20/02/2022
NPC
Eric the Tabaxi Paladin
Str: 17 Dex: 11 Con: 15 Int: 6 Wis: 14 Cha: 18
Eric is a level 5 orange tabby Tabaxi Oath of the Ancients paladin. He stands at 4ft tall with ears that are too large for his frame. His armor was clearly not made for him and seems more suited to a dwarf. It clanks as he walks and it is a point of comedy if played correctly. He is incredibly sweet and naive, wanting to be friends with everyone. He is obsessed with fish and worships a god he calls The Giver of Fish. He grew up as an orphan and was “blessed” by the Giver of Fish by fish fatefully appearing when he was hungry and wished for a fish.
He wears a holy symbol that is a roughly hewn chunk of wood in the shape of a fish and this same shoddy fish shape has been carved and hammered into his wooden shield. He carries a small pouch on his hip that acts like a limited bag of holding, though its only contents seems to be a myriad of deliciously prepared fish. Such as salmon sashimi, poached cod, lightly fried fish fillets and others like this. Eric likes to offer the fish to everyone he meets as he will rattle on about the giver of fish. If a player accepts the fish and tries it, it will be the most delicious fish they have ever encountered. The fish will last for 3 days wrapped in the wax paper it is presented in.
How Eric can be used in your campaign:
Eric has made it his life goal to spread the word of the Giver of Fish. Due to his orphan background, he is very generous and loves to help others. Maybe the players come upon him on the road as he is helping the wildlife or a fellow traveler.
Eric has very low intelligence. He may have got himself into trouble, either by being captured by bandits or having his trusty fishing rod stolen by kobolds. He may implore the players to assist him, promising that they would be blessed by the Giver of Fish. This boon could come as a small magical item or a small blessing of the DM’s discretion.
Eric may have set up a small shrine within a small village or town. The players may see the shrine and Eric’s offerings. This could lead to them finding multiple ones through their journey and eventually coming upon the paladin who made them.
No one knows who the Giver of Fish is. It could be a god made purely from Eric’s belief in it. Or it could be a kind benevolent god taking pity on a poor innocent tabaxi. It could also be a trickster using Eric for its own ends where Eric thinks he’s doing good, the long-term ramifications could be something the players have to clean up.
Roleplaying Eric:
Eric is incredibly innocent and annoyingly chatty. While it is not necessary to actually ramble at your players it is wise to make a point that he talks almost incessantly. He loves to extol the virtues of the Giver of Fish to whoever will listen. He is very naive about how the world works and while he understands the importance of gold he will always overpay due to incredibly bad math skills. He is incredibly perky and always positive and will try to find the silver lining in any situation. It is hard to break his moral but being yelled at or spoken too in a derogatory manner will normally pull a sniffly response from him. If made to cry, he can be brought out of this almost immediately by a pat on the head or positive affirmation. Just remember, Eric wants to be everyone's friend. Even that Owlbear that is about to try and eat him.
