Tiefling Ranger - Need Background Help - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Tiefling Ranger - Need Background Help

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
tkal
Jul 15, 2008 14:13:53 Greetings,

I'm playing a tiefling Ranger 4e. I need some help coming up with a good background for why a tiefling would be, and excel, at being a ranger. My vague explanation is that he was run out of a small city as a youth and wandered into Elven territory... they gave him a choice: learn to focus his fury or let his fury devour him. He chose to focus it as a ranger, two-weapon fighting style. I'd like to flesh this idea out. Any help would be appreciated.

T'Kal
#2
mithrilmoon
Jul 16, 2008 15:52:30 You could also say that he was tired of the prejudice and stigma he faced as a teifling and left the city of his own accord. Then he did the local elves some service. Maybe saved the captain of a patroling guard company who was popular amongst his people. As a result the elves allowed him to live amongst them and train in the ways of the ranger (some of them might have been more reluctant to live with him then others). But Since he sounds like the angry type maybe he causes problems when he's drunk and causes some unfortunate incident so they give hime the choice of learn to focus his fury or let his fury devour him. Maybe he came to love nature more then the city especially the way of the ranger helps him to be at peace with himself. This love would also better explain why he excels at this class rather then if he was forced into it. The Captain could also be a helpful NPC later on. This is just of the top of my head though. You could totally change it around.
#3
drmorganes
Jul 17, 2008 12:55:49 He could also have been a military scout of some sort. Rangers don't have to be tree-hugging nature boys.
#4
Simonides
Jul 17, 2008 13:49:45 As a reminder, the fluff of the ranger isn't just about a guy who likes nature and is good with a bow. A ranger is an individualist and an idealist who fights for a cause:

As the PHB says:
Rangers are watchful warriors who roam past the horizon to safeguard a region, a principle, or a way of life. Masters of bow and blade, rangers excel at hit-and-run assaults and can quickly and silently eliminate foes. Rangers lay superb ambushes and excel at avoiding danger.

As a ranger, you possess almost supernaturally keen senses and a deep appreciation for untamed wilderness. With your knowledge of the natural world, you are able to track enemies through nearly any landscape, using the smallest clue to set your course, even sometimes the calls and songs of beasts and birds. Your severe demeanor promises a deadly conclusion to any enemy you hunt.

While many rangers end up being the 'weird woodsman who kills orcs,' they don't all have to be. And rangers do not need to be trained by elves either.

Soooo.... okay, you have a tiefling who was run out of his hometown by ignorant people. He's probably a little intelligent and definitely wise, right? Instead of having him run out of a big city, make it a borderland town. Now, the tiefling is wise and smart and he isn't a bad guy. In fact, he's a good guy and actually takes pity on the stupid people who judge him so harshly. He understands and so he rolls with it. He's not so much bitter as just sad. Where is he going to go, though? This is just his lot in life, to be alone. No one will accept him.

So, he lives on his own. He has always had preternaturally keen senses and, living on his own, hones his senses and his combat capabiltiies and hunting prowess. The world is a dangerous place and he has to learn to defend himself. Blah, blah, blah - he gains a character class. Meanwhile, as a generally good guy who takes pity on a stupid world that won't accept him, he lives on his own, using guerilla tactics to protect the people who will never accept him. He's like Aragorn meets the X-Men. Lonely, sad guy with no place in the world that misjudges him, but dedicated to using his life for good even so. He sits in the darkest corners of taverns, when he needs to be around people; but he doesn't talk to anyone and people give him unflattering nicknames and whisper about him behind his back. It grates on him a little. Tieflings are naturally social (charisma boost) and need people, but this is the best he can get. Still, he struggles to do good and even secretly believes that if he does enough good in the world, people will accept him. No matter how wise and intelligent someone is, everyone still has their delusions.

Anyways... one day he meets the adventuring party somehow or gets hired by someone or something and discovers people who accept him. But, years of being isolated have left him with a thick skin and have hurt his social skills. So, he doesn't immediately get along with the party and maybe even assumes that they too are talking behind his back. Still, they are trying to do some good in the world and they, at least, stand by his side in battle. So, there's some solid room for character growth and development. Its especially good if at least one member of the party really does distrust the tielfing and talk about him behind his back.

You can expand it with all sorts of details, but there's one idea for a basic outline.
#5
Simonides
Jul 17, 2008 14:02:57 Okay...

Maybe this particular tiefling ranger is following secret traditions of his own people (tieflings can have survivalist protectors too). For years, he has followed in his father/mother's footsteps... guarding an ancient ruined site of Bael Turath that is filled with some evil magical relic thingum. Doesn't matter what it is. The site is dangerous and the ranger is the last member of a family that has been safeguarding it for centuries as pennance for their participation in the whole 'selling souls to evil' thing. Anyways, recently, this overwhelming force attacked and left the tiefling ranger for dead and stole the thingum from the ruins. What is it? The tielfing has no idea. He never entered the ruins because there was an evil magical ancient macguffin in there and he wasn't crazy. But he has to get it back to redeem himself and because its an evil magical thingum. So, he has been piecing together clues to hunt down the thieves responsible who (after chatting with the DM) just happen to be some BBEG that the party will deal with for other reasons a dozen levels down the road.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 tkal Jul 15, 2008 14:13:53	Greetings, I'm playing a tiefling Ranger 4e. I need some help coming up with a good background for why a tiefling would be, and excel, at being a ranger. My vague explanation is that he was run out of a small city as a youth and wandered into Elven territory... they gave him a choice: learn to focus his fury or let his fury devour him. He chose to focus it as a ranger, two-weapon fighting style. I'd like to flesh this idea out. Any help would be appreciated. T'Kal
#2 mithrilmoon Jul 16, 2008 15:52:30	You could also say that he was tired of the prejudice and stigma he faced as a teifling and left the city of his own accord. Then he did the local elves some service. Maybe saved the captain of a patroling guard company who was popular amongst his people. As a result the elves allowed him to live amongst them and train in the ways of the ranger (some of them might have been more reluctant to live with him then others). But Since he sounds like the angry type maybe he causes problems when he's drunk and causes some unfortunate incident so they give hime the choice of learn to focus his fury or let his fury devour him. Maybe he came to love nature more then the city especially the way of the ranger helps him to be at peace with himself. This love would also better explain why he excels at this class rather then if he was forced into it. The Captain could also be a helpful NPC later on. This is just of the top of my head though. You could totally change it around.
#3 drmorganes Jul 17, 2008 12:55:49	He could also have been a military scout of some sort. Rangers don't have to be tree-hugging nature boys.
#4 Simonides Jul 17, 2008 13:49:45	As a reminder, the fluff of the ranger isn't just about a guy who likes nature and is good with a bow. A ranger is an individualist and an idealist who fights for a cause: As the PHB says: Rangers are watchful warriors who roam past the horizon to safeguard a region, a principle, or a way of life. Masters of bow and blade, rangers excel at hit-and-run assaults and can quickly and silently eliminate foes. Rangers lay superb ambushes and excel at avoiding danger. As a ranger, you possess almost supernaturally keen senses and a deep appreciation for untamed wilderness. With your knowledge of the natural world, you are able to track enemies through nearly any landscape, using the smallest clue to set your course, even sometimes the calls and songs of beasts and birds. Your severe demeanor promises a deadly conclusion to any enemy you hunt. While many rangers end up being the 'weird woodsman who kills orcs,' they don't all have to be. And rangers do not need to be trained by elves either. Soooo.... okay, you have a tiefling who was run out of his hometown by ignorant people. He's probably a little intelligent and definitely wise, right? Instead of having him run out of a big city, make it a borderland town. Now, the tiefling is wise and smart and he isn't a bad guy. In fact, he's a good guy and actually takes pity on the stupid people who judge him so harshly. He understands and so he rolls with it. He's not so much bitter as just sad. Where is he going to go, though? This is just his lot in life, to be alone. No one will accept him. So, he lives on his own. He has always had preternaturally keen senses and, living on his own, hones his senses and his combat capabiltiies and hunting prowess. The world is a dangerous place and he has to learn to defend himself. Blah, blah, blah - he gains a character class. Meanwhile, as a generally good guy who takes pity on a stupid world that won't accept him, he lives on his own, using guerilla tactics to protect the people who will never accept him. He's like Aragorn meets the X-Men. Lonely, sad guy with no place in the world that misjudges him, but dedicated to using his life for good even so. He sits in the darkest corners of taverns, when he needs to be around people; but he doesn't talk to anyone and people give him unflattering nicknames and whisper about him behind his back. It grates on him a little. Tieflings are naturally social (charisma boost) and need people, but this is the best he can get. Still, he struggles to do good and even secretly believes that if he does enough good in the world, people will accept him. No matter how wise and intelligent someone is, everyone still has their delusions. Anyways... one day he meets the adventuring party somehow or gets hired by someone or something and discovers people who accept him. But, years of being isolated have left him with a thick skin and have hurt his social skills. So, he doesn't immediately get along with the party and maybe even assumes that they too are talking behind his back. Still, they are trying to do some good in the world and they, at least, stand by his side in battle. So, there's some solid room for character growth and development. Its especially good if at least one member of the party really does distrust the tielfing and talk about him behind his back. You can expand it with all sorts of details, but there's one idea for a basic outline.
#5 Simonides Jul 17, 2008 14:02:57	Okay... Maybe this particular tiefling ranger is following secret traditions of his own people (tieflings can have survivalist protectors too). For years, he has followed in his father/mother's footsteps... guarding an ancient ruined site of Bael Turath that is filled with some evil magical relic thingum. Doesn't matter what it is. The site is dangerous and the ranger is the last member of a family that has been safeguarding it for centuries as pennance for their participation in the whole 'selling souls to evil' thing. Anyways, recently, this overwhelming force attacked and left the tiefling ranger for dead and stole the thingum from the ruins. What is it? The tielfing has no idea. He never entered the ruins because there was an evil magical ancient macguffin in there and he wasn't crazy. But he has to get it back to redeem himself and because its an evil magical thingum. So, he has been piecing together clues to hunt down the thieves responsible who (after chatting with the DM) just happen to be some BBEG that the party will deal with for other reasons a dozen levels down the road.