Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Blakeman101 10-14-05, 05:03 PM	Okay I have a Grey Elf Wizard as a cohort for my CG Drow fighter(who DOES NOT use two weapons and the one he does use is a battleaxe). Anyway I want a creative backstory for the Wizard. Here is what I have already. He is a wandering mage that owns a medallion of thoughts which is why he is friends with the Drow. He is a 9th level wizard 1st level initiate of the sevenfold veil. His Parents are a druid and a bard. His older brother Kain (who is one of my other characters) is a paladin of Freedom and his other older brother Quarion (another of my characters) is a cleric of Corellon. If it helps his favorite spells are teleport and fireball. Any help would be appreciated.
Blakeman101 10-14-05, 05:53 PM	I forgot to mention that he is really arrogant because at 10th level he has raised his 20 INT to 22 and he has a headband of intellect +6 giving him 28 INT
Blakeman101 10-20-05, 10:01 PM	Please post this is a helper forum so post NOW!!! :hoppingma sorry stroke of anger please reply
nihility 10-20-05, 10:38 PM	Perhaps you would have better results if you posed a question. You state that "I want a creative backstory for the Wizard," yet you give little indication as to how we humble few may aid you in realizing your desire.
Blakeman101 10-20-05, 10:50 PM	Ok sorry Is this better "What would be a creative and interesting backsory for my wizard?"
erbmjw 10-21-05, 09:55 AM	Well - first off since you have stated that he is the brother of two of your other characters it would help if you could give us those two backgrounds- because that is important in linking back to his family. I can think of a number of things but I do have a few quick questions and one liners for an arrogant younger brother How much youger is he than his two older brothers? A little a lot? "My brothers? Yes they are both older than I am, but I have done more in my short time on this world." Does he(they) have any other living relatives? Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc? If yes - how are the inter-family relationships? Are any of the outside family members wizards? "I followed in my grandfather's footsteps - it is his book of spells I carry!" "Feel the might of elvish magic" ****** Does he have his favorite spells memorized - ie did he take SPELL MASTERY [SPECIAL] Prerequisite: Wizard level 1st. Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of spells equal to your Intelligence modifier that you already know. From that point on, you can prepare these spells without referring to a spellbook. ***** Does he have the feat Eschew Materials for fireball? What feats does the character have? I would suggest that as a cohort he should also have spells to buff up the drow fighter. Heroism, Keen Edge, and Greater Magic Weapon would be fantastic for a cohort. Why does he consider himself as the Drow fighter's friend? Could you give us the background on the Drow figther as well?
Setherial 10-21-05, 10:17 AM	read and use the post How to create a role-playing character http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=105563 it's very informative and gives you some structure to work with. Also it isn't helping when you create a character first and then try to justify his uber stats with a story. Make the story first and then create a character that matches the guy in the story, way easier. Also it's obvious that you are not an Eberron player, your way of playing is just crazy, everyone is a super this or a super that. I think it's the flaws in characters that give them personality and make them fun to play not perfection. just my oppinion ofcourse
Blakeman101 10-21-05, 11:24 AM	Here are the stats Vecosel-Grey Elf wizard 9/initiate of the sevenfold veil 1 CG STR11 (13 belt of giant strength +2) DEX16 (18 gloves of dex +2) CON14 INT22 (28 headband of intellect +6) WIS8 CHA14 weapons silverstar +1 longsword d20+6 1d8+2 19-20/X2 silvermoon +1 composite longbow d20+9 1D8+2 X2 other items: bag of holding, spellbook, medallion of thoughts, and ring of protection+3. appearance 5" and 105lbs. blonde hair, green eyes, skills:13 ranks in Concentration, craft alchemy, decipher script,knowledge arcana,nobility,nature,local, and spellcraft,. 7 ranks in knowledge history and proffesion scribe. 3 ranks in jump and bluff feats:scribe scroll,spell focus abjuration,magical aptitude,spell penetration,greater spell focus abjuration,craft wand, Brew potion spells.1st-mage armor,magic missle,charm person,enlarge person,identify 2nd-scorching ray,command undead,levitate,bulls strength 3rd-fireball,lightning bolt,,suggustion,Heroism 4th-polymorph,phantasmal killer,greater invisibility,stoneskin 5th-balefull polymorph,teleport,summon monster 5 Familiar-Carth the owl
Blakeman101 10-21-05, 11:44 AM	And here are the backrounds His older brother Kain is a paladin of freedom and is often off adventuring with his party. Quarion lives in a temple to corellon. Because they are about 30 years older than he is. He is 127 so they are around 157. Vecosel follows in the footsteps of his grandfather but carries his own spellbook. As for the drow fighter, He killed over 200 drow because of their weakness after much thought he decided that he would go to the surface and meet stronger people. One day he met a surface elf who was not afraid of him. The drow gave a quizzical look and then saw the meddalion of thoughts around the elf's neck (in case you don't know a medallion of thoughts allows the wearer to read other people's thoughts.) Vecosel knew the drow was good and they became fast friends.
erbmjw 10-21-05, 12:05 PM	Those are the backgrounds for three characters!! There should be more - if not; then you don't need help with this character, you need help learning how to write a background for all of your characters. So onwards! Flavour related questions Since Teleport is one of your two favourite spells; why don't you have Dimension Door? Dimension Door is the 4th level short distance version of Teleport Why do you have craft wand and craft rod? Why an owl familiar? Why are your weapons named? Why spell focus abjuration and greater spell focus abjuration? I ask this because neither of your favourite spells are abjuration based 13 ranks in nobility? Are you a noble? Or just a wanna-be-noble? Why 13 ranks in all of your skills? Why don't you have some flavour skills like 3 ranks in cooking or something like that? You started out fine with the older brothers, drow friend, arrogant and brilliant, the named weapons, the feats and the owl are helpful, but we need more so give us some better hints/ideas so we can help you learn how to write character backgrounds. I and others can help you but you have to do some very important work - answer our questions and put the character before the numbers. Oh and one more piece for why he is arrogant "My brothers have to 'ask' their God for their spells every morning ... I do not!"
Blakeman101 10-21-05, 02:39 PM	Okay I don't know why i dont have dimension door I just dont. Craft wand and craft rod were his bonus feats and he chose them because he wants to craft wands of fireball and teleport and he is facinated by rods. Carth the owl was chosen because Vecosel really like owls. He has 13 ranks in nobility because he is the wizard for a royal family. He is not royal himself but lives with royal people. Silverstar and Silvermoon are weapons of the wizard in this family. They are passed from wizard to wizard. Favorite spells are not abjuration you are correct, But he has become good at casting abjuration spells (and I was setting him up for innitiate of the sevenfold veil) He was smart at a very early age and was groomed like a dog by his parants, only learning things a wizard should know. Therefore no skills with 1 or 2 ranks. Although he loves his parents he is unhappy he never learned anything other than Wizardry. He is still employed by the royal family but they let him do what he wants. I honestly hope this helps. Blakeman101
erbmjw 10-21-05, 10:08 PM	If you want to number max your character then you don't need a creative and/or detailed background - use the story you have. If you want to role play a character then you do need a creative and detailed background. ***** Two things - he's arrogant because he is so smart ( high Int); he's so stunned ( low Wis) that he didn't realize that he was being groomed like a dog Why did his family have only one wizard trained? Why was the oldest child not trained as a wizard? Aside from the wizard-connection what other connections does his family they have to the royal family? Is the position of "court wizard" inheirted from within this elven family? Does he have any living extended family members- ie aunts,uncles, cousins and/or grandparents? Why does he want to be an initiate of the seven fold veil? As the royal wizard diplomacy is much more important than nature. As a royal wizard he would have access to many more spells - his spell list should be double what it is. Unless the royal family he serves and the grandfather he trained under are all totally stunned! Another point how long has he been out from under mommy and daddy's thumb .... because he should have picked up a few other skills since them! I would lose the two spell focus feats and likely the craft rod feat - at least get rid of the greater spell focus abjuration and craft rod feat - take them later if you want. Replace them with something that gives your character something that fits him in a roleplaying way.
Blakeman101 10-22-05, 12:42 AM	He is the only wizard in his family because he is the only super genius in the family ( rest of family has 14 or 15 INT) Children are given a position based on strenths and weaknesses, his brothers Kain and Quarion have high strength and Charisma, and high Wisdom. Vecosel has hight INT so he was a natural choice for Wizard. Other connections include the fact that Kain is a General in the King's army and Quarion is the High Preist of Corellon. The title of court wizard is not an inheritated position but more of a test to see who is the best choice. He does have a few extended family members who he has never met. He has a wizard grandfather. The black sheep of the family is his cousin Leroy who is a NE sorcerer. As well as a wizard he is also to protect the prince and princess of the family. Although the prince is a fighter and the princess is a cleric he has to protect them whenever he is near them. And what better way to protect than the warding ability. He also needs to protect himself because he is weak and frail (low HP) He does not need diplomacy because he is a wizard in the shadows you know kind of like Jaffar in aladdin (But Vecosel is CG) The spell thing is a combination of arrogance and low wisdom. He feels he will be fine without "useless" spells clogging up his spell book. He doesnt really want other skills because he feels a pride in using the skills he has to their fullest extent. First off he needs abjuration feats to be a initiate of the sevenfold veil. From the PHB "Abjuration: Spells that Protect, Block or banish. He is also a protecter with his spells.He has to protect a few members of the royal family. The rod feat is because he likes how rods can be magicly enhanced. He once had a rod of lordly might and was facinated by all of it's abilities. Blakeman101
Taliesin52 10-22-05, 02:34 AM	Chaotic drow warrior type followed by an arrogant abjurer (7fold veil) who likes teleport and fireball? IF your drow tends to act brash or is impulsive, why not have the cohort be the reverse? The Initiates of the Seven Fold Veil are abjurers to the extreme. Abjuration means protection. Since the cohort has befriended your drow, maybe he feels the need to protect him. However, of course he'll never admit to it. After all, he's an arrogant wizard supergenius! Speaking of supergeniuses, I've known a few.... Well, maybe not super... but they were still smarter than most people. They were really great at math or physics or whatnot, but the litte things in life frustrated them. They could tell you the fifty-second digit of pi, but couldn't perform the most simple tasks of customer service or anything else that requires personal interaction. While his charisma is above average, his wisdom is below it. The wisdom reflects the inability to find better solutions to his problems. Sure his charisma is higher, but that can be on accounts of good looks rather than an ability to deal with other people. Why fireball? Because while he feels the need to protect Mr Drow, he can't be bothered to deal with the problems that surround Mr Drow (problems any adventurer faces). So he just incinerates it. No finesse, no special thinking. He just blows it up. Why teleport? Because walking's so inefficient, that's why! He's a supergenius! I'm sure he has plenty of research projects and experiments and spell studying to do. Why waste time walking from here to there? Go, rescue his friend the drow, and then get out of there and get back to work.
Blakeman101 10-23-05, 09:24 AM	This is good stuff keep it up people Blakeman101
Fithero 10-23-05, 10:13 AM	Blakeman101, i think what the good people are trying to say is that a character with max ranks in all his skills, is unrealistic. Sure, he could recite every law of the court...but when it comes to jumping across that 5ft wide river of acid its all "ahh....guys... i dont know how to jump...and i dont think i can swim either.... no that id last long away" You pick up skills where ever you go and your not an expert in everything that you do (no matter how little you do). I know its great to have a character with max ranks it the skills appropriate to his class... but it makes for some pretty shoddy role playing. It looks like your maxing out a character first and adding a story to the stats (roll playing) instead of the other way around (which is what is usually considered role playing) If he works in the court... he would have diplomacy and bluff and sense motive, Jaffa manipulated the hell out of the little fat sultan all day every day and he was more of a diviner, yet he still protected the royal family. If he has high int and low wis then he could be very arrogant, but due to his low wis he would propably get shot down so often it would shut up right quick. Not everybody in your family has to be great, it kinda takes away how special a character is when his entire family is a bunch of super hero's. At the end of the day its still your character, so do what you will with it. But ill say this in closing, if a character is realistic then you and the other people playing will enjoy the game. Later
Blakeman101 10-23-05, 10:26 AM	Well the problem is that Vecosel was created as a 10th character because the drow took leadership at 12th level so Vecosel didn't have a personality. The drow developed a personality by experiance for instance in a dark cavern he would light a fire and torch spiders and he had other quircks which made him fun but Vecosel never had a personaliy because he lived in a castle until 10th level. I'll think of something
Blakeman101 10-23-05, 10:38 AM	Okay I took away some ranks in knowledge history and in profession scribe and I added some ranks in Bluff and Jump. I took away craft rod and added brew potion because it fits better with his craft alchemy skill. I also took away his uncle and his druid grandfather. I cannot take away his brothers because they are some of my other characters. I also cannot take away the wizard grandfather because Vecosel follows in his footsteps.
Setherial 10-25-05, 02:32 AM	He is the only wizard in his family because he is the only super genius in the family ( rest of family has 14 or 15 INT) Children are given a position based on strenths and weaknesses Don't you think people like to follow their dreams rather then being ordered what profession to practise. I guess it's not a very free world your fantasy world where children of above avarage intelligence (14/15 is way above average of 10) can't become wizards. Also how do they detect the difference between someone with intelligence 15 and someone with 22 when they are still children and haven't started any studies yet, both would be very smart and get all the answers right ??? Isn't a 10th level wizard with 15 intelligence and awsome power by the standards of most ordenary people ? In my opinion he would be an amazing individual and the 15 intelligence doesn't stop him from casting all his spells. A second problem with such high intelligence is how to roleplay him. I'm not doubting that you are a very smart guy but does your character get all the riddles right from the first go, does he see trough the enemies plans before they unfold, did he make certain inventions that make a crucial difference in the history of the world, he must have with such high intelligence ?
Blakeman101 10-29-05, 10:50 PM	You guys are really helping here so I thank you and applaude you :clap: Also I think that the more I look at my characters the more I realize I suck at role-playing.
erbmjw 10-30-05, 10:07 AM	You don't suck at role-playing .... you and ( most of ) we are still learning about role-playing. Everyone can use help sometime! [ why does that sound familar? ]
Blakeman101 11-02-05, 09:54 AM	:bump:
Blakeman101 11-19-05, 12:46 AM	Not again must....... resist.........temptation..........to... ........push............button. :bump: temptation wins
Fithero 11-19-05, 06:37 AM	why bump the thread again? what do you actually want us to help you with? Later
erbmjw 11-19-05, 07:02 AM	I'm with Fithero - bumping the thread without telling us what you are looking for is not very useful. So please tell people what you want help with next time you bump the thread.
Blakeman101 11-19-05, 01:30 PM	Okay sorry my bad. You guys have helped me a lot and I only need one more thing. Why is he adventuring. I mean he lives in a castle, can do anything he wants, and is rarely needed to do much. So why is he adventuring.
erbmjw 11-19-05, 03:32 PM	He lives in a castle ... that is effectively his "dog house"! He can do anything he wants ... but always "wears a leash and collar" while at home! When his master "throws a stick" ... he must "fetch"! I can see exactly why a young smart but not wise mage would upon realization that he was sold a bucket full of pavlov's biscuts and bells would want to get out from under the constant reminder of how short-sighed and narrow minded he was in taking up this training to fill this position without having been giving much in the way of a real choice in the matter. That is, he adventures to prove to himself { and others} that he is no longer their "dog". *** That or he does it because of the experiences adventuring gives him - experiences he would not get in the castle he calls home. It is not the rugged lifestyle he admires rather it is the challenge of defeating the foes that he and his Drow friend come up against that drives him to adventure.