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View Full Version : Help me build/flesh out a cleric [3.5]



Triaspia
2013-02-02, 09:14 PM
Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of help to fill out my characters story and build. The group is mostly new players (1 other player and myself have had a few sessions, everyone else is starting up for the first time) so I'm not looking for anything too powerful/optimised, we're limited to Core 3.5.

So, heres what I've got:
Panrry Silverkin - lawful Neutral, No diety
Cleric of the Milites Hospitalis
Son of Davros Silverkin (Killed in action when Panrry was 16) and
Breora Shieldheart (Midwife/wetnurse)

Character History:
Panry was born into the ranks of clerics. He learned much from his parents work while growing up. His mother taught him healing and pain management and allowed him to help on procedures. Whenever his father was home he was taught defence, both magical and with simple weapons.

Panrry was accepted into the order at age 10, 2 years younger than the minimum recruitment age, due to his parents early training and presence within the order. He completed his training younger than most and was pronounced an official cleric at 16, making him one of the youngest to achieve the title. His ceremony was bitter-sweet however, just as the announcement was made, news came in that his fathers unit had been slain, with no survivors.

Panrry spent the next 5 years an active cleric, ordered out to support several battlefronts of various races. Young and full of hope, he devoted himself to the quick healing of all those who came into his care. This served him well until he saw war for the first time. Despite all his training and magic he saw much death and the casualties quickly began to overwhelm the unit. His supervisor changed the orders to cope “No magic for the walking wounded, serious injuries are to be stabilised, monitored and left to recover, Those who would otherwise die without magical intervention are to be made comfortable and given peace”. It disturbed Panrry how easily spells of death and harm came to him and how he always felt that small amount of guilty pleasure whenever he saw the light fading from someone's eyes.

Once the war was over and Panrry returned to the order, he requested permission of the high cleric for a mission away from any battlefields. He was allowed to become a wandering cleric, and seek out new forms of magic and treatments that could benefit the order.

While out in the world, away from much of the sickness and death he saw daily within the order, he began to develop a new appreciation for life and well-being, but always, in the back of his mind, was the sick feeling of pleasure he got whenever he saw life fade. His travels take him from town to town, seeking ways to advance his healing and medical knowledge, he stops in at every church along the way to pay his respects to their god(s), request access to their tomes and archives, and to hopefully find a way to free himself of his inner demon.

Milites Hosiptalis:
The Milites Hospitalis is an order of Clerics who pray to all gods, but rarely take one for themselves.

Members of the order get their powers from their faith in the order and themselves to heal the sick and injured.

All who need healing are welcomed and none are turned away regardless of race or religion. It is not uncommon for the service of the Milites Hospitalis to be requested or offered to both sides of a battle.

Clerics are trained in simple blunt weapons for their protection while traversing a battlefield. Their uniform consists of a white over-tunic with a red 8 pointed cross on the chest, shoulders and back, over light/medium armour for mobility.

The Milites Hospitalis is recognised far and wide as a source of neutral healing causing mixed feelings amongst outsiders.

A Cleric will pray to whichever gods are worshipped by their charges or of the town they presently reside in. They often frequent churches while travelling, to pay their respects to the god for the lives of those they couldn't save, offer their services and request to look over their tomes to find ways to advance the healing techniques of the order.

For the most part, Clerics of the Milites Hospitalis are non combatants and will only strike out in self defence, serving a primary role as healers and are generally left alone on the battlefield they are servicing. This does not make it a safe profession, many Clerics are injured or killed in the line of duty and may pull out if the risk rises too high.

We're, building the characters in a few days time, using 30 point buy in, I'm intending to distribute his skill points according to his story (high heal, knowledge - religion) but I'm not sure how I should distribute ability points, or what ways I can further develop his story.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

aeauseth
2013-02-05, 06:46 PM
For story I've always found adding some non-class related items can be fun. Throw in a skill related profession. Your grandfather let you run the grindstone of his jewelry shop, for example. Think of the skills you plan to take, put in some background to flush it out. Taking diplomacy? Then maybe you tried your hand as a church counselor. Make some of your background negative. You were a lousy student, or got caught stealing, or was a lazy ass good for nothing teen. You have an unusual taste for red meat and hate vegetables (dragon tainted blood?).

One of my best backgrounds was based on a 30year old gnome who never left the house. Was a mommas boy who lived off the hard workings of my merchant father. He kicked me out at age 30 and sent me to my grandfathers. Grandpa fed me, but had no spending coin so I got a job. I eventually joined an adventurer’s group. At level 5 the DM arranged that I met up with my father again. My merchant father was mildly impressed I made something of my life, so gave our party a small task to help out his business. By level 7 I helped my father with his business and got several more mini-adventures for the party, started buying land & warehouses. By level 10 I was basically running the family business. Etc. Make your background interesting, but not too specific. Give the DM some interesting story framework that he can build upon. A good DM will integrate your background into the game.

Triaspia
2013-02-06, 11:26 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, my I had already made it a bit of a mixed bag. Good student (finished training younger than average), fathers was reported killed in action when Panrry was 16 (same day he was awarded the title of cleric). After facing a war for the first time, they were overwhelmed by the amount of wounded, and those that would otherwise die without magical aid were given an easy rest, which Panrry found himself starting to enjoy (watching/causing death).

So Ive got his fathers death and the darkness in his mind that causes him to enjoy watching the life fade from others.

I could give him a hobby, studying religions would work, would fit into both the backstory for Panrry and the order, he's just taking it a step further than their general knowledge to try and find a divine cure for his inner darkness/demon (upto dm what the cause/cure could be) that would give him a boosted knowledge religion score.