Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sarrazon 09-27-06, 04:42 PM	Ok, it's my 1st time DMing (solo campaign), and i have a bit of a problem with one of the character's backstories. Here's how it goes. This character was origonaly a wandering adventurer, who got very powerul, say...16th level. They were then attacked, and when they woke up, they were on a altar, with signs of psionic preseveration and (they're playing a psion variant) could only access their barest mental powers/skills/feats, ECT. The temple was deserted, and there was nothing of value around. Personly, i think that this will cause problems later on, and am worried that it will railroad ME into explaning what the hell went on with the attack. Am i being unfair about this, im not sure as i have no experiance. P.S. the PC is my brother
P4yne 09-27-06, 04:48 PM	you may say that he was abducted by some cult freaks and there was no logic reason for that. it was just faith... maybe a death cult that needed a swap body or something alike that..
Talisman 09-27-06, 04:51 PM	First off, you're the GM. Remember that. Your word is law, and you don't have to do anything storywise that you don't want to. If you think the background will cause problems, either disallow it or modify it. Suggest changes that you do like. Work with the player to design a cool background that you can handle. If you don't want to deal with the whole "attack" thing, I recommend disallowing that particular background. A good story requires enthusiasm, and if you're not having fun with the story, chances are your player won't either. 16th level sounds awfully high for a starting character. I'd recommend 5th; this makes the PC powerful enough to be interesting, but not excessively so. I'm currently GMing a party of six 13th-15th level PC, and challenging them is...interesting. However, if you're comfortable with 16th level, go for it. Good luck with your campaign!
Shinryouga 09-27-06, 04:58 PM	Ok, fair is fair, since you already mentioned its your bro's PC, we can skip the nepotism chapter. I had a similar experience, where I ran an old character of mine (level 15ish) in a campaign starting at 1rst level, by explaining that he had been nearly destroyed by some level draining undead, and barely escaped with his life. This character was rather mentally scatterbrained to begin with, so the lost memories and skills made sense in a way. If we ignore the fact that your brother might be a great player with no desire to pull a fast one on you, here's what you must watch out for with this background. The player might try to use knowledge from his previous existance without having the ranks in the appropriate knowledges. Just because he remembers fighting a young adult red dragon doesn't mean he remembers what actually worked and what didn't. He might try to use his "old" reputation to muscle around people. Similar to the above, but with intimidate, bluff, and diplomacy being skipped past. Plenty of ways to handle this: so long in stasis no one remembers him anymore, no one beleives him unless he convinces them with bluff, etc. As far as having to work his backstory into the world, you only have to as far as you want to. Maybe his backstory has something to do with your current storyline. Maybe it doesn't. Totally your call. But keep your ears out for whether or not he's interested in it happening. Some people want their backstory to come back to haunt them; some don't. Hope this helps.
Sarrazon 09-27-06, 04:58 PM	I'm thinking about dissalowing it, but im trying to compramize, so he dosent feel totaly screwed. Also, talisman, in his backstory it says that he was wiped of all "practical knowlage" (IE, not memories but skills, feats, powers) and is a level one character. Thats the part that kinda has me on edge.
Sarrazon 09-27-06, 05:14 PM	Ok, i've made the decision to let him keep it with a slight alteration, thanks guys!
kelvinaw273 09-27-06, 08:23 PM	I myself would not allow that kind of backstroy, just as I don't allow the kind that starts "My parents were 20th level adventurers who retired ..." because the player is going to use it as an excuse to metagame to hell and back, use OOC knoweldge of monsters, threaten people, etc. I do like the "I awoke lying on the alter of Ftang-Ftang with no knowledge of how I got there or even of who I was ..."
Loftower 09-27-06, 08:45 PM	I might let him keep the backstory but have only him believe it. His character is benignly insane! Some people might patronize him a bit if they know enough to. Some might manipulate him. Most people will neither know nor care. Of course, it would then be up to me to foil any metagaming attempts, but I do so enjoy that, anyway.
halfling_cleric_monk 09-27-06, 08:51 PM	Okay, it's a bit cliche, but something really, REALLY big/bad/terrible happened, and there was a sole survivor; he is miraculously unharmed. The temple can either be naredowells what attacked your player and wanted to sacrifice or something, had irritated something big, and gotten squished, or basically good guys who found you just before you were slain by... something(click here to insert villan).
MSW 09-28-06, 03:17 PM	First of all, remove all artificial references to "level". That is a game mechanic and shouldn't be used. Maybe the character was well known. Or had earned some fame and reputation as being good at what he does. This can actually work for you. He's lost those skills and somehow has been 'wiped' back to his present state... but those that remembered him and what he could do still remember. And expect him to perform at that level. That could be npcs that seek out his help, or npc enemies that want to settle old scores. ("You murdered my brother's party, prepare to die!") I'd just throw in an element of 'memory fuzziness' so he can remember only bits and pieces of who he was and what he'd done before the event that made him like he is now. That will let you fill in the backstory on your own terms... using npcs that recognize him and share one of his tales of greatness. Those that try to hire him because of their 'famous reputation' and the occational enemy that is out for revenge. It will keep the player on his toes and interested in figuring out these things about his past... since he never knows if the next person he meets is going to offer him food or challenge him to a duel over something he'd done.
MoogleEmpMog 09-28-06, 03:25 PM	I think that's a great backstory and would definitely let him keep it, with one caveat: Assuming he's now a good (or at least neutral) character... his past self WASN'T. So yes, people will remember who he was. Commoners will back down before him and bow and scrape, thinking he's still a powerful evil psion who could rend their brains to mush. Trouble is, OTHER people remember him. POWERFUL other people, who if they hear a powerful evil psion is in town, will come to get him. Oh, and the 'attack' he thinks he remembers? Those were HIS cultists, low-level psions who worshipped him like a dark god. The ritual he thought he was 'sacrificed' in was actually them donating their power points into a psionic gestalt that would give said dark god an immortal, incorporeal form (ie, ten levels of Psion Uncarnate). And the ritual worked, after a fashion. His original evil self is still out there, and it's very much akin to an evil psionic god. His cultists, too. His flesh body is nothing more than the leftovers... but may hold the key to destroying his original persona. So they want to destroy it just as much as his former enemies!