Figuring out timelines for a backstory

[Kaibis]

I am rolling an Assimar Paladin for a CoS campaign.

I am trying to come up with a non-cheesy backstory.

Basically, she was a knight of some order (Champions Vigilant), fell out of pleasure (nothing major) with the deity (Helm), and was sent to serve an allied deity (Torm) - basically a 'get out of my sight' style exile.

She eventually became disillusioned with everything (depressed, down on life etc) and left the order to go out on her own.

However I am not sure if the timelines fit because I think Helm died?!?!

I have never tried to write a backstory that incorporates canon before. I don't want the character to be anything special at all, but I do want to explain initial lvl1 abilities as a kind of "was once pretty good, but is now rubbish" (because she is 38years old), I think being in an order and then getting a bit depressed works (a trope I know, but I can live with that).

[shadowmage]

The Second Sundering brought him and a lot of other dead or missing gods and goddess back. So for 5e he is alive.

[Kaibis]

Gah, I feel like no matter what I do the backstory just gets cheesier and cheesier. I was aiming for a simple story and then .... got carried away?? Idk.


Originally served as a Captain in the Champions Vigilant for nearly 18 years.

During this time she met a woman and raised three children (two of whom she birthed). Duty called and she was sent into more active service. She was initially able to maintain contact with her family through a scrying orb. However it suddenly went dark, but Helm denied her request to return. She disobeyed his order and returned - to find the home burnt to the ground and three grave markers beside the house.

Displeased with her Helm sent her to serve Torm whom she served for several years falling into such a heavy state of depression that she was eventually released from service.

This was the beginning of her struggle with duty and personal sacrifice.


..... Can you guess what happens next? Because I sure can, turns out the partner isn't dead, she faked their death and took off - the children are still alive (noooo, I never saw that coming!! *sarcasm*).

Its just trope after trope. The first iteration it was all "female-Anakin Skywalker" with her raising a secret family..... This is actually really hard.

[Kaibis]

The Second Sundering brought him and a lot of other dead or missing gods and goddess back. So for 5e he is alive.

That makes it easier. Thank you so much.

[Tiadoppler]

To avoid the trope-tastic thing, you can try having motivations/events be more mundane.

Instead of the "orb going blank", the partner's communications get more and more infrequent, until they virtually stop.

Instead of "Helm himself denies the request to investigate the mysterious failure of the orb" it's "The leader of her paladin order has an important mission that cannot be interrupted so she can fix her relationship".

Instead of "Faking her death, and their children's deaths, and burning down their home" the partner "left, taking the children and asked their mutual friends not to tell the hero where they went".



Just because it's D&D, not everything has to be direct communication with deities and faked deaths. People can still have regular emotions and reactions to long distance relationships.

[Kaibis]

To avoid the trope-tastic thing, you can try having motivations/events be more mundane.

...

Just because it's D&D, not everything has to be direct communication with deities and faked deaths. People can still have regular emotions and reactions to long distance relationships.

Thank you so much. I started out trying to be really mundane. Basically she just left her village because she wanted a change, I wanted mundane (initially she was mildly depressed because people get depressed sometimes, not for any life changing reason) but then I kept adding and adding and adding until suddenly it is, as you said, trope-tastic.

I am going to have a second try. :D

[Kaibis]

Alright, attempt #2, making use of your advice.


Ancelin served in the Champions Vigilant for nearly 18 years, rising to the rank of Knights Commander.

During this time she met a man and raised three children. Her partner eventually left her, taking the children, when she was called away to on an extended mission. It became increasingly difficult to maintain contact, until finally they agreed it would be best that she did not return to their home.

Initially she felt that this kind of personal sacrifice was her duty. However as time progressed she began to struggle with her beliefs, becoming increasingly melancholy.

Her personal dissatisfaction eventually resulted in a minor difference with some higher ranked members of the order and she was given orders that transferred to a less influential position, serving in the household of one of the allies of Helm.

After several years she obtained somewhat of a discharge, and began to journey the realm. Despite having some personal wealth at her disposal she sold most of her belongings, including her armour and weapons. Despite being a skilled knight, she made her living in much more mundane ways, including once spending 6 months as a lamp lighter in a medium sized city. Mostly she performs small acts of healing, enough to pay her way as she travels, and enough to keep her flask full.


Nope, see what I did there, I nearly made her a bit of a drunk, but I resisted.
I think this is better, it will do for a first attempt.

[Blacky the Blackball]

What level is this character?

Because this...


Ancelin served in the Champions Vigilant for nearly 18 years, rising to the rank of Knights Commander.

...implies that she's got a lot of combat experience. It would be fine if you're starting at 5th level or something, but if you're starting as first level characters - where as a paladin you're still two levels away from taking your oaths - it seems a bit much.

It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine that first level characters are supposed to be beginning adventurers, barely more competent than the average commoner, yet often they are given back-stories that are more suitable for grizzled vererans.

[Malifice]

Relax when it comes to timelines also.

You can always be whisked away to [plane] or trapped by [spell] or whatever.

Im still trying to find a good rationale how my LE Banite Paladin (who was a 8 year old during the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR) is floating around in the current timeline (1491 DR) despite being only 28 years old.

I advanced his age to 34 and had him whisked away by the Spellplauge (1385 DR) only to return in 1490 DR post Sundering.

Still havent filled in what exactly happened during that 105 years.

[Kaibis]

What level is this character?

Because this...



...implies that she's got a lot of combat experience. It would be fine if you're starting at 5th level or something, but if you're starting as first level characters - where as a paladin you're still two levels away from taking your oaths - it seems a bit much.

It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine that first level characters are supposed to be beginning adventurers, barely more competent than the average commoner, yet often they are given back-stories that are more suitable for grizzled vererans.

I agree. It is a challenge that I struggle with too, because they never then go and spend years training with any order, they are questing with their party. So some element of "suspend your disbelief" has to occur. My pet peeve is when an adventurer is out of their teens but has no skills at all. How common is it for 35 year old women to join a knights order? Really most adventurers should start as a 17yo kids. How does a fighter even get labelled a fighter, when at lvl 1 they know squat? Or why do some many mages get some training, but not enough training, and then they sign themselves up to adventurers... with no skills!! And why are a group of lvl1 adventurers required for a job, it would be more likely that a lvl 3, a lvl 4, and two lvl 2 characters apply.

It really does take a lot of "suspend your disbelief". For my character I am assuming that she does have these skills. She was once a hard ass paladin. Now she is the melancholy (not quite a drunk) lamp lighter in a town that has no idea. She is mentally blocked, she is angry, she doesn't train, and she doesn't want to do more than the bare minimum (which strangely enough resembles the qualities of the other lvl 1 characters). Without turning the game into being 'all about her' (because that is painful and I won't be 'that guy'), for me, the backstory is about her personal journey returning to the skills that she had, but in a more balanced way. When she levels up and gains new skills, rather than it be due to learning something new, it is due to her finding some more energy to participate (again, I will skip the completely painful depressed roleplaying, lets say she keeps that mostly hidden, from the outside she seems like the lvl 1 strong silent type). Instead of joining an order, maybe she dusts off the old tabard that she has managed to throw away. etc etc

[Kaibis]

Relax when it comes to timelines also.

You can always be whisked away to [plane] or trapped by [spell] or whatever.

Im still trying to find a good rationale how my LE Banite Paladin (who was a 8 year old during the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR) is floating around in the current timeline (1491 DR) despite being only 28 years old.

I advanced his age to 34 and had him whisked away by the Spellplauge (1385 DR) only to return in 1490 DR post Sundering.

Still havent filled in what exactly happened during that 105 years.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[Unoriginal]

Two things:

One, you can't avoid tropes, because avoiding a trope is a trope in itself. "The protag is not the chosen one" is just as much a trope as "the protag is the chosen one".

Second: while level 1 is weak by adventuring standards, as a Martial you're still about twice as strong as the majority of humans combatants (Guard, Tribal Warrior and Bandit NPCs), and trained in way more weapons, armors and skills.

[SirGraystone]

How about something like this, she didn't start as a paladin, she had a normal life until she's 30. Then something happened, something bad and her life was saved by a female paladin. Maybe she had no idea a female could be an holy warrior before. So she start following that paladin and pester her until she became a squire, then a paladin of her own.

They travels together for several years and her own power grows, until they got into a fight with a vampire, the mentor got killed, and she was drop down a cliff, leaving her with a broken leg that healed badly, leaving her with a limb and a crisis of faith.

Since you are doing Curse of Strahd, I would start the campaign without a chosen God and wait to see the which church you can find in Barovia.

[Kaibis]

How about something like this, she didn't start as a paladin, she had a normal life until she's 30. Then something happened, something bad and her life was saved by a female paladin. Maybe she had no idea a female could be an holy warrior before. So she start following that paladin and pester her until she became a squire, then a paladin of her own.

They travels together for several years and her own power grows, until they got into a fight with a vampire, the mentor got killed, and she was drop down a cliff, leaving her with a broken leg that healed badly, leaving her with a limb and a crisis of faith.

Since you are doing Curse of Strahd, I would start the campaign without a chosen God and wait to see the which church you can find in Barovia.

That's cool, I'll save that in case I need something later.

[Tiadoppler]

Is there any reason your hero couldn't be legitimately inexperienced in combat, despite serving a deity for many years? The idea would be a character who joins a cause, gets all sorts of training, then discovers that their primary duty is (paperwork/accounting/brewing healing potions/first aid/safety inspector/quartermaster/go-fer/secretary).

Then, one day, your PC has to dig back and remember their basic training and actually save the world as a truly unexpected hero. There's no narrative rule that says a Wizard has to Wizard all the time, nor a rule that says a Ranger must Range. Maybe the Paladins of Helm really needed somebody to do their taxes.