Post/Author/DateTime	Post
BloodDragon 05-09-07, 03:48 PM	Greetings there. I’m new to posting on these particular boards and I’m kind of stumped with character backgrounds for two characters. A little back story on the two players first though: I and a good friend of mine. A couple of years ago we both joined a temporary campaign. One that would only last a summer and we knew the characters would not get a proper run. So I came up with Drug Addicted Lizard folk (Based on my Morrowind character of the same name) “Ril”, and my friend liked the idea and made a spin off character “Aqualtis” a Tiefling Pirate with a severe drinking probably (Also probably because it’s not beyond her to actually dress as a pirate in public, Hat and all). These two were obviously “Joke” characters at the time. Both of them served mostly as lackeys to the semi-evil party leader of that particular campaign. Time has pasted and we find ourselves in another group together and instantly though we should bring the two back. Only we’re going to take them a little more seriously this time. Finding a particular background has been trying for us, as both our busy schedules never really give us time to sit down and fully flush out any ideas. So I come to you fine people asking for help. What we have so far, which is mostly single floating ideas: --------- Ril - I’ve deemed an Alchemical Rager is a Gish, a Fighter/Wizard who specializes in transmutation, Potion Crafting, Poison Crafting and Alchemy. He ended up being a Lizard Folk (Poison Dusk sub race). Ril supposedly was next in line in his tribe of Lizard folk to be the next tribal Shaman, who is only second to the actually tribal leader. His predecessor taught him his skills in making hallucinogenic potion and drugs for “vision quests” and also one of the few in the tribe which spoke common and passed it onto Ril in hopes to make him more “Worldly” The tribal shaman died naturally and Ril was to be appointed in the following days. However Aqualtis’s crew of priates attacked the village slaughtering them all. Ril is some what cowardly and begged for his life in return that he would swear his ancestral oath to Aqualtis herself and provide her crew with daily vices. I would also like Ril to have some how killed something in melee combat. A test of strength? It’s a Prerequisite for the Spellsword PrC, and I’d rather fulfill it with a little more pizzazz instead of trying to remind the DM how “I killed that goblin all by myself 3 sessions ago.” Which is some what dull. During his time at sea he forego most of his spiritual ways for promises of treasure and excitement as a buccaneer --------- Aqualtis - is a Mutinied Tiefling Pirate now, with only one crew member left, Ril. She’s a mix of Swashbuckler, and Drunken master, (and I think Dread Pirate?) I’m not in her player’s head so as best as I know: She was an incompetent caption. Always on the verge of being mutinied. After kicking a tribe of lizard folk off a plot of land, she found the prefect choice for the ship’s new cook, someone who has something more powerful then just words to persuade her crew from lynching her from the mast. However that only lasted for so long, the crew eventually took over her ship. Aqualtis and Ril escaped together some how. Ril having sworn some obscene Oath and now follows her loyally as her last crew mate. Not that she minds, they seem to be on the same level of thinking. Both of them now roam about looking for riches and new ways to satisfy their vices. --------- That’s about all we have now. We’re looking to flush it out a little more, specifically why would the pirates even both attacking a tribe of lizard folk? How did they escape their previous crewmates? Should there be any significance to getting their old ship back as apposed to simply finding a new one? Why are they adventuring now? Mabye make some NPCs with some importance. I’m not sure. We’re open to suggestions, and hell even open to re-writes if any of you fine people have better ideas. What can we do to make their back-story flow better? P.S. wow I didn’t expect this post to be so long. Edit: Where are my manners!? Thank you all in advance.
extraordinarilyAverageJoe 05-10-07, 02:48 AM	Why did the pirates attack a tribe of lizardfolk? Why, the answer is elementary! Why do pirates do anything? Rumors of treasure, that's why. Perhaps the (false) rumor was spread that the tribe of lizardfolk had so much gold that they thought it practically valueless and Aqualtis, being the incompitant that she is, didn't bother to find out more about the rumor and just went. "How they escaped" is always tricky when it comes to these sorts of stories. The captain could possibly have let slip that she had hidden some wealth, and would give it to them in exchange for her life, and then gave her ex-crew the slip the first chance she got. I don't know much about the spellsword PrC, but perhaps Ril's kill in melee combat could have happened at the time of the escape, where he would have had to fight one or more crewmen. I hope that helps. I'll come back once I've got some sleep.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-14-07, 12:52 AM	Priates after treasure always works as a reason as was already pointed out. But I say make that a point of contention. The crew wanted to loot and pillage and didn't care about who was in the way. The captain was barely holding them back and the attack on the lizardfolk was the last straw. There was no treasure. The captain wanted to take one of the lizard folk on as crew. They hadn't sacked another ship or port in months. They mutinied. At first dawn once they got back to the ocean she would be keel-hauled. It turned out the lizardfolk knew his drugs though so he was to be kept as a minor prize. He later killed one pirate who was guarding him and poisoned the 2 guards watching over the captain in order to make their escape. The captain almost certainly wants her ship back but not the crew. She should spend more time looking for a crew in line with her moral standards than the ship itself... at least at first. She is a true treasure hunter and that too helps define her. Ril on the other hand has a whole new world to explore and as a shaman this should intrigue him. He was trained in a society that never questioned a vision and now must face a people who see him as nothing more than drug-addled. He is very superstitious but has power to back up much of his belief. So you must question whether he wants to use that power as proof, a way of forcing others to his way of thinking, or only as a defense against non-believers. Consider being very reluctant to share your "vision-powders" as for you they should be sacred. This too can be a point of contention amongst the pirates. It also makes you a bit more of an outsider and forces you to rely even more on the captain you have swarn loyalty to.
boggler65 05-14-07, 05:48 PM	So how about this: The attack on Ril's tribe was costly for Aqualtis' crew. They lost several good crewmembers, including their wizard. During the attack Ril hides for a time, but seeing his tribe being slaughtered he imbibes his hallucinigenic powders and goes nuts, he personally kills several of the pirates. He is beaten unconcious, but not slain, Aqualtis realizes that he's still alive and secretly takes him aboard the ship. Finding out that she has saved his life Ril swears fealty to her or whatever. The crew finds this out, and is outraged, it's the final straw, and the crew mutinies. The escape bit is easy, Ril's a lizardfolk, they can swim really well, and they're in the middle of the sea. Ril jumps overboard with Aqualtis on his back and swims to shore. The pirates don't have a wizard, and there's no wind, so they don't bother to pursue. The adventuring thing is easy too. Make Aqualtis obsesssed with getting her ship back. Maybe it's this awesome one of a kind ship, fast, light, sturdy, and full of fun features like dozens of repeating crossbows mounted on the gunwales, two or three ballistae, and even a trebuchet. It's this small speedy ship that can outrun almost any other ship on the sea, and it can carry lots of swag, but it can still hold it's own against much larger warships when forced into combat. Once they get a new ship and crew go with the personality traits Terjon has suggested.
BloodDragon 05-18-07, 04:59 PM	Wow, they weren't kidding when they said these boards move slow. Took two weeks for this to get knocked off the front page. Thank you for the ideas. :)