Help with creating a background story

[caoshunter22]

I'm new to D&D and I'm roleplaying a Half-Elf cleric following the life domain and I'm just starting to make up my character's backstory. I want to have my character to have followed an evil god first. Then, circumstances I haven't thought up yet my character is forced flee from his fellow worshippers and finds a new beginning worshipping a god of the life domain. So I'm wondering lore wise what gods would make sense for my character to worship? Also, any tips or ideas that would help me create a background story for my character would be greatly appreciated.

[Man_Over_Game]

Rather than trying to make a fitting plot first and the character second, identify what you want your character to do while you play them, and then build a background working backwards from there.

For instance, say...

He collects notes of people without their notice on his journals.
He really enjoys rich, flavorful food.
He doesn't truly understand humor, but he smiles to pretend he knows.
He is quick to help people in need, sometimes forcefully so.


From there, we can gather that your character is untrusting of people, but is quick to aid them, and he had a dark patch through life. Perhaps he was treated as a slave or a spy, convinced to worship a dark god in terrible conditions until he was freed by a Paladin order who exterminated the evil church. He was then taken in by a cleric, who he has since tried to emulate, but still has difficulty warming the hearts of others, and can't help but have the habit of expecting betrayal.

Make the character first. Imagine how he acts on a day-to-day basis. Then start to fill in why he does those actions, then start to fill in the history as to why those habits make sense.

[Unoriginal]

I'm new to D&D and I'm roleplaying a Half-Elf cleric following the life domain and I'm just starting to make up my character's backstory. I want to have my character to have followed an evil god first. Then, circumstances I haven't thought up yet my character is forced flee from his fellow worshippers and finds a new beginning worshipping a god of the life domain. So I'm wondering lore wise what gods would make sense for my character to worship? Also, any tips or ideas that would help me create a background story for my character would be greatly appreciated.

What kind of Half-Elf are you?

Lolth is a popular "my former evil deity".

[SirGraystone]

First I would have your parents being cultist of that evil god, maybe only your father was, and you'll need to save your mother from the cult or maybe you left siblings there. Check with your DM what would be a good cult to fit your campaign. That give the DM hooks to work in the story,

- you can receive a letter from your mother asking for help
- maybe that letter is really a trap from your father
- maybe one villain from the cult you'll face is a childhood friend that you don't want to hurt

Next you need to know why you left the darkness for the light, maybe you save an elven priestess that was to be sacrifice by the cult and she taught you the way of Corellon.

[terodil]

First I would have your parents being cultist of that evil god, maybe only your father was, and you'll need to save your mother from the cult or maybe you left siblings there. [...] maybe you save an elven priestess that was to be sacrifice by the cult and she taught you the way of Corellon.
Yeah, let's perpetuate the men-are-evil-and-need-to-be-killed and the women-are-damsels-that-need-to-be-saved cliches. The basic idea isn't bad though.

@OP: I would say a large part of the answer would depend on what sort of pantheon your DM is offering. The different realm settings vary greatly in the availability of gods, in their respective portfolios, and in how they are worshipped. How your DM designed his or her universe can be yet another entirely different matter. TBH, I'd suggest you discuss this with your DM. That way, you could develop an idea of your background story together, allowing your DM to put in hooks that give you moments to shine or to develop your character at the table, and it can also make for interesting party interactions.

[caoshunter22]

What kind of Half-Elf are you?

Lolth is a popular "my former evil deity".

Half human/half wood elf.

[Ganymede]

I could see a worshipper of Hextor based in a civilized land growing disillusioned with that faith's lack of compassion/generosity when it comes to the healing arts and serving the unfortunate in the community.

[caoshunter22]

Yeah, let's perpetuate the men-are-evil-and-need-to-be-killed and the women-are-damsels-that-need-to-be-saved cliches. The basic idea isn't bad though.

@OP: I would say a large part of the answer would depend on what sort of pantheon your DM is offering. The different realm settings vary greatly in the availability of gods, in their respective portfolios, and in how they are worshipped. How your DM designed his or her universe can be yet another entirely different matter. TBH, I'd suggest you discuss this with your DM. That way, you could develop an idea of your background story together, allowing your DM to put in hooks that give you moments to shine or to develop your character at the table, and it can also make for interesting party interactions.

The DM is only allowing the Gods that are found in the PHB so it's easier for the new player and it's up to us the players to figure out how we'd like our characters to worship our gods. Our DM still learning how to be a DM and communication with him is very limited at the moment. So as of right now I'm my own and can't go over how things work in his universe.

[Marywn]

I start with the character's flaws, as I prefer to make a character that's flaws are an intergal part of them.
I find if I don't start with flaws that REALLY say something about them, or is easily bypassed, then it isn't something I should make.

What flaws do you think he should have?
Is he being hunted by that evil god's woshippers? Make him paranoid if so.

[Finney]

I'm new to D&D and I'm roleplaying a Half-Elf cleric following the life domain and I'm just starting to make up my character's backstory. I want to have my character to have followed an evil god first. Then, circumstances I haven't thought up yet my character is forced flee from his fellow worshippers and finds a new beginning worshipping a god of the life domain. So I'm wondering lore wise what gods would make sense for my character to worship? Also, any tips or ideas that would help me create a background story for my character would be greatly appreciated.


Random thoughts.


Half-elf with the elven parent being a dark-elf. He was born into a minor, non-noble House. You can find House names here: http://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_drow_houses



Treated only slightly better than a slave; he has two strikes against him from the get-go: he is male in a matriarchal society and he is a half-breed, so naturally he sought every advantage he could get.


This inevitably led to him to seeking the favor of the Queen of Spiders, Lloth.


However, clerical magic is the domain of women in the Underdark so he was brutally tortured and punished unmercifully for his arrogance and audacity.


His suffering was so great (think Wesley and "the machine" from the Princess Bride) that the Crying God, Ilmater, granted him mercy and helped him endure the torture.


There you go. After being shown mercy and granted redemption in his time of need, your character now serves Ilmater and you can devise whatever story you want for his escape and journey to the surface world.