Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tiefling_Warlock 12-12-05, 06:25 PM	I am trying to get a nice background on a human fighter. He's gonna have lots of feats to augment stealth and his spiked chain. His story is that he left his family for adventure and fun 7 or so years ago and hasn't seen them again (but I think they are still alive if they died it would be kind of cleched) and started focusing on the chain because it's great. All of his advenureing is compleatly devoid of crap like thats a good thing but its evil so im not getting it **** so he raises undead (from one of his chains abilitys) but is overall leaning twords good. He is kind of stadistical as well he likes death and pain (and if he inflicts it all the better) but oddly enough he only (and oftenly) tourtures/kills evil people. I think he will be cursed in some way as well I'm not sure what though. Help would be nice!
Harrow Blade 12-12-05, 11:05 PM	You may want to check out the links in my sig as they are geared towards helping with backgrounds. A few things that are uncertain in my mind that may help address your character needs are:- -Are you going to take levels in rogue for stealth and how does that fit in your character story -you started adventuring for fun but what is it that drives your character to keep going for 7 years? -does your character have any feellings for his family and would your enemies do anything to them to get at you? these are just few things to think about. Harrow Blade
Morka 12-13-05, 10:59 AM	He is overall leaning towards good, but he does many evil things like torture and undead raising, and he didn't take news from his familly since 7 years. Looks like a Lawful Evil guy to me. But even a LE guy would care about his familly. Perhaps did he begin adventuring with some undesirable thugs, who themselve didn't care at all about their own famillies. Your character felt some regret, but nothing more. Until he met a cousin who made him realise he haven't saw his familly for 7 years. He then decide to leave the thugs and find his familly. By the way, look at the links in my signature as well! :)
4Chayva 12-13-05, 01:00 PM	First off, best of luck developing this character. I commend your willingness to consult the CD board. In truth, no one would bring a chain into battle. It's a horrible weapon on the battlefield- it's cumbersome, slow and provides very little defense (try parrying a rapier with a heavy chain). Dueling is another story. I suggest doing some research on medieval battlefield tactics if you have questions on this matter. In D&D, however, the weapon is fantastic. It has reach, can attack adjacent targets, and has a good average damage. Master of Chains, from the Fighter series novels, tells of a man turned slave who learned to use his shackles as weapons. The poetic justice in smiting his captors with their own tools of imprisonment provides an excellent excuse to utilize chains as weapons. Best of luck.
Tiefling_Warlock 12-13-05, 05:03 PM	He would have levels in move silently and hide (even as cross class) becuase I am basing this guy off of the prince in prince of persia 3. The reason that he keeps adventuring for 7 years is because he got lots of enemies (i've decided to have him show up first in a camp. against an evil empire) which hunt him...a lot. He doesn't go near villages a lot because they normally get sacked by his hunters (but accasionaly he is forced to) and when he does he tells the villagers (and normally does this to big cities to minamize the deaths) and because of this people think he is cursed but he isn't really. He does't see his family because he wouldn't want to cause thier deaths plus they think he is evil (which is untrue) but many people do make that mistake. Also HOW CAN U SAY THAT THE CHAIN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! Its a great wepon, good damage, trip, also if u enchant it with explosive magic (Complete Warrior) and give him combat reflexes (all enemies who try to get with melee suffer 1 attack of oppertunity) and great cleave he becomes great! NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN:rant:
4Chayva 12-14-05, 09:13 AM	Also HOW CAN U SAY THAT THE CHAIN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! Its a great wepon, good damage, trip, also if u enchant it with explosive magic (Complete Warrior) and give him combat reflexes (all enemies who try to get with melee suffer 1 attack of oppertunity) and great cleave he becomes great! NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN:rant: You really should read my entire post.
Setherial 12-14-05, 09:26 AM	He said a chain sucks in real life, wielding it is a danger to yourself and to your allies and it doesn't cause much damage against foes wearing armour. The chance it gets pulled out of your hands is rather big as well. In dnd it is a good weapon as 4Chayva already said. On the matter of your story I think it's rather poor and uninspired. It's not a background story it's something slapped together to fit a character sheet you already made and a style of play that basically allows you to get away with anything since the character has no real goals other then hurting people, he has no real past which provides no hooks for your DM and he has no moral code except that he prefers to torture evil people if given the choice. Actually what is it with Dnd players and evil. Maybe it's because I never played the game when I was still a teenager but how do you decide who is evil and who is not, where do you draw the line. If you ask me they should never have created the detect evil ability/spell, it's crap. How many saints are there in real life, people that lack even the least bit of anger and selfishness. In my opinion there are only gradations of evil and even this is relative to the moral code you map it to. One could say killing a musquito is evil (and in some places in the world it is concidered evil) which would make me a very evil person :) Try creating a background first then deal with game mechanics. The example of a slave using his chains to fight due to the lack of anything else is excellent. Game mechanics suck, they hold you back, don't even concider them before you have fleshed out your background. (PS: there are some good background building threads on this board) Come up with a point based list of things that define your character. These questions are excellent as well (I borrowed this system myself): - what did your character do before he turned to adventuring - what made him turn his back to his old life and wander into the unknown - what does he do now that he is on the adventuring path cheers Seth
Fithero 12-14-05, 09:59 AM	On the matter of your story I think it's rather poor and uninspired. It's not a background story it's something slapped together to fit a character sheet you already made and a style of play that basically allows you to get away with anything since the character has no real goals other then hurting people, he has no real past which provides no hooks for your DM and he has no moral code except that he prefers to torture evil people if given the choice. As harsh as that sounds, i gotta agree with Setherial... throwing together a mish-mash story for mechanics doesnt really work. started focusing on the chain because it's great. Im sorry man, but thats just poor.... using a weapon cos "its great" is the most uninspired reason ive ever heard. You might aswell say he uses it cos mechanically, its the most broken weapon in d&d history. How about he focused on the chain becuase he actually found the magical chain that raises the dead (a potent magic item... one that doesnt really make sense mind you) and since it was his most powerfull weapon, he just kept using it. Perhaps he became so obsessed with it, that he never lets it out of his sight, perhaps he always has a hand on it. Next point, im sorry, but there is no way he is "leaning towards good"... this guy raises the dead, tortures and kills people...which is evil enough.... but he actually *enjoys* it. It doesnt matter if this guy is saving a town full of virgin orphans... if he stops for a fun old time of torturing and killing the people who did it.... he is still evil. Now... being evil isnt bad, just do it responsibly.. .dont go round killing people willy nilly. Torture and kill the bad guys...enjoy it.... raise them into undeath (like you said) and use them to complete you possibly goodly aligned goals, but just admit that your evil. The end doesnt justify the means. Perhaps he did return to his family and was attack, and his brother died in the attack. From that point he vowed never to return to his family and that he would hunt down all his enemies (the huter becomes the hunted so to speak). This guy seems to be a very vengfull person, believeing in an eye for and eye, a person who is willing to do what is needed to be done. Finally... Also HOW CAN U SAY THAT THE CHAIN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! Its a great wepon, good damage, trip, also if u enchant it with explosive magic (Complete Warrior) and give him combat reflexes (all enemies who try to get with melee suffer 1 attack of oppertunity) and great cleave he becomes great! NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN Dont flame us... :pbbbtt: we're here to help. Your character has potential, if you want us to help you bring it out... Play nice :ayyyy!: Later
Morka 12-14-05, 11:03 AM	Im sorry man, but thats just poor.... using a weapon cos "its great" is the most uninspired reason ive ever heard. You might aswell say he uses it cos mechanically, its the most broken weapon in d&d history. Actually, it's not so uninspired. Suppose that yesterday I watched a Schartzenegger movie, saw him using a flame-thrower, and told myself: "Wow! this weapon is great and effective!" Then if I decide to go adventuring, a could decide to use a flame-thrower because it's great and effective. How about he focused on the chain becuase he actually found the magical chain that raises the dead (a potent magic item... one that doesnt really make sense mind you) and since it was his most powerfull weapon, he just kept using it. Perhaps he became so obsessed with it, that he never lets it out of his sight, perhaps he always has a hand on it. Ok, perhaps your character did see an adventurer using a spiked chain and wanted to aquire one. This is an exotic weapon, so there is no spiked chain in every next Wal-Mart. While adventuring, you explore a tomb with the remains of a great warrior using a spiked chain, and the spiked chain is still at his side. You always wanted one, now you have one! Foolishly, you take it and leave. However, the great warrior's spirit turn angry, and he return as a ghost to get his spiked chain back. You don't understand what he wants, so you flee. However, everywhere you go, the ghost destroy every living being. It's not long for the survivors to make 1+1=2: they see you with a strange weapon, and then 90% of people die. Now you have an angry ghost and living people after you! Perhaps your character is stupid, but he still doesn't understand why. However, you suspect you are somewhat cursed, and flee for 7 years... Now, if you forget about torturing people, this story kind of fit what you want. In fact, perhaps is it the ghost who torture people, and everyone think it's you?
Tiefling_Warlock 12-15-05, 10:48 PM	actually I was going to have him use a chain, BUT then my friend lent me the psionics handbook so I saw the wall run/jump feats and decided a different guy. He needs more feats and stuff so dont post here anymore im not gonna look, sorry but I did learn I need to think stuff through more before I post.