Aasimar Monk Backstory Help

[WorldOnFire03]

A friend of mine is starting a new campaign and said he's happy for us to choose any race, class and background as long as its not a homebrew and I've had the idea of a fallen aasimar rogue/monk for a while that I'd really like to use. I ended up deciding to go with a monk (I'll eventually choose the way of the shadow) and potentially sinking a level into rogue for the extra sneak attack damage, but as usual I'm really struggling to come up with a decent backstory/reason for falling.

The general idea I had was that my aasimar was either left at a monastery as a baby and is possibly unaware she is an aasimar, or that she experienced some traumatic event earlier in life that caused her to fall and either seek out or be sent to the monastery. My friend and I would like to link our backstories in some way (she's playing as a firebolg druid) which shouldn't be too hard, but my main issue is trying to figure out why they would choose to leave the monastery, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions I would really appreciate it!

[thoroughlyS]

You were brought to a monastery where you were raised to attain enlightenment through the abandonment of all worldly ties. You found this difficult because of the whispers at the back of your mind. Because of the dreams where you met with the voice of God. Because you were urged to champion the people, not shun them. Because of the gnawing guilt in your heart at every moment of inaction.

But you remained steadfast in your asceticism. Eventually you triumphed. You cleansed your heart and soul of those tethers which bound you to the world. But in doing so, you felt like you lost a piece of yourself. Rightfully so, as you truly understood something for the first time: loneliness.

You were confronted with a harsh question. Was this what you were trying to do? Was this the right path to follow? Were you blind to a greater truth, even as it plead with you to listen? You needed answers, and you weren't going to find them cloistered away behind the monastery's walls.

[WorldOnFire03]

I do really like this, but I kind of feel like its not enough to cause her to fall - from what I've read it needs to be an action chosen by the character that is in some way evil?

[thoroughlyS]

I was just throwing out an idea. I can't really help if you're trying to make an evil character (I don't know how you'd make an evil monk). If you like the backstory, float it by your DM for approval.

[WorldOnFire03]

Thank you, I really appreciate the help :)

[Whiskeyjack8044]

Instead of a normal monastery, it's an evil cult like the League of Shadows from Batman.

"The Master was told a prophecy, 'corrupt a divine heat to evil, then carve out that heart and consume it. Then, all you desire will come to pass'. The Master sent out all his cult agents, 'Find me a child of divine blood. Burn their past to ash and bring them to me.'.

You were found, you were trained, you were corrupted, you fell to evil. You were treated like royalty, you were clearly the Masters favorite. One day your rival let slip that you were going to be sacrificed at the upcoming ceremony. You ran away before they cut out your heart. You ran away into the woods where you were found by a tribe of Firbolgs.

Your DM might like having your Cult to use in their story. Since you and your character don't know what the Master needed the heart for, your DM can use it as a plot hook.

[WorldOnFire03]

I like that idea too :D I actually did some brain storming today though and came up with a rough idea, but I'm not sure if its good and if it is I'm not sure which background would fit in with it best? Let me know what you think though please!! (Also my character doesn't have a name yet, hence the ___s :) )

- Abandoned at monastery soon after birth
- Mother died shortly after giving birth
- Father unknown, presumed dead
- Given the name ____ Kadana
- Raised by the monks
- __ started having visions of angelic guide at a young age
- Told head monks of these visions (monks realised she was an aasimar but did not tell her)
- Told that visions were unnatural and abhorrent, told to focus on studies instead and block out/ignore visions
- Taught to abandon worldly ties
- Monks started to focus on turning __ into a weapon
- Visions became harder to ignore, angelic guide telling __ to run away
- __ continued to voice concerns over visions to monks, was punished for letting the visions distract/not trying hard enough to block them out with hard labour, going without food for days or being forced to meditate in dangerous conditions (out in the snow/heat for hours)
- __ overheard head monks discussing her visions/heritage (discovered the monks had been lying to her for her entire life)
- Overcome with rage, __ crept into each of the head monks rooms and slit their throats (one of the monks, Johar, managed to escape)
- Saved the head of the monastery (Olin) for last, breaking his legs and pinning him to the floor with his own sword
- Set monastery on fire with Olin still alive inside (as well as all of the other initiates, unsure how many escaped)
- Taking only her staff and some basic supplies, __ left the monastery and set off into the wilderness
- Gave herself a new name ____
- Decided to never again let anyone tell her what to do or control her
- Stopped having visions (guide abandoning her for falling??)
- Travelled for weeks, eventually found grotto to rest in
- Met firebolg druid - firebolg agrees to escort __ out of the forest
- Knows that Johar is still alive, determined to hunt him down

[Ronnocius]

I like that idea too :D I actually did some brain storming today though and came up with a rough idea, but I'm not sure if its good and if it is I'm not sure which background would fit in with it best? Let me know what you think though please!! (Also my character doesn't have a name yet, hence the ___s :) )

- Abandoned at monastery soon after birth
- Mother died shortly after giving birth
- Father unknown, presumed dead
- Given the name ____ Kadana
- Raised by the monks
- __ started having visions of angelic guide at a young age
- Told head monks of these visions (monks realised she was an aasimar but did not tell her)
- Told that visions were unnatural and abhorrent, told to focus on studies instead and block out/ignore visions
- Taught to abandon worldly ties
- Monks started to focus on turning __ into a weapon
- Visions became harder to ignore, angelic guide telling __ to run away
- __ continued to voice concerns over visions to monks, was punished for letting the visions distract/not trying hard enough to block them out with hard labour, going without food for days or being forced to meditate in dangerous conditions (out in the snow/heat for hours)
- __ overheard head monks discussing her visions/heritage (discovered the monks had been lying to her for her entire life)
- Overcome with rage, __ crept into each of the head monks rooms and slit their throats (one of the monks, Johar, managed to escape)
- Saved the head of the monastery (Olin) for last, breaking his legs and pinning him to the floor with his own sword
- Set monastery on fire with Olin still alive inside (as well as all of the other initiates, unsure how many escaped)
- Taking only her staff and some basic supplies, __ left the monastery and set off into the wilderness
- Gave herself a new name ____
- Decided to never again let anyone tell her what to do or control her
- Stopped having visions (guide abandoning her for falling??)
- Travelled for weeks, eventually found grotto to rest in
- Met firebolg druid - firebolg agrees to escort __ out of the forest
- Knows that Johar is still alive, determined to hunt him down

Sounds pretty good to me. One suggestion I would have is to lower the body count (assuming you are starting at level 1 assassinating a council of monks is quite the feat). Perhaps you confronted Olin about the overheard conversation and struck him in a fit of rage, accidentally killing the frail old man in the process and fleeing to avoid being imprisoned/executed.

As for Johar, maybe he is a head monk or fellow initiate who often bullied you with his friends (if initiate) or tried to expel you multiple times (if head monk) and is still at the monastery which you seek to return to at a later date?

These are just a few suggestions, feel free to discard if they don't fit your vision for your character. Good luck in your game as well!

EDIT: For bonus points, maybe Olin was a father figure of sorts and you are horrified that you killed him (either seeking to atone if character is neutral/good or blaming the other head monks if evil).

[Xaktsaroth]

I'm going to come at this from a different angle.

What if your not a fallen aasimar due to choice, but a fallen aasimar due to lineage?

You are the product of a coupling between a moral mother and fallen angel.

Your mother brought you to the monastery because she didn't understand what the voices were, and thought the monks could help as they're known for their mental fortitude.

Got you there but died due to exposure.

What happened at the monastery could now be as dark or as light as you wanted, as your Way of Shadow could be explained as harnessing the dark power inside as a weapon against evil itself.

Just a thought!

[WorldOnFire03]

I'm going to come at this from a different angle.

What if your not a fallen aasimar due to choice, but a fallen aasimar due to lineage?

You are the product of a coupling between a moral mother and fallen angel.

Your mother brought you to the monastery because she didn't understand what the voices were, and thought the monks could help as they're known for their mental fortitude.

Got you there but died due to exposure.

What happened at the monastery could now be as dark or as light as you wanted, as your Way of Shadow could be explained as harnessing the dark power inside as a weapon against evil itself.

Just a thought!

Oooo I really like that! It gives the monks more of a reason to be afraid of her visions too, thanks for the idea!! <3

[Mercurias]

I had a similar character idea for a dark-themed monk, and maybe it'll spark an idea for you.

My monk was an urchin, and his first memories were of hiding in a wintry alley, trying to choke down a hunk of stolen bread before it got too cold.

That child eventually was saved by a homeless man who stepped out from the middle of nowhere and pulled him against a wall to hide in the shadows before the guard could catch him. That same man then took the boy in and raised him to see the city alleys, markets, sewers, and roofs as his home, a place where he could be truly free.

Essentially, the city where he grew up was one of the monasteries of his order, and his order of monks operates from the shadows either on their own whims or to prevent harm from befalling the order and its temples. Some of the monks are quite wealthy, having used their skills to amass money and power, while others live in near-ascetic simplicity.

I threw together this setup for my monk so that he has an origin, ties to a group/mentor to give plot hooks, and plenty of room for the character to develop. After all, if you belong to a secret order of Monks then the DM can, technically, initiate a glorious kung-fu battle whenever the party stops to have a social encounter. I could see this working really well for a Fallen Aasimar.

[DevilMcam]

Depending on who your divine ascendent is, Cowardness could alo be a reason to fall.

And you might have ran away from the monastery when X bad thing happened here.
Will give you the nice plot hook of coming back there to fix the situation.