Yancy Blue

Halfdwarven Ranger

"Wolf in sheep's clothing? You calling me a poodle, soldier?"

Base Matrix

Ranger L1 | Alignment LN

AC 18 | HP 12 | Initiative +2 | Proficiency +2 | Size M | Speed 30 | Darkvision 60'

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Abilities/Saves

STR 14 / +2 Save (+4) || DEX 14 / +2 Save (+4) || CON 14 / +2 Save (+2) || INT 12 / +1 Save (+1) || WIS 14 / +2 Save (+2) || CHA 12 / +1 Save (+1)

Fey Ancestry: Advantage on charm saves. Immune to magical sleep.

Note: Using the Customizing Ability Scores variant [PHB p13] Yancy's base ability scores were STR: 12 | DEX: 13 | CON: 13 | INT: 10 | WIS: 13 | CHA:10. Then I swapped the +2 that half elves get in Charisma per the PHB to Strength using the Ability Score Increases option from Tasha's [p7] to bump STR to 14 and allocated the two +1 bumps [PHB] to DEX and CON bringing them each to 14. Wisdom also gets a +1 bump from the Telepathy feat [Tasha's] bringing it to 14 as well.

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Combat

Armor Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield

Scale + Shield

Weapon Proficiencies: All Martial, All Simple

Battleaxe: +4 [to hit] | 1d8+2 [damage] | Versatile (1d10)

Hand Axe: +4 [to hit melee/thrown] | 1d6+2 [damage melee/thrown] | Light/Thrown [20/60]

Dagger: +4 [to hit melee/thrown] | 1d4+2 [damage melee/thrown] | Finesse/Light/Thrown [20/60]

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Magic

Sp Att: +4 | Sp DC: 12 | Spell Slots: N/A

Note: This is a placeholder for Level 2. None of it applies at Level 1.

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Feats/Features

Telepathic: 60'/LOS/Creature must know your language to understand.

Detect Thoughts: Once per Long Rest

Deft Explorer: Canny | Favorite Enemy: Orcs/Goblins

Note: The feat is from Tasha's [p81]. The character sheet version is written in shorthand, but I am aware of the limitations described in the full text.
Note: Most of my class and race features are wherever they make most sense on the character sheet, and they pretty much all come from the PHB except that I would rather use Deft Explorer [Tasha's p56] rather than the original Natural Explorer [PHB p91], but I'd like to keep the original Favored Enemy feature from the PHB rather than Favored Foe from Tasha's if that's ok.

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Skills/Tools/Tongues

Str >> Athletics [+4]

Dex >> Acrobatics [+2] | Sleight of Hand [+2] | Stealth [+4]

Int >> Arcana [+1] | History [+1] | Investigation [+3/P13] | Nature [+1] | Religion [+3]

Wis >> Animal Handling [+2] | Insight [+6] | Medicine [+2] | Perception [+6] | Survival [+2]

Cha >> Deception [+3] | Intimidation [+3] | Performance [+1] | Persuasion [+1]

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Gaming Set: Dice | Tools: Cartographer

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Spoken/Written Languages: Common | Dwarvish | Elvish | Gnomish | Goblin | Halfling | Orcish

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Note: The Bolded Skills are proficient skills. Athletics and Intimidation are from the Soldier Background [PHB 140]. Insight, Investigation, and Perception are from the Ranger Class Skills [PHB p90], but Perception gets double proficiency per Canny under Deft Explorer [Tasha's p56]. Deception and Stealth are player picks per half elf Racial Features [PHB p39]

Note: Because of his specific specialty/role as a scout (Soldier Background) I swapped out Tool: Land Vehicles for Tool: Cartographer's Tools (mapmaking) if you're ok with that.

Note: I got aggressive with the languages for this character concept. Common, Dwarf, and Elf are all half elf features [PHB p39]. Gnomish and Halfling are from Canny under Deft Explorer [Tasha's p 56]. And finally, Goblin and Orc are from Favored Enemy [PHB p91]. I recognize these will likely see very little use, given the apparent nature of this adventure, but I'm ok with that. 

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Wealth/Equipment

Battleaxe (carried) | Hand Axe (belt) | Dagger (belt) | Scale Armor (worn) | Wooden Shield (carried) | Explorer's Pack (bedroll, mess kit, tinder box, torches [10], rations [10d], waterskin, 50' hempen rope, spare clothes) | Iron Sergeant's Bars (worn) | The burnt and torn war flag of the Ur'Kai'Na clan (Orc) who slew their captain in his tent in the night (bottom of pack) | Bone Dice (pouch) | 23 gp (pouch)

Note: I used standard gear by class [PHB p90-91] but found the choices heavily presumed Archer/Dual Wield Ranger builds, which my character is neither. So I sold the 2 short swords, the longbow, and the 20 arrows back to the house at half their listed value [50g] and used those funds (plus the 10g from background) to procure a battleaxe, a hand axe, a dagger, and a shield. The rest of the list came from class or background with 23g left over. Armor, weapon, and ammo values PHB [p145-150].

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Background

SOLDIER || Specialty: Scout | Feature: Military Rank [Sergeant]

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Trait: I'm not just a bastard by birth and inclination. I've had professional training.

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Ideal: Fight for what's important. The rest can take care of itself.

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Bond: I am the eyes that see, the ears that hear, the voice that speaks.

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Flaw: I don't particularly like killing . . . but the lure of its wisdom is pervasive.

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Backstory

My mother is an elf, old by human standards, but still in her prime as her people count such things. She lies and tells me my father was a human soldier - a captain - who perished in a war on the border, and I let her believe I believe her, because I am a good son.

But my hair grows wild and paints the sky like fire in a way that no human's would, and my beard writhes earthward as if it longs to find and feel bedrock no mater how I trim it.

And my eyes are black as a vein of iron before it's been mined.

I joined the army as a scout as much to escape my mother's lies as to honor them, but despite my prominent elvish ears - the one feature I inherited from her - none of my fellow soldiers ever called me half elf. Among them I was always the halfdwarven.

Not to my face. I was respected in the ranks. Yancy or Blue to my peers and superiors. Sergeant to those beneath me in rank.

My life as a soldier is over, but I learned much during my time as a scout. Not just that I am a good tracker, but that I am good with people, learning their languages and customs like one born among them - even those I would as soon bury my axes in as look at.

See, I can see into their minds. I saw into my mother's mind. I know my father's name. I know why she lies about him. I know . . . well, maybe I don't know that, precisely, but I know what I intend. . . should the day ever come.

Note: The halfdwarven thing is narrative flavor with no mechanical weight. Yancy is statted out as a Half Elf (but using the Ability Score Increase option from Tasha's [p7] as mentioned above).

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Appearance

Race: Half Elf | Gender: M | Age: 58 | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 180 | Build: Stocky | Skin: Tan/Weathered | Hair: Flame Red/Long/Full Beard (no moustache) | Eyes: Black

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