I've decided on a Zen archer for an upcoming campaign, but I'm not sure what sort of personality to give him. I generally don't have much of a personality for my characters, but I'm wanting to start moving away from number-crunching as if it's a computer game and into messing with the world the GM's putting us in. Basically, I need a bit of imagination just for the character (the skills, traits and feats I'm taking are pretty much sorted). So far, we're playing in a world based on a 500CE version of earth, with a view to writing history as it is (instead of re-writing it). Here is what I have so far:
Raimundo, the son of a Spanish ambassador to China (not sure if it's historically accurate, but it doesn't have to be) was in training to be part of an elite cadre of body guards for <insert name of important person here>. He hasn't yet completed his training and is returning to Spain on his father's orders, as China has recently re-united (GM said there were essentially two nations in China at the time), leading to a faction of overly-patriotic xenophobic extremists ,<insert intimidating name here>, who have decided that foreigners are to blame for the country's divide in the first place.
Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a pretty interesting background there with a lot of potential, So this reunification of China under anti-foreigner rule, did that prevent him from completing his training to be the guard for the important NPC (as in, is the NPC in China or in Spain?) If so, I'd imagine that would have an effect on your character you play with as a personality angle for your character (whether it be vengeful at the xenophobic zealot faction, ashamed/wanting to atone for disappointed his father, secretly relieved for getting bailed outta there, etc).
What's your skill, feat, and trait selection like? If you take a lot of archer feats/skills related to stealth or sniping, he might be a more cautious, stoic type. If he is more flamboyant and hotheaded, maybe he takes a lot of feats to rapid firing as many arrows as he can get off (rapid shot, multishot, clust shot, etc).
Another idea i had been musing about for a fun npc was essentially a knock-off of the DC Comics character Green Arrow. The trick arrows are a fun gimmick (ranks in craft alchemy and bowmaking plus Master Craftsman and Craft Arms and Armor feats). His character is pretty nifty too- makes for a perfect flawed hero/white knight archetype with his Lancelot-esque philandering ways and his overzealous political agenda. Quite a firecracker there.
|
Let's try a different route. The son of a nobleman know for his skills in archery is forced to move to China when his father drops in favor with the royal court and is named ambassador to China. The unhappy son spends his time in the gardens of the embassy practicing his archery ignoring the world around him. One day he nearly shots one of the grounds keepers who stumbles in his path. These two become friends and teach each other archery and meditation. When the xenophobic's take command the father orders the son to leave China. They haven't been gone long enough to be welcome back to Spain but he can not return to China.
With this back story the son could accept a place in court as a guard or offer his skills to court members with missions that may or may not help him and his father reclaim their position. It leaves room for side missions that the father needs done. He could also become the special project of the king which could be good or bad. And there is always the option of the letter from China that makes the son return.
I'm going a different way.
Not every Zen archer has to be calm, cool and collected. He could get his zen-like focus in short bursts, facilitated by letting all the non-zen stuff in his mind out between shots.
Try being a bit crazy. Like jumping up and down screaming obsenities between awesome shots. Maybe a dip in Barbarian? Maybe he hasn't completed his training yet because, while he excels at archery, he apparently fails at Zen, and his teachers just can't justify unleashing him on the world.
And then his dad summons him home.