Help translating background into game terms [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help translating background into game terms [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lhiannon Sidhe
10-17-03, 08:51 PM I've written the background for a character I havn't actually made yet, so I was looking for some opinions. Based on this background, should I make the character a Martially-oriented Cleric, a Paladin, a multi-class fighter/cleric or simply just a pious fighter. And what about Alignment, Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic Good? I can be a Neutral Good Paladin due to house rules that allow Paladin's to be Neutral Good if their diety is. I doubt she'll be Lawfull due to her rebellious nature, but is it rebellious enough to make her chaotic? Also, what feats would best portray her devotion to the concept of mercy?

Ravney Haraku.

Ravney was born to a poor family in the slums of a large city. Her mother died during childbirth, and her father, blaming the child for the death of his wife, left the newborn in an alleyway to die.

Fortunatly for Ravney, Lady Annabelle Haraku, the wife of the City's overlord had just given birth, but the child had not survived his first night. The midwife to Lady Haraku, knowing that this was Anna's third child to die at birth, and that she deperatly wanted a child, told her that the child had survived.
Setting out to dispose of the body and to try to find a newborn amongst the city's temple-run orphanages, the midwife stumbled across Ravney (though she as of then, unnamed) cold and hungry, but still alive. The midwife took the child, as it would be easier to cover up then adopting a child from an orphanage, as one of the priests might accidently (or intentionally) let the truth slip out.

Overlord Haraku, though he would have prefered a son, loved his daughter and provided her with the best luxuries that money could afford. He had her educated in matters of politics and governments and not only did he not discourage her when she took an interest in military matters, but allowed her to observe whenever he convened his war council.
Even though Lady Annabelle eventually gave birth to three healthy children, two boys and a girl, Ravney, it seemed was always the Overlord's favorite.

When Ravney reached the age of 14, she asked to be allowed to join one of the Empire's knightly orders. Overlord Haraku denied her request at first, thinking the position to dangerous for a woman. Learning tactics and strategy, he reasoned, was one thing, but the front lines were no place for a woman.

During an attack on the city, however, Ravney went against her father's orders to stay in the palace and manned the walls with the rest of the soldiers. During the course of the battle. Ravney saved the life of the city's high priest when we was seriously wounded, by holding off enemy soldiers from entering a breach in the walls until reinforcments could arrive.

Though the Overlord was angered at her, and her disobiediance did not go unpunished, Haraku had seen her spirit and resolve and allowed her to join the Knights of St. Methos, a Knightly order or warrior-priests dedicated to the God of Mercy.

Though always a pious girl, her time at the Knight's Monastery strengthened her faith. When the time eventually came for her to rise from the rank of initiate to a true Knight, she eagerly took the Oaths of Initiation, these included a vow of celibacy and an Oath to always defend the innocent or helpless against all odds, and even if it would cost her life.

Since her nation was almost constantly at war with the barbarian hordes of the north, or the more civilized nations to the south, Ravney experianced battle firsthand many times. At the battle of Daleland Ridge, when the enemy general was wounded, Ravney proved her dedication to her oaths by defending him against her own forces until her father, the Overlord called them off. Though some saw this act as treason, the capture of the enemy general alive allowed a peace treaty to be signed which saved the lives of the thousands that would have been slain during the course of the war.

For her actions, Ravney was rewarded by being the first woman to ever be awarded the Shield of St. Methos, the highest honour awarded by the order.

Though the general population loved her for her compassion and generosity, she was loathed by the military forces for her "traitorous" actions. So at the age of 18, still hardly an adult and only four years after joining the order, Ravney retired from active military service and became the head of one of the city's orphanages.

Over the next year, there were drastic changes in the government. After the Emperor died, the Empress seemed to change. Instead of fighting mostly defensive wars, she seemed bent on conquering all that she could. Taxes were raised to pay for the army, the people were oppresed, those with different ideals to the Empress were imprisoned or executed. and the Order of St. Methos was disbanded.

Not agreeing with the Empress' policies, Overlord Haraku knew that direct opposition would only result in him being imprisoned, so he lowered taxes in the city to reduce the Empress' income, secretly freed political prisoners and commited other subtle acts of rebellion.

Ravney on the other hand, was far to dedicated to her ideals for such subtlety. She, and several other knights of St. Methos openly opposed the Empress, who had her arrested and put on trial for treason. The night before her execution, The high priest of St. Methos, whom she had saved the life of five years previous, released her from her cell, knowing full well that he would be executed for this action.

Hearing rumours of a rebellion growing in the south, Ravney fled the City, hoping to offer her services to the Rebellion and avenge the oppression the Empress is inflicting upon the people.
Kalidor187
10-17-03, 09:56 PM From your character background, I would say that Ravney Haraku is a NG Paladin (your house rule could apply). Ravney took an early interest in military matters (tactics and strategy), which would incline me to think that of the character as either a Fighter or Paladin first. Her devout nature and the strict adherence to her principles and the oath she swore are indicative of the archetypal Paladin, but a devout fighter could also fill this role. Although she is currently rebelling against a tyrant, she did not rebel against the former ruler, which seems to indicate some respect and acknowledgement for a government. I think the events in her life sway between Lawful Good and Chaotic Good, making the middle ground about right. The reason I am suggesting Paladin is based on th Knightly Order; this detail strengthens my 'image' of the character.

As for feats, I would suggest using military/Fighter feats. Mercy is not something covered by feats (I currently don't have the Book of Exalted Deeds), but by role-playing. You could take Skill Focus (Heal). I would also include the Education feat from the FRCS, allowing availability to all Knowledge skills. Skills could include Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge: History, Knowledge: Local, Knowledge: Nobility and royalty, and Knowledge: Religion. The skills that Ravney learned (based on your background) appear to be in line with a typical Paladin as well.

As a side note, I personally wouldn't describe the motive for joining the rebellion as 'avenging' anything. It seems more suiting to her character that she joined to 'liberate' the people from the oppressive empress.
Lhiannon Sidhe
10-17-03, 10:54 PM Thanks for your opinion, and yes I think I will change her motivations, vengeance and mercy are to much like opposites for it to make much sense the way it is.

Edit: By the way, this is background was made by applying a little imagination to the dice rolls for making random backgrounds in the Hero Builder's Guidebook, quite a useful tool, I've found.
Kalidor187
10-17-03, 11:47 PM I went hunting through some of my other books and found a feat that ight apply to this character. The DLCS has a feat called Honor-bound which grants a +2 to a saving throw if failing the save would result in breaking a promise, oath, etc. If you willingly break a promise, you lose the benefits of the feat until you atone.
Lhiannon Sidhe
10-18-03, 12:06 AM Honour-Bound seems like an appropriate choice. I think I'll also give her Shield Maiden's Grace (Dragon Magazine #306) once she reaches level 3 if my DM allows it. Normally you have to be a Paladin of Mayaheine to take it, but it seems to fit in this case. It allows the character to use one of her daily turn undead attempts to instead place another under the protection of her divine grace for several rounds.
draegl0th
10-18-03, 12:13 AM I would say: ex-Paladin/Blackguard err.. I mean ex-Paladin/Holy Liberator!

She was a dedicated holy champion of her religion, which makes her a Paladin; now she is entirely dedicated to overthrow a tyranny, and Holy Liberator perfectly represents this aspect.

------------------ignore info below if you don't like CO-------------------

As a CO board regular, I can't resist doing a little level breakdown ;)

Perhaps Fighter 4/Paladin 6/Holy Liberator 2? Since she has received the highest honor in the order, Ravney should be a fairly high level character in game.

Started out as Chaotic, becomes Lawful Good to conform to the order, and finally gave way to her rebellious nature, switches back to CG again.

You might want to give her Leadership (rebellion leader?), Power Attack/Cleave/Great Cleave(?) (for large-scale battles), and a favored weapon (read: Weapon Specialization) for more flavor.

As a side note, you might want to give her a high Diplomacy skill to represent her mercifulness (preferring no bloodshed if possible) and also make her rebel-leader life a little easier ;)

Another way to show mercifulness is giving her weapon the merciful enchantment. But this might be too excessive :P

Sounds like a great character concept! Have fun ;)
NeutralNeutral
10-18-03, 09:16 PM Make her a bit older. 14 year olds dont defeat adults in combat.
Also Warrior-priests of Mercy seems a bit contradictory.
Oh, and drop the celibacy thing as well. Its unnatural and leads to fanaticism.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lhiannon Sidhe 10-17-03, 08:51 PM	I've written the background for a character I havn't actually made yet, so I was looking for some opinions. Based on this background, should I make the character a Martially-oriented Cleric, a Paladin, a multi-class fighter/cleric or simply just a pious fighter. And what about Alignment, Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic Good? I can be a Neutral Good Paladin due to house rules that allow Paladin's to be Neutral Good if their diety is. I doubt she'll be Lawfull due to her rebellious nature, but is it rebellious enough to make her chaotic? Also, what feats would best portray her devotion to the concept of mercy? Ravney Haraku. Ravney was born to a poor family in the slums of a large city. Her mother died during childbirth, and her father, blaming the child for the death of his wife, left the newborn in an alleyway to die. Fortunatly for Ravney, Lady Annabelle Haraku, the wife of the City's overlord had just given birth, but the child had not survived his first night. The midwife to Lady Haraku, knowing that this was Anna's third child to die at birth, and that she deperatly wanted a child, told her that the child had survived. Setting out to dispose of the body and to try to find a newborn amongst the city's temple-run orphanages, the midwife stumbled across Ravney (though she as of then, unnamed) cold and hungry, but still alive. The midwife took the child, as it would be easier to cover up then adopting a child from an orphanage, as one of the priests might accidently (or intentionally) let the truth slip out. Overlord Haraku, though he would have prefered a son, loved his daughter and provided her with the best luxuries that money could afford. He had her educated in matters of politics and governments and not only did he not discourage her when she took an interest in military matters, but allowed her to observe whenever he convened his war council. Even though Lady Annabelle eventually gave birth to three healthy children, two boys and a girl, Ravney, it seemed was always the Overlord's favorite. When Ravney reached the age of 14, she asked to be allowed to join one of the Empire's knightly orders. Overlord Haraku denied her request at first, thinking the position to dangerous for a woman. Learning tactics and strategy, he reasoned, was one thing, but the front lines were no place for a woman. During an attack on the city, however, Ravney went against her father's orders to stay in the palace and manned the walls with the rest of the soldiers. During the course of the battle. Ravney saved the life of the city's high priest when we was seriously wounded, by holding off enemy soldiers from entering a breach in the walls until reinforcments could arrive. Though the Overlord was angered at her, and her disobiediance did not go unpunished, Haraku had seen her spirit and resolve and allowed her to join the Knights of St. Methos, a Knightly order or warrior-priests dedicated to the God of Mercy. Though always a pious girl, her time at the Knight's Monastery strengthened her faith. When the time eventually came for her to rise from the rank of initiate to a true Knight, she eagerly took the Oaths of Initiation, these included a vow of celibacy and an Oath to always defend the innocent or helpless against all odds, and even if it would cost her life. Since her nation was almost constantly at war with the barbarian hordes of the north, or the more civilized nations to the south, Ravney experianced battle firsthand many times. At the battle of Daleland Ridge, when the enemy general was wounded, Ravney proved her dedication to her oaths by defending him against her own forces until her father, the Overlord called them off. Though some saw this act as treason, the capture of the enemy general alive allowed a peace treaty to be signed which saved the lives of the thousands that would have been slain during the course of the war. For her actions, Ravney was rewarded by being the first woman to ever be awarded the Shield of St. Methos, the highest honour awarded by the order. Though the general population loved her for her compassion and generosity, she was loathed by the military forces for her "traitorous" actions. So at the age of 18, still hardly an adult and only four years after joining the order, Ravney retired from active military service and became the head of one of the city's orphanages. Over the next year, there were drastic changes in the government. After the Emperor died, the Empress seemed to change. Instead of fighting mostly defensive wars, she seemed bent on conquering all that she could. Taxes were raised to pay for the army, the people were oppresed, those with different ideals to the Empress were imprisoned or executed. and the Order of St. Methos was disbanded. Not agreeing with the Empress' policies, Overlord Haraku knew that direct opposition would only result in him being imprisoned, so he lowered taxes in the city to reduce the Empress' income, secretly freed political prisoners and commited other subtle acts of rebellion. Ravney on the other hand, was far to dedicated to her ideals for such subtlety. She, and several other knights of St. Methos openly opposed the Empress, who had her arrested and put on trial for treason. The night before her execution, The high priest of St. Methos, whom she had saved the life of five years previous, released her from her cell, knowing full well that he would be executed for this action. Hearing rumours of a rebellion growing in the south, Ravney fled the City, hoping to offer her services to the Rebellion and avenge the oppression the Empress is inflicting upon the people.
Kalidor187 10-17-03, 09:56 PM	From your character background, I would say that Ravney Haraku is a NG Paladin (your house rule could apply). Ravney took an early interest in military matters (tactics and strategy), which would incline me to think that of the character as either a Fighter or Paladin first. Her devout nature and the strict adherence to her principles and the oath she swore are indicative of the archetypal Paladin, but a devout fighter could also fill this role. Although she is currently rebelling against a tyrant, she did not rebel against the former ruler, which seems to indicate some respect and acknowledgement for a government. I think the events in her life sway between Lawful Good and Chaotic Good, making the middle ground about right. The reason I am suggesting Paladin is based on th Knightly Order; this detail strengthens my 'image' of the character. As for feats, I would suggest using military/Fighter feats. Mercy is not something covered by feats (I currently don't have the Book of Exalted Deeds), but by role-playing. You could take Skill Focus (Heal). I would also include the Education feat from the FRCS, allowing availability to all Knowledge skills. Skills could include Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge: History, Knowledge: Local, Knowledge: Nobility and royalty, and Knowledge: Religion. The skills that Ravney learned (based on your background) appear to be in line with a typical Paladin as well. As a side note, I personally wouldn't describe the motive for joining the rebellion as 'avenging' anything. It seems more suiting to her character that she joined to 'liberate' the people from the oppressive empress.
Lhiannon Sidhe 10-17-03, 10:54 PM	Thanks for your opinion, and yes I think I will change her motivations, vengeance and mercy are to much like opposites for it to make much sense the way it is. Edit: By the way, this is background was made by applying a little imagination to the dice rolls for making random backgrounds in the Hero Builder's Guidebook, quite a useful tool, I've found.
Kalidor187 10-17-03, 11:47 PM	I went hunting through some of my other books and found a feat that ight apply to this character. The DLCS has a feat called Honor-bound which grants a +2 to a saving throw if failing the save would result in breaking a promise, oath, etc. If you willingly break a promise, you lose the benefits of the feat until you atone.
Lhiannon Sidhe 10-18-03, 12:06 AM	Honour-Bound seems like an appropriate choice. I think I'll also give her Shield Maiden's Grace (Dragon Magazine #306) once she reaches level 3 if my DM allows it. Normally you have to be a Paladin of Mayaheine to take it, but it seems to fit in this case. It allows the character to use one of her daily turn undead attempts to instead place another under the protection of her divine grace for several rounds.
draegl0th 10-18-03, 12:13 AM	I would say: ex-Paladin/Blackguard err.. I mean ex-Paladin/Holy Liberator! She was a dedicated holy champion of her religion, which makes her a Paladin; now she is entirely dedicated to overthrow a tyranny, and Holy Liberator perfectly represents this aspect. ------------------ignore info below if you don't like CO------------------- As a CO board regular, I can't resist doing a little level breakdown ;) Perhaps Fighter 4/Paladin 6/Holy Liberator 2? Since she has received the highest honor in the order, Ravney should be a fairly high level character in game. Started out as Chaotic, becomes Lawful Good to conform to the order, and finally gave way to her rebellious nature, switches back to CG again. You might want to give her Leadership (rebellion leader?), Power Attack/Cleave/Great Cleave(?) (for large-scale battles), and a favored weapon (read: Weapon Specialization) for more flavor. As a side note, you might want to give her a high Diplomacy skill to represent her mercifulness (preferring no bloodshed if possible) and also make her rebel-leader life a little easier ;) Another way to show mercifulness is giving her weapon the merciful enchantment. But this might be too excessive :P Sounds like a great character concept! Have fun ;)
NeutralNeutral 10-18-03, 09:16 PM	Make her a bit older. 14 year olds dont defeat adults in combat. Also Warrior-priests of Mercy seems a bit contradictory. Oh, and drop the celibacy thing as well. Its unnatural and leads to fanaticism.