Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Radijs 04-14-07, 04:59 PM	But actually I'm stumped on a character background. What I've got so far is a gnomish illusionist. But for the love of Cthulhu I can't think of a good background & personality for this guy (or girl). So far all I could come up with was just the same stuff thats been done a thousand times. I'm willing to take any kind of suggestion to get the old neurons firing.
Westbound 04-14-07, 10:05 PM	Start with the basics. Age, gender, size, etc. Alignment is also very important, since it encompasses the character's worldview. What campaign setting does the character live in (either a published setting or one of the DM's own)? Then let's start talking about origins. Where does he come from? Does he still live there? Why does he adventure? Why is he an illusionist? Where did he learn to be one? Does he worship a deity or deities? Does he have a family? Does he have a lover? What are his fears, his loves, his regrets? When you start asking these questions, you'll start to get an idea of what you like and don't like. Grab a pencil and paper and do what is called Collaging. Just start writing aspects that appeal to you. This will help you to form a background.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 04-22-07, 02:04 AM	If you want some help it would also be good to think about how you plan to play him. Pick an attitude then determine the bg based on what caused him to think like that.
KillFrenzy 04-22-07, 03:25 AM	ok i just thought up somthing off the top of my head to give you somthign to work off or copy up to you Name: Dobbin wann(means sly and illusionist in gnome) Age:18 Gender: Male Class:illusionist(as you said) Race: gnome(as you said) Alignment:Neutral good Brief story: Dobbin is a young trickster that was kicked out of a gnome mage school for using his illusionst training for pranks and jokes which were seen as disrespectful and a misuse of magic by the teachers of his school he is very talented with illusion and magic overall but is a trickster and lacks alot of disipline Dobbin is very dishonest and even though is good at heart tends to lie alot and makes pranks and jokes at times that dont call for it well that might give you soem ideas or you may want to use this or what ever but yea its all good just buy a new gun
Westbound 04-22-07, 01:00 PM	Ok, what you have so far is something good we can work from. Since he pulled a lot of pranks, did he make any enemies? Did he somehow ruin another student's chances for success, and now that student desires revenge? Being a magic user requires some measure of discipline. What I would suggest is that Dobbin lacks seriousness, not discipline. He doesn't take anything seriously, which could impact his relationship with other characters. He likes to laugh and have fun, even at others expense. The school didn't expel Dobbin because he was disrespectful, they expelled him because they felt that training him would only sow chaos and problems down the road that they would rather not take responsibiility for. He was lucky that he wasn't killed, and he probably doesn't realize this at all. This last part might seem a little extreme, even for a Good aligned magic school, but this sort of thing is normal. Magic in any form is not to be trifled with. It's like training someone how to make a WMD. If the school thinks that you're going to be some sort of problem that might cost thousands of innocent lives or could require a war to end, they could decide to kill you before you become a problem. Your alignment might be more Chaotic Good than Neutral Good, but this could still work with Neutral Good. You don't consider your pranks to be particularly harmful, and only in good fun. Going on adventures isn't considered dangerous as it is considered fun (your friends might consider you nuts as a result).
KillFrenzy 04-23-07, 02:40 AM	well i only thought neutral good in the sense that he makes pranks for his own entertainment but also for the entertainment of others which i would of asumed may have led more towards neutral good the trouble makers who makes trouble and breaks the rules often by accident and dosent just say "the **** with it" all the time but you make a good point and as for the enemy i think that is an excellent idea its always cool for a character to have people involved with their life and then put into the game whether they are a sworn enemy or best friend im currently working on how i can play two characters at once because they are lovers and are inseperable since the time they met
Lionhearted 04-23-07, 12:55 PM	The best illusionist, is the one that no one actually knows that he is a illusionist