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As always, I find myself making a fresh character or two for Society meetings- concepts I'm eager to try out, but don't get the chance to. But I find myself having a hard time coming up with appropriate backstories for my characters, or even descriptions. Some of you have been most accomodating in the past in helping this matter, and I appreciate the further help.
The characters I'm currently building are as follows:
Gashok Ravencall- Half-Orc Oracle- (Bones Mystery, probably the Haunted curse, and Pharasma as a deity. Also probably a member of the Shadow Lodge. He could be from mostly human or mostly orc lands, it matters not. What does matter is that he has a reason to be adventuring with the society.)
Valkrem Whitemane- Dwarf Inquisitor- (Torag as a deity, and probably Andoran or the Crusade as his faction. Whatever would help his community more. He has motivation, but no reason. What brought him out of the mountains to venture into the depths of unexplored lands?)
Ezrahim Barael- Keleshite Summoner- (Sarenrae as a deity, but I can't decide on a faction. Qadira or Osirion seem like they'd benefit his homeland most, but if anyone has a better suggestion I'm all ears. His eidolon is still up in the air as well, but I was a bit inspired by the appearance of the Flame Atronach in Skyrim, so maybe something similar to that, or a genie lookalike, as would be common in that land.)
As always, your help is always appreciated, and I look forward to the ideas you send my way. :)
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The characters I'm currently building are as follows:Gashok Ravencall- Half-Orc Oracle- (Bones Mystery, probably the Haunted curse, and Pharasma as a deity. Also probably a member of the Shadow Lodge. He could be from mostly human or mostly orc lands, it matters not. What does matter is that he has a reason to be adventuring with the society.)
He has someone who supported him, in spite of being a half orc. Perhaps a Shadow Lodge member, perhaps a sibling or parent. They were killed during the year of the Shadow Lodge. They haunt the character, and will only be satisfied when their murderer is found. You've joined in order to find said murderer. As for the supporter, look at past modules and pick a name, #51 and 52 come to mind. Here is kind of an example of what I mean.
Valkrem Whitemane- Dwarf Inquisitor- (Torag as a deity, and probably Andoran or the Crusade as his faction. Whatever would help his community more. He has motivation, but no reason. What brought him out of the mountains to venture into the depths of unexplored lands?)
His community, or part of it was destroyed. Whatever did it is part of the larger world. The Pathfinder Society is a good place to start looking for the destroyer.
Ezrahim Barael- Keleshite Summoner- (Sarenrae as a deity, but I can't decide on a faction. Qadira or Osirion seem like they'd benefit his homeland most, but if anyone has a better suggestion I'm all ears. His eidolon is still up in the air as well, but I was a bit inspired by the appearance of the Flame Atronach in Skyrim, so maybe something similar to that, or a genie lookalike, as would be common in that land.)
As always, your help is always appreciated, and I look forward to the ideas you send my way. :)
Start with the Eidolon and figure out why it's around, and then go from there. My summoner for example was a lonely friendless half elven girl living on her father's farm, with feelings and insights she couldn't explain to her fully human father or neighbors. Her Eidolon was a 'chicken' (interdimensional Veliocoraptor, but she found 'Bertie' in the chicken coop) friend to that lonely girl, and that's how it started.
Another example is the Doctor and the Tardis. The Doctor stole it and it loves him. The travel and the journey, rather than being stuck on Galifray growing boring is what defines him.
Basically, decide why the eidolon chose him.
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Ooh! I love death-focused characters!
Gashok Ravencall
Gashok had always received predictions that he had been ‘touched by death’ by Orcish mystics when he was growing up. There were incidents of small mammals and insects dying instantly when they touched him. Ghosts whispered to him. Babies cried as he passed. The supernatural predictions led him being recruited by an Urgathoan cult, which allowed Gashok to hone his connection to death magic.
Finally, one cold night, the PFS raided the underground Urgathoan temple, on the lookout for a dark relic the cult had recently acquired. As the Pathfinders cut their way through the cult, Gashok was the only cult member able to match the invaders, spell for spell. Although, after a gruelling 3 hour chase and skirmish through the catacombs, the Pathfinders captured the young oracle, and spared him, impressed by his ability with magic and his tactical cunning. In chains, Gashok was brought to a Temple to Pharasma, where an offer was made for continued tutelage in matters of death – but only if Gashok would repay the debts he’d invoked by using his talent in Urgathoa’s name.
Gashok, surprised he’d been given a second chance, and wasn’t being brutally executed, took to his new role in the PFS society with aplomb. He distinguished himself in several skirmishes, but leadership never granted him the trust he fought desperately for. Constantly watched, gossiped about, and untrusted by prettier, more dashing Pathfinder agents, Gashok realised that his Urgathoan roots meant Grand Lodge leadership would never, ever trust him. At this point, Grandmaster Torch recognised the talent in the Orcish magic user, and made him an offer he could not refuse.
Today, Gashok is a talented and resolute Death Oracle Pathfinder agent who has an impressive – but bloody – list of achievements to his name. He remains cynical about the Grand Lodge’s aims, and strangely sympathetic to talented spellcasters who have found themselves in cults to evil gods.
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Kestler, I honestly may have to steal that. :) And thank you Kerney as well, for your insights. Coming up with why the eidolon chose such a summoner will not be easy, but the challenge should be worth it.
Still, anyone else have any ideas? I'd still like to hear something for the Dwarf Inquisitor, at very least. Speak up, one and all!
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Steal away!
Here's my take on
Valkrem Whitemane
In the earthquake of 4680, a number of subterranean Dwarf settlements were either evacuated or outright destroyed. The small settlement of Horod’s Nail, however, was buried kilometres underground.
With all avenues to the outside world, let alone the surface, gone for good, it was important that the small Dwarven community have law established as soon as possible. They needed a dwarf who was tough, unflinching, a born leader, and a pillar of Dwarven constitution. Instead, most of the community thought their cheery grandfather – Valkrem Whitemane - would do a better job.
Sheriff Whitemane or ‘Grandad’ as he was known throughout Horod’s Nail, flourished in his new role as de-facto community leader. He fortified the lost settlement against vermin and orcish attacks, he established an above-average brewery, and taught the community the true, kinder meaning of justice. He was loved and adored, and hundreds of metres below the surface, he grew to cherish his new life in the lost settlement.
All this came to an end when the ‘rescue team’ (really a collection of Dwarven adventurers who were seeking to try a drop from the Horod’s Nail brewery), dug out a new tunnel and liberated the settlement. The Dwarven families thanked Sheriff Whitemane for his service and left. The settlement was abandoned.
Whitemane, miserable at the lack of community on the surface world, missed his days deep underground. His new combat skills were going lacking, and he missed the camaraderie of survival. He didn’t want to be a civilian.
Finally, one night in a tavern in Absalom, he heard tales that made his beard unbraid itself. Tales of survival in harsh environments. Tales of small teams uniting together for a common cause, and for Justice! Tales of friendships won though steel and danger. He heard of the Pathfinder Society. And he signed up the next day.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Personally, I don't invest much in my characters' backstories upon creation. I start with mostly mechanics, then let them develop their own personalities during gameplay, and then discover their backstories after that.
In a sense, instead of telling my characters what their backstories are, I get to know them and let them tell me what their backstories are.
:)
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Seriously, how do you come up with stories so quickly? :) I've been running dry on inspiration lately, but these are definitely some good material!
And Jiggy, that's a perfectly logical approach as well. It may just be my excitement to get in the game, so instead of waiting to see what unfolds, I'm always kind of wary someone will ask me some detail about my character and I'll be dumbstruck. >.<
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Personally, I don't invest much in my characters' backstories upon creation. I start with mostly mechanics, then let them develop their own personalities during gameplay, and then discover their backstories after that.
In a sense, instead of telling my characters what their backstories are, I get to know them and let them tell me what their backstories are.
:)
I don't go in depth, but I figure out a few things. For example, my half Orcish alchemist is a barbaque chef and his alchemy comes from that, or my summoner is from an isolated farm in rural Andoran, near the Five Kings mountains (ran cattle to the dwarves) and Falcon's Hollow and then imagine what it's like to be half elven somewhere like Wyoming.
I then build upon that in gameplay, then let them tell me the details of their backstories. For example, a rule of Orcish Barbaque is you don't eat anything you have conversed with (bad hospitality) and dad gave up marrauding because he loved Mom, or the fact that my summoner refers to kobolds, goblins etc as 'varmits' and feels uncomfortable in cities (too crowded).
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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And Jiggy, that's a perfectly logical approach as well. It may just be my excitement to get in the game, so instead of waiting to see what unfolds, I'm always kind of wary someone will ask me some detail about my character and I'll be dumbstruck. >.<
Well, naturally if you were to use my method you'd first need to be okay with saying "I don't know yet" when asked a detail. ;)
@Kerney:
My level of initial detail varies.
Cledwyn started out as "I want to play a disarm/trip fighter with a flail". His creation also coicided with my curiosity about PFS day jobs, so he was randomly a baker as well. Eventually, though, I got a feel for his personality (a task-focused thinker, a linguist, and of firm resolve) and eventually wrote up a 450-ish word character profile for my local VC.
Dimitri, my druid, had a little more detail: I knew he was a wanderer who joined the Society so that he could see the world on someone else's dime. ;) It has since come out that he's not very fond of animals (especially for a druid) and enjoys (in a recreational, hobby-like way) throwing rocks at zombies.
J.J., my rogue, really started out as "here's how I'd build a rogue". I even rolled dice to name him (yes, I rolled two "J"s in a row). He has since developed into an "action man" whose primary motivation in life is to become a top field agent for the Decemvirate.
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I guess, eventually it all comes down to how the character would react to certain situations. Taking the example of the backstory of Valkrem Whitemane up there, it'd ultimately boil to these rules for role-playing:
LOVES:
-Community. Any sense of shared existence.
-Teamwork.
-Living or adventuring in a harsh location which invokes shared survival through close links.
-Kindness, coaching and optimism.
-Loyalty to kin.
HATES:
-Apathy and pessimism.
-Big cities.
-Gruffness and intimidation, especially when used as a teaching method.
-Individuals who try to seize the spotlight. Nothing is an individual endeavour, every accomplishment is a result of a union/collective working together.
-Those who abandon/deny their roots, no matter how humble their roots may be.
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If we didn't have a backstory, and all we know is that he's a Dwarven Inquisitor, you could very easily end up with a cookie cutter:
LOVES:
-Ale
-The Law
-Ancestors
HATES:
-People who don't drink ale
-Orcs
-Criminals
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Backstories are important!