Right Reason

D&D 5e: An Assassin From Valerno

 

 

 

The war between the Capels and the Montaignes has benefited people like Zasheir. He had learned the skills of picket pocketing as a young boy on the streets of Valerno. His daily bread was gotten by the loss of some unlucky aristocrat or merchantman. That was ten years ago, today he wins his daily bread by an unlucky merchantman's death. As a thief in the employ of the Capels, Zasheir has helped that family in their conflict with the Montaigne family first by picking the pockets of Montaigne messengers, then by spying on their lower members, and now by killing them. 

Even innocents die because of his line of work, Zasheir knows that. Neither the Capels nor the Montaignes are entirely innocent, though. They conspired to overthrow the prince who once ruled and now they fight amongst themselves for power. He always suspected that other forces were at play and in the recent months, his suspicions have turned into certainty. Too many people are dying. Young courtesans of consumption in their beds. Guardsmen torn to pieces on the midnight watch. That's not the work of either Capel or Montaigne thieves. 

Zasheir has been complacent for too long. The Capels' gold blinded him to the power plays happening behind the scenes. He always hated both the Capels and the Montaignes, now he realizes that he should resent something else - something that is taking advantage of the chaos in Valerno for its own interests.

 

 

Race: Human

Level: 1

Class: Rogue

Background: Urchin

 

Strength: 8 (-2); Dexterity:  15 (+2); Constitution 13 (+1)

Intelligence: 13 (+1); Wisdom: 13 (+1); Charisma: 13 (+1)

 

Hit Points: 9

Armor Class: 13

Proficiency Bonus: +2

 

Proficiencies: Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Hand Crossbows, Longswords, Rapiers, Shortswords, Thieves’ Tools, Disguise Kit

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence

Skills: Deception: Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Sleight of Hand, Stealth

 

Equipment: Rapier, Light Crossbow with 10 darts, Burglar's Pack 

 

Special Abilities: Expertise (Insight, Sleight of Hand), Sneak Attack (1d6), Thieves' Cant

 

Speciality: Urchin

Personality Trait: I ask a lot of questions

Ideal: Retribution

Bond: I owe a debt I can never repay to the person who took pity on me

Flaw: I'd rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair

 

 

Addendum: I like the addition of equipment packs in the volume. Although many players like the ability to create detailed and baroque inventories, I much prefer just being able to have a burgler's pack and what that pack includes.

D&D 5e: The Elf Who Left the Watch

 

 

Felarg was a cursed place to the Wood Elves of the Tegami Forests. As a child, Andraste had been told stories about the ancestors who had sealed a great evil there and of the exploits of the rangers who were the sentinels ensuring that the forces in the mountains around Felarg remained isolated from the rest of the world. After coming of age, she proved herself worthy of joining their ranks. 

For the most part, the rangers only encountered orcs riding down from the tundra. After three years watching the skies, they encountered an adventuring party of five trying to make their way to Felarg. Of all things, the party was lead by a half-orc paladin named Krusk. The rangers weren’t gentle to him and that night Andraste learned that cruelty was not something unique to the outside world. Krusk didn’t survive ’til sunrise; nevertheless, Andraste heard enough to convince her that, though the adventurers drastically underestimated the elves protecting Felarg, they were right. There was something there that didn’t need to just be sealed away, as the elves had done, it needed to be destroyed.  

Andraste now recognizes the danger of simply letting that evil fester. With the knowledge of how the wood-elven rangers patrol the crags around Felarg, she hopes that she can help guide a party to whatever her ancestors had sealed there.

 

 

Race: Wood Elf

Level: 1

Class: Ranger

Background: Soldier

 

Strength: 12 (+1); Dexterity: 19 (+4); Constitution 15 (+2)

Intelligence: 10 (+0); Wisdom: 16 (+3); Charisma: 10 (+0)

 

Hit Points: 12

Armor Class: 16

Proficiency Bonus: +2

 

Proficiencies: Light armor, Simple weapons, medium armor, martial armors, shields

Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity

Skills: Perception, Stealth, Survival

 

Equipment: Long Bow with 20 arrows, longsword, dagger, explorer's pack 

Special Abilities: Favored Enemy (Elves and Orcs), Natural Explorer (Mountains)

 

Speciality: Scout

Personality Trait: I can stare down a hell hound without flinching

Ideal: Might

Bond: Those who fight beside me are worth dying for

Flaw: I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior

 

 

Fifth Edition is Here!

 

 

The fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons has hit shelves (and mailboxes) today. To celebrate, I will be emulating Jack at Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque and quickly creating different types of characters, all first level, that run the gambit of 5e. The rules shall be that I must limit myself to what content and flavor there is in the volume, and I must randomly roll for the character’s background traits. With all that understood, let me introduce the first character in this small series of mine: Darvin, the Star Scribe.

 

 

Under the tutelage of Ander Lackman, Darvin was supposed to learn the knowledge necessary to manipulate what his uncle had called “the weave” many years ago. Darvin was always quick to understand shapes and numbers so his uncle sent him to study under Master Lackman. And so he did, learning the intricacies of how to use geometry to summon forth small creatures from other worlds, the craft of combining guano with the right words to create a spark and many other skills.  At least that was until he had his first experience with the voices from beyond the stars.  

Now Darvin knows that the path to understanding the weave is to be found in those voices, not Master Lackman’s many, many tomes. Instead, it’s to be found in drawing from the power of beings older than the gods many of his cousins worshipped.  He has since made his way to the Library of Qaquar where has has learned about astronomy and the Far Realms. He now knows the name of the being he gets his power from, Ghaunadar or That Which Lurks, but Darvin has learned about threats to the city he has called home and to the library he learns from. The adventurer’s path soon awaits him.

 

Race: Half-Elf

Level: 1 

Class: Warlock

Background: Sage 

 

Strength: 11 (+0); Dexterity: 12 (+1); Constitution 13 (+1)

Intelligence: 19 (+4); Wisdom: 15 (+2); Charisma: 17 (+3)

 

Hit Points: 9

Armor Class: 12 

Proficiency Bonus: +2

 

Proficiencies: Light armor, Simple weapons

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Skills: Arcana, Deception

 

Equipment: Leather armor, quarterstaff, scholar’s pack, belt pouch with 12 sp

 

Special Abilities: Otherworldly Patron (The Great Old One - yep, Wizards of the Coast outright put Lovecraftian horror straight into the original volume of 5e), Pact Magic (2 cantrips known, 2 1^st level spells known with 1 spell slot)

 

Speciality: Scribe

Personality Trait: I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment

Ideal: Self-Improvement

Bond: I work to preserve a library, university, scriptorum, or monastery

Flaw: Unlocking an ancient mystery is worth the price of a civilization

 

 

Addendum: Those were some pretty good rolls for my ability stats.