Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aise 04-28-07, 03:06 AM	Ok well I usually DM but one of my players wants to try running a few session so I roll up a 9th level ranger character and devise a backstory for him. First of all, I created the world that we are playing in so I know a little more about the political structure then him especially i based alot of the political structures of thouse that I've studied Socolism, Facism, and so on. So my character is the nephew of a king of a semi-monoarchial elf society that my players seldom visit due to its secludedness. So I spend all day yesterday writting a huge story cus thats the kind of impulsive person I am, and here it is, I just haven't come up with any names yet, I do thouse last: My character's grandfather was the old king of this elf society but at a period of time my father fell into a deep coma due to an illness that he had. While he was in this coma his father passed away and my character's uncle unrightfully took the place of king. Then when my father woke up he told the public that he had died and exiled him instead of killing him. Here comes the problem. I want my character's father to spend the rest of his life trying to find a way to prove that he and his line are supposed to be king but I can't think how. I thought kind of a Final Fantasy XII way that I have to find a artifact but I would rather not rip off a FF game. I normally don't ask for help with character ideas but I want to get this character done well and more of a role-playing character then a hack n' slash. Thanks for the help
Terjon of the Blue Rose 04-28-07, 03:18 AM	The cheapest way out was the ancestral sword and you've already nixed that. How about a family tree? And given that you are an elf not a sheet of paper with your lineage drawn up on it but a literal tree. A family guardian with innate knowledge of your family line. Most likely such a tree is not around in the current kingdom or has been hidden by the false king. It may have been left behind when the kingdom moved or stolen (kidnapped?) but I rather like the idea that it is being held out of reach by your uncle. I haven't played XII so I'm not sure how close this reaches to that storyline. If its too close consider that your line may require a journey to a distant ancestral homeland in order to acquire the mark of the true king. You're uncle doesn't have it but that's ok with the people because as they see it he is currently the rightfull heir and doesn't need any proof. Only a challenger to that title would need proof of this nature.
Westbound 04-28-07, 04:08 AM	Since 1st Ed., it was rather thought that elves, particularly wood elves, were magically connected to the forests they call home. Not in the sense that they couldn't leave the forests, but that leaving the forest itself was like leaving loved ones. The elves and the trees of the forest developed a sort of symbiotic relationship, if you will, and the history of a tribe or a kingdom of elves was literally written in the trees themselves. What if the forest where your elf and his father dwelled had a memory of some kind? The trees themselves may have their own language written in the bark itself that only certain wise elves could read and comprehend after centuries of study. The trees aren't treants, which I deem to be individual trees that can separate from the forest at will. The forest is actually one massive being interconnected through its own root system. It's not intelligent in the manner of an individual, because its concerns are utterly alien in many ways to that of even the elves. The Druids, on the other hand, may have a picture into the point of view of the forest itself; its needs, wants, fears, and regrets. So, by this manner, you may somehow find the proof you seek. But if I were you, I would abandon that train of thought. If the proof of your lineage is gone, it is gone. And no amount of pleading is going to restore your throne. What's more, it's unkingly to do such a thing. A king knows he's a king, and he needs no scrap of paper, no witness, no artifact to make him so. A man is king in his own fashion, that rules his own area of responsibility. If he goes about crying to everyone that he needs to restore his kingdom, people will think he's a loon at best, possibly a usurper at worst in the wrong locales. Even a king cannot change what has happened, but can only deal with the present and hope for the future. If you are playing a character who's father is so nostalgiac for the past, then you're playing a character with a doddering old fool as a father. That is fine, and is very compelling. You can demonstrate that you are not particularly interested in something that isn't going to be solved by legalism. You should then decide what your character wants to do with his life. Should he fight to restore what was lost, or should he go on with his life, settle down and raise children in a new place?
Fithero 04-28-07, 07:51 AM	Proving the whole familiy lineage thing will be sorta hard since he is your uncle... your fathers brother... which means he is of the exact same blood as you. So that pretty much puts out the FF:XII theory anyway (Lord Vayne wasnt a descendant of the Dynast King... which is why he set the party up) And if your not wanting it to be as easy as "Hey kingy... step into this zone of truth and start talking", id go with more mundane methods. Perhaps there was a servant who looked after your father while he was in the coma, this person (fearing for their life) ran away when the uncle took over. You could spend numerous game sessions tracking this person down. Perhaps they ran to another elven kingdom or they are living as a homeless person in some human city on the other side of the continent. And, correct me if im wrong, but with elves having a very long life span... should like, 9/10th's of the kingdom remember what the kings 1st son looked like? Peace
Aise 04-28-07, 11:49 AM	Oh well my character was born outside of the elves after exile. I designed the monoarchy based of one from the middle ages where the eldest son has the right to the throne and never the second son and the elves being like they are, always bothered with decorum and rights and laws, they wouldn't like it very much if the current king exiled my father nor would they accept it unless I had complete proff. I do like the idea of the "family tree" and the idea of the man watching over my father while he was in a coma. I did put that my character looks similar to my character but not exactally like him so an old elf wouldn't go, "hey you look like the old prince." but maybe if my character claimed this then they maybe be like, "well he does look like him" but then again by the elf sterotype all elves look the same. Thanks, I think I'll go with the family tree Idea but to get access to it I must find if it is true, as my character grew up completally without the influence of elves or their culture, and then find the actual tree myself then challenge the king and probally end up killing him, oh but I hate hack n' slash so muchn but maybe I could get Corellon Larethian to interviene I imagine that he doesn't like it that his laws that he set down for the elves were abondened.
David Argall 04-28-07, 05:49 PM	Having rejected the sword in the stone idea, you are pretty much down to routine politics. Dad has spent his life trying to stir up a revolt, without much success. As the young pretender, you are able to do little more than the same, with less success. Recall here that you are talking about a PC. You should not be talking about scene-shaking themes. If the DM doesn't like the idea, your PC will never see his home forests, and you will have to dream up excuses for him abandoning his heart-felt quest to go wandering where the DM puts the adventure. Rather we want something the DM can use if he feels like it. So he's the son of the exiled king, but has abandoned most hopes of recovering the throne. So he adventures at random. However his uncle is worried, and sends various threats after him. Some are assassins in the night. Others are chances to adventure and get rich [or dead]. Now we have something that may be game useful.
Aise 04-29-07, 02:37 AM	Well my DM and I rolled with it today saying there was 2 artifacts, a sword and bow that I would have to find. Today I found the bow but the sword as well as some other crazy artifacts such as a wish ring of unlimited potency(idea from a old Dragon mag) is gaurded by guess who...THE TARRASQUE! *beings to cry softly* So I basically decided to get level 20+, barter with the gods and then slowly raise and army to defeate the Tarrasque then use the wish ring of unlimited potency to revieve all thouse who died in the battle as well as spead the immage of my party and army defeating the fearful beast accros everyone's mind in the world making us instant heros then save wish #3 for later weather we decide to be good, evil or crazy (crazy would be shifting all the trees 9 inches to the left to mess up EVERY map in the world.) So thanks for the ideas but we ended up practally taking the FFXII idea.
Fithero 04-29-07, 06:36 AM	(crazy would be shifting all the trees 9 inches to the left to mess up EVERY map in the world.) Bwahahaha:rofl: I love it!
boggler65 04-30-07, 06:38 AM	why not use a familial moon blade? they are a common enough concept for elves, and it wouldn't really be a rip-off.