Pen Calder - Half-elf, Inheritor, Battle Master Fighter

[zaffo]

Pen Calder - Half-elf Inheritor Battle Master Fighter

Name: Pen Calder

 

Character Concept: A young, naive male half-elf raised by his elven mother and not knowing his human father. Leaves home at adulthood to pursue dream of becoming Griffon Cavalry.

 

Race, Background, Subclass Class: Half-elf, Inheritor, Battle Master

 

Description: Pen Calder stands at 5'7" and is a fairly well-built 160lbs. While he looks rather like a typical wood elf at first glance with his short red-brown hair, light green eyes, copper-tinged pale skin, and (of course) pointed ears, his coarser, more rugged facial features give away his human ancestry. He wears obviously second-hand armor, though it is nevertheless good quality, and knee-high leather boots. His other equipment reflects the fair quality yet secondhand nature of his armor and includes a sword and small crossbow on his person and a glaive in his hand.

Pen is quite young and rather naive, having only recently set out into the world on his own, but if you were to catch him staring off into the distance (perhaps mindlessly spinning his glaive around him), with even a casual glance you surely couldn't fail to see a fiery determination behind his green eyes, even if the actual goal of that determination is somewhat vague and aimless.

If you were to meet him, you would find him friendly, open, trusting, and kind (an easy mark, really). Spend enough time with him and you would notice how he is always trying to help everyone else around him, even to the point of occasionally being annoying or getting in the way. If you were a keen observer of people, you might also notice that he can be rather competitive and even defensive in certain, more prickly encounters, but he also tends to be somewhat lacking in self-confidence, despite having impressive natural athleticism.

Origin: Pen grew up on a farm outside of Daggerford, south of Waterdeep. Having lived a quiet, uneventful childhood, he sets out from home upon reaching adulthood to achieve his dream of joining the Griffon Cavalry of Waterdeep.

 

Your Character’s Plot Hook: He's just a kid, really. But he has talent, he has potential, and he has a dream. But what would he do if he suddenly didn't have that third one anymore?

 

Past is Prologue: If you were to ask Pen, he would say he had a boring childhood. He was raised on a farm by his wood elf mother, having never known his human father. Sure there was some adversity–he and his mother were sometimes hassled by the other residents of Daggerford for being some of the only elves there, and little Pen certainly faced more than his fair share of bullies, but the bigger he got the less this sort of thing tended to happen. And it wasn't as though they were completely socially isolated. Pen was not without friends in the town, and his mother would sometimes take him back to her homeland in the Misty Forest to spend time with her people there. And while he never felt truly welcome among the elves (especially because of his very human name), he did have several cousins and one very fun uncle that he could enjoy spending time with.

The only major thing missing in his life that he could point to was a father. When he tried to imagine anything about his father, his mind was blank. The only thing Pen had of his father's was a trinket [inheritance], a fluffy feather his father had brought home for him to play with one day. He didn't like asking about his father because his mother tended to get a little sad whenever he did, and what little details about him she did share tended to get lost or mixed up in his child brain. Now, as a man, the only thing he could be sure of was that his father was a member of the City Guard in Waterdeep and that he had died on duty when Pen was just a baby.

It was perhaps that this was in the back of his mind when he first saw them on a rare visit to Waterdeep as a small boy, but whether this was the seed or not, once young Pen laid eyes on the Griffon Cavalry soaring overhead, he was hopeless. The Griffon Cavalry. That was what he was going to be when he grew up, no matter what stood in his way.

And so he threw all his will into making this dream come true. He would henceforth be only rarely ever seen without his "lance" (a sharpened stick, more often than not), and whatever successes in sports Pen had growing up was more due to the "training" he did to achieve this dream than any desire for glory (although he certainly didn't mind winning).

Now, finally, Pen is old enough to leave home with all the gear he has accumulated over the years and all his savings and head to Waterdeep.

 

Truths, Rumors, and Lies:

[True Rumor] Pen once caused a not insignificant food shortage for the entire town of Daggerford one winter. He had been tasked by a neighbor to take care of a flock of goats when he noticed a kid goat was being swept down a stream full from summer rains. He managed to rescue the kid goat, but in doing so he accidentally let the rest of the flock loose. By the time he managed to gather them all back again, they had decimated the town's crops.

[False Rumor] Pen's mother, Fhaorn is a witch who steals children and boils their bones to keep her farm one of the most productive in the region and Pen is not her son but a monster she created with magic.

[True or False Rumor] Unbeknown to Pen, there is a rumor that Pen's father Nol Calder, a member of the City Guard, was somehow involved in a failed attack on a major noble of Waterdeep, and this was the event in which Nol lost his life.

 

Deity: Chauntea. While his mother was not a devout worshiper, she did teach Pen to respect nature and the gods and their farm always seemed to be productive even if their neighbors were struggling. Around him, almost all of his acquaintances, being farmers, worshiped the god of agriculture and clerics of Chauntea were a regular sight. Pen followed suit as it was the normal thing to do when growing up on a farm.

 

Is Might Right? Pen does not agree that might is right, and feels that quite often it is those in the wrong that resort to violence the easiest. That said, Pen is highly protective of the weak and innocent and will often step into a fight for the sake of someone else.

 

Connections:

Mother: Fhaorn, a farmer outside of Daggerford.

Father: Nol Calder, once a member of the City Guard, died on duty.

Mother's kin: a clan of wood elves in the Misty Forest. Pen's relationship with them is somewhat thin.

Best friend: Vallan Wood, a human male from a farm down the way in Daggerford.

Edited March 1 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

@Kamishiro_Rin

I think Pen is ready for review? At your leisure.

[Kamishiro_Rin]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:21 PM, zaffo said:

@Kamishiro_Rin

I think Pen is ready for review? At your leisure.

Great app! Everything looks good!

[zaffo]

 

Pen Calder

HALF-ELF Inheritor Battle Master Fighter

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AC: 17 (Splint) | HP: 26/26 (1d10+3+2) | Speed: 30 ft. Prof Bonus: +2
Senses: Darkvision 60ft; passive Perception 13, Insight 11, Investigation 11
Str:Save: +6

Athletics: +6

Carrying Capacity: 285 lb.
Lift/Push/Drag: 570 lb. 19 (+4) | Dex:Initiative: +2

Save: +2

Acrobatics: +4
Slight-of-Hand: −1
Stealth: −1☆

☆ disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks from Chainmail Armor. 15 (+2) | Con:Save: +5 17 (+3) | Int:Save: +1

Arcana: +1
History: +3
Investigation: +1
Nature: +1
Religion: +1 13 (+1) | Wis:Save: +1

Animal Handling: +3
Insight: +1
Medicine: +1
Perception: +3
Survival: +1 12 (+1) | Cha:Save: +1

Deception: +1
Intimidation: +1
Performance: +1
Persuasion: +1 13 (+1)
Languages: Speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, Sylvan, and Halfling

---

“My words,” Pen says. | ‘My thoughts,’ Pen thinks. | My actions . . .

---

 

 

OOC

Movement: —

Action: —

Bonus Action: —

Reaction: —

  

 

Edited March 5 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Half-elf Features

 

Ability Score Increase: (Customized) +2 Str, +1 Con, +1 Dex

Age: 20

Size: Medium

Speed: 30ft

 

Darkvision: 60ft

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'd 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.

 

Skill Versatility: Athletics, Perception

You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

 

Languages: Common, Elvish, Sylvan

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice. (Sylvan)

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Background (Inheritor) Features

 

Skill Proficiencies: Survival, History

Survival, plus one from among Arcana, History, and Religion

 

Feats: Tough

Your hit point maximum increases by equal to twice your level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points.

 

Tool Proficiencies: Musical Instrument (flute)

Your choice of a gaming set or a musical instrument

 

Languages: Halfling

Any one of your choice

 

Equipment:

Your inheritance (see below), a set of traveler's clothes, the tool you choose for this background's tool proficiency (flute), and a pouch containing 15gp

 

Inheritance:

When Pen was just a baby, his father brought him home a feather the size of a man's hand to play with shortly before he died. It is soft and fluffy, nearly as wide as it is long, and is mostly white with light brown at the tip. His mother took great care of it over the years, stuffing it inside a small glass bottle for safe keeping. Upon leaving home, Pen's mother bade him take it. It is the only thing he has of his father's now, so Pen keeps it in its bottle on his person, only occasionally taking it out in private moments, and otherwise tends to keep its existence secret. Pen does not know what kind of bird it came from, nor is he particularly curious.

 

 

Personality:

Friendly, kind, open. Determined to achieve something great even if he doesn't know what that may be.

 

Bonds:

He loves his mother very much and is emotionally attached to the family farm outside of Daggerford despite not wanting to be a farmer. His strongest sense of community is to Daggerford, next is to his wood elf family in the Misty Forest, and finally to his new home of Waterdeep. He has a strong sense of natural justice and is eager to protect the weak. His father was a member of the City Guard, but he knows little else about him. His lifelong dream was to join the Griffon Cavalry, but he believes that dream has been taken from him.

 

Ideals:

People should be treated with respect. The strong should protect the weak. The right thing to do is not always according to the rules.

 

Flaws:

Naive, sometimes gullible. Aimless and sometimes self-doubting. Overly anxious to help. Can be competitive. Can be defensive when emotions run hotter.

Edited March 1 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Fighter Features

 

Hit Points:

Hit Dice: 1d10 per fighter level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per fighter level after 1st

 

Proficiencies:

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

 

Equipment:

(a) chain mail or (b) leather, longbow, and 20 arrows

(a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons

(a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes

(a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

 

Fighting Style:

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Great Weapon Fighting (PHB). When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

 

Second Wind:

You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

 

Action Surge:

You can take one additional action on your turn. This can be used 1 time per short rest.

 

Edited February 21 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Inventory

 

Worn:

Traveler's clothes 4lbs

Splint Mail 60lbs (heavy, AC17)

 

Weapons:

Crossbow, light 5lbs, Ranged 1d8 piercing 80/320, Ammunition, Loading, Range, Two-Handed
Glaive 6lbs, Melee 1d10 slashing, Heavy, Reach (10ft), Two-Handed
Longsword 3lbs, Melee 1d8 slashing, Versatile (1d10)

 

Other Equipment:

Quiver 1lb with 20 crossbow bolts 1.5lbs

Potion of Healing 0.5lbs

Trinket: small glass jar containing a large fluffy feather

Flute 1lb

Fine Clothes 6lbs

Explorer's Pack

 

• Backpack 5lbs
• Bedroll 7lbs
• Mess Kit 1lb
• Rations (1day) 20lbs
• Rope, hempen, 50ft 10lbs
• Tinderbox 1lb
• Torch (10) 10lbs
• Waterskin 5lbs

 

Gold 302 Silver 147 Copper 480

Total Weight 147lbs

 

Edited March 18 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Proficiencies

Equipment:
all armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons, flute

Skills:
athletics, perception, survival, history, acrobatics, animal handling

Saves:
strength, constitution
advantage against being charmed, can't be put to sleep by magic
disadvantage for stealth (armor)

Edited March 5 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

HP Tracker

Level 1

• + 10 (Max HP) + 3 (Con Modifier) + 2 (Tough Feat)
• 15 Total

Level 2

• + 6 (Rolled HP) + 3 (Con Modifier) + 2 (Tough Feat)
• Additional 11
• 26 Total

 

Edited February 21 by zaffo (see edit history)

[zaffo]

Desired Magical Items in Order of Preference:

 

1. +1 glaive or halberd
2. heavy adamantine armor
3. immovable rod