Backstory for an Evil Character? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Backstory for an Evil Character? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Jayr
06-24-05, 08:01 PM So, for this summer's campaign my Dungeon Master told me that I may have a chance at being "evil lite". This would entail making an evil or CN character who was not a mindless killing machine who would cause in-party fighting. Also, the DM stipulated that I need to write up a good background and make a character who I could roleplay well in order to play evil. I've been toying around in my head with the character Seith Nightwing for a while, so I wrote some stuff about him and posted it on the boards. Could you please read this backstory and tell me what you think about it? Thanks in advance!

Appearance

Seith Nightwing is just taller than five feet and has a lanky, prepubescent build. His pale skin starkly contrasts his short, sleek black hair, and his eyes are a murky, unsettling mix of purple and blue. When not in armor he favors simple clothing in a variety of dark colors.

Personality

Used to living on the fringes of society, Seith Nightwing is a rebel without a cause. He rejects living under the yoke of others, and he would rather than relying on others have others rely on him. He generally aims to awe others instead of becoming close to them, and often comes off as a bit of a rake. If Seith has one vice, it is his pride; it is almost to the point of arrogance. He aspires towards nobility and renown, to contrast the poverty of his upbringing.

Story

Seith's father, Ireth, was born and resided in a small town on the edge of a swamp. The area was treacherous, and it was a struggle to survive each day. Ireth had no desire to spend his entire life there. His fear of death conquered all else. However, the paths through the woods that separated the town and the outside world were even more dangerous than the civilized area around the swamp, and Ireth lacked the power to traverse the woods and come out alive. Thus, Ireth stayed in the town where he was born, wishing every day to escape his destiny.

Then, one night, a catastrophe befell the sleepy little village. The stars and moon were obscured, and the town fell into a sheer darkness that resonated with icy cold and the energy of sheer evil. Ireth took shelter within his house, praying desperately for survival, but it was too late. He felt the approach of a great evil, tangible in its strength, and knew it wished to devour him. Ireth cried out, begging and entreating the creature to spare his life, although he knew his efforts would be in vain. Then, to Ireth's shock, he heard the creature speak in a deep, yet hollow voice that resounded deep inside his head. "I shall spare you," it said, as Ireth quivered in the darkness, "and I shall grant you power to leave this place. In exchange, you must bequeath your lineage to me." Ireth replied frantically, willing to do anything for the terrible creature if only he could survive. A deep, throaty laugh resounded in the darkness. Then, the stench of evil abated, and Ireth was left lying in the village. The darkness had cleared, revealing the devastation and carnage that had been left by the creature. As Ireth stared in horror at the wreckage of his village, he heard the creature's name echo in his head: "Nightwing."

After the disaster, Ireth decided to flee the village, hoping that the nightwing's promise was a true one. As he traveled through the depths of the forest, he realized that there had been at least some truth in what the beast had said. Few of the denizens of the forest dared to approach him. He saw nary an animal in the entire week of travel that he spent, and every time a creature dared to even touch him it recoiled as though in pain. Finally, he arrived at a fair-sized city. He worked there as a blacksmith for a few months. Then, he met a beautiful noblewoman who was drawn to his exotic heritage and sullen mystique. They eloped, and soon she gave birth to a son. They decided to call him Seith.

At the moment of Seith's birth, however, the meaning of the nightwing's promise became crystal clear to Ireth. The boy was pale, almost deathly so, and his eyes were a purple-blue color that neither his father nor mother possessed. Seith's mother was distraught over his appearance, afraid that others would think him illegitimate. Ireth, attributing Seith's unusual coloration to an unlucky alignment of stars, disowned the child.

Seith grew up in an orphanage in the city. He was a quiet and morose child with a somehow eerie demeanor. As it was, Seith was never adopted. At the age of thirteen, he was removed from the orphanage and left on the streets to fend on his own. With no survival skills, he was sure that he would starve. However, soon Seith realized that he had abilities that no other child could lay claim to. Spiders, bats, and rats flocked to him, even following him into the light of day. In addition, many of the creatures that surrounded him were of species that Seith had never even seen before. As time passed Seith learned to harness the energies of these creatures to do his bidding. For his affinity towards bats- and, perhaps, some aspect of his demeanor that only a sage could name- his few compatriots nicknamed him Nightwing. Seith, however, disliked the squalor that he lived in, and his pride held him back from theft. To earn money, Seith Nightwing took to adventuring.
Need_A_Life
06-25-05, 06:46 AM Okay, if you need a suggestion for a class I'd go with warlock. For flavor I'd go with Gheden (as the Nightwing effectively owned his father), though that's pushing it a little.

The background is good, better than most, if your DM doesn't like it then ask him why because he has little reason not to. Anyway consider it well-received.

It sounds good and I'll have some better feedback later, I promise.
Jayr
06-25-05, 10:48 AM Thanks for the advice! I was planning to go warlock and maybe take a custom bloodline, but what's a Gheden? They sound quite cool. Anyhow, I've got a bit more stuff about my character, basically a 'rough draft' of stats 'n' tactics. I was going to post this last night, but I guess I forgot. Here goes:

Statistics and Tactics

Seith Nightwing, male human Warlock 1: CR 1; Medium humanoid (human); HD 1d6+1; 7 hp; Init +3; Spd 30 ft. (6 squares); AC 16 (touch 13, flat-footed 13); BAB +0; Grap +0; Atk dagger +0 (1d4/19-20) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19-20) or spiked gauntlet +0 (1d4); SA eldritch blast +3 ranged touch (1d6); AL CN; Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 17.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +7, Concentration +3, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Sense Motive +3, Use Magic Device +7; Necropolis Born, Sudden Extend.
Warlock Invocations Known (1 least): least-- summon swarm.

Seith prefers summoning swarms of vermin to striking with his eldritch blast. He is usually a cautious combatant, but when cornered he can be furious, covering his foes with flesh-eating spiders or sending them fleeing in terror of him with his Necropolis Born feat. Seith avoids using weapons when he can help it, employing them only against creatures whose spell resistance would negate his other forms of attack.
Need_A_Life
06-26-05, 07:52 AM Gheden is a half-undead. It has immunity to non-lethal damage, 50% chance of negating critical hits (and sneak attacks!) and a few other goodies. It has an LA +1 but is well worth it. One of your parents must've been a mindless undead, but its flavor text of the Ghedenic appearance resembles your character enormously.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jayr 06-24-05, 08:01 PM	So, for this summer's campaign my Dungeon Master told me that I may have a chance at being "evil lite". This would entail making an evil or CN character who was not a mindless killing machine who would cause in-party fighting. Also, the DM stipulated that I need to write up a good background and make a character who I could roleplay well in order to play evil. I've been toying around in my head with the character Seith Nightwing for a while, so I wrote some stuff about him and posted it on the boards. Could you please read this backstory and tell me what you think about it? Thanks in advance! Appearance Seith Nightwing is just taller than five feet and has a lanky, prepubescent build. His pale skin starkly contrasts his short, sleek black hair, and his eyes are a murky, unsettling mix of purple and blue. When not in armor he favors simple clothing in a variety of dark colors. Personality Used to living on the fringes of society, Seith Nightwing is a rebel without a cause. He rejects living under the yoke of others, and he would rather than relying on others have others rely on him. He generally aims to awe others instead of becoming close to them, and often comes off as a bit of a rake. If Seith has one vice, it is his pride; it is almost to the point of arrogance. He aspires towards nobility and renown, to contrast the poverty of his upbringing. Story Seith's father, Ireth, was born and resided in a small town on the edge of a swamp. The area was treacherous, and it was a struggle to survive each day. Ireth had no desire to spend his entire life there. His fear of death conquered all else. However, the paths through the woods that separated the town and the outside world were even more dangerous than the civilized area around the swamp, and Ireth lacked the power to traverse the woods and come out alive. Thus, Ireth stayed in the town where he was born, wishing every day to escape his destiny. Then, one night, a catastrophe befell the sleepy little village. The stars and moon were obscured, and the town fell into a sheer darkness that resonated with icy cold and the energy of sheer evil. Ireth took shelter within his house, praying desperately for survival, but it was too late. He felt the approach of a great evil, tangible in its strength, and knew it wished to devour him. Ireth cried out, begging and entreating the creature to spare his life, although he knew his efforts would be in vain. Then, to Ireth's shock, he heard the creature speak in a deep, yet hollow voice that resounded deep inside his head. "I shall spare you," it said, as Ireth quivered in the darkness, "and I shall grant you power to leave this place. In exchange, you must bequeath your lineage to me." Ireth replied frantically, willing to do anything for the terrible creature if only he could survive. A deep, throaty laugh resounded in the darkness. Then, the stench of evil abated, and Ireth was left lying in the village. The darkness had cleared, revealing the devastation and carnage that had been left by the creature. As Ireth stared in horror at the wreckage of his village, he heard the creature's name echo in his head: "Nightwing." After the disaster, Ireth decided to flee the village, hoping that the nightwing's promise was a true one. As he traveled through the depths of the forest, he realized that there had been at least some truth in what the beast had said. Few of the denizens of the forest dared to approach him. He saw nary an animal in the entire week of travel that he spent, and every time a creature dared to even touch him it recoiled as though in pain. Finally, he arrived at a fair-sized city. He worked there as a blacksmith for a few months. Then, he met a beautiful noblewoman who was drawn to his exotic heritage and sullen mystique. They eloped, and soon she gave birth to a son. They decided to call him Seith. At the moment of Seith's birth, however, the meaning of the nightwing's promise became crystal clear to Ireth. The boy was pale, almost deathly so, and his eyes were a purple-blue color that neither his father nor mother possessed. Seith's mother was distraught over his appearance, afraid that others would think him illegitimate. Ireth, attributing Seith's unusual coloration to an unlucky alignment of stars, disowned the child. Seith grew up in an orphanage in the city. He was a quiet and morose child with a somehow eerie demeanor. As it was, Seith was never adopted. At the age of thirteen, he was removed from the orphanage and left on the streets to fend on his own. With no survival skills, he was sure that he would starve. However, soon Seith realized that he had abilities that no other child could lay claim to. Spiders, bats, and rats flocked to him, even following him into the light of day. In addition, many of the creatures that surrounded him were of species that Seith had never even seen before. As time passed Seith learned to harness the energies of these creatures to do his bidding. For his affinity towards bats- and, perhaps, some aspect of his demeanor that only a sage could name- his few compatriots nicknamed him Nightwing. Seith, however, disliked the squalor that he lived in, and his pride held him back from theft. To earn money, Seith Nightwing took to adventuring.
Need_A_Life 06-25-05, 06:46 AM	Okay, if you need a suggestion for a class I'd go with warlock. For flavor I'd go with Gheden (as the Nightwing effectively owned his father), though that's pushing it a little. The background is good, better than most, if your DM doesn't like it then ask him why because he has little reason not to. Anyway consider it well-received. It sounds good and I'll have some better feedback later, I promise.
Jayr 06-25-05, 10:48 AM	Thanks for the advice! I was planning to go warlock and maybe take a custom bloodline, but what's a Gheden? They sound quite cool. Anyhow, I've got a bit more stuff about my character, basically a 'rough draft' of stats 'n' tactics. I was going to post this last night, but I guess I forgot. Here goes: Statistics and Tactics Seith Nightwing, male human Warlock 1: CR 1; Medium humanoid (human); HD 1d6+1; 7 hp; Init +3; Spd 30 ft. (6 squares); AC 16 (touch 13, flat-footed 13); BAB +0; Grap +0; Atk dagger +0 (1d4/19-20) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19-20) or spiked gauntlet +0 (1d4); SA eldritch blast +3 ranged touch (1d6); AL CN; Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 17. Skills and Feats: Bluff +7, Concentration +3, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Sense Motive +3, Use Magic Device +7; Necropolis Born, Sudden Extend. Warlock Invocations Known (1 least): least-- summon swarm. Seith prefers summoning swarms of vermin to striking with his eldritch blast. He is usually a cautious combatant, but when cornered he can be furious, covering his foes with flesh-eating spiders or sending them fleeing in terror of him with his Necropolis Born feat. Seith avoids using weapons when he can help it, employing them only against creatures whose spell resistance would negate his other forms of attack.
Need_A_Life 06-26-05, 07:52 AM	Gheden is a half-undead. It has immunity to non-lethal damage, 50% chance of negating critical hits (and sneak attacks!) and a few other goodies. It has an LA +1 but is well worth it. One of your parents must've been a mindless undead, but its flavor text of the Ghedenic appearance resembles your character enormously.