D&D General First D&D Character?

[doctorbadwolf]

So, I want to know your first memorable D&D character, not necessarily the actual first one you ever made. What were their mechanics, and their story? Why did they adventure? Why do you remember them?

For bonus points, how would you build them today if you were going to play them again as a low level fresh adventurer?

I’ll put mine in a reply, keep the OP concise.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My first character ever was in 2e and I don't really remember him except that he was a dwarf rogue with a crossbow, inspired I think by my favorite character choice in HeroQuest, which I'd played for years before discovering DnD.

My first memorable character was Taran, Half-Elf Cleric of Moradin. My DM let me use a longsword because elf, and I made healing potions rather than casting Cure X Wounds like normal, because the DM thought my idea was cool and didn't care about the rules. I threw them at people to heal them.

Taran was in his early 20's, spoke better Dwarven than Elven but had trained extensively in the longsword with an elf that was an exile from the same kingdom Taran's father was a Lord of. Taran's father was an elf who had tried to have Taran and his mother killed when he found out that Taran was unmistakably his bastard. I ended up multiclassing fighter even though i knew I'd be more powerful as a pure cleric, because it just made sense after the party was waylaid by Taran's father and his men, and barely made it out alive. Taran wanted to be the one to drive a sword into the bastard's heart.


Today, I'd probably either build him as a Vengeance or Crown Paladin with Ritual Casting: Cleric, or I might repeat the Cleric/Fighter MC, go War Cleric, Battlemaster Fighter with Great Weapon Master since Taran fought with the longsword in two hands, and make a deadly swordfighter with a deep devotion to Moradin and the Dwarven hold that helped raise him and sheltered him and his mother. The whole throwing bottles of healing at people thing I'd probably just drop, or reflavor Healing Word as that.

A really interesting thing, though...might be to bend the character's story a little and use Bladesinger Wizard instead of Fighter. I have no problem with only taking spells that support my character concept, so I'd just not take spells that are "just better" that going into melee. Forget that, mirror image, bladesong up, spirit guardians up, whip that sword around in the style of the elves and someday drive it into his father's heart after besting him at his oh so sacred elven tradition.

 

[J-H]

The first character I beat Baldur's Gate II with (my first experience) was a fallen Paladin. Yeah, I went evil for the first successful playthrough.

First 3.5 character (PBP) was a hobgoblin sorcerer for a short-lived game, followed by a flirtatious Cerebremancer of some sort.

First 5e character was a 1st level monk in an intro-one-shot. He leveled up to 2 and only went to 0 like twice.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The first character I beat Baldur's Gate II with (my first experience) was a fallen Paladin. Yeah, I went evil for the first successful playthrough.

First 3.5 character (PBP) was a hobgoblin sorcerer for a short-lived game, followed by a flirtatious Cerebremancer of some sort.

First 5e character was a 1st level monk in an intro-one-shot. He leveled up to 2 and only went to 0 like twice.

Nice! I wonder if a cerebremancer could be satisfyingly modeled in 5e without homebrew or 3pp...

 

[Marc_C]

A magic-user, don't recall the name, with 1 hp, no constitution with Basic (Holmes) edition. I was the sole player. My character died 4 times against the same Kobold at the start of a dungeon (B2). I told the DM to give me 4 hps, he refused saying that were the rules. I told him D&D was a stupid game and left never wanting to play again... by some miracle my parents gave me the Basic (Moldvay) box that Christmas. I was the DM. Played since then.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't sit on the player's side that often until recently. I'd have to say my first memorable character was Kalli Bloodbane. A human necromancer witch kit I used for our group's 2E Saltmarsh campaign. If I were to redo her in 5E, she'd be a Warlock pact of the Tome with Great Old One patron, with a Hermit background.

 

[AmerginLiath]

1st edition AD&D. A first-level cleric who I think may have been named Brother Paul (or something like that). The exciting thing was, although I didn’t roll terribly well on attributes, I actually roll the random chance for psionics! The groups, played by us children, ventured into the dungeon my older brother had for us when we were shortly set upon by ravenous ghouls. It would have been a TPK had Brother Paul not managed to use a Mind Blast or something to push away the beasts where his turning attempt had utterly failed. And so the rest of the party was devoured while their cleric ran away, vowing to avenge them.

We rolled up new characters, except for the returning Brother Paul, who ventured back into the dungeon now (they believed) better prepared for the ghouls (they had elves with them!). Of course, they were soon beset by more of the beasts than before — the previous party having been turned — and were quickly all slaughtered. Brother Paul was the first paralyzed and taken out this time, by the undead version of the group he’d been unable to save…

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

My first ever character was Theren Liadon, the High Elf Necromancer Wizard. His campaign was abandoned after about 3 sessions, and I quickly became the table's DM, so he's not really memorable in play (even though I have used him as a villain in my campaigns a few times).

My most memorable character is . . . my second character ever: Chance the Changeling. They're a non-binary and genderfluid Hexblade Pact of the Blade Warlock that is sworn to serve the Vestige of Karsus and bring back the Empire of Netheril, with Chance as the Supreme Emperor and Karsus as their deity. Chance's whole schtick is that they're mutable, because as a Changeling they can shapeshift and as a Pact of the Blade Warlock they can summon practically any weapon they want. They also got access to a special Shiftweave that will change as Chance's body changes, with the 5 forms of clothing being:

1. Wizard Robes (to pretend to be a Wizard/Sorcerer)
2. Noble-Styled Fine Clothes (to pretend to be a noble/bard)
3. Dark Clothes with a Hood (to pretend to be a rogue/ranger)
4. Holy Robes (to pretend to be a cleric)
5. Indistinct Common Clothes (to pretend to be a commoner)

Chance is my most memorable character, kind of by default, but I would like him even if he wasn't the only character that I've played in a long-term campaign.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Seramus]

My most memorable early character was an AD&D wizard that became a lich. I got to do the whole "hiding your phylactery" bit, etc. Eventually he became a recurring NPC in other people's games as a lich that just sits in a bar, occasionally chatting people up and doing nothing nefarious at all.