Creative exercise: fluffing to break cliches

[EggKookoo]

If I say "elven archer" how many of you have Legolas come to mind? What about dwarf fighter? Human wizard? In another thread the discussion veered toward whether or not PCs know what their own classes are, and I think the idea that they do can come from the notion that the races and classes (and build details like feats) often come from preexisting examples, often out of something like LotR.

So as a creative exercise, maybe try using a D&D build to create something outside the stereotype. The rules are simple: it's all about fluff, even fluff that would have a significant impact on roleplaying or setting. But mechanically the build has to "just" be something out of the rulebooks. Since this is just for fun I don't care if you use UA stuff or whatever. The goal is to use the existing structure to create something beyond what most people expect from that structure.

I'll start (I have a few but I'll wait to see what other people do):

Shapechanger
Class: Barbarian/berserker
Race: Any, but human, elf, or half-elf works best for contrast. Halfling or gnome might make an amusing variant.

You hail from a family of shapechangers. Perhaps you've spent your whole life in the wild, or maybe your lineage has lived in luxury and civilization for generations. Either way, your appearance is unremarkable. But when enraged, you transform into a monstrous terror. Fur sprouts along your body, you gain mass and height, and your face becomes brutal and animalistic.

[Corran]

Rock gnome str based warrior type, tough as nails. Just want to play a shouty shorty (edit: did I just make a cliché character in a thread dedicated to breaking clichés? I can't help it...) that beats monsters with a two handed hammer (versatile warhammer). Maybe battlemaster with commander's strike so he can shout orders at his troops, talking with a cigar in his mouth. Which of course he has lighted using his trinket lighter which he has of course because he is a rock gnome.

[EggKookoo]

Nice, that's it!

Ok, another...

The Madman's Creation
Class: Fighter/champion
Race: Half-orc
You had no childhood. Indeed, you had no life of your own until your creator used foul magic to breathe life into the jigsaw corpse that was your body. Born in confusion and fear, you've struggled to make your place in the world. Your strength is fearsome, and your appearance moreso, but you have worked hard to master the former and come to terms with the latter.

[DarkKnightJin]

Not sure if this entirely fits with what the goal of the thread is, but..

The Moody Mage
Race: Rock Gnome
Class: Fighter 1/Wizard X
Description: Being a small guy, our Gnomish caster spent some time outside before properly starting their education after finding out that, apparently, most students of magic are adolescents with a childish sense of humor, and enjoy trying to bowl him over with things like Thunderwave.
So, he trained to brace himself, and works up his musclemass to wear heavier armor, to aid in staying put when someone tries that crap on him.
Then he properly starts his arcane studies on the path to being the Tiny Terror he was born to be.


Originally intended as a student of war(with the War Magic Tradition), it can work for any of the Wizard archetypes, I feel. Though Abjuration is probably a good for, too. Perhaps Necromancy if you want the guy to have a chip on his shoulder. Could combine that one with the 'shouty shorty', giving commands to his army of undead.

[Malifice]

Im trying to create a good aligned Drow, but I cant distance myself from the gazillion Drizzt clones out there.

Trying to break the anti-cliche is hard as well.

[SpacePiggy1245]

I have a good one.

The Esteemed Demon
Teifling Warlock (Good Aligned)

You were raised in a temple, you have spent your life in a temple, and have been the kindest person in the temple. For you to shine your light on another is a blessing, and your valiant heart speaks of your actions, you were meant to be normal, but you felt that that your difference made you stronger. You are connected to a different God, a patron who gives you power, but you defy it, as you don't care to lose your power, you care to do the right thing.

[EggKookoo]

Not sure if this entirely fits with what the goal of the thread is, but..

I should clarify that the idea isn't to just make a different personality type, but to come up with a creature that is, thematically and fluff-wise, completely outside what the race and class labels suggest they are. So for my Madman's Creation, sure it's a half-orc fighter by rules, but it's not actually a half-orc (it's Frankenstein's monster, essentially). I picked half-orc for the stats. So we're stealing the crunch and using it for new purposes.

The goal really is to think of the crunch separately from the fluff.

So...

The Lost God
Class: Warlock/great old one
Race: Tiefling
The universe was your playground. As an elder god, you roamed the outer planes at will and enjoyed the worship of many mortals. But in your travels, you came upon a dark secret, one that threatened to undo all that the gods hold precious. The only solution was to assume the form of a mortal and search for a way to prevent it. But disaster -- or sabotage -- struck. More than just the form of a mortal, you actually became a mortal. Furthermore, you've lost the very knowledge that set you on your course. But your inner mind speaks to you in visions and dreams, prompting you to embark on a path to regain your divinity, and perhaps discover the secrets that you have lost. Only time will tell if you will succeed...

And SpacePiggy, yours is great and I swear I didn't copy it (I have mine written down already).

[SpacePiggy1245]

And SpacePiggy, yours is great and I swear I didn't copy it (I have mine written down already).

Don't worry, I enjoy Warlocks and love to see others work, so this is amazing for my eyes to gaze upon, keep up the great work!

[Sahe]

Mmh, I'm a sucker for weird concepts and playing against type and interesting concepts.

Streetmage
Background: Urchin
Class: Wizard
Race: Doesn't matter
You grew up on the streets but always had an interest in magic. One day you "found" or "borrowed" a spellbook from a wizard from the nearby academy and have ever since studied the magic found within. Don't select spells, roll randomly for them or have your DM decide what spells you find in the book. Same for subclass. Should you get a familiar pick something like a rat or pigeon. Bonus points if you don't use an arcane focus and go dumpster diving for Spell Components. I actually play this and it's quite fun playing my hobo trash witch.

The Sacrifice
Background: Urchin
Class: Warlock (Fiend works best probably)
Race: Doesn't matter
You lived on your own on the streets until some goons knocked you out and kidnapped you. When you came to consciousness again you found yourself naked and chained, strange runes painted on your body. An evil wizard with ceremonial dagger in hand was chanting and a portal wreathed in flame opened. A horned creature stepped out and the wizard began bargaining for power and knowledge in exchange for your soul...until you spoke up and offered the creature a better deal, power and freedom in exchange for the evil wizards soul. Amused the creature accepted and dragged the wizard back to the abyss with it leaving you with the spark of power.

The Indebted
Background: Noble
Class: Warlock (Devil Fiend)
Race: Doesn't matter
Only few know that your family rose to power thanks to a pact your great great grandfather made with a devil. However, your ancestor was not the most wise and instead of just signing his own soul away for power and influence he condemned his entire bloodline. Recently you became head of house and as such it is now your burden to carry. The devil does grant you power, but at what price?

The Enlightened
Background: Any (possibly Hermit)
Class: Monk
Race: Doesn't matter
If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world does not change. You were trained and raised by monks and their most important lesson was, that all life is precious and all are worthy of redemption. As a result you do not kill. You are not a pacifist, you know how to fight and stand up against injustice but you won't take another ones life.
Alternative: You were raised and trained by an order of assassin monks, monks that learn the art of death. But after your first kill, you learned that it is terrible to take another creature's life and ran away you have since vowed not to take any life ever again.
- Basically, you always knock unconscious, instead of killing. Warning may create headaches for your GM

[EggKookoo]

The Sacrifice sounds not unlike:

Broken Vessel
Class: Bard/college of lore
Race: any
You were stolen from your parents as an infant, to be raised by a cult. They kidnapped you because a prophecy highlighted you as the perfect vessel for their dark deity: the Loquacious. You were raised to believe this, and for years you were groomed for your eventual fate as a divine receptacle. Your own personality was suppressed, and you were taught to think of yourself as disposable. But when the fateful day came, and the Loquacious arrived to claim its possession, something snapped inside your soul. You found a reserve of strength you didn't know you had. Rather than let it take control, you fought for possession of your body and eventually subverted the dark god's will to your own. Flush with this success, you escaped (or killed) your cult, and armed with a Divine (or perhaps Diabolical) Voice, you are set and determined to rise to your proper place in the world.

[NaughtyTiger]

I refluffed the 4E monk to Kratos GoW thing
But i think that creates a cliche instead

Fangs of Fire snake -> Blades of Chaos doing fire damage at range
Water Whip -> Blades of Chaos wrapping around a guy, and dragging/knocking prone
Hold Person -> Blades of Chaos locking a guy in place

[EggKookoo]

Cursed Dragon
Class: Sorcerer/draconic
Race: Dragonborn
You hatched like any other dragon wyrmling. But a band of vicious adventurers killed your parents in an unwarranted raid. During the fight, wild arcane magic was unleashed, resulting in the deaths of your clutchmates. But by luck or fate, you survived, albeit permanently transformed into a humanoid form. Stripped of (most of) your draconic powers, you work to restore your birthright as best you can. Someday you'll find those that cursed you, and you'll have your revenge...

[Skyblaze]

The War Mage
Class - War Wizard/Artificer
Race - Mountain Dwarf

In the never ending struggle in the depths of the earth, you are tasked with research into magical defenses for your dwarven home city. Studying in various locations to bring that knowledge back and imbue it into the fabric of the fortifications.

[lunaticfringe]

Im trying to create a good aligned Drow, but I cant distance myself from the gazillion Drizzt clones out there.

Trying to break the anti-cliche is hard as well.

Go str based, with heavy armor. Or just say **** Stealth & be unashamed of who you are.

Be a commoner drow and get offended at the evil stereotype. Play it like Lots of blue collar drow are fine folk caught in a terrible system they can't change and the ruling class is evil which isn't that different from Humanity from what you can tell.

[noob]

A wizard with a feathered hat, a fancy cape and a lute which will often play music.(either can play music)

[KorvinStarmast]

I should clarify that the idea isn't to just make a different personality type, but to come up with a creature that is, thematically and fluff-wise, completely outside what the race and class labels suggest they are.

Strength Based Halfling Fighter, UA Brute, with Tavern Brawler feat. He doesn't just throw those rocks at you, he hits you with them and is proficient. When he throws them as a thrown weapon, they really hurt.
His friends call him Hilljai

Brute Force
you’re able to strike with your weapons with especially brutal force. Whenever you hit with a weapon that you’re proficient with and deal damage, the weapon’s damage increases by an amount based on your level.
3rd 1d4
10th 1d6
16th 1d8
20th 1d10

Later in life, he takes dual wielder to throw more rocks.
(And yes, he wears gaunts of ogre strength, why wouldn't he? His life long quest is to find a belt of storm giant strength). Wields a long sword two handed.

[NaughtyTiger]

Strength Based Halfling Fighter, UA Brute, with Tavern Brawler feat. The doesn't just throw those rocks at you, he hits you with them and is proficient. Oh, and when he throws them as a thrown weapon, they really hurt.
His friends call him Hill Giant.

I was running that with a goblin: Donkey Kick... he was fun.

[KorvinStarmast]

I was running that with a goblin: Donkey Kick... he was fun.

Heck yeah

[Mjolnirbear]

The Cursed One
Race: tiefling
Class: warlock (hexblade or archfey with debuff spells) and sorcerer (wild magic)

You were a mighty hunter. Any beast you sought, you brought down; any monster could be your prey. You enjoyed the fame and glory, and ultimately, it was your pride that brought you down. You forgot the rules of the hunt, and killed more than was needed. You began hunting more than the infirm or the male. And it was bent over collecting a trophy from a nursing female that the druid caught up with you.

Now with a twisted, ugly form, stag horns on your head and cloven hooves instead of feet, you look like a faun...if some terrible curse had ravaged the faun. Your curse targets not just you but everyone around you, sometimes beyond your control. Those nearby might be struck deaf, or become cursed with weakness, or struck with a mental confusion. Now, instead of applause and approbation, you are driven away with arrows or stones. No one will suffer your presence.

And the worst part: the druid did not say if there was a clause that would end the curse.

[EggKookoo]

The Cursed One
Race: tiefling
Class: warlock (hexblade or archfey with debuff spells) and sorcerer (wild magic)

You were a mighty hunter. Any beast you sought, you brought down; any monster could be your prey. You enjoyed the fame and glory, and ultimately, it was your pride that brought you down. You forgot the rules of the hunt, and killed more than was needed. You began hunting more than the infirm or the male. And it was bent over collecting a trophy from a nursing female that the druid caught up with you.

Now with a twisted, ugly form, stag horns on your head and cloven hooves instead of feet, you look like a faun...if some terrible curse had ravaged the faun. Your curse targets not just you but everyone around you, sometimes beyond your control. Those nearby might be struck deaf, or become cursed with weakness, or struck with a mental confusion. Now, instead of applause and approbation, you are driven away with arrows or stones. No one will suffer your presence.

And the worst part: the druid did not say if there was a clause that would end the curse.

Awesome! That's the stuff I want to see!

[Man_Over_Game]

The Justicar
Race: Aasimar
Class: Paladin (Crown)

You came from the beyond to gather champions, and damn it all, that's what you're going to do. You're going to raise these worthless worms into being the most badass, demonic warriors that Hell itself will fear. You utilize your powers not some beacon of "benevolence", but as a enabling drug. You're gonna get these bastards addicted to the blood of their enemies, convincing psychopathic warriors into butchering their enemies in glorious combat. Your abilities are centered around aiding those who are either at half health (meaning they're doing something worth a damn in this fight), or they're adjacent to you, and you can bet your ass this isn't some "Mamby Pamby Dexterity Devotion Pally" Horseshi*, so we're going DEEP into enemy lines to smash some skulls.

You want your healin'?! Go earn it.

[patchyman]

Like Sahe, I am a sucker for re-fluffing characters, although as DM, I rarely get to play any of them.

The Saint
Race - vHuman (Lucky feat)
Class - Bard (Lore for healing spells)
Clerics and Paladins say they have a link to their gods, and say that their spells prove it, but you've never found that very convincing. Your relationship with your god is much more personal. When you pray, spells that would have injured your allies just barely miss. A desperate strike by an ally miraculously hits. Your god intercedes even more when you are concerned. Crits turn into misses. Your lucky shots are almost a sure thing, and after the battle, when you whisper a short prayer, your comrades healing is supercharged.

The Prophet
Race - vHuman (Lucky feat)
Class - Bard (Lore for more divination)
People always laugh when you say you have "the Gift". They stop laughing when you tell them to strike and a miss turns into a hit, or you tell them to dodge, and they just barely avoid the brunt of a fireball. When enemies attack you, you simply sidestep them. When you attack them, even armored foes get hit. As you develop, no one is surprised that you see the invisible, read minds or can always locate creatures or objects.

The Shaman
Class - Undying Warlock - Pact of the Chain
Invocations - Whispers of the Grave
You are a bridge between the land of the living and the land of the dead. You help the living remember those who have departed, and ease the dead in their transition into the next world. You are not alone: an alebrije, a small, multi-coloured guardian spirit that looks like a mishmash of various animals, watches over you and helps you in your tasks. You are not generally one to get involved in adventuring, but when you heard about a necromancer bringing back the spirits of the dead against their will, well, that's when a shaman of the dead can't help but get involved...

The Apprentice
Race - vHuman (Ritual Caster feat)
Class - Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardians)
You were the apprentice to the shaman of your tribe of Uthgardt barbarians. The shaman sent you to the top of a nearby mountain as the next step in your spiritual journey. While you were there, you received a disturbing vision of your tribe in peril. You rushed back, but were too late. Your entire tribe was slaughtered by an unknown menace. Since then, they haven't really left you. You wander across the land. You're not looking for vengeance, at least, not only for vengeance, rather you're trying to keep the knowledge and the rituals of your people alive. In combat, your body gets possessed by the spirit of one of your tribe's warriors. They're dead, so they are a little more reckless with your body than you would like. They also intervene to protect your companions. They are pretty useful outside of combat as well. If you perform the proper ritual to honour the dead, they will point out any items with magical properties and intercede with animals on your behalf.

[RazDelacroix]

The Good Disney Princess Drow?!
Race: Elf (Drow)
Class: Druid (Circle of the Shepherd)

This is the tragic tale of what happens when one drow is raised bereft of proper civilization. Your parents met after a disastrous raid to the surface and decided to make their fortunes away from the eyes of the Priestesses, whom would have had you sacrificed in a heartbeat if they knew what would happen.

You grew up knowing that the goddess Lolth was thoroughly cruel and capricious, and yet a strange thread of thought entered your mind. 'Is everything about Lolth so terrible?' You kept spiders as pets. Whispered encouragements to the bugs struggling to survive. Kept a cheery demeanor even in the face of adversity. You even learned lessons from nature to the point where perhaps at the whim of Lolth you gained divine magic!

Life is a test, and perhaps even a dark goddess might need to learn a lesson on the benefits of cooperation, friendship, and how a chipper song can bring down a plague on your foes!

[Malifice]

Go str based, with heavy armor. Or just say **** Stealth & be unashamed of who you are.

Be a commoner drow and get offended at the evil stereotype. Play it like Lots of blue collar drow are fine folk caught in a terrible system they can't change and the ruling class is evil which isn't that different from Humanity from what you can tell.

Cha based (HexSwordBardDivineSoulSorcAncientsaladin). Greatsword and Full Plate.

[qube]

The Power suit
Class: fighter
Race: warforged
Background feature: Retainer (knight) (through custom background rules, as the skills of knight do'nt really apply to a pilot)

You are a rock gnome power-suit pilot. While in combat-gear, use the fighter/warforged stats. When out of combat gear, you're not combat worthy, and use the retainer rules for your character.

[Emtwoay]

The Turncoat
Race: any race
Class: Oathbreaker Paladin (formerly Oath of the Crown)

As a young man, your dreams of joining the crownsguard were full of hope. But as time passed on, you realized that being a knight meant getting your hands dirtier than you would like. After years of dealing with corrupt politicians and torching farmlands of the opposing kingdoms, you snapped.
On a silent knight, you stormed through the castle and killed every single corrupt bureaucrat in their sleep. After that night, you kept running, made a vow to yourself that you would one day braks the system.

[VonKaiserstein]

Inspired by the old DND meme-
The Enchanted Sword
Pact of the Blade Warlock
You are a soul bound in a sword, which possesses and binds whoever wields you. After all the decades you’ve spent killing folks, and getting your wielders killed, you're done, and ready to be free and found a host willing to do it. But if you are…. What happens?
Ultimately your goal is to destroy your pact weapon, which is impossible. Although it could be fun to try. The first time the party encounters a dragon? Yell ‘Eat me!’ and throw yourself down its throat. Reappear next round ‘Well, that was disgusting and pointless.’ Play it as if you are in fact a sentient sword, so your bearer draws you for important conversations and planning sessions, as well as combat. Early magical experiments shift your form, even transferring your soul into other magical weapons.

Your spells are simply your powers manifesting through your host, so you begin play as a nonmagical sword+2, to represent your proficiency. Let the DM roll your physical stats, and if they're up for it, even switch them when you switch hosts during the campaign, retaining your Int, Wis and Cha.

[EggKookoo]

Inspired by the old DND meme-
The Enchanted Sword
Pact of the Blade Warlock
You are a soul bound in a sword, which possesses and binds whoever wields you. After all the decades you’ve spent killing folks, and getting your wielders killed, you're done, and ready to be free and found a host willing to do it. But if you are…. What happens?
Ultimately your goal is to destroy your pact weapon, which is impossible. Although it could be fun to try. The first time the party encounters a dragon? Yell ‘Eat me!’ and throw yourself down its throat. Reappear next round ‘Well, that was disgusting and pointless.’ Play it as if you are in fact a sentient sword, so your bearer draws you for important conversations and planning sessions, as well as combat. Early magical experiments shift your form, even transferring your soul into other magical weapons.

Your spells are simply your powers manifesting through your host, so you begin play as a nonmagical sword+2, to represent your proficiency. Let the DM roll your physical stats, and if they're up for it, even switch them when you switch hosts during the campaign, retaining your Int, Wis and Cha.

That rocks! I may have to play that...

[Jophiel]

This was my concept for a Dex Barbarian with dumped Int/Str, playing more for the damage soaking resistance.

The Abused
Class: Dex Barbarian
Background: Urchin

You don't remember your parents, only a lifetime on the streets. Sometimes you were alone, trying to hide and protect what little you had before someone invariably found it and took it. Sometimes you were someone else's possession, kept in chains or cages in any number of minor thieves guilds, slaver's dens, brothels or similar places. No matter which, being beaten, tortured and starved was a daily way of life until you just stopped feeling it. The last time you got away, they chased you and when you tripped in an alley, your hand brushed into a long, thin metal shard -- some bit of refuse [refluffed rapier]. You stabbed with it over and over, ignoring the blows on you until you were free. After a life of abuse and starvation, you'll never be educated or powerful of body but you won't need those things so long as you can keep blocking out the pain.

[dejarnjc]

This is a very good idea for a thread. Here's my small contribution. It's actually a character concept I'd like to play at some point in the future. Thematically it's not much more interesting than a Drizzt story. A member of an evil race inexplicably becomes good but I enjoy these sorts of things.

The risen fiend
Race: Tiefling
Class: Paladin (Oath of Devotion or Oath of Redemption) or Warlock (Celestial)

Everyone's heard of fallen angels, well what about those rare fiends that have risen from the depths? For millennia you have existed as a prized servant of a demon lord performing your duties with relish and hunger. One day your demon lord orders you to corrupt a mortal soul, something you've done countless times before, however this time the soul is one directly protected by an angel. You war with this angel over the mortal's soul but are unable to overcome this being of pure good. You find yourself becoming obsessed with this angel, never before have you been so thwarted! Inexplicably your obsession turns to something more and before you realize it, you've fallen madly in love with this pure, beautiful being. Unfortunately the angel doesn't trust one as vile and deceptive as you. Determined to prove your devotion and faithfulness to this being, you flee the bonds of your former master and take refuge on the Prime Material plane.