Hit me with ideas for my Char's background/build, based on my backstory+description

[OlegRU]

Tried to delete because I made a more concise, relevant thread.

[Man_Over_Game]

My suggestions:


Valor Bard (Hardy, Russian Bard who is a jovial friend and a tough warrior)
Storm Sorcerer (Loves to travel, charismatic but not overly so)
Monster Slayer (Loves to travel, learned a lot of from experiences and lore, practiced guide)
Swashbuckler (Likes getting into trouble, and is incredibly handy without magic)
Ancients Paladin (Values wonder and freedom over laws and control. The Tenets do not bind him; he follows the Tenets simply because they are his natural way of life)


If you're questionable about Ancients Paladin being a good fit, consider this piece of their lore: "Paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in principles of honor, courage, and justice. "

[2D8HP]

Personally with that back-story I'd di:
Half Elf Rogue (Swashbuckler)

For stats standard array plus racial bonuses would yield:

STR: 12

DEX: 16

CON: 10

INT: 8

WIS: 14

CHA: 16

Skills: Athletics, History, Insight, Perception (Expertise) Performance (Expertise), Persuasion, Stealth, and Survival

Tool Proficiencues: Thieves tools and Musical Instrument

Background Feature: either By Popular Demand or Wanderer (custom background per PHB page 125).

[OlegRU]

My suggestions:


Valor Bard (Hardy, Russian Bard who is a jovial friend and a tough warrior)
Storm Sorcerer (Loves to travel, charismatic but not overly so)
Monster Slayer (Loves to travel, learned a lot of from experiences and lore, practiced guide)
Swashbuckler (Likes getting into trouble, and is incredibly handy without magic)
Ancients Paladin (Values wonder and freedom over laws and control. The Tenets do not bind him; he follows the Tenets simply because they are his natural way of life)


If you're questionable about Ancients Paladin being a good fit, consider this piece of their lore: "Paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in principles of honor, courage, and justice. "

I was thinking of possibly a Valor Bard Archer - that way I could still be a bard with cool spells, inspiration, and lots of skills, and be support, but also be able to nail badguys without getting hurt too much from afar and be badass - and sometimes even gut weaker ones with the rapier!

Thank you very much for your other suggestions, but I just definitely see my CHAR's personality as totally some kind of inspirational, deep thinking bard, and I love different skills, mixing that with fighting/caster abilities - it's my ideal class. I'm essentially playing myself here lol.

I'd love to do a Lore Bard Archer even more - not even for the magic, just the extra skill proficiencies (maybe I could talk my DM into letting me trade my armor and shield proficiencies for a skill or something if I keep the Valor bard).
I don't think the Ranger or figther MC to Lore would help much - seems the valor bard would be superior in combat still.


My ideal build really would be a Valor Bard with the Lore Bards skill proficiencies and rely on dex ranged/finesse weapons and spells. Anyway the Bard class and Half-elf race fit perfect for my backstory.

It's the background that I need to find a name for: and have the 2 traits, the flaw, the ideal, the bond and what 2 skills, language, and tool(s) this gives me. As well as what to replace my music instrument with since he's more of a talker guy.

I'm thinking maybe like call it the "Outlander immigrant" background - you moved south with your family from the North as a child, but living in your small town you feel in your comfort zone and fear danger, and yet the outlander/northern blood inside you makes you restless and makes you want adventure. Add survival and nature or stealth or something. Language could be something useful like orc or something or giant - I dunno. Not sure on traits, bond, ideal, flaw... and also I think you get a feature, not sure on that one. Def need idea, and they're def buried in my backstory/description write up.

I see some get features and others don't... not sure what's up with that?

Here's one kind of opposite of me "background:far-traveler" <-- this guy actually GOES North (doesn't let me post a link)

[OlegRU]

Personally with that back-story I'd di:
Half Elf Rogue (Swashbuckler)

For stats standard array plus racial bonuses would yield:

STR: 12

DEX: 16

CON: 10

INT: 8

WIS: 14

CHA: 16

Skills: Athletics, History, Insight, Perception (Expertise) Performance (Expertise), Persuasion, Stealth, and Survival

Tool Proficiencues: Thieves tools and Musical Instrument

Background Feature: either By Popular Demand or Wanderer (custom background per PHB page 125).

This is quite a good guild, and I hate to say it - but I'm really set on the Bard.

I explain my reasoning and desires in the post above (reply to the other guy, and also had some ideas/questions about background and features and other details, I'd love you feed back on :) ) Looking forward to you idea man!

[OracularPoet]

If you prefer skills, maybe just go Lore and stick with short bow. If you want multiple attacks, then grab Haste @6. That and Find Steed would make you a fine Cossack. Haste would apply to your steed, too.

Folk Hero seems like a fine background, as well.

Edit: spelling.

[OlegRU]

If you prefer skills, maybe just go Lore and stick with short bow. If you want multiple attacks, then grab Haste @6. That and Find Steed would make you a fine Cossack. Haste would apply to your steed, too.

Folk Hero seems like a fine background, as well.

Edit: spelling.

Haha - I like the cossack idea.

AFAIK, Valor longbows with 4 attacks and other stuff is what really makes you a sick partial-support fighter with your Bard..., but yeah as we are talking about, I don't want to miss the 3 skills from Lore. Was thinking maybe if I could do like a 1-2 lvl in Ranger MC to Lore Bard, but I think the valor would still own that. Maybe the DM can let me mix the two if I get switch cutting words for the Valor equivelant and with some other stuff so it's not OP.

For background, I didn't find folk hero a good fit... even outlander seemed closer. I want to customize it to fit my backstory - outlander immigrant that is restless and yearns for more, but afraid to push his comfort zone and fear.

[OlegRU]

Current Rough Ideas Brainstorm (will keep editing):
I would say my character has two central themes - that he's an outlander originally, which is what makes him a good traveler/survival type/nature lover, and also what makes him crave more and new horizons, yet he immigrated as a child - say between 8 and 13 years old. This caused him to assimilate to his new lands and growing up in a more protected area in a small peaceful town, he's become complacent and stuck in a comfort zone, not knowing what he would do to seek more in life, and fearing discomfort and danger. The contradicting instincts (thirst for self-development/adventure vs comfort zone/fear of the unknown) causes him to be full of angst - kind like many youth these days, I guess.



Essentially he's a type of "Assimilated Outlander" or "Child of Outlander" or some other phrasing (what would be a good one hmmm...). I guess this could be done like a customized version of the "outlander" background.



Origin: (if using outlander background as stencil) would be Guide (based the fact his comfort of nature is what drove him to do that as the oddjob - escorting people/goods between local towns/village, but knowing that danger is out there, especially in his birthland, and in nature outside his town, he needs to be stealthy and/or perceptive)



Feature: here are some homebrew ones that could work and some that I've made up:


You can find food, water and shelter for yourself and up to five people each day provided that the land permits it.

Before you start a journey you can spend a number of hours equal to 1d4 to ascertain information from people in settlements, villages, towns or cities that might be helpful for you on the road ahead. You may ask for a number of information equal to 2d4. The information shared are mundane, at the DM's discretion. For example you may ask the DM, what terrain you can expect on the journey, what type of hostile creatures you may encounter in the area, or historical and lore related significance or locally known pathways.

You've been learning to get around for a while so you know ways to make things quicker, no matter where you are. This allows you to get around a city or town in half the normal time.

You travel the main roads daily and remain cautious even when travelling quickly. This allows you to travel at a fast pace without penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores.

Being a hybrid of two cultures let's you understand people of new lands easier and fit in with them quickly. You are good at arbitrating between different groups. (Some type of ability/skill checks)

Having lived different place, you know a few languages, and are able to understand and communicate with those who speak languages unknown to you in a rudimentary way (Ability/skill check for understanding/getting the gist across).

.........Or something else.



2 skills that would make sense for this could be survival and athletics (as the original background) or survival and perception/stealth (1 of them)

Tool proficiency: Vehicle or Herbalism or Woodcarving

Language: Giant or Orc or Goblin

Equipment: Possibilities: Traveler's/commoner's clothes, Hunting trap, Fishing tackle, Herbalism kit, Tent, An animal/plant part made into necklace/bracelet or some other Northern symbol, Belt pouch with 10GP, Paper, Ink, Oil lantern, Waterskin, Signal whistle, Rope.

Personality Traits:

Ideals:

Bonds:

Flaws:

^^^^^Pretty sure I could use my Character Description instead of choosing specifics for these 4 things

As for the build - I think a Valor Bard would work well - he inspires with words and can get a partial-support character, while having cool spells and many skills. Also, he can keep safe and get up to 4 attacks as an archer with a long bow by later on in the game (from what I've heard is a good, optimal build for him) - this is RP justified, as he participates in combat, but tends to stay away from the extreme danger. He can use a rapier (finesse weapon using DEX) for enemies who get closer. I'm not sure if he should wear medium armor (he get the proficiency).

The only thing that sucks is I really like skills and as a Valor bard I miss out on the 3 extra ones a Lore bard gets.