Post/Author/DateTime	Post
keropie 07-21-06, 05:06 PM	So, this is my first post, try not to be too harsh O.O This is the background for a character I'm playing in my first game in about 12 years. He's a half-elven warrior, who started at level one (he's now level three, but none of that is figured into his background). Level One Stats: Half Elven Male Warrior Str: 16(+3) Dex:14(+2) Con:12(+1) Int:12(+1) Wis:13(+1) Cha:9(-1) Feats: Power Attack; Weapon Focus (Greatsword) HP: 11/11 Weapons: Greatsword, Dagger (heirloom from his father, sentimental attachment), War hammer, Light Crossbow, 30 bolts Armor: Chain Shirt AC: 16 (10+4(armor)+2(dex)); Touch:12 Flatfooted:14 T+F:10 In a fight, he tends to charge and hit stuff with his greatsword. I intend for him to be a mobile fighter, so I hope to stay in light armor (to keep his move up), and will probably look into the dodge/mobility/spring attack tree, as well as the specialization tree all the way up. I don't intend to take any other Classes or PrC's. Skills: 2 ranks in climb, 2 in Jump, 4 in ride, 4 in handle animal (last two seemed vaguely related to his work at the inn, as he certainly would have worked with the animals there. For the sake of completeness: 2nd level feat: Cleave; 3rd level feat: Combat Reflexes I don't have the character sheet in front of me, so I don't recall his 2nd and 3rd level skills. Background: Dailan grew up in the town of Dragonroost in Zilargo. His father (human), John, owned a small inn in the town, primarily serving the lower class travelers and denizens of the town. He never knew his mother, though she was an elf. His father never talked about her much. As Dailan understands it, she died in childbirth. He grew up during the war in an area claimed by three different countries at different times, and learned from his father that he had to bow to whomever was in charge. As things finally normalized in Khorvaire, Dailan finally felt free to live his life as a normal half-elf. However, it wasn't long before new masters tried to control his world: the criminal elements of Khorvaire. Dailan's father ended up paying protection money to the largest of the gangs in the area, the Talons, who had some sort of connection to a larger group in Sharn, though Dailan knew no more than that. As the next year passed, Dailan grew more and more angry at the way his father was treated by those who extorted money from him. And then life got really bad. One night, there were a few of the local bruisers for the guild drinking in the common room, nothing out of the ordinary. Then a couple of out of town toughs came in, and started to argue with the bruisers. Things started to get worse, and then steel was drawn. During the brawl, one of the bruisers was killed, and while wounded, the toughs got away. The local guild, however, blamed the death on John, and came after him that night. During the night, Dailan woke up in smoke to the sound of flames from downstairs. Rushing downstairs, he saw his father struggling with a shadowy figure and screamed. His father turned, trying to protect him, and was run through from behind. Screaming with rage, Dailan charged, but was clearly no match for the shadowy assailant. When he woke up, the first thing he saw was his father's blood covered corpse, still holding the dagger with which he'd tried to defend his livelihood. The next thing he realized was that someone was cleaning out the money from the small storebox behind the bar. Taking his dad's dagger, and sneaking as best he could, he came up behind the would-be thief and slit his throat. Grabbing the money from the till, he managed to make it out into the back alley before he collapsed from the ordeal, his home burning to the ground behind him. When he woke up, he was in a neighbor's house. He spent the next few months moving around from neighbor to friend to acquaintance as he healed. As soon as he was able to get about on his own, he decided he needed to move on, feeling he could no longer endanger those who'd helped him so much (he was certain if the Talons found him, not only would he die, but anyone with him). Not quite sure what to do with himself, he gained work as a caravan guard for a peddler who was passing through, hoping to find some lead to those responsible for the attack on his family. During his time, he found what little peace he could in practicing the sword, and perfecting his craft as a warrior. He spent the next year or so traveling with the peddler, learning his craft, and seeing a small corner of the world. Even in the limited experience, however, he realized that true virtue, kindness, and compassion was found in individuals, and very rarely in large groups, who tended to put their ‘larger’ goals ahead of personal rights and honor. Finally, feeling that he'd learned enough to pursue his vengeance, he made his was to Sharn, the fabled City of Towers. When he arrived, he realized how little he was truly prepared to deal with a city of this magnitude, and perhaps particularly this city. He begins his search for answers here. . . Dailan has a lot of faith in the potential for good in individual people and small groups. However, his life has taught him that governments, kings, churches, and any large groups tend to look out for themselves and their own interests, and neither their members nor the common people, and that the underworld is no different. He distrusts any large, heavily regimented group (large military groups, churches (the Church of the Silver Flame, for instance), the Dragonmarked houses), but believes that in allowing people the ability to make decisions on a personal level, goodness and greatness can be found. He has little patience for those who would harm the common man, and less for those who would give up their own independence to be a cog in a machine. Physically, he's a fairly large half elf (5'10", 165) with close cropped dark hair and grey eyes. While no one would call him particularly attractive, most people react even more poorly to him due to his aloof nature (he tends to assume that you're not worth his time rather than give the benefit of the doubt), and the fact that his eyes are filled with a cold fire as he pursues the group the ruined his life. [/background] Any thoughts? Comments?
keropie 07-23-06, 10:59 AM	No thoughts? Too boring? Too long? :allalone:
Nessaj 07-23-06, 11:44 AM	It's a good background story, although I wonder just how your character ends up joining the other players in your party...Your story doesn't really seem to lend itself to that; Dailan seems more of a loner type, unless your DM intends to hit right on your character's goal of revenge right off the bat... I imagine him to be cold, calculating, and single-minded; probably Lawful Neutral in alignment. Honestly, I'd see him as a rogue over a fighter, but that's your decision, I suppose. I don't have too much to add to this other than figure out why this lone wolf would even join a group of adventurers who might slow and/or ruin his plans of revenge... Seeing as its rather hard to get responses on these forums...Would you mind taking a look at my own post (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=672751) and throwing some comments my way? :D
keropie 07-23-06, 01:22 PM	As for looking at your post, certainly ^^ As for why he joined another group, I figure that most of the people of Sharn are sheep to him. He sees most of them ignoring the injustices around them, and allowing themselves to be subsumed in the machinery that is Sharn (which is where the campaign started). Now, a lot of that is just because he's young and somewhat naive, and doesn't do such a good job of realizing that people have to live somehow, even if that means giving up some freedoms. But he hopes to help some of those people escape all that and become 'self actualized' (not that he'd ever use that term, but that's the idea). As for how he joined the group, the group was just a few individuals wandering around the upper levels of Sharn, near Morgrave University, when one of them found a dead body and was attacked by a Warforged... sound familiar? So yeah, we're doing that arc right now, and he was walking by, saw some guy get attacked by a 'forged, and ran in swinging (he does that a lot). Then he saw the monetary rewards, and while he's not in it for money, 'I just work for Vacini to pay the bills... there is not a lot of money in revenge,' as they say ;) So far during the course of the campaign, he's found out that the Emerald Claw was involved in the death of his father, and it might not have been as random as he thought. Currently he (and the other PCs) are surrounded by some skeletons, zombies, one 'vampire' and a few Claw soldiers, and while the Beguiler might try to calm them down, he's got about 6 seconds before I go hit something ;) So I don't see him as Lawful Neutral, personally. I have him as Chaotic Good. He has such little trust of organizations in general, that he's much happier having people make their own decisions about life, but he does want to help people get there and protect 'the little guy,' so CG seemed about right to me. And now I'm off to your post ;)
keropie 07-23-06, 10:06 PM	:weep: :weep: :weep: Woe is me! 60+ views, and only one response that isn't me! :weep: :weep: :weep: :allalone: <-- I think that's the funniest smiley I've seen in a long time lol
keropie 07-25-06, 01:28 AM	Final (hopeful) bump?