D&D 5E: Mark of the Wild Hunt - Characters

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Ability Scores

To reflect the character's Feywild origins, Ability Scores for this game will be slightly higher than the standard array. Use the Variant: Customizing Ability Scores section on pp 13 of the PHB, but distribute 30 points between your six ability scores at the costs listed on the Ability Score Point Cost Table (reproduced below with relevant modifiers) rather than the standard 27, with no ability score set higher than 15 before racial adjustment and no ability score set below 8.

Ability Score	Ability Score Cost			Ability Score Modifier				Ability Score	Ability Score Cost			Ability Score Modifier
8	0			-1				13	5			+1
9	1			-1				14	7			+2
10	2			0				15	9			+2
11	3			0				16	N/A			+3
12	4			+1				17	N/A			+3

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Racial Ability Score Adjustments: Each Character Race entry below lists what ability scores typically rank high for members that race, but player characters are not bound to the typical template for a given race. After you have set your base ability scores, increase one ability score of your choice by 2 and another ability score by 1. Alternatively, select three different ability scores and increase each by 1.

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Character Races

The following races are available as Player Characters. (Note: None of these track exactly to the PHB races, so click each link for details specific to a given race. No other races, including standard PHB races, are available as Player Characters for this game).

• Barrow Dwarf
• Fey Human
• Firbolg
• Mistborn Tiefling
• Redcap Orc
• Sidhe Kin (Elf) - [Half Elf rules are included in this entry].
• Wildling

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Alignment is neither given nor discussed in the above entries. Most races will land on some flavor of neutral with wide variation among individuals. If it helps you roleplay, feel free to select one and play it within the bounds of what the group agrees upon for acceptable behavior and playstyle.

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Age: Time can often stretch and shift in weird ways where the Feywild is concerned and many denizens are functionally immortal. Even humans in the setting can live ridiculously long lives. Assume all races mature at a rate roughly equivalent to human norm and then their adult lives extend on from there for the purpose of making characters. IOW, maybe stick with an age range between 15-50 years for starting characters.

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Variant Option: The Feywild, where the characters originate, is not a human-centric setting, and the Variant Human as described in the sidebar on pp 31 of the PHB is not an option for this game. Instead, players can opt to discard 2 points of their starting racial ability score adjustment at first level (regardless of race choice) to instead gain a single feat if they desire. Feats are also available in place of ability score adjustments as you level up.

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Character Classes

All classes and subclasses from the PHB and Xanathar's are allowed with the following exceptions or modifications:

• Barbarian - Class Feature Tweaks.
  • Berserker Path - When you gain Mindless Rage at 6th level, Glamours do not affect you while you are raging. When you gain Intimidating Presence at 10th level, creatures that have advantage to see through Glamours save as normal vs this effect. Other creatures save at a disadvantage.
  • Totem Warrior Path - In addition to casting Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals, you gain the ability to cast each one once per long rest as an at will ability (no components needed except your totem object as a focus).
  • Ancestral Guardian Path - You carry a chip of consecrated bone from one of your tribal ancestors. When you select this path, once per long rest you can consult with your ancestor as if with the Speak with Dead spell. Language is not a barrier.

• Bard - All 'colleges' are allowed with the understanding that there are no actual organized 'colleges' in the Feywild itself (where the characters are from). Instead, these colleges function more like the 'ways' of Monks or the 'paths' of Barbarians in their actual structure.

• Cleric - All domains and domain features from either book are fine. Specific deities are even fine if you like. Within the Feywild, temples are not a thing per se. Instead there are groves and standing stones and obelisks - Places of training for clerics (and druids) that are typically not used for congregational gatherings. Clerics minister in communities or in the world at large, but not in churches or temples.
  • Turn Undead - This feature functions against animated constructs as well as traditional undead
  • Destroy Undead - This class feature functions against animated constructs and undead.

• Druid - Wild Shape is a bonus action for druids and a free action for Circle of the Moon druids from the Feywild. You can stay in that form for a number of hours equal to your level. Reverting to your normal form is a free action.

• Fighter - Archetype exception.
  • The Samurai: Feudal associations attributed to Mortal Realm samurai would be replaced with a similar Fey court association (Seelie, Unseelie, or Slaugh as appropriate to the character) in this setting. PC Samurai will be socially considered Ronin as long as they bear the Mark.

• Monk - Way of the Drunken Master, if taken should should be specifically re-flavored so that it better reflects the character's Fey origins.

• Paladin - Class Feature/Oath exceptions.
  • Divine Sense - This class feature functions as normal but also detects animated constructs within the affected area.
  • Turn the Unholy (Oath of Devotion) - As the cleric channel divinity feature Turn Undead above as far as what creatures can be turned.
  • Turn the Faithless (Oath of the Ancients) - As normal, but while the character is Marked, Fey of the Wild Hunt save at advantage.

• Ranger - The Gloomstalker is associated with the gloaming and dark wilds in the Feywild rather than subterranean places. All class features remain the same. All rangers gain the cantrip Druidcraft when they gain the ability to cast spells.

• Rogue - Arcane Trickster can cast Find Familiar as a ritual starting at L3. This does not count against spells known.

• Sorcerer - Wild Magic Origin Sorcerers experience wild surges on a roll of 10 or higher on a roll of 1d10 + spell/slot level of the spell cast, whichever is higher, any time they cast a spell. The sorcerer may add or subtract up to their level on any roll on the Wild Surge Table as a bonus class feature.
  • Wild Surge Table

• Warlock - Patron Specifics [class features, etc, remain otherwise unchanged].
  • The Fiend patron is associated with a greater being behind the Unseelie court.
  • The Great Old One patron is associated with a greater being behind the Slaugh - the Fey of the Wild Hunt.
  • The Archfey patron is associated with a greater being behind the Seelie court.
  • The Celestial patron is associated with the light of creation.
  • The Hexblade patron is associated with the ending of all things.

• Wizard - If a wizard is only casting cantrips on their turn, those cantrips are cast as bonus actions regardless of their normal casting time.

Character Backgrounds

Because of the Feywild-cetric origins setting for the characters, rather than using the published backgrounds, each player should choose a combination of 3 bonus Skills, Tool Proficiencies, and/or Languages. You may choose one of each or any combination that adds up to a total of three.

[Available Languages in this setting are Abyssal, Celestial, Common [Dwarven Trade Tongue], Draconic, Dwarvish [High Dwarven], Elemental, Elvish, Infernal, Giantish, Orcish, Primordial, and Sylvan].

In place of a Background Feature, each player should choose whether they are part of a preexisting alliance with the Seelie or Unseelie courts or have no such preexisting alliance [remember, because of the Mark, no PC begins play with an active alliance - but sympathetic NPCs may occasionally be selected based on your pre-Marked status for the purpose of flavoring the campaign].

Finally, choose a single Heirloom Item. This could be something passed down to you from whoever trained you in your craft, a generational family item, or just this strange thing you randomly found (ala Bilbo and the Ring). This item can be just about anything you can wear or carry or otherwise typically have on or about your person.

[Feel free to select Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws as normal if you like].

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