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Hi all,
Well my group got shuffled around a bit & I picked up an extra player. She's going to play a tiefling rogue. Not a party face, more focused on the traditional rogue skills such Disable Device, Sleight of Hand & Stealth, as well as Sneak Attack.
Her tiefling heritage isn't as dominant appearance-wise - unusual eye color, a very slender (prehensile) tail & possibly a set of very small horns... not anything too hard to hide most of the time.
The player isn't very experienced, & has asked for help coming up with ideas for the character's background. Thought I'd throw it out there for suggestions, since you all have given me some excellent advice many times before.
Just need something that will have her in Sandpoint in time for the festival. I'm considering having her be a local, but open to ideas.
Thanks in advance!
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She's a troubleshooter sent by the city of Magnimar to investigate reports of goblin uprisings. Rogue skills, nut more investigator/detective type. Maybe some faux legal enforcement powers, as well as a hook for why she would want to continue investigating future issues in the region.
I did this with my game, and the rogue player loved it. She was a "Justicar of Magnimar", and was sent to Sandpoint when Sheriff Hemlock goes to Magnimar to beseech the city for aid/troops. She arrived a day later with the Texas Ranger mentality, "One Crisis, One Justicar".
Simple twist the rogue class. Was fun.
-Vaz
I suggest local might be hard. Forces you to answer difficult questions about her parentage, where are they, etc. And in a small town like Sandpoint, that's going to be a story everyone knows. The rogue background will be harder too, the local thieves are Sczarni and they're kind of prudish about being Varisian if you want in.
Other crazy ideas...
- She's from Magnimar - a friend of hers was killed while trying to join the Pathfinders. She's looking for Lyrie and revenge. Or in a life of rejection and hardship, Iesha Foxglove once did her a kindness. She's following Aldern trying to figure out what he's up to and where her friend is.
- She's from Korvosa. Had to flee, saw something she shouldn't have or was on the wrong side of a guild conflict. Drifted into Turtleback Ferry and made the mistake of asking too many questions about these weird tattoos. Was told to get lost or she'd swim with the fishes.
I suggest local might be hard. Forces you to answer difficult questions about her parentage, where are they, etc. And in a small town like Sandpoint, that's going to be a story everyone knows. The rogue background will be harder too, the local thieves are Sczarni and they're kind of prudish about being Varisian if you want in.
Actually, those are very valid points. We don't have an origin story for the male human wizard yet, so he could be from Sandpoint instead (I was hoping to have at least 1 pc being a local). Gonna have to look into those other ideas....
Any other ideas?
She's Nualia's twin sister. But no one wanted to admit that Nualia has a tiefling sister and so she was raised by some minor cleric at the edge of town who died in the fire that destroyed the Cathedral and was forced to make her own living at that point, and thus picked up the skills of a thief.
Just in case it helps, here is what we have so far:
* Male half-orc bard: from Magnimar, visiting Sandpoint while he waits for the heat to die down (strange how everyone enjoys a funny song about the local Sczarni crimeboss - except the crimeboss). Party face as well as buffer, who'll rely mostly on his longspear to help in combat.
* Male human wizard: no details or background yet. Debating between Treantmonk's 'God' style or Brewer's 'Blockbuster' style (found on Zenith Games class guides page).
* Female half-elf cleric of Erastil: domains are Community & Good. Combat focus on archery, with deity's favored weapon. Not sure on what to do with her spellcasting, though.
* Male Ajani barbarian: new, exotic race we created for my youngest son - basically lion-people, using Ajani Goldmane for inspiration. I can post the racial stat block if anyone's interested (not sure where to post it though). Basically, he's the BSF. Came into town with a caravan he was guarding (originally sold into slavery/arena fighting by gnolls, escaped/earned freedom and has traveled the world until ending up in Sandpoint.
- Check Orik's backstory - it references a tiefling and a scam gone bad. Maybe she's here looking for him. Maybe not for revenge but to ask what really happened or he owes her money. This would make her from Riddleport.
I can't find any reference to Orik - looked in Sandpoint- Light of the Lost Coast, Riddleport- City of Cyphers, RotRL hardback AND the Player's Guide... "I'd like to ask the audience or phone a friend" for help now...
Otherwise, a tiefling rogue could come from anywhere: a chancer come from Magnimar or Riddleport to make some cash off the suckers going to the festival, someone who happened to be on a ship that called at SP, or an innocent turfed off a ship when the crew blamed the devilspawn in their midst for the storm that wrecked the rigging.
*Banging my head against the wall*
She decided to change to a human ranger instead...
Heh. Players are contrary beings. =^-^=
That said, rangers can do quite well in this campaign so it's a wise choice. I hope she enjoys herself. And it's a credit that you were looking for hooks so her character would be more fun for her. :)
I just played a ranger through RotR and it was a blast! I played a very stereotypical traditional dwarf whose village was destroyed by giants. Over time my dwarf grew to challenge tradition and... led a coup on Janderhoff.
Rangers have excellent tie-ins like Shalelu and Fort Rannick. The player's guide hints heavily that giants are a large threat in this campaign, so hopefully your player's ranger will react accordingly (though maybe not to the extremes that my dwarf did). Survival and tracking skills are very important too.
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I'm actually not upset at all that she changed - I think she'll enjoy the character more than she would have the rogue. And, as mentioned above, there will be no shortage of things for her to do, both in and out of combat.