I’m baaack. Somehow October flew by like Millie retrieving an eyeball. #SoSorry
Chapter 2: The Agnostic Cleric
If you remember from the first post, Kira was created via texts with little knowledge (on my end) of what I was choosing and what it meant in the context of the game. Truth be told, I had no idea what the word cleric meant when I chose it; I saw “healing spells” and jumped on it. I thought it would be like being a doctor, walking around healing people…yet much like my childhood plans after obsessively watching ER for years, this is not quite what the character has become.
When I sat down at the table, I was given my character sheet that Mark had worked up for me. While reading it, someone was describing that a cleric is like a priest. At this point, I had never seen a D&D game and did not understand the whole you-make-up-your-character concept. Nor did I know that gods and deities can play a pretty interactive role within the game. Like who knew they can, you know, walk, talk, reign down life-ending terrors, and make flowers grow?? Pretty nifty.
However, at that moment, I interpreted this to mean that I would be playing a character who was devout to the big guy. Not just a god. The little-baby-jesus God. I thought I was going to have to need some scripture to play this game.
Suffice it to say, my head space was very much IRL so I didn’t think I could do this character justice; I was pretty much a Sunday school drop-out. Thus, Kira was art imitating life and became an agnostic cleric for lack of a better word. This left me with the great challenge of not only creating my first character’s back story, but also coming up with an interesting reason for why she was having, let’s say, difficulties with her deity. No small task for someone who had no idea how to even write a back story in the first place!
It was a silly concern that would have been eased by actually reading the handbook. Or you know, remembering to think in terms of fantasy which is THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS GAME. I would have quickly realized that there were a whole host of deities, greek gods, and more that were available to me. I would have discovered how fun it is to read about all these gods or perhaps make up one of my own. I would have even discovered that Gari Glittergold existed (editions 1-3.5). If you are unfamiliar with Glittergold, he is the patron deity of gnomes, humor, and gem cutting. Seems like a pretty sparkly fellow to me! I could imagine having a lot of fun with him as my holy.
Writing Kira’s backstory was (and continues to be) a really fun process. While I can’t give away any details yet (stay tuned!), if you follow the show, you will soon (eventually) see why Kira is disillusioned with her deity and how she came to be standing alone on the side of the road.
The 3 (fairly obvious) things I needed to create Kira:
- The 5e player’s handbook. Admittedly, I did not even glance at the PHB (I know the lingo now) until a few sessions into playing Kira. I don’t know how much veteran players rely on it, but for a noob, it is everything. And yes, you can find the information from other sources (see #2), but the 5e handbook is just soo prettyyy. I love the illustrations. So good.
- The Internet. I’ll say this for the D&D crowd, they (now, we?) are most definitely passionate. There are dozens of sites dedicated to the explanation of terms and game mechanics. It is also a group that can be extremely helpful. For every post I found about dice math and advantage attacks, there was one dedicated to helping people get started and create interesting characters–which to me is the most important part. I was a little nervous I would get some criticism from the purists about Kira’s supposed lack of deity, however, instead of annoyance or “you can’t do that,” I’ve gotten some really interesting suggestions for where to take her story. I also enjoyed reading Great Ape Thoughts and Sarah Darkmagic, they have some good words for new and veteran players.
- PEOPLE. While I’m still pretty new to this, I am beginning to realize why so many people have been playing this game for so many years. When you play with the right people, there are endless possibilities and adventures to be had. It’s just plain fun. I have some amazing friends to play with and a DM who believes that it is often more fun when the storytelling and role-playing is the focus, with slightly less emphasis on strict adherence to every rule within the game. I think this mindset allows even the smallest of ideas can grow into the biggest inspirations. Couldn’t we all do with a little more inspiration?
If nothing else, I hope that Kira’s existence can reinforce the idea that you don’t have to be an expert in all things fantasy, dnd, or gaming to jump into the game and create a great character; you don’t even have to know all the rules to sit at the table and save the day. Most importantly, I am learning that YOU are what makes your character unique, so you might as well own it and be awesome.
Next time on behind the flame: More tips, tricks and treats from the Heroes PLUS First Time stories from our fans! Subscribe so you don’t miss out on the fun!
[su_note note_color=”#921d22″ text_color=”#d6d6d6″ radius=”10″]Thank you to those who have sent their “first time” stories. Shout outs to: M. Dingle, J. Ulmen, J. Viens, D. Logos, and J. Munson!! You guys rock. Keep sending in your stories about your first adventure!New questions: Who are your favorite Gods and deities to play with??? Which Hero of Awesome backstory would you like to read?
Respond to stories@heroesofawesome.com or comment below! [/su_note]