Help with a Warblade backstory [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help with a Warblade backstory [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
CenterFyuuj
03-08-08, 07:00 PM I'm joining a campaign-in-progress as an 11th level Warblade (group is between levels 11 and 12 now). What I have so far is that he is incredibly cocky and tries to join the group by getting one of the characters become his apprentice. He never calls anyone by their names but by their physical description (scaley-one for the lizardfolk, and One Arm for the groups one armed Monk), he generally assumes everyone is younger and therefore he knows more about everything. The group used a 32 point buy system, adding points onto a base of 10 for each stat and never going over 18. So they whole party has pretty damn good modifiers. I want to play him with high Int, Str, and Cha, but a lower wisdom to go along with his cockiness.

Other than that, I'm lost for ideas. I know HOW I want to play him, but not why he is like this or where he came from... any ideas?
Neveroth
03-10-08, 09:48 PM Everything we do and everything we are is based on our life experiences. You said your character is cocky. Why is that?

Is he the pampered, whimsical noble who was never put in his place, never denied a single wish, who has come to expect everything going his way, and everyone lavishing him with attention and praise? Has he been taught that his high social station makes him inherently better than others?

...Or was it perhaps that he had a rough childhood, was teased or pushed around a lot, so he trained twice as hard to escape that, to prove everyone wrong, burying his insecurities behind a mask of arrogance and contempt?

Has he lost a loved one in the past, and now goes out of his way to come off as insulting so he'd keep everyone at a safe distance? Avoiding attachment and putting himself in the same vulnerable position, etc.

As for stats, high charisma combined with that sort of attitude could mean either that he's being arrogant in a non-serious, charming way, or that he's an obnoxious eye candy, where his dashing looks would somewhat offset the way he treats people. High int means he's pretty smart. Does he have a lot of formal education, or is he more of a 'bright village boy who went out to see the world'? How do his skills reflect all of this? Where did he get such a high strength score? Was he the son of a lumberjack/blacksmith/[insert physically demanding profession here], is he naturally very large and powerful, or is it a consequence of his harsh practice routine? Where did he learn his craft? Was it a military academy, a legendary mentor, or did he collect tidbits of knowledge and technique wherever he could find them, improvising as he went along? Is he more lawful or chaotic? What does he look like? What are his key flaws?

We really don't have much to go on here! Give more details. :)
CenterFyuuj
03-11-08, 09:36 PM Alright, you're post got my creative juices flowing so to speak.

His hometown was constantly being ravaged by undead (undead are a big element in this world). The townsfolk had learned to deal with this in minor ways that pretty much added up to running for the hills when they learned of a coming raid. So the soon to be Warblade (I was going to name him Howard Tast until I remembered our 27th president Howard Taft) decided enough was enough and went in search of some one to train under. He came back to his hometown, put an end to the ongoing undead threat and was proclaimed a hero. The praise given to Him eventually got to His head and he now thinks of Himself as a higher stature than the rest. Although His cockiness grates on some, most find it easily ignorable. Plus, he isn't that bad to look at.

As for the high Str, the constant undead raids meant that houses needed to be rebuilt often and He was the first to volunteer to help, seeing as His father instilled a good moral ground in Him since childhood.

His high Int did in fact come from traveling the world. After having that first taste of prestige He found He liked it and went from village to village, city to city, learning what He could to better defeat the undead that plagued them and in turn reap the benefits. (Just to get it straight, He isn't in it ALL for His ego. He hunts down undead to help people, even if He does like to bask in the glory of it afterwards.)

Although cliche, He learned his craft from an ex-adventurer turned hermit. An older woman (Think mid-40s) who was a master Warblade and took pity on his towns blight... plus she thought he was cute. Of course he met her when he left to find a way to stop the undead raids.

His looks contradict his age. He is tall at 5'11" with salt and pepper hair and a closely shaven beard of the same color. He has a noble look about him which is only backed up by his attitude. He wears highly polished silver and gold armor with a long white cape. I'm not sure what type of weapon to go with but I'm sure it will come to me.

As for other flaws, he is in love with himself, but not so far as to put other people down. He will always, and I mean always, help those in need, but LOVES to be in the spotlight afterwards. He also tends to think of people as not as skilled as he is and generally tries to convert everyone he meets in to his apprentice.

This is what I have so far, any comments?
Terjon of the Blue Rose
03-13-08, 01:31 AM Not bad so far. I would work on the defense of the village. Push it into a matter of he trained several of the locals in the same fashion he was trained, thus allowing them to beat back the undead under his leadership. It works well with the expectation that others aren't as strong as he, himself, is and fits nicely with how you plan to join the group.

Likely he picked up the trait of calling others by descriptives because his own master never refered to him as anything but pretty-boy and he now winces every time he hears that name, never recognizing how it affects others to be called scaly or one arm.

I would also add in something to show that cockiness from before he left the village and give the idea that it may have been quite a bit worse before his training under that hermit. Perhaps he tended to view himself as better than the other villagers because of his natural talents in battle. He gladly helped defend the walls or cave, where he shone gloriously, but was incredibly lazy in the rebuilding efforts, considering them beneath him. It is only now, after spending his time training with a man much stronger than himself, that he so immediately goes to work on helping others.
CenterFyuuj
03-14-08, 07:06 PM Those are awesome ideas! I think I'll probably use those. The last part, about his cockiness, made far more sense then what I wrote and I'm definitely going with that. Thanks!
runestar
03-15-08, 09:04 AM His cockiness could also be due to his never having lost a fight before, thus leading to him having an overinflated assessment of his actual capabilities. Yes, he is a strong fighter, but nowhere as good as he thinks he is. But because he never lost before, he is not aware of his own limitations.

He is a good man at heart. For example, he would not hesitate to stand up for the downtrodden, or right a wrong he comes across. He would gladly help a village ward off a goblinoid invasion and the like. But he tends to be smug because he thinks he is the strongest around and no one is his match, which he believes gives him bragging rights.

Perhaps he too was one of the downtrodden and repressed when he was younger? Maybe as a child, he was always bullied, or displaced due to war. His hard life made him determined to become stronger so that he could protect himself and those around him, so that he would never be bullied ever again.

It worked somewhat. He found a good teacher, and through a combination of hard work, keen aptitude and excellent tutelage, learned a good set of skills. And though he initially sets off using these abilities for good (and excels at it), he finds that over the course of his adventures, he likes having people being grateful and indebted to him. Makes him feel superior. Eventually, he begins to believe his own fantasies and think that he really is above them. Doing good is now more for the fame, glory and recognition, and less so about the merits of simply having done some good.
CenterFyuuj
03-16-08, 07:53 PM All of this is really helping me flesh this guy out, thanks so much! I think I've got a good idea of how to play him, but of course, any more ideas are all sorts of welcome!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
CenterFyuuj 03-08-08, 07:00 PM	I'm joining a campaign-in-progress as an 11th level Warblade (group is between levels 11 and 12 now). What I have so far is that he is incredibly cocky and tries to join the group by getting one of the characters become his apprentice. He never calls anyone by their names but by their physical description (scaley-one for the lizardfolk, and One Arm for the groups one armed Monk), he generally assumes everyone is younger and therefore he knows more about everything. The group used a 32 point buy system, adding points onto a base of 10 for each stat and never going over 18. So they whole party has pretty damn good modifiers. I want to play him with high Int, Str, and Cha, but a lower wisdom to go along with his cockiness. Other than that, I'm lost for ideas. I know HOW I want to play him, but not why he is like this or where he came from... any ideas?
Neveroth 03-10-08, 09:48 PM	Everything we do and everything we are is based on our life experiences. You said your character is cocky. Why is that? Is he the pampered, whimsical noble who was never put in his place, never denied a single wish, who has come to expect everything going his way, and everyone lavishing him with attention and praise? Has he been taught that his high social station makes him inherently better than others? ...Or was it perhaps that he had a rough childhood, was teased or pushed around a lot, so he trained twice as hard to escape that, to prove everyone wrong, burying his insecurities behind a mask of arrogance and contempt? Has he lost a loved one in the past, and now goes out of his way to come off as insulting so he'd keep everyone at a safe distance? Avoiding attachment and putting himself in the same vulnerable position, etc. As for stats, high charisma combined with that sort of attitude could mean either that he's being arrogant in a non-serious, charming way, or that he's an obnoxious eye candy, where his dashing looks would somewhat offset the way he treats people. High int means he's pretty smart. Does he have a lot of formal education, or is he more of a 'bright village boy who went out to see the world'? How do his skills reflect all of this? Where did he get such a high strength score? Was he the son of a lumberjack/blacksmith/[insert physically demanding profession here], is he naturally very large and powerful, or is it a consequence of his harsh practice routine? Where did he learn his craft? Was it a military academy, a legendary mentor, or did he collect tidbits of knowledge and technique wherever he could find them, improvising as he went along? Is he more lawful or chaotic? What does he look like? What are his key flaws? We really don't have much to go on here! Give more details. :)
CenterFyuuj 03-11-08, 09:36 PM	Alright, you're post got my creative juices flowing so to speak. His hometown was constantly being ravaged by undead (undead are a big element in this world). The townsfolk had learned to deal with this in minor ways that pretty much added up to running for the hills when they learned of a coming raid. So the soon to be Warblade (I was going to name him Howard Tast until I remembered our 27th president Howard Taft) decided enough was enough and went in search of some one to train under. He came back to his hometown, put an end to the ongoing undead threat and was proclaimed a hero. The praise given to Him eventually got to His head and he now thinks of Himself as a higher stature than the rest. Although His cockiness grates on some, most find it easily ignorable. Plus, he isn't that bad to look at. As for the high Str, the constant undead raids meant that houses needed to be rebuilt often and He was the first to volunteer to help, seeing as His father instilled a good moral ground in Him since childhood. His high Int did in fact come from traveling the world. After having that first taste of prestige He found He liked it and went from village to village, city to city, learning what He could to better defeat the undead that plagued them and in turn reap the benefits. (Just to get it straight, He isn't in it ALL for His ego. He hunts down undead to help people, even if He does like to bask in the glory of it afterwards.) Although cliche, He learned his craft from an ex-adventurer turned hermit. An older woman (Think mid-40s) who was a master Warblade and took pity on his towns blight... plus she thought he was cute. Of course he met her when he left to find a way to stop the undead raids. His looks contradict his age. He is tall at 5'11" with salt and pepper hair and a closely shaven beard of the same color. He has a noble look about him which is only backed up by his attitude. He wears highly polished silver and gold armor with a long white cape. I'm not sure what type of weapon to go with but I'm sure it will come to me. As for other flaws, he is in love with himself, but not so far as to put other people down. He will always, and I mean always, help those in need, but LOVES to be in the spotlight afterwards. He also tends to think of people as not as skilled as he is and generally tries to convert everyone he meets in to his apprentice. This is what I have so far, any comments?
Terjon of the Blue Rose 03-13-08, 01:31 AM	Not bad so far. I would work on the defense of the village. Push it into a matter of he trained several of the locals in the same fashion he was trained, thus allowing them to beat back the undead under his leadership. It works well with the expectation that others aren't as strong as he, himself, is and fits nicely with how you plan to join the group. Likely he picked up the trait of calling others by descriptives because his own master never refered to him as anything but pretty-boy and he now winces every time he hears that name, never recognizing how it affects others to be called scaly or one arm. I would also add in something to show that cockiness from before he left the village and give the idea that it may have been quite a bit worse before his training under that hermit. Perhaps he tended to view himself as better than the other villagers because of his natural talents in battle. He gladly helped defend the walls or cave, where he shone gloriously, but was incredibly lazy in the rebuilding efforts, considering them beneath him. It is only now, after spending his time training with a man much stronger than himself, that he so immediately goes to work on helping others.
CenterFyuuj 03-14-08, 07:06 PM	Those are awesome ideas! I think I'll probably use those. The last part, about his cockiness, made far more sense then what I wrote and I'm definitely going with that. Thanks!
runestar 03-15-08, 09:04 AM	His cockiness could also be due to his never having lost a fight before, thus leading to him having an overinflated assessment of his actual capabilities. Yes, he is a strong fighter, but nowhere as good as he thinks he is. But because he never lost before, he is not aware of his own limitations. He is a good man at heart. For example, he would not hesitate to stand up for the downtrodden, or right a wrong he comes across. He would gladly help a village ward off a goblinoid invasion and the like. But he tends to be smug because he thinks he is the strongest around and no one is his match, which he believes gives him bragging rights. Perhaps he too was one of the downtrodden and repressed when he was younger? Maybe as a child, he was always bullied, or displaced due to war. His hard life made him determined to become stronger so that he could protect himself and those around him, so that he would never be bullied ever again. It worked somewhat. He found a good teacher, and through a combination of hard work, keen aptitude and excellent tutelage, learned a good set of skills. And though he initially sets off using these abilities for good (and excels at it), he finds that over the course of his adventures, he likes having people being grateful and indebted to him. Makes him feel superior. Eventually, he begins to believe his own fantasies and think that he really is above them. Doing good is now more for the fame, glory and recognition, and less so about the merits of simply having done some good.
CenterFyuuj 03-16-08, 07:53 PM	All of this is really helping me flesh this guy out, thanks so much! I think I've got a good idea of how to play him, but of course, any more ideas are all sorts of welcome!