Character Creation - JoshuaMabry

@Falconloft I'll go with Scrappy. I'm going to be a spellcaster, but stay true to my orcish nature and be a warrior as well.

@JoshuaMabry - Your second step from Scrappy is going to be either Gritty or Militant. Militant will be the faster pathway to spellcasting.

Gritty
2nd-step feature
In addition to your regular action, you can take one additional action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used
only to take the Dash, Hide, or Withdraw action. Also, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, you gain the following benefits:
-- Your defense bonus is equal to your Agility + your Intelligence or Wisdom (your choice).
-- You can use Agility instead of Strength for the attack and damage checks of your unarmed strikes, shortswords, and any simple reach weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.
-- You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike.
Prerequisite: Scrappy
Health Pool: d8 (5)

Militant
2nd-step feature
You gain proficiency with martial weapons, medium armor, and shields. In addition, you gain your choice of either a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons or a +2 bonus to damage rolls with reach weapons.
Prerequisite: Scrappy
Health Pool: d10 (6)

@Falconloft Let's go with Militant.

@JoshuaMabry - And for the third step, you've got these two options:

Oathsworn
3rd-step feature
You gain proficiency with heavy armor. In addition, the strength of your convictions gives you power. You gain two 1st-level spell slots and learn one 1st-level spell. Choose your spellcasting ability from among Intelligence, Wisdom, or Presence. In addition, choose between radiant or necrotic. When you hit a creature with a reach weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to inflict your chosen damage type to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.
Prerequisite: militant
Health Pool: d10 (6)

Resilient
3rd-step feature
You gain proficiency with heavy armor. In addition, you have a limited well of stamina that you draw on to protect yourself. When you suffer damage or take the Withdraw action, you can use a reaction to replenish your health pool by a number of drops equal to 1d10 + your steps. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Prerequisite: militant
Health Pool: d10 (6)

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If this feels too clerical for you, let me offer an alternate path. It won't have spells, but it will be ready for spellcasting next time, and you'll have all your nature-pieces in place.

Scrappy
1st-step feature
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, and you gain proficiency with simple weapons and light armor.
Prerequisite: none
Health Pool: d8 (8)
Proficiency Bonus: Your proficiency bonus is +2.

Gritty
2nd-step feature
In addition to your regular action, you can take one additional action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Hide, or Withdraw action. Also, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, you gain the following benefits:
-- Your defense bonus is equal to your Agility + your Intelligence or Wisdom (your choice).
-- You can use Agility instead of Strength for the attack and damage checks of your unarmed strikes, shortswords, and any simple reach weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.
-- You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike.
Prerequisite: scrappy
Health Pool: d8 (5)

Untamed
3rd-step feature
You are particularly familiar with natural environments and are adept at traveling and surviving outside people’s settlements. You gain proficiency in the Environment skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, or Stealth. In addition, choose one skill in which you are proficient. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this skill. While traveling in natural terrain, you gain the following benefits:
-- Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel. Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
-- Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
-- If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
-- When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
-- While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
Prerequisite: gritty
Health Pool: d10 (6)

@Falconloft I'm torn. The first route does seem more cleric than druid, but the second path seems like a barbarian. So with the second path spellcasting comes with Step 4?

@Step 4 is just an Ability Improvement, so after this chapter, I'll be jumping everyone to 5.

@Falconloft I'll take your suggested alternate path. Scrappy, Gritty then Untamed.

@Falconloft Is that height number back in my heritage correct? That would make the average orc 5'4" tall.

Rolling for maps

@Falconloft Going with a map of the Shadow Marches, one of the Demon Wastes, one of the Mror Holds (specifically the mountain ranges) and one of Xen'drik (best one I could find).

@Falconloft Submitted a character sheet with what I understand to be the translation of things. Let me know if anything needs changed.

@JoshuaMabry - Skills have an ever-so-slightly different list, so I updated that.

As far as getting you into the story, the librarian has already said he had muscle, that's you. You're also a student, but you came down with a different professor. When the airship crashed, you were one of the ones that stayed behind to protect/assist the wounded. The rest of your group had to go back due to injuries, so now you're assigned to Professor Alacandra as well.

@Falconloft Sounds good. Are you going to introduce me in the chapter or do I just jump in?

@JoshuaMabry - I'll jump us to the lighthouse and then you can come in.

@Falconloft Sounds good. I'm all caught up on the game threads.