Help me create a backstory for an NPC


Advice


Hello everyone and thank you for your time.

My group and I are going to play the Mummy's Mask AP, and since we are only three players our game master let us create an NPC to tag along throughout our campaign.
We created a Pahmet dwarf cleric of Magrim named Jedef Tombguard, and now I'm trying to come up with a decent backstory for him. I have used the help of the Background Generator to come up with some ideas, and here is what I came up with:


  • Nationality: Osirion (Erekrus);
  • Homeland: Underground;
  • Parents: Both of your parents are alive;
  • Siblings: Male Dwarf (older than you);
  • Circumstances of Birth: [Heir to a Legacy] You are the heir to a family with an old name and a distinguished past. Your family might be wealthy or middle class, but your name itself is worth twice your fortunes;
  • Parents Profession: Soldiers;
  • Major Childhood Events: [Met a Fantastic Creature] When you were only a child, you made contact with a magical creature, such as a dragon, unicorn, genie, pixie, or similar creature (sphinx). You learned a powerful lesson or a magic trick from that creature. This meeting changed your life and made you different from the other children;
  • Cleric Training: [Taken in by the Church] You spent your youth in a church or monastery serving as an acolyte or doing menial work on the grounds, either taken in as an orphan, sent there by your equally devout parents, or by taking on the faith of your own volition. The traditions and rituals of the religion served as your way of life throughout your adolescence, and you left that pious community with the skills to champion your faith in the world;
  • Influential Associates: [The Mystic] You were especially close to a holy person in your community who fundamentally changed your life by opening your eyes to the incredible powers that exist beyond the natural world. Regardless of whether you follow a faith, certain religious artifacts, rituals, and texts played a large part in making you the person you are.

Here I also give you his stats block, so you can have an idea of what he became after his formative years.
Jedef Tombguard:

Jedef CR 1/2
XP 200
Male dwarf (Pahmet) cleric of Magrim 1
LN Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init -1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (+6 armor, -1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 12 (1d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref -1, Will +5; +2 racial bonus vs. disease and poison
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee warhammer +1 (1d8+1/×3)
Ranged light crossbow -1 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/day (DC 10, 1d6)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 6/day—gentle rest, touch of law
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st—bless, deathwatch[D], protection from evil
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, light
. . D Domain spell; Domains Law, Repose
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 8, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 10 (14 vs. bull rush, 14 vs. trip)
Feats Extra Channel
Skills Acrobatics -8 (-12 to jump), Appraise +0 (+2 to assess nonmagical metals or gemstones), Knowledge (religion) +4 (+6 to identify undead (may make check untrained)), Spellcraft +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Appraise to assess nonmagical metals or gemstones
Languages Common, Dwarven
SQ barrow scholar, barrow warden, healthy
Other Gear chainmail, heavy steel shield, crossbow bolts (20), light crossbow, warhammer, backpack, belt pouch, candle (10), flint and steel, holy text (Magrim)[UE], silk rope (50 ft.), soap, spell component pouch, waterskin, wooden holy symbol of Magrim, 149 gp, 7 sp
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Special Abilities
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Barrow Scholar +2 to knowledge (religion) to ID undead and can attempt check untrained.
Barrow Warden +1 to attack and AC vs. undead.
Cleric Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (5/day, DC 10) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Cleric Domain (Law) Granted Powers: You follow a strict and ordered code of laws, and in so doing, achieve enlightenment.
Cleric Domain (Repose) Granted Powers: You see death not as something to be feared, but as a final rest and reward for a life well spent. The taint of undeath is a mockery of what you hold dear.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Gentle Rest (6/day) (Sp) As a standard action, melee touch staggers living 1 rd (sleep if already staggered), longer duration vs. undead.
Greed +2 to Appraise to determine price of nonmagic goods with precious metals or gemstones.
Healthy Need 1 fewer consecutive saves (min 1) to cure disease and poisons.
Touch of Law (6/day) (Sp) Treat all d20 rolls as 11 for 1 rd.

Now I'm not the good storyteller I wish I was, so I'm asking you some help in putting together a good story with the elements above. Please, help me making this a memorable NPC!

Grand Lodge

Backstory:
Both of his parents earned their glory and renown in battle- taking command of troops when a patrol was ambushed, and command killed, and turned the situation.
Eager to prove his own mettle, he ventured into the desert as a self-imposed 'survival training' and to bring home a trophy.
First encounter with scorpion left him fighting off the venom; in a feverish deliurm, in the middle of night, a voice beckoned to him.
Wandering the desert, in a fever delirium, he came to oasis, and bathing in the oasis- was a Sphinx.
The sphinx told him that self-sought glory will only lead to ruin; proper training and dedication will enable perseverance- as there are untold ruin beneath the dunes, and untold evils held within.
"Find your place, and your destiny will find you." The sphinx flew off, and he awoke when splashed with water. in his hand, he finds an old parchment with a familiar symbol.
Returning home, as punishment, his parents sent to the Temple of Magrim for his disobedience. He recognized the symbol from the parchment as that of the holy symbol of Magrim.
There, under the folds of the temple, he found a second home. And he uses his abilities granted to him by Magrim, to protect his home from any evil.

*roll credits for Mummy's Mask.*

Eh, quite mundane backstory, but it aught to suffice for an NPC.


Quite a nice backstory! Thank you Selvaxri!


dot


Tacticslion wrote:
dot

What?


So here's my shot at a decent backstory for this NPC. What do you think of it? Take in count that english is not my native language, so if anyone feels like correcting my writing it would be much appreciated.

Jedef Tombguard:

Second son of two hero-warriors of the Pahmet settlement of Erekrus, Jedef found his religious vocation in tender age. While on a visit to the capital Sothis during the celebration of the Ruby Prince's Birthday he encountered Nazmi, the celestial gynosphinx advisor to pharaoh Khemet III. The magical beast posed a difficult riddle to the young dwarf who quickly came up with the right answer, and to reward his sagacity the sphinx gave him an advice of great value: to put his wisdom to the service of Balance, protecting the people from the forces of unbalance. Once back home Jedef found a sense to those words in the teachings of Magrim the Taskmaster, god of the dwarven aferlife; in his view of the world the most needy are the souls of both the living and the deceased, and protect them from the taint of undeath was the best way to put his abilities in the service of Balance. Thus he entered in the ranks of the necropolis of Erekrus, where his talents drew the attentions of the priest overseer Garzukk, who took Jedef under his wing and taught him all he needed to know about the life in the service of the Taskmaster.

After years of serving as an acolyte and mortician in the necropolis, Garzukk decided that Jedef was ready for tasting life outside the community of Erekrus, and sent him on a holy mission: to bring the Balance in the lands beyond the dwarven domains, helping the souls of the living and the spirits of the dead as best as he can and fighting the corruption of the undeath whenever he can; because only through practical experience one can truly understand the cycle of Life and Death, and only through direct action the Balance could be brought into the world. And so a reluctant Jedef left the only life he knew for decades to embark on a great new adventure, joined a leaving caravan headed to his first stop: the city of Ipeq.

Jedef is a serious man, with an austere approach to life and people alike, and little to no sense of humor. He always tries his best to keep his person tidy and neat, keeping his blonde hair and beard shorter than most dwarves, to give the right impression to anyone he meets, but he doesn't mind getting dirty if the situation demands it. He really dislikes walking the surface world, feeling comfortable only underground.

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