Five 5E Character Concepts for After the Fall
The ruined drow city of Holoth (now Hopeholme) is a place of shattered pride, lingering power struggles, and hidden opportunities. In this chaotic aftermath, your 5E character concept can shape their role in rebuilding, rebelling, or ruling what’s left of their fallen society. Here are five 5E character concepts designed to thrive in the dangerous streets of Hopeholme.
1. The Reluctant Heir
House-born aristocrat turned rebel
Once poised to inherit power and wealth in Holoth’s ruling circles, your character’s privileged life was destroyed when Tolgorith Tower crumbled. Now a prisoner or a fugitive, you must decide — will you reclaim your house’s prestige or carve out a new identity?
Recommended Classes: Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock
Suggested Backgrounds: Noble, Charlatan, Courtier
Recommended Race: Drow (noble lineage)
Potential Story Hooks:
- Secretly carries a house sigil or keepsake, risking exposure.
- Holds knowledge of valuable hidden caches or forgotten alliances.
- Wrestling with conflicting feelings toward the Coalition’s occupation.
2. The Spider-Touched Outcast
Rejected for embracing forbidden power
Once a promising member of your house, you fell from grace after embracing the twisted magic of the driders. Now, in the ruins of Holoth, whispers of drider alliances offer a new path. Are you a harbinger of hope or doom?
Recommended Classes: Warlock, Ranger, Sorcerer
Suggested Backgrounds: Hermit, Outlander, Haunted One
Recommended Race: Drider
Potential Story Hooks:
- Marked with spider-shaped scars or unsettling mutations.
- Seeks the favor of a powerful drider or other Underworld figure.
- Viewed with suspicion by drow traditionalists and Coalition occupiers alike.
3. The Enslaved Artisan
Master crafter seeking freedom
Your character was once a skilled artisan, forced into service by Holoth’s ruling houses. Now that the Coalition has claimed the city, your talents make you invaluable — but are you forging for your oppressors or planning to escape?
Recommended Classes: Artificer, Bard, Wizard
Suggested Backgrounds: Guild Artisan, Criminal, Sage
Recommended Race: Drow or Half-Drow
Potential Story Hooks:
- Designs coded messages into carvings, tapestries, or sculptures.
- Works as a spy for the drow resistance while posing as a loyal craftsman.
- Seeks vengeance against a Coalition officer who betrayed or exploited you.
4. The Devoted Disciple
Faithful follower seeking guidance in the ashes
Your devotion to a forgotten deity — or perhaps the Ancestor Spirit — gives you strength in these dark times. Now, with Holoth in ruins, you walk among the desperate and displaced, offering solace — or wielding righteous wrath.
Recommended Classes: Cleric, Paladin, Monk
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, Hermit, Outlander
Recommended Race: Drow or Drider
Potential Story Hooks:
- Feels compelled to rebuild a defiled temple or sacred site.
- Carries a vision of a brighter future for the drow people.
- Torn between vengeance against the Coalition and the pursuit of peace.
5. The Venom-Forged Survivor
Twisted by the Demiplane of Venom
Caught in the collapse of Tolgorith Tower, your character narrowly escaped the poisoned traps and venomous horrors of the corrupted ruins. The ordeal left its mark — physically and mentally — driving you to protect others or twist that power to your own advantage.
Recommended Classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Warlock
Suggested Backgrounds: Soldier, Mercenary Veteran, Outlander
Recommended Race: Drider or Drow
Potential Story Hooks:
- Carries venomous scars or unusual powers gained from exposure.
- Desperately seeks a cure or to master their newfound abilities.
- Hunted by those who witnessed your strange transformation.
Which Path Will You Choose?
Each of these 5E character concepts offers unique ways to engage with the political tension, fractured alliances, and brutal survival elements in Rise of the Drow: After the Fall. Whether you strive to rebuild your fallen house, embrace newfound power, or serve as a voice of redemption, the streets of Hopeholme await.
🧠 Related Reading:
- Drow Houses of Holoth
- Tolgorith Tower: Surviving the Venomous Ruins
- Playing a Drider in After the Fall
📚 Learn more about the world of Rise of the Drow.
Rise of the Drow: After the Fall 🕷️
The City Has Fallen — Will You Rebuild, Rebel, or Rule?
The mighty drow city of Holoth lies in ruin, its elegant towers shattered, its streets filled with conflict and opportunity. The Coalition’s brutal occupation tightens its grip, but beneath the watchful eyes of their guards, power shifts in the shadows.
You are drow. Now is your chance to take the power back.