Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Elrana 04-23-04, 10:35 AM	As there have been a few questions regarding character creation and background issues and so on I thought it might be helpful to see, and to show, some of our characters' histories and see how we have produced characters based on their history. Personally I always develop the character concept and history before the character as I find it extraordinarily helpful in creating a complete and rounded character. It means that instead of posting requests for assistance regarding which feats/skills/classes/equipment to take for a character you can look at his/her history and make decisions based on what s/he would have learned, encountered and developed. Alternatively you can create a character and then write up their history based on the feats/skills and so on that you have chosen for them. As an experienced player (17+ years) I still think that seeing how some of you do it will be helpful to me, and I know that when I was a new player having an interweb and being able to see other players' ideas and styles would have been invaluable. I think a little additional information, current level, starting level and any other pertinent points might also be handy as well as brief playing world tips if necessary. So come on, someone get it started then!
Black Kitten 04-23-04, 10:40 AM	Well, I have 3+ years experienced in an online PBEM-RPG (Played by email) at www.tangofleet.org. In this type of game personal histories are v. important. Hence I usually have both ways of looking at it. It really depends. But if I am going to get myself something fun, above the requirement of usefulness, I make a personal history first.
Thermanshs 04-23-04, 10:57 AM	Elrana:There was a great!!! thread about creating a concept for your character and then building him...the ideal solution for what you're looking for...unfortunately,I couldn't find the link to it but thank Moradin I've copied it in the past so I can paste it here.I couldn't even remember the creator's nickname(and I hope he doesn't have a problem posting what HE said) but...anyway WARNING! THE FOLLOWING TEXT ISN'T MINE! IT'S TAKEN FROM A THREAD IN REGDAR'S REPOSITORY How to create a role-playing character WARNING: Long post! One of the topics discussed in the thread Getting in character was about how to build a role-playing character. This is not just a matter of filling in a character sheet, and then writing a background for it. Rather, it is the whole idea of building a character for role-playing right from the start. I believe that this makes for a much more interesting and engaging character, which results in a more enjoyable game. In response to that thread, I have written out here how I go about designing a role-playing character. I have tried to make it as general as possible, but I have also provided a running example, to try to illustrate my points. The method focuses on five principle areas of character design: concept, mechanics, background, details and role-playing. In each, the individual steps are explained. In the text below, boldface text indicates the key points, with the description of what I mean in normal type. My example character is given in italics. In order to follow this method, you don't need a lot of equipment or books. I assume: 1 x Player's Handbook, 1 x pencil, 1 x eraser, 3 blank sheets of DIN-A4 paper (or similar - a computer, text editor and printer would also work well), 1 x blank character sheet, 1 x set of D&D dice, 1 x large felt-tip pen. Please note that this is just my way of doing things. Of course every player is different and there are different ways of doing things. What I have written here is not necessarily best (or even good!). It just works for me, and I hope that by sharing it, it might help others or at least give them ideas to improve their enjoyment of the game. CREATING A ROLE-PLAYING CHARACTER ### THE CONCEPT ### The first thing to do when designing a role-playing character, is to come up with a concept. This might sound straight-forward, but there is perhaps a bit more to it that you first realised. Start with a concept This whole article assumes that you have a "character concept". What I mean by this, is a single sentence that summarises the fundamental idea or image that sets your character apart from all the others. It is an idea, upon which the rest of the character will be based. It is simple and it is to the point. It might refer to the character's manner or their method of adventuring. It might incorporate their race, class or alignment. But what it should indicate is what their specialities are. What are they good at? What do they bring to the party? Once you have this idea, write it down at the top of your first sheet of paper. (Tip: put a date/label on each sheet as you start it... that will come in handy much later when you are sorting out your D&D folder!) Throughout this article, I'll include an example character to show what I mean at each step. For this example, I wanted a spell-caster with a fairly unique style and method. I was looking for something a little unusual, but not completely exotic. Possibly human, probably male. In the end, I settled on some sort of arcane-alchemist who dabbles a lot in elixirs, draughts and toxins. That in its own right would do as a "concept", but here is another way of putting it: "A magic-user who specialises in poisons, potions and acid-damage magic." Expand the concept into a brief summary The next thing to do, is to take that character summary and write a brief description of the character. It could be a paragraph or a handful of bullet points. What you are trying to do here is answer a fundamental question: "What is the character like?" This will serve as the basis of the character design, and may well serve as your role-playing notes for the game (most DMs would love to get this much detail from some of their players!). Keep it simple, don't try and be eloquent, just put down some basic facts and observations about your character, trying all the while to answer the question "What is he or she like?" In case you are lost at this point, here as some examples of things you could note down. The character's name, race, gender, profession, attitude and outlook are good places to start. Perhaps you could comment on how social he or she is. What about appearance, be it choice of clothes or physical traits. How does the character fight? Why does the character adventure? Note that these are just examples. Put in what you think serves your idea best. Leave out anything about which you are unclear. Don't forget to read your concept again and make sure that they are consistent. Then write down your brief summary on that same piece of paper. This becomes your "Character Summary Page". Here is a summary for my example character: "Dietrich Zaubertrank takes particular interest in all curious liquids, ointments and potions, be they beneficial or noxious. He wears morbid clothes and his drawn face almost always has a sneering expression. As much as he objects to the outdoors and physical energy, he has taken up the adventuring life in search of the wealth and exotic ingredients to support his expensive alchemical interests." ### THE MECHANICS ### You will notice that at this point we have a good idea of what the character is like, but we have not written down any numbers, statistics or details. This is important in designing a role-playing character. It is always easy to fit the numbers in later, but it can be difficult to try to fit the story to the numbers. And even if you do, it will often appear contrived and shallow. However, now armed with our concept and summary we are ready to start considering how we will implement the character with the D&D rules. Rank the abilities This step requires self-control. What you need to do now, is consider each basic ability (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma) in the context of your character concept and summary, and assign either "high", "medium", or "low" to the ability. Note: do not try to put in any numbers at this stage - we shall be coming back to this later. You need to keep an open mind at this stage. If it helps, use terms like "good", "average" and "poor", instead. Write these down on your second sheet of paper (this will be your "Character Mechanics Page"). If you want, write down any ideas you may have as to why you made the choices you did. These may help you later. Be wary if you find that all your abilities are ranked "high"; that's easy to do. If this is the case, then rank your abilities from most important to least important, and then give the two best "high", the next two "medium" and the last two "low". A character that is all "high"s might be great, but will be flat and lifeless. Continuing my example, Dietrich is very bright and fairly aware. He doesn't like exercise much, so he'd not be too strong or dextrous. He doesn't have a particularly pleasant demeanour. He'd be a bit frail, but resistant to poisons, so average constitution. Thus: Str: low, Dex: low, Con: medium, Int: high, Wis: medium, Cha: low What feats are essential Now look at the list of feats in the PHB, and write down any that are highly relevant to the character, even if you don't have the pre-requisites for them (due to level or whatever). Split up the essential feats from those that are merely useful. Then write them on your "Character Mechanics Page", noting any pre-requisites. For Dietrich, I regarded Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Skill Focus (Alchemy) as essential. The latter was with a bit of foresight, however I may have come back to amend this list after I'd considered skills. I also regarded the following as possibly useful for the character: Combat Casting, Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Great Fortitude, Spell Focus, Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration and Toughness What skills are essential Now repeat the exercise, but for skills. Think laterally too considering opposites to what your character might do. Then write them all down on your "Character Mechanics Page", noting the required skill. Remember, keep referring to your character concept and summary, as you consider these, and remember to write down those that are crucial to the concept, and not all those "nice-to-haves"! I regarded Alchemy (Int) as absolutely essential for Dietrich. But I also consider Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Heal (Wis), Knowledge - arcana (Int), Knowledge - nature (Int), Profession - apothecarist (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int) as important. What spells are essential In the case of a spell-caster, you will probably have a reasonable idea as to what type of caster they will be (cleric, wizards, or whatever). However, now go through the complete spell list and write down anything that is relevant - even if it is in a slightly different class to what you had anticipated. Again, write down those spells that would perfectly fit the character concept, and don't just write down Fireball, because it seems powerful. Furthermore, write down spells of all levels. These are things that you can aim for in later levels, and they may influence your choice of intermediate skills/feats/whatever. Part of the concept of Dietrich Zaubertrank was acid-damage magic. Having searched the SRD electronically for "acid", "poison", "toxic" and "lethal", I found the following spells: Acid Fog (Sor/Wiz.6) Cloudkill (Sor/Wiz.5) Delay Poison (Brd/Clr/Drd/Pal.2/Rgr.1) Detect Poison (Clr/Drd/Sor/Wiz.0/Pal.1) Gaseous Form (Brd/Sor/Wiz.3) Glyph of Warding (Clr.3) Glyph of Greater Warding (Clr.6) Heal (Clr.6/Drd.7) Heroes' Feast (Clr.6) Iron Body (Sor/Wiz.8) Mass Heal (Clr.8,Drd.9) Melf's Acid Arrow (Sor/Wiz.2) Neutralise Poison (Brd/Clr/Pal.4,Drd/Rgr.3) Poison (Clr.4/Drd.3) Prismatic Sphere (Sor/Wiz.9) Prismatic Spray (Sor/Wiz.7) Prismatic Wall (Sor/Wiz.8) Protection from Elements (Clr/Drd/Sor/Wiz.3,Rgr.2) Purify Food and Drink (Clr/Drd.0) Resist Elements (Clr/Drd/Pal/Sor/Wiz.2,Rgr.1) Storm of Vengeance (Clr.9) Summon Swarm (Brd/Drd/Sor/Wiz.2) I then sort them out in preferential order, for each level. I also consider whether the availability of spells will affect my choice of character class (but I don't leave any "other class" spells off the list, lest I multi-class later or possibly engage in "spell research". Equipment Consider also equipment. Pick out one or two especially important items. For a fighter it could be a particular weapon, which is key to the character concept. For a rogue, it could be a spy-glass. Remember any special kits or tools. And don't forget any mundane items, which are still highly indicative of the character. Dietrich will have flasks of Acid, Alchemist's Fire and Antitoxin. He'd also have lots of Vials for any new potions he'd create. A notebook with quill and ink would be essential for all his recipes. He'd also carry several waterskins and a large block of soap - when working with poisons, one can never be too careful with washing ones hands. Candles and tindertwigs provide light for him to stay up late studying his spell-book. (And the candle wax is useful in sealing potion bottles anyway.) Character class By now, you will have a really good idea of what the character class and race will be. But take a moment to consider the class progression. Ask yourself questions such as: How high in level will our campaign take us? What level do I need to qualify for that special feat? What class do I need to be to cast this particular spell? Will this class suit the ability scores that I ranked earlier? etc. Make a few notes about this on your "Character Mechanics Page". You can use these later, when you are going up a level, to remind yourself of the aims that you had for the character and, if still relevant, you can act on these. It will also serve to help align you character background and history, so that a different class choice or some such thing will not be out-of-character, as it will have been anticipated and, hopefully, incorporated into the way you portrayed your character. Dietrich will be a Wizard, with no real cause for change. Although, in considering the spells, five levels of Druid would gain access to quite a number of poison-related spells (Delay Poison, Neutralise Poison, Poison, Purify Food and Drink). However, it was regarded that this class would not suit the character's demeanour, and so the idea was rejected. Assign your ability scores Now either roll the dice and assign your ability scores or choose and assign them if you are using some point-buy system. Bear in mind your requirements for feats, the associated ability for skills and, if relevant, the appropriate ability the Spell-DC for casters. Don't forget that an characters of different ages, races and levels will get (orlose) ability points, and you should allow for this. Of course, bear in mind the "high" "medium" and "low" rankings that you gave earlier, and if you are not matching that, ask yourself "why?" before opting one way or the other. Dietrich has abilities 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8. Knowing all that I do now about his skills, feats and spells, I assigned these as follows: Str:8, Dex:12, Con:14, Int:15, Wis:13, Cha:10 Reiterate as necessary A D&D character is a complicated thing. Especially if you are a novice, you are not likely to get it right on the first pass. Thus, go back over your notes and the items listed above. Consider your character concept and summary again and review what you've done. Make changes as necessary. At this point I was reasonably happy with Dietrich, so I moved on ### THE BACKGROUND ### Writing up a character background can be a daunting task. But the trick is to take a step back and ask what such a description is trying to achieve. What do you want the other players or the DM to derive from reading this? Seriously. The answer usually isn't some deep knowledge of culture, geography or personal history. It is simply an intuitive feel for the character and his or her motivations, to allow the other players to interact with him or her in an appropriate way. There are two standard ways to do this. The first is the traditional character history, and the second is a description of the character's routine day. The characters history This is what most players usually attempt to write to describe their characters, and it is indeed a good idea. Jot down some notes onto a sheet of paper labelled "Character Background Page". These can be either in first or third person. Answer questions like "Where was the character born?", "Where did they grow up?", "How did they learn their class/trade/profession?", "How did they begin adventuring?". However, also try going a step further. Describe perhaps an embarrassing moment from the character's past. Or perhaps go into the details of his or her interpersonal relationships. Try to indicate both the high-points and low-points of the character's career to date. Don't forget, it is contrast that makes for interesting characters. And, what about annotating some dark secret or lifelong ambition? Note also, that it doesn't need to be that long, in order to convey sufficient details for the other players and the DM. Dietrich was born and raised in the great city of Themwun, the only child of Professor Zaubertrank - a lecturer at the Royal Themwun Academy and also, sadly, a widower. As a child, the boy would often spend time in his father's laboratories, helping with various recipes and preparations. He was formally trained in arcane magic, and eventually completed his studies with passable, if not brilliant grades, despite his bright nature and quick learning. You see, the problem was that he was just not interested in other areas of the arcane studies, and would only really pay attention to those pertaining to potions and concoctions. Now that he has come of age, his father has started sending Dietrich on long journeys in search of more exotic ingredients required for their work - as they'd now become quite a team. And all this travel was how Dietrich first fell in with... adventurers." A day in the life... An alternative way to give a good feel for what the character is like, is to describe his or her day in detail. This "character vignette", is a great way to convey the habits, mannerisms and other minor items in their life, which otherwise get forgotten in the excitement of game-session play. On the other hand, these tend to be longer than a history, as you need to go into enough detail to make it meaningful, and then it can take a while. And if, you are having trouble thinking of something, spend a day in your own "real-life" routine, and think about what your character would be doing at this point. So, write some notes from a day-in-the-life of your character onto the "Character Background Page" (either in first or third person). Dietrich started from a restful sleep, having been shaken by his companions. He blinked his eyes wearily, thinking to himself that they just don't appreciate that he must stay up late in order to memorise his spells for the next day. He grumbled to himself as he climbed out from under his warm camp blankets, yawning long and hard as his rubbed his eyes and ran his long fingers through his dishevelled hair... (text deleted for the sake of brevity) ... finally, he carefully washed his hands - twice; with lots of soap - before climbing onto his bed roll, and hauling out his spellbook from his pack. He carefully set the candle atop the supply box, and began to study. The half-moon sank low; it would be another late night. ### THE DETAILS ### At long last you can now go for that character sheet. Filling in the character sheet Fill out the sheet, referring to your Character Summary, Mechanics and Background pages constantly throughout the process. For some of the items, it is simply a matter of working out the numbers - base attack boni, saving throws, etc. all fall into this category. For others, such as spells, draw from your list and add others using imagination and pragmatism. Most of the numbers are just filled in for Dietrich Zaubertrank at this point. For the spell-list though, I have to decide what spells I want. Obviously, I draw on the list I've created above, but for the others, I go for some practical spells as well. Filling the "backpack" What goes into the characters rucksack, belt pouches, handbag, or horse-drawn wagon, can be just as important as what weapon they wield or what spells they have memorised. However, most players seem adept at role-playing their character as they fill in an equipment list. However, what usually then happens, is that this list stays static on the character sheet throughout the campaign. How many swordsmen have "whetstone" written on their character sheet? Lots. But how many during game time state every evening that they get out their whetstone and sharpen their sword? Hmm... I suspect far fewer. So, if you write down something, make a point of using it, when you play. Write a note in thick felt-tip pen to do something with a non-essential piece of equipment. For example, Dietrich uses candles every evening so he can stay up after dark and study his spells. I therefore partition off a section of the "equipment list" on the character sheet and write "Consumables" above it. In this section are "candles", "rations", "water", etc. For every day, I cross one set of consumables off the list. Thus, the other players quickly get the idea, that every time we call into town, Dietrich will need to call past the General Store to pick up some more candles. Sure they are a negligible cost, but they are excellent role-playing material. Create a portrait Optionally, you may want to create a picture of your character. Perhaps you are a talented artist, or you can find some suitable clip-art on the Internet. Or perhaps you could take an existing drawing and, using some computer image manipulation software (e.g. gimp), modify it to generate a unique look for your character (this is actually quite easy, once you know how). Regardless, if you are going to generate a picture of your character, you must show it to the other players and DM before they read about your character history/background/summary/etc. The reason for this is that the others will start to form a mental image quite quickly of what they think your character looks like. If you then later present something visual, you will actually cause a discontinuity in their perception of your new persona. However, if they see the character portrait first, then the detail that follows will complement this image, adding depth and richness to the two-dimensional image in the readers head. Sorry... this article has gone on long enough without writing a full tutorial/example on character portrait creation. Perhaps another time, if anyone is interested. ### THE ROLE-PLAYING ### Traits and mannerisms Work out three mannerisms that are typical of your character. Note that these should be things that you can say or gesticulate at the gaming table. Then, using a felt-tip pen, write them in big letters at the top of your character sheet. Thus, every time I go to the sheets (which is quite often at the start of the game), I see this large reminder to throw in a mannerism. Sure, you will miss a lot of opportunities, but after a while, the other players get to know these quirks, and a simple gesture can quickly make them associate what you say, with the character that you are portraying. I decided on the following for Dietrich: Firstly, not to say anything, but merely to click his tongue - tsk tsk tsk - whenever he doesn't approve of anything. Secondly, whenever he makes a decision or definitive statement, he wipes each hand against the other, as if brushing dust off them. And the third is to exclaim "Sssuffer", with a long drawn-out "S", almost spitting venom, whenever he deals damage to an opponent. Get the name right The character's name is a very important part of role-playing. If your fellow players are calling you by that name, then you'll feel more at ease with your role. But in a large group, how do you go about teaching them? Firstly, make your name reasonably easy - or at least have a nick-name. Naming your character after a small Welsh village may look great on paper but some of your companions may not find "Dwygyfylchi" quite so memorable or even easy to say. Next, make a point of repeating your character's name. As the other players hear it over and over, they will start to remember it, so that they can use it without thought. They will start to associate you with that name. Finally, make a point of learning the names of your fellow gamers' characters. Help each other, and you'll quickly get to the point where it becomes second nature, and that makes getting into character so much easier. When playing Dietrich, I'd make a point of not just saying "My character attacks the orc", but rather, "Dietrich attacks the orc". Oh, and of course, when I roll a hit, I then spit out "Sssufffer!". Avoid distractions during play Nothing is more disruptive during a game than that long pause while someone looks up a ruling. Now of course this is inevitable to some degree - not everyone is an expert - but it can be minimised. Don't expect your DM to know your rules for you. They have enough work on their hands planning your adventures for you and working out the rules for the NPCs without needing to worry about all the possible combat or skill-check options that you might want to do. Make a point of learning the rules for the abilities, spells, weapons, etc. that your character uses. If it is complicated, summarise it on your character sheet or the "Character Mechanics Page". With the advent of the SRD, you could even cut-and-paste-and-print all the relevant rules into a little booklet or folder. Dietrich Zaubertrank intends to carry and throw flasks of acid. Therefore I make a point of looking up the rules on acid flasks and grenade-like weapons. I then write them down onto my "Character Mechanics Sheet" (including the page reference). Thus, when it comes up in combat, I can quickly summarise the ruling for the DM, and tell him or her that it can be found on page such-and-such in the book. ### CONCLUSION ### Phew... it has been a long article, and if you persevered to the end of it, then you have my respect and appreciation. However, D&D is a very complicated past-time in the sense that there are so many ways of doing things. I have written one such way here, but there are so many possibilities and options left unexplored. I wish I could write these things down (and write them down better), but there comes a time when one needs to say "enough". Enough! I hope you find this useful. Of course, I'd welcome any feedback you might have. Best wishes for your new characters... -- Trydan.
KAPtain Braindead 04-26-04, 04:16 AM	I sometimes use the random method. For this to be effective, you might want to get a copy of The Hero Builders Guidebook. Roll a d8 for race and the result tells you how many races to go in the PHB (1 is human, 2 is dwarf, 3 means you're an elf...) A roll of 8 can be either a human or a ECL race (your choice). Next roll a d12 to determine the class, re-roll any 12 or use a the result to make a multiclass character (roll 2 or 3 times to determine classes, if conflicts arrise due to alignment or class restrictions re-roll the problem causing class(es)). In the Barbarian/Wizard combo, decide which class you had first (if Barbarian was first then you have to spend the skill points to learn to read). Now roll your stats and add the skills/feats as normal.
Elrana 04-26-04, 08:38 AM	Thanks very much for the responses but they are not exactly what I meant. That being said Thermanshs epic character creation advice post is great, have you considered posting it on Redgars? That alone makes this thread damn near invaluable for a new player but I also mean to actually post character histories that you have written in the past as a way to show new players the kind of work that can go into a character's past. This is useful for many reasons, first and foremost it goves you, the player, an idea of how your character may react as you can base his personality on past events and thus make him consistent. Secondly it allows for DM/player interaction. After having read the history that is to follow the DM has introduced the grandmother as a primary contact to the elven council. The honey aspect has been brought in for a little humour value as well and basically, all of our group having written similarly detailed histories the DM can introduce elements to the game such as bumping into old faces, having to go to old stomping grounds where one of the PCs can show the group around, become leader for a while and so on. So I shall kick off with Elrana's history: Elrana Evenstar Born fairly centrally in the Elven forests Elrana was the only child to his parents, his father being a powerful Abjurer/Arcane Archer and his mother an Illusionist. Both of his parents were active members of the Elven forces and both became casualties of the Elf/Drow war while Elrana was still very young. Consequently Elrana was taken to live with his Grandparents. His was a solitary childhood, his grandmother (a master Diviner) was frequently busy with the duties and business of the Elven High Council and his Grandfather was then, and still is, a very eccentric Elf (even by both Elven and Druidic standards), a Transmuter turned Druid who chooses to spend more time with his animal companions than in the company of his own kind and who’s most frequently found amongst the beehives over which he obsesses trying to develop different and more varied flavours of honey (a lifelong obsession resulting, largely incidentally, in the famous Evenstar brand). Despite the wealth and comfort that this brand name brought to his childhood Elrana remained inclined towards despondency and introversion and started his initial training as a ranger in order to take part in the wars against the enemies of Elvenkind. In spite of, or perhaps because of, his constant requests to be sent into battle against the Drow the senior Rangers considered it an unwise move and Elrana cut his teeth taking part in routine patrols hunting down troublesome bands of Orcs and goblinoids in the Elven borderlands. Although an effective and efficient Ranger it quickly became apparent that his primary skills were intellectual rather than physical and he was seconded by the Elven Mage School a short time into his training. While studying the first cantrips Elrana discovered a natural tendency toward specific focus (the Evenstars are yet to produce an unspecialised mage) combined with a flair for evocation that led to his specialisation in that school. Although dedicated to the Elven lands and ideals Elrana began to find the lack of concern regarding their enemies (due in part to the secrecies surrounding the situation) amongst the Elven population discouraging and found it difficult to take part, to a certain extent, in the slow lifestyle and inherent ability to allow issues to lie that typifies the Elven culture. Being aware of non-Elven nature and the need for greater acceleration in skills and power amongst other races Elrana decided to leave the Elven homelands and to enter into a human school of magic. It was his intention then to return to the Elven lands when he is powerful enough to stand out from the Elven population as an Elf worthy of position and so take a place within the Elven Council and at least be able to influence and petition the High Council with regard the ongoing war, if not at some point to play a part in it. Upon discovering the Arcane Order Elrana felt that he had found his niche and almost immediately after entry, once it was made clear that he intended to remain within the Order for some time, was picked as a special apprentice to the evocation master of the Order (a retired adventurer) and trained specifically by him in exchange for assisting with the master’s research projects. It was during this time that Elrana was sent into the wilds to search for a particular lost artefact for his master. During this journey he was followed and finally approached by Canth. Canth decided to accompany Elrana and upon their arrival back at the Order steps were taken by both of them to ensure their continued friendship. Absorbed in his studies time began to pass quickly for Elrana and he spent sixty years within the laboratories and libraries of the Order working with his master until his retirement due to ill health at almost one-hundred years old, followed shortly afterwards by his death. Feeling uncomfortable serving the new master (who Elrana had assisted in his initial training) Elrana awoke from the comfortable reveries of this lifestyle aware of having been remiss in his initial intention and decided to set out to accelerate his advancement. It was while toasting the memory of his old master following his cremation that Elrana bumped into Tai and the rest of the group and, encouraged by his late master’s tales of adventuring and the quick advancement that can come with it together with the chance to finally make a stand against the Drow, he agreed to join Taimara’s group and assist her, the group, and his people in the task set out before them. The Evenstar Crest The family crest shows a stylised representation of the evening’s first star as the sun sets and the crescent moon (the symbol of Corellon Larethian) rises over the forest. When set (as in Elrana’s signet ring) the various elements are made up with the sun being of gold, the moon of platinum, the star of mithril and the forest of emerald. The constituent parts are then set into an adamantine base representing the darkening sky. (His actual history has a graphic representation but I couldn't put it into the post.) I hope that this displays to some extent the imagination and detail that one can put into a character's past. I'd be very interested to see other people's histories and I'm sure that they will prove to be useful to more than just me.