Backstory for a gypsy psychic rogue [Archive] - Wizards Community

Backstory for a gypsy psychic rogue [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
jukar
09-01-05, 09:55 PM Here is my latest character, designed for a gothic horror, Ravenloft-esque (but not exactly Ravenloft, mind you) 3.5 campaign.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Also, I'm sort of stumped on how to prioritize her stats to fit her personality. I'm not really concerned about optimizing her for power, but would like her stats to reflect her background and attitude. I was thinking Dex and maybe Int should be higher, but with lower Cha.

Character picture generated by Hero Machine (I've since altered the spelling of her last name)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/jukar/rose2.jpg

Rose Giltrane
Psychic Rogue 1
Human Female
Age: 27
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Deity: None
Alignment: LN

Rose was born into a tribe of secretive and highly spiritual gypsies who are feared for their psionic talents. Her father, Fabrizio, was a bard who earned money for the caravan by entertaining villagers of towns they passed. Her mother, Carlotta, was a tailor, and the daughter of the revered caravan healer, Bianca Speranza. She grew up with a tough but happy childhood. Her closest friend was her younger brother, Angelo. The two of both showed exceptional talent with the family gift for psionics, and under the tutelage of their grandmother flourished. However, it was apparent that Angelo had recieved the greater ability of the two, and was trained as a fortune teller. Meanwhile, Rose honed her talents for use in a more practical fashion.

At the age of 18, Rose was separated from her family when her caravan was attacked by an angry mob from a local village. This mob, led by a vindicative handful of church inquisitors with a known hatred for her tribe, managed to quickly scatter the entire caravan. Fabrizio, Carlotta, and many of her tribespeople were slain on the spot as heretics. However, she, Bianca, Angelo, and a small handful of her people managed to escape through the woods.

Sadly, the group was interceded by a church inquisitor, who tried to bar their escape with powerful magic. Rose was badly injured, and awoke several days later in a convent. She had apparently been kidnapped and brought back to the church, where she was to be tried. Fortune smiled upon Rose, however. A young novice named Bernadette had taken sympathy on the gypsy girl, and had nursed her back to health. Bernadette later helped Rose escape from the church. Before they parted ways, the young nun gave Rose a holy symbol of her god as a token of friendship and to protect her.

Rose never saw Bernadette again, but she wears the symbol to this day, and often thinks of her. After her escape, she spent a year trying to discover the fate of her family, but to no avail.

Rose now works as a travelling bounty hunter. she provides a variety of services, for the proper fee. Although she typically accepts payment in gold, riskier or particularly unpleasant work usually garners an equally lucrative reward- usually magical items, but occasionally she has accepted certain priveleges as payment when doing work for members of the aristocracy.

While Rose pays lip service to the establishment of whatever land she is currently in, or whatever organization she currently is employed by, she actually offers little in terms of real respect or homage. Although her allegiance is firm and trustworthy, it is devalued by it's inherent salability. Her only true lord is the King of the Gypsies, and her only true code is a gypsy's code of honor that she vows upon more solemnly than death itself.

This code of honor may restrict her ability or willingness to take a particular job. The rules of Rose's code are as follows-

1. Never accept a job placed against a fellow gypsy.
2. Never accept a job placed out of jealousy, spite, or hatred.
3. Never grant your services to the enemies of your client, even if those enemies offer greater payment.
4. Never accept a job to kill, harm, or steal from one who cannot defend his own, through natural disadvantage, social standing, or handicap.
5. Never allow the art of the gypsies to be witnessed by an enemy or stranger. Any enemy or stranger who witnesses your true nature must be removed as a threat- by death if nessecary.
6. Never allow yourself to become embroiled in the trivial conflicts of politics. Although you may take jobs of this nature, you must do so with anonymity, haste, and discretion. You must not become captured or forced into lengthy terms of action. If you do, you must erase yourself from the picture entirely, disappearing from the lives and perceptions of everyone involved... without a trace.
7. Never allow yourself to be slain in the line of duty. A gypsy is born under the moonlit sky, and must die under the moonlit sky, and in no other place.
8. Never willingly break a contract, unless it should violate one of the above rules.

Rose bears an intense distaste for divine magic and the religions of non-gypsies, ranging from moderate annoyance to outright prejudice. She is instinctively distrustful of heavily religious folk, blaming them for the downfall of her people. However, she can bring herself to quell her hatred for short amounts of time if needed, and will make use of religious artifacts and relics to aid her own goals if nessecary- however, she considers this to be a lowly act, and will only allow such use if there is no other alternative. She is, however, not entirely unfriendly towards users of divine magic of natural origins, such as the druids and the rangers. She feels this power to be of a different, and much purer source, than that of traditional divine magic. A select few traditionally religious individuals have been able to earn her respect, however (Bernadette being a major example.)

Rose was once an optimistic girl, but her own life experiences have left her bitter and somewhat jaded. Although she rarely vocalizes her concerns, she often subscribes to the worst case scenario. She is very cautious because of this, and only acts when she can guarantee success. She also has a tendancy to be grim and even a little macabre at times, and can sometimes depress her companions with her unapologetically brutal observations of reality.

She is, however, not without a heart, and can be quite kind to those she has come to trust. She has a love of children- their very presence brings a smile to her usually dire face. Although she would never admit it, Rose used to dream of being a mother and perhaps even a midwife who helped other women bring children into the world. And while those dreams were put to death long ago, the memory of it is sometimes brought out by the innocence of the young, making Rose nostalgic and happy.

She is also undyingly loyal to those she has come to see as her friends. If a friend or loved one should ever be victimized by another, Rose's vengeance is swift and painful- for years, she has punished herself for allowing her family and tribesfolk to be slain, and she has sworn never to allow one close to her heart to befall a similar fate again.
Fithero
09-01-05, 10:41 PM Thats a pretty cool character, i like the whole gypsy idea, very rarely used these days (unless the character is a hafling)

If i may ask, what class is a psychic rogue? ive never heard of it before.

As for the stats...id say Cha, Wis, Dex, Int, Con, Str (in that order)

They gotta be quick of wit aswell as body, but mostly they have to be able to push forth their ideas and such, they dont actually have to be smart, just appear that way. And well, it pays to be tougher than you are strong.

Thats just how i would make a gypsy.

Later
jukar
09-01-05, 10:46 PM Thats a pretty cool character, i like the whole gypsy idea, very rarely used these days (unless the character is a hafling)

If i may ask, what class is a psychic rogue? ive never heard of it before.

As for the stats...id say Cha, Wis, Dex, Int, Con, Str (in that order)

They gotta be quick of wit aswell as body, but mostly they have to be able to push forth their ideas and such, they dont actually have to be smart, just appear that way. And well, it pays to be tougher than you are strong.

Thats just how i would make a gypsy.

Later

Thanks, I really appreciate the compliment. It is sad, so rarely does one see gypsies anymore.

Psychic Rogue is a psionic class presented in the Mind's Eye (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723b). It's effectively a rogue that has some limited psionic power use, and theoretically (I say theoretically, because their INT dependance seems to easily make up for the class's natural decrease) gets fewer skill points.

Hmm, I think, as a psionic character I would prioritize INT before CHA, since they need INT for their powers and for bonus power points. Plus, I don't really see her being a real charmer.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jukar 09-01-05, 09:55 PM	Here is my latest character, designed for a gothic horror, Ravenloft-esque (but not exactly Ravenloft, mind you) 3.5 campaign. Any comments would be appreciated. Also, I'm sort of stumped on how to prioritize her stats to fit her personality. I'm not really concerned about optimizing her for power, but would like her stats to reflect her background and attitude. I was thinking Dex and maybe Int should be higher, but with lower Cha. Character picture generated by Hero Machine (I've since altered the spelling of her last name) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/jukar/rose2.jpg Rose Giltrane Psychic Rogue 1 Human Female Age: 27 Hair: Black Eyes: Blue Deity: None Alignment: LN Rose was born into a tribe of secretive and highly spiritual gypsies who are feared for their psionic talents. Her father, Fabrizio, was a bard who earned money for the caravan by entertaining villagers of towns they passed. Her mother, Carlotta, was a tailor, and the daughter of the revered caravan healer, Bianca Speranza. She grew up with a tough but happy childhood. Her closest friend was her younger brother, Angelo. The two of both showed exceptional talent with the family gift for psionics, and under the tutelage of their grandmother flourished. However, it was apparent that Angelo had recieved the greater ability of the two, and was trained as a fortune teller. Meanwhile, Rose honed her talents for use in a more practical fashion. At the age of 18, Rose was separated from her family when her caravan was attacked by an angry mob from a local village. This mob, led by a vindicative handful of church inquisitors with a known hatred for her tribe, managed to quickly scatter the entire caravan. Fabrizio, Carlotta, and many of her tribespeople were slain on the spot as heretics. However, she, Bianca, Angelo, and a small handful of her people managed to escape through the woods. Sadly, the group was interceded by a church inquisitor, who tried to bar their escape with powerful magic. Rose was badly injured, and awoke several days later in a convent. She had apparently been kidnapped and brought back to the church, where she was to be tried. Fortune smiled upon Rose, however. A young novice named Bernadette had taken sympathy on the gypsy girl, and had nursed her back to health. Bernadette later helped Rose escape from the church. Before they parted ways, the young nun gave Rose a holy symbol of her god as a token of friendship and to protect her. Rose never saw Bernadette again, but she wears the symbol to this day, and often thinks of her. After her escape, she spent a year trying to discover the fate of her family, but to no avail. Rose now works as a travelling bounty hunter. she provides a variety of services, for the proper fee. Although she typically accepts payment in gold, riskier or particularly unpleasant work usually garners an equally lucrative reward- usually magical items, but occasionally she has accepted certain priveleges as payment when doing work for members of the aristocracy. While Rose pays lip service to the establishment of whatever land she is currently in, or whatever organization she currently is employed by, she actually offers little in terms of real respect or homage. Although her allegiance is firm and trustworthy, it is devalued by it's inherent salability. Her only true lord is the King of the Gypsies, and her only true code is a gypsy's code of honor that she vows upon more solemnly than death itself. This code of honor may restrict her ability or willingness to take a particular job. The rules of Rose's code are as follows- 1. Never accept a job placed against a fellow gypsy. 2. Never accept a job placed out of jealousy, spite, or hatred. 3. Never grant your services to the enemies of your client, even if those enemies offer greater payment. 4. Never accept a job to kill, harm, or steal from one who cannot defend his own, through natural disadvantage, social standing, or handicap. 5. Never allow the art of the gypsies to be witnessed by an enemy or stranger. Any enemy or stranger who witnesses your true nature must be removed as a threat- by death if nessecary. 6. Never allow yourself to become embroiled in the trivial conflicts of politics. Although you may take jobs of this nature, you must do so with anonymity, haste, and discretion. You must not become captured or forced into lengthy terms of action. If you do, you must erase yourself from the picture entirely, disappearing from the lives and perceptions of everyone involved... without a trace. 7. Never allow yourself to be slain in the line of duty. A gypsy is born under the moonlit sky, and must die under the moonlit sky, and in no other place. 8. Never willingly break a contract, unless it should violate one of the above rules. Rose bears an intense distaste for divine magic and the religions of non-gypsies, ranging from moderate annoyance to outright prejudice. She is instinctively distrustful of heavily religious folk, blaming them for the downfall of her people. However, she can bring herself to quell her hatred for short amounts of time if needed, and will make use of religious artifacts and relics to aid her own goals if nessecary- however, she considers this to be a lowly act, and will only allow such use if there is no other alternative. She is, however, not entirely unfriendly towards users of divine magic of natural origins, such as the druids and the rangers. She feels this power to be of a different, and much purer source, than that of traditional divine magic. A select few traditionally religious individuals have been able to earn her respect, however (Bernadette being a major example.) Rose was once an optimistic girl, but her own life experiences have left her bitter and somewhat jaded. Although she rarely vocalizes her concerns, she often subscribes to the worst case scenario. She is very cautious because of this, and only acts when she can guarantee success. She also has a tendancy to be grim and even a little macabre at times, and can sometimes depress her companions with her unapologetically brutal observations of reality. She is, however, not without a heart, and can be quite kind to those she has come to trust. She has a love of children- their very presence brings a smile to her usually dire face. Although she would never admit it, Rose used to dream of being a mother and perhaps even a midwife who helped other women bring children into the world. And while those dreams were put to death long ago, the memory of it is sometimes brought out by the innocence of the young, making Rose nostalgic and happy. She is also undyingly loyal to those she has come to see as her friends. If a friend or loved one should ever be victimized by another, Rose's vengeance is swift and painful- for years, she has punished herself for allowing her family and tribesfolk to be slain, and she has sworn never to allow one close to her heart to befall a similar fate again.
Fithero 09-01-05, 10:41 PM	Thats a pretty cool character, i like the whole gypsy idea, very rarely used these days (unless the character is a hafling) If i may ask, what class is a psychic rogue? ive never heard of it before. As for the stats...id say Cha, Wis, Dex, Int, Con, Str (in that order) They gotta be quick of wit aswell as body, but mostly they have to be able to push forth their ideas and such, they dont actually have to be smart, just appear that way. And well, it pays to be tougher than you are strong. Thats just how i would make a gypsy. Later
jukar 09-01-05, 10:46 PM	Thats a pretty cool character, i like the whole gypsy idea, very rarely used these days (unless the character is a hafling) If i may ask, what class is a psychic rogue? ive never heard of it before. As for the stats...id say Cha, Wis, Dex, Int, Con, Str (in that order) They gotta be quick of wit aswell as body, but mostly they have to be able to push forth their ideas and such, they dont actually have to be smart, just appear that way. And well, it pays to be tougher than you are strong. Thats just how i would make a gypsy. Later Thanks, I really appreciate the compliment. It is sad, so rarely does one see gypsies anymore. Psychic Rogue is a psionic class presented in the Mind's Eye (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723b). It's effectively a rogue that has some limited psionic power use, and theoretically (I say theoretically, because their INT dependance seems to easily make up for the class's natural decrease) gets fewer skill points. Hmm, I think, as a psionic character I would prioritize INT before CHA, since they need INT for their powers and for bonus power points. Plus, I don't really see her being a real charmer.