Backgrounds as presented in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition are a fairly important part of the character creation process. They tell you where your character came from as well as giving you additional mechanical benefits in the form of proficiencies and abilities that have the opportunity to become powerful storytelling tools. But so often I see people recommending the combinations that make the most sense – the Cleric who grew up as an acolyte or the Fighter that was a soldier before he took up the mercenary lifestyle. There are so many rich stories that can be told if you think a little outside the box in terms of your character’s background. Today we look at Kesaris, the half-elf that would have been a bard were it not for his deep love of learning new stories.
Kesaris
Half-Elf Cleric of Knowledge 1
Armor Class 16 (scale mail, 18 w. shield)
Hit Points 8 (1d8 hit dice)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Speed 30 ft
Alignment chaotic good
Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Halfling
Ability Scores
Strength 8 (-1)
Dexterity 14 (+2)
Constitution 10 (+0)
Intelligence 13 (+1)
Wisdom 16 (+3)
Charisma 15 (+2)
Attacks
Melee Attack: Mace +1 1d6-1 bludgeoning damage
Ranged Attack: Light crossbow +4 1d8+2 piercing damage, ammunition, range 80/320, loading, two-handed
Skills Acrobatics +4, Animal Handling +3, Arcana +5, Athletics -1, Deception +2, History +5, Insight +5, Intimidation +2, Investigation +1, Medicine +5, Nature +1, Perception +3, Performance +5, Persuasion +4 Religion +3, Sleight of Hand +2, Stealth +2, Survival +3
Equipment mace, scale mail, light crossbow and 20 bolts, explorer’s pack, shield, holy symbol, hand drum, love letter from an old human paramour, costume, belt pouch with 15 gp
Class Features
Proficiencies
Armor Proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapon Proficiencies: All simple weapons
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, musical instrument (hand drum)
Saving Throws: Wisdom and Charisma
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Insight, Medicine, Performance, Persuasion, Religion
Blessing of Knowledge. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either Arcana or History (already factored into Skills above).
Spellcasting. Your spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). You typically have the following spells prepared. Furthermore, you can cast any spell you have prepared that has the ritual tag as a ritual. See the spellcasting chapter in the Players Handbook for more information.
Cantrips – light, mending, sacred flame
1st level – bless, command*, cure wounds, guiding bolt, identify*, sanctuary
*denotes domain spells
Racial Features
Darkvision. Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Background: Entertainer
By Popular Demand: You can always find a place to perform, usually in an inn or tavern but possibly with a circus, at a theater, or even in a noble’s court. At such a place, you receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform each night. In addition, your performance makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you
Personality Traits: I know a story relevant to almost every situation.
Ideals: Tradition. The stories, legends, and songs of the past must never be forgotten, for they teach us who we are.
Bonds: My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love.
Flaws: I’m a sucker for a pretty face.
History: Kesaris wanted to be an entertainer from an early age. He loved stories of the past and quickly learned everything that he could from the elders and storytellers in his home village by the time he came of age and he quickly struck out on the road with a caravan to learn more and more. He grew into adulthood on the road, but he was never fully satisfied. So many of the stories were simply the same ones he had learned with the heroes changed out to star local heroes or to explain local events. He needed more than that. He needed deeper stories. It was through his seeking that he found the great Library of Astanus, a cloistered monastery that was reputed to hold many volumes of tales and legends within its walls. He begged and pleaded to be allowed in to view the books, and the monks agreed on one condition. For every story he learned from the books, he must spend one month in secluded devotion within the temple. It seemed a lot to ask a young and impetuous half-elf but so deep was his thirst for these stories that he agreed to it after some deliberation. This was how he found his faith – the monastery was actually built around a shrine to the gods of knowledge and the faithful worshipped them by collecting and sharing the stories of creation and the world. Kasaris found himself deeply touched by the stories that he was learned and felt a connection with the divine nature contained within. He learned how to focus that connection into the ability to plumb the greater mysteries of the divinity and to ask probing questions about the stories he learned. Soon, he understood the reason for the monk’s initial price of entering the monastery, and many years later he emerged a changed being.
Roleplay Tips: Kesaris values a good story above everything else. Each story teaches us something about the past and carries within its lessons a spark of divinity – as long as the story is told, it will be immortal. His job is to carry these stories with him and deliver them to any ear that will listen. On the surface he is still the handsome and dashing storyteller that he fancied himself when he was younger. He still possesses a quick wit and a flair for the dramatic, but he has paired this with a keen intellect and a deeper understanding of the universe that he gained during his years of study. He still loves a good party, and gets excited whenever he sees a caravan, eager to swap more stories with their storytellers.
Advancement: Kesaris could very easily stay a cleric his entire career without much effort. However, I can see this character concept multiclassing into bard, specifically the College of Lore as his studies and his ministries take a more adventurous bent, using the stories to inspire and rally his companions. Ritual casting is an option for this character as well, specifically with the spells identify and augury, both of which he gets as domain spells. This means that they are always considered to be prepared spells. Casting these spells as a ritual allows him to cast these spells as often as he would like without sacrificing a spell slot, with the drawback that the casting takes 10 times as long. That’s not necessarily a bad trade off if the party can spare the time to figure out what a particular magic item does or what will happen if they choose the left tunnel. It also frees him up to choose some flashier spells in whatever class he decides to pursue.
Ben Erickson
