Character Creation

Welcome and happy holidays! What better time than Christmas to do a super spooky adventure full of death and misery?

Like I said in the game description, the Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventure Guide, Volo's Guide to Monsters, Elemental Evil Player's Companion, and Xanathar's Guide to Everything are all allowed. Homebrewed classes, subclasses, races, rules, and backgrounds, along with those provided by Unearthed Arcana, must be run by me before being put into place.

We are starting at 1st level. I would like you all to use the standard array for stats (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or use the point buy system for stat making (provided on page 13 of the PHB under "Variant: Customizing Ability Scores) for which I have a handy calculator. I would also like, in the time between everyone submitting their characters and me starting the game, if you guys crafted introductory paragraphs, characterizing dialogue, or even entire backstories to involve the characters with each other and offer an explanation to why they are all in a particular roadside inn, drinking together. (It's not a requirement but it would be nice.)

And yes we are starting in a tavern. No evil characters and, if you are chaotic neutral, try not to be a stereotype. Alignments are subject to change based upon your in-character behavior because they are descriptive, not restrictive.

I forgot to say on the game description that I prefer that you haven't read the Curse of Strahd book or, to a lesser extent, played or listened to the adventure, though I would hope this was a given.

I also would like to say, to those that this applies to, try not to only pick class-character combinations because they make for mechanical benefit. The first priority is making interesting characters.

What character ideas are you guys thinking of?

I’m playing a halfling rogue.

Would a dwarf alchemist artificer be allowed?

Would be using the artificer class found here.
The pdf is free (class is UA).

Also;

Yes, you are allowed.

Titan, are you sure you're reading the alchemical formulas section correctly? I read it as you get Alchemical Fire and Acid along with one other formula that you choose. You seen to have taken Alchemical Fire and two of your choice.

Yes, I misread it. I'll change it. Thanks for letting me know.

You're very welcome.

The name is Ryn Al'Thurin. I'm just your typical celestial touched warlock. I died, or almost died at birth and some celestial creature decided to come down and interfere. So being born near death, or dead, and having a Ki-Rin show up and "bless" you means that I owe him one, and it means that any chance at a normal life is down the tubes. Fate touched is what they said. I mean could I have been a fate touched baker or carpenter? Even a fate touched tavern owner? No, of course not, and I had a great name picked out too, the "Golden Eye" you know on account of my one golden eye.

All of those would have led to a great life, friends, family, a simple life where I probably won't die from a demonic curse, or dragon fire. A noble life where I could have died like a normal person, at 50 from cholera or the plague. But no, some celestial creature "cures" me and now I have to do his bidding. Has anyone else ever noticed that the words cures and curse are just one letter off?

Anyway, so here's my agenda; get enough good deeds and gold together to wipe off my marker with that celestial creature, and start my own simple life owning a tavern. Nothing else.

I've got some healing capabilities also. I did end up taking the healing tonic as my third alchemical formulae.

...A rogue, a warlock, and an alchemist walk into a tavern...

The name is Baroth Stormwind. He is a silver dragonborn paladin and a follower of Bahamut, the great platinum dragon. He is a soldier and vanquisher of evil. He seeks vengeance and righting wrongs that have been done by others. He wields a sword and shield into battle. His silver scales match his silver chain mail.

Now begins the character connection segment where I want you all to come up with the following.
-How you all met each other and became friends.
-Why you all are inside The Spinning Wheel Inn, an old tavern near Daggerfel, sitting at a table.

*I'm not expecting anything grand, as it likely won't come up, but I find it helps the quality of the role playing if the characters are in a party for more reason than being hired for the same job or stuck in the same situation.

I would like to improve a bit and make it seem a bit less ambitious as I do have my own adventure to run and you all are still first level. Perhaps afterwords we could pursue something as mysterious as The Eyes of the Dark.

Perhaps you all helped destroy a small band of bandits connected with The Eyes of the Dark that have been cleverly covering a system of roguish banditry and you are in the tavern to celebrate a job well done.

Everything else is fine with me.

As long as you haven't just met them, that is also fine.