Alek Greycastle

So, I've finally hammered out the back story for my character and role-played him for a few sessions. So what do I have?

He's a human. Alek is 6'1" (about as big as womp rat) and about 250 lbs. He has pale skin and black hair. He grey up in Silverymoon, a city with a high elf population, so he speaks Common and Elvish. Languages work like they did in 4th, so humans speak Common and one other of their choice.

He's a cleric, specifically of Tempus, the god of war in the Forgotten Realms. Clerics pick a Domain at first level, which affects their spells and special abilities. I chose War, so I'm proficient in martial weapons and heavy armor, otherwise clerics are only proficient in simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields. Also, between long rests, I get an ability that lets me make an extra attack as a bonus action when I use the Attack action. I can use it a number of times equal to my Wis modifier. I chose Medicine and History as his skill proficiencies.

I tweaked his stats a little. Encounters lets players use the point buy. So based off the default array, I changed Int and Cha to 11 each, so after modifiers, He has Str 15, Dex 9, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 12.

Lastly, background. I chose Soldier. His background feature is called Military Rank, in this case sergeant. Its benefits mostly come into play in role-playing and downtime. In organizations that respect that rank, I can throw some weight around, and even get meals and accommodations for limited periods of time. Next, I gain proficiency with the skills Athletics and Intimidation. He also gains proficiency in a gaming set and Vehicles (land). I chose deck of playing cards as his proficiency. This fits with the "Croaker" aspect of the character, as the characters in the Black Company seemed to constantly play a card game called "Tonk." Based on vague descriptions of play, it seems to work like Rummy or a similar game.

He's equipped with Chain Mail, a Shield, a Warhammer, and a Spear. Based on his background, all his equipment is company issue or hand-me-downs, so it looks used but well cared for. His shield bears the holy symbol of Tempus (a sword wreathed in flame). He also keeps the tusk of the first orc he slew in combat on a leather thong around his neck.

Last come the role-playing characteristics, a feature added to 5th to facilitate role-playing, but also to help the DM hand out a reward called Inspiration. First are personality traits, which characters have two of. Based off of suggestions for background, Alek has: "I can stare down the most horrific of foes without flinching," and "I have a foul mouth and a crude sense of humor." That second is a bit tough to role-play in a game store, as the environment needs to be family friendly. Next comes ideal. I chose "Responsibility. Everyone needs to follow reasonable authority to make the world a better place." A bit on the Lawful bent for a Neutral character, but it makes sense with a soldier. Next comes Bond, which I got from material in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen Adventure. My grandfather was a famous dragon slayer. The Cult came looking for revenge, so I decided to hide in Greenest for a while. Lastly, my character needs a flaw. Originally I had a blind and unreasoning hatred of orcs and vampires. That doesn't seem to be getting much play in this scenario. I considered expanding it to all monstrous humanoids, as kobolds have been a constant thorn in our side. I'll mull it over for a bit.

Next time, I'll go over leveling up.