Can't decide what character to play. Want something different from what I've played.

[Rfkannen]

Hey so im trying to decide what type of character I should play next. What I want to do is play a character who is different from my other characters I have played so far.
My first rpg character was in 5e, a dwarf hunter ranger. He climbed into trees and shot people with a bow. A sniper type. Chaotic good robin hood type.
My second character was pathfinder, a human beastmorph alchemist. He did little alchemy, instead he would turn into a giant monster and bite people in half. A self buffer tank type. Chaotic evil noble type.
My third character was in savage worlds. Basically the equivalent of a halfling who went rogue 1 illusionist wizard 4. Mostly a scout with some crowd control magic. Lawful good robin hood type.
Any ideas on what type of character would play differently? What would you suggest?

[Theodoxus]

Lawful Good High Elf Life Cleric - be gregarious and help everyone, healing and doing miracles. Grab Prestidigitation from High Elf for additional good shenanigans. Thaumaturgy, Spare the Dying and Guidance to start. Perhaps taking a level of druid (or Magic Initiate: druid) if you want to use a feat - and pass out Goodberries to everyone you meet. You'll be naturally well liked by everyone!

Completely different than the three examples you provided.

[Sirithhyando]

There are 102 subclasses if you take those from UA and official books.
Roll a d102 to decide
Here's a link where you can find them all. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?526451-the-complete-up-to-date-5e-Subclass-Directory)

And 45 races/subraces that you can find here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QCHgck76XviphzyvrjnCIG_pxxx5O46D-4W6E75HSiU/edit).

So, roll them and you'll probably have something you've never done in the past. If you did... reroll. :smallwink:

[Demonslayer666]

If you want to make a unique character, give them a random disorder, phobia, or mania.

You can also get a great character concept from whothef***ismydndcharacter.com. You'll have to replace the asterisks. :)

[Sigreid]

Fire Genesi pyromaniac evoker. You don't seem to have done much magically, and you've frequently done the sneaky stuff so you might enjoy someone with little interest outside big, flashy and destructive spells.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Chaotic neutral Battlemaster FREEDOM Fighter. The aristocracy has gone on for too long! You'll tear down the system no matter what it takes!

[Cespenar]

Valor Bard. Cast, support, sneak, melee. A true renaissance man, and a perfect gentleman.

[mephnick]

Fire Genesi pyromaniac evoker. You don't seem to have done much magically, and you've frequently done the sneaky stuff so you might enjoy someone with little interest outside big, flashy and destructive spells.

Agree with this. You've played melee/stealth/archer types. Go full caster and throw down some thunder, bud. You might just enjoy it.

[Rfkannen]

The full spellcaster sounds nice, cleric, bard, and wizard all sound good, I will keep them in mind! Also I have never played anything with a blasting spell, blowing things up with magic sounds really fun!

Also, I decided to Analyze what I did or did not enjoy about each character.

I don't want to play a character like any of the 3, I want something that is fun in a different way. I just thought it might be worth mentioning what I previously enjoyed about each, I do not want to repeat it. Also I want to avoid the not fun stuff.

The ranger; I didn't like standing in one spot and doing the same thing every turn "I do not move, I shoot the thing". I liked being able to heal as their were several moments that I stopped my team mates from dyeing and it was satisfying. I also liked horde breaker making me think about controlling the battlefield and making sure I could hit as many enemies at once. I also liked that the character concept was funny (Simba the tree dwarf who refuses to touch the ground)


The alchemist. I didn't like the fact that my first 3 turns were always spent buffing myself instead of doing anything useful. I did like after that being able to wade into the middle of combat and destroy stuff as a giant monster. It was really satisfying to be so good at what I was doing. I like feeling like im actually doing something important, having big impacts on the battlefield. I also liked being monstrous, I just find that fun.

The illusionist. I don't like that a portion of the game is basically a me only minigame as I go out and scout the location we are going to. It feels like I am slowing down the game when I go and check for traps and see what is in the next room, it feels like something im doing instead of something the party is doing. I like the fact that im one of the most powerful people in the party (this group is not optimized). I like debuffing a boss and making it so that everyone can do their thing even better. One of my favorite gaming moments was fighting a giant spider demon that no one was even able to hit, and I spent everything my character had to debuff it enough that for the next 3 turns it was weak enough that my party was able to kill it.

You know wrighting this made me realize what I find the most fun. I don't like waiting or being subtle I want a character to do big cool impressive stuff that has a big impact. I would rather do something badass but weak than good but dull. This is the one thing I do want In my next character.

Does that make anyone think of anything?

[Theodoxus]

hmm... highly mobile, healing monstrosity... Firbolg shadow monk with the healer feat.

[RSP]

The full spellcaster sounds nice, cleric, bard, and wizard all sound good, I will keep them in mind! Also I have never played anything with a blasting spell, blowing things up with magic sounds really fun!

Also, I decided to Analyze what I did or did not enjoy about each character.

The ranger; I didn't like standing in one spot and doing the same thing every turn "I do not move, I shoot the thing". I liked being able to heal as their were several moments that I stopped my team mates from dyeing and it was satisfying. I also liked horde breaker making me think about controlling the battlefield and making sure I could hit as many enemies at once. I also liked that the character concept was funny (Simba the tree dwarf who refuses to touch the ground)


The alchemist. I didn't like the fact that my first 3 turns were always spent buffing myself instead of doing anything useful. I did like after that being able to wade into the middle of combat and destroy stuff as a giant monster. It was really satisfying to be so good at what I was doing. I like feeling like im actually doing something important, having big impacts on the battlefield. I also liked being monstrous, I just find that fun.

The illusionist. I don't like that a portion of the game is basically a me only minigame as I go out and scout the location we are going to. It feels like I am slowing down the game when I go and check for traps and see what is in the next room, it feels like something im doing instead of something the party is doing. I like the fact that im one of the most powerful people in the party (this group is not optimized). I like debuffing a boss and making it so that everyone can do their thing even better. One of my favorite gaming moments was fighting a giant spider demon that no one was even able to hit, and I spent everything my character had to debuff it enough that for the next 3 turns it was weak enough that my party was able to kill it.

Does that make anyone think of anything?

If you like control/debuffs/helping other characters, I'd go Valor Bard. Can still mix it up effectively in combat, but can also make everyone else more effective with your spell list, which includes healing. Inspiration is decent to make others more successful as well.

[bid]

Life cleric 1 / lore bard X might be fun.
Cleric for medium armor, life to boost your heals.
Cutting word is a nice debuff.
The stats are a little hard on melee combat, but half-elf can get 10 14 14 11 13 16.


There's the god wizard if you want control.


Straight paladin might work.

[solidork]

I'm gonna suggest Cleric, either Tempest or Light. Both give you excellent blasting potential in addition to the first rate support options that are available to all clerics. Tempest is totally designed to wade into the thick of things and break heads, while Light is more of a ranged character.

[Rfkannen]

I am hearing bard here and elsrwhere but I'm not seeing it for some reason.i guess I just don't have any character concepts.

I do like the idea of being a blaster. There is evocer wizard which is interesting and has been mentioned. but also Warlock, sorcerers, and light cleric which also seem fun. Which of the blasters would you say is the most different from the characters I've played before?

[solidork]

I'd personally prefer a Light Cleric for a couple of reasons.
-Weds power with respectability. A cleric of a good deity (that isn't a known criminal or anything like that) frequently commands a default level of respect in most societies that does not come from fear.
-Two of your last three characters seemed to have an indirect/subtler approach to solving problems, and you're really going to have to work at it as a Wizard/Sorc/Lock to avoid picking spells that won't let you fall back on that strategy. Most clerics can't really do subtle, but they get support abilities instead.
- I really like the Divinations that clerics get. They give you power on an axis that most classes don't even engage with.
- If you're forced into close quarters, you've got medium armor and can still bring SERIOUS pain with Spirit Guardians. That spell is an all-star, and will look exactly as cool as you want it: surrounded by a flock of phoenixes? Levitating blades made of golden fire? Solar flare orbital strikes? (the sun is a deadly laser, after all)

[Sigreid]

I am hearing bard here and elsrwhere but I'm not seeing it for some reason.i guess I just don't have any character concepts.

I do like the idea of being a blaster. There is evocer wizard which is interesting and has been mentioned. but also Warlock, sorcerers, and light cleric which also seem fun. Which of the blasters would you say is the most different from the characters I've played before?

I think the Evoker is the stand out different from what you played before just because with shape spell he and careful need never have met.

[Quoxis]

Wood elf long death monk/swashbuckler rogue. Sneak attack people with almost no restrictions, Kill baddies for temporary hp or disengage for free even after burning your bonus action on dashing or flurry, and at monk 6 you can just refuse to go to 0 hp and drop to 1 instead. If you stock up on potions and stay mobile, you'll rarely ever go down. You can do realitively high damage while running around the battlefield to kill off what your buddies started, and you're rewarded for "kill stealing".

[imanidiot]

Pick an "underpowered" build (champion, beastmaster, etc) and find a way to make it work.

[BillyBobShorton]

Play a commoner. 7hp. No weapons. No level ups. Nothing but level 1 wits and personality.

I'm serious.

Challenge yourself.

See where your character feels like he belongs after 1 or 2 sessions then YOU decide. You can read the ideas and opinions of strangers online all day, or you can invest into something and come up with your own ideas--or sit down with your DM and see if you can brainstorm up something together that quenches your ambiguous thirst.

I sat down with one of my players last night developing a character concept for almost 3 hours and we had a blast just formulating the ideas, backstory, character & party wants vs. needs.

Not saying this is you, OP, but sometimes people get really wrapped up in the mechanics, abilities, class options, and whatnot of the game and forget that they are playing a PERSONALITY, first and foremost, as well as what basically amounts to a person with super powers.

Think about what kind of person you'd like to portray... naive? Heroic? Helpful? Deceptive? Battle-hard? Etc.. go from there.

From a mechanical standpoint-just going off the idea that you want to play a different type of PC, as stated, cleric is a great choice. Bard is also super utility and great fun. How about an enlightened Monk? Or maybe a cold assassin with an irresistible streak of goodness? (CG Rogue)...

TLDR: focus on personality first, develope powers and build concept from there.

[mgshamster]

If you want to make a unique character, give them a random disorder, phobia, or mania.

You can also get a great character concept from whothef***ismydndcharacter.com. You'll have to replace the asterisks. :)

I love that site.

I haven't​ met up with my d&d group in a few months (life got in the way; one guy has been doing musicals, another has been putting in a ton of overtime, and I've been trying to sell my house), so a few weeks ago, one of them send out a group text saying, "You find yourself chained up in a slavers pen; suddenly, an ogre bashes through the door and begins tearing up the place. Your chain connected to the wall falls loose, what do you do?"

And bam! We're playing d&d again (but with no dice and all via text message).

We ended up using that website to get our characters, and just by random chance we all got gnomes! So we're three gnomes (warlock, fighter, cleric) trying to escape from captivity!

[Rfkannen]

Play a commoner. 7hp. No weapons. No level ups. Nothing but level 1 wits and personality.

I'm serious.

Challenge yourself.

See where your character feels like he belongs after 1 or 2 sessions then YOU decide. You can read the ideas and opinions of strangers online all day, or you can invest into something and come up with your own ideas--or sit down with your DM and see if you can brainstorm up something together that quenches your ambiguous thirst.

I sat down with one of my players last night developing a character concept for almost 3 hours and we had a blast just formulating the ideas, backstory, character & party wants vs. needs.

Not saying this is you, OP, but sometimes people get really wrapped up in the mechanics, abilities, class options, and whatnot of the game and forget that they are playing a PERSONALITY, first and foremost, as well as what basically amounts to a person with super powers.

Think about what kind of person you'd like to portray... naive? Heroic? Helpful? Deceptive? Battle-hard? Etc.. go from there.

From a mechanical standpoint-just going off the idea that you want to play a different type of PC, as stated, cleric is a great choice. Bard is also super utility and great fun. How about an enlightened Monk? Or maybe a cold assassin with an irresistible streak of goodness? (CG Rogue)...

TLDR: focus on personality first, develope powers and build concept from there.

I hear you, but I already got a couple personalities/backstories im interested in playing, and I just want to see what mechanics they should have so I have a different and fun experience playing them. of course im not acutally going to pick my class until I sit down with a group, I just want to hear some ideas on what would be a good group of classes to choose from!


For example, I have 3 character concepts that I want to play at some point.

A Stupid good character who worships a god of love/light/good and is a sweetie who bumbles through life, easily tricked by party members into doing not so good things, cheery attitude, He is on a mission from his church but doesn't really understand it so he is just trying to do as much good as possible. All that matters for this character is low intelligence, he could be a cleric, a paladin, a monk, heck he could even be a fighter or a barbarian.

An orc blacksmith who became an adventurer because no one would buy her stuff because she was an orc, she thought that if a famous hero used her weapons people would start buying them, but since she couldn't find a famous hero she decided to become one. All this character needs is proficiency in blacksmithing tools, any mechanics would work for her.

A viking spell-caster from fantasy Norway, berzerker type personality but throws fire and lightning at you instead of hitting you with an axe. Rawkus Rowdy personality. This character could be any spellcasting class, I could equally see them as a cleric, sorcerer, wizard, or warlock. The only classes I don't want him to be are barbarian or druid.

I have personality ideas, I just want to pick mechanics for them that aren't that similar to things I have played before, so I can have a different play experience

(ps. which of these sounds like the best character?)


Pick an "underpowered" build (champion, beastmaster, etc) and find a way to make it work.

Hey I played a phb ranger doesn't that count ;)

[GorogIrongut]

I hear you, but I already got a couple personalities/backstories im interested in playing, and I just want to see what mechanics they should have so I have a different and fun experience playing them. of course im not acutally going to pick my class until I sit down with a group, I just want to hear some ideas on what would be a good group of classes to choose from!

A viking spell-caster from fantasy Norway, berzerker type personality but throws lightning at you instead of hitting you with an axe. Rawkus Rowdy personality. This character could be any spellcasting class, I could equally see them as a cleric, sorcerer, wizard, or warlock. The only classes I don't want him to be are barbarian or druid.

(ps. which of these sounds like the best character?)


Cleric of the Tempest is written all over this... Just chat with your DM about making the magical variant of going berserk and include it as part of your subclass.

Something along the lines of:
You're being able to rage for x turns where x equals your wisdom modifier. During those rage turns, you are resistant to physical damage and lightning/thunder damage.
While raging, you are able to reroll any dice rolled for damage dealt using spells.
For each turn that you cast a spell, take a d4 worth of psychic damage for each level/2 rounded down going no lower than a 1 unless the spell cast is a cantrip. Any concentration spell you have active counts as a d4 worth of psychic damage also.
Any creature within 5' feet of you while you rage, suffers the same amount of psychic damage as you do when using magic.

This rage ability would replace Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath from the Tempest Cleric subclass and would be the new Channel Divinity.

Now personally, I think this has dwarf written all over it... but I know that you've already played a dwarf. So I'm thinking either a half orc or a firbolg (but one that is less touchy feeling and more the incarnation of viking fury).

[CaptainSarathai]

I hear you, but I already got a couple personalities/backstories im interested in playing, and I just want to see what mechanics they should have so I have a different and fun experience playing them.


A Stupid good character who worships a god of love/light/good and is a sweetie who bumbles through life, easily tricked by party members into doing not so good things, cheery attitude, He is on a mission from his church but doesn't really understand it so he is just trying to do as much good as possible. All that matters for this character is low intelligence, he could be a cleric, a paladin, a monk, heck he could even be a fighter or a barbarian.
Laeful Good Halfling Paladin, Oath of Devotion. Folk Hero background.
Honestly, there's just something about playing Halfling that feels good. You'll never walk away from a Halfling character without a smile on your face. They really are hobbits; I built a Halfling Barbarian once, who thought he was a full-blooded Orc. It was so much light-hearted fun, and I don't think I've ever loved a character more.
My fondness for the small-folk has led me to actually make them the repository of all history and knowledge in my current setting. They're not arrogant or power hungry, they are more like kindly old grandparents who know lots of good stories about "the old days."


An orc blacksmith who became an adventurer because no one would buy her stuff because she was an orc, she thought that if a famous hero used her weapons people would start buying them, but since she couldn't find a famous hero she decided to become one. All this character needs is proficiency in blacksmithing tools, any mechanics would work for her.
Orc/HalfOrc/Goliath Cleric of the Forge, Guild Artisan or Outlander background
I think that you could play her Lawful Neutral, too. This would be the biggest change from your usual alignments of Good/Chaotic. Have her respect order and civilization above all else. She left her savage Orc tribe because she admires only the strong, and she has seen that civilization and Law is where the true strength lies. It fits her as a blacksmith as well, a no-nonsense woman with an iron will and a steely resolve.
She's not being a hero for the good of the people, so she's not necessarily good. She's not evil though, either, because the Orcish predisposition for cruelty is why nobody buys from her in the first place. Instead she's just following along and "pretending" to be a hero, and the easiest way to do that is to just make sure that you follow all the rules to the letter.


A viking spell-caster from fantasy Norway, berzerker type personality but throws lightning at you instead of hitting you with an axe. Rawkus Rowdy personality. This character could be any spellcasting class, I could equally see them as a cleric, sorcerer, wizard, or warlock. The only classes I don't want him to be are barbarian or druid.
Chaotic Evil or Lawful Neutral Goliath, Tempest Cleric or Eldritch Knight. Hexblade Warlock or even Valor Bard could also work. On a limb, a Sorcadin or even just Favored Soul Sorcerer could fit. Sailor background, Pirate variant.

Personally, I think you'd enjoy the Eldritch Knight version of this character. You've never really built a proper "wade into battle and tank down enemies" before, and the EK is really good at that. I'd go sword-and-board and make sure to snag Booming Blade Cantrip, and Warcaster. You might want to Multiclass or Magic Initiate to get some of the Elemental Evil goodies like Thunderclap and stuff.




(ps. which of these sounds like the best character?)
Depends what you want, really. I think the Halfling could get stale after a while, actually. Laeful Good or "Lawful Stupid" gets boring after a while, or you have to resort to being comedic relief.
I think that the Storm Viking could be really cool mechanically and be a powerhouse in combat. There's just something beautiful about strolling around with AC25 and burst lightning.
For my personal choice though, I think that the Lawful Neutral Orc Forge Cleric is your best character of the three. It's a compelling story with lots of potential for conflict, and Forge Domain makes for strong characters.

I played a drunken, Crab-clan Smithy in L5R and he was a favorite character of mine, so that might just be a bit of a bias toward blacksmiths speaking.

[Rfkannen]

Laeful Good Halfling Paladin, Oath of Devotion. Folk Hero background.
Honestly, there's just something about playing Halfling that feels good. You'll never walk away from a Halfling character without a smile on your face. They really are hobbits; I built a Halfling Barbarian once, who thought he was a full-blooded Orc. It was so much light-hearted fun, and I don't think I've ever loved a character more.
My fondness for the small-folk has led me to actually make them the repository of all history and knowledge in my current setting. They're not arrogant or power hungry, they are more like kindly old grandparents who know lots of good stories about "the old days."


Orc/HalfOrc/Goliath Cleric of the Forge, Guild Artisan or Outlander background
I think that you could play her Lawful Neutral, too. This would be the biggest change from your usual alignments of Good/Chaotic. Have her respect order and civilization above all else. She left her savage Orc tribe because she admires only the strong, and she has seen that civilization and Law is where the true strength lies. It fits her as a blacksmith as well, a no-nonsense woman with an iron will and a steely resolve.
She's not being a hero for the good of the people, so she's not necessarily good. She's not evil though, either, because the Orcish predisposition for cruelty is why nobody buys from her in the first place. Instead she's just following along and "pretending" to be a hero, and the easiest way to do that is to just make sure that you follow all the rules to the letter.


Chaotic Evil or Lawful Neutral Goliath, Tempest Cleric or Eldritch Knight. Hexblade Warlock or even Valor Bard could also work. On a limb, a Sorcadin or even just Favored Soul Sorcerer could fit. Sailor background, Pirate variant.

Personally, I think you'd enjoy the Eldritch Knight version of this character. You've never really built a proper "wade into battle and tank down enemies" before, and the EK is really good at that. I'd go sword-and-board and make sure to snag Booming Blade Cantrip, and Warcaster. You might want to Multiclass or Magic Initiate to get some of the Elemental Evil goodies like Thunderclap and stuff.




Depends what you want, really. I think the Halfling could get stale after a while, actually. Laeful Good or "Lawful Stupid" gets boring after a while, or you have to resort to being comedic relief.
I think that the Storm Viking could be really cool mechanically and be a powerhouse in combat. There's just something beautiful about strolling around with AC25 and burst lightning.
For my personal choice though, I think that the Lawful Neutral Orc Forge Cleric is your best character of the three. It's a compelling story with lots of potential for conflict, and Forge Domain makes for strong characters.

I played a drunken, Crab-clan Smithy in L5R and he was a favorite character of mine, so that might just be a bit of a bias toward blacksmiths speaking.


The goody two shoes was supposed to be comedic releif, but I suppose I could see that kind of alignment getting boring.
I like lawful nuetral for the blacksmith, I think that what you described sounds realy fun to play as well, and forge cleric fits perfectly but my gm doesn't allow stuff that isn't published in a book.
The vikeing as an eldritch knight... does make sense actually, I was picturing the character as a full caster, and I haven't played one but I think the eldritch knight would play similarly to a beastmorph alchemist (could be wrong). That does sound cool though....

[Wampyr]

Goblin Druid: Circle of the Shepherd.

EDIT: Or Bladesinger. Chaotic Good for both.

[BillyBobShorton]

I hear you, but I already got a couple personalities/backstories im interested in playing, and I just want to see what mechanics they should have so I have a different and fun experience playing them. of course im not acutally going to pick my class until I sit down with a group, I just want to hear some ideas on what would be a good group of classes to choose from!


For example, I have 3 character concepts that I want to play at some point.

A Stupid good character who worships a god of love/light/good and is a sweetie who bumbles through life, easily tricked by party members into doing not so good things, cheery attitude, He is on a mission from his church but doesn't really understand it so he is just trying to do as much good as possible. All that matters for this character is low intelligence, he could be a cleric, a paladin, a monk, heck he could even be a fighter or a barbarian.

An orc blacksmith who became an adventurer because no one would buy her stuff because she was an orc, she thought that if a famous hero used her weapons people would start buying them, but since she couldn't find a famous hero she decided to become one. All this character needs is proficiency in blacksmithing tools, any mechanics would work for her.

A viking spell-caster from fantasy Norway, berzerker type personality but throws fire and lightning at you instead of hitting you with an axe. Rawkus Rowdy personality. This character could be any spellcasting class, I could equally see them as a cleric, sorcerer, wizard, or warlock. The only classes I don't want him to be are barbarian or druid.

I have personality ideas, I just want to pick mechanics for them that aren't that similar to things I have played before, so I can have a different play experience

(ps. which of these sounds like the best character?)



Hey I played a phb ranger doesn't that count ;)

Viking spell caster. Do it. But the dumb guy sounds like a lotta fun too. Esp when he kills something. All amazed at himself and sad at the same time... awkward in bars and cities.. lol

[Arkhios]

Viking spell caster. Do it. But the dumb guy sounds like a lotta fun too. Esp when he kills something. All amazed at himself and sad at the same time... awkward in bars and cities.. lol

No reason why you couldn't combine these two.

Dumb Viking spellcaster: Fighter 5-11/Tempest Domain Cleric 9-15. Big 2-handed weapon like Greataxe/Greatsword/Maul, heavy armor.

[jaappleton]

No reason why you couldn't combine these two.

Dumb Viking spellcaster: Fighter 5-11/Tempest Domain Cleric 9-15. Big 2-handed weapon like Greataxe/Greatsword/Maul, heavy armor.

Viking? GREATAXE!

And terrible puns. There needs to be terrible puns.

"Don't look so... SHOCKED!"

[furby076]

Why not play a dark elf mystic. Totally different. Screw with people's minds