Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Larus 11-29-03, 06:11 PM	Ok, heres the deal. In our group, e have one sorcerer and one bard; the bard is a half-elf the sorcerer a human. The player playing the sorcerer wrote in his baground story (yes he wrote it, like a short story...great, huh?:D ) that his character (Tyro) grew up with his father and stepmom in a rich, wealthy city. His father is a big shot officer and a respected man. But his real mother is a mystery, and his father never talked about her. The Bard's story (female, named Ylaja), goes like this: Her elven father, who was a wizard fell in love with a young human bard. They were supposed to get married, but he got killed by an assasin for unknown reasons while Ylaja was still in her mothers woumb. Now, Ylaja was left at her human aunts doorstep, being told that her mother passed away as well. The players have recently found out that that was not the case; her mother left to kill her lover's assasin.....A RENOWNED HUMAN GENERAL! So.....obviously, this general is Tyro's father, and things are getting quite tense between him and the bard. So, just to make things interesting: let's say the assasin seduced Ylaja's mother? Let's say the sorcerer and the bard are siblings? Here's the reasons I want to do this: -they both have the "spell prodigy" feat. (mother's trait) -they both have the point blank shot ("archery is a family-thing" -Ylaja) -they both use sponaneous magic -they are both chaotic good and the best part: THEY BOTH HAVE RED HAIR! both player wrote (not knowing what the other planned) "red hair" in their charatcer description. Should I really do this? Is it a dramatic turn in the storyline, or just stupid? Would it keep the two of them for killing each other? Would it prevent Ylaja form killing Tyro's father? I'm really unsure of this, but it would be SO COOL to see their faces when they discover it!!!
Alrunic Silverfyre 11-29-03, 06:23 PM	If it improves the story: Do It. That's my default rule and I think that this would be a very rich opportunity for some great role playing. That is if your players are mature enough to jump at it...and I wouldn't see why they aren't. So go for it. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!
Larus 11-29-03, 06:32 PM	Roleplaying is definitly NOT a problem, we spent the entire last seission roleplaying, fighting only once (a bar-fight). So, you think it's a good idea then? Not too farfetched? MAN, this could be SO MUCH FUN! Can't WAIT to see their reactions!:D :D :D
Crossover-Chronicler 11-29-03, 06:40 PM	Originally posted by Larus Roleplaying is definitly NOT a problem, we spent the entire last seission roleplaying, fighting only once (a bar-fight). So, you think it's a good idea then? Not too farfetched? MAN, this could be SO MUCH FUN! Can't WAIT to see their reactions!:D :D :D I don't think it matters whether the story is far-fetched. It matters whether you can make it sound good :D I know I've saved some really pitiful storylines by talking really fast dueing the shaky parts. ;)
BlaineTog 11-29-03, 06:49 PM	:rofl: If they really did write their stories seperately (writing a character's backstory in a Short Story form should be mandatory, IMO), and they are that similar, then a) they were asking for it by writing so much. (OT: I didn't write one for my last character because my DM threatened to pick it for hooks :( ); and b) if they DID write them together, then they are still asking for it. Plus it would be funny. But I think you should take a few things into account: a) how, specifically, would it affect the story? Try to think a few moves ahead. This could be really realyl good, or it could casue a TPK. Anlyze the characters and (more importantly) the players carefully first. b) Are the two players friends IRL? You probably don't want to make their characters siblings if they hate each other or something (see item a). My $0.02
Mr. Wilson 11-29-03, 09:37 PM	My personal opinion on the matter is how can you avoid doing it? I mean, it's such a perfect plot hook. The best I've ever been able to do is make the BBEG one of the PC's father (yeah, yeah, yeah, Star Wars, blah, blah, blah). This is a dream hook. Use it.
chimpman 11-29-03, 10:21 PM	Originally posted by Larus Should I really do this? Is it a dramatic turn in the storyline, or just stupid? Yes, you have to do this! :D I don't think I could live with myself if I let something like this pass me by. Would it keep the two of them for killing each other? It might be. How do Tyro and his father get along? If the answer is that they get along well, there might be trouble. How will Tyro react when he learns that his father is an assassin? Would it prevent Ylaja form killing Tyro's father? This is a hard call. It might not prevent me if I were in her place. I think that the trick is to get them both on the same page about Tyro's father. Either Tyro needs to learn something terrible about his father, or Ylaja learns something terrible about hers (placing Tyro's father in a better light).
TinySilverChalice 11-29-03, 11:55 PM	We had two characters find out they were half-siblings right after one "stole" their boyfriend. A third character (a high lvl thieves' guild leader who wanted revenge for her younger sister's loss) actually had hired another PC from a previous adventure to assassinate the half-sibling. The three of them also shared hair color, alignment, and class selection (a CN socerer and CN rogue discovering their half-sister CN bard/rogue in this case). Seperate storylines found the older Rogue sister seeking out a "lost" half-sibling, and our DM (with the players' approval) descided that the party member created apart from that storyline actually had very much to do with it. It's taken two years game time for the three of them to work out their differences... actually there's still a fair amount of distrust between the bard and the guild leader, but, hey, that's just the thing that breaks the hackn'slash from the role-playing: uncomfortable situations. Go for it! For good or ill, it'll make a good story.
Larus 11-30-03, 08:29 AM	Originally posted by chimpman Yes, you have to do this! :D I don't think I could live with myself if I let something like this pass me by. I agree; this is a once in a life time opportunity!, but I'm still kind of scared that it could ruin a great campaign... Originally posted by chimpman It might be. How do Tyro and his father get along? If the answer is that they get along well, there might be trouble. How will Tyro react when he learns that his father is an assassin? Ok, you see Tyro ran away from home after his father wanted him to be a soldier. I turned the plot so that he eventually would have to face him (it was BOUND to happen, and the player practically asked for it by writing so in his background story); but I might have made a mistake dragging Ylaja's mother into this. (The player had NO IDEA that er mother was alive, and had written her "dead". I woke her up from the dead. Originally posted by chimpman This is a hard call. It might not prevent me if I were in her place. I think that the trick is to get them both on the same page about Tyro's father. Either Tyro needs to learn something terrible about his father, or Ylaja learns something terrible about hers (placing Tyro's father in a better light). hmm... The terrible thing is, of course that Tyro's father is an assasin. BUT, I'm tempted to make the wizard elf, Ylaja's father, into some real badass necromancer or something. Have the players find out the truth. Was it the evil assasin who ruined a happy marriage and raped an innocent bard? Or was it a hero rescuing the damsel in distress from a cruel and wicked wizard, planning to use both the mother and the child in some wicked evil ritual? And later brought her back into "the light"? this is a GREAT hook, and I'm going to use it, I've just not figured out HOW. And I've got three other players to entertain; wouldn't it be unfair for them, to turn the campaign and the current plot (stop two kingdoms controlled by enemy outsiders from clashing into war) around this story? Oh, and they don't know about the outsiders yet:angel: They'll find out next session, though...:smirk:
Shifting Master 11-30-03, 11:01 AM	Originally posted by Larus Ok, you see Tyro ran away from home after his father wanted him to be a soldier. I turned the plot so that he eventually would have to face him (it was BOUND to happen, and the player practically asked for it by writing so in his background story); but I might have made a mistake dragging Ylaja's mother into this. (The player had NO IDEA that er mother was alive, and had written her "dead". I woke her up from the dead. hmm... The terrible thing is, of course that Tyro's father is an assasin. BUT, I'm tempted to make the wizard elf, Ylaja's father, into some real badass necromancer or something. Have the players find out the truth. Was it the evil assasin who ruined a happy marriage and raped an innocent bard? Or was it a hero rescuing the damsel in distress from a cruel and wicked wizard, planning to use both the mother and the child in some wicked evil ritual? And later brought her back into "the light"? this is a GREAT hook, and I'm going to use it, I've just not figured out HOW. And I've got three other players to entertain; wouldn't it be unfair for them, to turn the campaign and the current plot (stop two kingdoms controlled by enemy outsiders from clashing into war) around this story? Oh, and they don't know about the outsiders yet:angel: They'll find out next session, though...:smirk: Even better, make Tyro's father and Ylaja's father be two conmen-murderers that are in league with each other. The two men have impregnated other women in a similar fashion. They find this out from an female assasin NPC who the PCs think is trying to assasinate them. Of course, the NPC is trying to assasinate them, but the NPC finds out that Tyro and Ylaja were created in the same way as she was and softens up, telling them that she was fathered in the same fashion by Tyro's father and has a half-elven brother. The outsiders have found out about the two men's antics and wish to use them as minions in their armies. That will wind the entire thing together. This campaign has so much potential. Wish I was DMing your group.
Larus 11-30-03, 01:08 PM	yeah, that could work.... thanks! I'm now considering having Ylaja's father ressurected as a vampire, just to make things more interesting. But, of course, this could be more confusing. I'm planning to give the group a choice -as the war evolves it will be nescecary to take side, just to be safe from the armies and to be closer to one of the outsiders and be able to attack him. I'm going to give them the "illution" that one of the outsiders is "good", so that they are more likely to take his side (of course they don't have to, but considering their alignments, they probably would). Only to discover that he is a badass as well, and the defeat of one outsider only grants the other more powers.... :smirk: The whole "conmen" -thing gives space for a bunch of conspiracy -theories and gives room for more depth in the character Tyro and Ylaja's mother. I really like that idea, but I don't know if I should drag any more NPC's into this plot than I already have... Then again, NPC's are great for storyline catalysators.... Thanks again!
hivemind[MVGC] 11-30-03, 06:52 PM	Make sure you don't let this turn of events alienate the other players tho... Everyone enjoys their fifteen minutes.
Cronix 11-30-03, 09:42 PM	I had a couple characters in my story who were step sisters. But that had already been figured out while they were wrighting their descritpoins. I bet it would be cool if thye found out they were sisters halfway through the story. You should try it out.:D