Have you been stumped on what character to play lately? Tired of playing the same tried and true interpretations of classes? Perhaps you are just interested in seeing new and interesting ways to flavor characters and classes. I have just the thing for you. In today's post we are going to explore interesting ways to flavor character classes to approach them from a new angle that may not have considered before .
Hello esteemed followers, readers, and villains alike, and welcome back to Kobold Stew. We have round 3 of the Change-up. With this mini-series, I explore new ways to play and interpret classes with maximum narrative and flavor in mind while minimizing the requirements for crunch. The main goal is to provide a fresh take on the classes presented in DnD without the need to home-brew or mechanical acrobatics and rules juggling. With Round 1, we explored the Vessel Barbarian, the Commissar Bard, and the Shaman Cleric. And then, with Round 2, we explored the Entomorph Druid, the Janissary Fighter, and the Friar Monk. With Round 3, we are going to explore new fangled ways to play the Paladin, Ranger, and the Rogue.
Let's get right down to bidness.
Paladin - Oath of Atonement
"I have sinned. I repent, but I must also carry forth a grave penance for true absolution."
When I think of the typical paladin character we see in DnD games, I think of two or three. The first is the classic holier than though, truth, justice, and the holy way Paladin. The next type is the "vengeful" paladin that seeks to avenge some sort of wrong or destroy evil where it lay using honor and all that good stuff. Finally, there is the ultimate 'edgelord' Paladin who would've been called a "Blackguard" in older editions. These are the EVIL paladins who use dark powers to do edgy stuff.
Now, we all like our characters to have flaws and interesting events that have taken place in their back story. These events often led them to the path of adventuring. What if instead of a holier than thou attitude or just continuing to be a despicable 'Blackguard,' a paladin has committed a grave sin in their past, and they have sought out the path of a holy warrior, pledging an oath before a cleric to a god or perhaps a magistrate that they shall become a better person and atone for their sins.
This past sin could be a Hercules type sin where they hurt people they cared about dearly, and it shattered them to their core causing them to seek atonement through adventure sort of like the 12 Labors. Perhaps they used to be a despicable criminal that had a run with a god who scared them straight, or maybe they're a prisoner being let free to serve the local temple and as long as they act accordingly, they keep their powers.
If your DM would allow it, perhaps your character has died, and they have a first class, one-way ticket on the Highway to Hell, but a god of mercy or forgiveness steps in and they are given a second chance. Your character vows to use this second chance as an opportunity to atone for what they have done.
I'm sure you get it by now, but the major theme of this character is the sin in their past and seeking out atonement for that sin in one way or another. Their atonement could be personal, for a god, for the temple, or for a prison sentence. This past sin should have a major impact on their backstory, and you should chat often with your DM about it, as I am sure a DM will delight in throwing it in your character's face whenever they get the chance.
The name 'Oath of Atonement' is not an actual homebrewed subclass, but rather just a cheeky nickname for the character concept. Subclasses that jive really well with the Oath of Atonement Paladin would be the Oaths of Devotion or Redemption, especially if you are playing up the redemption in the eyes of a god angle. An Oath of the Crowns or Ancients could also be used to make sense; the Crown Oath would make a lot of sense for someone trying get out of a jail sentence while Ancients would be good if someone's sin was against nature or a community of druids/fey.
Oath of Vengeance could work, but it does not fit the flavor as well as the others. The Oath of Conquest feels out of place for a character like this, and an Oathbreaker is meant for someone who isn't repenting. Be sure to chat with your DM about the possible consequences for falling back into sin or out of favor as there may be penalties for going against one's oath that go beyond the PHB.
Ranger - Big Game Hunter
"Most are in it for the money, the fame, or that warm fuzzy feeling of doing something right. Me? I just wanna be able to mount a dragon's head on me wall."
This blog post seems to be focusing a lot on motivations for adventuring for what is making these alternative flavorings to classes. Of course, feel free to add more to these motivations and make them your own. These are merely suggestions that I hope can help jumpstart your next character or help begin the process of brainstorming. Next up, we have the Big Game Hunter Ranger!
This ranger, instead of focusing on the protection of the wilds, focuses more on the survivalist and hunting aspects of the class. I see people discuss about how an adventurer can't be of a functional life, but for the naysayers, I give you not only the rebuttal to this, but also a great adventuring motivation to all. Quite simply, the thrill of the hunt. The Big Game Hunter Ranger is not in it for the fame, money, boys/girls, or 'doing the right thing,' but they are in it because they want to either seek a great thrill or the satisfaction of killing the most dangerous creatures the realm (and perhaps eventually the multiverse) has to offer. Kind of like a fantasy-esque Kraven the Hunter or Predator.
Perhaps the Big Game Hunter comes from a culture that respects hunting and they wish to regain their clan's respect or become the chief/elder of the clan. Maybe they lost someone important to them to a big beastie, and they became a hunter to exact a weird vengeance against the world. Perhaps, your ranger is just out for the hides of the most dangerous beasts because they just wish to seek the thrill of the hunt.
Adventurers in DnD after all are said in the book to have capabilities beyond that of regular people, and it is possible the Big Game Hunter is bored with hunting regular animals and being good at that and wants to hunt dangerous things for the challenge of it. "Hunting big game is cool, but you know, I just wanna be able to mount a dragon's head on me wall and make a nice pair o' boots from it" might just be their mantra. This character will always be seeking out the next big kill hoping each adventure brings a hunt more dangerous than the last. Adventuring seems to be a lifestyle that would pit them against nasty things after all.
Honestly, any of the Ranger subclasses work well for the Big Game Hunter. There is the literal 'Hunter,' but you could say Beast Master is that they bonded with their hunting companion animal. Monster Slayer is another like hunter. Gloom Stalker could be a Big Game Hunter from spooky areas, and maybe a Horizon Walker has turned their attention to other planes in search of game.
Whatever favored enemy you pick should be something that your Big Game Hunter has deemed the big and dangerous prey they want to focus on. Picking Dragon or Giant might not be mechanically the best option, but there is flavor there, and you gain more favored enemies as you level up. You can flavor this as them seeking out other prey!
Rogue - The Witch Hunter
"How would you like to plead?"
When we look at rogues, often time they operate outside of the arm of the law. Especially any sort of established order, really only pledging to guilds or bosses of some kind, but what if there was a rogue that worked for the establishment? They say that a Lawful Neutral rogue is not possible, but here at Kobold Stew, we say heck the haters and say it is possible with the Witch-Hunter Rogue.
Inspired by the classic depiction of Witch-Hunters seen in works such as Warhammer, the Witch-Hunter Rogue operates within a strict hierarchy. The Witch-Hunter is part of an order dedicated to the hunting down and extermination of those who would seek to abuse the powers that magic offer. People seeking immortality, using their magic to enslave villages, or perhaps they are just that crazy witch on the edge of town turning people into newts. They might find themselves a target of the Witch-Hunter Rogue.
Perhaps in their backstory, they came to have an animosity toward mages. You can get as creative with it as you like, but this caused the Rogue to join an order to hunt down these dangerous apostate mages. That order could be connected to a religious order such as a temple; in one of my games, I had a player play as a rogue who was a part of an order devoted to the god of death and sought out those who sought immortality, as it was considered breaking cosmic law. This, or maybe they join an arm of the law or even a mage order knows they need to employ such an order to track down those pesky mages who refuse to adhere to the rules.
I feel this makes the rogue interesting because a rogue operating by a code/doctrine laid out by a strict order/organization makes for a fresh look at the class when most people play it as someone who operates outside of the law. You can play up the 'Judge Dread' qualities if you like, or you could play up the whole contempt toward mages thing. You can even really play up the methodical approach to finding apostate mages and the investigative part.
Mechanically, it might make a lot of sense flavor-wise to grab the Mage Slayer feat. It isn't the greatest thing ever, but hey it does the job. Subclass wise, the Inquisitive or Mastermind Rogue makes a lot of sight, as the inquisitor type searching out and exploiting the weaknesses of mages. The Swashbuckler and Scout running all about the battlefield to get to magic users is a sweet image to imagine. Assassins and Thieves would be great for the sneakier and more clandestine Witch-Hunter while Arcane Tricksters, although supplement their abilities with magic, could work. Flavoring spells as various devices could do the job or they are a part of a mages guild that taught them to fight fire with a little bit of fire!
Conclusion
These various takes are not the end all be all. As I said, feel free to take the parts you like and toss the rest of the character concept. The hopes of this are to generate brainstorming and help people who are stumped on what to play next. I also hope with the Change Up to show players everywhere that you don't need to get crazy with mechanics and homebrew left and right to make a unique and interesting character.
Let me know what you think! You got any cool ideas? Let's hear them! Next time we look at the Change Up, we will be finishing up with the arcane casters: Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards.
BIG NEWS!
So , I must admit, the reason for relative silence from my blog is because recently, I have decided to enter the streaming realm in the Dungeons and Dragons community with someone who I have made good friends with. @TouchOfTiefling and myself met while playing in the Tales of Swordfall podcast, and found we have a lot in common in terms of the hobby.
We have stuck out into a new frontier of starting our own platform and will be streaming two different major campaigns on what we call the Chromatic Chimera! The name comes from the fact that Chimeras are creatures with multiple heads and chromatic indicates various colors. We're a stream with different games with all sorts of interesting people!
I will be DMing a campaign titled SteamSpell, which will take place in the Evaryn setting that I have been writing about and sharing on here, a realm of my own making. ToT will be a player in this game as well as DMing a campaign titled Agora's Bells. I will also be playing in this game. SteamSpell is looking to begin around March 13, and we would love to have you tune in. Come see the world of Evaryn actually come to life!
We hope you can make it!
Until next time,
Happy gaming,
Mr Puddins