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Message: <blockquote data-quote="StarSapphire22" data-source="post: 6959138" data-attributes="member: 6866644">Hey...new here, so sorry if this is in the wrong spot...didn't seem like character optimization to me. Anyways...I'm working on a new character, a Firbolg Druid. I'm a bit of a animal geek IRL, and I was inspired by my love of nature as well as the new "Fantastic Beasts" movie to create a homebrew kind of 'Magizoologist' background. She keeps a journal with interesting plants and animals and magical creatures she encounters, with sketches and relevant info she learned...this will be added to throughout her adventure. I don't think it should be OP or too meta, since it's only covering things she's already seen/possibly fought and maybe a few starting things from her home forest (I'm pretty set on the Forest of Cormanthor). So here's the things I'm struggling with.1) How to build the homebrew background. What skills and proficiencies, what starting gear, a feature, etc.? I was thinking maybe painting supplies and an herbalism kit. Investigation, Insight, Perception, Survival, Stealth, Nature, and Animal Handling are all relevant skills.2) Firbolgs don't really do names according to Volo's. To explain this and her unusual academic interests, I'm planning on her clan interacting with a nearby humanoid settlement of some sort (probably elves if it's in the Forest of Cormanthor) and her picking up some traits/habits from them. Probably they settled the region when she was very young, so it's just something she grew up with, though the elders might think her a bit odd. Thoughts?The other issue with all this is, being a Firbolg, typically I would have no reason or desire to leave my forest. So why do I begin adventuring, and how does a young Firbolg's simple journal/sketchbook turn into a catalog of species? What grand purpose does it serve? Firbolg druids usually become the leaders of their clans...Was I sent on a mission by my elders to bring back seeds and repopulate a dying area of the wood? Am I on some sort of Critical Role Keyleth Arumente-style thing and just took a super nerdy approach to a loosely defined learning experience? I really, reallyyyyyy, REALLY am struggling with the hows and whys of my story. I feel like I have a fairly concrete idea of WHO this character is, but not so much her timeline/reasons.3) I'm pretty much set on the Forest of Cormanthor (specifically the Starwood) for a lot of different flavor-y reasons. But I keep running into this issue that the forest has an already SUPER established timeline/history/occupants. After doing some research and studying of maps, the first area of the forest I was considering for our stronghold is occupied by Drow forces and other nasties (by the Old Elven Court), slightly southwwest is Tangled Trees which is occupied by hostile xenophobic Rillifane Rallathil worshipping elves and maybe dragon cultists?! Elventree to the north is settled. Myth Drannor is being rebuilt/that area being reclaimed. I want to stay true to the history of the area, but Firbolgs are reclusive, and would settle far from humans and elves, choosing to hide/work in secret if contact was forced. And they wouldn't live near main roads. How much of this (if any) can/should I ignore? How can I work with this? My only thought so far is that perhaps I live north of Tangled Trees near the Darkwood and a new outpost of settlers from Myth Drannor or Elventree has started moving in. Perhaps my people are wary at first, but realize these people have good intent and wish to restore/help the forest by clearing out the evil occupants who don't respect the forest and forge an alliance? I just don't know...4) Lastly, I like the idea of her having a little animal buddy that hangs out with her. Doesn't really need to be a strong combat pet, just something small, mostly for flavour, maybe some scouting or something. Is taking the magic initiate feat and getting find familiar my best option? Finding a little pseudodragon or something in the woods and befriending it, only for it to get one shot by an enemy or aoe shortly after, seems kind of awful.I'm open to any ideas on making this backstory/location work, as well as working out the details of the homebrew Magizoologist background (and maybe a better name for that, lol). I'd really appreciate any suggestions/thoughts. I've been working on this on and off for almost a week and I'm just really hitting a wall at this point. I love this character, but I'm stumped!TIA!</blockquote>

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