Eberron Lifepath Generator - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Eberron Lifepath Generator

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
robert4818
Feb 28, 2009 8:59:58 Does anyone know of a lifepath generator for Eberron? It would be a very interesting thing to have to get my players interested in the game.
#2
salla
Feb 28, 2009 10:28:59 'Lifepath generator'? Definition, please.
#3
robert4818
Feb 28, 2009 11:46:56 Lifepath generators are basically character history generators.

Traveller had a classic example, and the newest one I can think of is from savage worlds fantasy character builder from their toolkits.

It randomly rolls up a background for characters. Or more specifically, it rolls up specific events or portions of a character's history. Its up to the player to weave them all into a coherant background.
#4
RedRider
Feb 28, 2009 12:24:02 Well, let's just dash a simple one off quickly, based on d6s:

Main Childhood Location Type
1 Wilderness
2 Village/Hamlet
3 Town
4 City
5 Metropolis/Capital
6 Travelling/Nomadic

Family wealth/prestige
1 Orphaned/Amesiac
2 Lower Class (Farmer, labourer, soldier)
3 Middle Class (Minor merchant, skilled labourer, higher ranking soldier, dragonmark heir)
4 High Class (Nobility, Royalty, Senior Clergy, Dragonmark Leadership)
5 Nouveau Riche (Adventurers, Sucessful Merchants, Unlanded senior army)
6 Unusual/Unapplicable (Risen/Fallen from one class to another, Time/Space displaced, from obscure culture, Locked in a mansion's basement since childhood.)

Life Changing Event
1 Death of a loved one
2 The war interferes
3 Scandal
4 Disappearance
5 Random Bizzare Accident
6 Inspiration/Epithany

Motivation For Adventuring
1 Bored/Thrill Seeking
2 Poor/Settlement of Debts
3 Seeking/Hunting person/place/McGuffin
4 Personal Power/Personal Rivalry
5 Friendship/Servitude with other party member
6 Free-Roaming Agent for Higher Power
#5
robert4818
Feb 28, 2009 16:26:31 Thanks.

Though in reality I was looking for something a bit more eberron specific.
#6
skrapsan
Mar 01, 2009 2:12:52 Just add something about the great war and conection to a dragonmarked house or other groups of power and you should be slightly more sett to go.

PS: please tell me if you find/make one.
#7
AvonRekaes
Mar 02, 2009 16:01:10 You could also roll for a randomly generated birthplace/residence.

Roll 1d4 for continent.
1.Khorvaire/Aerenal
2.Sarlona
3.Xen'drik
4.Seren/Argonessen

If you get Khorvaire, roll a d12 for country.
1.Breland
2.Aundaire
3.Karnnath
4.Thrane
5.Cyre
6.Darguun
7.Zilargo
8.Valenar
9.Talenta Plains
10.Mror Holds
11.Lhazzar Principalities
12.Outlying Territories (Roll a d6)

1.Demon Wastes
2.Eldeen Reaches
3.Shadow Marches
4.Droam
5.Aerenal
6.Q'barra

(This was all off the top of my head, so I may have missed someplace.)
#8
skrapsan
Mar 03, 2009 8:18:50 hmm maybe one should actually use this thread to actually make one of these things for Eberron.
#9
AvonRekaes
Mar 03, 2009 14:24:23 You can also do one for ties to a Dragonmarked House. It needn't be race-based because A) You can just be a guild employee and not blood-related to anyone in the House and B) In 4e, from what I hear, a PC of any race can have any dragonmark, so the abtract "tie" to a House can be "I have the same mark as them."

House Connection - Roll a d20
1. Orien.
2. Vadalis
3. Deneith
4. Cannith
5. Tharashk
6. Medani
7. Lyrandar
8. Thuranni
9. Phiarlan
10. Kundarak
11. Ghallanda
12. Jorasco
13. Sivis
14-20. No house ties.
#10
cloud_divider
Apr 13, 2009 0:46:33 For all of the PCs in my campaign, the "lifepath" question that mattered most was: How did the Last War affect you?

The war raged for 100 years, and only ended 3 years ago with the Treaty of Thronehold (assuming you're starting in the default year of 998 YK). Unless you're a Warforged who just rolled off the Creation Forge the day before the signing, the war would have affected your character in some significant way:

1) I fought in the war (followup: "What did you do?", "On which front?")
1a) I was on the frontlines (Glory! PTSD! Cool Scars!)
1b) I was in the rear area (less glory, more contacts, etc)
Gain a benefit: Friend/Contact/Mentor/Loot!/Gain Fame/Leverage on someone else (pick one)
Gain a complication: Enemy/Owe Favor/Debt/Lose Fame/Skeleton In Your Closet/Scars/PTSD/etc (pick one)

2) I managed to avoid fighting in the war
2a) By "draft dodging" and hiding somewhere
2b) By having some special connections that shielded me
2c) I lived somewhere where the war didn't reach (Q'barra, Xen'drik, the Marches, etc)
Gain a benefit: Friend/Contact/Mentor! (pick)
Gain a complication: Enemy/Social Debt/Owe $/Owe Favors (pick)

3) I lost a loved one in the war:
3a) Immediate Family (Father/Mother/Brother/Sister/Child)
3b) Friend/Ally/Mentor/Significant Other
3c) They died due to...
3c.1) They fought on the front
3c.2) The war came to them (e.g. a deep strike)
3c.3) They were betrayed (by whom? why?)
3c.4) They're MIA, and assumed dead. Maybe they were spies and defected...
Gain complication: You've got a grudge! e.g. "Hates Karrns"; if 3c.4, you've got a skeleton in your closet (or maybe even allies on the other side!).

4) You met somebody interesting!
4a) Nobleman
4b) Member of Dragonmarked House
4c) Cabal member (e.g. member of the Trust, Dark Lanterns, Swords of Liberty, one of Sharn's wizardly Circles, etc)
4d) Someone wealthy/influential (e.g. rich merchant, info broker, etc)

5) This guy:
5a) Respects/Likes me
5b) Is indifferent/Neutral
5c) Dislikes/Hates me

6) And...?
5a) Owes me one ("I saved your life!")
5b) I owe them ("He saved my life!")
5c) Trade favors regularly

I could probably go on. But there's a lot of good story potential here. My group's got plenty... One served as a medic in the Brelish army (rear area, but he met some important people), another had a charmed officer's life in the Thranish military...until she fled from her first "real" battle (Skeleton in Closet - explaining why she left Thrane and is living in Breland), the Cyran Warforged fought on the Karrnathi front (Ranger w/ Undead as Favored Enemy) and has a real hate-on for the Valenar due to their betrayal of Cyre. The shifter Artificer basically laid low in Sharn, taking the "low drama" route.

The rest are fairly easy choices - race, class, land of origin. But what you're after is the interesting stuff. Story/dramatic hooks, etc! Bits of character backstory you can hang later plots on! "An buddy from your own unit was killed in a back alley a week ago...whatchagonnado?"

If I dig up my old Cyberpunk/Interlock books, I could probably adapt a pretty good lifepath.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 robert4818 Feb 28, 2009 8:59:58	Does anyone know of a lifepath generator for Eberron? It would be a very interesting thing to have to get my players interested in the game.
#2 salla Feb 28, 2009 10:28:59	'Lifepath generator'? Definition, please.
#3 robert4818 Feb 28, 2009 11:46:56	Lifepath generators are basically character history generators. Traveller had a classic example, and the newest one I can think of is from savage worlds fantasy character builder from their toolkits. It randomly rolls up a background for characters. Or more specifically, it rolls up specific events or portions of a character's history. Its up to the player to weave them all into a coherant background.
#4 RedRider Feb 28, 2009 12:24:02	Well, let's just dash a simple one off quickly, based on d6s: Main Childhood Location Type 1 Wilderness 2 Village/Hamlet 3 Town 4 City 5 Metropolis/Capital 6 Travelling/Nomadic Family wealth/prestige 1 Orphaned/Amesiac 2 Lower Class (Farmer, labourer, soldier) 3 Middle Class (Minor merchant, skilled labourer, higher ranking soldier, dragonmark heir) 4 High Class (Nobility, Royalty, Senior Clergy, Dragonmark Leadership) 5 Nouveau Riche (Adventurers, Sucessful Merchants, Unlanded senior army) 6 Unusual/Unapplicable (Risen/Fallen from one class to another, Time/Space displaced, from obscure culture, Locked in a mansion's basement since childhood.) Life Changing Event 1 Death of a loved one 2 The war interferes 3 Scandal 4 Disappearance 5 Random Bizzare Accident 6 Inspiration/Epithany Motivation For Adventuring 1 Bored/Thrill Seeking 2 Poor/Settlement of Debts 3 Seeking/Hunting person/place/McGuffin 4 Personal Power/Personal Rivalry 5 Friendship/Servitude with other party member 6 Free-Roaming Agent for Higher Power
#5 robert4818 Feb 28, 2009 16:26:31	Thanks. Though in reality I was looking for something a bit more eberron specific.
#6 skrapsan Mar 01, 2009 2:12:52	Just add something about the great war and conection to a dragonmarked house or other groups of power and you should be slightly more sett to go. PS: please tell me if you find/make one.
#7 AvonRekaes Mar 02, 2009 16:01:10	You could also roll for a randomly generated birthplace/residence. Roll 1d4 for continent. 1.Khorvaire/Aerenal 2.Sarlona 3.Xen'drik 4.Seren/Argonessen If you get Khorvaire, roll a d12 for country. 1.Breland 2.Aundaire 3.Karnnath 4.Thrane 5.Cyre 6.Darguun 7.Zilargo 8.Valenar 9.Talenta Plains 10.Mror Holds 11.Lhazzar Principalities 12.Outlying Territories (Roll a d6) 1.Demon Wastes 2.Eldeen Reaches 3.Shadow Marches 4.Droam 5.Aerenal 6.Q'barra (This was all off the top of my head, so I may have missed someplace.)
#8 skrapsan Mar 03, 2009 8:18:50	hmm maybe one should actually use this thread to actually make one of these things for Eberron.
#9 AvonRekaes Mar 03, 2009 14:24:23	You can also do one for ties to a Dragonmarked House. It needn't be race-based because A) You can just be a guild employee and not blood-related to anyone in the House and B) In 4e, from what I hear, a PC of any race can have any dragonmark, so the abtract "tie" to a House can be "I have the same mark as them." House Connection - Roll a d20 1. Orien. 2. Vadalis 3. Deneith 4. Cannith 5. Tharashk 6. Medani 7. Lyrandar 8. Thuranni 9. Phiarlan 10. Kundarak 11. Ghallanda 12. Jorasco 13. Sivis 14-20. No house ties.
#10 cloud_divider Apr 13, 2009 0:46:33	For all of the PCs in my campaign, the "lifepath" question that mattered most was: How did the Last War affect you? The war raged for 100 years, and only ended 3 years ago with the Treaty of Thronehold (assuming you're starting in the default year of 998 YK). Unless you're a Warforged who just rolled off the Creation Forge the day before the signing, the war would have affected your character in some significant way: 1) I fought in the war (followup: "What did you do?", "On which front?") 1a) I was on the frontlines (Glory! PTSD! Cool Scars!) 1b) I was in the rear area (less glory, more contacts, etc) Gain a benefit: Friend/Contact/Mentor/Loot!/Gain Fame/Leverage on someone else (pick one) Gain a complication: Enemy/Owe Favor/Debt/Lose Fame/Skeleton In Your Closet/Scars/PTSD/etc (pick one) 2) I managed to avoid fighting in the war 2a) By "draft dodging" and hiding somewhere 2b) By having some special connections that shielded me 2c) I lived somewhere where the war didn't reach (Q'barra, Xen'drik, the Marches, etc) Gain a benefit: Friend/Contact/Mentor! (pick) Gain a complication: Enemy/Social Debt/Owe $/Owe Favors (pick) 3) I lost a loved one in the war: 3a) Immediate Family (Father/Mother/Brother/Sister/Child) 3b) Friend/Ally/Mentor/Significant Other 3c) They died due to... 3c.1) They fought on the front 3c.2) The war came to them (e.g. a deep strike) 3c.3) They were betrayed (by whom? why?) 3c.4) They're MIA, and assumed dead. Maybe they were spies and defected... Gain complication: You've got a grudge! e.g. "Hates Karrns"; if 3c.4, you've got a skeleton in your closet (or maybe even allies on the other side!). 4) You met somebody interesting! 4a) Nobleman 4b) Member of Dragonmarked House 4c) Cabal member (e.g. member of the Trust, Dark Lanterns, Swords of Liberty, one of Sharn's wizardly Circles, etc) 4d) Someone wealthy/influential (e.g. rich merchant, info broker, etc) 5) This guy: 5a) Respects/Likes me 5b) Is indifferent/Neutral 5c) Dislikes/Hates me 6) And...? 5a) Owes me one ("I saved your life!") 5b) I owe them ("He saved my life!") 5c) Trade favors regularly I could probably go on. But there's a lot of good story potential here. My group's got plenty... One served as a medic in the Brelish army (rear area, but he met some important people), another had a charmed officer's life in the Thranish military...until she fled from her first "real" battle (Skeleton in Closet - explaining why she left Thrane and is living in Breland), the Cyran Warforged fought on the Karrnathi front (Ranger w/ Undead as Favored Enemy) and has a real hate-on for the Valenar due to their betrayal of Cyre. The shifter Artificer basically laid low in Sharn, taking the "low drama" route. The rest are fairly easy choices - race, class, land of origin. But what you're after is the interesting stuff. Story/dramatic hooks, etc! Bits of character backstory you can hang later plots on! "An buddy from your own unit was killed in a back alley a week ago...whatchagonnado?" If I dig up my old Cyberpunk/Interlock books, I could probably adapt a pretty good lifepath.