What is your character's backstory?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

We were instructed to come up with backstories for our characters which could lead to some quests and side quests. Here is what I worked up after rolling a 5'1" elf strong in Charisma and Dexterity.

My character Val is from a family of wood elves which for generations has run a boarding school of sorts for dragon wyrmlings while their parents are off hunting treasures, righting wrongs, or are just too preoccupied.

Wouldn't you know it, her father lost a wyrmling(!) which has led to all kinds of problems including her family being treated as outcasts and feared retribution to both her family and from mama dragon when she returns.

Impatient with the elven clan's elderly ruling council's endless debates on what action to take Val and her sister Lilitha leave to go find this wrymling before bad things come of it.

How difficult could it be to find a baby dragon in an area dominated by humanoid settlements?

Well working a lead on the docks of Helmskeep Val and Lilitha got separated and the only evidence of Lilitha left was enough elven blood to indicate Lilitha was probably dead.

Before she could secure passage out of town Val herself was kidnapped by a party of human males with matching red "A" tattoos (League of Arian Nationalists, a "Human Purity" cult). Some terrible experiences there left her with quite the distaste for human males in particular. She only escaped by disgustingly enough charming one of them.

Shortly there after she bumped into the rest of the adventurers.

So while not entirely original, I was watching my own newborn and Sons of Anarchy at the time, it has provided the DM with some entertainment.

What do you all have that has worked well and hasn't?

[Âmesang]

5TH EDITION FORGOTTEN REALMS® D&D CHARACTER (7th-LEVEL—CURRENT):
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifBorn in Menzoberranzan on 14 Ches, 1375 DR, "The Year of Risen Elfkin," Variolus is the daughter of Zal'therra of House Baenre, a former commander of the "Army of the Black Spider" and a cousin to Quenthel, the Matron Mother of House Baenre. A child of politics, Variolus found herself between two worlds; as a Baenre she commanded great clout and respect from her fellow drow due to her family's centuries-long influence… yet amongst her family she was barely noticed, being far from the hereditary line of succession. Instead, like her mother, Variolus found herself attracted to the more martial aspects of drow society, dividing her time between the priestesses of Arach-Tinilith and the warriors of Melee-Magthere, learning to enforce Lolth's will through strength of arms as much as through strength of faith.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifPersonal Goals—Unleash the Giants: In 1360 DR, on the world of Oerth, the drow of House Eilservs, led by Matron Mother Eclavdra, enticed the giants to attack the western borders of the Flanaess; now, six score and eleven years later, the Sword Coast found itself under its own giant assault, and Quenthel Baenre sent Variolus to investigate the sudden disturbance… and to see if these giants can be bent towards Lolth's will like those of Oerth had been. Much like her mother's conflict against the armies of Gracklstugh at the Pillars of Woe, no one in House Baenre expected the young drow to survive, but such a task could prove the perfect opportunity to not only heighten her dark abilities but to gather the might necessary to make her own claim upon the throne of Menzoberranzan and end the line of Yvonnel Baenre.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifAlignment—Chaotic Evil: Stealth. Deception. Intimidation; these are the skills honed by the drow over countless generations, allowing them to survive within the depths of the Underdark. The dark goddess, Lolth, routinely pits drow against drow to cull the weak, resulting in a society where backstabbing is a sport and "love" is an alien concept. Variolus is no different, taught from an early age to put herself above the common folk and that an ally's life is only as valuable as the abilities he possesses. While she is expected to obey the Matron Mother of House Baenre without question, the matron is nothing more than another obstacle to overcome, to be crushed and conquered, until only Variolus' legacy remains…

3RD EDITION WORLD OF GREYHAWK® D&D CHARACTER (16th-LEVEL—LONGEST RUNNING):
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifScion of the ancient Suel Imperium, Lady Quintessa of House Neheli is an archmage possessing legendary powers of sorcery with ambition to match. Her knowledge of arcana and spellcraft approaches that of the most infamous magical guilds, while her quest to unlock the black secrets of her ancient kin is unrelenting.

ECOLOGY
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifLady Quintessa of House Neheli was born in Thornward, capital of the March of Bissel, on Godsday, 4th of Needfest, 575 CY. Heir to an ancient lineage of Suloise wizardry, Quintessa was the result of Al'Kelshar, ancient magic utilizing the blood of past mages and the touch of the fatherland to spark the power of sorcery within her. She was raised amid the splendor and conflict of the surrounding Sheldomar Valley, Baklunish West, and the eastern Flanaess, learning early the value of power and that weakness was not to be countenanced.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifIn 584 CY, as Bissel fell to hated Kettite hordes, the budding mage was sent away in safety to the Free City of Greyhawk to enter its prestigious University of Magical Arts; as her arcane might grew, however, she had found that her magical ability came without the need for spellbooks or preparation, leading Quintessa to believe that she had already surpassed her wizardly peers. By 588 CY she had instead fallen in with Greyhawk's notorious Thieves' Guild, adding weaponry, poisoncrafting, and deceit to her list of talents.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifAchieving the first level of her sorcerous power inflamed Quintessa's desire to master the ancient mysteries and magical traditions of her ancestors and, in 591 CY, she left the Free City behind to research the works of Linia Hoistreth, the Lady Sage of Safeton, who's knowledge of the Suel Imperium had been prodigious; there she learned of Slerotin's Manifesto, a tome inscribed by the Last Mage of Power and owned by Lady Hoistreth until her death, lost for nearly a century before being found across the world in Scant, the capital of Onnwal, resting in a cathedral dedicated to Wee Jas, the Suloise goddess of magic.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifAs 592 CY set in Quintessa sailed across the Sea of Gearnat to seek this prize, yet it was all for naught; Slerotin's Manifesto had been lost as a result of the chaos between the citzens of Onnwal and the Scarlet Brotherhood, an organization of pureblooded Suel seeking dominance over the whole of the Oerth. Finding herself at a dead end Quintessa decided to travel west across the Azure Sea into Jeklea Bay and the port of Sasserine, her final destination being the Hellfurnaces, the volcanic mountain range that formed the eastern border of a desert called the Sea of Dust, the remnants of her ancestral homeland; there could be no better place to explore her heritage than this caustic wasteland.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifReaching ashore in 593 CY Quintessa traveled south along the Amedio Highway before coming upon a small frontier city named Cauldron, the last bastion of civilization for hundreds of miles. While integrating herself into the upper echelons of Cauldronite society she found herself swept up in politics, intrigue, and nightmare plots that threatened to bring all of the Flanaess spiraling into damnation. Constantly tested in these wilds she drew upon spellcraft that had laid dormant within her, bolstering her magical talents manyfold, and after facing floods, fiends, and foul necromancy Quintessa's sorcerous power grew to terrifying proportions.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifNow as 595 CY dawns, with such cosmic forces at her fingertips and fiendish servants at her beck and call, this child of the Suel Imperium draws ever closer to attaining arcane glory not seen since the last days of the Mages of Power…
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifEnvironment: While she is most at home in the finest inns surrounded by luxurious decor, Quintessa is an archmage possessing vast magical ability; the entire multiverse is open to her, and her drive to obtain lost arcane lore has led her to travel to exotic and hostile environments, from the City of Splendors to the City of Towers to the City of Brass.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifYet no matter where she travels to she knows there is no more beauteous sight than the Gem of the Flanaess (save for her own elegance).
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifPhysical Characteristics: A flawless reflection of the Imperium's ancient decadence, Quintessa appears as a beautiful, voluptuous young woman with long, snow-white hair and fairest skin, her eyes the color of unyielding passion alight with the azure glow of arcane sight. Her soft features give way only when the legendary fury of the Suel is unleashed.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifShe often wears a silken gown that sparkles like the heavens seen over the horizon of the world. Her personal sigil, a blue rose in the form of a capital "Q" in the cursive script, is emblazoned both within her signet ring and as an arcane mark upon her right hip.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifAlignment: Quintessa acts solely on her own whims and desires… and she desires nothing less than ultimate dominion over reality. Believing herself above the masses she loves to manipulate and inflict suffering on those she sees as beneath her, which is everyone, and to see others act just as depraved. Like her quasit companion Quintessa is truly chaotic evil.

TYPICAL TREASURE
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifAs a noble arcanist always on the move, Quintessa has deigned to carry much of her wealth on her person, and always in the most extravagant means possible. A considerable portion of her resources went towards enhancing her spellcasting, and her talents have won her membership to various guilds across a multitude of material worlds. Her total wealth is comparable to a player character of her Challenge Rating.

QUINTESSA IN FAERÛN
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifIn researching the Suel Imperium one name continued to appear time and time again: Faerûn. From the skulks of the Suel Eight-House War appearing beneath Calimshan to the creation of the "Orb of Draconic Influence" mirroring the brainchild of Emperor Inzhilem II, this forgotten realm piqued Quintessa's interest. Then, as luck would have it, she crossed paths with a shade who had been investigating the loss of one his own, a Power of Shadow named Zol Tanthul who had infiltrated the Suel Imperium in centuries past.
https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/backup/pictures/indent.gifWith a bit of deduction of her own Quintessa learned that the shades descended from their own ancient nation, the Empire of Netheril, who's potent arcanists were no less mighty than the Mages of Power. With the knowledge of planar magic at her disposal she traversed the Plane of Shadow to visit the world of Abeir-Toril in 1378 dr, "The Year of the Cauldron," to explore their own side of the Underdark, to partake of the loftiest heights of Waterdeep and the darkest depths of Undermountain, and to learn all that she could about the Nether Scrolls and "the Weave," researching lost arcane secrets from raising floating enclaves to stealing the powers of a god…


† Variolus' background utilized the pre-generated character sheets (https://www.schadenfreudestudios.com/dnd/5e%20character%20sheet%20%28starter%20set%29.pdf) as a template; might have to reread "Against the Giants" to make sure my facts are straight, and the date conversion comes from the "Legacy of the Suel Imperium" article from DRAGON #241 (1369 DR = 585 CY).
‡Quintessa's background utilized the Monster Manuals IV and V as a template; definitely need to fill it out more in places and clean it up a bit.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Whoa, that was pretty intense. And good enough I'm ready to watch a Netflix series about either.

[falcon1]

My character was made in conjunction with another character: We were both dwarves, brothers, me a paladin and him a warlock who spent a lot of time faking abilities. He kept getting into trouble, and I kept getting him out of it, until something happened and we were both exiled for the "banana incident"

[Knightofvictory]

I love hearing and making great character backstories :D

Something that is simple, works really well that I always do, is link your character's history with another player before the game starts. Like my very first fighter was the cleric's bodyguard so I spent the whole game following her orders and trying to keep her alive. Ton of fun, and an easy motivation. Or my friend's teifling character was longtime friends with the paladin, so they had a reason to work together and trust each other despite their different outlooks. For quick games, if I haven't had time to give it much thought I'll ask, "hey, who wants to save my life when I meet the party so I have a reason to stick with you guys". Always makes characters feel more fleshed out and gives them an 'in game' reason to stay together and help each other, even if goals/alignments differ.

The 'worst' characters I've seen in games are Chaotic Neutral out for themselves types that don't help the party, antagonize NPCs, and make everyone constantly wonder why in the world the party is keeping them around.

[2D8HP]

I actually had tears writing my two best (or just longest) back-stories, both of which were written for 5e D&D:


The girl screamed while the soldiers laughed.
He's forgotten so much, but he could remember that.
He didn't understand.
When the Queens soldiers took Paw away, Ma said Paw "was going to the Queen to be a hero", but they were hurting her! Heroes didn't do that!
Ma said that he was as strong as Paw now, maybe stronger, even though he didn't have a beard yet.
Ma said he needed to do what Paw used to, cut the tree's, dig the wells, and when the time came slaughter the pigs. With axe, hammer and shovel he would swing hisarms and do what Ma said.
Ma said "Ossian, you listen now to your cousin Gwen, she's got a good head".
Maw was the only one who called him "Ossian", everyone else called him "Ox".
Gwen was screaming!
Maw said "you need to do what your Paw would do".
Paw was a hero.
So he swung his arms.
The soldiers stopped laughing, but Gwen still screamed.
"You've got to run Ox, they'll kill you"! "Run far, go to the rebels".
So he ran.
He ran far and met the rebels.
They gave him a sword.
And he did what they told him.
He swung his arms.
So much he has forgotten.
But he remembered somethings.
He remembered Maw's, Paw's, and Gwen's faces.
Now when he looked into the water he saw Paw's face, but Paw's beard was never grey was it?
He remembered that they called him "hero" once, now if anyone used that word about him they put "was a" in front of it.
He remembered he used to be strong.
He was still strong, but not like he was.
And he remembered the Queen.
And that she would be back.
And he would have to swing his arms again.



Though he'd "lived", if you could call it "living" for years, growing soft in this city of men, Riardon remembered the forest.

Riardon loved the forest.

The sound of the wind, the river, the birds.
And foot steps.
He loved his family as well, but he always felt the call of the forest, where he could live without speaking, and be still.
And listen.
And wait.
For his prey.
He told himself he hunted to feed his family and neighbors, but deep inside he knew that wasn't true.
He needed the sounds of the woods, as well as the quiet.
And to watch
And to listen.

He heard the woods burning.

He had lived through forest-fires before, but this was different. There had been no lighting. And he heard screaming. Elf screams!
In an instant from so still he would appear to be part of the woods, he became quick as a deer running from a couger, and he ran towards home.
Towards his family.
Towards everyone he knew.
He saw the burned bodies.
And the arrows.
And something else.

A banner.

Men's banner.

Riardon knew then that he would leave the woods.

He had a new prey.

I'm finding that both work well as a "writing sample audition", that DM's accept, but actually role-playing the characters implied is disruptive to the game.

I've been lucky enough to write a back-stories that DM's accept, but I haven't yet developed the skill to "stay on the rails"of the adventure, and still be true to the character implied by the back-story.
:frown:

[propheticsteel]

Standard for me is 8 pages :)

[Psikerlord]

Over time I have come to prefer no pre-written backstory. I like to roll on a "PC bonds" table, to explain how the PCs know each other, but other than that, I like to keep the background details wide open, and improvise them on the spot mid-play in a flashback or insta-history type fashion.

I find this works better than pre-written histories for 2 main reasons (i) everyone hears it at the same time, and can work with it, (2) it is something that is relevant to the session at hand

I used to write about a page of history and personality combined. Now I write two lines. And I get more fun out of it, overall.

[Cluedrew]

To 2D8HP: That should not actually a problem if they are running the game right.

Anyways, I enjoy implied histories. Establish the general feel but leave the details open to be developed as appropriate. For instance: "Greg Kelly was old enough that his battle scars had wrinkles." Tells you nothing solid about the character's history, but the same time you can guess at some of it easily.

[Professor Chimp]

My current character, a Wizard named Raimond, doesn't really have a backstory. I made it mostly blank and nonsensical. Partly because Raimond is batguano, pants-on-head crazy in the cloudcuckoolander sense, with a morality that isn't so much black or white, but more orange (although during fights or danger his usual funloving personality sometimes gives way for a more reasonable, but also cold and cruel second personality). If he has a backstory, he doesn't remember it, or maybe he doesn't care enough to. The only hints to his origins are his strangely militaristic clothes (for a wizard) and his stylized fox mask, which he refuses to take off. Whenever Raimond is asked about his background, he tells a number of obvious bullscheisse stories like the one below. He believes all of them are true.

Raimond was created in a super-secret, underwater volcano laboratory IN SPACE, as part of a devious experiment to create the perfect insane wizards from pieces of lesser insane wizards. Obviously, the experiment was a massive failure. Then there was a really cool sexy party that ended rather destructively. The cries of the party-goers still haunt his mind. Bodies! Bodies everywhere! ... and then the explosion happened. One thing led to another and Raimond was free to wander the world, seeking ever more confusing (to onlookers) ways to experience all that life has to offer.
During a recent quest the DM has revealed that the above may be partially somewhat true. During a visit to an abandoned wizard's tower, the party came across a stained glass window of a wizard who looks exactly like Raimond, except this guy is confirmed dead for over a hundred years. In the cellars of that same tower, we encountered a group of mooks, the leader of which referred to Raimond as 'the prototype'.

[ElChad]

Not as great as those above, but my Pathfinder character has a story I would like to share :

The beginnings of Isorin Covenwood, Master Conjurer of the Far Havens

It's hard to think it was only several years ago that nobody knew of Isorin Covenwood, the famed conjurer of the Far Havens.

Isorin Covenwood came from a modest upbringing in the small farming village of Pete's Barn in the Far Havens. Son of a trader and a brilliant seamstress, they was well off financially compared to the many farmers and hunters in his community. While his mother was a genius with a sewing needle, and his father commanded respect, this semi-luxurious life has led him to a life of bullying and ridicule by his more 'rustic' peers. From an early age, Isorin's parents knew he was magically inclined; proud of their gifted child, they put him under the tutelage of the local hedge mage; a kind old man who spent his days using his arcane knowledge for good (usually summoning work horses for farmers in need and protecting the village from minor threats).

Isorin was a quick learner, spending almost every day with his mentor, learning basic cantrips and the laws of the arcane. However, while shy and reserved, coming from a childhood of bullying, Isorin was always seeking new friendships at every opportunity. His first real friend came in the form of his familiar, Miles. A fairly young cat, who prefers spending his day sleeping in Isorin's bag. The first spell Isorin mastered was the ability to summon animals. For brief periods of the day, Izzy and Miles were able to summon friends. What started off was cats and dogs, quickly became fire beetles and eagles. If only able to maintain them for almost no time at all, it was seen as a remarkable feat in his mentor's eyes as they went on to defensive magics. Steering clear of evocation magic, due to Isorin's aversion to hurting other living beings, he instead focused on defensive spells, such as color spray and glitterdust, seeking to disable his opponents rather than using lethal magics.

Once Isorin turned eighteen, he was required to join the Militia and protect the Far Havens from threats. His arcane knowledge was considered a boon to the service, despite his father's wishes for him remain and continue his education. While he was sad he wasn't able to continue under his mentor's tutelage, Isorin was excited for the opportunity to travel the lands, practice his magic and get away from Pete's Barn. He was sure that his fellow militiamen would warm up to him eventually, and may even one day call him a friend.

[Traab]

The only character I ever wrote a backstory for was in Everquest, not a D&D game

Dobban Evilsbane Halfling Druid

Dobban got his start in life as a warrior. He had a true knack for melee combat and his beliefs were that its far better to rely on yourself than to rely on the gods. Well he went out and had his battles, he fought bandits, stopped orcish and goblin incursions into his peoples lands, and generally was a solid squad commander, if not a famous one.

Then one day in the plains of karana his troop got ambushed by a small squad of hill giants. They fought their way free and kept trying to disengage and get to safety but the sheer size difference meant they couldnt escape. One by one Dobban's fellows fell until it was just him. Pinned against a mountain wall he prepared to sell his life dearly when just as he was about to charge, a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, frying the hill giants. He took it as a sign that while he may not rely on gods, its clear at least one was looking out for him. So he turned in his tabard and took up the path of the druid.

However, his previous experiences still have an effect on him even today. For one, he prefers to rely on his mace and shield to fight whenever possible, utilizing buffs and heals and damage shields to protect himself while fighting, and he absolutely refuses to ignore any giants he happens to stumble across, fighting and killing them on sight. Has a minor napolean complex over the whole thing too. He just has to prove that, as yoda might say, "size matters not" usually with a club to the belly of anyone who tries to look down on him for being a halfling.

His appearance is a bit confusing to most as he is wearing nearly full warrior style gear, enhancing his strength, his armor, his attack speed, and his hitpoints. His jewelry is his only nod towards being a spellcaster at all. As I said earlier on, his standard style of combat is to attack like a warrior and only use supplemental magic to make up the difference for his lack of melee feats, but when he is in a serious bind and has to break out his full spell list, he acts like the battle hardened squad commander he is, controlling his opponents with ensnaring effects, wearing them down from a distance with swarms of biting insects and bolts of lightning, and only allowing them to close the gap when the fight is all but over.

[lesbiasparrow]

I'm currently playing a half-elf rogue. He was raised by his elven archmage father in a human city, who apprenticed him to another wizard at an early age. He hated it, and used to run away into the city to explore and get into trouble. Eventually he fell in with the criminal underground, where he was just another 'prentice boy, and learned to pick pockets, etc. (Think Alanna.) After a long period of this double life, he failed his journeyman wizard exams horribly, got into a huge fight with his father, and ran away to become a full-time burglar alongside his best friend. (Think Locke Lamora.) Then they tried to steal an artifact from his former master, it went horribly wrong, his best friend died, and he got out of Dodge just ahead of the wizard's wrath and fell in with the rest of the party.

[RazorChain]

Not my character but one in my campaign.

This was my players first backstory so it was a collaboration, where she fed me info and I wrote the story as a showcase.

Alma was born in a small cottage on the outskirts of Tarento. Her father Damiano is a cityguard in Tarento while her mother, Gilda, took care of the home where they had a vegetable garden and some chickens. From her birth it was easy to see that she was different, she had platinum blonde hair, elfen ears and pale grey eyes. Her father never accepted her as his and often as not when he was home drunk he used to beat up her mother and call her a whore. He only once laid hands on Alma when she was a child. That made her angry, so angry that her eyes shone like ice crystals and the air around her grew cold as ice. Her father got frigthened and never laid hands on her again. She used that fright and tried protect her two younger siblings and mother when her father got violent.

Alma's best friend, Marietta, she has known as long as she can remember. She lives a stone´s throw away from the Orsini family. Marietta has a mischievous smile and a contagious laughter. Trouble always seems to find her, yet she has a way of charming her way out of it.

Alma´s friend, Raul, she stumbled upon one day he got beaten up by a group of bullies. In cold fury she charged at the biggest of them, the lead bully Claudio. Claudio and his three cowardly followers scurried away. They never laid hands on Raul again, but Claudio would never forgive Alma for bruising his ego. Raul is an absentminded book nerd, with his head filled to the brim of all kinds of weird knowledge.

The three friends, Alma, Marietta and Raul, spent all their free time in the forest, most of the time with her siblings, Amato and Silvana, tagging along. They loved climbing the trees, swimming in rivers and ponds and exploring and adventuring. Raul is the the reason Alma knows so much about surviving in the woods.


When she was 14 years old her father threw her out, he said that she was no child of his and could take care of herself. After living in the woods and off the land for some weeks she found a place to stay in a mercenarie company called The Iron Gryffons. It was a small company run by a Swabian called Sir Eric van Gryff. He took her in and in start she cooked food, bandaged wounds, mended and washed clothes but always showed keen interest in fighting. The men in the company humored her and taught her the rudimentaries of fighting, they were rather fond of her and thought of her as a lucky charm or a mascot and tended to ruffle her hair before fights for luck. Eric was an elderly knight and finally gave in to her constant pleading and mentored her and taught her everything a knight should know.

When she was 17 she had stopped mending clothes and was instead taking part in the fighting with the rest of the company. In the thick of fighting she would become icy calm, her blade would become encrusted with frost and where blood would meet blade a frost vapour would rise from her sword. The men who served with her who were mostly germanic soon gave her the nickname Valkyre. With the Gryffons she traveled from Italy to Germania and the Byzantine Empire, wherever someone was willing to pay for mercenaries. Alma was content with her life though she wished she could be a knight, just like van Gryff. Then one day they returned back to Tarento and she went to visit her home. Things did not go well, her mother greeted her with a black eye and Alma called her father a coward and a bully and she explained to her mother that she had saved up enough money that she didn't need him anymore. Her father in a drunken rage attacked Alma and she easily fought him off but wounded him. Her father stumbled off cursing her and said that she would regret this, she was dead to him. The next day a contigent of city guards arrested Alma for assaulting a her father, a city guard, a serious offense.

Alma Orsini (now 20) has two younger siblings (2 years younger) she does everything to shield and protect from their father, Damiano, them and their mother, Gilda. Amato is gentle, kind and generous. His twin sister, Silvana, seldom speaks. She follows around like a shadow, with eyes nothing eludes, and a careful little smile on her lips.

Alma is protective of the ones she love and the weak and helpless. Her deepest fear is being trapped, and being a helpless to witness loved ones being hurt, not being able to help and protect.

Alma knows her dreams of becoming of knight will never bear fruit as she sits in prison, everything van Gryff had taught her about honor, valour, justice and protecting the weak were for naught.

Alma is a tall, athletic young woman with platinum blonde hair which she keeps at shoulders length. She has elven features which makes her rather attractive and a little point to her ears. What people notice first is her icy grey eyes which seem to shine when she gets angry....and yes she gets angry, cold fury she calls it. What makes her angry....bad people maker her angry....very very angry.

[Cluedrew]

If it isn't too far off topic, what do you think makes a good backstory?*

I've been reading some I liked, others not so much. So I have a rough idea of what I like. Besides being well written an the obvious, I seem to like the ones that focus on the feel of the character. I don't care so much about the hard events (the backstory is not really part of the main story in my mind, not in the same way) but rather I want to know what to expect from this character once the game starts. So the long details of all that happened before can easily bore me.

Actually, flashbacks in stories tend to annoy me. Especially the long, story-arch length ones near the start of the story. Even if they are well done I wonder if it would work better if they started at the flash back then time skipped.

*If this is off topic I'll take it to another thread.

[2D8HP]

what do you think makes a good backstory?One that will be accepted by the DM.
I suppose that they may help you be consistent when you say the name of the village where you grew up, otherwise unless you go a long time between sessions, or play so many characters that you forget who your PC is I don't understand how writing out a backstory helps you play the PC.

[The Fury]

Are we limiting ourselves to characters that we've actually played? There's a few character backstories that I've come up with that I like, but I've never used them because I can already see why some DMs, (and some players for that matter,) might not be on board.

One of my favorite characters that I have played was helped by the fact that her backstory was actually pretty simple.
As presented, she was adopted after she was abandoned by her birth parents when she was 5 years old. Marta doesn't remember too many details about her birth parents but she suspects that they were wandering adventurers too. Her adopted family runs a local inn where she worked as a stable-hand. At one point the oldest son in the adopted family was killed defending the town when it was raided by orcs. Shortly before the events of the campaign, Marta was conscripted into the town's militia-- reasonably she's still way too young, but the town needs defenders.
There were a few things that came up later that acted as something of a Cerebus Retcon. For example, Marta very clearly loved her adoptive parents but they might not return that love. Or after Marta met with her birth parents, (Who weren't just adventurers, but parodies of awful PC behavior,) it could be argued that she has a family history of mental illness. Even then, I wasn't as interested in the backstory as I was the current story, and it's not like me to say this, but given the chance I'd like to revisit this character in future campaigns.


My current character, a Wizard named Raimond, doesn't really have a backstory. I made it mostly blank and nonsensical. Partly because Raimond is batguano, pants-on-head crazy in the cloudcuckoolander sense, with a morality that isn't so much black or white, but more orange (although during fights or danger his usual funloving personality sometimes gives way for a more reasonable, but also cold and cruel second personality). If he has a backstory, he doesn't remember it, or maybe he doesn't care enough to. The only hints to his origins are his strangely militaristic clothes (for a wizard) and his stylized fox mask, which he refuses to take off. Whenever Raimond is asked about his background, he tells a number of obvious bullscheisse stories like the one below. He believes all of them are true.


"If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha! Ha!"

[MintyNinja]

Currently playing Count Krovar Umbrasyl, a black-scaled dragonborn, from the far east in Murder In Baldur's Gate. At Level 7, he's Fighter 2 / Fiend-Bladelock 5.

Count Krovar Umbrasyl, from the dragonborn lands east of the Sea of Fallen Stars, is intent on becoming a ruler. He was raised as a noblemen in his homeland and trained in knightly combat. However, Krovar was never satisfied with his low ranking among the nobility of the land and the stable environment gave him no room to grow. Risking everything he made a pact with a Devil. Power, on a personal and a grandiose scale, in exchange for his soul and a foothold in the Prime Material Plane.

At his Devil's urging, Krovar Umbrasyl traveled west. He joined many adventuring bands and grew his skills and treasures along the way. From ousting a smuggling ring in the Inner Sea, to discovering the lost lair of a long dead dragon and claiming a portion of the treasure for himself. Whenever he beseeched his patron for a reason to head west, the response would always be the same, "It's more likely for a determined man to rise to power in a city of chaos than a stable and stagnant kingdom."

He arrived in Baldur's Gate a month ago and has been slowly making inroads with the local Patriars. His nobility doesn't translate directly over to the city, but he bears himself with gallant composure and proper manners and so he's made some progress. Indeed, he sees the recent death of the Duke Abdel Adrian as little more than opportunity, and when he heard that Duke Silvershield has sponsored a mercenary company within the city, his road to power nearly mapped itself.

- Usurp the Dukes' seats and take over the city.
- Install Flaming Sword Company as City Guards / Secret Police.
- Create a Totalitarian Regime where crime is dealt with severely and minimum food is provided for citizens, etc. Basically I'm going to convert the City to Lawful Neutral with myself as the Dictator.
- Way, way, way later: Have a Vampire convert me into a Vampire. Dragonborn have short lifespans. (Bonus Points if the Paleness makes me Grey, then I'll be truly unique as the Grey Dragonborn, Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate.)

This was me adding a new character to the group part way through play and we had formed a mercenary company with the sponsorship of Duke Silvershield.

[2D8HP]

Besides the two back-stories I already posted:




The girl screamed while the soldiers laughed.
He's forgotten so much, but he could remember that.
He didn't understand.
When the Queens soldiers took Paw away, Ma said Paw "was going to the Queen to be a hero", but they were hurting her! Heroes didn't do that!
Ma said that he was as strong as Paw now, maybe stronger, even though he didn't have a beard yet.
Ma said he needed to do what Paw used to, cut the tree's, dig the wells, and when the time came slaughter the pigs. With axe, hammer and shovel he would swing hisarms and do what Ma said.
Ma said "Ossian, you listen now to your cousin Gwen, she's got a good head".
Maw was the only one who called him "Ossian", everyone else called him "Ox".
Gwen was screaming!
Maw said "you need to do what your Paw would do".
Paw was a hero.
So he swung his arms.
The soldiers stopped laughing, but Gwen still screamed.
"You've got to run Ox, they'll kill you"! "Run far, go to the rebels".
So he ran.
He ran far and met the rebels.
They gave him a sword.
And he did what they told him.
He swung his arms.
So much he has forgotten.
But he remembered somethings.
He remembered Maw's, Paw's, and Gwen's faces.
Now when he looked into the water he saw Paw's face, but Paw's beard was never grey was it?
He remembered that they called him "hero" once, now if anyone used that word about him they put "was a" in front of it.
He remembered he used to be strong.
He was still strong, but not like he was.
And he remembered the Queen.
And that she would be back.
And he would have to swing his arms again.



Though he'd "lived", if you could call it "living" for years, growing soft in this city of men, Riardon remembered the forest.

Riardon loved the forest.

The sound of the wind, the river, the birds.
And foot steps.
He loved his family as well, but he always felt the call of the forest, where he could live without speaking, and be still.
And listen.
And wait.
For his prey.
He told himself he hunted to feed his family and neighbors, but deep inside he knew that wasn't true.
He needed the sounds of the woods, as well as the quiet.
And to watch
And to listen.

He heard the woods burning.

He had lived through forest-fires before, but this was different. There had been no lighting. And he heard screaming. Elf screams!
In an instant from so still he would appear to be part of the woods, he became quick as a deer running from a couger, and he ran towards home.
Towards his family.
Towards everyone he knew.
He saw the burned bodies.
And the arrows.
And something else.

A banner.

Men's banner.

Riardon knew then that he would leave the woods.

He had a new prey.



I've also been lucky enough to have some other PC's "back-stories" get accepted by DM's
Lander Stormwind grew up "on the street" (Waterdeep or similar big city of your choice) and fell under the influence of a half-orc lead street gang (which used the Orcish language as a "cant/slang), most of the gang was killed by a larger criminal gang or arrested and Lander has been a wanderer since. Lander's main companion since has been a pet mouse, Mr Squeekers.
Pick pocketing orphan street urchin adopted by troop of wandering minstrels/players.
Adoptive parents found steady gig in one town (playhouse etc)
Del not ready to give up wandering life
Often speaks in exaggerated "posh" accents (uses many long words where a few short one's will do), excellent mimic, can pass for different ages, nationalities and genders (actors training), but when under stress or agitated speaks as a lower class male "street tough"

The general appearance of the man speaks of the city. His dark face is that of a jester. Bright, grey eyes, snub nose, and little lines of irony about the mouth. Hands of a conjurer. Something about the set of his wiry frame betokes experience in street fights and tavern brawls. He is clad from head to foot in garments of rough dark rough brown leather, which dimmed to black in some spots . From his belt hangs.a slim sword, cased in deerskin, with a slightly curved toward the tip. Over his shoulder is slung a small bow.
Big city street "Arab" (urchin)/pick-pocket.

"Do unto others before they can do unto me", and "It's not stealing if I need it more!"

Gang was destroyed by rivals and City Watch (Watch was likely protecting rivals), went on the road and far away to escape murder or hanging!

May still be wanted in home town.

Seeks a life of secure wealth, ale with brandy chasers, and escaping poverty!
"The Lady, She-who-shall-not-be-named... The 'Million-to-One' Chance - and all of the other chances as well... The One who will desert you when you need Her the most - and sometimes She might not..."
Her suitors can be distinguished by their distinctive repetitive prayer; "please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please."

Shakespeare:"Fortune, good night, smile once more; turn thy wheel!"
Augustine:"How, therefore, is she good, who without discernment comes to both the good and to the bad?...It profits one nothing to worship her if she is truly fortune... [b]let the bad worship her...this supposed deity"
For those aligned with Law Dame Fortune/Lady Luck/Tyche/]Tymora! does not seem an appropriate choice!
Medieval lyrics:
O Fortuna (O Fortune)
velut luna (like the moon)
statu variabilis (you are changeable)
semper crescis (always waxing)
aut decrescis; (and waning;)
vita detestabilis (hateful life)
nunc obdurat (first oppresses)
et tunc curat (and then soothes)
ludo mentis aciem, (as fancy takes it)
egestatem, (poverty)
potestatem (and power)
dissolvit ut glaciem. (it melts them like ice.)

Sors immanis (Fate - monstrous)
et inanis, (and empty)
rota tu volubilis, (you whirling wheel)
status malus, (you are malevolent)
vana salus (well-being is vain)
semper dissolubilis, (and always fades to nothing)
obumbrata (shadowed)
et velata (and veiled)
mihi quoque niteris; (you plague me too;)
nunc per ludum (now through the game)
dorsum nudum (I bring my bare back)
fero tui sceleris. (to your villainy.)

Sors salutis (Fate is against me)
et virtutis (in health)
michi nunc contraria, (and virtue)
est affectus (driven on)
et defectus (and weighted down)
semper in angaria. (always enslaved.)
Hac in hora (So at this hour)
sine mora (without delay)
corde pulsum tangite; (pluck the vibrating strings;)
quod per sortem (since Fate)
sternit fortem, (strikes down the strong)
mecum omnes plangite! (everyone weep with me!)

But for some reason this backstory has never been accepted (the ways of DM's are mysterious)
With the death of his mother in childbirth, Gorstag was an unwelcome addition to his noble family. Called "Little Grim" by the servants, his father and siblings had little contact with him, and he grew up awkward snd isolated from social mores.
From the tapestries, pictures in books as well as his fathers armory, he inculcated the notion that "mighty warriors" are worthy of respect, and had fantasies of being one, notions his eldest brother encouraged with the death of their father.
Gorstag's newly deceased father Grim the was the hero summoned by the Lord's Alliance to join an expert team of investigators, travel to the faraway town of Red Larch, and destroy whatever dark force is threatening the Dessarin Valley, and his brother and uncle told "Little Grim" to go in his fathers place, a mission which Gorstag now "Grim" eagerly obeyed.
Being told to travel far to lands "in need of heroes", and to "bring honor to the family, was all it took for Gorstag, now "Grim" to take his father's third best sword and try just that.