My first post on this boards, too, and alas, my post was eaten, so I'll be brief.
Our gaming group is notoriously lazy, and we havent had a good game going in months. As I'm still in school (the other chumps have dropped out or graduated) I havent had the time, nor the creativity to throw anything together myself, but that ends today! I've taken pity on the poor chaps with nothing to look forward to this week, and have started browsing the wonderful community content on this site. Thanks, guys. :)
The characters have started rolling in and I've read the first adventure and skimmed through the next two. I'm looking to draw some parallels between backstory NPCs and NPCs from the adventure path, possibly replacing some of these characters or at the very least finding a place for them in the main storyline.
I ask you two questions:
1) Would my time be better spent tying these in as "side quests"
2) or should I follow through with this plan? My PCs are a shifty merchant "bard", a monster hunter "rogue", and a paladin of erastil. Mr. monster hunter has been the only one to write up some sufficient backstory... In this he has a father who abandoned him at birth, "handsome beyond measure and a master swordsman with one blue and one brown eye, and a pet husky" (in short). His childhood friend and ex partner is now a friendly rival in the monster hunting business. She's to meet him in sandpoint to boast about her successes in the region.
I have considered treating Jakardos as the father and replacing Shaelu with the rival, but I quite like the elf and have only skimmed over the first part of the Skinsaw Murders and Hook Mountain Massacre and dunno how much story weight they have.
What would the clever folks at this board reccomend? Can you think of any better fits?
The replacing Shalelu/Jakrodos with the rival/father will work pretty well, it'll give the party more incentive to actually go to Hook Mountain and look for him. My group struggled to get motivated to actually head to Hook Mountain, once they got there it was fine.
As for your Bard character, I'd tie him in to Magnimar more. Half of my group are tied in with Magnimar, half with Sandpoint, it helps with the end of Skinsaw and gives them another base of operations where they can buy decent gear.
But yes, I'd recommend spending some time to try to get each person tied into the story in some way, even being friends with prominent NPCs.
Much obliged. :)
My group has been using this questionaire and it has seemed to increase the quality of our games substantially. One of my players found it on the internet and revised parts of it.
1: Alignment? Are you lawful good? Are you chaotic neutral? Why did you make that choice, why does your character feel he or she is best captured by that particular alignment? Please remember, that alignments can change, characters develop, and so you’re not locking yourself into a corner here, just exploring motivations.
2: What race are you? This is intended to be a bit of a loaded question, as races in DnD are so drastically different, and so frequently impactful. Did you grow up with members of your race? Or were you raised by someone else? How do you get along with members of your own race? What about others? Do you have a bit of racism? In this day and age it’s hard to know why racism exists, but in DnD, the races have clear, easy to see differences. And their impact on the world is real. It’s not unreasonable for a half-orc to call a dwarf, stubby, or shorty, or even ostracize him or her due to size or some other factor. By the same token it’s not AT ALL unheard of for humans, elves, and dwarves to call half orcs, and half elves, bastards. Because in a very real way, they are. What does your character think about the weirder and more rarely seen races? Most people go their whole lives without seeing a Drow, or an Aasimar, or even a shifter, but you have all see all 3. What does your character think about these weirder races? Do they belong in your world? Are they just in your way? Do you want to know what insight their varied perspective might bring?
3: What Class are you? Like the above, this is a loaded question, it demonstrates who your character looks up to, who your character may aspire to be or simply what you aspire to do. It also gives clues about your character's story, why did the thief start stealing? Why did the wizard walk into the academy? Do you have a long term level plan? What is it and why is your character interested in achieving these goals? At some point you decided to become your class, what made you decide to take up the mantle of, whatever class you are? Did the light of Serron guide you to the church? Or did you follow the penguin when he told you to slide? Were you drafted into the military? Or were you taught how to survive by another street urchin? What was your training like? Did you spend a great deal of time fighting to be recognized by your teachers because you were constantly overshadowed by the teacher's pet? Or were you the star pupil? Did you spend all day breaking bricks with your hands until they bled and you finally mastered the stunning fist? Or did you avoid the assigned reading by the wizards and go play with your familiar in the garden?
3: Why did you start adventuring? Every adventurer has a different reason for starting his or her (or it's) career, but those reasons are rarely shared. While I am not asking you to share them with the other players (if you want to keep your back story private, then that’s your box), but I am asking you to share them with me. Did your parents abuse you and you had to get out? Do you seek the glory, like in the stories told to you by the local bard? Are you trying to gather enough resources to free your poor brother from prison? Many adventuring carriers start on a good note, celebrated by the other villagers as you left for fame. But many start on a bad note, exile, blackmail, or just plain greed. What are your reasons?
4: Eine Kleine Bacht Schtorie: A little back story. It’s important to get into this before we get too far. Did you grow up on the farm, dreaming of adventures defeating the evil empire? Were you raised as a slave spending every day pushing a grinding wheel until your strength surpassed that of the guards and you escaped? Tell me how you came to be where you are. Be sure to leave loose ends, the more there are the more I can incorporate them into our game.
5: Regrets? Now that we know your story, what would your character do over again differently if he or she could? How much of your character's life is a mistake that she is repentant for? Often there are very few people with only one (or none) regret, we are walking talking piles of error, and for what do you seek forgiveness?
6: Family: Who is your family? Are you of noble blood? Was your mother a freed slave and your father a grouping of semi-sentient single celled organisms that impregnated her? (* MIDICHLORIANS) Does your brother want to help you in any way he can? Or is he just angling for an opportunity to capitalize on your success? What is the status of your family? Are they still on the farm somewhere? Are they in a prison? Are they exiled to the frozen wastes of Siberia (that’s probably pretty tough)? In the past I have seen many min-maxers state that their families are dead or the like, usually as a defense against GM manipulation. But it is but unrealistic and un-entertaining to have no family. Heck one of the greatest plots in history would have been nothing were it not for the family. Romeo would have met Juliet and they would have lived happily ever after, in statutory bliss. What a crappy story right?
7: What about friends: These are the people you got to choose, why did you choose them? Or did they choose you? What are they like? Do you have a large group of friends that you hang out with frequently? Or did you have one or 2 loyal friends that would take an arrow for you? Did you have a friend take the blame for your miss-deeds, is that the only reason your free today? Who are your friends, how did you meet them, and how do you keep them as friends? Or how do they keep you?
8: Sex/Relationships: Although I may know already (From the above questions) weather or not you’re married, that doesn’t tell me anything about the kind of person you’re attracted to. Describe your perfect mate; are you currently in a relationship with them? Don’t answer too quickly, this is the kind of question that can really push your character past numbers on a character sheet and into being an interesting character that you read about in a book or see in a movie.
9: You’re Friends: What is your opinion of the other core classes (the ones in the core book). Do you think wizards are all pretentious ass-holes? Are all fighters combat obsessed warmongers? Do druids concern themselves so much with "maintaining the balance" that they never have any impact? Are all rogues un-trustworthy? If you feel particularly strong about any of them tell me why!
10: Whets my motivation? Why does your character do what he or she does? Are you on a never-ending quest to save your girlfriend or do you just want everyone to recognize you as the greatest. This question may seem similar to why you adventure, but what I’m asking here is why do you KEEP adventuring and what are you adventuring for? Are you trying to take over the world? Or do you and your noble band of heroes want to stop a mad necromancer named Sugo?
11: Mannerisms: Everyone has unique mannerisms, what are yours? Do you always grab the bridge of your nose? Do you twirl a sharpened coin between your fingers? Do you brush your mustache? Do you have a nervous tic? Everyone has something, sometimes they can be more subtle than others, but they are always there.
12: Down Time: Everyone gets bored, even adventurers have to fill the time somehow. What do you do to pass the time? Do you teach your pet tiger to maul poor un-suspecting target dummies? Or do you raise your dinner from the dead to attack the bard? Are you often found in the corner “sharpening your sword”?
13: What is your character's greatest strength/Greatest Weakness: Remember I don’t care that you rolled an 18/00 STR, I want to know what makes him or her better than everyone else? Is it your indomitable will? Your charming personality? Your tendency to draw a crowd? Think long and hard about this one, because it’s possible that this one will define your character in the long term. . . . Greatest weakness? Even if your character doesn’t know, he or she, has one. A soft spot, a hole in the logic train. These very often tie into your strength, so it will be with you for quite some time. What is your Achilles heel? Be honest, this can really make a game great. If you don’t know, then I’d be happy to discuss it. If you don’t want to know, I'm more than happy to make it a mystery. If you say you definitely don’t have one, then I will find it and show you . . . the hard way.
14: What would be your character's theme song? Why? If a picture is worth a thousand words then a theme song should be pretty frakkin descriptive, especially if its a music video... feel free to toss a you tube link. But tell me why, is it the feeling the song evokes? Are the lyrics a perfect description of your character's psyche? For example, before I run werewolf I listen to Metallica’s Of Wolf and Man, the lyrics alone make me think that Metallica plays werewolf, and the S&M version of the song is something so evocative that I cannot help but howl while it plays. What makes you howl with your character?
15: How would you describe your character: Start with head and work all the way down to the feet? Remember to make your character more than an illustration. How does he or she move? What does your character smell like? Is your character Tall, short, stout, slender? Is your character's nose short or long? Flat or pointed? How about eyes? Are they watchful and discerning or steady and full of venom and vengeance? What about your hands? Are they rough and calloused or are they smooth and soft? You can discover a lot about a character just by making a thorough physical description.
16: What about your character's psychology? When it comes to emotions, which one does your character have a handle on and which ones get the better of your character? Is it hard to restrain your anger or hatred? Does your passion always get the better of you? Does your character have a deep resounding laugh that you just cannot keep locked in your belly? What song or play always brings tears to your eyes?
17: Who is the person your character trusts most? This could be a teacher, or a friend. A family member or someone else that is close to you. Once you have determined who it is, put some thought into why. Why do you trust this person above all others, it could make for a very interesting story. . .
18: What are your character’s favorite and least favorite things? -100 xp to anyone who breaks out into song. Everyone has quirks, the things he dislikes for completely irrational reasons. Think about them for a while, what are your character's favorite foods? Does he have a favorite horse? How about a grove you played hide and seek in as a child? A favorite song? Think about the things your character loves (or hates) and remember them when you encounter them in game.
19: How would your character's parents describe him or her? This question reveals much about your character as well as about his relationship with his parents. Answer this question in the voice of your character's father, and again in the voice of your character's mother. You may come up with two different answers.
20: If you could what advice would you give your character? Take a good long look at your answers to the previous questions before you answer this one. Speak to your character as if he (or she) were sitting right in front of you. Remember to pay attention to your tone. You'll want to make certain your character actually listens to you when you give him this free advice.
My PCs are a shifty merchant "bard", a monster hunter "rogue", and a paladin of erastil. Mr. monster hunter has been the only one to write up some sufficient backstory... In this he has a father who abandoned him at birth, "handsome beyond measure and a master swordsman with one blue and one brown eye, and a pet husky" (in short). His childhood friend and ex partner is now a friendly rival in the monster hunting business. She's to meet him in sandpoint to boast about her successes in the region.
I have considered treating Jakardos as the father and replacing Shaelu with the rival, but I quite like the elf and have only skimmed over the first part of the Skinsaw Murders and Hook Mountain Massacre and dunno how much story weight they have.
What would the clever folks at this board reccomend? Can you think of any better fits?
The Jakardos/Shalelu angle is great, I was planning something like that with our Ranger player, just not with Shalelu as a rival. I was gonna spring it on the player that Shalelu was a sister or half-sister by Jakardos.
The Bard, I would do what I did to my female rogue player. I had her meet up with her ex-bf/ business partner Orik Vancaskerskin. If your bard is male, change Orik to a female. His backstory is easy to work with, the rogue was his partner in the magnimar alchemist fiasco, etc.
Paladin angle's are easier to work with. Nualia could have been a former love interest, maybe the paladins temple was destroyed by Arkrhyst the white dragon and hes looking for retribution, etc
My PCs are a shifty merchant "bard", a monster hunter "rogue", and a paladin of erastil. Mr. monster hunter has been the only one to write up some sufficient backstory... In this he has a father who abandoned him at birth, "handsome beyond measure and a master swordsman with one blue and one brown eye, and a pet husky" (in short). His childhood friend and ex partner is now a friendly rival in the monster hunting business. She's to meet him in sandpoint to boast about her successes in the region.
I have considered treating Jakardos as the father and replacing Shaelu with the rival, but I quite like the elf and have only skimmed over the first part of the Skinsaw Murders and Hook Mountain Massacre and dunno how much story weight they have.
What would the clever folks at this board reccomend? Can you think of any better fits?
The Jakardos/Shalelu angle is great, I was planning something like that with our Ranger player, just not with Shalelu as a rival. I was gonna spring it on the player that Shalelu was a sister or half-sister by Jakardos.
The Bard, I would do what I did to my female rogue player. I had her meet up with her ex-bf/ business partner Orik Vancaskerskin. If your bard is male, change Orik to a female. His backstory is easy to work with, the rogue was his partner in the magnimar alchemist fiasco, etc. It made for interesting RP, at one point my group thought about adding him to the team as an NPC.
Paladin angle's are easier to work with. Nualia could have been a former love interest, maybe the paladins temple was destroyed by Arkrhyst the white dragon and hes looking for retribution, etc
My group has been using this questionaire and it has seemed to increase the quality of our games substantially. One of my players found it on the internet and revised parts of it.
1: Alignment? Are you lawful good? Are you chaotic neutral? Why did you make that choice, why does your character feel he or she is best captured by that particular alignment? Please remember, that alignments can change, characters develop, and so you’re not locking yourself into a corner here, just exploring motivations.
2: What race are you? This is intended to be a bit of a loaded question, as races in DnD are so drastically different, and so frequently impactful. Did you grow up with members of your race? Or were you raised by someone else? How do you get along with members of your own race? What about others? Do you have a bit of racism? In this day and age it’s hard to know why racism exists, but in DnD, the races have clear, easy to see differences. And their impact on the world is real. It’s not unreasonable for a half-orc to call a dwarf, stubby, or shorty, or even ostracize him or her due to size or some other factor. By the same token it’s not AT ALL unheard of for humans, elves, and dwarves to call half orcs, and half elves, bastards. Because in a very real way, they are. What does your character think about the weirder and more rarely seen races? Most people go their whole lives without seeing a Drow, or an Aasimar, or even a shifter, but you have all see all 3. What does your character think about these weirder races? Do they belong in your world? Are they just in your way? Do you want to know what insight their varied perspective might bring?
3: What Class are you? Like the above, this is a loaded question, it demonstrates who your character looks up to, who your character may aspire to be or simply what you aspire to do. It also gives clues about your character's story, why did the thief start stealing? Why did the wizard walk into the academy? Do you have a long term level plan?...
This is nice.
I use something similar (borrowed from another GM) and I give out 25XP for just filling out the basics. A good backstory is worth another 100 XP. And I have a separate yahoo group for our game. If a player posts a weekly recap or something else that helps characters in game (pictures, comments, songs about the town, extra background, etc) they get 25-50 xp/ level.
Maybe we should start a thread for GM/ Player questionnaires...
This questionnaire is cool James, happy for us to yoink it?
Feel free, I typically award players 2 Pathfinder traits for filling it out.
Feel free, I typically award players 2 Pathfinder traits for filling it out.
Oooooh... I like that too...
Do you assign the traits based on the background, or just let them pick 2 from any lists?
Well typically I tell them to either pick something relating to their background or to pick something up that will fill in a gap in the party, such as traits that make certain skills class skills.
I let them pick off of the Pathfinder SRD list here, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits