D&D 5E Most Flavorful Feats, Skills,Spells or Abilities

[Warpiglet]

Hello Gang,

I have gotten tons of good information on this site. There are a great number of knowledgeable gamers. I have gotten some good ideas for making fighting spellcasters recently for example.

I was thinking about RP accentuating options and wondered what options others have found impactful. For playing intimidating spellcasters, I am falling in love with Thaumaturgy. However, I am sure there are other great options for various archetypes. To that end, I wondered what other options others have been used to good effect for RP immersiveness and imagery creation.

If your answer is: anything is an RP option, I thank you in advance. I am an old school player so most of what differed between character A and B was only personality we made up (i.e. backgrounds were not codified or given the same support they have now). So I get it.

But I would love to know what option you find has made your thug seem thugish or paladin seem holy and questy or whatever within feats, skills, spells or abilities and how you used them to make your character come to life...I look forward to your collective creative genius...

 

[Yunru]

Conjure Delicacy is the single most flavourful spell.

 

[Warpiglet]

Conjure Delicacy is the single most flavourful spell.

heh. indeed.

 

[rgoodbb]

I've always found Magic Initiate to be the most helpful feat at getting just the right flavour for a character that didn't have those options previously. 2 Cantrips and 1 1st level spell are often just the tweak and versatility needed to complete your idea.

Mould Earth, Thorn Whip and Entangle as just one small example on a character can totally change its picture.

 

[Satyrn]

My gnome battlemaster's personality has been significantly shaped by his gnomish speak with small beasts feature. He's got his owl friend that I use regularly (to deliver letters!), I get rodents to keep watch for me, I've sent a seagull off to fetch my riding dog. Lots of ways to have fun with it.

Likewise, the minor illusion cantrip proves just as versatile as prestidigitation/thaumaturgy/druidcraft for feeling wizardy/clericy/druidy. I use it to help me mock people by creating illusionary duplicates of what they're holding, for example; Or I pretend to play my golden lyre by creating the illusory sound of a lyre - and I just realized I need to use it to create the sound of a flute while I prance around pretending my sword is a flute!

 

[rgoodbb]

Yeah love those utility Cantrips.

add Mage Hand to that list of course as well. (conjure it on someones back and tell them it's an exotic spider, or cast it in a sack and have it move around in there.)

Even something as innocuous as Mending has its place and uses, but Mould Earth is me current fave.

 

[purplerook]

IMO, understand your character and how they would use magic. Even similar spell selection can be used very differently. Think of spells or abilities as icing on the cake - decorative, but emphasizing the underlying differences. As an example, I have two wizard characters, and both have taken minor illusion (MI). One is an Elven painter, who uses MI to sketch painting before committing them to a medium (e.g., wood, canvas). The other is a Gnomish wanderer, who uses MI to emulate the sounds of creatures crashing through the woods.

The nice thing about utility spells (e.g., Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion) is that their usage can vary widely based on the underlying character.

Same thing with skills. Look at your character and ask yourself, given this character's backstory, what skills would it be natural for the character to have. As an example, I have a character who has a number of factions who would like to hunt her down. So, she is good at disguises, took the Charlatan background, but also the Actor skill.


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[ThunderDM]

My wizard has a strong aversion to killing, and he uses this spell. It really works well in his station as an abjuration wizard who cares about protecting people from baleful magic and putting evil spellcasters on trial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Z-9dCBaTA

 

[Kobold Stew]

For me, the most individuation comes from a custom Background.

I love the Background mechanism so much, and it more than anything else distinguishes characters right from level 1. Tweaking backgrounds is strongly supported in the PHB (p.125). I've just started playing a monk who is a (customized) goatherd, and it's the background that is shaping his behaviour more than anything else. Similarly, choosing a std background against type can be v. satisfying -- the acolyte isn't just for Clerics! A soldier Sorcerer or a sage Fighter or an acolyte Rogue all speak to me instantly.

 

[Warpiglet]

For me, the most individuation comes from a custom Background.

I love the Background mechanism so much, and it more than anything else distinguishes characters right from level 1. Tweaking backgrounds is strongly supported in the PHB (p.125). I've just started playing a monk who is a (customized) goatherd, and it's the background that is shaping his behaviour more than anything else. Similarly, choosing a std background against type can be v. satisfying -- the acolyte isn't just for Clerics! A soldier Sorcerer or a sage Fighter or an acolyte Rogue all speak to me instantly.

I agree. Actually I am playing a warlock who was former acolyte...who fell into temptation! I am also taking magic initiate at 4th level with cleric spells (despite his low wisdom). I like how that fits with acolyte.

So far, spells and magic initiate (which I endorse too) are big ones in terms of feats. I had a wizard henchman/thug who was a fighter with mafic intiiate at level one (variant human) and modified criminal background. That sort of fit.

As someone else suggested, having a fighting spellcaster with soldier background is fun/cool.