Creating Our Characters

Oohhhh.... nice! It's funny because there WAS a fourth one I was interested in, but it was just barely beaten-out.

I decided to scrap the idea of the gear pack and to roll for my cash.

120 gold.

Actually scrap that idea. I didn't realise the cash is instead of all equipment! I'll stick with what I have

As a Ranger, I've taken Perception, Stealth and Survival. Folk Hero gives me Animal Handling (which is fine) and Survival. Because of that dupe, I'd probably opt for Insight instead.

As an elf you already have proficiency with Perception. So you actually get to pick one more for a total of 6 skills!

I think Folk Hero is a great choice given Jasera's story!

Actually it's not how the book tells you to do it, but here's how I like to put together my character sheet after I've decided on race and class, and already have my ability scores, and a loose concept of backstory:

I fill in the sheet like I'm teling a story.

First, race. Because my character is born that way. I put in my stats and apply racial adjustments. I give the PC a name and record the race. Then in the Feats/Abilities section I put racial abilities like darkvision and such. Any languages my race grants me get recorded too. If my race grants any skill proficiencies, those get ticked off immediately. If my race gives me language, weapon or tool proficiencies, these get recorded in the feats section. Any racial spells go into the spells section at this point. This is also when I save my avatar. At this point I should already know my Speed, and Initiative Modifier but I almost always forget, and don't add them til the end LOL!

Next, Background. I record my Traits/Ideal/Bond/Flaw though I usually revisit and tweak these as the final step. I record the background feature, and tick off the two skills that the background grants. I then add in any other proficiencies granted by background, such as additional languages and tools. If I'm using the equipment package then those items go into inventory at this point.

Now I'm transitioning into Class. I put in my class levels and proficiency bonus. And now I pick skills from the class list. I already recorded skills granted by race and background so I avoid any overlaps. If overlaps are unavaoidable, then I invoke the PHB rule and pick something else. Class features go in. Saving throws go in. Weapons, armor, and tool proficiencies are updated as necessary. Inventory gets updated. Weapons go into the appropriate section, including attack roll and damage calculations. Now I can calculate Hit Points and Armor Class.

If I'm a spellcaster, then now's the time for spell selection.

Review and tweak as needed. Finished!

Hey Mormegil, the item you've proposed sounds really cool, but we'd like to keep the game mechanically straight-forward at the start. Therefore, we aren't planning on having characters start with magic items.

Like Demagor said, perhaps Norran could start with this sacred necklace, but cannot access it magical properties yet. Maybe he has to unlock these properties as the character goes up in levels - prove their worth, undergo trials, or learn its secrets through study/experience.

The spiritual aspect of the character might also be served by how you level up. It isn't in the Player's Handbook or Basic Rules, but there is a subclass for Barbarians that you can choose at level 3 that lets you channel the spirits of your ancestors. It is called Path of the Ancestral Guardians:
If you chose this subclass, at level three you would get the Ancestral Protectors feature:
Let us know if this fits your character concept! And no rush; we won't hit level 3 for a while.
I'm sure I'm much less knowledgeable about Middle Earth, but The Hobbit was the first novel I really loved. I read LotR and loved it too, then attempted to read the Silmarillion but never got through it. I haven't read the works that his son published from his notes, but I recently re-read The Hobbit with my kids and had such a great time that I might jump on those now.

This was really interesting to read! Seems like a really holistic way to build an interesting character.

I think we're pretty close to getting started. One last question - how do your characters all know each other? I'm thinking that as people who are new to the city, you'd want to make allies. How can we tie these elements together?

-> Jasera is on a quest to rescue an Elven noble.
-> Tilma has been contracted to reduce the vermin problems in the sewer.
-> Norran is seeking allies to fight orcish incursions in his homeland.
-> Berry has failed out of wizard school and is thieving to support himself.

That's a tricky one. One random option would be: Berry steals something from Jasera. She chases him and runs into Norran. Since he's looking for allies he is eager to help catch the thief. Berry tries to escape to his hideout in the sewers and runs into Tilma who had just discovered it while cleaning sewers (she was probably about to take some of his stuff too).
That's not great and is very random. But the best I could come up with in 2 min. (Better than the "they meet in tavern")

I agree that the party should have a bond of trust and respect from the start, even if it is fledgling.

Knife and Demagor, what if the Elf noble that Jasera is searching for was the wizard that Berry was apprenticed to? Perhaps Jasera has tracked down Berry looking for leads. I'm not sure if Berry would want to meet up with his old Master, but rescuing nobles can be profitable.

Sounds like Tilma and Berry are co-workers of sorts, or at least their professions brought them in contact. I really like that angle. So what was the event that brought them together? Did they band together when ambushed by giant centipedes in the sewers? Help one another evade the law? Maybe Berry supplies Tilma with soap and she doesn't ask questions about his five-fingeres discount? Just some ideas, feel free to come up with your own 😁

Mormegil, I can see Norran fitting in with this group naturally. He's a tough guy and this party could use more muscle. As an elf, he's got a natural connection to two of the party members, and with his quest to capture souls to defend his homeland, this group looks like they'll get into plenty of trouble, as well as be good fun to be around.

Any specific connection you want to flesh out? Does Jasera's to save an elven noble speak to Norran? Maybe working with Tilma in the sewers presents him with opportunities for soul gathering? Or have you run into Berry on his escapades and formed a sort of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser duo?

Feel free to ignore all that and come up with your own ideas, this is just to get the ball rolling 😁

1. It's a shame I couldn't use that item since it's part of my backstory...but I guess it makes sense I have to ''prove worthy'' of it first rather than it already having its abilities being with the tribe for many millennia...

2. I never knew there was a subclass like that. The spirit warrior with me is just gonna be used to roleplay how Norran uses his Barbarian Rage ability since he is such a happy go lucky guy slow to anger he needs some ''help'' so that's where Angry Jondalar come in possessing him to rage...I was leaning towards a Totem warrior subclass in the PHB but that class you mentioned looks really interesting and fits the theme I am going for however I don't have the books to play that class sadly.

3. I don't think he shares much similarity with the other elves other than shared ancestry...The wood elf tribe Norran comes from is pretty isolationist in outlook so I think he would have difficulty conversing with them as well as the others although his mission necessitates him to work with other people though...

1. Mormegil, we were talking about that and we agree it is a shame not to use that item. Your character concept makes more sense if he has that item. If you agree to use the item for roleplay purposes only, we will allow it. For example, you could catch the souls of some thugs who tried to gut you in the streets after dispatching them. But, you couldn't use it in combat to one-shot a banshee, or sell it to the magical university for a handsome sum. How does that sound?

2. These things always find their way on the internet somehow 🤣. This site has the details, and feel free to override the flavour with your own intended one. Also, Path if the Totem warrior is 100% awesome too. I only mentioned Ancestral Guardian because it sounds like a cool match for the concept. It won't be important until 3rd level anyway, so no need to decide now.

3. Yes, you're playing an elf from a distant part of the world. Other elves in the setting might see almost like a being that walked out of myths.

I feel the noble could be someone from someone else's backstory, but also realize that it's also her father- a skilled elven swordsman (or at least he was 100 +/- years ago). He was taken captive, so his fate is a mystery (leaving many options for you to take liberty with) but it's unlikely he would have taken to a path of the arcane arts; especially when his house was known for agile and evasive yet deadly swordsmen; a modernized take on the bladesinger, if you will.

Need any more help with the character sheet, Demagor? In addition to those 2 skill proficiencies, Folk Hero also gives you proficiency with Land Vehicles and one type of artisan's tools (your choice). It comes with starting equipment as well unless you prefer to roll for money and buy your own gear. Your choice of armor (via Ranger gear package or bought a la carte) will help determine your Armor Class. Hmm.... what else am I missing from your sheet? Oh, weapons.