My Character's History [Archive] - Wizards Community

My Character's History [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fluffy_Grandmother
10-23-05, 10:43 AM Ahh...it feels so good to play D&D again...
Anyways, I'm making a CN Human Soulknife named Carturis for a play by e-mail game. He's quite the character, as he is extraordinarily paranoid, has a terrible fear of kittens, despises kobolds,and is extremely attached to his shovel, which he has a name for and thinks is magical (I actually got my DM to let me get a +1 bonus to all combat rolls when he sees someone stealing it, or if he tries to get it back from some one, and if he doesn't have it on him or near him, he gets a -1 to all combat rolls ) Basically, he's a well meaning nutjob who despises Kobolds, yet loves his garden tool. :D

My question is this:How do I work all of this into his history? So far, I have him living on a secluded farm as a normal 15 year old, when Oliddamara (sp?) messes with his mind and gives him psionic powers, all because Carturis' father, Travus, made a deal many years ago with Oliddamara to save his own skin. Why Oliddamara gave Carturis the powers of a soulknife is unknown, and I'm leaving it up to my DM whether or not to play off of that.

Carturis' father, who was once a famous thief, begins training Carturis in the art of swordplay. They train for years, and when Carturis is seventeen, an army of Kobolds united under a minor evil deity, fully decked out in matching uniforms, raids his home. Not the entire army, just a small part of it, 36-50 of them. Carturis and Travus put up a fight, but their farm is destroyed, his mother and younger sister murdered, and himself and Travus captured.

This is as far as I've gotten. I'm gonna be up for about another hour writing, after which I'll put up new details. I'm thinking that the kobold wizard (yes, a kobold wizard...a powerful one) in charge of the army does horrible, mind altering experiments on Carturis for years, until he's twenty. Carturis escapes, and goes about murdering many of the kobolds in the areas they travel, following and murdering them when he can, not only because of what they did to him, but so they can't do it to other people. He does this until he's twenty two, when the kobold army disbands (the wizard made up the deity to unite the kobolds for his own desires, and they found out: Hilarity involving tar, a chicken, and halflings on unicycles ensues, resulting in his death :D )

Then, his adventure starts. I have most of the details worked out, but perhaps you guys have some useful input.

Also: Any tips on playing a paranoid psionic with the power to slice people down with power solidified from his own mind? Also, why does the thought of that excite me? :looloo:

Oh, and the kitten thing...still gotta work that in...perhaps horrible visions due to side effects of the experimentation?

Thanks in advance.
erbmjw
10-23-05, 11:19 AM Loved the background so far -especially the shovel :)
Fluffy_Grandmother
10-23-05, 11:22 AM So did my DM :D
erbmjw
10-23-05, 01:56 PM Kitten thing is not vision based - it was a noise you often heard during/after/before the torture sessions.

It always reminded you of the same noise kittens make ..... of course deep inside you know it wasn't a kitten making that noise and your DM is going to have a HUGE hook in your character with that information. Maybe it was you making the noise maybe it wasn't ;)

****

As the shovel reminds you of your former life as a child living on a peaceful farm, you have kept it as a very important 'security blanket'. Someone taking away your shovel is someone trying to take away the last few remaining good memories of your sister,mother father and your own childhood. Since you have so few of those left - after the three years of torture - you react very poorly.

***

Oliddamara (sp?) did not give you the power of the soulknife - he just unlocked that potential before you did - good thing he did because part of your three years of torture was to be used in generally high frequency though entirely random pit fights.

These high frequency random pit fights could also explain your paraniod behaviour. Since you never knew when, who, what, how or why you were fighting you became paranoid.

***

Playing a paranoid killer with identity/sanity issues

It's not that he likes violence its that after the violence the world usually has calmed down again.

****
Love the kobold wizard bit - milk that for all it's worth

***

Quick question - how do you play by email? I am asking because I recently moved to Hong Kong and haven't found a group to play with :(

If I can figure out the play be email rules maybe I can get into( or DM) a game
Fluffy_Grandmother
10-23-05, 03:50 PM Kitten thing is not vision based - it was a noise you often heard during/after/before the torture sessions.

It always reminded you of the same noise kittens make ..... of course deep inside you know it wasn't a kitten making that noise and your DM is going to have a HUGE hook in your character with that information. Maybe it was you making the noise maybe it wasn't ;)

Oooh...I like that one. Totally using it.

As the shovel reminds you of your former life as a child living on a peaceful farm, you have kept it as a very important 'security blanket'. Someone taking away your shovel is someone trying to take away the last few remaining good memories of your sister,mother father and your own childhood. Since you have so few of those left - after the three years of torture - you react very poorly.

This one seems pretty good. I was thinking along the lines of that kobold wizard (who is becoming increasingly important in the history I'm writing) toying with Carturis' mind. You see, this wizard specializes in the mind, and he examines, studies, probes, and messes with it. It woud be very easy for said wizard to make Carturis think the shovel was special...but your idea works too. Decision time...

Oliddamara (sp?) did not give you the power of the soulknife - he just unlocked that potential before you did - good thing he did because part of your three years of torture was to be used in generally high frequency though entirely random pit fights.

Another good idea I may use...will have to change some little details around in my story/history, but it's no biggie.

These high frequency random pit fights could also explain your paraniod behaviour. Since you never knew when, who, what, how or why you were fighting you became paranoid.

It could also be because he was tortured at random times once his usefulness ran out, and he never knew when someone was coming for him. Now, whenever he hears footsteps down the hall, or someone walking up from behind him, he gets up on edge, acts funny, etc.

Playing a paranoid killer with identity/sanity issues

It's not that he likes violence its that after the violence the world usually has calmed down again.

Er...he's not a killer, except of evil kobolds (and evildoers in general). He can still discern good from evil, and he's still on the side of good...he's just a little :looloo: Ok, a lot crazy.

Love the kobold wizard bit - milk that for all it's worth

Trust me, I am. I may leave him alive, let him escape, because hes so cool. I kind of based him off of Stewie from Family Guy :D So, horrible, educated killer, intelligent speech, a love for causing pain and death, etc. I really like him...nah, I'll kill him :cool:

Quick question - how do you play by email? I am asking because I recently moved to Hong Kong and haven't found a group to play with :(

I'll tell you once I start :D Thanks for your help.
Any others want to help with my crazy character?
nihility
10-23-05, 04:05 PM Also: Any tips on playing a paranoid psionic with the power to slice people down with power solidified from his own mind? Also, why does the thought of that excite me? :looloo:
Well, consider the fact that, for quite some time, your character was powerless to do anything about his situation. His eventual escape demonstrates his prowess, true, but it is a singular instance of strength against a long background of helplessness. It's likely that he doesn't really think he can control his life, or that the control he has is very fragile. As such, perhaps the power he has gained since then lacks perspective - to him, no matter how strong he is, something might snatch him up, so he's got to be careful and get stronger. There's an inherent contradiction here in that he seeks strength but doesn't really believe it will do any good, and that sort of thing might be appropriate for this kind of person.
Fluffy_Grandmother
10-23-05, 04:33 PM Well, consider the fact that, for quite some time, your character was powerless to do anything about his situation. His eventual escape demonstrates his prowess, true, but it is a singular instance of strength against a long background of helplessness. It's likely that he doesn't really think he can control his life, or that the control he has is very fragile. As such, perhaps the power he has gained since then lacks perspective - to him, no matter how strong he is, something might snatch him up, so he's got to be careful and get stronger. There's an inherent contradiction here in that he seeks strength but doesn't really believe it will do any good, and that sort of thing might be appropriate for this kind of person.
:uh-huh: :mymy: :OMG!
PERFECT! *kisses nihility* Thank you! That's exacty the kind of thing that Carturis needs to make him a dramatic character instead of just a silly one.
Fluffy_Grandmother
10-23-05, 08:40 PM It is finished...FINISHED!!! Over five pages long (typed), with stupid amounts of detail, and probably many grammar mistakes, but it's DONE!!! MUA HA HA HA HA!!! :evillaugh

Ahem. Please forgive me. Thank all of you for your ideas. If anyone wishes, PM me, and I will email it to you, in pdf format.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fluffy_Grandmother 10-23-05, 10:43 AM	Ahh...it feels so good to play D&D again... Anyways, I'm making a CN Human Soulknife named Carturis for a play by e-mail game. He's quite the character, as he is extraordinarily paranoid, has a terrible fear of kittens, despises kobolds,and is extremely attached to his shovel, which he has a name for and thinks is magical (I actually got my DM to let me get a +1 bonus to all combat rolls when he sees someone stealing it, or if he tries to get it back from some one, and if he doesn't have it on him or near him, he gets a -1 to all combat rolls ) Basically, he's a well meaning nutjob who despises Kobolds, yet loves his garden tool. :D My question is this:How do I work all of this into his history? So far, I have him living on a secluded farm as a normal 15 year old, when Oliddamara (sp?) messes with his mind and gives him psionic powers, all because Carturis' father, Travus, made a deal many years ago with Oliddamara to save his own skin. Why Oliddamara gave Carturis the powers of a soulknife is unknown, and I'm leaving it up to my DM whether or not to play off of that. Carturis' father, who was once a famous thief, begins training Carturis in the art of swordplay. They train for years, and when Carturis is seventeen, an army of Kobolds united under a minor evil deity, fully decked out in matching uniforms, raids his home. Not the entire army, just a small part of it, 36-50 of them. Carturis and Travus put up a fight, but their farm is destroyed, his mother and younger sister murdered, and himself and Travus captured. This is as far as I've gotten. I'm gonna be up for about another hour writing, after which I'll put up new details. I'm thinking that the kobold wizard (yes, a kobold wizard...a powerful one) in charge of the army does horrible, mind altering experiments on Carturis for years, until he's twenty. Carturis escapes, and goes about murdering many of the kobolds in the areas they travel, following and murdering them when he can, not only because of what they did to him, but so they can't do it to other people. He does this until he's twenty two, when the kobold army disbands (the wizard made up the deity to unite the kobolds for his own desires, and they found out: Hilarity involving tar, a chicken, and halflings on unicycles ensues, resulting in his death :D ) Then, his adventure starts. I have most of the details worked out, but perhaps you guys have some useful input. Also: Any tips on playing a paranoid psionic with the power to slice people down with power solidified from his own mind? Also, why does the thought of that excite me? :looloo: Oh, and the kitten thing...still gotta work that in...perhaps horrible visions due to side effects of the experimentation? Thanks in advance.
erbmjw 10-23-05, 11:19 AM	Loved the background so far -especially the shovel :)
Fluffy_Grandmother 10-23-05, 11:22 AM	So did my DM :D
erbmjw 10-23-05, 01:56 PM	Kitten thing is not vision based - it was a noise you often heard during/after/before the torture sessions. It always reminded you of the same noise kittens make ..... of course deep inside you know it wasn't a kitten making that noise and your DM is going to have a HUGE hook in your character with that information. Maybe it was you making the noise maybe it wasn't ;) ** As the shovel reminds you of your former life as a child living on a peaceful farm, you have kept it as a very important 'security blanket'. Someone taking away your shovel is someone trying to take away the last few remaining good memories of your sister,mother father and your own childhood. Since you have so few of those left - after the three years of torture - you react very poorly. * Oliddamara (sp?) did not give you the power of the soulknife - he just unlocked that potential before you did - good thing he did because part of your three years of torture was to be used in generally high frequency though entirely random pit fights. These high frequency random pit fights could also explain your paraniod behaviour. Since you never knew when, who, what, how or why you were fighting you became paranoid. * Playing a paranoid killer with identity/sanity issues It's not that he likes violence its that after the violence the world usually has calmed down again. Love the kobold wizard bit - milk that for all it's worth * Quick question - how do you play by email? I am asking because I recently moved to Hong Kong and haven't found a group to play with :( If I can figure out the play be email rules maybe I can get into( or DM) a game
Fluffy_Grandmother 10-23-05, 03:50 PM	Kitten thing is not vision based - it was a noise you often heard during/after/before the torture sessions. It always reminded you of the same noise kittens make ..... of course deep inside you know it wasn't a kitten making that noise and your DM is going to have a HUGE hook in your character with that information. Maybe it was you making the noise maybe it wasn't ;) Oooh...I like that one. Totally using it. As the shovel reminds you of your former life as a child living on a peaceful farm, you have kept it as a very important 'security blanket'. Someone taking away your shovel is someone trying to take away the last few remaining good memories of your sister,mother father and your own childhood. Since you have so few of those left - after the three years of torture - you react very poorly. This one seems pretty good. I was thinking along the lines of that kobold wizard (who is becoming increasingly important in the history I'm writing) toying with Carturis' mind. You see, this wizard specializes in the mind, and he examines, studies, probes, and messes with it. It woud be very easy for said wizard to make Carturis think the shovel was special...but your idea works too. Decision time... Oliddamara (sp?) did not give you the power of the soulknife - he just unlocked that potential before you did - good thing he did because part of your three years of torture was to be used in generally high frequency though entirely random pit fights. Another good idea I may use...will have to change some little details around in my story/history, but it's no biggie. These high frequency random pit fights could also explain your paraniod behaviour. Since you never knew when, who, what, how or why you were fighting you became paranoid. It could also be because he was tortured at random times once his usefulness ran out, and he never knew when someone was coming for him. Now, whenever he hears footsteps down the hall, or someone walking up from behind him, he gets up on edge, acts funny, etc. Playing a paranoid killer with identity/sanity issues It's not that he likes violence its that after the violence the world usually has calmed down again. Er...he's not a killer, except of evil kobolds (and evildoers in general). He can still discern good from evil, and he's still on the side of good...he's just a little :looloo: Ok, a lot crazy. Love the kobold wizard bit - milk that for all it's worth Trust me, I am. I may leave him alive, let him escape, because hes so cool. I kind of based him off of Stewie from Family Guy :D So, horrible, educated killer, intelligent speech, a love for causing pain and death, etc. I really like him...nah, I'll kill him :cool: Quick question - how do you play by email? I am asking because I recently moved to Hong Kong and haven't found a group to play with :( I'll tell you once I start :D Thanks for your help. Any others want to help with my crazy character?
nihility 10-23-05, 04:05 PM	Also: Any tips on playing a paranoid psionic with the power to slice people down with power solidified from his own mind? Also, why does the thought of that excite me? :looloo: Well, consider the fact that, for quite some time, your character was powerless to do anything about his situation. His eventual escape demonstrates his prowess, true, but it is a singular instance of strength against a long background of helplessness. It's likely that he doesn't really think he can control his life, or that the control he has is very fragile. As such, perhaps the power he has gained since then lacks perspective - to him, no matter how strong he is, something might snatch him up, so he's got to be careful and get stronger. There's an inherent contradiction here in that he seeks strength but doesn't really believe it will do any good, and that sort of thing might be appropriate for this kind of person.
Fluffy_Grandmother 10-23-05, 04:33 PM	Well, consider the fact that, for quite some time, your character was powerless to do anything about his situation. His eventual escape demonstrates his prowess, true, but it is a singular instance of strength against a long background of helplessness. It's likely that he doesn't really think he can control his life, or that the control he has is very fragile. As such, perhaps the power he has gained since then lacks perspective - to him, no matter how strong he is, something might snatch him up, so he's got to be careful and get stronger. There's an inherent contradiction here in that he seeks strength but doesn't really believe it will do any good, and that sort of thing might be appropriate for this kind of person. :uh-huh: :mymy: :OMG! PERFECT! kisses nihility Thank you! That's exacty the kind of thing that Carturis needs to make him a dramatic character instead of just a silly one.
Fluffy_Grandmother 10-23-05, 08:40 PM	It is finished...FINISHED!!! Over five pages long (typed), with stupid amounts of detail, and probably many grammar mistakes, but it's DONE!!! MUA HA HA HA HA!!! :evillaugh Ahem. Please forgive me. Thank all of you for your ideas. If anyone wishes, PM me, and I will email it to you, in pdf format.