A good Nemesis? [Archive] - Wizards Community

A good Nemesis? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sabelo2000
04-07-05, 10:23 AM So I've got one item left to flesh out in my back-story. Here's the current status:

Maxwell Ectorius Gilraeth was apprenticed to a doctor, learning his skills as an apothecary. (Read: Expert 2, skills in Heal and Alchemy.) Then, SOMETHING happens that just messes his whole world over. He becomes a paladin, and dedicates his quests to expunging evil and sending their vile souls to judgement at the hands of Wee-Jas. (And, please, let's spell this Ouji-Iaes from now on.) He takes the Back to the Wall feat (see Ravenloft) and carries a scythe. Most importantly, this harrowing ordeal messes his WIS score from 14 to 8.

So what we have now is a Exp 2/ Pal 2 of Ouji-Ieas, who carries a scythe and styles himself as an Angel of Death, and who has 8 WIS.

So, what's incredibly horrible enough to turn an apprentice doctor into a death-dealing paladin?

Extra points for extra horribleness!
windquake
04-07-05, 04:01 PM One night he was startled at the autopsy he was performing, when someone cast Animate Dead. :)

Idea 1)
Seriously, it seems that something on scale with an entire town being killed off, leaving him the only survivor could make someone change that radically. Perhaps, a roving band of cannibalistic priests came in and killed most of the town off (all the men and older boys, maybe the older women) and took away the women and children to feed on. Your character was the lone person who wasn't killed or taken. He wakes up a couple of days later (he was knocked out) and out of a sense of general goodness, he followed the trail (that a band of cannibalistic priests would leave) hoping to perform some sort of rescue.

What he found were the leftovers and scrap from the large feast the evil bastards had on his friends, family, and neighbors. This obviously warped his mind, because up until this point, he figured they were taken as slaves, or something.

Idea 2)
Similar to the first only, the cannibalistic priests are replaced with demons or devils. They kill most people and take the still living back into Hell (or something similar). Their your character witnesses dozens of his friends, family, and neighbors being tortured, cooked, and eaten, which warped his mind. The demons delighted in your character's reactions, so they let him be last. He was basically forced to watch the entire town die screaming.

When it was near his turn, he was rescued by a Priest of Wee-Jas (or Paladin, or maybe even a party).

What do you think?

-Windquake
Nor'Morgwae
04-07-05, 08:34 PM Warning, horrible.

What if he spent a year in Hell/the Abyss/Whatever. He was treating a family that had been striken with some horrible disease thet he had never seen before. Then on of bodies (one of the parents if you have a mixxed group, or one of the children if you have a mature group) int torn open as a Demon pulles itself through the person into the Prime material plane. Your character was bound and had not choice but to watch the rest of the family flayed and stretched to allow the demons comrads to cross over. He was then infected with the same disease that had doomed the family he tried to help. Managing through luck (and perhapse divine intervention) he escapes the demons and seeks a cure for his plight. When the illness reaches is pinacle before he has found a cure, he tires to take his own life. Instead of killing him and closing the gate within him his spirit is pulled through the gate. He spends a year wandering through hell which maddens him (Wis loss) but his body on the Prime Material does not die or decay. A priest of Ouji-Iaes finds this body and after a few divinations ressurects it pulling his spirit out of hell.
Sentient
04-07-05, 10:01 PM Warning, horrible.

What if he spent a year in Hell/the Abyss/Whatever. He was treating a family that had been striken with some horrible disease thet he had never seen before. Then on of bodies (one of the parents if you have a mixxed group, or one of the children if you have a mature group) int torn open as a Demon pulles itself through the person into the Prime material plane. Your character was bound and had not choice but to watch the rest of the family flayed and stretched to allow the demons comrads to cross over. He was then infected with the same disease that had doomed the family he tried to help. Managing through luck (and perhapse divine intervention) he escapes the demons and seeks a cure for his plight. When the illness reaches is pinacle before he has found a cure, he tires to take his own life. Instead of killing him and closing the gate within him his spirit is pulled through the gate. He spends a year wandering through hell which maddens him (Wis loss) but his body on the Prime Material does not die or decay. A priest of Ouji-Iaes finds this body and after a few divinations ressurects it pulling his spirit out of hell.

lol Constatine.

With his low wisdom, he ought to have been bonked on the head and hallucinated a good ol' vision of Wee Jas telling him that Cannibalism is a terrible sin because these evil priests were eating the villagers souls as well. (lol Sin City) His God-granted powers are in fact manifistations of pure (lawful) insanity. The townspeople that flee him are not canibilistic sinners, but mostly regular folk, fleeing for their lives. added bonus that you'll never recieve spells like most paladins, proof that you have no Divine connection. You just think you havn't appeased Wee Jas enough

The righteousness has to end someday, somebody will tell you what you did wrong and all that. Maybe Wee Jas will accept you anyway, as you've done an awful lot of Killing for her. If you were playing an organic character at this point I'd go Arcane Disciple Sorcerer or something.
Nor'Morgwae
04-09-05, 12:58 AM lol Constatine.

Guilty as charged... :D

It just seemed to fit. Theft is the first step in a good character background.
wingGodzilla
04-11-05, 10:21 AM One night he was startled at the autopsy he was performing, when someone cast Animate Dead.

I think that is a great idea. Have your new knight following this necomancer from town to town. Kind of like the Frankinstein thing. Hunting the mad man to the ends of the earth. Cleaning up the mess he leaves behind. Very good way for you knight the gain a reputation and maybe give him added motovation agaist the undead.

Plus if this is just a backstory then you say you finally caught up with the mage had a great battle and in the end you won. Maybe give him a scare that no one saw and say it came from the battle.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sabelo2000 04-07-05, 10:23 AM	So I've got one item left to flesh out in my back-story. Here's the current status: Maxwell Ectorius Gilraeth was apprenticed to a doctor, learning his skills as an apothecary. (Read: Expert 2, skills in Heal and Alchemy.) Then, SOMETHING happens that just messes his whole world over. He becomes a paladin, and dedicates his quests to expunging evil and sending their vile souls to judgement at the hands of Wee-Jas. (And, please, let's spell this Ouji-Iaes from now on.) He takes the Back to the Wall feat (see Ravenloft) and carries a scythe. Most importantly, this harrowing ordeal messes his WIS score from 14 to 8. So what we have now is a Exp 2/ Pal 2 of Ouji-Ieas, who carries a scythe and styles himself as an Angel of Death, and who has 8 WIS. So, what's incredibly horrible enough to turn an apprentice doctor into a death-dealing paladin? Extra points for extra horribleness!
windquake 04-07-05, 04:01 PM	One night he was startled at the autopsy he was performing, when someone cast Animate Dead. :) Idea 1) Seriously, it seems that something on scale with an entire town being killed off, leaving him the only survivor could make someone change that radically. Perhaps, a roving band of cannibalistic priests came in and killed most of the town off (all the men and older boys, maybe the older women) and took away the women and children to feed on. Your character was the lone person who wasn't killed or taken. He wakes up a couple of days later (he was knocked out) and out of a sense of general goodness, he followed the trail (that a band of cannibalistic priests would leave) hoping to perform some sort of rescue. What he found were the leftovers and scrap from the large feast the evil bastards had on his friends, family, and neighbors. This obviously warped his mind, because up until this point, he figured they were taken as slaves, or something. Idea 2) Similar to the first only, the cannibalistic priests are replaced with demons or devils. They kill most people and take the still living back into Hell (or something similar). Their your character witnesses dozens of his friends, family, and neighbors being tortured, cooked, and eaten, which warped his mind. The demons delighted in your character's reactions, so they let him be last. He was basically forced to watch the entire town die screaming. When it was near his turn, he was rescued by a Priest of Wee-Jas (or Paladin, or maybe even a party). What do you think? -Windquake
Nor'Morgwae 04-07-05, 08:34 PM	Warning, horrible. What if he spent a year in Hell/the Abyss/Whatever. He was treating a family that had been striken with some horrible disease thet he had never seen before. Then on of bodies (one of the parents if you have a mixxed group, or one of the children if you have a mature group) int torn open as a Demon pulles itself through the person into the Prime material plane. Your character was bound and had not choice but to watch the rest of the family flayed and stretched to allow the demons comrads to cross over. He was then infected with the same disease that had doomed the family he tried to help. Managing through luck (and perhapse divine intervention) he escapes the demons and seeks a cure for his plight. When the illness reaches is pinacle before he has found a cure, he tires to take his own life. Instead of killing him and closing the gate within him his spirit is pulled through the gate. He spends a year wandering through hell which maddens him (Wis loss) but his body on the Prime Material does not die or decay. A priest of Ouji-Iaes finds this body and after a few divinations ressurects it pulling his spirit out of hell.
Sentient 04-07-05, 10:01 PM	Warning, horrible. What if he spent a year in Hell/the Abyss/Whatever. He was treating a family that had been striken with some horrible disease thet he had never seen before. Then on of bodies (one of the parents if you have a mixxed group, or one of the children if you have a mature group) int torn open as a Demon pulles itself through the person into the Prime material plane. Your character was bound and had not choice but to watch the rest of the family flayed and stretched to allow the demons comrads to cross over. He was then infected with the same disease that had doomed the family he tried to help. Managing through luck (and perhapse divine intervention) he escapes the demons and seeks a cure for his plight. When the illness reaches is pinacle before he has found a cure, he tires to take his own life. Instead of killing him and closing the gate within him his spirit is pulled through the gate. He spends a year wandering through hell which maddens him (Wis loss) but his body on the Prime Material does not die or decay. A priest of Ouji-Iaes finds this body and after a few divinations ressurects it pulling his spirit out of hell. lol Constatine. With his low wisdom, he ought to have been bonked on the head and hallucinated a good ol' vision of Wee Jas telling him that Cannibalism is a terrible sin because these evil priests were eating the villagers souls as well. (lol Sin City) His God-granted powers are in fact manifistations of pure (lawful) insanity. The townspeople that flee him are not canibilistic sinners, but mostly regular folk, fleeing for their lives. added bonus that you'll never recieve spells like most paladins, proof that you have no Divine connection. You just think you havn't appeased Wee Jas enough The righteousness has to end someday, somebody will tell you what you did wrong and all that. Maybe Wee Jas will accept you anyway, as you've done an awful lot of Killing for her. If you were playing an organic character at this point I'd go Arcane Disciple Sorcerer or something.
Nor'Morgwae 04-09-05, 12:58 AM	lol Constatine. Guilty as charged... :D It just seemed to fit. Theft is the first step in a good character background.
wingGodzilla 04-11-05, 10:21 AM	One night he was startled at the autopsy he was performing, when someone cast Animate Dead. I think that is a great idea. Have your new knight following this necomancer from town to town. Kind of like the Frankinstein thing. Hunting the mad man to the ends of the earth. Cleaning up the mess he leaves behind. Very good way for you knight the gain a reputation and maybe give him added motovation agaist the undead. Plus if this is just a backstory then you say you finally caught up with the mage had a great battle and in the end you won. Maybe give him a scare that no one saw and say it came from the battle.