Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hilln 06-23-03, 05:12 PM	I am working on an Elven Ranger and I can't think of a good background. I was thinking that my family was killed and so and so. So can you please help me think of a story and I shall Worship you:bow:
dragonlord557 06-23-03, 06:14 PM	You could have that his family was killed in some kind of raid against his village, make your first favored enemy the race that attacked. He could have been off on a hunting trip or a diplomatic journy, really anything you want for flavor, and when he returned he found the village destoryed. Someone really close to him could be dying and explain what little happened. Lets say for example demons attacked, the dying person could tell him the little hit like that the demons were summoned by an unknown force or maybe drow whatever works. As this person dies in his arms the pain of the loss awakens a burning fire in him to hunt down all those that cause him such a loss and all those that would do the same to others (favored enemy). After his village was destroyed he ran off into the woods becoming and unseen defender of the elven kind, learned archery to snipe enemys from afar, and learning how to dual wield so he could fight and cut through dense forest grow, or however you want to justify this stuff. How you meet up with the rest of your group well that can be done a number of ways, accidental attack on your part to defend a sercet elven village, or just bump into each other whatever works for you. I really hopes this helps you, if not then that makes D said:( and i'll try better next time if you want. Good luck on the story.
Irrion 06-23-03, 08:53 PM	One thing you can do is start with the question "What movtivates my character?" This will help you choose a backstory for him/her. There are a lot of possibilities: Guilt. Say your character was reckless/careless/foolish when he was supposed to be on guard duty and because of his oversight, orcs/drow/whatever attacked his village and killed his family. Now he travels around to places where people don't know him, hoping his good deeds will help to make up for the awful guilt he feels because of what happened. Vengeance. The character returns from a scouting mission to find his village wiped out, and swears to make the ones who did it pay. Adventure. Maybe the character was being forced into a particular destiny--he was to marry and become a regent, or his family was pressuring him to follow in their bardic footsteps. When a tragedy occurs, his family is killed and he is free from his destiny and able to pursue his true desire, to become a ranger. A Quest. Maybe one of the character's loved ones was carried off into the forest by a monster, or maybe the character grew up hearing stories about a huge treasure hidden in a remote location. The character becomes a ranger to fulfill this dream. Wild Child. Perhaps more suited for a Barbarian/Ranger. The character has a feral side, perhaps as a result of spending too much time in the wilderness as a child, or perhaps because he was raised by animals. More recently he has returned to civilization, but his heart is in the wilds. You can choose just about anything--it just depends on what interests you. Chances are, if you give your character a motivation and tell your DM about it, you'll find that your backstory will come into play in the course of the campaign, and you'll be tracking down the dragon who killed your family / looking for your missing half-brother / reedeming yourself in the eyes of your people.