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!

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