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So, a few years ago, my friends and I had a round robin pathfinder thing going on. Basically someone would start a campaign, It'd go on for a few months, y'know, just long enough to get one story arc done, but then the GM would get board and drop it. Then someone else would pick up and try it for a bit, then we'd TPK, and then someone else would try it . . . that kinda thing. If nothing else it got me to test out a bunch of different character concepts and backstorys, and I thought I'd post my top five favorites. Not in order of power or anything, just in order of how fun the concept was.
I should note that sometimes the GM shook up the campaign setting a bit. If you see a backstory that isn't exactly RAW, that's probably why.
5) Sir Lerick (LG Male Human Paladin of Sarenre, No archetype)
-Sir Lerick's backstory was not anything special. He was a humble Farmer's son, working in a small town in Andoran near the Chellex Boarder. When an Evil Necromancer decided he needed more 'raw materials' for his undead servants, he rolled into town and the townspeople fought them off as best they could, including Lerick. Lerick managed to survive, and save some of the village, but his family died in the process. Lerick took a pilgrimage to a nearby city and took comfort in the teachings of Sarenrae, eventually becoming a paladin and undead hunter.
What made Lerick a great character wasn't his terribly unoriginal backstory, it was his personality. He walked around with a tower shield (he took the proficiency) and a slew of weapons, and generally tried to help people. Diplomacy was ALWAYS his first option, and when he encountered an evil person, he tried to understand them and get them to realize the error of his ways. Essentially he was like a guidance concealer who killed undead and monsters on the side. I really wanted to get away from the 'lawful stupid' paladin schtick, and just make a really nice guy who honestly wanted to help people. It worked well in the campaign, and he even basically converted the party rogue from being CN to NG. Of course, when push came to shove, he could also go toe-to-toe and fight evil humans, but he didn't do so unless it was self defense.
4)Mikomi (LN Female 1/2 Orc Samurai-Ronin, no archetype)
-In a small country in Tien Xia, there was a daiamiyo and his samurai. One day, the Daiamiyo sent his five best Samurai to fight off an 'infestation' of orcs that were squatting in a forest on his lands. The Samurai quickly dispatched the orcs until, with his dying breath, the final elder orc asked why, that they had sent an envoy to parley with the daimiyo for permission to work the land, and even wanted to swear fealty to him.) Three of the Samurai cut him down and sneered at the inferior creature, but one of their group was horrified that their Daimiyo had besmirched bushido so. Angry and confused, he cut down two of his fellows for their crass betrayal of bushido (the third escaped). About to commit seppuku, he noticed a small half-orc child had survived the carnage, and he vowed to raise her as his own in atonement for what he'd done.
He raised the small female half-orc into a fierce warrior, trying to instill into her all his thoughts on bushido, honerable combat, and the code of fighting. After years, the daimiyo's men caught up to the two of them and though Mikomi and her mentor fought bravely, he eventually fell. Mikomi slew the last of her attackers, have her master a proper funeral, and decided to leave, journeying over the crown of the world and into a strange, new land.
Mikomi was basically a very sullen and matter-of-fact character. She was the result of someone who had been raised to believe in honor and fairness, but had seen the world betray that concept one too many times. She constantly wore her o-yori great armor with a full kabuto helm to hide her race, and had her steed, a dire wolf (She was level 9 so she could have a large-sized wolf as a mount) help her put it on in the morning. Her edicts were to follow bushido, but also never to judge someone based on their race, as an eternal reminder of what had happened to her has a child.
Adale Stibbions (LN Male Undine Monk-Drunken Master)
-Young Adale never knew his parents. His earliest memories were of some sort of orphanage, where, as soon as he was able, he was forced to train every day in breathing exercises, attacking invisible opponents, and meditating . . . oh god, so much meditating.
Growing up on an island monastary was difficult for the Undine, he learned very slowly compared to the other children, and they always teased him for it. In fact, there was a child who started at the same time he did, but by the time Adale managed to master the first form, his childhood friend had actually become the grand master!
Eventually Adele grew tired of the lifestyle of constant mockery and talk of accessing his 'internal energy' (something he had never felt before) and he left. He fell in with a bad crowd in a nearby city, and found that brawling, and getting drunk, were much better to his liking. It was there that he discovered Besmara, and learned of her edict that all men in a crew should be treated fairly, and he fell in love with the idea, joining up with sailing crews as soon as he was able.
Though Stibbons was TECHNICALLY a monk, he wasn't actually. He was a drunken brawler and a pirate. He was a damn fine sailor, and could beat just about anyone in a bar-room brawl, but that was about it. This started changing, however, as the campaign progressed to third level and Stibbons learned to tap into that force that his masters told him about all those years ago. Of course, he needed to be drunk to do it . . .
2) Thermin Oswin Grundersnutt (LN Male Gnome Oracle of Irori (Lore Mystery)-Seeker archtype)
-Growing up in the Gnome District of city in Isgir, young Thermin was attracted to Arcane study. Unfortunately, though he had the mental acumen for at least minimal spellcraft, he simply couldn't wrap his head around it. Try as he might, he simply couldn't cast arcane spells. He worked as hard as he could, becoming one of the top arcane scholars in the city, but still couldn't cast spells.
In desperation, Thermin prayed to the gods for an answer, and one, Irori, seemed to answer his prayers. Overnight, Thermin became with the inherent knowledge of divine spellcraft. Though he wasn't officially happy, this did aid in Thermin's studies, and he eventually retired to a life of arcane research. He learned how to disarm mystical traps (and eventually, real ones), delved into arcane research, and occassionally hired himself out as a scholar or investigator to the town in order to pay for his lifestyle.
This went on for quite a few years, and Thermin was very set in his ways. He spent just about every waking hour in his house, pouring over arcane volumes and working on crafting new magical items. He discovered the secrets to counterspelling, magical trap disarming, and divination. Unfortunatly, shortly after his 95 birthday, he noticed some grey hair and realized he was going though the bleaching . . . the youngest gnome ever to go through the process naturally. After that, he had the grimm realization that if he wanted to keep going on with his studies, he'd have to do one of those pesky 'adventure' things and signed up with the first group he found.
Thermin could be charasmatic when he wanted to be, but rarely did he want to be. He had a grand intellect, and an even stronger force of personality, and channeled all his energies into exploring knowledge-usually arcane but sometimes mundane. He constantly complained about things like 'fighting' or using 'boring' magics (such as heal and restoration) and he was only ever happy if he was discovering interesting secrets or buried in arcane research. He resolved to go on a pesky 'adventure' once a year, but only as a means to an end-to keep himself from bleaching so he could continue his research. After his first adventure resulted in him giving a slew of arcane secrets to the Adadamae, he was eventually accepted as a permanent 'guest lecturer' there (the only divine caster to be accepted) teaching introductory arcane theory, trap dispelling, and some counterspelling courses.
1) Drakara (TN 1/2 elf Fighter-Unbreakable Archetype)
-Drakara's hometown was on the boarder of Andoran and Kyonin, and the local political climate was tense. The land was claimed by both sides, and the local human and Kyonin population were constantly seeking to undermine each other, much to the chagrin of the larger political entities. Suspicion, hatred, and occasionally open violence constantly plagued the area. Into this environment, Drakara, a half elf of a one-off fling from a human widow and a rambunctious elf, was born.
Drakara never knew his father, but luckily he was human-looking enough to pass as human (except for his ears) in the politically charged clime. He grew up quite isolated from his peers, but eventually joined the town guard when his mother passed away. His knack for fighting and decent acumen at leading men quickly raised him in the ranks, and a scant three years after joining the town guard, he was promoted to second in charge. But everything changed after one day when the elves attacked.
A rash decision by a young elf who decided he was going to reclaim the lands of his people, a huge group of elven warriors descended en masse onto the small town, and Drakara and his local militia were there fighting them. Drakara and his massive scythe killed more than any other elf that day, and eventually he was the only guard left standing. But in the frey, some lucky shot had knocked off his helm, and everyone saw him for the half elf he truly was. Bleeding and half dead, the townsfolk accused him of engineering the attack, and so the people Drakara had just saved betrayed and tried to murdur him.
Not knowing what to do, Drakara fled to Kyonin, realizing that if humans were so bad, maybe he would find solice among the elves. But this was to no avail. Tails of how he had slaughtered so many elves, quickly spread, and he was hunted like a dog by the elves for persieved slights against Kyonin. For a year he hid and fought and killed inside the country, at last earning his freedom (at level 9) by killing one of their greatest fighters at a boarder crossing, and claiming his adamentine full plate as a prize.
Drakara had decided on exactly one course of action. His goal in life was to create a land where half-elves and half-breeds could rule. Where the prejudices of the full-blooded would be punishable by death. His plan in life was to amass enough wealth and enough power to etch out his own small country, and to defend it with his body as best he could. And he absolutely WOULD NOT FALL until he made that country a reality. Nothing else to him mattered.
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My favorite is Sir Lerick. That is absolutely how a Paladin should act! You sir are playing them correctly. :) I really like how detailed these characters are and would love for my players to put as much thought in their creations. Thanks for posting and I hope Drakara finally realized his life's mission. :D
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My favorite is Sir Lerick. That is absolutely how a Paladin should act! You sir are playing them correctly. :) I really like how detailed these characters are and would love for my players to put as much thought in their creations. Thanks for posting and I hope Drakara finally realized his life's mission. :D
Thanks, I always liked Sir Lerick. Fun to just play a really nice guy.
That's a nope on Drakara, TPK because the GM sent us up against a mythic dragon that was four levels higher than the party.
No, we weren't mythic at that point.
Yes, it was the completely broken mythic playtest rules where he got two full actions a round.
That GM was a dick.