What class(es) fit this backstory?

[Mongobear]

Growing old? Having children, families, loved ones who follow you through lifes many ups and downs, sounds normal doesnt it? So normal that every mortal on this world takes it for granted, they don't think about the how of it, or why good people live to barely see their children grow up, while murders live to be 80 or 90, or older if theyre Dwarven or Elven. They just scurry along with there happy little lives.

Who is responsiible for this cycle? What being determines who dies, where they go, and keeps everything in order? Death. The Grim Reaper. Thanatos, whatever your people call it. It is real. The being who keeps the cycle flowing, the Dark Spectre with the giant scythe, or the mournful old woman coming to make the transition easier. Theyre all the same being, it just takes different forms depending on the target.

And do you know what? It's fallible. The first time, it was easy, all I had to do was beat it in a game of chance. I chose Pirate's Dice, and due to some freakish Luck Ive not seen since, I won and was allowed to remain. The second time, I bribed it with the lives of my men, 300 Souls in exchange of mine, whatever being this was, it was greedy and took the offer, yet again I was left alone. After awhile though, it became like clockwork. Every few decades, Death would pay me a visit, and I would offer it a few extra souls, or beat 'Him' at some game of chance, and he would leave me alone until the next time.

What I didnt account for was that the system could become corrupted. Sure, undeath is possible, by crazy dark wizards in fairy tales, Im not referring to that, Im referring to somebody eluding Death so often, that eventually the paperwork becomes lost, the cycle kicks them out, and they no longer have to worry about the late night visitor showing up to claim them. That's right, Death forgot about me.

It's been 4791 years since the first time I had to bargain for my life. Since that time, I have offered 855 souls in exchange of my own. It sounds horrible, and Ive had decades go by where I have had to live with that decision, but everytime it has worked.

I have even had my body die in freak accidents a few times, how embarassing would it be if this story ended with me getting kicked in the chest by a Horse? But even that didnt stop me. 7 times, I have been reborn, in a new body, with new parents, 3 times as a new Race. Somehow, whatever conciousness I have has found its way through the Aether of the afterlife into whatever process gives newborns their own souls, ive simply latched on, or taken over somehow, never intentionally it just happens.

This isnt without its own drawbacks. Having to grow up all over again is not an enjoyable process, processing new memories and figuring out the old ones is sometimes impossible, a few people and events from my previous lives have been lost to the aeons, impossible to remember. Ive started keeping a journal of sorts, and bits of trinkets and other clues to jog my memory, hidden in a place I try my hardest to remember between lives, and so far Ive managed to not forget where, my first lives' grave, for somereason, the details surrounding all of my Deaths have stuck with me through everything, even though it might take me decades to remember my old name, or places ive been to in the past.

It's been so long now, that I seek a final death, but it wont happen. That's why I became an adventurer, I figured what better way to speed up Death, than to put myself into high risk environments that very likely would kill me off faster.

Maybe I will find a way to end this 'Curse' on me in some dark abandoned ruin nobody has visited in centuries, or maybe The Reaper will find my memo from millenia ago and come calling one final time...

[Blood of Gaea]

Fiend Warlock seems perfect.

[Eshfyre]

Warlock Fiend Patron

[Nettlekid]

Pretty straightforwardly Hexblade Warlock. The Hexblade makes a pact with a mysterious entity from the Shadowfell, largely suspected to be the Raven Queen who toys with the transition from life to death, making sure that people die at their destined time but occasionally tampering with potentially interesting souls by replaying their lives or sending them back to the world of the living. I've heard it suggested that the Hexblade should be retooled as the Psychopomp Patron, where you work for like the Grim Reaper or whatever. Perhaps your character made a pact with the Raven Queen or similar entity to stay on the Material Plane, killing creatures at the time they were supposed to die, and you're good at your job so your boss no longer pesters you about your own mortality.

Actually, just about any Warlock could fit the bill. You might have made a deal with some powerful Archfey, Fiend, Elder God, or Celestial entity requesting a little more time on the Material Plane to do your own thing and in exchange offered to further their cause, and now your patron is actively getting in the Grim Reaper's way to stop them from taking you.

Grave Cleric is also a good class focusing on the balance between life and death, Shadow Sorcerer is implied to have been warped into a state of living undeath by Shadowfell magics, and Zealot Barbarian is famous for being easy to resurrect since it requires no material cost. Any of those could have been bounced back and forth a few times and then the Grim Reaper forgot to make a proper tally and counted you as "Dead" while you were still alive because you were kind of both.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Fiend Warlock would probably be the closest fit, but you could also consider Grave Cleric.

It would be sort of poetic to start embodying the system that forgot you.

[Nifft]

Warlock is a solid choice, as has been said already.

Rogue is good, too -- your backstory is about literally talking your way past death, so Expertise (Persuasion) seems pretty key. For subclass, a Mastermind would fit, but so would a Thief.

Finally, the option that sounds funny but would work great -- Barbarian with the Ancestors subclass. The spirits that you call upon? They were the lives you sacrificed for your own. You own them and you owe them. RP that every time you ask for their help, plus you know that you're not just working to end your own life, but also to free the captured souls which fuel your endless life.

[Mongobear]

Warlock is a solid choice, as has been said already.

Rogue is good, too -- your backstory is about literally talking your way past death, so Expertise (Persuasion) seems pretty key. For subclass, a Mastermind would fit, but so would a Thief.

Finally, the option that sounds funny but would work great -- Barbarian with the Ancestors subclass. The spirits that you call upon? They were the lives you sacrificed for your own. You own them and you owe them. RP that every time you ask for their help, plus you know that you're not just working to end your own life, but also to free the captured souls which fuel your endless life.

Warlock--A lot of people have voted this way, and honestly, Undying was my original idea for this, I hade a Pact with either the Grim Reaper or whatever Psychopomp equivalent is in the world we're in. If not for me already in the middle of a campaign where im playing a Hexblade, I'd likely go with this.

Rogue--This also crossed my mind, but as a Swashbuckler. My original life was as a Pirate Captain or other similar profession, and they are pretty Charisma focused.

Barbarian--Since posting this, I had talked it over a little bit with the DM, and this came up(alongside Zealot) and it was something I didnt even think of at first. However, the idea was that the spirits were actually those of my former lives, the final shreds of their memories sticking with me. I do like the idea of literally being haunted by the souls of people I have sacrificed to stay "alive" if for nothing else than the interaction. I actually really like this idea, and may go with it, as I havent played a Barbarian in awhile.

[Nifft]

I actually really like this idea, and may go with it, as I havent played a Barbarian in awhile.

Awesome, I'm happy to have helped.

[JackPhoenix]

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/torment/images/4/43/Thenamelessone.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100416194916
Usual depiction: no armor, huge bladed mace, lots of scars, overall wild look... barbarian fits, though he could change classes as he wanted to.

Alternatively: Bard, propably lore. Very versatile, various skills and abilities learned over the long life: proficient with lot of skills with some expertise and decent in everything thanks to Jack of All Trades, some magic with access to any spell, can use weapons, though not very good at it (but that's what Hexblade dip is for)

[Pelle]

Druid - Reincarnate etc...

[Unoriginal]

Literally any class would work.

This character has no special power from this backstory. They just can't stay dead, but since it's a "get born again" type of deal they gain no in-game advantage from it.

Though I must say this person must really be tired with life, given that they're getting an one-way trip to the Lower Planes once they kick the bucket for good.

[Vogie]

This is literally the description of an Undying Warlock. Almost verbatim.

Way of Long Death Monk and Shadow Sorcerer are very close as well. Zealot Barbarian from XGtE also is close.

It also resonates with the pathfinder archetype of the Reincarnation Druid.

[Corpsecandle717]

Druid is out because the character has inherently severed from the cycle of life and nature. Sure there exists druids that try to defy the cycle, but at that point they're really only druids mechanically, but no longer druids in an RP sense.

Then Cleric, Warlock, and Paladin are all out because their power comes from an sentient external source, and that external source is likely to take notice that somehow despite all the rules this pesky little mortal has stuck around from 5 thousand years without really doing much (trading a few souls sure, but doing so directly with death rather than one of them sounds like upping the ante). That would be a very powerful pawn that is not governed by the standard laws of immortal and mortal beings. I feel that any greater entity would have started to meddle with that character by now.

The character doesn't sound like a wizard. It sounds like there's a bit of disdain for these kinds of characters and the character doesn't really sound interested in the 'why' of things which doesn't jive with the studious nature of a wizard.

I don't generally see a monk as being savvy enough to 'trade' souls, the story makes it seem that the soul exchange wasn't a big deal to the character. I think a monk would need to go on an quest to go on a murder spree and collect souls in a jar or something and it would have been a bigger deal to the character.

Ranger doesn't seem to fit, they are generally too much of a loaner to know enough people to sell their souls (lol) on a regular basis.

Character seems uncommonly pensive and laid back for a fighter or barbarian, but that could be an interesting character point as well.

I think sorcerer and bard are actually interesting choices. Both are influential enough to probably convince a crowd that the shadowy figure to the left isn't anything to worry about, and reading the document that they're all signing in blood isn't really worth reading. I think I actually like Bard better.

Rouge seems pretty obvious to me. Dice and taking things that aren't there's come pretty naturally to them.

[Mongobear]

Literally any class would work.

This character has no special power from this backstory. They just can't stay dead, but since it's a "get born again" type of deal they gain no in-game advantage from it.

Though I must say this person must really be tired with life, given that they're getting an one-way trip to the Lower Planes once they kick the bucket for good.

Yeah, Im not trying to gain any sort of mechanical backstory. It is just an interesting idea ive had for awhile and have used in some minor writings for my "DMPC" which ive centered it all around.

If you've ever seen the Solomon Kane movie, he started off very much so like him. Brash, arrogant, full of greed, and so offering up the souls of his men in exchange for his own life never even felt wrong. However, with each successive 'Do Over' he started to change, actually regretting that he cannot die, perhaps even developing nihlism at one point, or severe depression after a particular deal he struck which damned too many people he truly cared about.

Now, he actively wants to break the cycle, 5000 years is too much, and the toll it has taken on his concience is too much. He wants to die, for real, but he doesn't know how it can be done.


I actually really like the Ancestral Spirits Barbarian idea, I could either be haunted by the souls of those ive offered for my own life, or by the "spirits" of my former life. And the Rage could be fluffed as me entering "try-hard mode" not wanting to die early, or as me being innured to pain and injury from such a long existence.

If I really wanted to make something close to Solomon Kane, which is a strong influence on the personality, I might mix in a few levels of Swashbuckler Rogue just for flavor, but likely I would go 100% Barbarian.

@JackPhoenix Who is that a picture of? It looks familiar, but I cant place him right now.

[Nifft]

@JackPhoenix Who is that a picture of? It looks familiar, but I cant place him right now.

It's The Nameless One from Planescape: Torment.

He's also been cursed with awesome -- er, with eternal life.

[Mongobear]

It's The Nameless One from Planescape: Torment.

He's also been cursed with awesome -- er, with eternal life.

Yeah, I forgot about image searching with google, and used it since then.

Ive never heard of that character, and I wasnt even playing D&D when that game came out, the similarities are unreal. TNO's "immortality" sounds a lot more punishing than what I was going for, completely changing classes/personalities, and not remembering anything from before.

[Joe the Rat]

Any class. Any at all.

Sounds like a good use of the Haunted One background out of Curse of Strahd.

Undying Warlock feels in line, particularly if not dying easily is part of your schtick. Something else to plug in would be Knowledge Cleric 1. That floating expertise gives you the ability to sit down, focus, and remember how to do something really well.

[JackPhoenix]

Yeah, I forgot about image searching with google, and used it since then.

Ive never heard of that character, and I wasnt even playing D&D when that game came out, the similarities are unreal. TNO's "immortality" sounds a lot more punishing than what I was going for, completely changing classes/personalities, and not remembering anything from before.

Only until the start of the game. He no longer looses his memory in game (and actually seeks memories from his previous incarnations) and the class change is more of a "I remember doing this thing way before", which is why I suggested lore bard as a "bit of everything". He also seeks his final death (or at least answers), but unlike your character, he doesn't know why is he immortal.