Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Need_A_Life 02-27-06, 05:30 AM	I usually have little problems with making a background, but this character is giving me a headache. I have had to make one for a campaign in which everyone is munchkins so there is a lot of choices I find hard to explain, I'll give you what I have for now. When the Old Gods fell centuries ago, their powers drifted across the multiverse; creating and destroying many things in their path before falling apart again to bond with another power of a fallen god. When the essence of evil and luck bonded they created Gazra, a halfling infused with the powers of the Nine Hells; a powerful being indeed. Gazra feared the powers that he had been given, he knew that they were vile and that they would corrupt his soul should he use them. Hoping to bind the evil within him, Gazra swore an oath to serve the forces of good and joined the Azure Order, an order sworn to prevent evil artefacts from falling into enemy hands. He was trained with the Orders ceremonial spear and fought in the heavy armor for years until he advanced and became worthy of sharing the Azure Orders ancient fighting technique; he was now skilled enough that he did not need spear or armor, and he trained himself in speed and the martial arts, learning how to kill a man with his fists. Then came the day that his commander ordered him to retrieve an evil artefact that had fallen into the hands of the mayor of a nearby village, then he was to slay the inhabitants and burn their corpses, preventing them from being animated by the artefacts evil magick. Gazra refused and when his Commander sent twohundred men, Gazra stood among the villagers and fought for their lives. He struck down dozens of men that day, his supernatural strength and power allowing him to fight without sleep or break. When night set, there was only a handful warriors remaining and only a few of the villagers had died. "We have not given up on you yet," his Commander said, "You can still save yourself" Gazra looked at him in pure hatred and spat a foul curse at the man he had once been willing to die for. "Tomorrow at dawn, we fight!" Gazra commanded, "Just you and me, a battle of honor!" is Commander looked amused, "Agreed," Gazra knew how skilled the Commander was but he could not hope for the same luck two days in a row. The battle was long, not to say that they were evenly matched, Gazra was kicked around and he knew that he had cracked several ribs. Gazra rose from the mud again only to face a brutal kick, sending him several feet backwards, "Do you surrender!?" The Commander was angry, and Gazra rose slowly again, he felt how a fist was flying at him, though he could not see it. He sent a flurry of blows against his Commander, and managed to get in one fatal blow. His opponent fell to the ground, bleeding from the head. Now this first part is perhaps a bit vague, but I'll accept it. It is the next part I need help with, I know what I want to have him do, but I don't know how to present it. Now, there are 500 years to spread these three goals across so it can be any season or climate, he could be doing some traveling - He starts a minor cult (Leadership feat) - He learns how to change his body and even make it disappear entirely (Alternate Form & Ethereal Jaunt) - He finds a great warrior and corrupts him, eventually leaving the man to die. Also, I'd like feedback on the first part of the background.
Cifer 02-27-06, 04:48 PM	Hm. What level will he be when you play him? About the background you already published: The battle sounds quite epic... a single guy and some villagers against 200 trained soldiers of the same order he went to and only a few villagers die? The village wasn't populated by mindflayers or devils, was it? If you want your character to change to the dark side and kill someone who is near him, maybe rather got Anakin (er... without that "killing everyone in the barracks" stuff...): A single one-on-one combat with someone he liked who curses him with his dying breath. Maybe the fallen one is actually his enemy and since noone knows that, he is forced into hiding with some fiends who also believe he killed a good guy - and slowly, the character turns evil himself, not being able to quit the company of said fiends since noone else can hide him from his order which is still searching for him. (Replace fiends with "band of thieves", "evil kingdom", "necromancer & undead minions" or whatever you like and think appropriate for your intended style) In this version, the fiends already have their own cult and when (after some years) they are defeated by some do-gooders, you simply succeed them... About the warrior: Several (dozen) years later, you come upon a warrior who reminds you of the ideals of your youth. You secretly support him, yet do it in a rather unorthodox way (e.g. he wins a tournament because you poisoned the main opponent) that makes him become more and more accustomed to your methods, thus becoming more like yourself and less like the man you liked. When your interest finally fades, you leave him.