How did you get your magic? Did you gain it through your affinity for nature, or through a pact with a godlike creature? Were you born with it or did you gain it only through years of arduous study? Daen Shaenir, known to his friends as Eld, was born with it. This might be true of not only the character, but the player, as well. Eld has always been passionate about magic in fantasy games, and dungeons and dragons is no exception.

Born to the sun-elves of Faerun, Daen was the son of a noble mother and a vagabond father. Their sordid affair was not looked kindly upon, once discovered by the mother’s family, and so Daen was forced to leave his mother’s home with his father. They returned to his old village, which was relatively inhospitable to Daen’s kind. There he grew up, quietly shunned by his neighbors and fellow children. He learned to be a quick study of magic, and the village viewed this as his one redeeming quality. Eventually, he left his village to become a wanderer of the surrounding highlands of Faerun. Occasionally he would enter other towns, where he became known as a guide for merchants into the Outland, if provided enough coin. Daen’s primary goal was to stay attuned with nature. – Eld

Why does someone choose to make a sorcerer instead of another magic user? In this case, Eld was impressed by the universal nature of the sorcerer in comparison to, say, the warlock. While the warlock might seem more powerful, sorcerers have a greater number and range of spells to choose from, as well as significantly more spell slots.

A Fledgeling Sorcerer’s First Choice

Each class has a point at which one must make a crucial decision. Does one become a thief or an assassin? Does one study evocation or transmutation? Does one protect forests or focus their energy on transforming into beasts? For the sorcerer, this decision is one of the first they ever make. They must ask themselves, “Why am I the way I am?” When Eld asked that question, the answer he got was, “Wild Magic.”

Daen was a half-elf whose magic was rooted in his fey ancestry. As you might have noticed, Eld prefers a versatile character. It is unsurprising, then, that he would choose the Wild Magic origin for its flexibility.

Daen’s bloodline allowed him to tap into the vast magic of his Fae heritage, and by choosing the Wild Magic route, he was opened up to even more possibilities. Although most Sorcerer spells are offensive techniques, Daen’s powers were still very versatile through mechanics like Sorcerer Points. – Eld

The Life and Death of the Adventurer

Who was Daen in life? Was he peaceful or violent? Was he kind of cruel? One member of his party described him as the peacekeeper. While he was often mediating between his companion, he was also practical. One companion in particular was a known thief, and could not be trusted by her party. As a result, Daen slept every night with his belongings bundled beneath him in case of attempted theft. The next morning, he would resume his position as intermediary. It is notable that the thief in question was killed in a confrontation with her group immediately following the battle in which he died.

When Daen’s time finally came, he went out in epic fashion. After a gruelling journey, gthe party arrived at a cave. The rogue slunk toward the cave entrance, peeking inside secretly to assess their foes. The fighter also crept up to the cave stealthily, evaluating the situation from the other side of the cave mouth. With great care, the barbarian stalked over to the hole, peering above the rogue;s head to see inside. Perhaps Daen was simply not tall enough, because when he attempted to investigate, watching from behind the short dwarf, several pairs of orcs heads swiveled in his direction. A pair of barbaric ogre pupils glared at him as javelins hurled in his direction, killing him instantly as his party watched in horror from the shadows.

It was later discovered that this pre-made encounter was designed for a more powerful party, since the party had begun the side quest much earlier than anticipated. The rest of the party was quite impressed by this diplomatic half-elf, as they fully intend to bring him back to life despite the challenges of doing so at such a low level.

What to Do and What Never to Do Again

It is fair to say that Eld was disappointed by his level 2 character’s demise. Nonetheless, he believes the half-elf sorcerer is a solid concept. He expressed an intention to make another, similar character. As he put it, “He had far from learned everything there was to know, and had he survived I’m sure he would have eventually fallen into a specific magic style”.

Perhaps the issue was not, then, the build of the character but the behavior. In his own words:

The main issue with Daen was that his adventurous spirit got the better of him. He often liked to be in the front line, peaking around corners and strategizing about their next move. But, given his Constitution score was so low, this was probably a poor choice. – Eld

It is well-known in Dungeons and Dragons that spellcasting classes have low hit points due to d6 hit die in many instances. In Daen’s case, he also had low Constitution. Thus, his khajitlike curiosity was dangerous. Perhaps he should have specialized in divination. Instead, he was often in the line of fire when he would have been better suited to providing artillery from the edged of battle.

Eld’s advice: “if you’re planning on using a spellcaster, make sure they have a lot of people in front of them to absorb the blow.” In some instances, he was known to use this advice. On one memorable occasion, he used an unconscious companion as cover during a battle. Perhaps he should have done so more often. With his former companions prepared to bring him back to life, perhaps he will do so again.

Who was your first character? Who was your best or your worst character? Message me on Facebook, send feedback in the Contact Us form, or email standishwrites@gmail.com if you’d like me to write a post on it. I am always looking for new stories, and if you enjoyed this article, chances are others will enjoy your character’s story.