Character Ideas

[cold1029]

Hey guys. I'm working on a D&D 5th edition campaign, and I'd like the story to be populated with interesting characters. Now, I've got several interesting and odd characters from previous games where I played, but I really don't want to use them for personal reasons (most of them are a bit obnoxious, and only one player would "get" the joke of their inclusion). I've spent some time and come up with a few characters, but they are mostly story-driven characters, and not purely for flavoring/texturing the world.

I'm writing this to ask you guys to throw out some ideas for fun and memorable characters. They can be ridiculously powerful, hilariously weak, crazy, odd, quirky, or totally normal. It's always fun to bug the players with crazy characters, but I also don't want that to be all they encounter.

Thanks for reading, please post below!

[GanonBoar]

One idea I've had for a while is a Druid that tries to look really wise but isn't really. He always either speaks in riddles or with uncertainty. Also, he speaks like Yoda. Because reasons.

[cold1029]

I like that. I can come up with lots of pseudo-provincial statements, like "the journey of two stones begins with a single stone."

Or rather, "Begins with one stone, the journey of two stones does"

[Belac93]

Take a druid, or a wizard. Then add pretty much any personality trait to them, and turn the trait up to 11. Enjoy.

[cold1029]

I like that too, but I may use a different class.

[Skeller]

How about a Bard who talks a bit like Ben Stein whose performance of choice is oration?

[M Placeholder]

- A Cleric who only joined the priesthood of her church because her sister was found to be a Favoured Soul and was therefore spoilt rotten by her parents. As a result, the Cleric studied uber hard so she could become skilled in divine magic and earn everything she has, rather than been handed everything on a plate.

- A Bard that has been kicked out of a troupe due to creative differences, and is working on a killer solo album that will show those ingrates why getting rid of him was a big mistake. But after being kicked out the house by his elf ex girlfriend, he needs to make money fast.

[cold1029]

- A Cleric who only joined the priesthood of her church because her sister was found to be a Favoured Soul and was therefore spoilt rotten by her parents. As a result, the Cleric studied uber hard so she could become skilled in divine magic and earn everything she has, rather than been handed everything on a plate.

- A Bard that has been kicked out of a troupe due to creative differences, and is working on a killer solo album that will show those ingrates why getting rid of him was a big mistake. But after being kicked out the house by his elf ex girlfriend, he needs to make money fast.

I honestly love your ideas because of how completely normal they seem. Like, it's like, exactly what you would expect from a teenage girl growing up in a fantasy world.

[cold1029]

How about a Bard who talks a bit like Ben Stein whose performance of choice is oration?

Lol, I like it. Maybe there could be a side-quest about teaching him to be a good orator.

[Anderlith]

A chef wizard/ or cleric. His wand is a ladle, & a giant spoon as a staff. He brew/cooks potions/stews/bread etc. Anything you could find in a potion or scroll he has a way of making it food. His spellbook is a cookbook. He has a few scrolls baked onto tortillas too. He denies any spellcasting abilities out of hand pretending its just tricks of the light or freak accidents, & great cooking. He is actually a decently powerful wizard but doesn't like what he did in the past or is in hiding. He should come across as a sympathetic ear & old man advice giver. Not super sage like, but worldwise.

[ZenBear]

I ported the Adventurers League factions to my homebrew campaign setting and used the DMG NPC creation tables for the representatives. It turned out quite well!

Zurd the Diviner Wizard of the Harpers. He dresses like a hobo and is your typical curmudgeonly old man. You can never find him; he finds you, and always knows why you were looking for him. His staff is a Fey relic from prehistoric times that he guards jealously.

Hector the Battlemaster Fighter of the Lords Alliance. Always sharply dressed in military uniform, has a remarkably deep voice. He ended up stationed at the League Hall because he fell in love with his liege Lady and a jealous Lord "promoted" him to keep them apart.

Oscar the Devotion Paladin of the Order of the Gauntlet. His armor is flamboyantly decked out in red and gold paint, filigree and feathers. He is always cheerful (every time he meets the PC cleric of the same faith he spins her around in a bear hug) and great with kids.

Lily the Halfling Moon Druid of the Emerald Enclave. Lost several fingers wrestling bears yet still is an expert rock skipper. She's always chewing on something. Has a very surly, argumentative personality.

Valas the Drow Feylock of the Zhentarim. Impeccably dressed and never seen without three platinum rings in his left eyebrow. He has a deep envy and hatred of the Harpers for unknown reasons.

[Shining Wrath]

A frenzy barbarian with the noble background. He's well educated, well spoken, dresses well, holds his pinky out when sipping his tea (which he complains about if he can't get the finest Halfling leaf), and then his rages are the stereotypical foaming at the mouth insanity. Battles end with him standing in the center of a ring of devastation, breathing heavily, and then he says "Well those uncouth vassals got their just desserts" or something along those lines.

A wizard with Charisma of 8 who is forever trying to pick up girls (or boys). Ethically, he knows he shouldn't use Enchantment. He does know that ... but the temptation is sometimes too strong, and then Troubles Ensue.

A warlock who really wants to be a cleric but no god will take him because they don't want to anger his patron (probably a Great Old One). So he's forever trying to use clerical scrolls, he takes Ritual Caster (Cleric) but none of the spells work, he tries to wear chainmail and wield a mace but he's inept (no fair going Pact of the Blade and forming a mace). To add to his misery, his stats are better suited for a cleric.

[rlc]

A little girl who names her dolls after the PCs. Her brother likes stealing them and having has his action figures beat them up.

A halfling with a napoleon complex.

[LaserFace]

I find an entertaining way to help me come up with memorable characters is to just imagine people introducing themselves. I typically already know what tone I want before I begin, so from here I just need to carry that tone into a meeting. How a character steps forward and tries to make that first impression can say a lot about that character, and you can have a lot of fun by doing something unexpected.

For example, "I am the man with no name: Zap Brannigan."

[cold1029]

I find an entertaining way to help me come up with memorable characters is to just imagine people introducing themselves. I typically already know what tone I want before I begin, so from here I just need to carry that tone into a meeting. How a character steps forward and tries to make that first impression can say a lot about that character, and you can have a lot of fun by doing something unexpected.

For example, "I am the man with no name: Zap Brannigan."

That's a really good idea. One of the story-driven characters introduces himself by casting Raise Dead on a player that dies. He's a clerical champion of a cause, which is assumed to be a positive/good cause. Only later is it revealed that he was actually perfectly capable of using a more permanent form of resurrection, but he deliberately chose the form that requires repeat visits. :)

[RealCheese]

In a recent game I started to introduce some new players to the game I had them begin with the trope of them seperatley arriving at an inn at a crossroads. The weather was terrible and they sought refuge as well as a meal. There were some characters in the inn.
Two gambling dwarf twins called Dirt and Basher, winning money from eachother but willing to play a simple game of chance (higher dice wins, giving the player a chance to cheat with a low dc sleight of hand check, dwarves quitting once player was ahead by 10 gold).
A drunken elf in noble clothes, berating everyone else over everything. A few history or insight checks would show you he was lying about many things and if confronted he admitted to have stolen the clothes along with the gold he was spending, not much gold lefr now but je would offer them a round to keep quiet about it.
The last group was a travelling merchant and his men. He invited a player to sit with them as she approached them, talked hapilly about his wife and his son he was on his way home to see.
Not that you need this part, but as the inn was attacked the elf hid, the dwarves grabbed their good and ran and the merchant and his men drew their swords to help out.
Hopefully some of that inspires :)

[ZenBear]

I plan on playing a character named Johnny McLiche, a Commoner Frenzy Barbarian. He grew up a farmer until monsters killed his parents and burned his village to the ground. He took up his father's sword and went off adventuring.

I picked Barbarian over Fighter because he's supposed to be untrained, learning through experience and raw talent. In typical protagonist fashion he gets stronger and braver when he is angry, less a blind savagery and more an adrenaline rush.

[Foxhound438]

One of my characters is a silver dragonborn oath of ancients paladin/fey warlock. he's married to a dryad, and that's why he made his oath, and also she's his patron. he's not that smart but somehow he just gets great magic items practically rained down unto him due to impossible luck (and being the only STR character in a party). he has more than he could possibly use, and could be a handy source of "hey look, it's exactly that one magic item you needed! mabye George will give it to you if you do a favor for him!" he tends to mess up people's names in hilarious ways, since he has the memory of approximately a gold fish, and he writes down names of things, but has terrible hand writing anyways so the cool named boss might be referred to as "windex" or "harog-something something-else". he has a seemingly normal treasure chest that is his portal to the feywild, and also a storage unit for all of his (mostly useless) magic items. obviously he spends most of his time fighting the darkness by... well, paladins gonna be a paladin, in his mind the best way is to light it up with a flametongue, which is his longsword. otherwise typically jovial, always willing to take a hit for the team. usually in the neck or face area. Oh, and he'll aggressively try to trade magic items with anyone who has something he's never had before.

[BootStrapTommy]

A Hermit whose Discovery is that the world is a game of 5e D&D.

[ZenBear]

a hermit whose discovery is that the world is a game of 5e d&d.

*gasp* 😱😱😱

[Foxhound438]

Another one for you: a particularly young adventurer NPC who is secretly a fiend patron warlock, but pretends to be a different class to get accepted; in reality, they were forced to be a warlock by a powerful fiend that has taken someone they care about hostage, and wants them to kill a certain PC, or followers of a certain god (probably clerics or paladins, mostly). they would follow around the party until they find themselves in a tight battle and start trying to kill someone, and after the fight if they aren't killed by the players, they explain their actual situation. good quest hook for you there too.

[Foxhound438]

A Hermit whose Discovery is that the world is a game of 5e D&D.

this site needs a like button.

[Foxhound438]

another good character trope is the "Cid Highwind", the guy who's always abrasive as f*** and insults everyone and yells at everyone, but deep down really cares about the people around them, and would give up everything to protect them.

[TripleD]

A family of adventurers.

They travel from town to town in their caravan, righting wrongs and taking on jobs for hire.

Papa Ekme: He's a 71 year old Way-of-the-Shadow Monk. Bit of a "Willie-wonka" complex: always ready with a smile, eccentric personality, and loves taking kids on "educational field trips" they may or may not survive.

Granny Ekme: 72 years old. Deceased, but not out. A skeleton who maintains most of her Battle Master training, but is content to let her son-in-law take over as the party "face". Slightly crotchety, but still very much in love with her husband (a sentiment which is returned; best not to think through the mechanics of that too much).

Dalia Wong: Grandpa Ekme's daughter. A College of Valor Bard in her early forties. Realized a young age she wanted to be an adventurer like her parents. At a slightly older age she realized she also wished to share the tales of her martial exploits with others. She compiles the adventures of her family (with certain details omitted/altered) into volumes, which are regularly sent off to a publisher and a rapt audience.

Li Wong: Also in his early forties. Felt the calling at a young age to be a cleric of Pelor, and in turn embraced the light domain. Loves his wife and shares her passion for literacy. Gets along well with his Father-in-Law, but feels guilty towards Granny, as it was his botched resurrection that resulted in her current "condition".

Boro Wong: Kobold. Late-teens. Adopted as an egg from a Kobold from a hive-raid, although his parents have not made him privy to the details. Very close to his grandfather, who trains him in the way of the monk, although Boro leans more towards "Way of the Open Hand".

Yang Wong: Human mid-teens. Frenzy Barabian who loves her parents but frequently rebels against their bookish ways. Idolizes her "big" brother. Seems completely oblivious to the fact that her brother is clearly not even the same species. Not sure if wishful thinking or she genuinely doesn't notice.

Tu "Toto" Wong: Two years old. A bit of a surprise to her parents. She's cute and lovable, but was born during a campaign into the feywild. There tend to be small, unexplained disappearances, appearances, or explosions whenever she is exceptionally angry or overjoyed.

[BootStrapTommy]

Premanufactured NPCs you may find useful:

Dragonlord Mosaham Abramose

A Gold Dragon (Maurgner) riding Dragon Rider. He's a former bard and mercenary captain, turned ruler of Orquacourt.

Orquacourt is a city-state that became short hand in my groups' campaigns for "place where **** hits the fan". Mosaham is illustrated as a capable leader, known to inspire incredible loyalty in his allies and subordinates. I often depict him as jovial and prone to vice, but determined and courageous in combat. Usually he's a half-elf, but if I push events far enough forward chronologically, he's a baelnorn or archlich

I often imply he possesses the Eye of Vecna, if I don't plan on making it available to my players. As a consequence, he's often hard to fool or mislead.

Gabriel the Bold

A thoroughly morally questionable necromancer often depicted as a shadowy advisor to Mosaham. Usually implied to be out of the player's league and often played to be as creepy as possible. Cold, calculating, and often a were-something or lich. He usually becomes a morally questionable party's go-to ally, being amiable despite Evil. Despite his alignment difference with Mosaham, they are often depicted as loyal to each other to a fault.

When I plan on withholding the option from my players, he is depicted as possessing the Hand of Vecna, which usually gets the "don't think of murderhoboing this guy" message across.

Steve

I'm known for ad hoc campaigns, so the name's origin is intentionally comical. Every iteration of Steve contains a few important elements: he's a human, a ranger, and an ally.

I often use him for situations where the players need a wilderness guide. He's usually depicted as a professional. Calm, courteous, and collected. Usually neutrally aligned and mission success oriented. Favors bows and handaxes. Almost always has an animal companion, usually a wolf. Often he's tied closely with either a mercenary company, a band of monster hunters, or a draconic cult.

Fire Guy

Another comically ad hoc name, "Fire Guy" is a balor lord. He differs from your traditional balor in that he is depicted as being comically bad at being Bad.

He is excessively sensitive, obsessive-compulsive, and incredibly introverted. Despite his immense power, he is haemophobic, seemingly harmless, comically shy, and something of a push over.

His machinations are often of the far reaching "puppet master" type, though more often hampered by poor choices in minions.

He most often has interests aligned with the party, but is a notoriously fickle ally with an excessively eccentric personality. Usually he runs a crime syndicate.

He collects decorative plates and fine china, meticulously organizing, cataloging, and displaying them in his inner sanctum. Damaging or stealing from the collection is a good way to get on his ****list.

He can be prejudice against dragons.

Elran

A divinationist and researcher, often a ready employer of parties. He is depicted as highly intelligent, wise, super nonchalant, easily distracted, and largely disinterested with the fate of the party. He often merely observes combat, and only uses magic for convenient cinematic purposes.

Intelligent and a divinationist, he is always prepared (even if the party isn't) and can be conveniently used to remind players of valuable information they may have forgotten. Often he'll point out convenient solutions to problems and puzzles, but only after the party has derived a convoluted solution and executed it.

He is depicted as having a huge network of friends and allies, almost all of which are less than reputable. Most of the time, the random, innocuous fact or knowledge he seeks results in the party stumbling on a great conspiracy orchestrated by some BBEG. Obsessed with uncovering facts, he often dives into uncovering the truth, usually doing his best to drag his recent employees with.

[DiscipleofBob]

Argos - One of my favorite items / characters I've given out in a game. In life, Argos was an arcane scholar, a little spineless, but well-liked among his peers. In death, he is now literally spineless. He was reanimated as a sentient undead. Specifically a brain in a jar. By one of his more accomplished necromancer colleagues. Argos will usually first appear in an encounter with other undead, dealing psychic damage and mind controlling the players from behind a tome on a bookshelf. When the other undead are destroyed, Argos stops attacking and hopes the other PC's won't find him. When they do, Argos will mind control one of the PC's to beg for his life. If the PC's decide to spare Argos, they can use him for limited, temporary mind control. Get a guard to leave his post, get a magistrate to sign a rod, get a goblin bandit to start attacking its allies
mid-combat, etc. under pain of breaking the jar if he refuses. Argos has no senses other than telepathy, so the party can either submit to having their minds probed on a regular basis, or learn when to direct their thoughts at Argos in order to use him most effectively.

[M Placeholder]

Theasea - Star Elf wanderer who thinks her people really need to move out of that stuffy little demiplane and thinks that they should move back to the Realms. To this end, shes taking notes on the most charismatic people around, and great speakers, then holding a two part speech - "Toril is Tops!" and "Aglarond is Ace!"

Niall Pewterdust - Dwarf that has decided to take it upon himself to look for what is the holy grail in his culture - A hangover cure that works.