Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread (My D&D PCs)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
User avatar
MisterB
Posts: 447
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:37 pm
Location: Spokane, WA
Contact:

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by MisterB »

I really like your character format for 5e, might just have to "steal" it. :D
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Woodclaw »

MisterB wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:35 pm I really like your character format for 5e, might just have to "steal" it. :D
Go fo it.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

#4 D&D 5th: Mina, the Smiling Rogue

Post by Woodclaw »

Image
Picture by Risa "Vylla" Hulett

Mina, the Smiling Rogue

Race: Human (variant rules); Background: Spy; Class: Rogue 4th (Arcane Trickster)

Alignment. Chaotic Good
Personality.
Mina believes that her noble birth should be immediately apparent from her natural regal bearing.
In spite of her royal bloodline, Mina doesn't consider herself above the masses.

Ideals.
Friendship: Mina has seen how glory and power are often temporary, but true friendship lasts forever.
Bonds.
Whenever her family calls, Mina feels compelled to answer.
Flaws.
In spite of knowing little about love, Mina enjoys pairing up couples, especially her friends.

STR: +0 (10), DEX: +3 (16), CON: +1 (12), INT: +2 (14), WIS: +0 (11), CHA: +2 (14)

Proficiency Bonus: +2
  • Saving Throws: Dexterity +5, Intelligence +4
  • Skills: Acrobatics* +7; Deception +4; Insight +2; Perception +2; Performance +4; Sleight of Hand +5; Stealth* +7
  • Tools: Forgery Kit, Disguise Kit, Thieves's Tools
  • Languages: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish, Halfling, Gnomish
  • Weapons: Simple, Hand Crossbow, Longsword, Rapier, Whip**
  • Armors: Light
Features
  • False Identity. Mina has a fully established second identity that she can assume on a moment's notice. She can also easily forge documents, including official paper and personal letters, as long as she has seen an example of the original kind of document or handwriting.
  • Sneak Attack (once per Turn). When fighting with a Dexterity-based weapon, Mina can inflict +2d6 damage against any opponent she has Advantage or that is already engaged with another enemy.
  • Cunning Action (bonus action). Mina can use her bonus action to Dash, Disengage or Hide.
  • Thieves' Cant. Mina can convey secret messages during a normal conversation, provided the recipient also knows this code.
  • Mage Hand Legedermain. Mina can her Mage Hand spell completely invisible, she can use it to pickpocket another creature or to use the thieves' tools from a distance. Plus she can use her Bonus Action to control the hand.
  • Feat: Actor. Mina has Advantage on any Charisma (Deception or Performance) roll to impersonate others. She can also mimic the speech or sounds of other creatures, provided she heard it for at least 1 minute.
  • Feat: Linguist. Mina is adept at creating ciphers. Anyone trying to decode them without her instructions must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence check.
Combat:

Initiative: +3; Armor Class: 15 (studded leather); Speed: 30'
Hit Points: 27; Hit Dice: 4d8

Attacks:
  • Silver Crystal Sword (rapier) (+5 to hit; 1d8+3)
  • Dagger (+5 to hit; 1d4+3; Thrown [20'/60'])
  • Whip (+5 to hit; 1d4+3; Reach)
Other Equipment: Component Pouch (arcane focus), Clothes (fine), Backpack (Candles [10], Hooded Lantern, Rope [50'], Hammer, Pitons [10], String, Bell, Tinderbox, Ball bearings, Crowbar, Ration [1 day]), Pouch (10gp), Thieves' Tools, Disguise Kit

Spells (alwasy prepared)
  • Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Mage Hand, True Strike
  • 1st Level: Charm Person, Color Spray, Disguise Self, Find Familiar (Artemis)
The Story So Far.
As distant relatives from a cadet branch of the royal family, the Dukes of the Aphrodia are traditionally the diplomats and envoys of the Silver Moon Kingdom, hence the halls of Magellan Castle are often empty and many children of the family are born in foreign lands.
Mina was no exception, born far away from her motherland and for many years she knew it only through the tales of her mother. Perhaps due to nostalgia, the Duchess painted a very idyllic picture of the Kingdom and Mina grew up starry-eyed at the idea of one day returning to her home and claim her place next to her cousins. During her years abroad she had the chance to study under many unusual tutors, some of which bestowed upon her rather exotic bits of knowledge and techniques.
When it was finally the time to return, it was bittersweet. The kingdom looked every bit as glorious as Mina expected, but she also felt constrained by the court duties and her new role as guardian of - and sometimes body double - her cousin, Princess Serenity. Annoyed, constrained and generally bored, Mina resolved to create a second identity as the mysterious "Smiling Rogue", a daring heroine dedicated to thwarting the enemies of the Kingdom.
Unfortunately, this decision had far deeper consequences than expected. Inspired by the Smiling Rogue, Princess Serenity started to ride out into the night adding to Mina's troubles. So far she has helped Serenity and her new friends as the Smiling Rogue while playing the stern "older sister" while in her official capacity.


:arrow: Minako Aino, Sailor Venus, always struck me as a terrible paradox, she had a massive jumpstart over any other secondary member of the cast, thanks to the manga Codename: Sailor V, but that entire storyline ended up being mostly ignored, pushing her back in line with the rest of the cast. Takeuchi sensei tried to add some elements to her, pretty much saying that she was meant to be the real leader of the Senshi (whereas Sailor Moon was the one they were meant to protect) and the body double of the princess.

:arrow: Lucky for me, all of this gave plenty of material to work with: given her past as Sailor V, rogue was a pretty natural fit, the arcane trickster archetype provided the required spells (although some will probably change at higher levels) and the idea of her as an impersonator tied everything else together.

:arrow: As I did with Mako, I tweaked the rules a tiny bit, switching the proficiency with the short sword with the proficiency with the whip, to simulate Minako's trademark chain weapon.

:arrow: The picture above is probably the one that is the furthest from my design, but you can assume that's her "official duty" outfit.
Last edited by Woodclaw on Sun Mar 17, 2019 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Jabroniville »

Woodclaw wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:23 am
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:54 am Mako is, as always, rad. Her as a Barbarian suits the character, given how she's always the first one to attack, and the first one to get her butt kicked as a result. That 5e apparently has a "Bring the Thunder" kind of weapon, it's a really good fit :).
I don't know about the "getting the butt kicked" between the ungodly amount of HP and the ability to halve all physical damage, 5th Edition barbarians are pretty much the ultimate bullet sponge.
Yeah, I mean in the show. But I'd imagine her tactics of "rush headlong into combat before considering the enemy" would probably not be the soundest of tactics in D&D, either :).
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:54 am Gotta love that her "Romantic" nature is still a Complication :).
That's one of those bit that left me kind of there: I borrowed almost the entire manga run from a friend and I noticed how the cartoon pretty much turned many one-time jokes into recurring jokes and catchphrases (case in point, Makoto only mentioned her infamous senpai once or twice in the entire run). Truth to be told I understand why, Takeuchi sensei was not very good at writing secondary characters.
Still, I believe that having a tough as nail barbarian acting all girly and romantic is enough of a weird combination to ensure many awkward situations.
Yeah, it's weird to read those, and to see Sailor Moon Crystal, and see the Secondary Characters as essentially a floating band of "react-ors" who just look at Usagi and say stuff as a group.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Jabroniville »

Minako the Thief seems fun. Turning the girls (who are mostly all Blasters in the anime/manga) into a D&D party necessitates some role-filling, and Mina is more believable as a thief than as a Cleric. Though the manga version seems very Paladin-esque.
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Woodclaw »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:48 pm Minako the Thief seems fun. Turning the girls (who are mostly all Blasters in the anime/manga) into a D&D party necessitates some role-filling, and Mina is more believable as a thief than as a Cleric. Though the manga version seems very Paladin-esque.
The fit is actually better than you think as soon as you stop considering what each character can do and focus on what each character represents. They're actually a rather well balanced party.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by MacynSnow »

I'm rather curious as to how you'll write-up Tuxedo Mask/whatever-his-name-was-when-he-was-Arabic-looking......
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:48 pm Minako the Thief seems fun. Turning the girls (who are mostly all Blasters in the anime/manga) into a D&D party necessitates some role-filling, and Mina is more believable as a thief than as a Cleric. Though the manga version seems very Paladin-esque.
I'd make her a Bard, personally.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Woodclaw »

MacynSnow wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:07 pm I'm rather curious as to how you'll write-up Tuxedo Mask/whatever-his-name-was-when-he-was-Arabic-looking......
I'm not sure I will, balacing out the rest of the remaining bast is turning out to be a real chore.
Davies wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:38 am
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:48 pm Minako the Thief seems fun. Turning the girls (who are mostly all Blasters in the anime/manga) into a D&D party necessitates some role-filling, and Mina is more believable as a thief than as a Cleric. Though the manga version seems very Paladin-esque.
I'd make her a Bard, personally.
I considered Bard, but I decided against it because I wanted a narrowed spell selection, having already two full casters on the field.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

#5 D&D 5th: Usagi, Princess Serenity

Post by Woodclaw »

Image
Picture by Risa "Vylla" Hulett

Usagi, Princess Serenity of the House of Selene

Race: Human (variant rules); Background: Noble (heir apparent); Class: Paladin 4th (Oath of Devotion)

Alignment. Chaotic Good
Personality.
Contrary to what might appear Usagi is very observant but has a crappy memory.
Usagi acts friendly toward everyone she meets and is extremely empathic.

Ideals.
Hope: According to Usagi everyone deserves a second chance.
Bonds.
In spite of all her shortcomings, Usagi is actually very devoted to her kingdom.
Flaws.
Usagi is the textbook definition of airheaded.

STR: +2 (14), DEX: +1 (12), CON: +1 (12), INT: -1 (9), WIS: +1 (12), CHA: +3 (16)

Proficiency Bonus: +2
  • Saving Throws: Wisdom +3, Charisma +5
  • Skills: Animal Handling +3; History +1; Insight +3; Persuasion +5
  • Tools: Playing Cards
  • Languages: Common, Celestial, Sylvan
  • Weapons: Simple and Martial
  • Armors: Light, Medium, Heavy and Shields
Features
  • Position of Privilege. Thanks to her noble birth Usagi is welcome to high society, can secure audiences with other aristocrats and people tend to think the best of her.
  • Divine Sense (action; 4 times per Long Rest). Usagi can sense the presence of undead, celestial, fiends and places that are either sacred of desecrated within 60'.
  • Lay on Hands (action; 20hp per long rest). Usagi can heal other creatures with a simple touch.
  • Defense Fighting Style. Usagi adds +1 to her AC when in armor.
  • Smite. When Usagi hits with a melee weapon attack, she can spend a spell slot to add a number of d8 to her damage equal to the slot level plus 1 (up to +5d8). if the target is a fiend or undead she adds one extra d8.
  • Divine Health. Usagi is immune to diseases.
  • Channel Divinity (Action; Once per Short Rest): Usagi can channel divine power to use one of the following abilities.
    • Turn the Unholy. Undead and Fiends within 30' of Usagi must make a DC 13 Wisdom save or be turned for 1 minute or until damaged.
    • Sacred Weapon. Usagi can imbue her weapon with divine power for 1 minute. It becomes magical, gains a +3 bonus to attack rolls and emits light in a 20' radius.
  • Feat: Inspiring Leader. (10 minutes; once per short rest) Usagi can try to inspire her companions, up to 6 allies of her choice gains 7 temporary hp.
  • Feat: Ritual Caster. Usagi can cast ritual spells up to 2nd level. She knows the Identify and Find Familiar (Luna) spells.
Combat:

Initiative: +1; Armor Class: 19 (chainmail + shield); Speed: 30'
Hit Points: 32; Hit Dice: 4d10

Attacks:
  • Princess Wand (warhammer) (+4 to hit; 1d8+2; 1d10+2 if used with both hands)
  • Tiara (dagger) (+4 to hit; 1d4+2; thrown [20'/60'])
Other Equipment: Clothes (fine), Royal Signet Ring, Backpack (bedroll, mess kit, rations [1 day], rope [50'], tinderbox, candles [10], hooded lantern, documents to prove her identity), Pouch (25gp)

Spells (can prepare 5 per day plus Oath spells, usual selection)
  • 1st Level: Protection from Evil and Good (O), Sanctuary (O), Bless, Cure Wounds, Divine Favour, Searing Smite
The Story So Far.
Few things in the Silver Moon Kingdom are so divisive as Princess Serenity (or Usagi, her childhood name that she actually prefers). Her opponents are very vocal in pointing out that she is unattentive, airheaded and more often than not goofy in a way that doesn't befit a future monarch. Her supporters are quick to point out that, in spite of all her shortcomings, she's in fact extremely generous, a good student of human nature and always takes full responsibility for her mistakes. Unfortunately, both are quite right and the Queen had a hard time defusing many potentially disastrous situations, often against her better judgment as a ruler or as a mother.
Still, the population seems to love her and she has caught the eye of more than one suitor.
Just to make things more complicated the recent appearance of the mysterious "Smiling Rogue" seems to have ignited the Princess's imagination and she has taken the habit of disappearing and, if the rumors are true, getting involved into some kind of crazy escapades. These seem to leave her both crying from the number of bruises she suffers, but also strangely eager for more. Luckily, she has also befriended a rather diverse group of other young women, who seem to have a knack for bailing her out of the fire.
All in all, the Queen seems to be rather pleased with the effect these "unusual experiences" have on Usagi. She is getting a bit more mature a whole lot more attentive. Although nothing seemed able to undermine her carefree attitude toward matters of state.


:arrow: Damn, this was hard. Not because of the rules, but because if there's a character I really never got the appeal of is Usagi Tsukino. I get that the big idea was to have the most awkward protagonist possible to make her growth even more apparent, but there is such a thing as too much. It doesn't help that like any other silly trait this becomes so prevalent in subsequent adaptations that nothing could be done about it. All in all what I was left with is a character that has the uncanny ability to befriend everyone, like an overgrowth starry-eyed child, but was very much dead weight in many other circumstances.

:arrow: This got me thinking: Paladins are kind of the one-shot wonders of the 5th edition. They can cause ungodly amounts of damage with the combination of Smite and some spells, but they have little in the way of long term durability. This actually made perfect sense with Usagi's role in combat: she can hit like no-one else, but really need some help to make sure it connects (and possibly crit). Also, many Paladin features benefit from high Charisma score, which is her one big plus. I have to say that this build was really against my better judgment, but it somehow fit.

:arrow: Of course I took massive liberties with the background since in fantasy setting Usagi works better in a version of her Princess Serenity persona. Yet I didn't want to go with the usual version since -- let's be honest -- she was the epicenter of pretty much every major fuck-up in the entire storyline. As a result, I added a bit of an adventurous streak in her, which totally non-canon, but I think it works.
Last edited by Woodclaw on Sun Mar 17, 2019 11:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by Jabroniville »

Yeah, Usagi was... hard to like. Obnoxious, Stupid and a giant crybaby. That they "Rachel Summers'd" her and arbitrarily decided she was the hottest girl in a group ENTIRELY MADE of hot girls didn't help. Now that I'm older, and watching the new dub, I can see it a little bit more. She's basically the world's most optimistic person, seeking out the outsiders and seeing what no one else could.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Wizards & Wyverns - My fantasy build thread

Post by MacynSnow »

Woodclaw wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:21 am
MacynSnow wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:07 pm I'm rather curious as to how you'll write-up Tuxedo Mask/whatever-his-name-was-when-he-was-Arabic-looking......
I'm not sure I will, balacing out the rest of the remaining bast is turning out to be a real chore.
You want me to give it a try?In my favor,i've been playing/gming D&D for.....around 28-29 years now and have one of the worst Redneck Otaku's in the world as a brother..... ;)
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: #5 D&D 5th: Usagi, Princess Serenity

Post by Davies »

Woodclaw wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:35 pm :arrow: Damn, this was hard. Not because of the rules, but because if there's a character I really never got the appeal of is Usagi Tsukino. I get that the big idea was to have the most awkward protagonist possible to make her growth even more apparent, but there is such thing as too much. It doesn't help that like any other silly trait this become so prevalent in sebsequent adaptations that nothing could be done about it. All in all what I was left with is a character that has the uncanny ability to befriend everyone, like a overgorwth starry-eyed child, but was very much a dead weight in many other circumstances.
A Touch of Class, a book of 3rd-party designed classes to which I contributed, also includes a Noble class that might work for her.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: #5 D&D 5th: Usagi, Princess Serenity

Post by MacynSnow »

Davies wrote: Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:10 am
Woodclaw wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:35 pm :arrow: Damn, this was hard. Not because of the rules, but because if there's a character I really never got the appeal of is Usagi Tsukino. I get that the big idea was to have the most awkward protagonist possible to make her growth even more apparent, but there is such thing as too much. It doesn't help that like any other silly trait this become so prevalent in sebsequent adaptations that nothing could be done about it. All in all what I was left with is a character that has the uncanny ability to befriend everyone, like a overgorwth starry-eyed child, but was very much a dead weight in many other circumstances.
A Touch of Class, a book of 3rd-party designed classes to which I contributed, also includes a Noble class that might work for her.
3e,4e or 5e-centric?
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5081
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: #5 D&D 5th: Usagi, Princess Serenity

Post by Davies »

MacynSnow wrote: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:53 am
3e,4e or 5e-centric?
... 5e. Why would I suggest classes of another edition for a 5e character building project?
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Post Reply