Contents

Artificer

Masters of invention, artificers use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilites in objects. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and then harnessed in their spells and inventions.

Artificer's are masters of their crafts - trailblazers of new ideas. They jump to the idea of finding some new inspiration or creation to bring to life through their magic and hands. Use the following advice to add some life to your Artificer's perspectives on the world and their inventions.

Goal

Many artificers have dreams and aspirations they wish to fufill with their creations. Very rarely do artificers not have some core end game or value they wish to pursue with their craft. Always consider that an artificer may find new inspiration or a new dream in life during their adventures.

Signature

All artisans who care dearly about their projects leave a little mark of themselves somewhere on their creations, when possible. Be it their name, a symbol, or feature that each invention holds within. If you haven't thought of a signature yet, your goal may be to design one to set yourself apart from the competition and other craftsmen of the world.

Barbarian

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

Tattoos

The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the life of the bearer or the bearer's ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian's tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual's identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Bard

Bards bring levity during grave times; they impart wisdom to offset ignorance; and they make the ridiculous seem sublime. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed along as oral history, to survive even when no written record remains.

Instrument

In a bard’s quest for the ultimate performance and the highest acclaim, one’s instrument is at least as important as one’s vocal ability. The instrument’s quality of manufacture is a critical factor, of course; the best ones make the best music, and some bards are continually on the lookout for an improvement. Perhaps just as important, though, is the instrument’s own entertainment value; those that are bizarrely constructed or made of exotic materials are likely to leave a lasting impression on an audience.

You might have an “off the rack” instrument, perhaps because it’s all you can afford right now. Or, if your first instrument was gifted to you, it might be of a more elaborate sort. Are you satisfied with the instrument you have, or do you aspire to replace it with something truly distinctive?

Embarrassment

Almost every bard has suffered at least one bad experience in front of an audience, and chances are you’re no exception. No one becomes famous right away, after all; perhaps you had a few small difficulties early in your career, or maybe it took a while to restore your reputation after one agonizing night when the fates conspired to bring about your theatrical ruin.

The ways that a performance can go wrong are as varied as the fish in the sea. No matter what sort of disaster might occur, however, a bard has the courage and the confidence to rebound from it either pressing on with the show (if possible) or promising to come back tomorrow with a new performance that’s guaranteed to please.

Cleric

Almost all the folk in the world who revere a deity live their lives without ever being touched by a divine being. As such, they can never know what it feels like to be a cleric someone who is not only a devout worshiper, but who has also been invested with a measure of a deity’s power.

Keepsake

Many clerics have items among their personal gear that symbolize their faith, remind them of their vows, or otherwise help to keep them on their chosen paths. Even though such an item is not imbued with divine power, it is vitally important to its owner because of what it represents.

Druid

Druids are the caretakers of the natural world, and it is said that in time a druid becomes a voice of nature, speaking the truth that is too subtle for the general populace to hear. Many who become druids find that they naturally gravitate toward nature; its forces, cycles, and movements fill their minds and spirits with wonder and insight. Many sages and wise folk have studied nature, writing volumes about its mystery and power, but druids are a special kind of being: at some point, they begin to embody these natural forces, producing magical phenomena that link them to the spirit of nature and the flow of life. Because of their strange and mysterious power, druids are often revered, shunned, or considered dangerous by the people around them.

Guiding Aspect

Many druids feel a strong link to a specific aspect of the natural world, such as a body of water, an animal, a type of tree, or some other sort of plant. You identify with your chosen aspect; by its behavior or its very nature, it sets an example that you seek to emulate.

Fighter

Of all the adventurers in the worlds of D&D, the fighter is perhaps the greatest paradox. On the one hand, a singular feature of the class is that no two fighters ply their craft in quite the same way; their weapons, armor, and tactics differ across a vast spectrum. On the other hand, regardless of the tool sand methods one uses, at the heart of every fighter’s motivation lies the same basic truth: it is better to wound than to be wounded. The sections below offer ways to add a little depth and a few personal touches to your fighter character.

Instructor

Some fighters are natural-born combatants who have a talent for surviving in battle. Others learned the basics of their combat prowess in their formative years from spending time in a military or some other martial organization, when they were taught by the leaders of the group.

A third type of fighter comes from the ranks of those who received one-on-one instruction from an accomplished veteran of the craft. That instructor was, or perhaps still is, well versed in a certain aspect of combat that relates to the student’s background.

If you decide that your character had an individual instructor, what is that person’s specialty? Do you emulate your instruct in how you fight, or did you take the instructor’s teachings and adapt them to your own purposes?

Monk

Monks walk a path of contradiction. They study their art as a wizard does, and like a wizard, they wear no armor and typically eschew weapons. Yet they are deadly combatants, their abilities on a par with those of a raging barbarian or a superbly trained fighter. Monks embrace this seeming contradiction, for it speaks to the core of all monastic study. By coming to know oneself completely, one learns much of the wider world.

Playing a monk character offers many intriguing opportunities to try something different. To distinguish your monk character even further, consider the options in the sections that follow.

Monastic Icon

Even in the monastic lifestyle, which eschews materialism and personal possessions, symbolism plays an important part in defining the identity of an order. Some monastic orders treat certain creatures with special regard, either because the creature is tied to the order’s history or because it serves as an example of a quality the monks seek to emulate.

If your character’s monastery had a special icon, you might wear a crude image of the creature somewhere inconspicuous on your clothing to serve as an identifying mark. Or perhaps you order’s icon does not have a physical form but is expressed through a gesture or a posture that you adopt, and which other monks might know how to interpret.

Paladin

A paladin is a living embodiment of an oath a promise or a vow made manifest in the person of a holy warrior who has the skill and the determination to see the cause through to the end. Some paladins devote themselves expressly to protecting the innocent and spreading justice in the world, while others resolve to attain that goal by conquering those who stand defiant and bringing them under the rule of law.

You can flesh out your paladin character by using the suggestions below. It’s important to keep in mind that most paladins aren’t robots. They have doubts and prejudices and harbor contradictory thoughts just as any other character does. Some are compelled by an internal motivation that might sometimes be at odds with the principles of their oaths.

Symbol

Paladins are mindful of the influence of symbols, and many of them adopt or design an artistic device that bears a distinctive image. Your symbol exemplifies the oath you have taken and communicates that message to those around you, friend and foe alike.

Your symbol might be displayed on a banner, a flag, or your clothing for all to see. Or it could be less obvious, such as a trinket or a token that you carry concealed on your person.

Temptation

Although paladins are dedicated to their oaths, they are mortals, and thus they are flawed. Many of them exhibit a type of behavior or hold to an attitude that is not in keeping with the highest ideals of their calling.

What is the temptation that your character succumbs to or finds it difficult to resist?

Ranger

Rangers are free-minded wanderers and seekers who patrol the edges of civilized territory, turning back the denizens of the wild lands beyond. It is a thankless job, since their efforts are rarely understood and almost never rewarded. Yet rangers persist in their duties, never doubting that their work makes the world a safer place.

If you’re creating or playing a ranger character, the following sections offer ideas for embellishing the character and enhancing your roleplaying experience.

Homeland

All rangers, regardless of how they came to take up the profession, have a strong connection to the natural world and its various terrains. For some rangers, the wilderness is where they grew up, either as a result of being born there or moving there at a young age. For other rangers, civilization was originally home, but the wilderness became a second homeland.

Think of your character’s backstory and decide what terrain feels most like home, whether or not you were born there. What does that terrain say about your personality? Does it influence which spells you choose to learn? Have your experiences there shaped who your favored enemies are?

Rogue

When brute force won’t get the job done, or when magic isn’t available or appropriate, the rogue rises to the fore. With skills tied to stealth, subterfuge, and trickery, rogues can get into and out of trouble in ways that few other characters can emulate.

The following sections explore certain facets of what it means to be a rogue, which you can use to add depth to your character.

Adversary

Naturally, those who enforce the law are bound to come up against those who break it, and it’s the rare rogue who isn’t featured on at least one wanted poster. Beyond that, it’s in the nature of their profession that rogues often come into contact with criminal elements, whether out of choice or necessity. Some of those people can be adversaries too, and they’re likely to be harder to deal with than the average member of the city watch.

If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to come up with a reason why an adversary has appeared in your life. Perhaps you’ve been the subject of scrutiny for a while from someone who wants to use your for nefarious purposes and has just now become known to you. Such an incident could be the basis for an upcoming adventure.

Does your rogue character have an adversary who also happens to be a criminal? If so, how is this relationship affecting your life?

Sorcerer

When it comes to drawing forth their abilities in times of need, sorcerers have it easy compared to other characters. Their power not only rests within them, but it likely takes some effort to keep it at bay. Every sorcerer is born to the role, or stumbles into it through cosmic chance. Unlike other characters, who must actively learn, embrace, and pursue their talents, sorcerers have their power thrust upon them.

Reaction

When a new sorcerer enters the world, either at birth or later when one's power becomes evident, the consequences of that event depend greatly on how its witnesses react to what they have seen. When your sorcerer's powers appeared, how did the world around you respond? Were other people supportive, fearful, or somewhere in between?

Supernatural Mark

A sorcerer at rest is almost indistinguishable from a normal person; it's only when their magic flies forth that sorcerers reveal their true nature. Even so, many sorcerers have a subtle but telling physical trait that sets them apart from other folk. If your sorcerer has a supernatural mark, it might be one that's easily concealed, or it could be a source of pride that you keep on constant display.

Warlock

Warlocks are finders and keepers of secrets. They push at the edge of our understanding of the world, always seeking to expand their expertise. Where sages or wizards might heed a clear sign of danger and end their research, a warlock plunges ahead, heedless of the cost. Thus, it takes a peculiar mixture of intelligence, curiosity, and recklessness to produce a warlock. Many folk would describe that combination as evidence of madness. Warlocks see it as a demonstration of bravery.

The sections that follow provide ways to embellish a warlock character that could generate some intriguing story and roleplaying opportunities.

Special Terms of the Pact

A pact can range from a loose agreement to a formal contract with lengthly, detailed clauses and lists of requirements. The terms of the pact—what a warlock must do to receive a patron’s favor—are always dictated by the patron. On occasion, those terms include a special proviso that might seem odd or whimsical, but warlocks take these dictates as seriously as they do the other requirements of their pacts.

Does your character have a pact that requires you to change your behavior in an unusual or seemingly frivolous way? Even if your patron hasn’t imposed such a duty on you already, that’s not to say it couldn’t still happen.

Wizard

Only a select few people in the world are wielders of magic. Of all those, wizards stand at the pinnacle of the craft. Even the least of them can manipulate forces that flout the laws of nature, and the most accomplished among them can cast spells with world-shaking effects.

If you’re playing a wizard, take advantage of the opportunity to make your character more than just a stereotypical spell-slinger. Use the advice that follows to add some intriguing details to how your wizard interacts with the world.

Ambition

Few aspiring wizards undertake the study of magic without some personal goal in mind. Many wizards use their spells as a tool to produce a tangible benefit, in material goods or in status, for themselves or their companions. For others, the theoretical aspect of magic might have a strong appeal, pushing those wizards to seek out knowledge that supports new theories of the arcane or confirms old ones.

Beyond the obvious, why does your wizard character study magic, and what do you want to achieve? If you haven’t given these questions much thought, you can do so now, and the answers you come up with will likely affect how your future unfolds.

Ambition