Post/Author/DateTime	Post
HaikenEdge 10-29-06, 11:40 AM	I've never posted on this section of the boards before, so please bear with me if I'm being a bit. The following is the concept for a NE Human Warlock I'm planning to play in an upcoming campaign. Also, this is an advanced apology for anybody who finds the following offensive (which some people may). Kyle Isoth The first of two children born to the minor noble house of Isothu in the Riranyth province of Uhitia, Kairu was born with a proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. As a child, he attended a prestigious private academy; however, despite his intelligence and best efforts, he only proved to be an abysmal student, especially when compared to his younger sister, Ai, who was three years his junior. However, rather drive them apart, the constant comparisons by their parents only served to bring Kairu and Ai closer together, with Kairu protecting his little sister from bullies, while Ai tutored him with his schoolwork. As he grew older, Kairu found himself taking particular interest in his little sister, who was beginning to develop into a beautiful young girl. With time, he realized he had grown to love her, not as a sister, but as a woman, although he remained unaware that the feelings were mutual. Nonetheless, the pangs of adolescence proved too much for him to bear, and as a last resort, he ran away from home, fleeing to the neighboring province of Seranyth at the age of thirteen. Adopting the name of “Kyle Isoth”, the boy became involved in criminal activity, working as a street soldier for the local organized crime syndicate, the Wolf Pack. Specializing in work as a sniper, he slowly climbed the ranks of the organization and was eventually given an assignment under Kyle Kant, an up-and-coming lieutenant of the organization’s leader. During the schism in the between Kant and his fellows, Kairu sided with his commanding officer, and as a result, was forced to leave the organization. Realizing he had no real skills besides the ability to beat people up, the decision to enlist in the Uhitia militia deployed in Seranyth seemed like an obvious choice for the sixteen year old. During his tour of duty, he served under Kyle Kant, who had also joined the militia after leaving the Wolf Pack; when Kant was redeployed to the newly formed 247th Landstalkers, a special operations unit, as its leader, Kairu was reassigned to the team as its sniper. However, he soon got into an altercation with one of the top brass in the military; after being court-martialed and given a dishonorable discharge, he returned to the streets of Seranyth after three years of service. However, during his time in the military, Kairu had noticed that he had begun to develop far beyond the capabilities of a normal soldier. With time and self study, he determined that he could channel pure eldritch energy through his body and decided to pursue the path. Spending a significant portion of his time in the local libraries, doing research about phenomena, he spent the remainder of his time working freelance as a sniper, honing his eldritch abilities in real-world situations. Shortly after he began to find success as a mercenary, Kairu caught wind of a person seeking him out; with the help of his old contacts in the Wolf Pack, which had undergone a change in leadership, he was able to determine that Ai, who had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, was seeking him out. Unwilling to face his newly rekindled desires for his sister, Kairu decided to uproot himself again and become an adventurer, not realizing that, no matter where he went, Ai would follow, determined to catch the older brother she loved. --- Author's notes: Having received the DM's approval, Ai will end up as Kyle's cohort when he gains the leadership feat at 6th level.
Tiefling_Warlock 10-29-06, 02:06 PM	Reason why he left needs clarifying/re-work. How did he become a good sniper? You should probably put in reason why he can use eldritch magic. A magical experament gone wrong is a bit clithed but will work. Also, he loves his sister?!?!? Messed up. Make him adopted or something, that's just wrong.
Garidas 10-29-06, 02:52 PM	Okey, it is pretty good. In love with his sister :eek:, you don't read that every day, it is a change from every other background I read in this part of the forum. One thing, explain why he has demonic blood (warlocks have demonic blood).
Tiefling_Warlock 10-29-06, 05:05 PM	They don't have to. Warlocks just have to be magical for some reason. Example: My last warlock became one by acidentally tipping a large shelf filled with potions on himself.
HaikenEdge 10-29-06, 08:15 PM	Reason why he left needs clarifying/re-work.I thought it was clear. He wanted his sister, but couldn't have her. The pain of wanting her got to be too much, so he split. How did he become a good sniper?Maybe military training? Maybe innate talent? You should probably put in reason why he can use eldritch magic. A magical experament gone wrong is a bit clithed but will work.Perhaps an ancestor made a deal with the devil? Or was part fiend? Or had the accident you mentioned? The magic doesn't have to be from him directly. Maybe he's just a channel for arcane energy? Also, he loves his sister?!?!? Messed up. Make him adopted or something, that's just wrong.That'd be Kana: Imouto all over again. And yeah, that's a video game that does exist. And it's Japanese.
Uberwoot 10-29-06, 11:02 PM	I assume that either the campaign you'll be playing in has a large, well-organized military that is very accepting of the supernatural, or that you're going to have issues. You really need to clarify why your character is a warlock, and why a warlock got sniper duty (unless you're picking up Eldritch Spear). To the best of my knowledge, the warlock as written gains his power through a pact with one or more evil outsiders, either made personally or by an ancestor- a mere magical mishap isn't enough (if someone can point out to me where Complete Arcane says otherwise, I'd be much obliged). Other than that, it looks good. I don't see the issue with him falling in love with his sister that everyone else seemed to have such a problem with- that sort of thing happens from time to time (though I wouldn't want to deal with the weird looks of fellow players if it ever came up during gameplay). /Woot
HaikenEdge 10-29-06, 11:43 PM	I assume that either the campaign you'll be playing in has a large, well-organized military that is very accepting of the supernatural, or that you're going to have issues.I think, storyline wise, he was a sniper prior to gaining his eldritch powers. You really need to clarify why your character is a warlock, and why a warlock got sniper duty (unless you're picking up Eldritch Spear). To the best of my knowledge, the warlock as written gains his power through a pact with one or more evil outsiders, either made personally or by an ancestor- a mere magical mishap isn't enough (if someone can point out to me where Complete Arcane says otherwise, I'd be much obliged). By RAW, that'd be the case, except in CMage, Fey Heritage feats also improve invocations, so I guess Fey heritage can lead to Warlocks as well. Other than that, it looks good. I don't see the issue with him falling in love with his sister that everyone else seemed to have such a problem with- that sort of thing happens from time to time (though I wouldn't want to deal with the weird looks of fellow players if it ever came up during gameplay). I've had worse. Like the time I played the serial rapist who had split personalities, one of which was a hunter of serial rapists.
Roivas 10-30-06, 12:04 AM	He doesn't sound too evil to me, though given his proclivity for beating up folk it would imply he has some levels in a more physically oriented class. If I hadn't read the part where you inroduced the backstory I wouldn't have know we were talking about a warlock at all. He seems to develop these abilities for no reason one morning, if he is multiclassed that's fine, but from what you've said he doesn't look to be more than a straight up warlock. It's a good story it just needs more of the character's abilities played out. I'd also advise against the military thingy unless it is very dear to your story, just add some weird demon pact where the military stuff is where he gets involved with some cult to Graz'zt. He might not be choatic, but Graz'zt has time to fix that. Also the sister thing was actually quite common in the middle ages. Depending on the noble house it might've even been accepted. Don't listen to the nay sayers, this adds a human side to your character and adds hundreds of possibilties to roleplay. Good rough draft, just iron out the powers thingy and you're solid.
JulesCARV 10-30-06, 01:34 AM	Looks good to me. I wish I could be there to see Kyle and Ai's meeting. Even though I know in advance that she's going to be a cohort, Kyle finally meeting the person whose love he has been running away from for 1/3rd of his life is definitely intriguing. I can't help but wonder whether they'll become lovers, or he'll try to resist feeling anything for her and relegate her to becoming a sort of servant or what.
HaikenEdge 10-30-06, 08:46 AM	He doesn't sound too evil to me, though given his proclivity for beating up folk it would imply he has some levels in a more physically oriented class. If I hadn't read the part where you inroduced the backstory I wouldn't have know we were talking about a warlock at all. He seems to develop these abilities for no reason one morning, if he is multiclassed that's fine, but from what you've said he doesn't look to be more than a straight up warlock.Considering that he's probably dealing with level 1 commoners, who, on average, have nothing but 10s & 11s, the fact that he's built from 32 point buy makes him a workable street soldier. It's a good story it just needs more of the character's abilities played out. I'd also advise against the military thingy unless it is very dear to your story, just add some weird demon pact where the military stuff is where he gets involved with some cult to Graz'zt. He might not be choatic, but Graz'zt has time to fix that.The military aspect isn't too dear; however, there's a distinct lack of things to do for 3 years, so I stuffed him in the military for the sake of having contacts in the military that the DM could exploit later. Also the sister thing was actually quite common in the middle ages. Depending on the noble house it might've even been accepted. Don't listen to the nay sayers, this adds a human side to your character and adds hundreds of possibilties to roleplay. Good rough draft, just iron out the powers thingy and you're solid.I'll work that out.
Uberwoot 10-30-06, 09:36 AM	The military aspect isn't too dear; however, there's a distinct lack of things to do for 3 years, so I stuffed him in the military for the sake of having contacts in the military that the DM could exploit later. If that is the case, I would strip it. There are a lot of things for a warlock to do for three years, and military service really doesn't suit them (either they're chaotic and generally chafe under the authoritarianism, or evil and cause problems for their superiors that way). He seems to be inclined towards being a pariah, if you ask me. Maybe he has an incantation that he used frequently while trying to live on his own; he turned to his dark powers to help him get by, making the locals tell eerie tales of terrifying occurrences in the night, or whisper hints of witchcraft. He had access to some of the thieves' guild resources; maybe he stashed some supplies away in a secret place while under their employ and lived off that after the schism. Perhaps he even held a grudge against the thieves' guild that he was ejected from and specifically preyed upon thieves while he stayed in the city. /Woot
Agent Rasp 11-05-06, 04:30 PM	Glad to see I wasn't the only one who started thinking of anime/manga while reading this history. Though this is positively tame compared to some titles; CLAMP, anyone? Anyhow, based on the backstory, this guy seems to be more morally-Neutral than Evil. I doubt an Evil character would give up a lifestyle of wealth and privilege over his conflicting feelings for a girl; for that matter, I doubt Kyle would have been Ai's childhood protector if he were truly wicked at heart. Unless he was noticing girls really early on, but that way lies even more squickiness. As a thief, Kyle sides with his lieutenant (who he'd seen and worked with on a daily basis) against the more distant members of the guild. He maintains this personal loyalty into the military, but picks a fight with a superior officer he likely doesn't know very well, if at all -or perhaps he did know the officer, and disliked him. As a mercenary, Kyle's impressions of would-be employers will play a fair role in determining which jobs he takes; a mercenary's life is more valuable to him than gold, so he shouldn't take jobs with people he thinks are inclined to treachery. This is subject to negotiation, of course, depending on just how MUCH gold we're talking about. :D Also, Kyle shows a fair Chaotic streak. Leaving home at such a young age is very reckless, being a thief or street thug is almost always a non-Lawful occupation, and beating up a superior officer is certainly a flash of Chaotic behavior. As a sniper, he'd be working alone or with a small group of allies (more personal commitments, there), in the field and out of contact with the chain of command for extended periods of time. And mercenaries generally aren't terribly devoted to law and order either; if they were, they'd be soldiers, or at least getting long-term contracts with legitimate authorities. So overall, I think Kyle has the makings of a Chaotic Neutral character. But hey, that's just me. Also, you might want to make Kyle and Ai a couple of years older when he leaves home. It betters his chances of actually surviving to hook up with the Wolf Pack -and surviving as a member of the guild, for that matter- and it also gives Ai time to develop into something worth her brother's interest and resulting anguish. (It occurs to me that as a warlock, Kyle's Charisma is going to be high, making him a potential angsty pretty boy. Are you sure you weren't reading manga when you thought this guy up?) * * * * * Other thoughts: -- It isn't necessary to include it in the backstory just yet, but you definitely want some long-term ideas explaining where Kyle's eldritch powers come from. Because Uberwoot's right; warlocks don't just appear out of nowhere. Fiendish, fey, fel, or Far-Realmsian, something is providing him with that power for a reason, and its purposes are not likely to be 100% compatible with Kyle's. Since he doesn't appear to have made any dark pacts with The Things That Should Not Be, did he inherit these powers instead? And if so, what does that mean for Ai? -- The events surrounding Kyle's discharge need more detail. How exactly did a low-ranking sniper come into contact with one of the "top brass," and what led to their altercation? According to your history, Kyle was aware of his warlock powers by that point; did that play a role in his expulsion?
HaikenEdge 11-06-06, 12:51 AM	Glad to see I wasn't the only one who started thinking of anime/manga while reading this history. Though this is positively tame compared to some titles; CLAMP, anyone?God I hate CLAMP, it's not even funny. I think they're overrated as all heck. Anyhow, based on the backstory, this guy seems to be more morally-Neutral than Evil. I doubt an Evil character would give up a lifestyle of wealth and privilege over his conflicting feelings for a girl; for that matter, I doubt Kyle would have been Ai's childhood protector if he were truly wicked at heart. Unless he was noticing girls really early on, but that way lies even more squickiness. Who says evil people can't feel love? As a thief, Kyle sides with his lieutenant (who he'd seen and worked with on a daily basis) against the more distant members of the guild. He maintains this personal loyalty into the military, but picks a fight with a superior officer he likely doesn't know very well, if at all -or perhaps he did know the officer, and disliked him. As a mercenary, Kyle's impressions of would-be employers will play a fair role in determining which jobs he takes; a mercenary's life is more valuable to him than gold, so he shouldn't take jobs with people he thinks are inclined to treachery. This is subject to negotiation, of course, depending on just how MUCH gold we're talking about. :DI wrote him as evil because, in special ops, torture is often used as a form of information gathering, and must be applied without a shred of hesitation. Also, Kyle shows a fair Chaotic streak. Leaving home at such a young age is very reckless, being a thief or street thug is almost always a non-Lawful occupation, and beating up a superior officer is certainly a flash of Chaotic behavior. As a sniper, he'd be working alone or with a small group of allies (more personal commitments, there), in the field and out of contact with the chain of command for extended periods of time. And mercenaries generally aren't terribly devoted to law and order either; if they were, they'd be soldiers, or at least getting long-term contracts with legitimate authorities.Unless the authorities don't have the same philosophical standpoint as the mercenary. In which case, the mercenary might work for some other cause. So overall, I think Kyle has the makings of a Chaotic Neutral character. But hey, that's just me.Yeah, I think he'e somewhat chaotic too, but I think he has some chaotic tendencies, whereas he is really evil (kills, tortures & maims without a single shred of guilt, a major sociopath). Of course, he's better than the person who replaced him in the Landstalkers, a Chaotic Evil sociopath who killed the drill sergeant at the beginning of boot camp and had to be bailed out by Kairu. Also, you might want to make Kyle and Ai a couple of years older when he leaves home. It betters his chances of actually surviving to hook up with the Wolf Pack -and surviving as a member of the guild, for that matter- and it also gives Ai time to develop into something worth her brother's interest and resulting anguish. (It occurs to me that as a warlock, Kyle's Charisma is going to be high, making him a potential angsty pretty boy. Are you sure you weren't reading manga when you thought this guy up?) Girls begin puberty at about 9 years of age, even earlier these days; fast development isn't impossible. In the current backstory, which I couldn't cover in depth, since it would require me to post an entire (longer) short story here, Kyle is discovered by Kairu, who so happens to also be a runaway, although a bit older in age. Of course, that goes without saying that Kairu himself was a super genius who was (for better or worse), rolled up with three 18s, two 16 and a 14. (Since then the DM changed his rules to 32 point buy instead). Funny thing is, Kyle's never angsty at all, even if he's a very dark personality. Despite being the prototypical beseinen, he tends to have a personality more akin Solid Snake than Cloud Strife (Advent Children). -- It isn't necessary to include it in the backstory just yet, but you definitely want some long-term ideas explaining where Kyle's eldritch powers come from. Because Uberwoot's right; warlocks don't just appear out of nowhere. Fiendish, fey, fel, or Far-Realmsian, something is providing him with that power for a reason, and its purposes are not likely to be 100% compatible with Kyle's. Since he doesn't appear to have made any dark pacts with The Things That Should Not Be, did he inherit these powers instead? And if so, what does that mean for Ai? The current concept is that Kyle's ability was inherited from an unnamed ancestor, who had made a pact with a demon, and had skipped multiple generations. For Ai, mechanically, she's Neutral Good with Enlightened Spirit levels, which the DM allowed for the (special) case without requiring any of the prereqs. Basically, the family had enjoyed many years of True Neutral life, and then their children became polar opposites. -- The events surrounding Kyle's discharge need more detail. How exactly did a low-ranking sniper come into contact with one of the "top brass," and what led to their altercation? According to your history, Kyle was aware of his warlock powers by that point; did that play a role in his expulsion?Low ranking? By the time a soldier is deployed to special ops, a low rank isn't something they'll have. When he was discharged, Kyle was ranked as a major, which is the fourth highest rank in the military; meeting a general or a marshall wouldn't be particularly difficult. Again, I didn't include the information because the Word file with the complete, unabridged background for Kyle is about 20 pages long. By the time he is discharged, Kyle has some inkling of his eldritch powers, although they're majorly sporadic. He hadn't rely on them at all in his military work because it was unreliable, and the only people who knew about his powers were in the Landstalkers. Generally speaking, special ops operatives look out for their own, so the Landstalkers never reported his abilities to the brass.
Agent Rasp 11-07-06, 04:57 PM	Who says evil people can't feel love? I happen to agree that evil people can love, and quite probably need love more than many good characters do. But evil tends to be selfish, and as I said, I don't know if an evil person would give up all that he had because he was in love. On the other hand, Kyle could have started out as True Neutral, with flashes of "evil" and "good" behavior here and there, and only become Neutral Evil after falling in with the thieves. Funny thing is, Kyle's never angsty at all, even if he's a very dark personality. Despite being the prototypical beseinen, he tends to have a personality more akin Solid Snake than Cloud Strife (Advent Children). A wise call on your part, since Cloud is a chocobo-headed bundle of psychological traumas even on his best day. The things a shrink could say about his giant sword fixation alone boggle the mind. :D The current concept is that Kyle's ability was inherited from an unnamed ancestor, who had made a pact with a demon, and had skipped multiple generations. For Ai, mechanically, she's Neutral Good with Enlightened Spirit levels, which the DM allowed for the (special) case without requiring any of the prereqs. Basically, the family had enjoyed many years of True Neutral life, and then their children became polar opposites. There you go.
Doomed_Penguin 11-07-06, 08:36 PM	I only read the first post, so sorry if I repeat some stuff. You need some clarification as to why he's a warlock. Maybe he was secretly adopted and his "parents" didn't tell him, which makes sense as to why they favored their real daughter, and why he has feelings for Ai. Not that I think you can't have something like sibling love or anything, but it seems more realistic, justifies his love for Ai, and gives your DM a plot hook. Going back to why he's a warlock, maybe he was cursed by a slaad (in comp. mage, it says slaad randomly bestow the powers of a warlock on mortals in order to further their chaotic agenda in some way... another plot hook, btw) during a seige on the city(state?) while he was serving in the military. Just some thoughts. P.S. I'm totally gonna steal this background for one of my campaigns... sorry, but that's the way it goes. :D
HaikenEdge 11-08-06, 09:52 AM	I only read the first post, so sorry if I repeat some stuff. You need some clarification as to why he's a warlock. Maybe he was secretly adopted and his "parents" didn't tell him, which makes sense as to why they favored their real daughter, and why he has feelings for Ai. Not that I think you can't have something like sibling love or anything, but it seems more realistic, justifies his love for Ai, and gives your DM a plot hook. Going back to why he's a warlock, maybe he was cursed by a slaad (in comp. mage, it says slaad randomly bestow the powers of a warlock on mortals in order to further their chaotic agenda in some way... another plot hook, btw) during a seige on the city(state?) while he was serving in the military. Just some thoughts.Already covered. P.S. I'm totally gonna steal this background for one of my campaigns... sorry, but that's the way it goes. :DI'm honored. But please change the names; Kairu and Ai Isothu are characters specific to a campaign.
Doomed_Penguin 11-08-06, 06:16 PM	I'm honored. But please change the names; Kairu and Ai Isothu are characters specific to a campaign. Oh well, yeah, I was gonna change the names. And possibly a couple other things. Just liked the base concept.