Character with no background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character with no background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fraser1986
08-06-04, 06:26 PM I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character) who is determined to play a character from a book (shadow is the book). Unforunately this character has no memory but seems to have an amazing skill with the sword. He also wants a sword called "peace" which is very powerful but can only be used in important fights. The problems as I see them are no memeory means to background or history which are vital to rich characters (not rich meaning wealthy). Also this sword of his would have to be pretty powerful when he actually got to use it. Unfortunately the times he would be using it would be tense showdowns and him wielding some supre powerful sort would take the highlight away from the plight of the party as a whole as they try to face their bitter nemisis and survive....
Whats a DM to do?
Salla
08-06-04, 07:50 PM Oh, if I had a player who wanted an amnesiac character, I would be all over that like cheap on K-Mart. "Why does that guy hate you so much?" "I have no idea!"

I dunno about the sword, though. Players with 'escape pod' ideas (things they ask for only for dire emergencies) tend to interpret dire more liberally than most DMs. Now, the difference depends on whether the item is only pulled when the CHARACTER things the fight is important, or if the DM thinks the fight is important.

In the first case, the player will pull it out, more than likely, any time he feels he may be outclassed. I've seen many 'emergency plans' start to become standard procedures.

In the latter, it means that the sword doesn't function/won't leave the scabbard/has no power unless it's pulled in a life-or-death close fight. If he tries to pull it when it's not that big a deal, there are some consequences.

If it's the former, I'd say no. If the latter, I'd say ... possibly.
Eck
08-07-04, 07:41 AM Try and track down Fixxxer's reply to a similar thread. It's great if you're a DM with a darkside. I believe the title was something along the lines of "How do I get players to write backstories". The advice says to be as mean as possible, and make it to where the player will not want to leave ANY holes in his back-story. I think there were things like, STD's, past gay lovers(Not that there's anything wrong with that. - Seinfeld), huge debts the character owes, bounties on the character's heads. And in this case, he's stolen that powerful sword. :devil:

And on a side note. I dislike allowing characters with an obvious rip-off feel. The darkelf ranger who dualwields scimitars has been done before... :)

- Eck
trapspringer
08-07-04, 11:31 AM Most of the stuff following the gay part sounds pretty good to me. I wouldn't mind playing a character who is being tracked by a bounty hunter for stealing an ancient relic which shifted his thought process towards helping people. Sounds pretty compeling. You disagree?
Jenny With The Lantern
08-07-04, 11:41 AM Actually, the guy DOES have a background; make him write the times after he lost his memory, what he's done so far to find his memory, etc. It is a great plot hook!

Second, about the sword: if you have any idea of how your campaign is going to go, give him an appropriate bane weapon or design a weapon that only functions under special circumstances, that's a normal +1 or +1 and a special ability weapon.
Lxarth
08-07-04, 12:02 PM I had a player who made a dual-weilding scimitar drow...she did a good job...and doesnt know about drizzt.

I also had a player (in shadowrun) who told me that if his character dies his next one is gonna have full-blown amnesia...it was actually really cool..till the player stopped showing up.

Jenny With The Lantern has good ideas...but a character taken from a book is not fun...he will want to 'play the book'...and he might be like...'oh, and dont forget the sword does this'...I dont really like the idea that he is this character from the book.

A character similar might be ok...but not the same.
Kerrexl
08-07-04, 04:02 PM Originally posted by Lxarth
I also had a player (in shadowrun) who told me that if his character dies his next one is gonna have full-blown amnesia...it was actually really cool..till the player stopped showing up. :rofl: hehe... talk about getting In character... hehe
Occams_Razor
08-08-04, 04:19 AM A character with amnesia is no problem, although I would encourage the character to either have ashort amount of backstory or at the very least explain the general outlook of the character. He may not remember his life, but it would be interesting if he has a strong sense of protectiveness toward young women. (It could later be revealed that he had a younger sister who was murdered or something like that) Lots of potential here. The potent sword I would vote against without a strong negative factor to balance it, because otherwise, as was said before, it will cripple some dramatic moments of the campaign if he has a powerful sword and he is an incredibly powerful swordsman, I would suggest that the opposite be true rather than what the player suggested, that the sword only be available when no one's life is in danger, or only when in direct sunlight or something so that enemies could circumvent the power of the sword rather than needing to be so powerful that they can slay the entire party, save the sword dude, just to challenge that one character. Balance in all things. ;)
Arrowhen
08-08-04, 05:18 AM I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character) who is determined to play a character from a book

Tell him if he wants to write fanfic to do it on his own time.
SevenSerpents
08-08-04, 06:49 AM the CHARACTER might have amnesia and might not remember his past life - but the PLAYER actually SHOULD know about his characters past. if he does not come up with background, it's up to the dm, to create some, that fits the story.

with the sword i see two possibilities:
1) the sword has got tremendous powers, but the pc has to discover them bit by bit. you could level-up the sword together with the pc.
2) the sword only works randomly. and the dm decides, when it acts as a normal sword, and when it turns into some super-weapon. or if you don't like this randomness, make criteria, that make the sword work (like mentioned before, sunlight ect.) but DON'T tell the player about it. if he figures it out - fine. if not, it's his problem.

last, but not least: only because he's a dear friend there's no reason letting him play uber-characters.
Fraser1986
08-08-04, 06:51 AM Thanks guys, I think I'll insist that the loss of memory happened at least a few weeks ago; I get the impression he wants his guy to have lost his memory within minutes of the story starting (which would be great for a one player game but would take away from the party as it would require a long "waking up scene") As for the sword, im not sure what i'll do. Perhaps an interesting use requirement, maybe only on holy days or something (IT turns out that he was a monk from some religeous order who is now hunting him for stealing their holy sword). It would be a +2 bane vs evil sword that only works on holiday days of certain Gods.
Occams_Razor
08-08-04, 08:01 AM Oh, I had an idea! It could be like a "leveled item" which has powers that must be activated or it has a command word to awaken it's "true" powers that he has to remember but in essence won't find until you give it to him, thus holding off the overpoweredness. You could even feed it back in stages to keep things balanced. Although this might seem unfair or mean to the player, so it's maybe not the best idea... :banghead:
Mike the DM
08-08-04, 08:58 AM :nonono:

Fanboys make me cringe.

Playing an archetype is one thing. Modelling your character after a specific literary figure is another.

Hand him his character sheet, tell him he's violating copywright laws or that someone got sued by Salvatore for making a Drizzle D'oh!Urkle character or something (try to make it sound plausible), and as nicely as possible ask him to try again.

;)

Seriously, if you don't want the character in the game, explain to him that for reasons of game mechanics it's not going to work. That's really all you need to do.
Nuntius128
08-08-04, 10:19 PM Just because the player knows something doesn't mean that the character does. Example: Does your Half-Orc Barbarian know that he's making a Listen check when you ask for one? NNNOOOO!!!!! Does your Half-Elf Fighter know that he's the target of a Rogue's attack while he sleeps? NNNOOOO!!!!! Make him write a story. He should at least have an excuse if he's going to be a broody little nitwit(no offense to your friend, but Mike the DM's post sums it up perfectly).
DeWayne
08-09-04, 01:38 AM Originally posted by trapspringer
...playing a character who is being tracked by a bounty hunter for stealing an ancient relic which shifted his thought process towards helping people....

Try this for a back story:

An order of paladins have, among other things, a powerful relic sword in the vault of their temple.

An CE church of some demon-god wants the sword for some vile ceremony, or maybe they just don't want the paladin's to have it.

The CE church hires the local mafia/thieves guild to get the sword.

A thief manages to get into the vault and steal the sword.

This sword is powerful (it is a relic, after all.) It decides to go forth and do whatever it was made to do. The easiest way to do this is to use this idiot that's hanging on to it. It uses it great relic powers to wipe his personality & memories and rebuilds him to do the task that it wants done. Thus, no past memories but he still knows how to function in life.

The paladins are after him.
The demon church is after him.
The mob is after him.
And the sword will only fight when it directly and specifically furthers it's mission.

He may feel a desire to 'help people' but he has no idea what specifically the sword wants done. Nor does he have any idea why all of these different groups want him dead.

This actually sounds like something you could have fun DMing.
Joe Khol
08-09-04, 07:32 AM Originally posted by Fraser1986
I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character)

I don't see why not as long as you have a good reason to do so.

I don't think you need to with this character though.

With amnesia there are two options. The player writes the pre-amnesia background but the character doesn't know it or the DM writes the pre-amnesia background so the player doesn't know it either. Either way, the background should exist. You could even use it as a plot hook.

The sword sounds dodgy - a player trying to get something snacky with a 'disadvantage' which isn't really that bad. If you are willing to go with it I would make sure you keep control of things on way or another.

You could have complete control over when the sword can be used - with intelligence, the power simply not working (so it is just a normal sword most of the time) or it locking into it's scabbard unless it wants to be used. You determine what fits the criteria.

Another option is not to give him the sword straight away. Maybe it is an aspect of his amneisia - he knows he owns this sword but not where it is. You then have a long running side plot of him tracking it down.

Or you could give him the weapon but not the method of activating it. He could learn/remeber over time how to make the more powerful abilities work, thus keeping it at an appropriate level for the party.

You do need to be careful with this kind of thing though. Make sure you don't give this one character more power or more attention over the others (maybe offer them something similar too). Similarly, make sure you are not restricting the character too much, putting him at a disadvantage.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fraser1986 08-06-04, 06:26 PM	I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character) who is determined to play a character from a book (shadow is the book). Unforunately this character has no memory but seems to have an amazing skill with the sword. He also wants a sword called "peace" which is very powerful but can only be used in important fights. The problems as I see them are no memeory means to background or history which are vital to rich characters (not rich meaning wealthy). Also this sword of his would have to be pretty powerful when he actually got to use it. Unfortunately the times he would be using it would be tense showdowns and him wielding some supre powerful sort would take the highlight away from the plight of the party as a whole as they try to face their bitter nemisis and survive.... Whats a DM to do?
Salla 08-06-04, 07:50 PM	Oh, if I had a player who wanted an amnesiac character, I would be all over that like cheap on K-Mart. "Why does that guy hate you so much?" "I have no idea!" I dunno about the sword, though. Players with 'escape pod' ideas (things they ask for only for dire emergencies) tend to interpret dire more liberally than most DMs. Now, the difference depends on whether the item is only pulled when the CHARACTER things the fight is important, or if the DM thinks the fight is important. In the first case, the player will pull it out, more than likely, any time he feels he may be outclassed. I've seen many 'emergency plans' start to become standard procedures. In the latter, it means that the sword doesn't function/won't leave the scabbard/has no power unless it's pulled in a life-or-death close fight. If he tries to pull it when it's not that big a deal, there are some consequences. If it's the former, I'd say no. If the latter, I'd say ... possibly.
Eck 08-07-04, 07:41 AM	Try and track down Fixxxer's reply to a similar thread. It's great if you're a DM with a darkside. I believe the title was something along the lines of "How do I get players to write backstories". The advice says to be as mean as possible, and make it to where the player will not want to leave ANY holes in his back-story. I think there were things like, STD's, past gay lovers(Not that there's anything wrong with that. - Seinfeld), huge debts the character owes, bounties on the character's heads. And in this case, he's stolen that powerful sword. :devil: And on a side note. I dislike allowing characters with an obvious rip-off feel. The darkelf ranger who dualwields scimitars has been done before... :) - Eck
trapspringer 08-07-04, 11:31 AM	Most of the stuff following the gay part sounds pretty good to me. I wouldn't mind playing a character who is being tracked by a bounty hunter for stealing an ancient relic which shifted his thought process towards helping people. Sounds pretty compeling. You disagree?
Jenny With The Lantern 08-07-04, 11:41 AM	Actually, the guy DOES have a background; make him write the times after he lost his memory, what he's done so far to find his memory, etc. It is a great plot hook! Second, about the sword: if you have any idea of how your campaign is going to go, give him an appropriate bane weapon or design a weapon that only functions under special circumstances, that's a normal +1 or +1 and a special ability weapon.
Lxarth 08-07-04, 12:02 PM	I had a player who made a dual-weilding scimitar drow...she did a good job...and doesnt know about drizzt. I also had a player (in shadowrun) who told me that if his character dies his next one is gonna have full-blown amnesia...it was actually really cool..till the player stopped showing up. Jenny With The Lantern has good ideas...but a character taken from a book is not fun...he will want to 'play the book'...and he might be like...'oh, and dont forget the sword does this'...I dont really like the idea that he is this character from the book. A character similar might be ok...but not the same.
Kerrexl 08-07-04, 04:02 PM	Originally posted by Lxarth I also had a player (in shadowrun) who told me that if his character dies his next one is gonna have full-blown amnesia...it was actually really cool..till the player stopped showing up. :rofl: hehe... talk about getting In character... hehe
Occams_Razor 08-08-04, 04:19 AM	A character with amnesia is no problem, although I would encourage the character to either have ashort amount of backstory or at the very least explain the general outlook of the character. He may not remember his life, but it would be interesting if he has a strong sense of protectiveness toward young women. (It could later be revealed that he had a younger sister who was murdered or something like that) Lots of potential here. The potent sword I would vote against without a strong negative factor to balance it, because otherwise, as was said before, it will cripple some dramatic moments of the campaign if he has a powerful sword and he is an incredibly powerful swordsman, I would suggest that the opposite be true rather than what the player suggested, that the sword only be available when no one's life is in danger, or only when in direct sunlight or something so that enemies could circumvent the power of the sword rather than needing to be so powerful that they can slay the entire party, save the sword dude, just to challenge that one character. Balance in all things. ;)
Arrowhen 08-08-04, 05:18 AM	I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character) who is determined to play a character from a book Tell him if he wants to write fanfic to do it on his own time.
SevenSerpents 08-08-04, 06:49 AM	the CHARACTER might have amnesia and might not remember his past life - but the PLAYER actually SHOULD know about his characters past. if he does not come up with background, it's up to the dm, to create some, that fits the story. with the sword i see two possibilities: 1) the sword has got tremendous powers, but the pc has to discover them bit by bit. you could level-up the sword together with the pc. 2) the sword only works randomly. and the dm decides, when it acts as a normal sword, and when it turns into some super-weapon. or if you don't like this randomness, make criteria, that make the sword work (like mentioned before, sunlight ect.) but DON'T tell the player about it. if he figures it out - fine. if not, it's his problem. last, but not least: only because he's a dear friend there's no reason letting him play uber-characters.
Fraser1986 08-08-04, 06:51 AM	Thanks guys, I think I'll insist that the loss of memory happened at least a few weeks ago; I get the impression he wants his guy to have lost his memory within minutes of the story starting (which would be great for a one player game but would take away from the party as it would require a long "waking up scene") As for the sword, im not sure what i'll do. Perhaps an interesting use requirement, maybe only on holy days or something (IT turns out that he was a monk from some religeous order who is now hunting him for stealing their holy sword). It would be a +2 bane vs evil sword that only works on holiday days of certain Gods.
Occams_Razor 08-08-04, 08:01 AM	Oh, I had an idea! It could be like a "leveled item" which has powers that must be activated or it has a command word to awaken it's "true" powers that he has to remember but in essence won't find until you give it to him, thus holding off the overpoweredness. You could even feed it back in stages to keep things balanced. Although this might seem unfair or mean to the player, so it's maybe not the best idea... :banghead:
Mike the DM 08-08-04, 08:58 AM	:nonono: Fanboys make me cringe. Playing an archetype is one thing. Modelling your character after a specific literary figure is another. Hand him his character sheet, tell him he's violating copywright laws or that someone got sued by Salvatore for making a Drizzle D'oh!Urkle character or something (try to make it sound plausible), and as nicely as possible ask him to try again. ;) Seriously, if you don't want the character in the game, explain to him that for reasons of game mechanics it's not going to work. That's really all you need to do.
Nuntius128 08-08-04, 10:19 PM	Just because the player knows something doesn't mean that the character does. Example: Does your Half-Orc Barbarian know that he's making a Listen check when you ask for one? NNNOOOO!!!!! Does your Half-Elf Fighter know that he's the target of a Rogue's attack while he sleeps? NNNOOOO!!!!! Make him write a story. He should at least have an excuse if he's going to be a broody little nitwit(no offense to your friend, but Mike the DM's post sums it up perfectly).
DeWayne 08-09-04, 01:38 AM	Originally posted by trapspringer ...playing a character who is being tracked by a bounty hunter for stealing an ancient relic which shifted his thought process towards helping people.... Try this for a back story: An order of paladins have, among other things, a powerful relic sword in the vault of their temple. An CE church of some demon-god wants the sword for some vile ceremony, or maybe they just don't want the paladin's to have it. The CE church hires the local mafia/thieves guild to get the sword. A thief manages to get into the vault and steal the sword. This sword is powerful (it is a relic, after all.) It decides to go forth and do whatever it was made to do. The easiest way to do this is to use this idiot that's hanging on to it. It uses it great relic powers to wipe his personality & memories and rebuilds him to do the task that it wants done. Thus, no past memories but he still knows how to function in life. The paladins are after him. The demon church is after him. The mob is after him. And the sword will only fight when it directly and specifically furthers it's mission. He may feel a desire to 'help people' but he has no idea what specifically the sword wants done. Nor does he have any idea why all of these different groups want him dead. This actually sounds like something you could have fun DMing.
Joe Khol 08-09-04, 07:32 AM	Originally posted by Fraser1986 I have a player (a good friend so i can't just refuse his character) I don't see why not as long as you have a good reason to do so. I don't think you need to with this character though. With amnesia there are two options. The player writes the pre-amnesia background but the character doesn't know it or the DM writes the pre-amnesia background so the player doesn't know it either. Either way, the background should exist. You could even use it as a plot hook. The sword sounds dodgy - a player trying to get something snacky with a 'disadvantage' which isn't really that bad. If you are willing to go with it I would make sure you keep control of things on way or another. You could have complete control over when the sword can be used - with intelligence, the power simply not working (so it is just a normal sword most of the time) or it locking into it's scabbard unless it wants to be used. You determine what fits the criteria. Another option is not to give him the sword straight away. Maybe it is an aspect of his amneisia - he knows he owns this sword but not where it is. You then have a long running side plot of him tracking it down. Or you could give him the weapon but not the method of activating it. He could learn/remeber over time how to make the more powerful abilities work, thus keeping it at an appropriate level for the party. You do need to be careful with this kind of thing though. Make sure you don't give this one character more power or more attention over the others (maybe offer them something similar too). Similarly, make sure you are not restricting the character too much, putting him at a disadvantage.