#developing character

In this series, I take a look at Magic: the Gathering characters and outline one way to play them as a character in Dungeons and Dragons. The selected build will go through level 5, so there is plenty of space for you to make them your own.

Today, let’s take a look at one possible way you could play as Tamiyo, Collector of Tales.

Art by  Eric Deschamps

Tamiyo is a Soratami (or Moonfolk) from Kamigawa. She seeks truth, with her travels taking her across the multiverse to find understanding on many different mysteries. She collects stories and knowledge that can be brought back to the great scroll libraries of Otawara. And when she returns home with stories in tow, she gathers her family and friends together to hear the multitude of tales that exist in the multiverse.

Starting Stats (using the Standard Array)

• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 12
• Intelligence: 13
• Wisdom: 15
• Charisma: 10

In the few stories we have seen Tamiyo, we see that she has a nice balance between her research / investigative skills and her interactions with people. She carries various stories in scrolls with her, and her interpretations of those stories in the moment allow her to perform her magic, such as curing Jace from his madness using the story of duplicating myr as her guide. She is not a physically strong character, but she makes up for that by matching her quick thinking with quick movement, as seen in Stories and Endings, by Nik Davidson.

The angel dove through the air, faster this time, her spear swinging in a wide arc. Tamiyo glided forward, baiting the attack, then tumbled in the opposite direction, more freezing blasts pushing her clear of the spear’s tip. She targeted the angel’s right wrist, then the joint of the left wing. As she passed behind, again, the spot where the wing met the shoulder. Avacyn was faster, and a single strike of her spear would likely mean Tamiyo’s end, but the angel fought enraged, and the soratami moved with deftly calculated precision.

Race: Owlfolk (reskinned as a Moonfolk) 

Tamiyo is a moonfolk, which is not currently a supported character race in 5th edition. Luckily, a recent Unearthed Arcana (UA) gave us the owlfolk, which is easily reskinned for moonfolk in this build. Soratami fly via levitation, so the owlfolk’s silent flying abilities fit well. And, with recent UA, the ability score increases are left to the player’s discretion, which allows us to lean into the natural Intelligence and Dexterity for which Moonfolk are known. Since you may not have seen the UA, I will include the description for the racial traits here.

Traits: 

• Size: Medium
  
• Ability Score Increases: Intelligence +2, Dexterity +1
• Darkvision (90 feet!)
• Language: Primordial. With Kamigawa being a world defined by its connection to a spiritual realm, it makes sense to have the ability to communicate with those spirits of nature.
• Magic Sight (choosing Wisdom)
  Your keen senses can focus to see the presence of magic. You gain the ability to cast the detect magic spell, but only as a ritual. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You can also cast this spell normally with any spell slots you have.
• Nimble Flight
  Thanks to your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. When you fall, you can use your reaction to make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 10) to stop falling and fly in place until the start of your next turn.
• Silent Feathers
  You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
  

Note: The Owlfolk race will most likely be a released character option in either the Feywild adventure or the Strixhaven campaign setting, both set to be released by the end of 2021.

Background:Investigator

Tamiyo, at her heart, is someone who is interested in discovering the mysteries of the multiverse. When we first meet her, she is on the plane of Innistrad, studying the interesting effects the moon was having on its denizens. She travels the planes, finding research and stories to bring home to her family and kin. As part of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, the Investigator background fits perfectly for Tamiyo.She gains proficiency in Investigation, Perception and with Thieves Tools, all important skills to have as you seek the next big discovery.

• Skill Proficiencies: Investigation and Perception
• Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit and Thieve’s Tools

Art by Sergio Roman

Level 1: Cleric (Level 1)

One interesting aspect of Tamiyo’s character is that she pulls the magic for her spells from the stories she has collected. These stories are held in scrolls, and her interpretations of the stories, in the moment, are what drive her spells. There are even a few bound in iron, that she swears never to open, as the magic might be too devastating to be used.

When it comes to classes that fit that sort of magic, there are two that come to mind, as they both have access to large lists of spells that they then select from and prepare on a daily basis: Cleric and Wizard. To me, this feels like Tamiyo going through her scrolls in the morning and packing which ones she feels like she might need on her daily adventures.

For this build, I felt that starting with a Cleric (Knowledge Domain) was a good fit, for a few reasons. First, part of Tamiyo’s story deals with her assembling a group of fellow planeswalkers who gather stories from across the multiverse. That idea of communal sharing, togetherness and insight aligned more with a Wisdom-based class than an Intelligence-based one. Second, the idea of the Soratami came from the stories of Lady Kaguya in Japanese folklore, who was a celestial princess of the Moon. It seemed right to pay homage to that story by flavoring Tamiyo as a follower of a moon deity, such as Selûne.

Starting Class Proficiencies: History and Insight

Divine Domain: Knowledge

Blessings of Knowledge

• Languages - Abyssal and Celestial
• Proficiencies - Arcana and Nature

Spells:

• Cantrips: Guidance, Light, Word of Radiance
• Prepared Spells: Bless, Detect Magic, Guiding Bolt 

Level 2: Cleric (Level 2)

One of Tamiyo’s primary goals is to gather stories and share them with the story circle, which includes the planeswalkers Narset and Ajani Goldmane. You could (if you so desire) flavor these story circle meetings as religious ceremonies; the act of sharing knowledge and shedding light on the darkest of mysteries being her acts of devotion. In any case, these story circles have a healing effect on those who attend, as the sharing of these tales both counsel and console, as seen in Release. Also in that story, we see her motherly nature, through her interactions with her family, including some of her children: a son Hiroku, a daughter Rumiyo, and an adopted nezumi son Nashi.

Prepared Spells:

• Healing Word
  

Level 3: Wizard (Level 1)

At this point, we dive into Tamiyo’s studious nature and her research capabilities. As a Wizard, her Intelligence has a moment to shine; as you may have noticed in the build, her Intelligence and Wisdom scores are equal. Having access to the Wizard class opens up a whole new slew of spells, including Comprehend Languages (a must for every researcher). Here, Tamiyo also picks up some offensive spells, such as Ray of Frost being a spell she adapts from the scroll “Winter’s Howl” (story). 

Spells:

• Cantrips: Encode Thoughts, Gust, Ray of Frost
• Spellbook Spells: Alarm, Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall, Illusory Script, Magic Missile, Shield, Sleep

Level 4: Cleric (Level 3)

Tamiyo’s studies eventually brought her to the plane of Innistrad, prior to the release of Avacyn from the Helvault. Here, she became intrigued by the effects of the moon on the plane’s residents and found a local researcher, an astronomer named Jenrik, to aid her in this research. She fills her journal with extensive notes on the ebbs of flows of violence, especially within the werewolf and vampire communities, during the various phases of the silvery moon.

Prepared Spells:

• Lesser Restoration, Zone of Truth
  

Level 5: Cleric (Level 4)

When Avacyn became maddened by the growing presence of Emrakul, Tamiyo was there to investigate this new phenomenon. Again, her primary goal was that of understanding, as she has uncovered Avacyn’s protective nature over the plane. She also started to investigate the other warping mutations that started to affect the broad population, such as an autopsy recorded in Entry 433 of her journal. Eventually, Tamiyo joins Jace and the Gatewatch in their attempts to seal Emrakul in order to prevent Her mutating effects on the plane.

Ability Score Improvement: Intelligence and Wisdom

Spells:

• Cantrips: Resistance
• Prepared Spells: Aid

Art by Lius Lasahido

Past level 5, I would look at advancing her Wizard class more, with the subclass probably being the Order of Scribes introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. After her time on Innistrad, Tamiyo spends time with her family and with the story circle, before being pulled into the events of the War of the Spark.

I had a fun time building Tamiyo, especially thinking of a way to flavor her magical powerset in terms of DnD. This build of Tamiyo really built on her role as a support character - she really doesn’t get into the fray of battle that often, but the toolbox nature of her two spellcasting classes gives her the ability to have the spells she needs for whatever occasions may arise.

Now, I will turn it over to you. How would you build Tamiyo? And are there any other characters you would like to see built?

Thanks for the great character idea, @flavoracle!

Other creator tags: @kor-artificer​@wizardsmagic​

In this series, I take a look at Magic: the Gathering characters and outline one way to play them as a character in Dungeons and Dragons. The selected build will go through level 5, so there is plenty of space for you to make them your own.

Today, let’s take a look at one possible way you could play as Angrath, Captain of Chaos, a suggestion from @flavoracle.

Angrath is a minotaur from an unnamed plane; in my head-cannon (and some others), he comes from a world inspired by the Wild West. He is driven by his love for his family; while trapped on the plane of Ixalan, he is driven by feelings of restless impatience, hoping to be able to return back home to his two daughters. His body contains an extreme heat, which he can send into the chain whip he wields. His magic, like his temper, inflames emotions among both his allies and enemies.

As a disclaimer, this build does involve some Homebrew content. I was having a difficult time getting Angrath to fit into some of the pre-made molds, which, in all honesty, is fitting for his character. If you want to play with these alterations, make sure to clear them with your DM before playing.

Starting Stats (using the Standard Array)

• Strength: 13
• Dexterity: 10
• Constitution: 15
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 12
• Charisma: 14

Angrath is battle-hardened by the time he is introduced in the Ixalan storyline. He is very charismatic, as he riled up a pirate crew into a mutiny against their captain, which then led to Angrath becoming captain himself. He is also fairly strong, as his favored weapon is a giant metal chain.

Race: Minotaur *

Angrath is a minotaur. The Minotaur race was introduced as a playable race in both the Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros. You could easily pick this race for your own build, but I eventually decided to alter the race a little to better match who Angrath is.

Ability Score Increases: Strength +2, Constitution +1 (Kept the same)

Race Traits Kept

• Horns - Angrath can attack with his horns as a natural weapon
• Imposing Presence (choosing Intimidation) - Angrath is fierce opponent
• Size, Speed, and Languages - Angrath is still a Minotaur

Race Traits Added

• Internal Forge. An eternal flame burns within you, which outwardly manifests with a reddish glow to your skin and with heat that radiates from you. You have resistance to fire damage.
• Heated Weaponry. As a bonus action on your turn, you can send your internal heat into the metal weapons you are holding. For 1 minute, these weapons deal an additional 1d4 fire damage. You can use this racial trait up to a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus before taking a long rest. While this trait is active, you may activate it additional times on subsequent turns to increase the amount of fire damage by 1d4. Activating this trait additional times does not increase the 1 minute duration.

Race Traits Removed

In order to keep Angrath balanced, I felt I had to remove some traits to make way for the new ones being added. Both of these traits build up on the fact that minotaurs have horns, and Angrath does not rely on those sorts of skills in the stories thus far.

• Goring RushandHammering Horns
  

A quick aside. Another option for this would be to combine Internal Forge and Heated Weaponry as a single homebrew feat, and then use either the Custom Lineage or the Variant Human option to get close to what we have here. I chose not to go that route primarily because, with custom lineage, you only get to buff one stat, and Angrath would also be missing out on the Horns trait.

Background: Guild Artisan

On his home plane, Angrath and his family own a smithy. When he returned home in his brief appearance in the closing story of the Ixalan block, the smithy was full of items that had been ordered by various customers. Even though he had been gone for 14 years, his daughters had kept the business going, showing off both their skills as artisans and his skill in teaching them those skills.

• Skill Proficiencies: Insight and Persuasion
• Tool Proficiencies: Smith’s Tools

Level 1: Barbarian (Level 1)

Angrath’s first appearance in the story is in the heat of battle between his crew and warriors of the Sun Empire (including Huatli). Angrath is right in the fray, quickly dispatching dinosaurs who are on the attack. And while Angrath could be a fighter, these lines from A Question of Confidence highlight why Barbarian is the class to pick for his starting class.

The chain was white-hot, and she could feel it even through the denseness of her steel greaves. She bent forward, swinging with all the force she could muster to try to break the chain with her blade. Angrath casually walked forward, a furious fire alight in his eyes.
Huatli struggled and shifted, and thankfully, the chain came loose.
No pirate fought with this kind of callous rage. No River Herald would kill with such disregard. And no Legion of Dusk foe was so unpredictable. Huatli felt off-kilter and out of her element, for this foe was unlike any other.

As an aside, I waffled between Barbarian and Bard, as to which would be the starting class and which would be the multiclass class (spoilers!). In the end, I went with Barbarian to start, as the different proficiencies better matched how I envisioned Angrath.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics and Survival

Starting Equipment

Normally, I don’t include this part of the build in my analysis. But Angrath has a distinctive feel, so calling that out here felt appropriate.

Weapons: Light Hammer (simple weapon) and Whip* (martial weapon)

* For Angrath’s Whip, I would make the following modifications

• Change the damage die from 1d4 to 1d8
• Change it from being a finesse weapon to being a heavy weapon (albeit one that you could wield with just one hand)
• Denote that the whip is made from metal chains

If you are really feeling spicy, you can add a feature similar to that of the Net, where it restrains the target if it is hit.

Level 2: Bard (Level 1)

Angrath’s main magical abilities, other than his intense heat, is about affecting the emotions of those who are around him: creating fervor amongst his friends and sowing chaos amongst his foes. This feels squarely Bard to me, although this build won’t take advantage of the typical bard’s musical stylings. 

Proficiencies: Drum (musical instrument choice) and Arcana (skill choice)

Spells:

• Cantrips: Friends, Light
• Leveled Spells: Bane, Charm Person, Command*, Heroism
  * Added as an optional Bard spell in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Level 3: Bard (Level 2)

In Angrath’s lore, he travels the planes looking for various treasures that he can bring home as gifts for his daughters. At his heart, Angrath is just trying to be the best father he knows how to be. At this level, Angrath is a Jack of All Trades and strengthens his allies with a Song of Rest, in the form of a raucous tale from one of his many adventures across the planes.

Spells:

• Identify
  

Level 4: Barbarian (Level 2)

It is at this point that we are introduced to Angrath in the story. He has been separated from his family for 14 years, and his rage is beginning to consume him. All he wants is to return home, and he might need to charge his way through the heart of Ixalan to find his way back. Angrath gains the ability Reckless Attack, which sums up this desperate need. He also gains the ability Danger Sense which would easily come in useful as he voyages as a pirate and makes treks deep into the heart of the jungle to find the Immortal Sun.

Level 5: Bard (Level 3)

Angrath finally escaped Ixalan and he was joyfully reunited with his family. He was, at least for a short while, able to return to his craft. Honing both his magical and martial skills, he would align himself with the College of Swords. His skills in Dueling would have improved, as well as learning some new Blade Whip Flourishes. But, his joy would be short-lived. Summoned to Ravnica by the Planeswalker beacon, he joins in the fight against Nicol Bolas. 

Bard College: College of Swords

Expertise: Arcana and Intimidation

Fighting Style: Dueling

Spells:

• Leveled Spells: Crown of Madness
  

At this point, Angrath returns home, ready to spend more time with his family, and hoping to not be kept away for a long time.

As I was preparing the build, there were a few options that I thought a lot about to fit Angrath, in terms of his classes. 

The primary one was to have Angrath be a Cleric of the Forge, instead of being a Bard. This would easily fit in with being a skilled blacksmith. He also serves in a councilor/mentor role to some degree for both Huatli and Teyo. However, Angrath being a cleric never seemed to fit quite right for me.

Another option would have been to make Angrath an Artificer, which also fits his blacksmith background. However, we never actually see him create artifacts or weapons as an artificer would in the story, so that would have been an even harder sell for me.

Finally, one of the new options presented in Tasha’s is the Rune Knight Fighter; in particular the Fire Rune. However, this would have replaced Barbarian as the class, and I really felt that Angrath’s rage at his situation was such a driving force for his character.

So in the end, I stayed with a Bard-Barbarian multiclass build, with a fine sprinkling of Homebrew in there for good measure.

Now, I will turn it over to you. How would you build Angrath? And are there any other characters you would like to see built?

@flavoracle​@kor-artificer​

Developing Character - Rowan Kenrith

In this series, I take a look at Magic: the Gathering characters and outline one way to play them as a character in Dungeons and Dragons. The selected build will go through level 5, so there is plenty of space for you to make them your own.

Today, let’s take a look at one possible way you could play as Rowan Kenrith, Fearless Sparkmage.

Rowan and her twin, Will, are the Royal Scions for the Realm of Eldraine. She grew up in the court of Ardenvale; there, she learned of the knightly virtues, with the virtue of Courage being the one she was most drawn towards. Bold and impetuous, Rowan augments her skilled swordplay with her natural gift for lightning-based magic.

Starting Stats (using the Standard Array)

• Strength: 12
• Dexterity: 15
• Constitution: 13
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 10
• Charisma: 14

Rowan moves with grace and speed around the battlefield and fuels her magic with her emotions. As a warrior, she is also hardy in battle and has learned to take a few punches.

Race: Variant Human

Rowan is human. Picking the variant human allows you to select the Observant feat; while she might not be interested in books and such, her street smarts and battlefield presence would indicate her having a higher perception than her starting stats would imply. Picking to increase her Intelligence ability scores here means she has no negative modifiers, which is a nice bonus. 

Ability Score Increases: Dexterity, Intelligence

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics

Feat: Observant (choosing Intelligence)

Background: Custom (skill proficiencies in Perception and Performance)

While she was born noble, the skill proficiencies listed with that background don’t quite match up. So, use a custom background to have proficiencies in perception and performance, and then you can use either the Noble or Knight backgrounds as a guide for what remains.

Level 1: Fighter (Level 1)

When we first meet Rowan in The Wildered Quest, what she wants most is to become a knight of the Realm. She has trained in combat and is very adept at it. She relies less on her brute strength and more her ability to move through the battlefield, so Rowan makes sense as a Dexterity-based Fighter.

Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation and Acrobatics

Fighting Style: Dueling

Level 2: Sorcerer (Level 1)

Rowan’s birth story is one that she doesn’t fully discover until later. In short, her birth mother is a witch who intended to kill the twins and drink their blood. Although they actually were killed, they were saved and granted life once more. For the purposes of this character build, this process is what granted Rowan her magical powers.

Sorcerous Origin: Wild Magic

For spells, Rowan’s magic is intended to augment her swordplay. Spells that cause lightning damage are a definite include here, as well as spells that either enhance or protect Rowan in combat.

Spells:

• Cantrips: Light, Lightning Lure, Shocking Grasp, Sword Burst
• Leveled Spells: Shield, Witch Bolt

Level 3: Fighter (Level 2)

This would be the point when Rowan goes on her quest with Will to find their lost father. She has continued her training in the art of combat, demonstrated by Action Surge, her new Fighter ability.

Level 4: Sorcerer (Level 2)

At the end of her quest, her spark ignites in her anger at the revelations surrounding her true birth story. The shared spark she shares with Will carries them both to Kylem, where they become one of the top teams at Valor’s Reach. Here, she learns more of her magical powers, accessing the Font of Magic she holds within.

Spells:

• Leveled Spells: Expeditious Retreat

Level 5: Sorcerer (Level 3)

While on Kylem, Rowan continues to learn how to augment her fighting style with her magic. This is illustrated by the metamagic options she gains. Quickened spell let’s her cast a spell as a bonus action, and then she can move in with sword at the ready to strike down her foes. With Transmuted Spell (new with Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything), she can cast spells and change their nature so that they convert into dealing lightning damage.

Metamagic Options: Quickened Spell, Transmuted Spell

Spells:

• Leveled Spells: Scorching Ray

From here, Rowan and Will are recruited to attend Strixhaven, where she continues to hone her magical abilities, such as her ability to Absorb Energy.

Now I turn it over to You. How would you build Rowan Kenrith and where would you take her character next? Also, are there any characters you would like to see next?

Creator tags: @flavoracle@kor-artificer