Writing / Background Help

[Deox]

Looking (again) for assistance in "putting it all together (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?554793-Putting-it-all-together-Character-Background-Help)". That is, a bunch of words of a character's randomly generated background and putting into a brief backstory.


Class - Paladin (Conquest)

Personal Goals: Duty. You will live up to what you have sworn to do, or die trying.
Symbol: Clenched Fist grasping a Red Heart. Commitment to Justice, but ready to fight for your beliefs.
Nemesis: A rival paladin who trained with you, but became an Oath-Breaker and holds you responsible.
Temptation: Lust. You can't resist an attractive face / pleasant smile.
Class Training: I became a paladin because one of my ancestors left a holy quest unfulfilled, so I intend to finish that work.




Race: Female Aasimar (Fallen)
Parents: Both humans. Mother was a criminal. Father was a sailor.
Siblings: 2 older (brothers)
Family Lifestyle: Moderately Wealthy
Childhood Memories: Found it easy to make friends; I loved being around people




Acolyte: I became an acolyte because my family gave me to a temple, since they were unable / unwilling to care for me.




You fell in love or got married. If you get this result more than once, you can choose to have a child instead. Work with your DM to determine the identity of your love interest. Note - on the random generation, I rolled this twice!

You met someone important. Use the supplemental tables to determine this character’s identity and how this individual feels about you. Work out additional details with your DM as needed to fit this character into your backstory.

You made an enemy of an adventurer. Roll a d6. An odd number indicates you are to blame for the rift, and an even number indicates you are blameless. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to determine this hostile character’s identity and the danger this enemy poses to you. Note - I think this could easily incorporate the Oath-Breaker

You fought in a battle. Roll on the War table to learn what happened to you. Work with your DM to come up with the reason for the battle and the factions involved. It might have been a small conflict between your community and a band of orcs, or it could have been a major battle in a larger war.
War Outcome: - You acquitted yourself well in battle and are remembered as a hero. You might have received a medal for your bravery.

Something truly strange happened to you. Roll on the Weird Stuff table.
What Happened: - A lover of yours was secretly a silver dragon.

[PBPgamemaster]

Why not just visualize what you are seeing and while you are doing it just type in as you see it. Before you know it you will have the whole background in front of you.

[Deox]

Why not just visualize what you are seeing and while you are doing it just type in as you see it. Before you know it you will have the whole background in front of you.

I usually bullet point and do what you suggest, however, I do have difficulty forming more vivid sentences. To wit, my engineering background keeps my brain functioning very analytically, however not so much on the imaginative front.

[PBPgamemaster]

I understand. Here is a little trick I use, build on the basics and then add on it. For instance;

A tall paladin.
A very tall paladin.
A very tall paladin with dark features.
A very tall paladin with dark features carrying a heavy mace.

Above is a rough example of how you take the first sentence and make it more colorful by just adding adjectives / descriptions to it.

[Haldir]

Make a timeline. Your ideas are all disparate and not organized chronologically. Once you put your ideas together that way, you can see how one idea should flow to the next. Then think about it like you would a technical writing document- how do I clearly state to the reader how all these ideas interrelate?

[krugaan]

I usually bullet point and do what you suggest, however, I do have difficulty forming more vivid sentences. To wit, my engineering background keeps my brain functioning very analytically, however not so much on the imaginative front.

So, think about it analytically. Why would you incur the enmity of a paladin of your order? Why would he blame you for it?

Brainstorm ideas, then remove them if they don't fit well with other traits, or modify them to fit.

Paladin hates / blames you because:

- he's jealous of your success
- killed a friend / lover / family member
- stole something from him
- gave him a scar
- etc

Since he's blaming you for it, you probably screwed up somehow, so might be attached to your flaw, which is lust. Ooo, fun!

- jealous of your success ... with men?
- killed a -- eh, we'll reject this one
- stole something from him... perhaps a lover?
- gave him a scar... bad breakup? paladin is an ex lover?

So you stole his girl, causing him to break his oath and seek vengeance, not conquest... Or you had an inimical breakup, causing the same...

And so on, and so on.

The reason why they have these "generic" things is that they limit the design space. If you use them like filters they can help with storytelling.

To make things easier, start with whatever characteristic is the most important to you, or that you think is coolest, and then filter out from there.

[Ventruenox]

The posters above me give excellent advice for designing your own narrative. If you like though, I'll try to weave this together as one possible interpretation. As there are no names provided, I'll refer to your character as "V" and her nemesis as "X".

V was left to the Order as a small child. Her father was just some sailor who would come into port from time to time, and leave with the tides. Her poor mother did whatever she had to make ends meet, but V was a very spirited child, and just more than her mother could bear. Her brothers never bothered to take responsibility for her care, but why should they? V had a temper and was more than a handful. She was prone to fits when she didn't get her way, and her aggression even felt otherworldly at times. After ruining one "business transaction" too many for her mother, V was taken to the Order to live and serve. V was a legacy of the Order, her grandfather having been a knight of some renown in the Order, even though he died on his last quest.

V was very popular among her peers. The girls wanted to be like her, the boys wanted to be with her. There was one boy, X, who was utterly devoted to her. He would follow her around constantly and play any role she ordered him to. V enjoyed being the boss, and X was desperate for her attention. The Order trained them both as Paladins, with V and X serving as pages and eventually squires to a disciplined veteran. The two were equally skilled, but there was a definite inequity in the relationship they had with each other. V, so dominant and passionate, was very brash and impulsive. She would start bar fights with groups who outnumbered her. X, the introverted admirer, would have to jump to her side and watch her back, even though he didn't want to get into these needless brawls. X was smitten with V though, and she would always think of him as "just a friend".

The turning point came after one of their first major battles for the Order. They were now full fledged Paladins with all the rights and privileges afforded to them by the order. V was being wooed by a handsome warrior who had fought alongside the Order's troops, and was making overt advances towards her. V was loving it, but X was seething. X felt like it should be him, damn it! He was the one who always had her back, not this smarmy pretty boy. In his desperation, he begged her not to go upstairs with him, but she rebuked him and his childhood crush. V proceeded to have the time of her life, with passion that would be unmatched by the string of lovers that she would later take to try and recreate the experience. She did not know at the time that her first was, in actuality, a centuries old silver dragon who could tell of her divine bloodline. The dragon thought it would be fun, because Aasimar have a certain ... reputation in bed.

While V was perfectly content to continue on with her carousing with selfish dominance, X was broken by her perceived betrayal of him. X renounced his oath and the Order and set off to find a way to make her suffer as he suffered.

[PBPgamemaster]

Ventruenox is a saint to do all that for you.

[sky red hunter]

ok here goes:

Your ancestor was a paladin also, for some unknown reason they failed to complete a vision quest. This led to your family name being besmirched and the blood line rumoured to be cursed. This filters down to your father, running from his blood lines curse he falls into a life of piracy under a false name.

its on one particular shore leave he is approached by a woman, your mother. she beguiles him, seduces him and the result is you.

you grow up with just your mother and 'two brothers' in a fancy house, you are taught and trained both in body and mind, until you come of age.

during a feast to celebrate your name day you are drugged and fall asleep. you wake up in small stone room with a simple bed and quickly find out you have been abandoned in this monastery by your mother. you are told your training will continue here but are told little else.

it was during this time you were trained by another paladin ( insert name ) he informs you of your ancestors failed vision quest and tells you its your destiny to see it through.

as your training under the paladin ends the monastery is attacked ( the battle ) the defenders eventually prevail but at great cost, your teacher commends you on your bravery and awards you a symbol from his own person as a reward, as he is doing this, you see prisoners being brought in. One of them is a woman who upon seeing you screams out:

"its all a lie!!! they've been lying to you all this time!!"

before you could react your teacher strides across and mercilessly opens her throat with a blade.

you ask what she meant and rather than the explanation you expected from the patient teacher you are met across the jaw with the gauntleted backhand of a seething teacher instead. thrown to the ground you hear him roar:

"how in gods name could you have let 'that' see her?! or even dare speak to her?!'

this is directed towards those that brought the prisoner in, without waiting for an answer the teacher draws his sword and runs them through in anger...

you get to your feet and flee....

your teachers voice howling behind you:

"you'll fulfill our destiny you bitch!! i'll make sure of it!!"

the next year or so, you lay low, earned coin where you could until one time in a temple you noticed a woman that looked strikingly like the one you saw murdered at your teachers hand. as you approached her she seemed to almost be expecting your arrival. she talked of her beliefs and the god she served and seemed to understand your fears and desires equally, a whirlwind romance ensued, followed by a secret wedding.

mere weeks after the wedding you returned to the home you both shared to find your wife in a pool of blood her throat a mess of blood and ragged flesh, gurgling for breath that won't come. as you cradle her in your arms tears flowing she breathes her last....

her body begins to shimmer and convulse, growing in size and changing shape, you recoiled in terror and disbelief as the now murdered woman you married slowly turns back into a silver dragon. . . .

after that, well thats up to you....

[Haldir]

The posters above me give excellent advice for designing your own narrative. If you like though, I'll try to weave this together as one possible interpretation. As there are no names provided, I'll refer to your character as "V" and her nemesis as "X".

V was left to the Order as a small child. Her father was just some sailor who would come into port from time to time, and leave with the tides. Her poor mother did whatever she had to make ends meet, but V was a very spirited child, and just more than her mother could bear. Her brothers never bothered to take responsibility for her care, but why should they? V had a temper and was more than a handful. She was prone to fits when she didn't get her way, and her aggression even felt otherworldly at times. After ruining one "business transaction" too many for her mother, V was taken to the Order to live and serve. V was a legacy of the Order, her grandfather having been a knight of some renown in the Order, even though he died on his last quest.

V was very popular among her peers. The girls wanted to be like her, the boys wanted to be with her. There was one boy, X, who was utterly devoted to her. He would follow her around constantly and play any role she ordered him to. V enjoyed being the boss, and X was desperate for her attention. The Order trained them both as Paladins, with V and X serving as pages and eventually squires to a disciplined veteran. The two were equally skilled, but there was a definite inequity in the relationship they had with each other. V, so dominant and passionate, was very brash and impulsive. She would start bar fights with groups who outnumbered her. X, the introverted admirer, would have to jump to her side and watch her back, even though he didn't want to get into these needless brawls. X was smitten with V though, and she would always think of him as "just a friend".

The turning point came after one of their first major battles for the Order. They were now full fledged Paladins with all the rights and privileges afforded to them by the order. V was being wooed by a handsome warrior who had fought alongside the Order's troops, and was making overt advances towards her. V was loving it, but X was seething. X felt like it should be him, damn it! He was the one who always had her back, not this smarmy pretty boy. In his desperation, he begged her not to go upstairs with him, but she rebuked him and his childhood crush. V proceeded to have the time of her life, with passion that would be unmatched by the string of lovers that she would later take to try and recreate the experience. She did not know at the time that her first was, in actuality, a centuries old silver dragon who could tell of her divine bloodline. The dragon thought it would be fun, because Aasimar have a certain ... reputation in bed.

While V was perfectly content to continue on with her carousing with selfish dominance, X was broken by her perceived betrayal of him. X renounced his oath and the Order and set off to find a way to make her suffer as he suffered.

While I enjoyed the telling, I still recommend that the OP write his/her own story using this as inspiration. It is very important if you want to grow as a writer.

[MoiMagnus]

I know the Price of Failure.

He tried to redeem himself. He tried to save his heir from the fallen's darkness. But he failed. His son too, and his son too, and for countless generation, the darkness in our heart were still here.
At some point, they stopped trying. They accepted that they were fallen aasimar. That it was their fate, their curse.
A curse paid in blood of innocent, killed by their madness.
A curse paid in pain and regrets, after seeing their own act.

That's how my father died. Killed by my mother, when she lost control of herself.
That's how I could have died, if my mother didn't give me up to a monastery.

Monastery usually don't accept fallen aasimar. They have evil inside them. An evil that cannot be cured.
But She did. And She convinced the monastery of taking me. She was kindness, generosity and beauty.
"Silva, like the forest tree". That was her name. I will never forget those words.

She was light. But I was darkness. A darkness that I couldn't stand being part of it. I've tried to run away. Twice. But once I was outside, in the darkness of the evening, I was affraid and come back to the monastery. She caught me the second time and said
"Afraid of the dark? You shouldn't. Darkness is used by the evil, but is not evil by itself. Should darkness used for good, it will appear as bright as light."
I never tried to run away again. I was decided. I would turn my darkness into brightness. I would succed were my ancestors failed.

My education at the monastery was pretty strict. But that was needed. I needed to control myself to not end up like my mother. I found in myself a strong sense of Justice and commitement. To the point that Hector, my roommate, was making fun of me each time I tried to help other. Not that he was not the first to be ready when "evil needed to be punished!". He was always joking about how he would get rid of all the corrupted politicians, and the master puppeter that control the society.

Time passed, and I grew up. But Silva didn't, I should have noticed that time had no effect on her. But love blinded me more than once, I guess. After my adulthood, we became closer and closer. To the point were we ended up married. I was 19. I still don't know how old she was. And I will never. Because at the very day following our wedding, Hector was back from his apprentissage. He was late, due to some problems. Silva received him while I was finishing some work. Witness said that he offered a rare sword, supposed to reveal the true intention of peoples. When giving it to her, his face changed to terror and he decapited her with the sword. Her boddy collapsed and transformed back to her true form. Silva the Silver dragon.

Gone was my love. Gone was my old friend, running away, now murderer of my love, and oath breaker for having killed a great pretress. The only thing I had was my tears. And my vow. The promise I've made to her to become the brightest darkness.

Time passed. Again. Hector turned bad. Trying to kill anyone he suspected to be an hidden master puppeter. Me trying to stop him did not help to reconcille ourself. But he stopped at some point. I'm 32 and its been 10 year I've not heard about it.

During those 10 year, my life was a strict life, seeking Justice for everyone. Or at least, that's what I'm saying to myself. I've tried to feel the void of Silva in my heart more than once. Each time I see a women smiling like she did, I says to myself "maybe?", and my body says "please try!". But it never worked. I've had another wife for one full year, a splendid and joyfull priest that fight together with me in the Third Old Sea's Invasion, but she left. "First accept her death. Finish the promise you made to her if you must. And then, you can come back to me. But as long as her ghost live in your heart, It will not work between us.".

[Deox]

While I enjoyed the telling, I still recommend that the OP write his/her own story using this as inspiration. It is very important if you want to grow as a writer.

Agreed completely. I feel like this is inspiration into other people's minds; see how they approach and tackle the same problem.

I appreciate all the input! I definitely want to flex my creative muscles more and the insights here are wonderfully written and helpful.

[dragoeniex]

Looking at all of the features that were randomly selected, I can see handfuls that jump out to me as being potentially really cool story elements together. That said, I think there are too many to use all of them as an effective backstory together.

My approach would be choosing the ones I gravitated toward or could see being most influential, tie in others that could easily fit in the timeline, then scrap the rest. Focusing narrow and building from there tends to be more effective and help you figure out what's most important to the person you're writing. And it helps you avoid having to do backflips to justify a sailor and thief couple who were some level of wealthy but couldn't manage to keep their youngest daughter.

There are definitely ways to justify that, mind you. But for me, at that point, writing around those few elements would be enough for a backstory on its own. You've got enough material between all the parts for four or five different backgrounds, depending on what you liked.

You could tie everything; do what seems most fun to you. It's just been my experience in short stories and character backgrounds that (starting with) less is more.