Smiley / Briar Locksqur

@Smiley Welcome! This is your character generation thread =)

Good morning, htech!
Thank you for the invite.

I wish to have your opinion on character creation. I'm trying to figure out which background would be the best and which traits are not needed because of the background.

My idea is a heroic outlaw. Someone Robin Hood-esque but with a magical Waterdeep theme.
His main goal is to somehow acquire magical items or useful things from greedy, rude nobles and give them to people who need them more or sell them to a fence and give the profit to those who need it more.


I wasn't sure if Harpers or Zhentarim would be a better faction for this idea.

I was debating on taking Urchin, Criminal, or Faction Agent would be best for this.
Urchin - Advantage on Tests related to stealth, streetwise knowledge, and scavenging.
Criminal - Advantage on Tests related to stealth, deception, and knowledge of criminal activities.
Faction Agent - Advantage on Tests related to gathering information, faction contacts, and covert operations.



Is I take the Criminal or Urchin Background is the Sneaky Trait still needed?
Sneaky - Advantage on tests to hide and move without being noticed

Harpers, for sure. The Zhentarim would likely keep those items for themselves.
Nope. Sneaky would be more useful with the Faction Agent or other backgrounds. Urchin/Criminal would make it redundant / unnecessary.

Please don't forget to vote in the posting frequency pool (link), ok?

Done!!!

I think I will go with Urchin Background.

Which one of these do you suggest I take?
Nimble Fingers might be the best.
The others are on my wish list .


Acrobat - Advantage to jump and tumble
Dark-fighter - No Disadvantage on attacks with impaired sight
Nimble fingers - Whenever you attempt to pick pockets without others noticing, bump locks, or other slight-of-hand feats, you Test with Focus.
Charismatic - Advantage to convince or influence someone
Perceptive - Advantage on tests to notice things


I plan on taking the Wild Sorcerers of the Sword Coast for the Spell-TouchedI plan on flavoring the ranged attack as throwing a dagger.

Nimble fingers and Acrobat (for escaping across rooftops) seems to be the closest traits to what you described so far =)
Sounds good. But it should be obvious that it's magic, because throwing a (real) dagger is also a possibility, and it would be confusing if you described them the same way. So maybe you spend an action summoning a ghostly or obviously magical dagger like this (see below) and another action throwing it with 2d6? Mechanically it would work the same as the magic bolt.

Taking Nimble Fingers to start.

I was hoping (If you allow) to flavor Acrobat as Mist Step at times. Vanishing and reappearing as he jumps from roof to roof.


Questions about Daggers for clarification.
They are listed as Light Melee weapons. Can they still be use as a Ranged Weapon?
If used in range, would you still require one hand to hold but two to operate when thrown?
If used in range, does it require one action to load and one action to fire still?
If I have Dagger Mastered and I throw it, do I get to Roll with Advantage

Okay.
For game balance and simplicity, throwing knifes follows the same rules as other Ranged attacks. They are also a distinct weapon mastery. The actual gear is roughly the same, though.

So you roll with Disadvantage, but it's feasible to kill someone with it at range.

With the Heritage Wild Sorcerers of the Sword Coast can I pick any *Race* to look like?
Use that Heritage and look like an Wood Elf or Halfling?

---

Back Story.

Briar Lockspur was born in the shadows of wealth and power, the unacknowledged bastard of a prominent noble. His father, cold and calculating, cast both Briar and his mother out into the streets within weeks of Briar’s birth, determined to scrub any stain from his pristine lineage. Left to fend for themselves in the filth and forgotten corners of the city, Briar and his mother lived a life of hardship — begging for scraps, sleeping in alleyways, and stealing when survival demanded it.

Despite the cruelty of their situation, Briar’s mother instilled in him two priceless lessons: a fierce, unbreakable independence and a stubborn, clear-eyed sense of right and wrong. She taught him that trust was a currency the wealthy could never afford, and that nobility was a title bought, not earned. In her eyes — and soon in his — the so-called highborn were little more than parasites cloaked in silk.

Briar grew up sharp-eyed and quicker of hand, nimble enough to lift a purse from a passing merchant or vanish into the crowds before a guardsman could even shout. Yet there was something more to him — a subtle pull, a strange awareness that went beyond the tricks of street survival. Over time, Briar realized he could feel magic — sense it humming in the air, or catch the faint glimmer of it clinging to objects others might overlook.

It was this talent that led him to an ornate dagger, sheathed at the belt of a richly-dressed stranger threading his way through the market. The dagger practically sang with arcane energy. Briar couldn’t resist. He slipped through the throng, hands light as breath — and found himself caught mid-theft by the very man he sought to rob.

The stranger, introducing himself as Edran Vaele, was no noble, nor an easy mark. He was a quiet, sharp-eyed agent of the Harpers, a secretive network committed to balance and justice in a world twisted by power. Rather than turning Briar over to the guards or cutting him down, Edran saw potential. In Briar’s quick fingers, in his keen instincts for magic, and most of all, in his unshakable hatred for the cruelty of the elite.

Edran took Briar under his wing, teaching him the art of subtlety — how to blend charm and mischief, how to disappear in plain sight, how to use minor magics to cloud a mind or slip a lock. Magic, Edran taught, was a tool not just for survival, but for change.

It wasn’t long before Briar was working with the Harpers himself, serving as an informant, a cutpurse, a whisper on the wind. He became a ghost in noble halls, lifting coin and cursed relic alike from those who wielded their power like a cudgel. He gave what he stole back to the streets — to the hungry, the forgotten, the desperate — because he remembered what it meant to have nothing.

---

Edran Vaele (Mentor, Harper Agent)
Late 40s, wiry build, black hair streaked with silver, storm-grey eyes.
Wears simple, worn traveler’s clothes; blends easily into crowds.
Wry, wise, teaches through experience rather than lectures.
Skilled in subtle magic — favors mobility, illusions, detection spells.
Keeps a silver coin with a broken scale as a personal token.
Sees potential in Briar, reminds him of his younger self.

Elira Lockspur (Briar's Mother)
Background: Once a lady’s maid in a noble household before being cast out.
Personality: Fiercely independent, stubborn, protective, and deeply compassionate toward the downtrodden.
Skills: Skilled in herbal remedies, sewing, and quiet street survival tactics.
Beliefs: Taught Briar that nobility is earned through actions, not birthright or title.
Relationship with Briar: Deeply loving but refused to shelter him from the world’s cruelty, determined to make him strong.


Lord Alastair Ravenshade (Briar’s Noble Father)
Head of House Ravenshade, powerful and politically ruthless.
Sharp features, raven-black hair, piercing blue eyes.
Publicly charming and generous; privately cold, calculating, and vain.
Discarded Briar and his mother to preserve his "pure" family image.
Hoards magical artifacts in secret vaults beneath his estate.
Wears a black raven clutching a silver crown on his signet ring.
Rumored to practice forbidden magic and keep blackmail ledgers.

Sure! In that case the race is just for looks and doesn't give you Traits.

When you're ready, feel free to post on Tiny Tavern.

About our current hooks, do you have any preferences or opinions on what quests your character would like and what they would avoid?

Nope. You're good to go. =)

Didn't notice that before, but your Traits are showing your background as Criminal but your sheet has "Urchin" at the top.

Seems like Urchin would be a better fit for your story. Can I fix your Traits?

You fixed it. Thank you! =)

Your welcome.
I just forgot to change one part during editing.What 5e cantrip can I "mimic" with this? Is there list in your mind of what is ok and what is not?
I will post my thoughts when home

I think most, if not all, of the 5e cantrips and even a few 1st or 2nd level spells. We can further discuss and refine your spell list in this thread. =)

I would like to have the final word (specifically about mechanics and gameplay changes) but will let the flavor, description, goals and effects of your spell list be created by you. It's more fun that way, I guess. =)

Gimme your initial list and we will work together on it. We can add more spells down the line as well, so you don't need to include everything but the kitchen sink now. =)

These were the list of the cantrip and 2nd-level spells I would like to possibly be able to use.
Or something similar but reflavored.

The spells with "*" are ones I would want or use more than others. Higher Priority.

Actually, we need to adapt them somehow and ignore a lot of details that are used in 5e as they are not used in Tiny. Also, let's make it in a way that we dont need to read or reference the 5e Players Handbook whenever you wanna cast those spells. =)

I am looking for something like this from you:

What do you think? Wanna rewrite or detail anything above? Add more spells to this table?

I am fine with all of this.
I just compiled the list of possible spells that Briar might use.

This all is amazing and works perfectly fine for me.

I don't plan on adding or using many other spells than these. Unless something comes up where it would, IMO, be extremely needed.

Great! We have our starting list then =)

Maybe you will need this one, so here it is =)

Perfect! added it to the spells section I made on my sheet.

I was thinking about using this, but I am not sure if it is really worth it.
Is there a reason I test with Disadvantage for each NPC and not a normal test?

According to ChatGPT math, there is only an ~18% chance of me succeeding at both the 2d6 Magic roll and the 1d6 npc roll.



Not complaining or being grumpy. Just trying to reason the math a little.

Yup. This is an area of ​​effect spell. Against 4 enemies, there is an 80.25% chance that at least one of them will be affected after you pass your Test to cast it.

Also, if you fail the Test to cast it, the only consequence is that you lost an action. You can even try to cast it again, in the same round, with the other action. There is no memorization or daily limits here.

Having said that, yes, it is not as effective if you use it only against the Pale Moth... You will probably affect someone else in the crowded area.

If you want to use this spell, try using it against his short sword... it is a normal Magic Test to drop it. You roll only once ;)

As an aside/suggestion, don't underestimate "magical flavor" for what, in terms of game mechanics, is just a Seek action.

So, maybe you can summon a loud noise for 1 second, while you try again to subdue him. That would be a Seek action followed by a Grapple Test