Dragonborn

[Whit]

I read that most Dragonborn are lawful good.
First time playing Dragonborn and an Eldritch knight for adventure league. I picked black dragon as I figure most people pick gold red or any that have fire resist, but I like building more unique types of characters that don’t mini max.
I was wondering what faction to join and an INteresting alignment. Maybe even a good story background any help appreciated

[gloryblaze]

While many dragonborn are lawful good, a large population are Lawful Evil worshippers of Tiamat. Tiamat is the goddess of greed, so perhaps a greedy and ruthless mercenary would be fitting. A LE-money-focused mercenary who joins the Zhentarim might be the way to go if you don't want to be the standard LG-paladin that has been established as the main Dragonborn archetype ever since it became a core race in 4e.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

One of my favorite combos is a LE green dragonborn member of the emerald enclave. That could work. Otherwise I agree Zhentarim is a fun option (and one of my favorite organizations) and sorcerer is a fun class for a dragonborn.

[Personification]

True Neutral Shepherd Druid, Emerald Enclave. You were just as extreme as the rest of your kind, but when you at one point accidentally destroyed a several-hundred year old tree-shrine to a nature god/goddess, you were overcome with horror at the loss of the ancient creature. You dedicated yourself to nature and over the years have become much calmer, caring more about yourself and your plant and woodland creature friends than outside politics, you live in a sizable chunk of forest which is a preservation or protected territory or something similar (by which I mean anyone who tries to mess with your trees gets their face melted by magic dragon acid) a few miles away from a nearby settlement, where you go for supplies and information about global conservation efforts and the Emerald Enclave (which you joined because they help out with things like buying and maintaining a large area of wilderness mostly alone).

Possible reasons for you to go adventuring:
-Revenge on those meddling kids for not getting off your lawn
-Your main benefactor at the Emerald Enclave is calling in several decades worth of favors
-That god/goddess whose shrine/friend (deities can have tree-friends) you destroyed/killed appreciates your decades of service, and if you do this one little favor your crime might just be forgiven
-Your estranged [family member] who you haven't seen since the incident suddenly appears on your property (also works with niece/nephew/grandchild that you've never met)
-The trees whisper of something...a growing evil in the forests of the world, that you need to stop before it reaches your property
-If you want to go super dark background of internal demons: You are returning from a supply run in the city, when you smell smoke from the direction of your property... when you arrive, it is all burned, and there are blackened wooden critter bones everywhere. Worst of all, the two ancient, giant, entangled and hollow oak trees in the center of your property inside of which you built your small home and which you half-jokingly call Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru have been completely destroyed, chopped down and burned. THEY WILL BE AVENGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


EDIT: I didn't realize that you said eldritch knight, still if it is not set in stone for you, this could work.

[JackPhoenix]

One of my favorite combos is a LE green dragonborn member of the emerald enclave. That could work. Otherwise I agree Zhentarim is a fun option (and one of my favorite organizations) and sorcerer is a fun class for a dragonborn.

Not in AL. Only members of Lords' Alliance and Zhentarim are allowed to be LE.

[Chugger]

While role-playing fits and all that is the best reason for picking a faction, the magic items you can buy (they cost downtime and gold) from the factions (after doing a secret mission) are worth considering if you at all optimize. I'd say don't only optimize, but if you're on the fence between, say, Harper's and Order of the Gauntlet - look at what Harpers offers.

The chance to buy a +1 weap and all that is the same, but Harp offers an elven cloak and ... I forget the rare. Order o t G offers a cloak of protection. If you see cloak of prot and go WOW then pick OotG. Do a secret mission, spend the dt and gold, and you got one.

Zent offers...spider climbing slippers and ring of evasion, iirc. Lords A offers a Cape of the Mountebank (!) and some thought shielding ring (meh, at least to me). Em E offers druidy stuff iirc.

There's a site somewhere in the AL family of sites that lists all this and how it works.

[Chugger]

I'll be darned. I actually found the link. Here https://rpg.rem.uz/Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons/D%26D%205th%20Edition/Adventurers%20League/Season%205/DDAL%20-%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Factions%20of%20Faerun.p df

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Not in AL. Only members of Lords' Alliance and Zhentarim are allowed to be LE.

Really? I thought to get into the emerald enclave you just had to be a defender of nature.

[StoicLeaf]

just want to point out that most people are suggesting LE, but a dragonborn's scale color doesn't dictate his or her alignment (at least in 5e, and not in the same way it affects true greater drakes).

[the_brazenburn]

Really? I thought to get into the emerald enclave you just had to be a defender of nature.

Yes, but in Adventurer's League you can't play a Lawful Evil character unless you're a Zhent or a member of the Lord's Alliance.

I'm sure there are plenty of evil Enclave members (worshippers of Malar or Umberlee, perhaps), but they aren't playable as PCs.

[gloryblaze]

just want to point out that most people are suggesting LE, but a dragonborn's scale color doesn't dictate his or her alignment (at least in 5e, and not in the same way it affects true greater drakes).

Correct, but the vast majority of Dragonborn are either LG followers of Bahamut or LE followers of Tiamat. He said he didn't want LG, making LE the next most likely choice. Obviously if the OP wanted to just completely ignore the archetype and go for CN or whatever that's totally fine, but from the way I read the OP, it seemed like they wanted a way to subvert the LG-paladin-dragonborn stereotype while still being somewhat in line with canon dragonborn lore at least somewhat, in which case LE Tiamat-worshipper is the way to go

[Whit]

I wish they had more info on the Dragonborn and their history. But from what I read their alignments are based on extremes of both sides. So I would assume LG and CE primarily with LE or CG for secondary extremes. So with that in mine LG is normally played and CE not allowed. My choice would be LE or CG. CG is another norm that people use a lot so I picked LE and zhantarim faction. Although I’m sure any alignment is fine. Just like dwarves are mostly LG but all alignments are used
As I’m going EK which I never tried it will be interesting. Starting stats str 15(17) Int 13, Wis 8, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 12(13)