Need help designing a backstory/personality for an arcane caster

[theonesin]

A little background on this D&D 3.5 campaign: All the party's characters came from present-day Earth(or off-brand equivalent), and the original party was on an airplane when some mysterious event occurs that unleashes demons and magic into the world. The party wakes up 1000ish years in the future, where everything is more of your typical DnD-style swords and sorcery in terms of tech and such. The leader of the town the party finds first informs them that they're "chosen"(for what purpose hasn't really been said), but that the term seems to apply to anyone who blatantly came from the past(to help explain how new characters can join, as well as some NPCs we'll meet). Non-human characters had minor racial traits before the event, but an NPC sort of "awakens" the latent power after we arrived, as well as granting non-martial classes knowledge/access to their abilities.

I'm making a new character because my previous one wasn't working out(combination of really niche combat skills in a game currently lacking in combat, and having a personality that was very inconsistent). I'm playing a Gray Elf Generalist Wizard/Binder, going for Anima Mage, so mechanically it's a character with a versatile spell set while also delving into some shady powers through vestiges.

Usually I'd be able to come up with something decent with a backstory by way of incorporating a goal to work towards. That's very tricky to do in this scenario since most "backstory" would occur before the event, meaning any goal would likely be impossible to accomplish, and is where I'm currently stuck. Personality-wise, I have a bad habit of pretty much roleplaying "myself", which works sometimes if I'm exaggerating, but often leaves a big disconnect with the character.

Any advice at all would be very helpful. Thanks.

[Phelix-Mu]

Hmm. Lost meets Futurama meets Shadowrun. I likey.

Well, here are a few ideas. Bear in mind that I am just spitballing.

1.) Undiagnosed schizophrenic:
Before the event, the character was a bit of a loner. To elude to elf, insomniac. To elude to vestiges, vivid hallucinations that the character was just lucid enough to not acknowledge openly, thus allowing him/her to operate under the radar of relatives, doctors, psychologists, and employers. Nevertheless, hearing voices in your head and seeing people that don't really exist is quite distracting. But the character made up for it by being a bonafide genius, even having some papers published in various journals of .

But, all was for naught, because the voices, as for many a delusional person, whisper constantly of secret truths, worlds unseen, and conspiracies under every seeming reality. As the event approached, the character began a downward spiral, with the voices becoming coherent beings that whispered. Whispered. All the time. Never any peace.

You should go on vacation.

But I like my work.

How about a plane flight?

Why? When? Can't you all just leave me alone?

Or something like that. The hallucinations drive the character to board the plane, a one-way ticket with destiny, you might say.

Now, in the future, the voices are silent. But the images, the spectres of the beings that the person hallucinated, they now appear every morning at his behest, offering power at a price, privilege for existence. Is this new reality real? Did the voices lead the character here? Is it all just a new height of madness.

Themes: Madness, voices/silence, the illusory nature of reality. The character is at once not sure that anything is real (and so a bit distant and distrusting), but also rapt at the depth and real-feeling of this new reality. Has the character found reality, and that old life was just a distant memory? Is there something real to cling onto here, or just more delusions and a continuing spiral into madness.


2.) Sojourner:
The character had something good. A wife, a family, maybe something more shallow, like wealth, a business empire. Whatever it was, it was their pride and joy, the center of their existence, and a lynchpin in their identity.

Then the accident. Everything changed. The old life is gone, along with everything else familiar. The others are struggling to move on, to adapt. They are all in shock, but some are doing better than others.

But not this character. The past is too central to who he/she is to be abandoned. Thus, this character has a mission: return. No matter how long it takes, no matter the odds or the seeming impossibilities, the character is going to get back what he/she lost.

As an elf, the character steels themselves for the long haul. Magic, beings that exist outside of reality, time travel...it's all just steps in the path toward the return. All goals lead toward this goal, everything else is just part of the scheme to go back, or maybe bring the others to the present. Whatever the plan, it's most likely secret, as others would likely view it as being unable to let go and move forward. But the character knows otherwise.

Themes: The thousand yard stare: the character cares little for anything in the future that isn't connected to the plan. People, places, plot...it's all just passing by, as the character focuses on the distant goal: return. Nothing can stop him/her; gods help anyone that tries. Ruthless, if quietly so, everyone around the character are just tools in the plan, and are treated as such (if perhaps diplomatically so...no point in alienating potential assets).


3.) Thirster:
The old life was dry, black and white, like an episode of a crappy old television comedy that was stuck on infinite loop; predictable, scripted, hollow, a tacit joke as everyone laughs robotically. The character engaged in rampant escapism or denial; he/she couldn't stand life, and so traveled widely, partied hard, drank too much, or whatever.

Then the accident. And the future.

Oh, yes. The future.

Better than any drug, better than any high, this new world was vibrant, burning brightly in the mind of the character. Just why is hard to pin down; maybe it's the magic, maybe it's the chosen destiny. Maybe being an elf is really just that sexy.

Whatever it is, the character can't get enough. Books, lore, people, cultures, everything. This character needs to know, needs to experience. Like an addict in search of the next high, a thirst drives them forward, a burning energy that moves them to passionate concern in all kinds of things. Everything in this new reality, and even some things from beyond it, all are fuel for the engine, fire in the belly, feeding the need to experience new and even more obscure things.

Themes: Quest for knowledge, manic obsession with new places, new people, new sources of information about the new world. Equal parts sage, raconteur, and mad scientist, this character is driven by a passion for learning as much as possible about as many things as possible. Their joy in this process is tangible; just as the old world was stale and dead, this new world is a breath of fresh air, a new reality that has fed a hunger the character never even knew he/she had.


Anyway, just a few thoughts. I can do more if you give me more of an idea of what you are looking for. I basically just took class/race and the setting premise and ran with it. More [S]blood for the blood god details would be welcome.

Hope it helps get the creative juices flowing.

[Telonius]

So, a person whose "essence" is that of a Gray Elf Binder/Anima mage. Gray Elves are super-aloof, intelligent, and generally think they're better than everybody else. Binder (generally) is about making deals with shady powers that you don't always see. They're typically loners, but very driven individuals.

So, how about ... corporate lawyer? Lone-wolf hacker? DM looking on CharOp boards for something to spring on his party? :smallbiggrin:

[theonesin]

Phelix-Mu, I really like all the ideas you posted. The "Undiagnosed schizophrenic" is interesting, though I feel as a player that I wouldn't be able to give it proper justice. And while not on as high a level, a previous character I played did have to deal with the DM messing with his head on frequent occasion.

When I've tried to write backstories before, I always liked to give them a tangible goal. Whether it's to find this thing or person, defeat this thing, whatever. Something to actively work towards and that can help the DM integrate the character into the world, and create scenarios that invest them. "Sojourner" has a really cool goal in mind, possibly made better by the fact that the DM hasn't given us any indication if we could go back to the old world or anything. "Thirster" I really like as well, as it fits well with the mechanical theme of going with a Generalist Wizard: wanting to sort of know everything. Though the goal of just amassing knowledge has a less tangible endpoint. Like, would my character know when he's satisfied? Could he ever be satisfied? Is there some ultimate Highlander-like secret?

Perhaps I could mesh the two ideas together somewhat. Maybe the "ultimate knowledge" is warping reality to the point of going back to the old world, or bringing it to the new one. As for other details, there's not really a whole lot to say, and the DM isn't currently around to ask(like what exactly is the party's goal in the new world). As far as my character getting INTO the new world, it doesn't necessarily have to be via the same airplane(or even any airplane), since the DM already acknowledged that there were other "chosen" in the world.

[Extra Anchovies]

Hmm. Lost meets Futurama meets Shadowrun. I likey.

Well, here are a few ideas. Bear in mind that I am just spitballing.

1.) Undiagnosed schizophrenic:
Before the event, the character was a bit of a loner. To elude to elf, insomniac. To elude to vestiges, vivid hallucinations that the character was just lucid enough to not acknowledge openly, thus allowing him/her to operate under the radar of relatives, doctors, psychologists, and employers. Nevertheless, hearing voices in your head and seeing people that don't really exist is quite distracting. But the character made up for it by being a bonafide genius, even having some papers published in various journals of .

But, all was for naught, because the voices, as for many a delusional person, whisper constantly of secret truths, worlds unseen, and conspiracies under every seeming reality. As the event approached, the character began a downward spiral, with the voices becoming coherent beings that whispered. Whispered. All the time. Never any peace.

You should go on vacation.

But I like my work.

How about a plane flight?

Why? When? Can't you all just leave me alone?

Or something like that. The hallucinations drive the character to board the plane, a one-way ticket with destiny, you might say.

Now, in the future, the voices are silent. But the images, the spectres of the beings that the person hallucinated, they now appear every morning at his behest, offering power at a price, privilege for existence. Is this new reality real? Did the voices lead the character here? Is it all just a new height of madness.

Themes: Madness, voices/silence, the illusory nature of reality. The character is at once not sure that anything is real (and so a bit distant and distrusting), but also rapt at the depth and real-feeling of this new reality. Has the character found reality, and that old life was just a distant memory? Is there something real to cling onto here, or just more delusions and a continuing spiral into madness.


2.) Sojourner:
The character had something good. A wife, a family, maybe something more shallow, like wealth, a business empire. Whatever it was, it was their pride and joy, the center of their existence, and a lynchpin in their identity.

Then the accident. Everything changed. The old life is gone, along with everything else familiar. The others are struggling to move on, to adapt. They are all in shock, but some are doing better than others.

But not this character. The past is too central to who he/she is to be abandoned. Thus, this character has a mission: return. No matter how long it takes, no matter the odds or the seeming impossibilities, the character is going to get back what he/she lost.

As an elf, the character steels themselves for the long haul. Magic, beings that exist outside of reality, time travel...it's all just steps in the path toward the return. All goals lead toward this goal, everything else is just part of the scheme to go back, or maybe bring the others to the present. Whatever the plan, it's most likely secret, as others would likely view it as being unable to let go and move forward. But the character knows otherwise.

Themes: The thousand yard stare: the character cares little for anything in the future that isn't connected to the plan. People, places, plot...it's all just passing by, as the character focuses on the distant goal: return. Nothing can stop him/her; gods help anyone that tries. Ruthless, if quietly so, everyone around the character are just tools in the plan, and are treated as such (if perhaps diplomatically so...no point in alienating potential assets).


3.) Thirster:
The old life was dry, black and white, like an episode of a crappy old television comedy that was stuck on infinite loop; predictable, scripted, hollow, a tacit joke as everyone laughs robotically. The character engaged in rampant escapism or denial; he/she couldn't stand life, and so traveled widely, partied hard, drank too much, or whatever.

Then the accident. And the future.

Oh, yes. The future.

Better than any drug, better than any high, this new world was vibrant, burning brightly in the mind of the character. Just why is hard to pin down; maybe it's the magic, maybe it's the chosen destiny. Maybe being an elf is really just that sexy.

Whatever it is, the character can't get enough. Books, lore, people, cultures, everything. This character needs to know, needs to experience. Like an addict in search of the next high, a thirst drives them forward, a burning energy that moves them to passionate concern in all kinds of things. Everything in this new reality, and even some things from beyond it, all are fuel for the engine, fire in the belly, feeding the need to experience new and even more obscure things.

Themes: Quest for knowledge, manic obsession with new places, new people, new sources of information about the new world. Equal parts sage, raconteur, and mad scientist, this character is driven by a passion for learning as much as possible about as many things as possible. Their joy in this process is tangible; just as the old world was stale and dead, this new world is a breath of fresh air, a new reality that has fed a hunger the character never even knew he/she had.


Anyway, just a few thoughts. I can do more if you give me more of an idea of what you are looking for. I basically just took class/race and the setting premise and ran with it. More [S]blood for the blood god details would be welcome.

Hope it helps get the creative juices flowing.

Crikey. These are awesome. I now want to be in a time-shift-based game so I can play one of these. Or in three such games, so I can play all three. Where did you learn to build characters like that?

[theonesin]

Managed to talk with my DM, and found that there is an overall goal for the campaign. Quoted from him:

"Your goal is to find out who has released the demons and gods again. Not because they helped but because the gods have sensed something wrong and there are rumors of someone or something trying to seal the gods away again. All you know at the moment is the gods want you to find the people who freed them though." This information was given to the party by an NPC, not the gods directly.

[daremetoidareyo]

Gray elf mage/binder = Spoiled rich late teen whose parents bought his love. He knows he is better than everyone else but has a desire to demonstrate it while at the same time wanting a real genuine connection. Exhibits a smarmy side, but he iiiis smart, he is fit, and he is confident about it. The kind of kid who is totally changed once they get an enabling friend (for the worse), a bloody nose (for the better), running away (and nooot coming back), or a militant leader.

The cool thing about that character is that that is the perfect personality to bind vestiges with. You want the connection, you want them to know who is boss, you delude yourself when the vestige gets the better of you so you're fine with it anyway. And in the world your GM is making, this guys gets to really be a hero or a total screw up or a sometimes a real laugh. You can argue with other PCs but still not let it escalate to PVP because you'll apologize when your pride backs down a bit.