[D&D-5e] The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

[Qiksilv]

Was the movie, “Hook” by chance? I’m fine with lost marbles. Plus, then Tootles ( Imean Sparky) can say, “I’ve lost y marbles,” with a straight face. Good Times.

I’m also flexible. If you want the “essence of a storm” to have bequeathed you cleric-like powers that’s fine. It’s strange magic world that DnD happens in so all sorts of nonsense can be true and thus, in actuality, not-nonsense. It isn’t necessary but perhaps we can name it or something later; if it fits in the story somehow.

[Alemar]

on the curses list 40. stood out to me... Jake Tucker would like a word

40. face is upside down

Also regarding Sparky: I'm assuming they want to be Tempest Domain? Kord is the Lord of Storms, so there's always that.... Also, in the feywild magic is extra finnicky, so it could be that he got his power from something in the realm that rubbed off on him (kinda like a magical STD)

[Qiksilv]

We can always say he got the powers from a storm and quantify who or what that was at a later time. Just by his title Kord seems like a reasonable option though now I kind of like the idea of a nameless power being sparky’s patron deity. He’d confuse clerics and Warlocks wo would try and figure out where his powers come from but no on would know.

I don’t know who Jake Tucker is but that looks appalling . To be clear, no one needs to pull from that list, it’s just to help if needed.

Some that I liked are:

 

-This player has been cursed to be afraid of the sun.
-This curse makes the player compelled to hug all characters they come across, even if it would be inappropriate or awkward.

-The character cannot be convinced by any means that magic exists. They rationalize magical events away by using insane, impossible logic.
-The character believes themselves to have swapped bodies with the nearest person. Nothing has happened.
-The cursed is compelled to repeat the last word of each sentence they say 3 times, each time speaking a little bit softer than the last. If the curse remains active for more than 24 hours, the cursed is compelled to dramatically flick their hands open and closed with each echo
-A voice narrates everything the cursed does, says, or thinks
- Characters must only answer questions with lies, unless they are asked about the reason for their behaviour (ex: "are you cursed?" "Are you lying on purpose?") In which case they must respond in the affirmative.
- The player's backpack is enchanted, to always give the player an item they needed in the past, but never what they will need in the future or present

Not all of them would work for what we are doing and I could get quite a few more from other lists but these I found pretty quick and they all made me giggle a bit.

On another note,

kinda like a Magical STD

[Framm18]

Originally Posted by Alemar

Also regarding Sparky: I'm assuming they want to be Tempest Domain? Kord is the Lord of Storms, so there's always that.... Also, in the feywild magic is extra finnicky, so it could be that he got his power from something in the realm that rubbed off on him (kinda like a magical STD)

This for the most part (and Druid doesn't feel right for Sparky). Main reason for Cleric over Warlock is the healing ability. (Someone down, CLEAR! *shock*) And who knows Kord could be his Diety but Sparky wouldn't know that starting out., plus could be part of his lost and found quest who knows? (I enjoy figuring things out as we go, especially for a level 1 character)

And yes it was a "Hook" reference. But I will try to keep thread clear of more Sparky so we don't get it too cluttered up from Apps.

Edit: That isn't to say that I don't appreciate the feedback/suggestions.

[Qiksilv]

I'm not pushing one way or the other but there is the "Celestial Warlock" if you preferred warlock over cleric. It doesn't necessarily fit the storm theme but could be an alternative you could consider.

If you have thoughts and questions this is the place. Don't be shy. We'll figure out your character app eventually

[ElderOblex]

 

Ideas Reforming...

Character Concept 1: Complete! Name: "Tar," Ishtar Understoat Race: Halfling Class: Moon Druid Alignment: Chaotic Good Lost Thing: Taste Minor Curse: Only things that DON'T qualify as edible food can satisfy. Eating normal food requires a Poison check and tastes like literal ash.Exotic Appetites Background: Tar was always in places she didn't belong. First she was in the woods in times when most people sought the warmth of hearth, or home. Tar felt at home in the woods, though she couldn't really explain why. There were no parents waiting for her inside the four walls of a shelter. Tar wasn't sure if she had parents at all. Other times she'd be Feylost Backgroundcrossing a Twilight Road into... somewhere. The woods were thick and dense here, too, and it felt just as damp. But the fruits and the forms of life there were... different. Her memories of these strolls were hazy at best. Another time Tar found herself inside that place. She didn't know how she got there, and she was pretty sure the massive striped tents and music and menagerie weren't there the night before. Yet there she was, in all her four-foot-eleven, dark-skinned curly-haired glory, munching on candied applejacks and buttery puffed corn and deep-fried corn dog pickles, watching the fire dancers and laughing for the first time in a long time. Until she was caught. Tar didn't remember that their names were 'Witch' and 'Light'. She remembered what they had looked like though, amidst the sea of painted faces and gleaming banners. She also remembered what she had lost. How could she not, when she woke up the next day covered in fur, and musk, the smell of blood and death thick on her alien, misshapen body? Eventually Tar went back to her... old... self, but it was too late; there were changes inside of her she couldn't understand. Now everything tasted like... dirt, swamp water. No more apples. No more fruits. No more smoked fish, even. Just... a table leg. Or a household cat. Those are the things that make her salivate these days. Even now, chewing loudly and smacking her lips as she gnawed on some poor fellow's leather coin pouch, Tar looked at the lights and loud music towards the horizon. It had shown up again, after eight disgusting, insufferable, flatulent years.

Character Concept 2: Complete Name: Jig Mainspring Race: Harengon Class: ChronurgyWizard Alignment: Chaotic Good Lost Thing: Left Foot Minor Curse: Critical fail on a 1 or 2Unlucky Background: Jig had been pretty proud of his powerful paws since he was a wee pup. So when he discovered that he had just lost his left padfoot - right above the ankle - just after visiting that strange and wonderful Carnival, Jig was pretty peeved. Jig had bought a sort of jerry-rigged junky prosthetic - made of coiled springs and bits of discarded armor - from the local blacksmith, but not one day passes where he doesn't miss the real thing. What's more, he seemed to have been on the wrong side of Lady Luck's graces these days... Initially Jig had only wanted to further his self-study of magic when he stepped into those banner-festooned fairy lights and striped pop-up canopy tents. How was he to know you'd need a ticket and entrance fee? The picket fences were so low, he'd simply hopped over it! Big mistake.

Character Concept 3: Complete Name: "Ford" Race: Simic Hybrid Class: Matthew Mercer's Blood Hunter, if allowed Alignment: Lawful Neutral Lost Thing: His Real Name Minor Curse: Disadvantage to Insight checksReckless Background: He had stumbled into the music, mirth, and magic of the Witchlight Carnival completely by accident. What he really wanted to do was escape the dungeon where he was held captive and subject to experiments for the past three years. They had taken him when he was only seven, slaughtered his family, then treated him as nothing more than livestock. Livestock with a special caliber of blood. They had taken his family, his freedom, his... dignity. But the Carnival had taken from him too. He only realized it when the magic and the mirth and the music were all gone, but he knew it to be true just as he knew what it meant to him, even now. Especially now. The hooded men were still out there, hunting for him. He hunted them back, and called himself 'Ford' when people asked. Not many did. But one way or another, he needed to go back to the Carnival, and take back what they had stolen. Yes, they stole it. Taken what was not given, without consent. It was too high a price in exchange for something so little than entrance to their mad menagerie. One way or another, Ford was going to get back his name.

[Zangul]

Grum Skullcrusher

NAME: Grum Skullcrusher
RACE: Half-Orc
CLASS: Bard (Eventually being a Bardbarian)
ALIGNMENT: CN (Chaotic Neutral)
LOST THING: Family heirloom. (A jade pendant on a tooth and fur necklace given to him by his Orc uncle after his dad died)
MINOR CURSE: Musical Talent. Can't play Musical Instruments.

BACKSTORY: "Uncle Grumak, I finished with my training and chores. Can I Go see mom perform at the bottleneck Tavern? "

"Listen Grum I will let you go but, you best stay out of trouble this time. No roughing up the other kids over in Silverdale. As soon as she has finished her performance you come straight back here."

Grum was so excited that before he finished his answer he was out the door and down the street. As he leaves his Tribes camp he sees colorful tenets off in the distance. Hesitant Grum continues his trek to Silverdale. But, the urge to check out the colorful tents is to strong for his feeble and curious mind. So he runs quite a bit before coming up to the Red and Blue canvas tent. Off in the distance a man is yelling "Tickets, come get your Tickets.come one, come all. Get em while we got em."

Whelp here goes nothing. Grum lefts up a piece of canvas and crawls through. Inside the tent a juggler, an act with clowns and a fire breather are all performing. Grum watcha for a few minutes and makes his way out of the Big top and out into the carnival. Game booths and food stalls even a few people on the side of the street offering services. After a few rides and a few games things started to feel like something has went missing. As Grum starts to feel around he realizes that his necklace is gone, a family heirloom. By this time an older man approached Grum, "What is wrong young Lad you should be enjoying yourself here at the Carnival all the games and rides for the child."
"I am missing my Family heirloom."

"Ah you see the carnival costs a ticket, ticket costs a price. So you take, we take, nothing lost. Go have fun." Well, Grum was really worried the Necklace belonged to his great great great grandfather and as handed down amongst father and eldest son, well his father was killed in battle years ago and his uncle took it and held for awhile, then Grum showed promise to being a warrior like his dad so he gave him the necklace. As the necklace vanished he left Grum with a curse one his mother wouldn't forget and that was Grums ability to play an instrument a curse bestowed by careless and selfish actions. It's been 16 years and Grum is now 24. As he overlooked a cliff he sees the colorful tents and a compulsion to go and retrieve the lost item.

[penbeast0]

Burny Character name: Bernadette Brightly, AKA "Burny" Race: Rock Gnome Class: Wizard Background: Guild Wizard (custom) Personality: Burny is normally cheerful, full of energy, a bit scatterbrained. She always wants to please everyone but doesn't always succeed. Her problem is that she obsesses over what she sees as her addiction to death. She loses focus when people are talking about anything else, her necromancy spells work better than her "normal" ones, she listens to the acoustic equivalent of My Chemical Romance, and worst of all, she has a tendency to tell people about her struggles with this obsession and why she is powerless to do anything about it. Sometimes, you just want to pick her up and shake her until she either accepts it or just snaps out of it. Physical Description: Burny is short, a bit plump, with blotchy skin, and a face that seems a bit out of balance. Her nose is too big, her chin recedes, and she isn't the most coordinated person in the world either. On the other hand, she smiles a lot, is nice to everyone around her, and while her laugh is a bit screechy, she seems to genuinely like the people she is with. Backstory: The daughter of two guild wizards, Burny was trained early in magic. Her father hoped she would be a divination wizard like her mother or maybe an abjuration wizard like him. And for a while it went well. But, after her visit to the carnival, she seemed to fixate on necromancy. Invisible hands (mage hand and chill touch), reading every trashy vampire novel ever written, a few Wednesday Addams moments with her dolls, her bent for the magic of death and the undead colored her life. Her parents did everything they could to discourage it, from time outs to having her talk to the cities resident expert on personality and insight. But she just wanted to shrink head. Literally. As a good daughter, she went on to Magical Academy and being naturally proficient and well trained, she graduate with honors. Then she took service with her parents' guild and settled into a straightforward, but boring, life among the living. It was an easy life and a good living, but the dead kept calling her back. She tried to go without necromancy, which is naturally frowned on among reputable mages, but always ended up sneaking over to the graveyard and casting just slightly inappropriate spells. Lost Item: You wonder why Burny can't leave the dead alone? Her parents know, or think they do. When she was born, a bad fairy laid a curse on her that she would live her life among the dead. Her parents, being quite adept at wizardry, created an amulet for baby Burnie that would shield her from this curse and impressed on her that she must always wear it. And she did, until she went to the carnival of the Fey and it was gone. People in my life: Mom and Dad: They are both still alive, both contract wizards (Mom is a divination wizard, Dad is a scribe), and both worried about me. I talk to them pretty regularly but it's not like we actually communicate. We just go through the ritual of saying the same things that we've been saying since I apprenticed to the college at 13 without actually telling each other anything. Roget the Mortician. He caught me hanging around his workrooms but instead of going off into some kind of tantrum, he was right decent about it. We got to talking regularly; he's shown me how to make a corpse look real life-like and all. Roget may be old but he's surprisingly strong. I guess it's all the digging and stuff. The statue of Jeannette Clarke. Jeannie, as I call her, is probably buried there. I'm not completely sure as the statue is older than I am. But I like to think so. Burny and Jeannie has a nice ring and Jeannie has a really kind face. When I get caught up in my troubles, she's the one I tell everything to. One nice thing about the dead; they aren't all judgy and everything. They listen real good. Jaime. Jaime and I, we were a thing and it was good, well, until it wasn't. He helped find a life outside my parents and we shared our interests. He was my first; but things didn't stay good. He was too into his necromancy. I mean, it attracted me at first, but he didn't have proper limits. He talked about killing people to use their corpses and stuff. I mean, ugh, that's just wrong. And it didn't help that I seemed to have more of a natural gift for it than he did. He had to sweat and work and memorize everything; it all just seemed natural to me. I guess that was part of it too. But I miss the company and the having someone to share troubles with. We had a deal that if one of us died, the other would bring them back and take care of them. How many people could you say that about?   https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=92581

[Nyx89]

Definitely interested! Here is my application

Thistle Name: Thistle Race: Fairy Class: Rogue (Arcane Trickster) Alignment: Chaotic Good Lost Thing: Ability to fly Minor Curse: Thistle's wings look shriveled and decayed. Background: Thistle was born in the Feywild to parents of the Seelie Court. Both of her parents were quite gifted in magic, as is natural for fairies, but Thistle proved to be less than talented in this arena. This disappointed her parents, and Thistle couldn't bear the weight of her parents' disappointment. Feeling lost and unsure of herself, Thistle ran away from home at a tender age and somehow managed to arrive at a wondrous yet strange carnival. She had the time of her life but by the end of the night she realized a horrible thing: she could no longer fly! Her beautiful pink wings had become shriveled and deformed. Terrified, Thistle fled the carnival and returned to her parents, who were even more horrified and ashamed. They all but disowned Thistle. After all, what use is a fairy who can't fly? It has been 8 years since she lost the ability to fly, and Thistle can no longer bear to be the outcast of her society. She will do anything to restore her beautiful wings to their former glory and prove to her parents once and for all that she is worthy of respect.

[Zangul]

I believe my app is complete feed back definitely welcome and thank you for your time.

[Qiksilv]

Oh no! Now I might have to actually not take everyone and make *shudder* choices. Curses!

Oh well, Welcome ya'll. Nice to meet you.

@EO
I look forward to seeing the rest of your app when you add the other details.

@Zangul
I was excited the first time I was skimming your post because you had written "Family Hair Loom" as your lost thing and I was eager to see what the wordplay was going to be. Your missing "Heirloom" is fine but I guess I overhyped to myself what was nothing but a typo

That being said; are you crippling your bard by removing his ability to play instruments? Or has he learned the power of Oration?

@Penbeast0
I like Burny, seems like a fun Lass

Is "Guild Wizard" a published background? What am I missing here?

I think I will need something more from your Lost Thing; I don't know how to quantify "Connection to the living." I saw in Burny's backstory that she 'wants to stop being interested in the dead but can't' and I can't quite grasp how that is something that is lost. Can you explain so I can get it or give it another go?

@Nyx89
I Love that your Fairy lost her wings (basically). She will be super motivated to get that back. My only concern is that you will be imposing a strong handicap on yourself. Are you alright with that?

The story starts in the mortal plane so how did your Fairy end up in the material plane? The Feylost and Witchlight Hand Backgrounds might be an answer but what did you have in mind?

I have to confess my ignorance here but when you say that she was 'born to the Seelie Court,' does that mean that she is a princess or that her "nationality" (so to speak) is Seelie rather than Unseelie?

[Snicker]

 

The bard who lost her words Source: https://twitter.com/WingBuffet/status/1100804140698083329 Name: She has one, presumably, but she's not telling. Feel free to give her a nickname!????? Race: She's been infused with some degree of fey magic, however, so she could just as easily be a Hexblood (from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft) if you think that's more appropriate.Tiefling Class: Bard spells tend to have verbal components, which doesn't synchronize well with her lost thing. I'd like to request that she can substitute instrumental music for verbal components (due to fey magic or whatever). This would mean her spells are still audible and can be negated by silence or similar spells, but would also effectively mean she needs a magical instrument to cast most spells, similar to artificers and their artisan tools.Bard Alignment: Chaotic Good Lost thing: ...but in a metaphorical sense. Really, it's her ability to express herself using language, so in addition to being mute, she's also unable to write or use sign language, even though she can understand both. In play, I plan to express her feelings via descriptions of her facial expressions, body language, and musical stings she produces using her instruments. For instance, she might play a few jovial bars of music to express agreement, or a discordant tumble of flat tones to express displeasure. She would still be unable to present her own ideas or new information, however, so she'd take something of a backseat when making plans.Voice Minor curse: More technically, she cannot benefit from anything unless she shares it; for example, she chokes on food unless she shares her meal with someone else. Anything that can't be shared by definition (like single-target magic) or could technically be shared, but would be absurd and self-defeating to do so (like potions or clothing) are exempt from this curse.Must share everything possible Background: Once upon a time, there was a young girl living on the streets of Waterdeep. She had no parents, so she banded together with other lonely children to survive, stealing food and other necessities from careless adults in the marketplace. Despite their hardships, they had simple pleasures, and the girl's favourite was Waterdeep's street performers. While they accepted donations, their beautiful music was available to everyone, even poor children like her, and the girl wished she could grow up to be like them some day. When the girl was around ten (probably; she did not know her own age), a strange carnival came to Waterdeep. The girl and her friends could not afford tickets, but they were experts at sneaking into places they weren't supposed to be. The carnival was full of strange and wondrous attractions, but the girl was clever, curious, and foolish, so she slipped deeper, into the restricted sections where the carnival's workers ate, rested, an entertained themselves. There, she witnessed them dancing to their own music, stranger still than the shows in the carnival itself. It was unlike any music she'd heard in Waterdeep - more complex, more magical, more alive. She was so entranced that she did not notice the two elves until they were right on top of her. "Silly little screeching cricket," one said. "You forgot to buy a ticket." "You've wandered far astray, here, too," added the other. "These sights and sounds are not for you." The girl, who should not have been there in the first place, should have feigned ignorance or begged mercy, but she was clever, curious, and foolish. Instead, she protested the cost of the carnival and the music hidden away. She said the music was beautiful and should be shared with everyone, citing that she and her friends listened to performers in Waterdeep all the time. When the elves insisted that the girl give up the locations of the other children that snuck in with her, she refused, finally declaring that she would tell them nothing, learn their music for herself, and share it all with the entire world. That was the last thing she said. She meant to say more, but nothing came out. "A promise made and therefore bound," one of the elves said. "Your debt repaid and purpose found." "The carnival goes round and round," the other added. "The multiverse is our playground. Nothing's free and nothing's lost. Every visit has its cost." The children regrouped in Waterdeep's streets the next morning. Some revealed that they'd lost something at the fair last night. Others didn't realize what they'd lost until later. But none of their losses were as dramatic as the little girl's - nor had they won such a prize as her. She felt the strange music of that carnival's private sections within her, and it would tear its way out if she didn't find a way to release it. She had no voice, but she found other ways. They were different instruments than the pipes and harps she'd heard that night, but her notes carried that magic nonetheless. Eight years later, the carnival came again. After what she'd lost the first time, it would have been wise for the girl to stay away. But she was clever, curious, and foolish, and she remembered what she'd been told: "Nothing's free and nothing's lost." She should have remembered the other part: "Every visit has its cost."

 

The detective who lost interest Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/gkjitg/artoc_tiefling_sheriff_commission_by_me/ Name: Birth name: Lennard Jr. TannerTenacity Tanner Race: Tiefling Class: Intended to go into Inquisitive; I hope to regain her "lost thing" before this happens.Rogue Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Lost thing: Curiosity Minor curse: Tenacity makes Investigation, Insight, and any other checks that require concentration at disadvantage, as she struggles to focus on any task for more than a few moments. Note that this is not actually a magical curse, but her natural state; it's only her curiosity that allows her to focus.Easily distracted Backstory: The child that would become Tenacity Tanner was born to two human parents in the Outer City of Baldur's Gate. Her mother rejected the devilspawn she'd birthed and left her father to raise the girl alone, who he named Lennard Jr., after himself. Lennard was a dull-witted man who spent as much of his life as possible in an alcohol-blurred routine, earning a meager wage at the local tannery and spending it at the local pub. His daughter could not have been more different from him: she was easily distracted, insatiably curious, and hopelessly unfit to follow in her father's footsteps. From a young age, she spent more time on the streets than at home, prying into the secrets of the world around her. Her neighbours thought her untrustworthy and poorly disciplined, and this was true, but not out of malice; she genuinely forgot her obligations and restrictions, rather than disregarded them, and violated others' privacy and ownership out of a desire to learn rather than to deprive. Junior was in her early teens when Lennard's alcoholism caught up with him. With her father unable to work, Junior did anything and everything to survive. Her heritage, reputation, and short attention span made her unfit for long-term work, but she found success in odd jobs. Some of these were illegal, but just as often, they were just problems people needed resolved but didn't know how. Junior's curiosity had given her a knack for uncovering secrets, including discovering the solution to conundrums that seemed unsolvable. Junior's support bought Lennard a few more years, but the damage he'd suffered was irreversible, and he died in her late teens. The weight of her grief was different than the weight of supporting him, but she knew she had the strength for both. This led her to take a new name for herself: Tenacity. No longer having to support her father, she used her newly freed income to start a new business as a private detective. Tenacity had working as a private detective for just a few weeks when a carnival came to the outskirts of Baldur's Gate. Curious about its nature but wanting to keep a low profile, she slipped via an unobserved perimeter rather than buy a ticket. By the end of the night, she figured something wasn't quite right, but she'd lost the motivation to pry further into it. Or anything, for that matter - the following days and nights, she found herself unable to summon the interest to concentrate on any of her cases. She was uninterested in any of her work, and soon, everything fell into a boring routine. She had to force herself through even the bare minimum of her work, often lost in daydream even when investigating. Today, more and more, she finds herself turning to alcohol to dull the chaos of her mind to a single line of thought, and even then that line often goes astray. She wonders if she's doomed to the same fate of her father: drinking herself to a death that may as well be indistinguishable from her life. This is her mindset upon learning of the carnival's return. She's still ambivalent about its secrets, but she feels all too keenly the sting of what she's lost. She doesn't know what it will take to get it back, but she might as well die trying, because this is no way to live.

[Qiksilv]

The question arose about whether the Lost Things are just an initial Plot hook or whether they are going to be a driving force for the entire campaign. The answer is, Yes.

Finding the things is the reason you all will enter the carnival. Throughout the story the things will be found at various points, not all at once, and, hopefully, a secondary plot point will have enticed your character to hang about till everyone has found their own thing sometime close to the end of the AP.

Technically, the Minor Curse is removable with a casting of "remove Curse" but should also be removed when your thing is recovered. So, any handicap you give yourself will hang around till around 1/2 -3/4 through the AP; roughly.

So @Snicker
I like your lost thing/curse but want to make sure you understand that it seems like you might be laying it on a bit thicker than needed. Are you ok with that?

I love the pic, Btw. Nice find

[Snicker]

Originally Posted by Qiksilv

I like your lost thing/curse but want to make sure you understand that it seems like you might be laying it on a bit thicker than needed. Are you ok with that?

I guess that depends on what you mean by "laying it on thick". If you're saying the lost thing/curse might be more severe than necessary, I'm playing a voiceless character because I want to explore the challenge of playing a character with no dialogue. I've played smart characters, dumb characters, chatty characters, taciturn characters, and characters who talk in a cartoonishly over-the-top fashion. I'm interested in playing a character with no dialogue at all, and whom I must express using descriptions of their expressions, movements, and actions. So if you're worried I'm picking something more difficult than I need to, don't worry, because I want the challenge.

If you mean something different by "laying in on thick", however, please let me know. I don't want to cause any trouble.

Also, if you don't want to deal with a character that can't express complex information, just let me know. I have other ideas.

[Qiksilv]

We had already talked about your character being mute, that's fine, I was worried about not being able to write or anything either; that seemed like you were "laying it on thick," especially since you also gave yourself a different curse and "handwriting" is one of the suggested curses. It kind of feels like you gave yourself 3-4 curses. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, that just means your character will have an epiphanous moment later which sounds cathartic.

If you are ok with all of that, I'm ok.