Need some character development pro's with some assassin XP to help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need some character development pro's with some assassin XP to help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Law
08-19-04, 06:01 AM Hi guys

Our group hasn't played in months, because our DM is a medical doctor and his schedule is rather busy, but now he's got an opening on Saturday and we all want to play.

I've made a rogue5/assassin2 (loosely modelled on Garrett in Thief 3) with NE alignment last night (took me 6 hours!). Thing is I dont have a name for him (human male) and i dont have any background...

I've been roleplaying since I was 16 years old (8 years and counting... :) ) and I have had scores of characters and always made excellent background stories, how and why thy fit into the party, cool name, etc... but this one was simply jumped on me too soon.

To make matters worse, I'm changing jobs in just under 2 weeks, and have lots of fires to kill at the office before i leave an junior staff members to train. This carries over to after hours, so i dont have time to think up a decent background, etc. I also study after hours, have the gf to keep happy, gym to go to... :(

Is there anyone that can help me? We play in Kingdoms of Kalamar, and the party looks like this:

Cleric (war & strength domain, melee oriented)
Fighter (sword and board)
Rogue/Assassin (me!)
Bard
Wizard

At this stage i dont know any more, most of the other guys have been working on their characters for a while now but i havent spoken to them recently.

If at all possible i would appreciate
1. a decent background story,
2. name,
3. maybe how he fits into the party dymanic
4. and reasons for adventuring

I'll come check here ever so often as time allows to contribute (i know how irritating it is if someone just posts and expect other people to do the work without contributing himself) but when I say i'm short of time, I *really* mean it. We wont get a chance to play again for a while so I want Saturday to rock.

Thanks a million ;)
Kitt-su
08-19-04, 07:12 PM As names go something that sounds exotic or carries a large amount of Vs, Xs, and Zs. Like Vezorrevic Ga-Heden. Maybe he adventures for the sheer thrill of the kill, or maybe his parents were slaughtered by a small group of another assassin order and later on he comes to terms that he may very well be a member of the orginization, since the only thing it has is a small symbol of recognization and color to measure rank, he could or could not be a member of the organization. If he is and doesn't turn on them he is truly evil, if he goes against them and slaughters them all he is a little more evil but not as much as the first choice would make him. Also you might make him the strong silent type. I've found strong assassins work well with the party you described, most enemies would expect some strong some not, and the guy in the shadows hiding isn't usually a nominee for strong. He could use his own kind of code when it comes to talking to other. Or mabe hes totally insane and all the above didn't happen and he just enjoys the killing but knows he couldn't get by without others watching his back (A reason to kill an annoying person there). Or maybe he turns good and stops progressing as an assassin and becomes something a little holier (A fighter if your not willing for paladin). Either way my 2 cents are worth alot.
Moon-Lancer
08-20-04, 12:49 PM your character could actually be sent to kill the party your joining. as such you would join their party and gain their trust but then you find out some how that your guild is responsible for your parents death and you and your party go out and kill your guild or something (see above post)
Rudysseus
08-20-04, 11:56 PM The idea of being originally assigned to kill the party, or perhaps track their movements for an unseen enemy has merit, especially if you can work it out with the DM and perhaps make it come into play in later sessions.

In my humble opinion, I'd stay away from the strong-silent type figure in black clothes and a black hooded cloak sitting in the corner of the bar by himself. These people are a dime a dozen, and while many of them are popular, its really nothing that hasn't been done time and again.

Try going the opposite direction in personality. Have him (or her?) be jovial, funny loving and happy all the time. Have him pay for a round of drinks in order to get on the party's good side. If you do decide to be a double-agent, and are evil, try to do good things, at least when around your party members. Give some coin to a beggar, help someone being bullied. It makes you LOOK good, and you can always kill the beggar later to get the money back, while you stepped outside for a "late night walk." ;)

You can try to go out of your way to help your party members, actively engaging in battles under the disguise of "doing good." You're working for someone that's paying you to play a role, so anything you do thats good is for money, so its not truly altruistic.

This will make your eventual betrayal (if you do decide to do that) all the worse, because you've earned their trust, and then screwed them over for money of all things.

You can also do the evil assassin becomes redeemed or at least not as evil, depending on the alignments around you.

Other possible angles for why you are in the group can be as simple as they are purchasing your services, and while you are not lawful, you don't break a contract of employment, except under circumstances X, Y, and/or Z. So in this, you are essentially a hired mercenary thats being paid well (in a share of treasure or whatever) so the ultimate goals of the party shouldn't really conflict with your own.

An actual background can be hard to squeeze into this forum, but here are a few jumping off points:

-- The son of a Pirate Lord, who is trying to make it on his own, without trading on his father's/mother's reputation, so you go by a different last name.
-- You're a bounty hunter or assassin, out trying to get some "publicity" for yourself, so you can get better contracts.
-- You grew up in a society that ran bloodsport games (ever see The Running Man?) pitting man against man, or man against beast. Its like a gladiatorial games, although not in a wide open coliseum, but rather a series of mazes and dark labyrinths where being shadowy and silent is much more likely to keep you alive than anything else. You could be in there for a crime you either did or didnt do, and you finally won your freedom.
-- You are an agent from a secret religious cult or sect, that worships the god of thieves (Mask, in the Forgotten Realms) or shadows (Shar) or whatever. Your order was wiped out by paladins (damn do-gooders!) and you want revenge, or you are finally ready to venture out on your own and test your skills.

-- of course there is always the stereotypical stuff. yer an orphan from the streets, yadda yadda yadda you ended up learning roguish skills to survive, yadda yadda yadda made your way up the later to assassin. this goes hand in hand with the strong silent type and combining the two pretty much makes you a carbon copy of Artemis Entreri, who is more or less FR's version of Boba Fett, who is a nod to the dime-a-dozen strong silent types in other forms of popular fiction.

Everyone expects the shadowy figure to stick a knife in their backs. Its as effective, but not nearly as flashy and exciting as the guy you never expected stabbing you in the gut.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Law 08-19-04, 06:01 AM	Hi guys Our group hasn't played in months, because our DM is a medical doctor and his schedule is rather busy, but now he's got an opening on Saturday and we all want to play. I've made a rogue5/assassin2 (loosely modelled on Garrett in Thief 3) with NE alignment last night (took me 6 hours!). Thing is I dont have a name for him (human male) and i dont have any background... I've been roleplaying since I was 16 years old (8 years and counting... :) ) and I have had scores of characters and always made excellent background stories, how and why thy fit into the party, cool name, etc... but this one was simply jumped on me too soon. To make matters worse, I'm changing jobs in just under 2 weeks, and have lots of fires to kill at the office before i leave an junior staff members to train. This carries over to after hours, so i dont have time to think up a decent background, etc. I also study after hours, have the gf to keep happy, gym to go to... :( Is there anyone that can help me? We play in Kingdoms of Kalamar, and the party looks like this: Cleric (war & strength domain, melee oriented) Fighter (sword and board) Rogue/Assassin (me!) Bard Wizard At this stage i dont know any more, most of the other guys have been working on their characters for a while now but i havent spoken to them recently. If at all possible i would appreciate 1. a decent background story, 2. name, 3. maybe how he fits into the party dymanic 4. and reasons for adventuring I'll come check here ever so often as time allows to contribute (i know how irritating it is if someone just posts and expect other people to do the work without contributing himself) but when I say i'm short of time, I really mean it. We wont get a chance to play again for a while so I want Saturday to rock. Thanks a million ;)
Kitt-su 08-19-04, 07:12 PM	As names go something that sounds exotic or carries a large amount of Vs, Xs, and Zs. Like Vezorrevic Ga-Heden. Maybe he adventures for the sheer thrill of the kill, or maybe his parents were slaughtered by a small group of another assassin order and later on he comes to terms that he may very well be a member of the orginization, since the only thing it has is a small symbol of recognization and color to measure rank, he could or could not be a member of the organization. If he is and doesn't turn on them he is truly evil, if he goes against them and slaughters them all he is a little more evil but not as much as the first choice would make him. Also you might make him the strong silent type. I've found strong assassins work well with the party you described, most enemies would expect some strong some not, and the guy in the shadows hiding isn't usually a nominee for strong. He could use his own kind of code when it comes to talking to other. Or mabe hes totally insane and all the above didn't happen and he just enjoys the killing but knows he couldn't get by without others watching his back (A reason to kill an annoying person there). Or maybe he turns good and stops progressing as an assassin and becomes something a little holier (A fighter if your not willing for paladin). Either way my 2 cents are worth alot.
Moon-Lancer 08-20-04, 12:49 PM	your character could actually be sent to kill the party your joining. as such you would join their party and gain their trust but then you find out some how that your guild is responsible for your parents death and you and your party go out and kill your guild or something (see above post)
Rudysseus 08-20-04, 11:56 PM	The idea of being originally assigned to kill the party, or perhaps track their movements for an unseen enemy has merit, especially if you can work it out with the DM and perhaps make it come into play in later sessions. In my humble opinion, I'd stay away from the strong-silent type figure in black clothes and a black hooded cloak sitting in the corner of the bar by himself. These people are a dime a dozen, and while many of them are popular, its really nothing that hasn't been done time and again. Try going the opposite direction in personality. Have him (or her?) be jovial, funny loving and happy all the time. Have him pay for a round of drinks in order to get on the party's good side. If you do decide to be a double-agent, and are evil, try to do good things, at least when around your party members. Give some coin to a beggar, help someone being bullied. It makes you LOOK good, and you can always kill the beggar later to get the money back, while you stepped outside for a "late night walk." ;) You can try to go out of your way to help your party members, actively engaging in battles under the disguise of "doing good." You're working for someone that's paying you to play a role, so anything you do thats good is for money, so its not truly altruistic. This will make your eventual betrayal (if you do decide to do that) all the worse, because you've earned their trust, and then screwed them over for money of all things. You can also do the evil assassin becomes redeemed or at least not as evil, depending on the alignments around you. Other possible angles for why you are in the group can be as simple as they are purchasing your services, and while you are not lawful, you don't break a contract of employment, except under circumstances X, Y, and/or Z. So in this, you are essentially a hired mercenary thats being paid well (in a share of treasure or whatever) so the ultimate goals of the party shouldn't really conflict with your own. An actual background can be hard to squeeze into this forum, but here are a few jumping off points: -- The son of a Pirate Lord, who is trying to make it on his own, without trading on his father's/mother's reputation, so you go by a different last name. -- You're a bounty hunter or assassin, out trying to get some "publicity" for yourself, so you can get better contracts. -- You grew up in a society that ran bloodsport games (ever see The Running Man?) pitting man against man, or man against beast. Its like a gladiatorial games, although not in a wide open coliseum, but rather a series of mazes and dark labyrinths where being shadowy and silent is much more likely to keep you alive than anything else. You could be in there for a crime you either did or didnt do, and you finally won your freedom. -- You are an agent from a secret religious cult or sect, that worships the god of thieves (Mask, in the Forgotten Realms) or shadows (Shar) or whatever. Your order was wiped out by paladins (damn do-gooders!) and you want revenge, or you are finally ready to venture out on your own and test your skills. -- of course there is always the stereotypical stuff. yer an orphan from the streets, yadda yadda yadda you ended up learning roguish skills to survive, yadda yadda yadda made your way up the later to assassin. this goes hand in hand with the strong silent type and combining the two pretty much makes you a carbon copy of Artemis Entreri, who is more or less FR's version of Boba Fett, who is a nod to the dime-a-dozen strong silent types in other forms of popular fiction. Everyone expects the shadowy figure to stick a knife in their backs. Its as effective, but not nearly as flashy and exciting as the guy you never expected stabbing you in the gut.