia article)

So if the Emperor had connected the steering tentacles slightly differently, the nautiloid could have plausibly realm-jumped to Earth during the opening cinematic and snatched up some Earthlings, too... including YOUR author self-insert fanfic protagonist!

Just saying. ;)

[queen-scribbles]

One thing that was funny about Gale dying on me yesterday, it happened right after Maggy hit level five and got new spells.

Including revivify.

So I'm standing there listening to his spectral projection thing go through the incredibly elaborate system he has for being being resurrected, simultaneously paying attention to the details(bc I guessed There Would Be A Quiz) and making "hurry up" motions bc I had it stuck in my head from dnd or pathfinder that there's a one minute time limit on revivify and c'mon Gale my man my dude my GUY, you are running down the clock on a much easier way to get you back bc even dead you can't. stop. talking. xD

[corgiteatime]

I always take Astarion with me to the goblin camp because he seems to get a lot out of Goblin Camp Day. He gets to poison goblins, stab goblins, climb into the rafters and shoot goblins, use his one cantrip to set off explosions, steal a bunch, see some weird kinky shit, and Naruto run to his heart's content. Living his best (undead) life.

[oubliette-odette]

The Reluctance of Love Pt. 11

When I started writing this a month ago, it was quite honestly just a little drabble to keep my mind occupied during the middle of a really stressful move. And now I have fully invested myself to writing an entire novel...wtf. But truly, those of you who continue to interact and support this story - you have NO IDEA how much it means to me. I consider you all my friends because you take the time to love these boys as much as I do. So from the bottom of my heart, mad love to you all. 💚

And what's this? A new character enters the playing field!

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12 Word Count: 2547 (average 19 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racism (the steamy bits are coming i promise folks - I'm antsy too) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil. Not beta-read. Criticism is welcome, but be sure to distinguish criticism from hate. Thanx :)

“You look like you could use a friend.”

Inside the General Store, I heard the gentle, velvety voice behind me no louder than a whisper. I turned to see the violet-toned dragonborn that had nodded at me when I arrived in Berdusk. They had shocking purple eyes to match and they regarded me with a quiet, gentle atmosphere. 

I nodded and turned to face them, bringing my chin down to show my respect. I wasn’t sure what to say, but the dragonborn took my forearm, and continued speaking. “Berdusk is a quaint city, but it is not the most welcoming. My name is Doxxah, what is yours, friend?”

I looked around and saw that the other shopper within the store were watching the two of us carefully, but not before making quick glances away. I looked back at the Dragonborn and managed to utter back, “Drunrag Ulurat.”

“Ah, I see your father in you.” Doxxah responded, “He’s an old friend of mine from days long ago. What brings you all the way to Berdusk?”

How did I answer? Knowing the present company around us, it didn’t feel safe to say anything. 

Doxxah winked and patted my arm gently. “Why don’t you come with me back to my place? I’ll purchase whatever you need from here.”

“Oh, there’s no need.” I said, I lifted in my arms the small collection of fresh produce I had come to purchase, it was just enough to satisfy for the next week. I wasn’t ready to overcommit too much time here. Not if Altan and I could find a way to get him out.

“Please, you’re a guest in this town and I’d like to treat you.” The Dragonborn smiled, “Plus - don’t remind your father about this - but I still owe him a few favors that I’d like to clear my conscience of.” They then proceeded to gather the produce in my arms and carry it towards the counter where a glum man was waiting. 

“Good morning Clarence.” Doxxah said cheerily, depositing all of their goods.

“Doxxah.” The man grunted, they seemed to begrudge having to be so polite to the Dragonborn and he looked up at me suspiciously. “You bring a lot of odd folk to our town.”

“Isn’t it lovely?” Doxxah responded. “It's about time we brought a little colour to the town.” Doxxah turned to wink at me before paying the man with their coins and carrying everything out. 

Out in the streets Doxxah walked comfortably, confidently, it sometimes felt as if they walked like they were the most important person on the street. And people looked at them that way too. 

“Just right here.” Doxxah said after passing a few buildings. I looked up to find myself in front of a bakery, a sign hanging that was cut and sanded down to the shape of a dollop of frosting. Walking inside, there was a rich aroma of cinnamon, vanilla and fresh, warm bread. 

“Make yourself at home, I have just a bit of time before I have to open up the shop.” Doxxah moved briskly and comfortably about the space, dropping their sack of flower onto a counter in the back before throwing my produce into another sack and handing it to me. “Now, tell me, Drunrag, what’s your story?”

I still struggled to open my mouth. I suddenly realized just how…how silly I was being. How do I tell someone I was pining for the Duke’s son in a way that I was wholly unprepared for and traveled all the way from the Sword Coast just to make sure that he was okay and now was committing an indeterminate amount of time to break him free from his father’s controlling grip so we could potentially be something more than friends?

I ended up opening and closing my mouth multiple times before Doxxah let out an amused huff and shook their head. “You’re not a big talker, are ya?”

I shook my head. 

Doxxah led me over to a set of table and chairs - considerably large in size to fit us comfortably - and swept across the store, retrieving a steaming cup of tea and a plate of many pastries that they placed in front of me. 

“Let me ask you this, friend, are you in any dire need?”

I shook my head, “No. Thank you.”

“Are you looking for a job?”

I pondered the question. It had already been a week since I last saw Altan and neither of us had been able to see each other. There was no knowing how long it would take to find an opportunity to see him again and my funds weren’t bottomless.

Doxxah tapped a clawed finger on the table. “I could use someone with some stamina and strength in my bakery. Would you be interested?”

I nodded, “Yes. Thank you.”

“Wonderful, that’s two favors down now!” Doxxah exclaimed, “Soon, your father will be owing me!” They laughed before they suddenly sobered and looked at me intently. “Listen here, Drunrag. Berdusk isn’t the friendliest town when it comes to newcomers. You have to have grit to make it around here. People will stare at you. They might say things that show their ignorance. But there are good people here too, and they’re the ones worth staying for.”

Altan’s face came to my mind at their words, a warm feeling forming within me.

“Now, you eat up while I get this shop open. If you feel like helping I only ask that you get that gunk out from beneath your nails.”

My cheeks burned as I looked down to see black beneath each of my nails. I uselessly wiped my fingers across the front of my shirt and watched in a daze as Doxxah once again moved like a whirlwind as they flung open windows, propped the door open and summoned from the back of the store fresh trays of all sorts of delicious looking breads, pastries, and muffins. My mouth salivated even midchewing through my own pastry. 

From inside the warm comfort of Doxxah’s bakery, I could look out and see Berdusk in a different light. It was a quaint town, full of small little businesses like Doxxah’s that offered small comforts for folks. It was a more rich town than where I had been and the streets were clean, well swept and the people who walked them were well-dressed and friendly-looking - at least to each other. 

I was surprised to see a customer walk in not moments before the shop opened and even more surprised to see it was the man who had been riding alongside the Duke last week. His hair was brown, long, and he had a full beard that concealed much of his expression. His eyebrows were thick and furrowing and he had a very serious look to him. 

“Gaius!” Doxxah exclaimed. “Been a long time! Day off?”

He shook his head, “No, just a late start.”

“How are the young lordlings?”

My ears perked at the question and I listened intently.

Gaius nodded solemnly, “With the eldest Hilmar back, the younger ones seem to be in bright spirits. However, that eldest boy…he feels like a fish out of water.”

Doxxah hummed agreeably, “I pity the poor things. To be raised by a man who’s greatest love is power….” There was a lull in the conversation, it felt awkward and somber. Doxxah quickly perked up, “Tell me, how is Del and the babe?” 

Gaius’s eyes brightened and I could see beneath the beard the lift of his lips as he broke into a nervous laugh. “Del is well, not more than a month before the baby should be here.”

I watched quietly from my corner as Doxxah and the large man interacted. Doxah seemed to have an intense amount of charm that helped them ease into any conversation. I could see how much the man was easing around them. 

“Well, you tell me when the baby is coming, I know a thing or two about delivering little tykes. You tell Del that, will you?” While Doxxah talked, their hands were doing their own thing, pulling small moon shaped rolls and a loaf of bread from trays and carefully placing them into a paper box, tying it off with a ribbon and handing them to Gaius. 

“I will, thank you.” Gaius said, his voice was low, like a rumble from a weighted wheel on a wagon - it reminded me of my father’s - and he paid her before turning to leave. As he turned, his eyes met mine and I saw that he recognized me from last week. He gave me a gentle nod before turning and walking out of the shop.

“Who is that?” I braved to ask.

Doxxah tried to read me before answering, “Gaius Gideon. He’s Berdusk born and raised and is proud of it. He’s the Commander of the Phoenix Legion. They’re the armed defense and security that exists around the town. He’s currently stationed at the Duke’s Hall. He’s been gone for quite a few weeks, heard he was escorting back the eldest son of the Duke who ran away.”

“Altan.” I said aloud, not thinking.

Doxxah raised an eyebrow, “So you’ve heard of him?”

I nodded, “He’s…” I looked down, my fingers caught between each other. “We’ve met.”

“Ah, I believe I’m beginning to paint the picture of why you’re here.” Doxxah said, an understanding tone in their voice. “Close friends?”

My throat tightened at the question, all I could do was nod.

Doxxah chuckled and turned their attention to their baked goods. “Perhaps you would like to join me when I make my weekly delivery to their cook?”

“You deliver to the Duke?”

Doxxah puffed their chest, “Well naturally! There’s no better baker in town than me. I’ve got to keep the shop open for a bit this morning, but once the fresh loaves are out, we’ll take them straight to the Duke’s Hall? Will you come?”

I nodded, my heart was already pounding inside me at the news. 

The hours dragged by, but I did my best to be of help to Doxxah. While they were busy decorating small cakes and tarts, I was busy transferring bags of flour from one storage area to another. Shifting and rearranging things as Doxxah directed felt like a lot of busy, meaningless work, but I was grateful for the distraction.

At the peak of the day, Doxxah announced that the goods to be delivered to the Duke’s kitchens were ready and they handed me a stack of boxed goodies and we were on our way straight up the hill, towards the Duke’s Hall.

The guards said nothing as Doxxah led us through and my eyes were transfixed on the building that loomed before me. It was impressive and surely expensive architecture and there were armed men everywhere I looked, but also gardens, fountains, fragrant flowers and many sets of stairs that eventually led to the double doors into the Hall. I struggled to take it all in while I was also balancing the stack in my hands.

The armed men at the double doors gave a polite nod before opening the doors wide and letting us through. Doxxah hummed as they walked down the hallway. The halls were tall and wide open. I believed it was the first time that I ever felt small and I couldn’t keep up with everything that I was seeing. Candelabras with dozens of candles illuminated the halls and paintings of long dead historical leaders spanned the length. There was a plush rug beneath my feet that I worried was being soiled by my boots.

Doxxah turned down many halls that kept me confused and very lost, but eventually we passed down one where I started to catch the whiff of hot food on the stove. I was about to follow Doxxah into the kitchen. The cooks were delighted to see the delivery and we handed them off without a hitch. Doxxah was leading me back out, our hands empty now. I trusted them to lead us out, because I couldn’t remember a single turn we made.

As we worked our way back down the halls, I noticed many halls crossed into others and I enjoyed peering down them, wondering where they would all lead to.

I stopped when I found one that led to a dead end, with a tall, rounded window and a young man sitting in a window seat, sketching. 

“Altan.” I breathed.

I didn’t know if he had heard me, or if he just knew I was there, but he looked up and his copper curls danced against his cheeks and I felt the warmth of the sun inside me. 

His sketchbook slipped from his hands and he stumbled onto his feet, “Drunrag?” He exclaimed before tripping to get towards me.

I closed the distance to catch him and I found him suddenly in my arms. All of the warmth and sunshine inside him seeped into me. I was selfishly wishing to feel more of it. 

‘Are you alright?” I asked, my voice no louder than a whisper.

He nodded, his mouth hung open as he clung to me. “How did you - what are you - why are you here?”

I smiled gently, “I…I got a job.”

“What? You did?” He swiveled his head around me and saw Doxxah standing at the end of the hall, a knowing smile on their face. “With Doxxah?”

I nodded, “I’m staying here until…” I didn’t know what to say: until we’re together? Until you’re safe? Until you’re mine? All of those felt so…intense and final.

Altan’s mouth opened into a wide smile. “You’re incredible, you know?”

“Me?” I shake my head. “No, not me. You…” I couldn’t look away from him. “It’s you.”

I think we both found ourselves blushing at what we both said and I suddenly became very aware of his hands being dwarfed in mind. And the warmth that exuded from him made something in me feel alive. 

“I…I should go.” I said. "You are alright?”

He nodded, his expression became more sober. “I’m sorry Drun. I wish I could just leave with you…” His hand was suddenly on my chest and I felt a zing of delight course though me. “I understand if you can’t stay.”

“Don’t give up on me.” I said. “Please.”

He let out a sharp release of breath, “Drun, I could never…I just don’t when…”

I shook my head, “I’ll be here whenever it is.”

“Commander Gideon, what a surprise after this morning!” Doxxah exclaimed, louder than normal.

Altan jerked his hand back and I jumped back and looked to see that Doxxah was giving us a wink before turning her attention away. My cheeks burned as I looked over to Altan who had already turned away and was back in his seat on the windowsill, his head buried in the sketchbook.

“A pleasant reunion during my short interlude between meetings, Mx Doxxah.” Commander Gideon observed. He bowed to Doxxah, then saw me, saw Altan, looked back at me before making a slight nod in my direction. I bowed my head. 

“Deliveries are made, so we’ll be getting back. Just said hello to the young lord.” Doxxah explained before bowing their head and guiding us down the hall.

The Commander bowed his head and continued one and I followed Doxxah going the opposite direction, my head spinning.

“You were holding out on me, Drunrag. You two are close friends.” Doxxah said, their voice teasing. “Very close friends.”

“Shut up.” I managed to say.

[usagimen]

❝ Mein gott, Du bist ein Drow !! ❞ he makes a crude spider like hand gesture , wriggling his fingers with child like glee . ❝ I have never seen a Drow before ... do you truly eat babies ?? ❞

                IT   WASN’T   UNCOMMON   TO   HEAR   CONFUSION   or   the   occasional   absurd   remark.   Seldom   few   of   her   kind   would   venture   on   top,   those   who   did   often   tried   conquest   only   to   be   thwarted   in   their   attempts,   while   the   odd   few   sought   adventures   on   the   horizon.   A   brow   raises   as   she   watches   his   hands   in   curiosity,   was   that   supposed   to   be   an   arachnoid?   “I   am   not   Lolth”   the   sheen   of   amethyst   within   her   green   eyes,   the   one   who   begrudged   the   Spider   Queen   &&   was   thrust   into   the   sunlight,   an   unknowing   home   that   slowly   became   her   own.   “Most   do   not   live   to   tell   the   story   of   a   chance   encounter,   that   is   why.   You   are   lucky,   but,   we   do   not   only   eat   babes   -   blondes   are   an   acceptable   dish   as   well”   a   mean   smirk   as   she   snickered,   “Would   you   care   to   be   my   dinner?   I   have   the   perfect   mushrooms   to   match”  

[kyluxtrashpit]

So I haven’t posted that much about it here, but I’m still going with my Kylo in BG3 playthrough and I want to talk about how it’s been going and his relationship with things cause it’s honestly really interesting? Like from a character pov, it’s just really fascinating some of the things he’s going through and the way he reacts to things

So as a reminder, the idea is that Faerun is just a place on a planet in the same galaxy as star wars (probably in the unknown regions or something, somewhere where the gith and the FO/etc. have just never encountered each other cause space is Big). And he somehow ended up there after TFA. So he’s a temporary visitor and his primary goal is to get home. As part of that, he wants the tadpole out right now immediately, as it’s suppressing his Force powers, just like it suppresses everyone else’s powers in-game. So that’s where we start

And I’m just kinda gonna ramble about his relationship with different concepts and the companions and whatnot (behind a cut for length)

So first off, it’s interesting for him to be in this world as we have gods and devils and other beings of great power. And Kylo is like. Largely unimpressed by all of them lmao. All of these beings are nothing compared to the Force, in his opinion. Plus he’s on a planet where they don’t even have electricity and he’s used to space travel. The magic is impressive, he’s interested in that, but he still considers it inferior to his own powers. Which makes for a very interesting play – a character who finds all of these powerful beings everyone’s beholden to utterly unimpressive and irrelevant. Also, things in this world don’t really matter to him in the long run, as he doesn’t plan on staying. Which brings us to…

Lae’zel– his relationship with Lae’zel is really interesting imo because they have a lot in common. It’s funny in the sense that both of them see the other as their local guide to the world, meanwhile neither of them actually know shit lmao. They’re both from space. So it’s really the blind leading the blind. But they have similar morals, having no qualms with threatening or killing to get what they want. They are both warriors who greatly value martial prowess and they kinda bond over that. If I didn’t personally see Kylo as gay, there absolutely would’ve been romance potential here, as these two get each other so well. Lae’zel’s inner conflict about Vlaakith is also kind of a shock to Kylo as… well, there’s a lot of parallels to Snoke there. I think he’s going to return from this journey ready to turn against his master, just as Lae’zel is. Vlaakith is unworthy to lead and she has much in common with Snoke. Lae’zel’s journey has made Kylo realize some things himself

Astarion he also gets along well with, as once again, they both are comfortable with murder. Also, Astarion was the only man at camp willing to fuck him without needing to get feelings involved first lmao. So of course, this is the romance that actually ended up happening (more on that later). Which is mildly annoying for me, as I’m also romancing Astarion with durge and would’ve liked to not have two the same so close together sdkslks but it is what it is. It would’ve been ooc to have Kylo end up with his other option. I’m also not sure what he’s going to do when it comes to Cazador. Cause on the one hand, I can’t see Kylo wanting someone else to get some great power he can’t, even an ally. But if a lover? That changes some things… I also think Kylo fully believes he can kill Ascended Astarion if need be so he could be down for it. Though, I could also see Kylo just killing one of the other spawns during the fight to ensure Cazador can’t complete the ritual, with no thoughts for what that means for Astarion. Also, again, I’d like to do something different on this run, even if not a different romance option, and ascending Astarion could be the dash of freshness I would like. Idk, we’ll see. It’s interesting, honestly. I have no idea where it’ll go. It is funny to imagine him bringing Astarion back to the Finalizer though lmao

Now, Kylo’s other romance choice somehow ended up being Gale lmao. I’m not even sure he really likes Gale, but he definitely liked the attention Gale gave him. But alas, Gale is a ‘feelings first, sex later’ kind of person and that’s not Kylo’s speed. Kylo’s also had just about enough of hearing the name ‘Mystra’ lmao, another god that he’s sure pales in comparison to the Force. I’m also not sure what’s going to happen with Gale’s ending here, as Kylo would not want him to seize the power of the crown (Kylo would rather have it himself, but I don’t think that’s an option). But Gale’s ending conditions are also so convoluted, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get even when you plan it. You basically need a guide to know for sure which you’re getting lmao. So. It’ll be interesting for sure

(Also, speaking of the crown, I have no idea if Kylo will take Raphael’s deal. Cause on the one hand, he’s not terribly threatened by Raphael. And if he can’t have the crown, well, he doesn’t really care what Raphael might do with it, as this world is just one of many and he’ll be leaving it. But I don’t think he likes owing someone something. So I’m really not sure how that’ll go yet. He could take the deal and then go get the contract perhaps, idk)

Minthara, Kylo also gets along with well, unsurprisingly lmao. She probably reminds him of a certain General sdksld. I think the only disagreement they really have is Minthara has embraced the tadpole, while Kylo still wants his out – without it, he has access to much greater power than it can give. He understands why she values it’s power, as it’s the most she’ll ever have access to, but he can have more (at least, in his opinion). So keeping it, ruling over this land – that’s small potatoes shit to him. The FO seeks to rule the entire galaxy. These petty matters are largely insignificant to him (and, tbh, this must be how Lae’zel feels about some of the power struggles in Faerun – the Gith have an empire in space, her main goal is to be cured so she can get back to that). Still, he respects her a lot, and if it were possible, I think he’d consider inviting her to be part of the FO

Karlach is a mixed bag, because he admires her rage and her ferocity, but he does consider her naïve, too nice, all of that. So like. They get along sometimes. In truth, we’ve gotten more Karlach approval than I expected, though still not a lot. Because I do think Kylo is the kind of person to give a fighting chance to those he’s killing, he likes it when they fight back, he wants to find a decent challenge (he just rarely does). And Karlach tends to approve of at least giving enemies a fighting chance, rather than just an execution. That’s… probably all they agree on though lmao. Oh and finding Mizora incredibly annoying

(This is where things start to get sad, btw sdlsllks)

As for Wyll, Kylo found him naïve too, but he liked him well enough. Respected his ability, he’s easy on the eyes, things like that. But, unfortunately, just far too naïve. I think it would’ve been interesting to like, have Kylo make him worse, but that’s not really a thing in the game as Wyll doesn’t have like, a really bad ending in that sense. He does, however, have a bad ending if you think you’ve found a loophole and kill Mizora in the mindflayer pod…

(This is a mistake I genuinely made on my first playthrough, but then immediately reloaded. I should’ve known it was too easy lmao. Kylo, though, Kylo would absolutely try that… so unfortunately, we lost Wyll 😭)

And the other companion we lost, a long time ago, was Shadowheart. They didn’t really get along from the start, with her being so secretive and Kylo being a fan of probing people’s minds on the reg. She also didn’t like Lae’zel, and he does, so. Unfortunately, it was just fated that she wouldn’t survive when she moved to kill Lae’zel in her sleep (also, kind of sensitive thing for Kylo, you know, considering that’s happened to him too)

It is actually too bad, though, cause his feelings on Shar are… complex. You would think, just at first glance, that he’d been down with her, given that she’s all about darkness and such. But her darkness is not the one he’s embraced. Her darkness is about absence, about loss, about emptiness… that is not what darkness is to Kylo. To Kylo, darkness is passion, it’s pain, too, but it’s also power. It is the light that is the absence, that is giving up such meaningful things like emotion and connection. So I think he would find Shar’s teachings have more in common with Jedi teachings than it would seem on the surface. The Jedi are peace through oblivion, light burning away all you are until you are merely a vessel for the Force and nothing more. Thus, Shar, who uses darkness in the same way, would seem like a perversion of darkness to him. In darkness, there is passion and freedom and strength. It is not oblivion. It is not loss. It is everything but what Shar teaches it is. As such, I think he really does not like Shar, but not because of the reasons that most in-game characters don’t

The other interesting part is how he feels about the dream guardian. So I made the dream guardian Ren, because I thought that would be interesting. Ren is the last teacher he had before Snoke and I think Kylo still has a lot of complicated feelings about Ren. Regrets, too. So if you-know-who really wanted to get Kylo’s attention, Ren is the best choice, no doubt

(I talked about this a little before, but I think only on twitter, so it’s a bit of a repeat if you’ve seen my other post on it)

But it ended up being really interesting because Kylo knows it’s not Ren. It doesn’t act like Ren or talk like Ren and, most important, Ren is dead by his own hand. It’s a trick of some kind. He knows that, he has no doubts

And yet. Even though he does not fully trust the guardian, he doesn’t… not trust them either. So far, they have been on his side. They clearly know him, considering the form they chose. And a part of him, I think, really regrets how things went down with Ren. It’s not a second chance, he knows that, but. It’s like imagining doing things right while you’re in the shower or late at night. It’s not real and it’s not going to fix anything. But you still want to try to create a world, however temporarily, where you didn’t make that mistake. And, when he entered the prism, that, combined with seeing Ren on his knees (the same position Tai was in, in his last moments), disarmed and allowing Kylo the chance to choose… Kylo can’t kill him. Even if it would cure him (though he has his doubts there too), Kylo can’t do it again. He knows it’s not Ren and that it never was and that surely some kind of terrible revelation will happen in time. But for now, Kylo wants to let himself imagine making at least that one choice differently

And then, later, he actually passed the checks to give the guardian a hug, which I didn’t know was a thing lmao. So of course he took that. And he’s still not sure what the guardian actually is and he knows he shouldn’t trust but he just. He cannot resist

I did save right at the end of act 2, so. He’s gonna find out the truth very soon here, whenever I play him next. And I think Kylo’s REALLY not going to like you-know-who lmao. He is really not a fan of being manipulated, especially as this journey has helped him realize just how bad it was with Snoke

There’s also Halsin and Jaheira, but he doesn’t know them super well yet. I figured we’d lose Halsin as Kylo would be like ‘well, good look waking up that kid or whatever’ but apparently you actually cannot refuse to help with the portal? Lmao you’re like ‘nice, looks like my work here is done’ and Halsin’s like ‘oh no, I definitely still need you. Brb, going into this portal. Also you’re gonna be attacked btw’ and just. Goes. So fortunately we got to keep him. Kylo would really like to sleep with him though so sdklskd. Maybe he did it for bear dick, who knows

Jaheira honestly probably shouldn’t have lived, given how aggressive she is during the first meeting – Kylo should’ve attacked, but I, the player, also wouldn’t have been able to survive that fight lmao. So I compromised by leaving her fate up to chance at moonrise and not adding her to my party (I usually do, to ensure she survives). But she lived! So we shall see. I don’t think he dislikes her as of yet but. No opinion for the moment

It’s also kinda funny that like. In truth, he’s done more things that are “good” than I honestly expected at first but it’s like. A lot of “good” things are still just ‘kill this guy and I’ll help you’ and Kylo is fine with killing lmao. And he wants the Absolute dead a) for what they did to him and b) to get the worm out of his head. But we also lost two companions so far, and a good number of random characters. So it’s been a very wild playthrough tbh. It’s very chaotic neutral but it is still by far the evilest run of a video game I’ve ever done sdksldks 😅

Which is why I’m taking a break before act 3 because woof lmao, this is hard for me to do, even though it has turned out to be really interesting both play-wise and in terms of character analysis/exploration. Anyway, I shall end this on the note of RIP to the fallen 😔

🪦 Us

🪦 Owlbear mom

🪦 Mayrina

🪦 Shadowheart

🪦 All the tieflings you lose if you don’t convince Rolan to stay at the grove (apparently a lot)

🪦 Zevlor

🪦 Wyll

[hound-of-heaven]

the cleric quintet more like God’s Specialest Boy Is In SO Many Situations

[stolenbythegods]

Sighhhhhh

Do I make a BG3 verse?

I don't even know what I'd DO but hnnnnn.

I wanna.

[scalpelsister]

the little wolf of luskan

[stranger2time]

Sevryn's senses are full.

The smell of tobacco and rosemary mix in his nose, accompanied by wood smoke and freshly turned earth. His ears take in the sound of the crackling fire, the wind in the trees, and Astarion's voice as he chats with Halsin. The voices fill the small pocket of air between the three's bodies, low and light. The weight of Astarion, pressed against his side, is grounding, and the places where Halsin's legs touch the back of his tingle with warmth. The taste of smoke on his tongue blends with wine and fills him with the heady sense of comfort. The fire light plays over his lovers' faces, pale and red-eyed, tan and scarred.

He drinks it all in... and is content.