First time here, looking for a little help. [Archive] - Wizards Community

First time here, looking for a little help. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Einvaldurinn_mikli
05-19-07, 07:31 PM Hello good people of the Character Development board, as the title suggests, this is my first time here. I am looking for ideas, advice and just generally helpful information that I can use to enrich my roleplaying.
Before we start I want to get something out of the way. It might be an issue or it might not. I create powerful characters, not just solid for their ECL, but ones that the entire party can rely upon to save them when **** hits the fan.

Now for the character that I am requesting your help for. His name is Richard Shemov and he hails from Damara(in the Forgotten Realms). He is 24 years old and a member of a mercenary company. This is all set in stone and so is his build. I don't have more than a rough draft/outline of his personality and background though, so I came here.

Richard was born on the 24th of Marpenoth, 1348 DR in a hovel in the small village of Ironspur. His mother died in giving birth to him and for that his father never forgave him. This left it's mark on his childhood and most likely played a large part in making him the person he became.
Growing up Richard was always larger and stronger then his peers and he used that to his advantage, becoming a bully and a thug. He started using his size and strength to extort money from those weaker then himself and was quite successful at it until one day, when he was seventeen years of age, he messed with the wrong person. He approached an army veteran in a tavern and tried to cow him. Needless to say, it didn't work out as he had planned. Within seconds he was on the floor, pinned beneath his intended victim. At this point he was faced with a choice, join the army or have his neck snapped. He chose the former.
This was the beginning of a new chapter in his life. For the first time, he had all he needed. Discipline, hard work and all the basic necessities. Needless to say, he thrived in the army. He became very muscular and he honed his mind to quickly grasp new concepts and ideas. As a result he quickly rose through the ranks and quickly gained favor with some of the movers and shakers of the army.
A few months after he made lieutenant and four years after he joined the army he was sent out on a small patrol mission in Vaasa. His patrol was comprised of some 20 men, excluding him. After a few days of uneventful ranging, they came upon a strange, seemingly forsaken building close to the Great Glacier. After some discussion they went in and searched the building. Inside it, something set upon them. The only one to make it out was Richard and he made it out with a weapon seemingly made out of pure energy. He never spoke of what happened in there to a fellow living being and the sword became his weapon of choice.
After this harrowing experience he deserted from the army and traveled south to a wizarding college in Halruua. There he studied the Netherese wizarding traditions and gained great insight into the various nuances of magic. This was also where he met the people that would one day compose the mercenary company he is a member of.

This is what I have so far. Now for some personality traits I was thinking about:
-Richard is a bully, pure and simple. He uses his great size, strength and arcane prowess to force other people to do his will.
-Richard is quite paranoid and bears little trust towards anyone, even his closest friends. For example, he will at all times have a contingency spell active that whisks him away if attacked by the party member he fears most.
-Richard is brutal. No other word for it really, if you mess with him, you die a horrible messy death. Right away as a matter of fact.
-In contrast with most Wizards, Richard does not like reading books or educating himself about some obscure system of laws on a tiny island. He is very intelligent though and has no problems with learning. He just doesn't like it. As a result, his approach to magic is a lot more intuitive than most Wizards and in some ways, better.

A few random things about him, he worships Bane, he's Lawful Evil(the entire group is, it's the campaigns theme) and he's huge. Not just a big fellow, he's positively enormous. Through the aid of feats, magic and other things he is walking around some 15 feet tall. It's a gestalt campaign and he is both an arcane caster and master of the sword.

Now, does anyone have any helpful RP tips, suggestions or ideas? Or you know, just comments on what I have so far. Please note that I am not a native speaker so my English might be a little strange.
Gingerbread Guy
05-19-07, 09:45 PM Hi there,

It sounds like you have it all thought out! I think the next step is to get down to the gritty stuff, like behaviour. How does he eat, how does he talk, what does his voice sound like? How does he do his hair, does he have any vices? Superstitions? That sort of stuff. You already have some interesting features, such as his approach to learning.. just need more of it. ^_^

His age seems pretty young for someone with both military and magical training, and at least some military service. Do you have your heart set on someone in their 20s?

Really, though, this is great stuff. Your english is better than most people who post by a mile, so give yourself a pat on the back for that too. ^_^

~Ginger
Fithero
05-19-07, 10:14 PM 15ft tall?:OMG!

Sounds like a pretty interesting character.

Whats with his glowing sword though?

If your looking for character traits/quirks, what about;

-Constantly on his guard; eyes always scanning the area, glaring at all who are around him.
-Sleeps with his sword drawn next to him.
-Refers to himself as a giant, not a human.
-Point out peoples weakspots, and mockingly suggest ways to improve them. "Your too weak wizard, why dont you work out a little. Get some meat on you!"
-Gloat when you get a powerful kill, make sure everyone see's. Do the same thing each time you get a powerful kill (ie: let out a roar, yell 'Another one for you Bane!' or something)
-Keep a kill count

Hope this helps some.
Einvaldurinn_mikli
05-19-07, 10:57 PM Hi there,

It sounds like you have it all thought out! I think the next step is to get down to the gritty stuff, like behaviour. How does he eat, how does he talk, what does his voice sound like? How does he do his hair, does he have any vices? Superstitions? That sort of stuff. You already have some interesting features, such as his approach to learning.. just need more of it. ^_^

His age seems pretty young for someone with both military and magical training, and at least some military service. Do you have your heart set on someone in their 20s?

Really, though, this is great stuff. Your english is better than most people who post by a mile, so give yourself a pat on the back for that too. ^_^

~Ginger

Nice to hear that I am on the right track. This is my first real attempt at a fully fleshed out character so I wasn't sure if it was any good. Now just to follow it through to the end.
As for the age thing, I actually agree with you on this one now that I think about it. Something like 32-5 would better represent what I am going for.
Thank you for your input, it is appreciated.

15ft tall?:OMG!

Sounds like a pretty interesting character.

Whats with his glowing sword though?

He's fifteen feet tall through a quite interesting combination of mechanics.
Fluff wise, far back in his genealogy on both sides, is a full blooded Giant that mated with a human. The genes were recessive and as such did not surface for a long time. But his parents both carried the genes and voila, you have a giant baby.(Which is incidentally what killed his mother).
The sword is made of Riverine or it's equivalent. It's basically a thin, sharp Wall of Force.
If your looking for character traits/quirks, what about;

-Constantly on his guard; eyes always scanning the area, glaring at all who are around him.
-Sleeps with his sword drawn next to him.
-Refers to himself as a giant, not a human.
-Point out peoples weakspots, and mockingly suggest ways to improve them. "Your too weak wizard, why dont you work out a little. Get some meat on you!"
-Gloat when you get a powerful kill, make sure everyone see's. Do the same thing each time you get a powerful kill (ie: let out a roar, yell 'Another one for you Bane!' or something)
-Keep a kill count

Hope this helps some.

I like 1,4,5 and 6. Will give them at least a passing nod when playing him. Thank you for your input.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
05-20-07, 02:16 AM Definetly interesting and well written. A few points you may or may not want to include but make for nice hooks your DM can use.

After he found the sword did he desert the army?

He impressed the guys at the top in the army but what about the team and those who served under him? There may be quite a few people with a heavy resentment towards their former drill instructor.

Did the army serve Bane or just him specifically. If it was part of the church then he would have fit into it quite nicely.

He's a bully and a brute. Therefore it is likely he has at least a few victims in his past. Try giving one or two names and simple descriptions of the torments he puts them through.

Still I'd love to get this kind of fleshed out character in one of my campaigns.
Einvaldurinn_mikli
05-20-07, 05:52 PM Definetly interesting and well written. A few points you may or may not want to include but make for nice hooks your DM can use.

After he found the sword did he desert the army?

Yes. What ever it was that he encountered in there made him flee to the far south.

He impressed the guys at the top in the army but what about the team and those who served under him? There may be quite a few people with a heavy resentment towards their former drill instructor.

Ooo, hadn't thought about that. I'd imagine they would be quite afraid/angry at him. He was quite hard on theme after all.

Did the army serve Bane or just him specifically. If it was part of the church then he would have fit into it quite nicely.

He has just recently taken up worship of Bane, so it's just him. I figured that he started worshiping him shortly after he became a mercenary.

He's a bully and a brute. Therefore it is likely he has at least a few victims in his past. Try giving one or two names and simple descriptions of the torments he puts them through.

Great suggestion. Think I'll do that now....

Elbereth Silverleaf is a half-elf that lived in Ironspur when Richard was growing up. Elbereth was born to wealthy parents, his father was a merchant and his mother inherited vast amounts of money when her parents died. In short, Elbereth had everything Richard didn't. He had loving parents, the finest toys, good food and the best education money could buy. Richard envied him greatly and did his best to make his life a living hell. He succeeded admirably.
Richard, being the intelligent bastard he was, recognized that he would have to be subtle or face the wrath of his parents and their guards. Slowly, methodically and with brutal efficiency he shattered Elbereth's confidence, self image and generally happy-go-lucky demeanor, leaving him a broken shell of the child he was. He accomplished this through a combination of snide comments, an intimidating manner and ensuring that no one would speak to him.(Through brute force)

Finngeir is a mousy little halfling with a penchant for thievery. When Richard was fifteen years old he caught him red handed stealing from the church of Ilmater. After that, he blackmailed Finngeir, making him little more then a servant. He made him run errands for him and when the fancy struck him, steal things he couldn't afford. After a few months of that, Finngeir started rebelling. That all ended when Finngeir was caught stealing because of an "anonymous" tip. He was sentenced to five years in prison for theft.

Still I'd love to get this kind of fleshed out character in one of my campaigns.

:D
Terjon of the Blue Rose
05-20-07, 11:41 PM Great suggestion. Think I'll do that now....

Elbereth Silverleaf is a half-elf that lived in Ironspur when Richard was growing up. Elbereth was born to wealthy parents, his father was a merchant and his mother inherited vast amounts of money when her parents died. In short, Elbereth had everything Richard didn't. He had loving parents, the finest toys, good food and the best education money could buy. Richard envied him greatly and did his best to make his life a living hell. He succeeded admirably.
Richard, being the intelligent bastard he was, recognized that he would have to be subtle or face the wrath of his parents and their guards. Slowly, methodically and with brutal efficiency he shattered Elbereth's confidence, self image and generally happy-go-lucky demeanor, leaving him a broken shell of the child he was. He accomplished this through a combination of snide comments, an intimidating manner and ensuring that no one would speak to him.(Through brute force)

Finngeir is a mousy little halfling with a penchant for thievery. When Richard was fifteen years old he caught him red handed stealing from the church of Ilmater. After that, he blackmailed Finngeir, making him little more then a servant. He made him run errands for him and when the fancy struck him, steal things he couldn't afford. After a few months of that, Finngeir started rebelling. That all ended when Finngeir was caught stealing because of an "anonymous" tip. He was sentenced to five years in prison for theft.

Nicely done. Short and to the point but well defined. Perhaps more importantly open enough a DM can easily decide to make them characters that will show up later in the campaign and still do just about anything with them.
Einvaldurinn_mikli
05-21-07, 08:12 AM Nicely done. Short and to the point but well defined. Perhaps more importantly open enough a DM can easily decide to make them characters that will show up later in the campaign and still do just about anything with them.

That's what I was shooting for;)
fiendish_platypus
05-21-07, 08:14 AM Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted.
Fithero
05-21-07, 08:30 AM Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted.

Its getting a bit like that these days hey :P

With Terjon and Westbound here, we're all bound to have the greatest backgrounds possible :D
Einvaldurinn_mikli
05-21-07, 01:21 PM Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted.

Certainly not, I would like to hear your thoughts. If you want to share them that is.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
05-22-07, 12:34 AM Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted.

Its getting a bit like that these days hey :P

With Terjon and Westbound here, we're all bound to have the greatest backgrounds possible :D

Hey, I love hearing from you guys. I just have a rampant size gargantuan imagination with DR 1000000000000000000/-, SR 1000000000000000000, and full energy immunity. Pun-Pun can kill it but most gods just look the other way.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Einvaldurinn_mikli 05-19-07, 07:31 PM	Hello good people of the Character Development board, as the title suggests, this is my first time here. I am looking for ideas, advice and just generally helpful information that I can use to enrich my roleplaying. Before we start I want to get something out of the way. It might be an issue or it might not. I create powerful characters, not just solid for their ECL, but ones that the entire party can rely upon to save them when **** hits the fan. Now for the character that I am requesting your help for. His name is Richard Shemov and he hails from Damara(in the Forgotten Realms). He is 24 years old and a member of a mercenary company. This is all set in stone and so is his build. I don't have more than a rough draft/outline of his personality and background though, so I came here. Richard was born on the 24th of Marpenoth, 1348 DR in a hovel in the small village of Ironspur. His mother died in giving birth to him and for that his father never forgave him. This left it's mark on his childhood and most likely played a large part in making him the person he became. Growing up Richard was always larger and stronger then his peers and he used that to his advantage, becoming a bully and a thug. He started using his size and strength to extort money from those weaker then himself and was quite successful at it until one day, when he was seventeen years of age, he messed with the wrong person. He approached an army veteran in a tavern and tried to cow him. Needless to say, it didn't work out as he had planned. Within seconds he was on the floor, pinned beneath his intended victim. At this point he was faced with a choice, join the army or have his neck snapped. He chose the former. This was the beginning of a new chapter in his life. For the first time, he had all he needed. Discipline, hard work and all the basic necessities. Needless to say, he thrived in the army. He became very muscular and he honed his mind to quickly grasp new concepts and ideas. As a result he quickly rose through the ranks and quickly gained favor with some of the movers and shakers of the army. A few months after he made lieutenant and four years after he joined the army he was sent out on a small patrol mission in Vaasa. His patrol was comprised of some 20 men, excluding him. After a few days of uneventful ranging, they came upon a strange, seemingly forsaken building close to the Great Glacier. After some discussion they went in and searched the building. Inside it, something set upon them. The only one to make it out was Richard and he made it out with a weapon seemingly made out of pure energy. He never spoke of what happened in there to a fellow living being and the sword became his weapon of choice. After this harrowing experience he deserted from the army and traveled south to a wizarding college in Halruua. There he studied the Netherese wizarding traditions and gained great insight into the various nuances of magic. This was also where he met the people that would one day compose the mercenary company he is a member of. This is what I have so far. Now for some personality traits I was thinking about: -Richard is a bully, pure and simple. He uses his great size, strength and arcane prowess to force other people to do his will. -Richard is quite paranoid and bears little trust towards anyone, even his closest friends. For example, he will at all times have a contingency spell active that whisks him away if attacked by the party member he fears most. -Richard is brutal. No other word for it really, if you mess with him, you die a horrible messy death. Right away as a matter of fact. -In contrast with most Wizards, Richard does not like reading books or educating himself about some obscure system of laws on a tiny island. He is very intelligent though and has no problems with learning. He just doesn't like it. As a result, his approach to magic is a lot more intuitive than most Wizards and in some ways, better. A few random things about him, he worships Bane, he's Lawful Evil(the entire group is, it's the campaigns theme) and he's huge. Not just a big fellow, he's positively enormous. Through the aid of feats, magic and other things he is walking around some 15 feet tall. It's a gestalt campaign and he is both an arcane caster and master of the sword. Now, does anyone have any helpful RP tips, suggestions or ideas? Or you know, just comments on what I have so far. Please note that I am not a native speaker so my English might be a little strange.
Gingerbread Guy 05-19-07, 09:45 PM	Hi there, It sounds like you have it all thought out! I think the next step is to get down to the gritty stuff, like behaviour. How does he eat, how does he talk, what does his voice sound like? How does he do his hair, does he have any vices? Superstitions? That sort of stuff. You already have some interesting features, such as his approach to learning.. just need more of it. ^_^ His age seems pretty young for someone with both military and magical training, and at least some military service. Do you have your heart set on someone in their 20s? Really, though, this is great stuff. Your english is better than most people who post by a mile, so give yourself a pat on the back for that too. ^_^ ~Ginger
Fithero 05-19-07, 10:14 PM	15ft tall?:OMG! Sounds like a pretty interesting character. Whats with his glowing sword though? If your looking for character traits/quirks, what about; -Constantly on his guard; eyes always scanning the area, glaring at all who are around him. -Sleeps with his sword drawn next to him. -Refers to himself as a giant, not a human. -Point out peoples weakspots, and mockingly suggest ways to improve them. "Your too weak wizard, why dont you work out a little. Get some meat on you!" -Gloat when you get a powerful kill, make sure everyone see's. Do the same thing each time you get a powerful kill (ie: let out a roar, yell 'Another one for you Bane!' or something) -Keep a kill count Hope this helps some.
Einvaldurinn_mikli 05-19-07, 10:57 PM	Hi there, It sounds like you have it all thought out! I think the next step is to get down to the gritty stuff, like behaviour. How does he eat, how does he talk, what does his voice sound like? How does he do his hair, does he have any vices? Superstitions? That sort of stuff. You already have some interesting features, such as his approach to learning.. just need more of it. ^_^ His age seems pretty young for someone with both military and magical training, and at least some military service. Do you have your heart set on someone in their 20s? Really, though, this is great stuff. Your english is better than most people who post by a mile, so give yourself a pat on the back for that too. ^_^ ~Ginger Nice to hear that I am on the right track. This is my first real attempt at a fully fleshed out character so I wasn't sure if it was any good. Now just to follow it through to the end. As for the age thing, I actually agree with you on this one now that I think about it. Something like 32-5 would better represent what I am going for. Thank you for your input, it is appreciated. 15ft tall?:OMG! Sounds like a pretty interesting character. Whats with his glowing sword though? He's fifteen feet tall through a quite interesting combination of mechanics. Fluff wise, far back in his genealogy on both sides, is a full blooded Giant that mated with a human. The genes were recessive and as such did not surface for a long time. But his parents both carried the genes and voila, you have a giant baby.(Which is incidentally what killed his mother). The sword is made of Riverine or it's equivalent. It's basically a thin, sharp Wall of Force. If your looking for character traits/quirks, what about; -Constantly on his guard; eyes always scanning the area, glaring at all who are around him. -Sleeps with his sword drawn next to him. -Refers to himself as a giant, not a human. -Point out peoples weakspots, and mockingly suggest ways to improve them. "Your too weak wizard, why dont you work out a little. Get some meat on you!" -Gloat when you get a powerful kill, make sure everyone see's. Do the same thing each time you get a powerful kill (ie: let out a roar, yell 'Another one for you Bane!' or something) -Keep a kill count Hope this helps some. I like 1,4,5 and 6. Will give them at least a passing nod when playing him. Thank you for your input.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-20-07, 02:16 AM	Definetly interesting and well written. A few points you may or may not want to include but make for nice hooks your DM can use. After he found the sword did he desert the army? He impressed the guys at the top in the army but what about the team and those who served under him? There may be quite a few people with a heavy resentment towards their former drill instructor. Did the army serve Bane or just him specifically. If it was part of the church then he would have fit into it quite nicely. He's a bully and a brute. Therefore it is likely he has at least a few victims in his past. Try giving one or two names and simple descriptions of the torments he puts them through. Still I'd love to get this kind of fleshed out character in one of my campaigns.
Einvaldurinn_mikli 05-20-07, 05:52 PM	Definetly interesting and well written. A few points you may or may not want to include but make for nice hooks your DM can use. After he found the sword did he desert the army? Yes. What ever it was that he encountered in there made him flee to the far south. He impressed the guys at the top in the army but what about the team and those who served under him? There may be quite a few people with a heavy resentment towards their former drill instructor. Ooo, hadn't thought about that. I'd imagine they would be quite afraid/angry at him. He was quite hard on theme after all. Did the army serve Bane or just him specifically. If it was part of the church then he would have fit into it quite nicely. He has just recently taken up worship of Bane, so it's just him. I figured that he started worshiping him shortly after he became a mercenary. He's a bully and a brute. Therefore it is likely he has at least a few victims in his past. Try giving one or two names and simple descriptions of the torments he puts them through. Great suggestion. Think I'll do that now.... Elbereth Silverleaf is a half-elf that lived in Ironspur when Richard was growing up. Elbereth was born to wealthy parents, his father was a merchant and his mother inherited vast amounts of money when her parents died. In short, Elbereth had everything Richard didn't. He had loving parents, the finest toys, good food and the best education money could buy. Richard envied him greatly and did his best to make his life a living hell. He succeeded admirably. Richard, being the intelligent bastard he was, recognized that he would have to be subtle or face the wrath of his parents and their guards. Slowly, methodically and with brutal efficiency he shattered Elbereth's confidence, self image and generally happy-go-lucky demeanor, leaving him a broken shell of the child he was. He accomplished this through a combination of snide comments, an intimidating manner and ensuring that no one would speak to him.(Through brute force) Finngeir is a mousy little halfling with a penchant for thievery. When Richard was fifteen years old he caught him red handed stealing from the church of Ilmater. After that, he blackmailed Finngeir, making him little more then a servant. He made him run errands for him and when the fancy struck him, steal things he couldn't afford. After a few months of that, Finngeir started rebelling. That all ended when Finngeir was caught stealing because of an "anonymous" tip. He was sentenced to five years in prison for theft. Still I'd love to get this kind of fleshed out character in one of my campaigns. :D
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-20-07, 11:41 PM	Great suggestion. Think I'll do that now.... Elbereth Silverleaf is a half-elf that lived in Ironspur when Richard was growing up. Elbereth was born to wealthy parents, his father was a merchant and his mother inherited vast amounts of money when her parents died. In short, Elbereth had everything Richard didn't. He had loving parents, the finest toys, good food and the best education money could buy. Richard envied him greatly and did his best to make his life a living hell. He succeeded admirably. Richard, being the intelligent bastard he was, recognized that he would have to be subtle or face the wrath of his parents and their guards. Slowly, methodically and with brutal efficiency he shattered Elbereth's confidence, self image and generally happy-go-lucky demeanor, leaving him a broken shell of the child he was. He accomplished this through a combination of snide comments, an intimidating manner and ensuring that no one would speak to him.(Through brute force) Finngeir is a mousy little halfling with a penchant for thievery. When Richard was fifteen years old he caught him red handed stealing from the church of Ilmater. After that, he blackmailed Finngeir, making him little more then a servant. He made him run errands for him and when the fancy struck him, steal things he couldn't afford. After a few months of that, Finngeir started rebelling. That all ended when Finngeir was caught stealing because of an "anonymous" tip. He was sentenced to five years in prison for theft. Nicely done. Short and to the point but well defined. Perhaps more importantly open enough a DM can easily decide to make them characters that will show up later in the campaign and still do just about anything with them.
Einvaldurinn_mikli 05-21-07, 08:12 AM	Nicely done. Short and to the point but well defined. Perhaps more importantly open enough a DM can easily decide to make them characters that will show up later in the campaign and still do just about anything with them. That's what I was shooting for;)
fiendish_platypus 05-21-07, 08:14 AM	Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted.
Fithero 05-21-07, 08:30 AM	Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted. Its getting a bit like that these days hey :P With Terjon and Westbound here, we're all bound to have the greatest backgrounds possible :D
Einvaldurinn_mikli 05-21-07, 01:21 PM	Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted. Certainly not, I would like to hear your thoughts. If you want to share them that is.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-22-07, 12:34 AM	Oh man, I'm too late ain't I... Terjon already posted. Its getting a bit like that these days hey :P With Terjon and Westbound here, we're all bound to have the greatest backgrounds possible :D Hey, I love hearing from you guys. I just have a rampant size gargantuan imagination with DR 1000000000000000000/-, SR 1000000000000000000, and full energy immunity. Pun-Pun can kill it but most gods just look the other way.