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Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 12:54 AM
Ok, I know I ask alot from the playground.
This is the fourth thread I've started that's somehow connected to my current character. I'm usually moderately good with coming with character backstories, but this one has me stumped, stuck, and stymied.

These are the most pertinant threads about the character.

Build Info (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274447)

Earlier attempt at fluff help. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274432)

The character is an LE Human Female Bard/Paladin of Asmodeus. (Bards have no alignment restrictions in this world, and all gods have their own appropriately aligned paladins.) I'm playing her in the Way of the Wicked adventure path.

I can't think of any other pertitent information atm. Please feel free to ask me any questions. (Indeed, I might be inspired by the answers I come up with... maybe.)

Funny thing: Usually, I'm ok with character builds (though I look for help with tweaking) and backstories... but terrible with names. I needed Playground help to even get the idea for this particular build and I'm asking for backstory help now. But after I determined the character's gender (I rolled for it) I had a name immediately (I had a male name, too.) Sonja (I would have used Sota if male.)

Grindle
2013-03-08, 01:03 AM
Do you have any ideas as to why your character does evil? What are your character's motivations? You could have some event earlier in life related to your character's alignment.

Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 01:12 AM
Do you have any ideas as to why your character does evil? What are your character's motivations? You could have some event earlier in life related to your character's alignment.

Not really.

My previous character had a decent backstory. Unfortunately, he's about half a torso and a pair of legs now, with his guts being digested by a demon, thus my new character.

His backstory:
A Short History of Carlin Hornear

Carlin was orphaned at a young age, but was fortunate enough to find shelter in a truly good orphanage. He spent the next fourteen years there, since as a half-elf no one wanted to adopt him.
He was soon to reach an age when the orphanage would help him find an apprenticeship in a trade when the Tyrans came. The founder of the orphanage had been accused of Asmodeus worship. As such, the orphanage was to be closed down and its residents to be sent to other orphanages. The captain of the contingent sent to carry this out acted on his own authority to cast Carlin and the few other demihuman residents out onto the street.
Once on the street, Carlin was taken in by (what he thought was) a kindly old wizard. Unfortunately, while the wizard did train him in the craft, the man was anything but kindly. After years of abuse, Carlin killed the man in his sleep and fled.

Fast Forward about fifteen years:

Carlin is a petty conman and occasional womanizer who uses his magic to aid in his cons and in seducing recalcitrant lasses (not that he needs to do the latter often.) Unfortunately for him, he seduces the wrong girl. She turns out to be the daughter of a well-placed official. As a result, the charges against him are trumped up. He is charged with slavery and tortured into pleading guilty. The sentence for this crime in Tyran Arafel: Death by immolation. He is sent to Branderscar Prison to await the fulfillment of the sentence. There he is branded as an irredeemable and chained up in a cell with other prisoners awaiting their fates.

Then he was freed with help from an agent of the last surviving Asmodean cardinal, and discovered he liked the idea of becoming a member of the ruling class of a reforged Arafel. (And of course was pissed about Tyran hypocrisy.)

Basically, I really liked the character, but he's dead and it might not be possible to return him to life anytime soon. So, I'm trying to make the best of my new character.

Also, our original characters had criminal histories, with corrosponding traits. I'm not sure if my new character will get one or not. Regardless, this also serves as a list of major crimes.


Arson
You have willfully started a fire that destroyed property. To be sent to Branderscar, you didn’t start just a minor little trash fire. Your act of arson threatened a major town, city, church or castle and likely cost someone their life. You’ll be punished for your crime by facing the fire yourself.
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: Whenever you score a critical hit with a fire attack, you receive a +2 fire damage bonus to your damage roll.

Attempted Murder
You tried to kill someone and botched the job. To be sent to Branderscar Prison, you did not try to kill just anyone. You likely assaulted someone of great importance and prominence.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus to Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is always a class skill for you.

Blasphemy
Either you have defamed the great god Mitra or you have been found guilty of worshipping one of the forbidden deities (who preeminent among them is Asmodeus).
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: +2 trait bonus to Knowledge (religion) and Knowledge (religion) is always a class skill for you.

Consorting with the Dark Powers
(Witchcraft)
You have been found guilty of summoning an evil outsider. Likely you were captured by the famed witch hunter Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you was, “May Mitra have mercy upon your wretched, damned soul.” If only you could get a chance at revenge!
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (planes) and Knowledge (arcana) checks, and one of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.

Desecration
You have violated one of the churchs, cathedrals or holy shrines of the great god Mitra. To be sent to Branderscar this was no minor act of vandalism. Instead you have done something flagrant and spectacular to dishonor the Shining Lord.
Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You receive +1 trait bonus on all saving throws against divine spells.

Desertion
You have deserted from the Talirean military and been recaptured. To get sent to Branderscar this was not some minor or routine dereliction of duty. Instead, you abandoned your post during a time of crisis -- perhaps battle or while defending the Watch Wall. Regardless of the exact circumstances, your laziness, cowardice or neglect must have caused loss of life.
Punishment: Death by hanging
Benefit: You receive one bonus skill point per level that must be spent on the Profession (Soldier) skill. Profession (Soldier) is always a class skill for you.

Dueling unto Death
You have engaged in a duel to the death and mortally wounded an opponent. The opponent was honorable enough to say nothing before he expired. Alas that his family or companions was nowhere near so honorable. Dueling was once common in Talingarde before the House of Darius came to power. The House of Barca all but encouraged duels of honor. Now, dueling of any sort is punished severely. Dueling to the death is a sure way to be sent to Branderscar Prison.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain a +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saves

Extortion
You have defrauded money from someone by holding information of their wrongdoing over their heads. To end up in Branderscar, this was no minor act of merely threatening to expose someone. Instead you ave attempted extortion against someone of great prominence and for exorbitant stakes.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +2 trait bonus to Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is always a class skill for you.

Forgery
You have forged documents issued either by the crown or by the Church of Mitra. Alas, that your forgery while competent was not entirely undetectable. To be sent to Branderscar, this was no minor finagling of paperwork. This forged document could have cost lives, undermined the reputation of the Church or endangered the security of the realm.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain a +3 trait bonus to Linguistics skill checks to commit forgery and Linguistics is always a class skill for you.

Fraud
You tried to bilk someone out of their cash. To end up in Branderscar Prison, this was no petty con job or penny ante racket. Instead, you brazenly tried to defraud someone important of a huge sum of money. And it almost worked too!
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +2 trait bonus to Bluff checks and Bluff is always a class kill for you.

Grave Robbery
It is forbidden by sacred law to dishonor a corpse after it is been sealed in its tomb by a clergy of the Mitran faith. Some may not honor this ban: necromancers, golem crafters, self-styled scientists, and alchemists delving into the forbidden secrets of life and death. These ghouls can expect no mercy from the Talirean Magistrates. And by sending you to Branderscar Prison, you have received none.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to confirm critical hits

Heresy
You have denied the supremacy of Mitra and been condemned for it. For this to be a crime, you were not content to keep your heresy to yourself. You tried to sway others. Likely you were captured by the famed witch hunter Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you
was: “Mitra may forgive you yet for your lies. Talingarde will not.” If only you could get a chance at revenge!
Punishment: Death by burning.
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws against divine spells.

High Theft
You had a foolproof plan to steal some great treasure. Alas, the scheme had a fatal flaw and went horribly awry. To be sent to Branderscar prison, this was no ordinary robbery attempt. You tried to steal something of great value or religious significance.
Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Reflex saves.

High Treason
You have willfully worked to bring down the current Monarch of Talingarde -- the beloved King Markadian V called the Brave of House Darius. To be successfully tried for High Treason you have done more than merely dislike the king, you did something tangible to undermine his rule. Alas, that you failed at your plot and are now headed to Branderscar Prison. Treason is the only crime that is still punished by the gruesome ritual of being drawn and quartered. Your stay at Branderscar will be brief.
Punishment: Death by drawing and quartering
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Will saves.

Kidnapping
You have abducted someone perhaps to ransom them or do unspeakable things to them. Unfortunately, you were caught and your victim was rescued (if they weren’t rescued, you would be guilty of murder instead). To be sent to Branderscar Prison, you must have abducted someone of great importance or in a particularly gruesome manner.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to both Disarm and Grapple attempts.

Murder
You have killed without just cause and been condemned for it. To be sent to Branderscar Prison, this was no typical killing but a particularly savage and unforgiveable act. You may also have killed someone with powerful friends. Note: You are not allowed to have killed someone in the royal family of Talingarde. You may have tried (this would instead be High Treason -- see above) but ultimately they are too well protected.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You deal 1 additional point of damage when flanking a foe. This additional damage is a trait bonus.

Piracy
You have been caught in the act of piracy on the high seas. This is a rare crime these days since Markadian I called the Victorious burned the last major pirate fleet to threaten these isles. Still the crime is punished harshly. Likely you are the sole survivor of your ship.
Punishment: Death by hanging
Benefit: You may select either Bluff or Intimidate.
The selected skill receives a +2 trait bonus and is always a class skill for you.

Sedition
You have attempted to covertly stir up rebellion against your rightful sovereign. This differs from high treason in that you attempted to convince others to make war against Talingarde instead of taking direct action yourself. A subtle difference to be sure. But it is the difference between receiving the swift justice of the axe instead of the slow agony of the rack.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to Bluff checks and Bluff is always a class skill for you. Further if you ever take the Leadership feat, you gain a +1 trait bonus to your Leadership score.

Slave-Taking
Slavery is illegal in Talingarde and a very rare crime. Still, once in a great while, slavers from the mainland will foolishly make an incursion into Talirean protected territories. When they are captured alive they are always made an example of.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive a +1 trait bonus to both Disarm and Grapple attempts.

Slave Trading
Slavery is legal in other parts of the world and it can be tempting to the most decadent of Talingarde’s nobility to acquire a “souvenir” when traveling abroad or to purchase the object of their desire from a less reputable merchant. However you ended up trading slaves in Talingarde, you were caught red handed and now you will lose more than simply your freedom.
Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive one bonus skill point per level that must be spent on the Appraise skill. The Appraise skill is always a class skill for you.

Grindle
2013-03-08, 01:20 AM
Not really.
[...]
Basically, I really liked the character, but he's dead and it might not be possible to return him to life anytime soon. So, I'm trying to make the best of my new character.

That's too bad. :smallfrown:

Anyway, you could always go with the classic parents-killed-by-some-group backstory, where your new character's parents were killed by the good guys for some reason, and now your character is sworn to avenge their death. It's pretty cliched though, except for your character being evil.

Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 01:22 AM
That's too bad. :smallfrown:

Anyway, you could always go with the classic parents-killed-by-some-group backstory, where your new character's parents were killed by the good guys for some reason, and now your character is sworn to avenge their death. It's pretty cliched though, except for your character being evil.

Yeah, I could... but that's kinda similiar to my old character's backstory. :smallsigh:

EDIT: Also, for what it's worth: Her chosen forms of performance are Oratory (laregly for monologuing) and dancing (which she uses for snowflake wardance.)

Hmm, with snowflake wardance, she's might be from one of the colder regions of the country.

Grindle
2013-03-08, 01:29 AM
Yeah, I could... but that's kinda similiar to my old character's backstory. :smallsigh:

Well, they both feature revenge and orphans, but that's about it (and a lot of evil backstories probably feature revenge). But feel free to ignore my suggestion if you think it's too similar.

ArcturusV
2013-03-08, 01:41 AM
Why go for the cliched evil? I mean you gotta be Lawful Evil. Have it be "Honorbound Evil" instead. A trait of Lawful Evil I seldom see played out. Usually it's all legalese types who do "DM hates the Wish Spell" style logic flips to try and twist everything.

So play it straight. He has a code. He had honor. He does evil things. He's not afraid of "Cracking a few eggs" and lines like that which get bandied about. But he's not constantly warping things to fit his view either, he has a very concrete code.

Have this code be something he developed in response to growing up in the ****ty Tyr Lands. The typical "Street Urchin" thing is pretty good for this. You have to do "evil" things, like theft, in order to survive. You create a code about it so you can live with yourself. Maybe make pacts with whatever kid you're running around with when you're young to make yourself a little better. And that sort of behavior just stuck. You do what you want, how you want for the better "good", or the betterment of yourself. But you do have a code that you are inflexible about. Honor, just as shiny as any Lawful Good 10' Standard Issue Butt Pole Paladin's might be. Your crusade against the Tyrrian jerks isn't so much a Holy thing, or a Revenge thing, it's an extrapolation of your code. You find them morally reprehensible (Shouldn't be hard from all I've heard).

Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 01:50 AM
Hmm, let's see...

First Stab:

Mommy and Daddy were secret Asmodeus worshipers. On her fifteenth birthday, they inducted her into the cult, which is all that remains of a once proud and respected religion. Being from a noble family, Sonja's parents tried to train her in the arts of statecraft. But, while she took to publick speaking readily, she found magic, swordplay, and dancing far more enticing than heraldry and history.

Eventually, her parents relented and let her enroll in a bardic college. It is fortunate they did, for soon after the Tyrans caught wind of her parents' religious activities. They managed to keep the truth of both her location and conversion from the inquisitors, but this did not keep them from picking her up when she returned home after completing her studies. Once in custody, they determined the truth and sentenced her to the same fate as her parents.

That's more than I had, anyway.

Also, apparently much of the nastiest stuff about the regime was reserved for their treatment of nonhumans (and non full humans.) Sonja is a fullblood human, so that likely doesn't apply to her.

Lastly, how and why did she make the transition from being a bard to being a paladin? (Also, how do I justify her later transition to the Sublime Chord PrC?)

Grindle
2013-03-08, 01:54 AM
Now, how and why did she make the transition from being a bard to being a paladin? (Also, how do I justify her later transition to the Sublime Chord PrC?)

Perhaps ordinary bardic activities lost their allure to her after her parents were executed by the inquisitors, and she turned to Asmodeus in her time of mourning.

(Then for the Sublime Chord PrC: after a time, she began to recover from the loss of her parents, but decided to try something different.)

Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 01:57 AM
Perhaps music lost its allure to her after her parents were executed by the inquisitors, and she turned to Asmodeus in her time of mourning.

But music as such never had much allure for her. Her perform skills are oratory and dancing. She generally uses oratory... hmm, she casts her spells by monologuing at the universe, lol. :smallbiggrin:

Also, starting next level, she'll be going right back to bard, then into bard PrC's.

ArcturusV
2013-03-08, 01:59 AM
A common background in Fantasy, that is almost never used in DnD due to Implications on WBL and such?

She was a bard. Stumbled across a MacGuffin of some sort. It awoke Paladin powers in her.

Yeah, cliched. But also almost never played up in DnD because usually it requires said MacGuffin to exist/be around and DMs don't necessarily like that. It could be anything. An old Asmodean holy symbol she found half buried in the dirt one day, etc.

Grindle
2013-03-08, 02:05 AM
But music as such never had much allure for her. Her perform skills are oratory and dancing. She generally uses oratory... hmm, she casts her spells by monologuing at the universe, lol. :smallbiggrin:

Also, starting next level, she'll be going right back to bard, then into bard PrC's.

Oops, I assumed she used music based on the whole "Sublime Chord" thing. Read the previous post, which I've edited, for an explanation of the whole reversion to bard thing.

If you don't want to read it, basically, she could temporarily turn to Asmodeus while mourning, then recover and become a bard again.

Frathe
2013-03-08, 02:08 AM
But music as such never had much allure for her. Her perform skills are oratory and dancing. She generally uses oratory... hmm, she casts her spells by monologuing at the universe, lol. :smallbiggrin:

Also, starting next level, she'll be going right back to bard, then into bard PrC's.Maybe for a time after her parents were killed, she couldn't put her heart into giving "pep talks" and dramatic oratorical speeches; but after some time, she recovered (as grieving people always do).

tommhans
2013-03-08, 02:55 AM
my backstory now is that i was a high standing servant at the lord of weatherby, but when he died under mysterious circumstances, my best friend betrayed me and framed me for that murder, i had to escape from that city and run away, so i got dishonored for everything i had done and a wanted criminal in that city. (reason for this, i read wrong on the character creation on fighter and i somehow managed to choose two backgrounds at first, fixed this pretty fast but as i choose knight and wanted to be a sir, i felt this was fitting to that error ^^)

But as this happened and i watched my friends one after one turn after me that made my character angry and thats why i'm playing him as a "jack bauer" like type for the moment, until his redemption :smallcool:

So yeah, my dm loved this so this will be a part of the story we will go through hehe ;P he basicly said i had to do a ****loads of stealth checks throughout the city ^^

Chilingsworth
2013-03-08, 05:37 PM
My character won't be seeking or finding redemption, that's for sure. In fact, while I've started her as LE, there's still room for her to "fall" further.