Character Concept Packages

 I do love creating characters. On computer  and video games I can sink hours into fussing over the clothing. In tabletop RPGs, my character notes are more like origin stories. 

That's why when I first started playing Dungeons and Dragons 5e I was tickled...that's right, tickled...to find a whole section of the Players Handbook devoted to backgrounds. It's also why one of my first Dungeon Masters Guild publications was a collection of backgrounds called Great House Servants and why I included a Backgrounds section in my Epic Gnomish Inventing guide.

While backgrounds are valuable, especially given the additional game benefits they provide, I find them lacking as a source for a complete character concept. So I hit upon an idea for new content that I could publish to the DMs Guild. I'm tentatively calling it Character Concept Packages. Each package will include: 
  • at least one background
  • New feats 
  • New equipment/weapons/magical items
  • Suggested downtime activities
  • Whatever else that might be interesting, fun, or cool
While everything offered in a character concept package will relate to the concept in general, the materials will be designed so that players can use any of them without having to build their PC around the entire concept.

For example, the first concept I had in mind was Toy Maker (mostly because I like gnomes and a toy maker is a weird sort of premise for a Dungeons and Dragons character). Aside from a Toy Maker background, I already have developed five feats and have been mulling over some new equipment ideas. Here's one of the feats: 

Perfect Gift Giver
You are well attuned to the thoughts and feelings of others. You gain the following benefits: 
    • Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20. 
    • You gain proficiency in the Insight skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it. 
    • When you are crafting a piece of equipment, a weapon, or any other item to give/sell to a specific celestial, fey, fiend, giant, or humanoid other than yourself, you can use your action to try to gain insight into the receiver. You must have either met or observed the individual to do this. For an unwilling target, make a Wisdom (Insight) check contested by the target’s Charisma (Deception) check. No such check is needed for a willing target. If your check succeeds or if your target is willing, you gain advantage on crafting tool checks for making that item for that individual until the end of your next long rest. You must have proficiency in the tool.

You can see how this feat fits perfectly into a Toy Maker concept but the feat itself has value to any character, especially one who crafts items for other characters and NPCs.

I have other character concepts in the works, including some from previous Dungeons and Dragons editions, such as the goblin sticker, rock tender, and tunnel rat. You can probably tell that some of these are going to be gnome-centric--because I like gnomes--but a vast majority of the materials should still be usable by any character, of any class, of any race. 

That's one of the projects I'm tinkering with now. I'll post updates on it as I work out more details. Constructive feedback is always welcomed. I'll also be posting about my other projects. 

Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow me on one of these fine social media platforms:
Instagram: @hokumsean
Spotify: @hokumsean
Twitch: @hokumsean
Twitter: @hokumsean
Tumblr @hokumsean

Stop by my YouTube channel "Ovens and Dragons" and partake in the exciting world of cooking for gamers.

Also, check out my DMsGuild offerings:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Open Sky Encounters

Image
In Session 12 of my Dungeons and Dragons home-brew campaign Skyfell the player characters acquired an airship. I've already written up quite a few rules regarding airships and the nature of air travel in Skyfell (see my Airships post ). That was good enough to explain a bit about ships for earlier sessions. I'm assuming, however, that the characters will be sailing the open skies more frequently now. That's the sort of freedom owning an airship grants. There is, of course, a potential for encountering new locales and new creatures as they travel. So, I put together this set of rules for random encounters in the Open Skies. Like all the material regarding Skyfell on this blog, I've posted this for my players. These rules will likely change as we use them in the campaign. That said, feel free to use and adapt for your own campaign. Also, if you’re interested, I have assembled a couple playlists of session music specifically for sailing the open skies. There is one su
Read more

5e Conversion: Fallout Nuka-Cola

Image
  5e Conversion: Fallout's Nuka-Cola As there appears to be no end to my obsession with the Appalachia wasteland, I of course, must provide another conversion for  Fallout 76  into the  Dungeons and Dragons  setting. This time around, I want to tackle that most refreshing of novelty beverages, Nuka-Cola.  In case you don't know, the  Fallout  setting has a ubiquitous soda called Nuka-Cola that comes in convenient, rocket-shaped bottles. The standard variety is simply a refreshing way to hydrate and restore yourself while out and about braving the dangers of the wasteland. There are, however, several other specialty flavors that provide a wide range of other benefits. As with the chems, I feel that in a Dungeons and Dragons setting, Nuka-Cola would be a kind of potion, perhaps developed by some enterprising gnome as a way to differentiate his or her magical offerings from all the other potions that clutter up the adventuring market. I mean, who else but a gnome would think to u
Read more

5e Conversion : The Grinch

Image
5e: The Grinch The holiday season is upon us and once again my Dungeons and Dragons mind turns to Christmas with an unreasoning need to mash up the two. To that end, I bring you The Grinch stat block (as I imagine it). This stat block is based on the 2000 live-action movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey. For roleplaying tips, watch the movie. Let me know if you use this stat block and how it worked out. Merry Christmas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow me on one of these fine social media platforms: Instagram : @hokumsean Spotify : @hokumsean Twitch : @hokumsean Twitter : @hokumsean Tumblr  @hokumsean Stop by my YouTube channel " Ovens and Dragons " and partake in the exciting world of cooking for gamers. Also, check out my DMsGuild offerings: Epic Gnomish Inventing Rules supplement for creating gadgets. Gnome Concept Packages 1 Collection of gnome-related backgrounds, feats, magic items, and m
Read more