Pre-Generated Characters — Level 3

Ruins of Symbaroum — thistlehold.com

1. Toressa — Ambrian Ranger (Iron Sworn)

*"The Iron Pact killed my expedition. Every one of them. I survived because I ran. I'm not running anymore."*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Steel and pine resin — the sharp, clean scent of maintained weapons and forest camp*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Personality Traits

*I count exits. I count enemies. I count arrows. Numbers keep you alive.*

Bonds

*Four people died because I couldn't fight back. I carry their names.*

Ideals

*Preparedness. Never be caught helpless again. Never.*

Flaws

*I don't trust elves. Any elf. I know it's not rational. I don't care.*

Equipment

Longbow, 40 arrows, longsword, shortsword, studded leather armor, explorer's pack, hunting trap, an Iron Pact arrowhead pendant

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian, Barbarian (basic); All armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons

Page 2

Features & Traits

Fighting Style — Archery: +2 to ranged attack rolls (included in longbow attack above).

Favored Enemy — Elves/Fey: Advantage on Survival to track and Intelligence to recall info about elves and fey creatures.

Natural Explorer — Forest: Can't become lost in forests. Double proficiency on Int/Wis checks in forests. Group travels at normal pace while stealthy.

Iron Sworn (Approach):

• Iron Pact Warden: Advantage on saves against fey magic and elven enchantments.

• Mark the Pact-Breaker: When you use Hunter's Mark on a fey or elf, the bonus damage increases to 1d8.

Treasure & Special Gear

An Iron Pact arrowhead she pulled from her own shoulder eighteen months ago. She wears it as a pendant. It feels warm to the touch when elves are nearby — she doesn't know if it's magic or her imagination.

Spells Known

Spell Slots: 2 × 1st-level

Spells Known (2):

• Hunter's Mark (bonus action, +1d6 damage per hit on marked target)

• Cure Wounds (1d8+2 healing)

Spell Save DC: 12 | Spell Attack: +4

Corruption Cost: Leveled spells = 1d4 + spell level temporary. Ritual = spell level ÷ 2 (rounded up) PERMANENT.

Backstory

Toressa led a small expedition into Wild Davokar eighteen months ago. On the third day, the Iron Pact found them near a ruin they shouldn't have been near. The elves killed four people in under a minute — silent, efficient, without anger. Toressa survived by running. She doesn't pretend it was brave. She's been training since: learning to track elves, to recognize their territory markers, to fight the way they fight. She's not seeking revenge. She's seeking to never be helpless again.

Hook: The Iron Pact arrowhead she wears is warm to the touch when elves are nearby. She doesn't know if it's magic or her imagination. She suspects the former.

2. Embersind — Barbarian Sorcerer (Witchborn)

*"My grandmother was burned by the Church for witchcraft. My mother hid her gifts and died with them unspoken. I will not hide."*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Smoke and campfire — the acrid warmth of ritual fires and burned offerings*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Personality Traits

*I speak my mind. Hiding killed my grandmother. Silence killed my mother. I choose noise.*

Bonds

*Clan Vajvod's traditions live in my tattoos. I carry the old ways on my skin.*

Ideals

*Power. Not for domination — for survival. The powerful don't get burned.*

Flaws

*I provoke authority figures. It's compulsive. I know it will get me killed.*

Equipment

Dagger, component pouch, explorer's pack, ritual tattoo tools (Vajvod tradition), a leather journal written in barbarian script

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian, Barbarian; Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows

Page 2

Features & Traits

Font of Magic (3 Sorcery Points): Fuel metamagic options. Convert between spell slots and sorcery points.

Metamagic (2 options):

• Subtle Spell (1 point): Cast without verbal/somatic components. Cast secretly. No one sees you do it.

• Twinned Spell (spell level points): Target two creatures with a single-target spell.

Wild Magic Surge (Witchborn): After casting a 1st-level+ spell, the GM may have you roll d20. On a 1, roll on the Wild Magic Surge table.

Tides of Chaos (1/long rest): Gain advantage on one attack, check, or save. Recharges when a Wild Magic Surge occurs.

Treasure & Special Gear

Ritual tattoo tools of the Vajvod tradition — she inscribes power symbols onto living skin. A leather journal in barbarian script documenting symbols she's learning. Her tattoos are slowly expanding on their own.

Spells Known

Cantrips (4): Chill Touch (1 temp corruption), Minor Illusion (1 temp), Prestidigitation (1 temp), Mage Hand (1 temp)

Spell Slots: 4 × 1st, 2 × 2nd

Spells Known (4):

• Mage Armor (AC 13, 8 hours)

• Chromatic Orb (3d8 damage, choose element)

• Misty Step (2nd — bonus action teleport 30 ft)

• Hold Person (2nd — paralyze a humanoid, Con save)

Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5

Corruption Cost: Cantrips = 1 temporary. Leveled spells = 1d4 + spell level temporary. Ritual = spell level ÷ 2 (rounded up) PERMANENT.

Backstory

Embersind's magic comes from blood, not study. The Vajvod clan produces Symbolist mystics who inscribe runes of power onto living skin — but Embersind's gift is rawer and wilder. She didn't learn spells; they erupted from her at age twelve when a Templar tried to arrest her grandmother. The Templar survived. Her grandmother didn't. Embersind fled to Thistle Hold, where she passes as an Ambrian fortune-teller. Her magic is unpredictable and tinged with the forest's corruption. The Church would burn her if they knew what she was. She plans to be powerful enough that burning isn't an option.

Hook: Her ritual tattoos are slowly expanding on their own — new symbols appearing overnight that she didn't inscribe. She can't read them. A witch at Karvosti might be able to.

3. Havel — Ambrian Paladin (Templar of the Dying Sun)

*"I have seen Prios' light pierce the darkness. I have also seen the darkness swallow good people whole. Both are real. I serve the light anyway."*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Warm amber — like sunlight through stained glass, faint but steady*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Personality Traits

*I ask questions my superiors don't want asked. It's gotten me reassigned twice.*

Bonds

*Prios' light is real. I've felt it. I will not let the Church's cruelty make me doubt the god behind it.*

Ideals

*Mercy. The light is meant to illuminate, not burn.*

Flaws

*I hesitate when I should act. I want to be sure I'm right, and the world doesn't always wait.*

Equipment

Warhammer, shield (dying sun emblem), chain mail, 5 javelins, priest's pack, holy symbol of Prios

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian, Barbarian (basic); All armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons

Page 2

Features & Traits

Divine Sense (3/long rest): Detect celestials, fiends, and undead within 60 ft.

Lay on Hands (15 HP pool): Touch to heal or cure disease/poison (5 HP per cure).

Fighting Style — Protection: When an ally within 5 ft is attacked, use reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack.

Divine Smite: On a melee hit, spend a spell slot for +2d8 radiant (1st level) or +3d8 (2nd level). Extra +1d8 vs undead/fiends.

Channel Divinity (1/short rest):

• Sacred Weapon: +2 to attack rolls for 1 minute, weapon emits light.

• Turn the Unholy: Undead and fiends within 30 ft must flee for 1 minute.

Treasure & Special Gear

A shield emblazoned with the dying sun of Prios. A sealed letter from a superior in Templewall: "Watch for the dwarf who casts no shadow. Report what he studies." Havel hasn't decided whether to follow the order.

Spells Known

Spell Slots: 3 × 1st-level

Oath Spells (always prepared): Protection from Evil and Good, Sanctuary

Prepared Spells (3): Shield of Faith, Cure Wounds, Detect Evil and Good

Spell Save DC: 12 | Spell Attack: +4

Corruption Cost: Leveled spells = 1d4 + spell level temporary. Ritual = spell level ÷ 2 (rounded up) PERMANENT.

Backstory

Havel was a Templar initiate stationed at the restored Sun Temple on Karvosti — the uneasy Church outpost on the barbarian sacred plateau. He saw what zealotry does when it meets cultures it doesn't understand. He watched fellow Templars burn barbarian fetishes and call it purification. He asked questions. His superiors didn't like the questions. He was reassigned to Thistle Hold, which is either a punishment or a test. He still serves Prios. He just believes the light is big enough to illuminate rather than burn.

Hook: He received a sealed letter from a superior in Templewall: "Watch for the dwarf who casts no shadow. Report what he studies." Havel hasn't decided whether to follow the order.

4. Vikka — Goblin Artificer (Alchemist)

*"Everyone throws things away. Vikka picks them up. Vikka makes them better. Vikka sells them back to the idiots who threw them away."*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Sulfur and burnt sugar — the chemical tang of experiments gone mostly right*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Tool Proficiencies: Thieves' Tools ★ (+5), Tinker's Tools ★ (+5), Alchemist's Supplies ★ (+5)

Personality Traits

*Vikka talks about Vikka's inventions constantly. Vikka knows you don't care. Vikka talks anyway.*

Bonds

*The Ordo Magica gave Vikka a key to the Charter Hall. First goblin ever. Vikka will not lose that key.*

Ideals

*Innovation. Everything can be improved. Everything. Vikka just needs time and parts.*

Flaws

*Vikka experiments first, asks if it was safe later. This has caused fires.*

Equipment

Light crossbow, 20 bolts, studded leather, shield, thieves' tools, tinker's tools, alchemist's supplies, a bag of assorted junk parts

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian, Goblin; Thieves' tools, tinker's tools, alchemist's supplies; Light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons

Page 2

Features & Traits

Magical Tinkering: Imbue tiny objects with minor magical effects (light, sound, scent, visual).

Infuse Item (2 infusions active):

• Enhanced Weapon: +1 to attack and damage on one weapon

• Bag of Holding: Create a bag of holding from a mundane bag (essential for treasure hauling)

Alchemist Specialist (Approach):

• Experimental Elixir (1/long rest, free): Create a random elixir each morning (roll d6): healing, swiftness, resilience, boldness, flight, or transformation.

• Alchemist Spells (always prepared): Healing Word, Ray of Sickness

Goblin Nimbleness: Disengage or Hide as bonus action.

Goblin Origin: Small size. Darkvision 60 ft.

Treasure & Special Gear

A key to the Ordo Magica Charter Hall — the only goblin key ever issued. A bag of salvaged junk parts she insists are "components." An experimental compound she believes can reduce temporary corruption (untested on humanoids).

Spells Known

Cantrips (2): Acid Splash (1 temp corruption), Mending (1 temp)

Spell Slots: 3 × 1st-level

Always Prepared (Alchemist): Healing Word, Ray of Sickness

Also Prepared (4): Cure Wounds, Faerie Fire, Detect Magic, Grease

Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5

Corruption Cost: Cantrips = 1 temporary. Leveled spells = 1d4 + spell level temporary. Ritual = spell level ÷ 2 (rounded up) PERMANENT.

Backstory

Vikka grew up in the Karabbadokk goblin tribe near Thistle Hold, scavenging refuse piles and broken equipment discarded by treasure hunters. She taught herself alchemy by experimenting with Davokar herbs and salvaged reagents — an explosion here, a successful healing salve there. The Ordo Magica Charter Hall noticed her work and offered her a bench in their workshop in exchange for her alchemical recipes. She accepted. She's the only goblin with a key to the Charter Hall, and she's fiercely proud of it. She knows the Call to pupate will come someday. She plans to have invented something worth remembering before it does.

Hook: She's been developing an alchemical compound she believes can reduce temporary corruption. It works on rats. She needs to test it on a willing humanoid in a live corruption zone.

5. Argan — Ogre Fighter (Champion)

*The other fighters swing swords. Argan swings a tree. Argan wins.*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Iron and sweat — the heavy, metallic scent of the gladiator pit*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Personality Traits

*Argan is quiet. Argan watches. Argan sees more than people think.*

Bonds

*Freedom is new. Argan is still learning what it means. Argan will not let anyone take it.*

Ideals

*Protection. Argan is big. Others are small. Argan stands between them and harm.*

Flaws

*Argan doesn't know his own strength. Things break. Sometimes people break too.*

Equipment

Maul, 4 javelins, chain shirt, explorer's pack, a bent iron crown (gladiator trophy)

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian (basic), Barbarian (basic); All armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons

Page 2

Features & Traits

Fighting Style — Great Weapon Fighting: Reroll 1s and 2s on damage dice with two-handed weapons.

Second Wind (1/short rest): Bonus action, regain 1d10+3 HP.

Action Surge (1/short rest): Take an additional action on your turn. Two full attacks in one round.

Improved Critical (Champion Approach): Critical hit on 19 or 20.

Ogre Origin: Powerful Build (count as Large for carrying/pushing). Darkvision 60 ft.

Treasure & Special Gear

A bent iron crown — his trophy from his last fight at The Dome in Yndaros. He won his freedom with that fight. The opponent didn't walk again. Argan still has nightmares about the crowd.

Spells Known

*None — Argan does not cast spells.*

Backstory

Argan was captured as a youth wandering out of Davokar and sold to a gladiator stable in Yndaros. He fought in The Dome for two years — a crowd favorite because of his size and the brutal simplicity of his fighting style. He earned his freedom after a match that left his opponent permanently crippled (Argan didn't mean to — he doesn't know his own strength). He walked to Thistle Hold because he heard it was the edge of the world, and the edge seemed like a good place to figure out what to do with freedom. He's quiet, watchful, and more observant than people give him credit for.

Hook: He still has nightmares about The Dome. In the dreams, the crowd has no faces. He recently heard that the gladiator stable that owned him has been buying goblins from Davokar. He doesn't like that.

6. Lisenka — Ambrian Cleric (Theurg of Prios)

*"Prios is dying. That's what the First Father says. But I've felt his light heal wounds and burn corruption. A dying god shouldn't feel this strong."*

Page 1

Ability Scores

Saving Throws

Combat

Corruption

Shadow

*Incense and clean linen — the comforting warmth of a temple at dawn*

Attacks & Spellcasting

Skills

Personality Traits

*I heal everyone who asks. Barbarian, goblin, changeling — Prios' light doesn't check papers.*

Bonds

*Father Sarvola trusts me with a dangerous investigation. I will not let him down.*

Ideals

*Compassion. Faith without mercy is just power wearing a mask.*

Flaws

*I'm not discreet. I wear my convictions on my face. Subtlety is not my gift.*

Equipment

Mace, chain mail, shield (Prios sun emblem), holy symbol, priest's pack, healer's kit, a journal of theological questions

Coin & Treasure

Language & Tool Proficiencies

Ambrian, Barbarian (basic); All armor, shields, simple weapons

Page 2

Features & Traits

Channel Divinity (1/short rest):

• Turn Undead: Undead within 30 ft flee for 1 minute.

• Radiance of the Dawn: Dispel magical darkness in 30 ft. Hostile creatures take 2d10+3 radiant damage (Con save half). Does not harm allies.

Warding Flare (3/long rest): When attacked, use reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Treasure & Special Gear

A journal of theological questions that would get her in trouble if her superiors read it. A healer's kit she restocks every week. She is the best healer in Thistle Hold and she knows it.

Spells Known

Cantrips (3): Sacred Flame (1 temp corruption), Light (1 temp), Guidance (1 temp)

Spell Slots: 4 × 1st, 2 × 2nd

Domain Spells (always prepared):

• 1st: Burning Hands, Faerie Fire

• 2nd: Scorching Ray, Flaming Sphere

Prepared Spells (6 + domain): Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Shield of Faith, Spiritual Weapon (2nd), Aid (2nd)

Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5

Corruption Cost: Cantrips = 1 temporary. Leveled spells = 1d4 + spell level temporary. Ritual = spell level ÷ 2 (rounded up) PERMANENT.

Backstory

Lisenka was ordained as a theurg at the Templewall cathedral — the youngest in her cohort. She was posted to the Sun Temple in Thistle Hold under Father Sarvola. She's a true believer in Prios, but her faith is intellectual and questioning rather than dogmatic. She's troubled by the Church's treatment of barbarians and goblins. She's troubled by the Twilight Friars' methods. She heals everyone who asks — barbarian, goblin, changeling — which has earned her admiration from the common people and suspicion from her superiors. She is the best healer in Thistle Hold and she knows it.

Hook: Father Sarvola quietly asked her to investigate rumors that a Twilight Friar operating in Thistle Hold is hiring thieves for unsanctioned operations. She was told to be discreet. She's not sure she can be.