Let’s Play D&D With Buddy the Elf & Santa
Through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest and past the sea of twirly-swirly gumdrops we go to play D&D with Buddy the Elf & Santa!
Elf is one of those perfect Christmas movies that almost everyone loves. It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and talks about how not-magical being an adult can be without getting pessimistic. And that’s why this week we’re playing D&D with Santa and Buddy the Elf!
Buddy
I decided to make Buddy a playable character since his arc throughout the movie is something of a hero’s adventure. He’s just not great at it. I made Buddy as a character that desperately needs your help. Please, don’t leave him alone in the city. He’ll die.
Even though he’s “Buddy the Elf,” he is obviously human, and his love of smiling and general charisma and belief in the power of singing loud for all to hear made him an obvious choice for a Bard.
But he’s also not great at it.
While he’s naturally charismatic and can make friends everywhere he goes, Buddy hasn’t really prepared for a D&D style adventure as much as to help everyone around him sing about Santa. He’s without any armor or weapons because he wouldn’t see why he would need them and all of his spells reflect how much he wants to be friends with everyone.
Buddy is a good bean and he’ll definitely be a good bard, but please, protect him.
Santa
Even though I made a “monster sheet” for Santa, he’s not a monster as much as a good-aligned fey. You probably don’t want to pick a fight with him, and would much more likely have to fight on behalf of or even with him.
I focused a lot on Santa’s ability to go unseen either through stealth and agility or through magic, as well as his magic toy sack and the distracting nature of getting your perfect gift. Though Santa isn’t often depicted as getting into physical fights, he does have to be incredibly strong to lift his giant toy sack.
I gave him a few melee attacks, including simply hitting someone with a gigantic candy cane because, honestly, it’s kind of funny. In retrospect though, I wish I had added one more Legendary Action where he instead gives a target coal, dealing them 2d8 psychic damage.
All in all, while Buddy could be a very playable and probably hilarious bard to have at your table, having Santa either as the main villain or the primary patron of your game is going to be out of season before you know it. So if you’re looking to spread the Christmas cheer to your D&D group, you’d better hohohurry up!
How would you make Santa or Buddy for Dungeons and Dragons? Would you ever play Buddy or a character similar to him? Would you play Santa as a benevolent and friendly NPC, or as a fearsome foe for your players to take on in battle? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Holidays, Adventurers!
