Cosplayer Highlight: D&D Original Characters
Written by Aesthel & CRM Contributors
One of our favorite parts of Cosplay Realm Magazine’s Dungeons & Dragons issue is the Original Character section! It was so fun to hear from all of you and read about some of your original D&D Characters and campaigns! We wanted to give a little highlight to some of our favorite character submissions that were featured in this issue of the magazine!
Name: Miiran
Class: Barbarian
Race: Tiefling
Level: 6
“With a history in the flesh trade and extended time as a pit fighter, Miiran is reserved, anxious, and a little dense. This works out great, as this is my first DnD campaign and I too am nervous and have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. The world we are playing in is a completely original creation of our amazing DM and I couldn't ask for a better story and party to help me learn as we go. Miiran means a lot more to me than I thought he was going to, and the reception I got to him at Katsucon from other DnD fans was extraordinary. I've grown as a player through him and he's continuing to grow as a character, so I can't wait to see where this campaign takes us both.”
Cosplayer IG: Failmacaw Cosplayer Twitter: RealGoodBird Photographer: Adoylible
Name: Akoni Mor
Class: Druid
Race: Wood Elf
Age: 250
Level: 6
“I've been playing DnD since 2013 and I have, without fail, played a human every single time. I know it is considered kinda basic but I love trying to make humans more than just a simple base. In college, some players really drove me nuts with how they played druids and elves so I avoided them. Almost five years later, I finally made my first elf character. It took a lot of research! My favorite thing about DnD is making a well rounded character so I had to find a reason why my elf, who is 250ish, has not done anything particularly worth noting in his life. I went back to the origin of DnD elves and read Tolkien's Silmarillion to get a feel for how this race fully came into existence and the little details that added to the character like family bonds and maturity were super helpful. He is a local medicine man in farm country and acts like it.
I poured a lot of time and effort into this character and his background. He is 250 years old so I wanted to play him with that amount of knowledge! I can tell you crop rotations for medieval farming, how to best address an arrow wound, what sickness a medicine man in that region would deal with the most, and how to deliver a baby. He is a druid, but between his backstory and how our party is built, he is a healer. DnD magic works in a way that suddenly heals a character with hit points but does nothing to talk about how their major muscle in their shoulder got hit with an arrow from 30 feet away. Luckily, I have a DM who gives me a chance to role play out some of the wounds we deal with and I can talk through to party members exactly what it will take to clean and bandage. This is fun for the role playing aspects and makes the team communicate more between themselves! And as a healer class it means that people thank me more and actually tell me when they get hurt instead of relying on meta. “
Cosplayer: @_Sylbur_ Photographer: Adoylible
Character: Naphtali
Race: Satyrx
Class: Druid Guardian
Series: Tribe 8 & D&D 5th Edition
“I originally developed this character for my first run of the table top RPG called TRIBE 8. In that series Satyrx were battle mage fauns that traveled the global squiring knowledge, skills and eventually returning to their homeland to have children. I decided that my Naphtali was more into adventure than just returning home. I continued her journey as I played D&D 5th edition and it was a great campaign. There are more Satyrx that I've created since and I'm developing a story that connects them all. She's one of my favorite creations. I'm delighted that through cosplay I've been able to bring her to life. I hope you all enjoy her as much I do cosplaying her.”
Cosplayer: @GeishaVi Photographer: Geri Kramer Photography
Name: Weeping Willow (she goes by willow!)
Race: Drow
Class: Druid
“The weeping willow is a curious creature, have you heard of it? they say you can hear the bells as she walks late night in the forest, tempting travelers to discover her. They say she grants wishes, but, but more often folk have been known to follow the bells into the dark repetition of the trees, never to be seen again. However, this isn't a cautionary tale. One such soul dared to have the courage to find her, and demand a wish. A young elf named Isilmei with hearts set on royalty, sought out the help of the infamous chimes of the Weeping Willow. Day after day she would search, night after night she would plea. And though no one knows how she found her, after a time they met. A wish demands a price: a living heart. The crown was given, with the promise of the elf's life. As quick as they met, they parted. Though she had what she wanted, through royalty and fame, the elf found she was still drawn to the bells. She sought them out once more. So began the story of the Queen and her Willow, for the elf had already given her heart. “
Willow Cosplayer: @Musicminion Isilmei Cosplayer: @Valkyrie.Cosplay Photographer: @Rougefaunphotography
Name: Thalia
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Race: Tiefling
Class: Bard
“She's a former circus performer who's now traveling the world with her girlfriend, blowing up evil pixies and charming her way out of every fight. She's actually my first PC so far, I've only been playing dnd with a group for a few months! Even though I'm not nearly as experienced as most people, the community has been so accepting and helpful to me I can't help but be in love with it already! I was first exposed to the world of dnd through The Adventure Zone and Critical Role, and I absolutely love the cosplay community associated with them! My favorite thing about cosplaying dnd characters is that they often don't have concrete character designs, so you can be really creative with designing your cosplays!”
Cosplayer: @allithetrashlord Photographer: Alli’s Mom!
Name: Belastung
Race: Half Orc
Class: Barbarian
“Belastung was born into a desert-based orc tribe known as The Wind Scorpion Tribe. Her human mother died during childbirth to her father’s dismay. A relatively young orc at the time, Krusk the Skull-crusher was ill-prepared to raise a child, and didn't relish having a half-orc daughter. His pride and integrity were the only things that held him back from leaving her to the giant scorpions that roam the outskirts of the tribe’s border. Krusk was the right hand of the chief and lead hunter, so Belastung was cast into the same occupation. Being the only half-orc in the tribe, she trained harder than any full-blooded orc, becoming a better warrior than most; even the chief's son. Almost every orc in the tribe recognized her skill and determination, especially the chief, however she could never win the approval of her father.
When Belastung was sent on a scouting mission with the chief’s son, it would be the first test of loyalty to her tribe. At the end of the mission they came to the hamlet Belastung would sneak away to, the hamlet where she met her best friend: a human named Margot. The cheif’s son, bloodthirsty and bored, decided that the group should go raid the village. Belastung refused and insisted that it wasn't a part of the mission. There was nothing she could say to stop him. The group charged. Belastung when straight for Margot to get her to safety. When soldiers came to fight off the orcs, Belastung let it happen and left with a mysterious man she met while saving Margot. The man sent her on her quest with a human, a kenku, and a dragonborn. The chief’s son let out a blood curdling battle cry as she rode away. Belastung knew she could never return.”
Cosplayer: @alter_affect_cosplay Photographer: Keifer Stone