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Building D&D Characters with the MTG Color Pie

In one of my recent videos, I explained how and why you should use the color pie of Magic: the Gathering when designing your characters for your Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. That video was very well received and managed to spark a lot of conversation, but I saw the same question several times in the comments. “Can you show an example of the color pie being used to design characters?”


So of course, I felt this follow up article was what I needed to write as a companion to that video, and so two members of my discord and I, each designed a character by putting the color pie first and creating a character around it. One mono colored, one two colored and finally one of them being a three color-combination. Each character will give an example of how the colors can be applied and be reflected in the character creation process. We won’t get into the nitty gritty of stats, instead I want to focus on what the color pie can express: the bio, race, and the class. If you haven’t watched the video in question, then scroll to the bottom of this article and I will have it linked there.


Alright let begin with the first character in question.



Dark elf Monk D&D

Color: White Class: Monk Race: Half-Elf Name: Kaladruin Bio: Kaladruin grew up extremely poor as a small child. Him and his parents would often find themselves begging on the streets and going days without food. Knowing that this was no life for a child, but wanting more for their son, Kaldruin’s parents traveled to a nearby monastery. There they begged the monks to take in their son. The monks of the monistary agreed to take him in, as he was still young enough to be molded and taught. That was the last time Kaldruin saw his parents. Life in the monastery taught Kaldruin discipline through the combative arts. As he grew into a man the vision of his parents never left his mind, he knew that no one should suffer such a fate and so upon his coming of age he left the monastery to help others.


Kaldruin strongly believes that the weak, defenseless and poor must be lifted up and often puts himself in danger to help others whenever he can. On many occasions he has gone hungry to feed others or been stabbed to stand in the way of violence. Kaldruin’s thin yet strong body displays the many scars that this life has given him over the past 10 years after leaving the monastery, but it has also given him a unique ability. Kaldruin draws strength from others, in that when part of a party that is working towards a noble goal he is at his prime, dealing more damage and taking more hits, even able to go long periods without food or sleep. When Kaldruin is alone though with no one to help he feels weak, almost as if his body requires a mission. It is as if he draws actual power from the energy of others and if no one is around for him to protect he feels no use to his life, and it reflects in his ability to fight.


Teifling Paladin by Ernesto Irawan
Teifling Paladin by Ernesto Irawan

Colors: Green/White/Blue (Bant) Name: Vorda D'marian Race: Tiefling Class: Paladin


Bio:

"It is not the devil nor the god that defines your morality. It is the strength of your own convictions that define your morality."

Tieflings are seen as a cursed people by many. In a room full of humans, elves, and dwarves, it is the tiefling that will be watched with suspicion at best and told to leave at worst. They are unwanted and thus many prove the masses right by selling their souls to dark powers, just as their ancestors did.


Vorda sees this all around him and chose to not give in and not let others dictate who he wanted to be. Vorda looked at the world around him and vowed to make it a better place, not just for tieflings, but for all. For monsters already exist that would make a meal of anyone, no matter their lineage. He sees himself not as a warrior, but a guardian. He is not a crusader, but a mediator. He quests in the name of goodness to show that your lineage or your faith that dictate who you are. It is up to everyone to band together as one people, and even if he converts just one bigot to his ways of acceptance, that is the true victory.


Colors: Red/black

Name: Dorna

Race: Tiefling

Class: Rogue


Bio:

Dorna had, by all accounts, a happy childhood. Raised by her father in a Lathander commune, she spent her childhood avoiding group meditations by wandering the hills, where she discovered a talent for tracking and for shooting squirrels with homemade slingshots. But as she grew older, it became impossible to ignore how different Dorna was from the humans and elves who made up the bulk of her hometown. She bore little resemblance, in looks or temperament, even to her father. At last, she demanded an explanation; her father confessed that, years ago, a strange woman had come to his home, but he could remember nothing that happened after answering the door. Even so, a year later, an infant Dorna was left on his doorstep.


Impulsive and resourceful, Dorna left her home in search of the strange woman who must be her mother--and despite the odds, found her. But it was not a happy reunion: Dorna discovered that her mother was a full-blooded demon, who had conceived Dorna and several half-sisters for later use in a grand sacrifice. Badly scarred, Dorna barely escaped with her life.


Dorna knew what she had to do: find her half-sisters and ensure their freedom and safety by slaying their mother. She began honing her skills on criminals and lesser fiends, gaining a reputation as a contract killer who’d take any bounty. Along the way, she made a number of enemies too, and she’s never once let a grudge rest. But above all, she remains obsessed with her mother: she’ll have her revenge even if it kills her.



I hope this was a good example to help inspire you for your next games. If you enjoyed this article then be sure to check out more articles on this site for some good reading. Also be sure to subscribe down below to get notified when my next article goes live.


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