I'm having trouble coming up with a character for the upcoming "Rage of Demons" campagin. Because of the subject matter, at least what we know so far, it seems most everyone at the store I play at will be playing Paladdins, followed by Warlock's. Obviously that doesn't make a balanced party.
In the past my problem with these campagins is that I create a character and then find he doesn't really fit the story he's in. What's been going on with the "Elemental Evil" campaign ended up having little that would interest my character in terms of things gained/things at stake. I'd love to create a character that actually fit into the story and tied in with what was going on.
I almost wish WOTC would release some kind of story/background info to serve as calalist event that occurs just before the beginning of play. That way we could come up with better story ties with the characters other than "came here looking for work."
Has anyone started to think about what their character will be? I could use some inspiration on backstories and character motivations, especially. What character are you making and how are they a part of the story?
Well, Paladins are easy. "I'm here to root out evil!" And that works for all three Oaths.
Monks can be sent by their Monastic Order to investigate/stop something that's a great threat. Clerics can follow the same line.
Druids are there to stop something from upsetting the balance.
Wizards are there to learn about it. And find a way to destroy it.
Rogues/Fighters/Rangers/Sorcerers are there for their own motivation, or as part of their guild/company.
Barbarians are there because they killed everything big in their homeland and now they want to fight something bigger 
I'm going to be playing a Ranger/Rouge/Fighter 
Any class could have a long lost father or mentor or any one else close to you who has been captured, enslaved and sent to the underdark. You could have received a message from them in destress or Maybe you wernt on good terms with them but a sister or friend urges you to go to their aid. Or the u did have regular correspondence with them and suddenly all has gone quiet so you know something is wrong.
Also you could be questing for a relic. Doesn't need to be divine, could be cultural like the axe of dwarven lords.
Lastly as you say they have not let us know specifics but judging by the title It would be a safe bet to make your backstory some thing to do with deamons. Weather your a Warlock trying to get to know your patron better or a claric whis diety some times acts threw deamons or maybe you or a loved one has made a pact with a daemon and your going to go bargen with him..... Or kill him (like a god of war story line).
Don't feel like by choosing a class you are shackled to x,y,z back story. A Cleric can go on a quest for personal reasons and a fighter could be on a quest for a holy relic.
yeah it's more the backstories/goals than the classes I'm having trouble with. But these are all good idea's.
Well, the more unbalanced your party is likely to be, the greater the need for a support or utility character, so I'd go with something like a non-damage spellcaster or healer (wizard, bard, druid, cleric).
Any of those would have plenty of class or alignment-related reasons for getting involved in a campaign that seems like it's going to heavily influenced and/or/feature evil outsiders without really needing any past personal connections to the subject. Or even a current one at the start of the campaign. They just need to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time, i.e., in the campaign area, to get involved in the story. You could then define their goals from there and start a new chapter of their story - it's not uncommon in fiction for characters to get torn away from whatever their life was like prior to the start of the story and sent off to do something that has nothing to do with any of their prior experiences or motivations. I'm pretty sure Han Solo had no idea he'd be joining the Rebel Alliance when he picked up a couple of passengers on Tattooine.
I'm pretty sure Han Solo had no idea he'd be joining the Rebel Alliance when he picked up a couple of passengers on Tattooine...........
Love it.
For an actual class to play, I heavily suggest Tempest Cleric or Lore Bard. Your Paladins won't do much in the form of AoE, right? Warlocks... I'm guessing a few will go Fiend, so they get Fireball. But they're so dependent on short rests. Tempest Cleric gets you heavy armor, and some AWESOME Concentration spells. Really look at the spell Spirit Guardians, and remember that your Paladins will provide a bonus to everyones saving throws after a certain level. Both Clerics and Bards get a lot of support spells, and Lore Bards get to hand pick spells from other classes.
I think the biggest consideration would be the Underdark, not the Demons themselves. Sure, the Warlock can see at level 2, which might happen before you go down into the depths, but everyone else without Darkvision will have a big bright target painted on them.
As for background, why would anyone do anything that's dangerous regardless of where they've come from? Do you come from a Deep Gnome city in the Underdark that recently got destroyed because of the Demons? Are you a member of one of the 3 Dwarven citadels in the area and have been charged with investigating before the threat spills into your halls? Have the Elven gods, and your rulers, charged you with a crusade to once again stop the evil machinations of your underground kin?
Tons of things can set you on the trail. There will also be bonds and options in the appendix of the adventure. There's also this supplement on the Adventurer's League site:
http://dndadventurersleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Hillsfar-Regional-Character-Options.pdf
It might not be 100% what you would want for the Sword Coast adventure, though.
A Bard might be persuaded against his own better judgement to go on an Underdark adventure because he really cares about this gang of punks who like to get into fights and would lose every stinking one of them, if he wasn't around to "help". (meaning heal, Bless, Bane, distract the enemy)
A recent Star Wars novel, set between movies 4 and 5, has Leia ask Han if he won't join the Rebels for the sake of one person. No, not ME - for Chewie !
I would have a very tough time wanting to play an Underdark campaign as a Human unless I had a magic see-in-the-dark capability. Therefore my Rage character won't be a Human (and he won't be going into Hillsfar if he can possibly help it, either.)
A Fighter might go down there to face the demons BEFORE they get to the surface and threaten all he holds dear.
A Cleric of Good might want to face the demons ... well, because they're demons and are the embodiment of all that is unholy. HE has to because nobody else CAN. (Or so he thinks.)
A Ranger optimized for throwing weapons might be a useful and not-typical party member / asset.
Any class of character whose background includes being part of a large organization might find a Set of Orders waiting for him when he gets back to base. I'm specifically thinking Soldier; presume a disbanded army / mercenary unit, which is bring re-constituted due to the upcoming opportunity, and a written Invitation.
Madmarrik wrote:
This may help
http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/story
I'm going to continue playing my Tempest Cleric, since he's only level 3 right now.
Maybe instead of class look at race. The last scenario in this season that we played yesterday (Elemental Evil) had a drow spellcaster looking for the adventure McGuffin spellbook for help with demons that were terrorizing his city. He was assigned to get this spell out of the book to aid the defense. It was a clear lead-in to Rage of Demons. So play a drow or svirfniblin or other Underdark race (if those are legal?).
In the end, anyone can say "My faction sent me to clean this up." No great amount of thinking required if you're really needing a hook.
- An "adopted son of Shaundakul", you love to see what's over the next hill, can't stay off the road for very long, want to experience new things. You.ve never seen the REAL Underdark before.
- Wood elf scout being sent to find out what all these nasty scary rumors are about, BEFORE they get too close to home.
- You are a lycanthrope setting out into the world to discover somebody who can help you control your passions. Your emotions wax and wane with the moon. You were thrown out of your home village because you are big and strong enough to be dangerous when you lose your self-control.
- Heir of 4e Impilturan Demonslayer. This is what my family does for a living.
- Your peoples' home is getting overcrowded and many people will soon be moving out. Find someplace for them to go, not very dangerous. Oops, guess your mission was mis-directed.
- Druid or Cleric of Nature, track down these rumors of un-natural activity to their source.
- Tiefling has visions of his ancestors. Coming with storm and ruin !
- Archmage's apprentice has been sent out to get real-world experience, and btw the old summoning circle detector is malfunctioning, can you check that out before you get back?
- Spawn of Tiamat / Bahamut is seeking out a tale (probably tangled in the telling) that claims the Lower Planes are again being drawn near the Natural World. The last time was bad enough...
- Merchants with vision (or crazy enough) can find a way to make profit from anything. Wars and such are relatively easy to manipulate.
BRJN wrote: