Need ideas for character background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need ideas for character background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
evilash
11-22-03, 07:38 AM I need assistance with my new character's background. The setting is Shadowdale in the Daleland region of Forgotten Realms, and my character is a fighter/paladin to Kelemvor.

The campaign is centered around a plot by the Church of Cyric and my character is a replacement character for my old character who died last session. The reason he's in this region is because of a vision he received in a dream.

Now, I need some ideas on his background, what formed him as a person and what made him choose the life he's living. Any ideas would be much appreciated. :)
evilash
11-24-03, 03:50 AM Ok, what I most would like an idea about is what made him switch from fighter to paladin. As I see it his family shaped his sense of morality and duty and he probably already had some contact with the church of Kelemvor (maybe his uncle was a cleric of Kelemvor?).

I want to have a defining moment that made choose the path of paladinhood for Kelemvor, but I don't want it to be the old "your family was slaughtered by a horde of undead" cliché. One idéa I'm contemplating is to have him be the sole survivor of either an ambush by a group Cyricites or a battle with a group of undead.

As I said before, any idéas or suggestions would be very welcome...
LiXinjian
11-24-03, 08:58 AM You're a funny dude.

First of all, you don't want the clichéd "my family was slaughtered by undead" backstory, but you mention you'd like "he was the sole survivor of an undead attack". Granted, those two aren't exactly the same, but they do look a lot alike, don't they? :)

Anyway, I'm thinking your family's contact with the Church of Kelemvor could have been a much simpler one. What if your father had been a caretaker for the local temple? He would have always been involved with the dead AND the temple. He would have many reasons to loathe the undead (and thus pass his feelings down to you). He could be known to say things like : "curse be of the undead. They're twice the work to bury, but they're definetely not twice the pay."

I think there would be something particularly revolting in seeing deceased you knew in life walk the Realms again. And if you were the one who helped your father put the dead in the ground in the first place, there's plenty of reasons you'd dislike the undead even more.

Also, your character's progressive involvement with the affairs of the Church might have traced his path before he knows it. First, because your father was in the service of the Church, you got free martial training (those fighter levels). You kept mostly distant from the religious teachings, though, because you viewed the clerics' single-minded dedication to their god as weak, dumb or simply foreign. But one day, you meet a cheerful lad, a paladin resting at the church, who tells you a lot of what it takes to be one of them, and what it represents to uphold such high ideals. You see the respect he gets everywhere he goes, and you admire his strength as he walks down the streets in his shining armour. You start volunteering for religious classes, but you doubt being able to assimilate or believe in all they teach you.

Then, a few years later, you happen upon a cleric of Cyric mistreating a man on the streets. It's in a dark alley, and you only have your training sword with you (although it is not readily apparent in the semi-obscurity of the alley). You could easily walk by, pretend you saw nothing, pretend you heard nothing. But you gather all of your courage to spit: "leave that man alone, wretched servant of the Prince of Lies. We are not in Zhentil Keep, where your kind can act as it wills. We are in Shadowdale, and you are not welcome here." Still to your amazement, you take a confident-looking step towards the cleric, letting your hand fall down on the pommel of your sword. You notice the hopeful eyes of the victim in a split second, but you keep your attention on the cleric. The cyricist eyes you carefully for a second, then retreats to the shadows, hissing a curse, intimidated by your confident maner. Later, you will describe not having felt truly alone when you faced that cyricist. You will make mention of a calm warmth that engulfed you, pressed you gently forward, and seeing the nodding smiles of the paladins, you will realize having received the calling. You will realize that being a paladin means never being alone against the dark forces of the Realms.

Well, it's an idea at least.
evilash
11-24-03, 09:08 AM Originally posted by LiXinjian
First of all, you don't want the clichéd "my family was slaughtered by undead" backstory, but you mention you'd like "he was the sole survivor of an undead attack". Granted, those two aren't exactly the same, but they do look a lot alike, don't they? :)

Well, I know the sole survivor part is a bit clichéd as well... that was one of the reason I wanted help with some fresh idéas :)

Anyway, I like your idéa and I will probably try to do something with it. Thanks a bunch :tiphat:
LiXinjian
11-24-03, 09:15 AM You're very welcome.

Now, give me something more to work with. Need help coming up with your next PC's bio (when the paladin bites it), or perhaps a friend's PC is unsatisfactorily biographed?? ;)

I didn't know you swedes used accents. We got them too in french. Idéas. He he.

But then, I thought England was the sole country where people drove on the left side of the road, so it figures...
evilash
11-24-03, 10:44 AM Originally posted by LiXinjian
I didn't know you swedes used accents. We got them too in french. Idéas. He he.

Oops... yep, that's the Swedish spelling of idea :blush: At least if you stop typing after 'é'.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
evilash 11-22-03, 07:38 AM	I need assistance with my new character's background. The setting is Shadowdale in the Daleland region of Forgotten Realms, and my character is a fighter/paladin to Kelemvor. The campaign is centered around a plot by the Church of Cyric and my character is a replacement character for my old character who died last session. The reason he's in this region is because of a vision he received in a dream. Now, I need some ideas on his background, what formed him as a person and what made him choose the life he's living. Any ideas would be much appreciated. :)
evilash 11-24-03, 03:50 AM	Ok, what I most would like an idea about is what made him switch from fighter to paladin. As I see it his family shaped his sense of morality and duty and he probably already had some contact with the church of Kelemvor (maybe his uncle was a cleric of Kelemvor?). I want to have a defining moment that made choose the path of paladinhood for Kelemvor, but I don't want it to be the old "your family was slaughtered by a horde of undead" cliché. One idéa I'm contemplating is to have him be the sole survivor of either an ambush by a group Cyricites or a battle with a group of undead. As I said before, any idéas or suggestions would be very welcome...
LiXinjian 11-24-03, 08:58 AM	You're a funny dude. First of all, you don't want the clichéd "my family was slaughtered by undead" backstory, but you mention you'd like "he was the sole survivor of an undead attack". Granted, those two aren't exactly the same, but they do look a lot alike, don't they? :) Anyway, I'm thinking your family's contact with the Church of Kelemvor could have been a much simpler one. What if your father had been a caretaker for the local temple? He would have always been involved with the dead AND the temple. He would have many reasons to loathe the undead (and thus pass his feelings down to you). He could be known to say things like : "curse be of the undead. They're twice the work to bury, but they're definetely not twice the pay." I think there would be something particularly revolting in seeing deceased you knew in life walk the Realms again. And if you were the one who helped your father put the dead in the ground in the first place, there's plenty of reasons you'd dislike the undead even more. Also, your character's progressive involvement with the affairs of the Church might have traced his path before he knows it. First, because your father was in the service of the Church, you got free martial training (those fighter levels). You kept mostly distant from the religious teachings, though, because you viewed the clerics' single-minded dedication to their god as weak, dumb or simply foreign. But one day, you meet a cheerful lad, a paladin resting at the church, who tells you a lot of what it takes to be one of them, and what it represents to uphold such high ideals. You see the respect he gets everywhere he goes, and you admire his strength as he walks down the streets in his shining armour. You start volunteering for religious classes, but you doubt being able to assimilate or believe in all they teach you. Then, a few years later, you happen upon a cleric of Cyric mistreating a man on the streets. It's in a dark alley, and you only have your training sword with you (although it is not readily apparent in the semi-obscurity of the alley). You could easily walk by, pretend you saw nothing, pretend you heard nothing. But you gather all of your courage to spit: "leave that man alone, wretched servant of the Prince of Lies. We are not in Zhentil Keep, where your kind can act as it wills. We are in Shadowdale, and you are not welcome here." Still to your amazement, you take a confident-looking step towards the cleric, letting your hand fall down on the pommel of your sword. You notice the hopeful eyes of the victim in a split second, but you keep your attention on the cleric. The cyricist eyes you carefully for a second, then retreats to the shadows, hissing a curse, intimidated by your confident maner. Later, you will describe not having felt truly alone when you faced that cyricist. You will make mention of a calm warmth that engulfed you, pressed you gently forward, and seeing the nodding smiles of the paladins, you will realize having received the calling. You will realize that being a paladin means never being alone against the dark forces of the Realms. Well, it's an idea at least.
evilash 11-24-03, 09:08 AM	Originally posted by LiXinjian First of all, you don't want the clichéd "my family was slaughtered by undead" backstory, but you mention you'd like "he was the sole survivor of an undead attack". Granted, those two aren't exactly the same, but they do look a lot alike, don't they? :) Well, I know the sole survivor part is a bit clichéd as well... that was one of the reason I wanted help with some fresh idéas :) Anyway, I like your idéa and I will probably try to do something with it. Thanks a bunch :tiphat:
LiXinjian 11-24-03, 09:15 AM	You're very welcome. Now, give me something more to work with. Need help coming up with your next PC's bio (when the paladin bites it), or perhaps a friend's PC is unsatisfactorily biographed?? ;) I didn't know you swedes used accents. We got them too in french. Idéas. He he. But then, I thought England was the sole country where people drove on the left side of the road, so it figures...
evilash 11-24-03, 10:44 AM	Originally posted by LiXinjian I didn't know you swedes used accents. We got them too in french. Idéas. He he. Oops... yep, that's the Swedish spelling of idea :blush: At least if you stop typing after 'é'.