Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Nethos May 19, 2015 14:09:01	Meet Abraxus, my dragonborn palidin. He is realitively kind hearted and worships Avandre, the goddess of adventure and freedom. However, I don't know how to fill out the backstory more, and I could use some ideas, or if someone's willing to write one that's about 250 words long. Thanks for any help. P.S. I'm quite new to d&d and am making this character to play my first campaign this summer.
#2 Tempest_Stormwind May 19, 2015 14:24:13	Welcome to the game.   Simplest question: What's the world you're playing in? No character is born in a true void. That world will have nations, peoples, religions, and history to draw upon and anchor your character.   I don't recognize Avandre, otherwise I'd know and could provide better suggestions.   Without the world, all you can generate is personality, and personality is also typically a product of the setting. In my preferred world of Eberron, a century-long continent-wide war ended just 4 years ago, shortly after an entire nation was reduced to an apocalyptic wasteland. Everyone was touched by that war, and it shapes their personalities. Meanwhile, for pre-Spellplague Faerun, similar wars didn't occur... but twenty years ago or so, all of the gods became mortal for a while and all kinds of chaos broke loose, including several deities dying and several new mortals becoming their replacements. (This is why Kelemvor, the God of the Dead, isn't a grim-reaper figure, but rather a paladin, to pick one example.) Those events will shape the people who live through them or in their wake.
#3 Mechatarrasque May 19, 2015 15:08:06	Avandra is from 4e.  Pretty much as described--additionally she was the racial goddess of halflings and hung out with the elf gods.   I would look at the traits/bonds/flaws tables in the PHB.     The first story I thought of when I read the description is a young dragonborn who was running away from the stringent codes of honor of his people.  It doesn't go well.  He is taken advantage of and left pennyless by an elf (ever after he will be slow to trust elves).  Some kind halflings take him in.  They tell him about Avandra as he tries to make sense of the untrustworthy world.  Hearing about someone who travels and protects travelers stirs the latent bronze dragonhood of his soul and inspires him to want to protect travelers.  Since he is a dragonborn (and racially inclined towards codes of honor), his quest to become strong enough to protect travelers leads him to paladinhood (oath of devotion).
#4 Tempest_Stormwind May 19, 2015 15:17:49	Mechatarrasque wrote:
#5 Mad_Jack May 19, 2015 16:10:25	Well, just going by the choice of goddess, a dragonborn with a racial/societal tendency towards codes of honor would probably be most attracted to the freedom aspect of her portfolio, and be a crusader for human(oid) rights and an opponent of slavery, or an avenger of those subjected to tyranny or slavery.    (Unles you decide to come up with a story about the dragonborn being raised or otherwise living among halflings long enough to absorb their culture.)    Also, what type of paladin he is will help to give you an idea of his backstory - it's a defining choice in his life, both choosing the class and his particular Oath, and figuring out why  he made those choices will go a long way to figuring out the events of his life. What made him become a paladin and what were the choices and circumstances that led to to those choices, and what were the choices and circumstances that led to those choices and the choices and circumstances that caused him to make the ones before them? Why is he an adventuring paladin of Avandra? Why is he a paladin of Avandra? Why is he a paladin? How did he develop his personality? Every choice in his life, every trait in his character, was influenced by everything in his life that came before it. Follow the trail back and eventually you'll have his life story. (And if you need to ask why is he a dragonborn, you might want to bring that question up with your parents and havea certain "Talk", lol)    if you want a halfling connection to the character's god, perhaps the character happened to be nearby a village or settlement of halflings being attacked by some foe or otherwise endangered. Either the town or someone in it is of special interest to the goddess (maybe a high priest was in town, etc.) and she hears their prayers for aid. Being of close proximity (perhaps he was in the settlement, passing through or working there?) and decent moral character, the character recieves a vision from the goddess asking for his assistance - and he accepts, voluntarily becoming a paladin of a god not usually worshipped by his race out of some sense of honor and a belief that he's found his destiny. Or even opting to favor necessity over politeness and  demanding his help: co-opting him into the fight by investing him as a paladin and setting him circumstances where his morals gave him no chioce but to assist.. Or the character merely happens to be there by chance, comes to the assistance of the halflings and in a moment of desperation or hopefulness prays to his god (or any god) for assistance, and the halfling's god offers to give him the strength (of arm, of will, of character, whatever) to assist her people.
(Reply to #5) Nethos	Thank you mad_jack, your ideas have been really helpful. I now know what direction to steer my character in.
#7 BRJN May 22, 2015 17:04:58	A six-foot-plus-tall Dragonborn, trying to get away from his Elders and their prattle, is passing through a halfling village when (human?) raiders arrive.  Of course he sticks up for the little guy - several times.  ("Pick on somebody your own size," he says, looking down at some would-be tough.)  The halflings think he is a Hero !  When the raid is over, they take him to the local church and give him gifts - some travellers equipment and a huge meal - and thank their goddess that he happened to be there.  Despite himself, he is profoundly moved.