Backstory Problems

[Thomas Long 175]

So I've got a halfling i made up, Roscoe Soothands, aka Sooty.

He is a warmage, aka 3.5.

He has.... issues. His hair is always crispy and often when you meet up with him it will be smoking and embers will be falling out. His body is always covered in dirt and soot.He has little burns all over him, talks entirely too fast, and is more than a bit twitchy.

He finds work as a mercenary in a port area that is infested with pirates.

I've already thought about making his flair for pyrotechnics a familial thing, explaining why he's wandering around the world rather than back at home. I've considered kind of a dual alchemical magical experiment gone badly wrong that killed the father figure, burned down the house, and kinda left him as his oh so twitchy, slightly maddened self.

He's generally cheerful but also slightly ruthless and morbid. Example today... we tried negotiating with fish people. They refused to negotiate. We try 2 more rooms. 3rd room we walk into, I simply refuse to speak and the person who spoke aquan and failed at diplomacy before told me it was my turn she failed last time. Walks up "by the powers vested in me by mysterious and ill conceived forces of this world i declare you all fish sticks!"

He flash fried an entire room and simply floating off declaring his diplomacy score better, but at the same time, has gone back through and buried every single person he kills.

What kind of experiment or past would make this kind of person?

[SirCruben]

there is always the " whoops i fell into a vat of experimental SUPER alchemist fire when i was a wee lad"

or maybe, well my great great grandfather Wang Fire once made a wish on a magical ring that let him shoot fire out of...well.. i guess its kinda self explanatory.

needless to say the kids that came from that man weren't exactly...right..

[blackbloodtroll]

Experimental Efreeti Blood Infusion, with an Alchemical Bonding agent, formed from Chaos Beast extract.

The intended result, was an easily applied, alchemical infusion, allowing one to survive the harsh environment of the Plane of Fire.

It was worked on with a Master Alchemist in the country of Katapesh, looking to increase trade with the Efreet of the City of Brass.

Slave trade was common, but with the ability to have more slaves survivable, in more than just the City of Brass, on the Plane of Fire, it would boost trade considerably.

Many experimental trials were performed, but the bonding agent proved too volatile, and met with wildly varying results.

Roscoe, was a participant, in the experimental trials.

[Thomas Long 175]

Wow, those are really interesting and unique ideas.

I never really thought about it being an ingested problem as I kind of expected it to be an explosive problem, but that would rather still make sense if you were ingesting something that was basically essence of a fire creature.

[Thomas Long 175]

shameless bump for ideas

[Lincoln Hills]

I'd probably say that in halfling school, he was small and weak (by, you know, halfling standards), and relentless bullying led him to a deep-seated love of fire. You see it a lot in pyromanic case studies.

And as long as I'm here, here's an apposite Firefly quotation.
Early: You know, with the exception of one troublesome midget this girl's the most difficult cargo I've ever had to deal with. That seem right to you?
Simon: What'd he do?
Early: Who?
Simon: The midget.
Early: Arson. The little man loved fire.