Help building/playing an "Ordinary" adventurer

[Willowhelm]

I'd like some help figuring out how to make this character idea work.

The concept is that this character appears to be entirely ordinary. Nobody would give them a second look in most situations. They would seem to be a commoner of some sort.

If you search around you'll find people playing just that. A commoner. Straight 10 Ability scores, no skills, no proficiencies. I'm not trying to do that. For one thing - I don't see the challenge. For another - I don't see the fun. You're not contributing to the party. I'm also not trying to take the worst stats and make something effective. No Int 8 Wizards etc. The end goal is a useful (dare I say optimized) character on par with the rest of the party but with a specific RP concept.

I also don't want solutions where just DM just hand-waves the challenge away. We're not just flavouring every spell as a Bat-Gadget and leaving it all as is. What I would like is to bend the RAW/RAI AL-legal rules so that the concept works mechanically and is DM agnostic.

There's two styles of character I'd like to figure out.

The first is that the character knows they are not ordinary. The whole thing is an act but this is an act you need to be able to maintain (perhaps even within the party) while still contributing. Yes, you could be a 20th level wizard and have no equipment and just stand on the sidelines but, once again, that isn't a challenge and it isn't fun. You want to seem like just another guy but somehow the party always does better when you're around.

The second is where the character themselves is oblivious to what is happening around them. They believe that it's all just lucky accidents, or that there is some higher power watching out for them, but they don't believe that they are in control.

Although these are two different RP approaches i think a lot of the mechanics needed overlap. In one, the character knows what they're doing where in the other, the player knows how they're achieving the effect but the character doesn't. In both cases you may be spending a sorcery point to get cast a subtle spell cure wounds to heal while you pat someone on the back though.

Maybe you volunteer to scout a lot and you're always finding recently dead people. No sign of a murder weapon of anything else. (Assassin rogue with a shadowblade)
Maybe you just cheer from the sidelines, but everyone just does there best to make you proud (Buff spells, inspiration, Order cleric Voice of Authority)
Maybe you're a Kobold who grovels his way through fights, apologising for the ball bearings, oil, flaming torches, and other things that you dropped or just fell out of your pockets in such deeply inconvenient ways. This also works as a clumsy but loyal retainer, shield bearer, squire etc
Maybe you think you have incredible luck or some divine entity is watching over you
Maybe an invisible pact of the chain imp you don't even know exists is doing all the work (and it thinks you're really its familiar/pet/puppet/patsy)
Maybe you're just a sweeper
Maybe you're a failed wizard that a extremely powerful spell is keeping alive
Maybe a nice old lady who just uses common sense. Mostly.

Whatever the RP approach i think it rules out spells that visibly emanate from the player as point of origin. You can't really hide "a thin sheet of flames shoots forth from your outstretched fingertips" but a lot of buffs and control spells are still available. You could be protected by mage armor or shield or hellish rebukes but you're not going to be casting a fireball.

You can't really hide that it is you running someone through with your sword in the middle of combat. If you just flavour everything as accidental/slapstick then it is just up to how long that is plausible. So for martials it seem like it is either trivial or impossible.

I've played pacifists with no damage-dealing spells. I enjoyed it. This is not that either. They can absolutely take spells that literally or figuratively crush the opposition as long as they are not obviously coming from the character.

Any thoughts?

[Lunali]

You could make a decent showing of it on rogue since there's no real way to tell the difference between a sneak attack and just happening to hit an artery. Even more fun if that's actually what's happening as in the second type. You accidentally hit whatever mechanism disarms a trap, the 'locked' chest was just stuck, etc.

[Willowhelm]

You could make a decent showing of it on rogue since there's no real way to tell the difference between a sneak attack and just happening to hit an artery. Even more fun if that's actually what's happening as in the second type. You accidentally hit whatever mechanism disarms a trap, the 'locked' chest was just stuck, etc.

Yeah. I think there's definitely some fun to be had playing the accidental/slapstick flavour to the martial classes. A drunken monk is obviously matches the mechanics and flavour particularly well. It's really a question of how much the npcs and your party members "buy in" to that. Once you're tier 2 and you've "accidentally" murdered every local threat and have a reputation... you're going to have more than a few raised eyebrows when you claim to be just another regular guy.

[Porcupinata]

You could be a sorcerer who doesn't know that they have magic.

For the first two levels you'd have to not cast any spells and survive by fighting, but after that you can get the Subtle Spell metamagic and cast all your spells subtly.

Providing you choose your spells carefully so none of them need material components and none of them clearly emanate from you (like Burning Hands), you can play it as the character casting them subconsciously without actually knowing they're doing it. You would be slightly weakened in that you'd get fewer spells per day than other casters due to the need to convert some into sorcery points in order to subtly cast the others. For example at level 3 when you first get the feat you would normally be able to cast six spells per day (four first and two second), but you only have 3 sorcery points. However, if you converted one of your second level spell slots into sorcery points you'd have five points and five remaining slots - enough to cast every spell subtly.

A Divine Soul Sorcerer would be ideal, since they get access to a lot of extra spells so the limit on learning non-obvious spells with no material components wouldn't be as harsh. In fact it would work really well with healing spells as you could be a medic who goes to use a healing kit on people and "discovers" that they weren't quite so badly injured as first thought...

[Tawmis]

What if you're a Warlock - whose parents made some kind of pact with a demon offering up their first born.
However, something along the ritual went wrong - and shoved/trapped a demon's soul in you.
Now, this demon is in this fragile, mortal shell - and needs to protect it.

So there are nights, that you simply black out.

What's actually happening is that the demon is protecting itself - and when it does so - it "takes over" you - and the real you takes a back seat to the demon.

However, it can't maintain control of you for long, and gets exhausted and has to "go to the back" again - which grants you control of yourself again (with no recollection of what you did while the demon was in the driver's seat).

So you could make two characters - for the same one. You have "Normal You" with normal stats. Then you have Demon Warlock you, who has better stats, while the demon is in the driver's seat.

So while you do skill checks and such, as you - you use the character, with straight 10s for stats.

When the demon is in control, use whatever you rolled for stats.

[Unoriginal]

Halfling Drunken Master with Lucky feat. Favor Patient Defense over Flurry of Blows.

You're just a drunk who likes partying yet you somehow walks through danger and get people to hurt each other instead, and you're just damn lucky with everything.

[Selrahc]

A glamour bard. (Or Lore bard).

It seems like you're just a squire, or servant. But your presence and abilities make everyone around you incredible. Vicious mockery provides a round to round attack option that seems like you're just a rude/distracting presence to enemies.

When you get to level 6 with the command ability, you can flip cause/effect when issuing commands to stay incognito/unaware. "I think he's trying to FLEE" "He's losing his grip on his weapon, I think he's going to DROP it!"

[da newt]

I'd think the lucky monk would be the easiest to fit the theme, but a support Bard who plays the role of play by play announcer and chronicler might be fun. Claim to not be one of the party, just the bard who follows them around to record their adventures, use your running commentary to slip in spells - control, buff, debuff, inspire, etc ... They are the heroes - you are just a reporter / hype guy / PR.

Think Robin's Minstrels ...

[jojosskul]

The Soul Knife rogue UA fits the "scout ahead and suddenly there's all these dead bodies" verison. They deal psychic damage with their psychic blades, and it calls out that no mark is left on the target. They even dual wield them so don't ever have to carry an actual weapon in hand. Nothing in the text calls out the blades themselves as actually VISIBLE, so even in a regular fight they could just be sneaking around the edges and sometimes enemies just... die.

The character could be a simple locksmith that the party picked up because they didn't have one who has done some side work as a scout. They refuse to use weapons, and maybe are a retired adventurer who assumed a new identity to try and get away from that life, only to get pulled back in.

I know their dropping the Psionic Die in Tasha's, but I'm hopeful when this comes to full publication Psychic Blades will stay the same.

[Spore]

Halfling warlock with the lucky feat whose patron is a warlock that "just keeps an eye out" for them. Going into sorcerer for subtle spell. Once you're like 10th level it dawns on you you do have actual magic powers.

No, not everyone is just nice to you because you're you. You enchanted people. No, enemies arent just overlooking you, you have the Mask of Many Faces invocation. And no, it is NOT normal almost no attack hits you, you are just casting Shield a lot. In fact, you cast Bless from divine sorcerer a million times, people aren't just fighting better because you are so nice to them.

[KorvinStarmast]

I did something like this in a pirate campaign, with a shadow sorcerer who had the alert feat. Sailor background. He had a dagger and a staff, and most of his spells were control not offensive.

But the rogue and monk are better ideas, I particularly like the halfling drunken master monk idea up there. An almost perfect fit for your idea.

[Unoriginal]

But the rogue and monk are better ideas, I particularly like the halfling drunken master monk idea up there. An almost perfect fit for your idea.

Thank you.

[moonfly7]

I've actually got 2 character concepts that fit both concepts really well. Let's do the one who know's he's faking first:

The Real Fake Magician

So, the biggest draw back with having a reputation as a powerful wizard or other caster is that everyone knows your powerful, and that means they know you could be a threat, and if they know that your a threat because of your magic there are ways they can work around it or protect themselves. The biggest benefit to having a reputation as a powerful caster is that you get proper respect from town folks, and have a reputation that can open doors and get you what you need. So how to get the best of both worlds? Simple. Fake being a Caster. Take the Charlatan Background, maybe even dip into thief for bonus action use item, and then use things that are almost magic but not quite,or use minor magic items to create magical effects. Basically the classic ways to pretend to be a wizard, nice and useful especially if you grab expertise in sleight of hand and deception. Now all the little people will believe your at least a decent Wizard, but any real professional is going to see right through your tricks.

Which will be playing right into your hands. Because your not a cunning snake oil salesman pretending to be a wizard by faking magic, your a wizard pretending to be a cunning snake oil salesman by faking magic. Now anyone who knows magic thinks your weak and underestimates you, and everyone who doesn't know thinks your a brilliant wizard, unknowingly correct in their assumptions but for the wrong reasons. Make sure to be over the top when casting "spells" and Spells, make sure to use useless spell components and never have too good deception and sleight of hand lest you convince the wrong people. Make all your spells look like faked magical effects or magic items. Describe how after you cast fire ball one of the shiny gold beads on your necklace is missing, surreptitiously throw a spray of a "strange yellow powder" when you cast Hold Person, it's really just chalk dust but no one will ever know that. Your true enemies will always underestimate you, and if you play your cards right the friendly townsfolk will be in awe of you. especially if you cast real magic only in front of them and fake magic in front of everyone else.

Accidentally Instrumental

Your just a casual musician, or maybe you paint or draw or write. Maybe you like to tell some stories around a fire, or you're just a pleasure to have around, or you cook a mean risotto. You always seem to get into crazy circumstances and dangerous scenarios, generally because of some nice folk or other you befriended who simply enjoyed your company enough to invite you along with them. Sure your not cut out for half of the adventures your new friends take you on, but your a little shy and it feels nice to have friends who want to include you so much. And sometimes your helpful, somehow. You notice that maybe the gears in a puzzle push up as well as left and right,giving the Rogue the Inspiration he needs to solve the puzzle, or you see that the Dire Wolf is limping just the tiniest bit, calling it out almost as a question "Is it limping on the left?" but it's all the paladin needs to find it's weak spot and increase his chances of a hit. You remember the dishes and berries your mother used to make that fill you up nicely and always make you feel better when your sick, and they always seem to pep up your friends no matter the wounds they've suffered. Your funny little stories and little half finished songs you made up always lift there spirits, and one time when the barbarian was losing his mind from the hag that had smote him with a spell, your stammered reminder of the times you'd spent together and the scent of his favorite spices broke him out of it. And random folks always find you endearing. Surely you and anyone you call friends are going to be excellent guests at any castle, and that's surely why the guards at the kings gate let you in when you were on that urgent mission, though you don't remember it that way. And your always curious about magic, the wizard has to have shown you his entire spell book by now, and though you don't understand a word of it, and you can't cast a single spell no matter how simple, sometimes he swears you used one particular spell, but he can never be sure so he shrugs it off and shoves it as just one more thing his awkward little friend manages to provide just by being so downright friendly. And of course everyone calms down when you ask them too, no matter how angry or stressed they are. Sometimes your scream of "Calm Down" has broken them out of a magical rage, but that's just because they associate you with calm and friendship, a familiar voice can do that to even the strongest of compulsion magics if the affecteds will is strong, and no one is stronger than your friends.

[JackPhoenix]

Problem with anything based on magic is that without Subtle spell, you still need S and V components, which make everyone around you realize you're casting spells, and Subtle is limited... you only have so many sorcery points.

[moonfly7]

Problem with anything based on magic is that without Subtle spell, you still need S and V components, which make everyone around you realize you're casting spells, and Subtle is limited... you only have so many sorcery points.

That's the beauty of the Real Fake Magician. With enough over the top motions and fake components when casting fake spells, and the same amount of BS when casting real ones, it would completely disguise the verbal, somatic, and even Material components. The best place to hide is in plain sight, after all.

[KorvinStarmast]

For the OP:

I am not sure how well this would have fit your idea, but, I had a half elf Ach Fey Warlock, Entertainer background, Pact of the Chain. His sprite familiar did a lot of invisible spying in town and out of it. (Campaign is now dormant or maybe dead).

His whole schtick was that he was/is a traveling minstrel/bard and used to be a circus performer. (One of his invocations was at will speak with animals, the other was agonizing blast). His three performing niches were story, poem, and song.

He only pulled out his Warlock skills when they were out of town, or after dark. (Yes, persuasion and deception proficiency, of course, and Performance).

[Bobthewizard]

I'm playing a hexblade right now that is just a normal, not very good fighter with a magic sword. He has proficiency in medium armor, shields, and martial weapons. Everything else is due to his magic sword - hexblade curse, eldritch blast, improved pact weapon, fiendish vigor, armor of agathys, hex, shatter, misty step and the mobile feat are just abilities that his sword gives him.

[RogueJK]

Maybe you just cheer from the sidelines, but everyone just does there best to make you proud

A glamour bard. (Or Lore bard). It seems like you're just a squire, or servant. But your presence and abilities make everyone around you incredible. Vicious mockery provides a round to round attack option that seems like you're just a rude/distracting presence to enemies.

I've played a character like that before. A lazy, hedonistic Life Cleric 1/Lore Bard X, who was a traveling minstrel preacher for the God of Good Times (think Bacchus).

This was all roleplayed in combat as trying to stay out of the way and put forth minimal effort, while loudly mocking the enemy and cheering on the party. Mechanically, this was represented by Cutting Words, Vicious Mockery, party buff spells, enemy debuff/control spells, and Bardic Inspiration. He rarely did actual damage in combat (other than incidental damage from Vicious Mockery), and didn't even carry a weapon other than his utility knife. Outside of combat, he was a great healer, skill monkey, Face, and teammate booster.

A Shakespearean insult generator, or a long list of Yo Mama jokes, is recommended.

Not ideal for a small party where everyone needs to contribute to DPR to end combats quickly, but that support playstyle and "sideline cheerleader" character concept really shines in a 5+ member party who already have the DPR bases covered. It makes everyone else better, and is a hoot to play.

[adolann]

My daughter had a character that was a noble woman that was a Barbarian. She simply had a bad temper. You could pretty easily do something similar. Take variant human, use the feat for Tavern Brawler. Take whatever background you want. You are just a guy with a bad temper. Maybe you have anger management issues. Maybe you are a coward that completely loses control when backed into a corner.

Another thought would be more along the line of you think you are nothing special, but an external agency is looking out for you. Go paladin, take the soldier background, because you need a good excuse to know which end is the pointy one. Virtually all spells are used for smites (gosh, you get a lot of lucky hits in). Laying on hands is just a matter of it looking worse than it actually was.

[moonfly7]

Could also play an artificer who instead of making items just accidentally finds them randomly.