PDA

View Full Version : Quirky characters and backstories; share yours!



Telvos
2007-09-27, 05:03 PM
I'm interested in hearing what you all do for backstories, and how you make your characters more memeorable.

What I'd say was my most creative character was my old sorcerer, Telvos. His family was a long line of city guardsmen, except for, as it turns out, his great-great-great-grandfather. He was a powerful archmage who was quite fed up with his family abandoning their magical heritage, and would appear very often to my character in dreams (particularly when i leveled up) to nag me about what spells are important and how I should behave.

In essence, whenever I gained a level, the DM would chose which spells I got, and give me a reason for it. It was really fun for all of us, especially since apparently grandpa didn't think that fireball was as important as stinking cloud and other such spells.

It was a great chance to get aquainted with the spells noone ever takes.

Stormcrow
2007-09-27, 06:31 PM
Wanderer Junglemark from the primitive tribes of chult in the forgotten realms, he was sold as a slave to the cale****es, fought his way through the pit, won his freedom, went to the dragon coast and was captured and sold as a slave in thay.

He eats the hearts of his enemies to steal their power.

TimeWizard
2007-09-27, 09:08 PM
Before this gets crazy outta hand, my favorite and most memorable character ever was "not-so-silent" Silat, a rogue. The premise? He is absolutely and completely unspecial in every way. I swiped Pratchett's description of Carrot's sword for him. "He's not marked by destiny. Both his parents are alive, neither of them are evil (they're craftsmen in a small city). He doesn't have famous ancestors. He has no secret powers, nor is he especially good at anything. He isn't dark or mysterious at all. Nor is he a radiant example of goodness and virtue. He has no addictions. He doesn't adventure to find a lost love or family member. There are no omens concerning his birth. He doesn't own a weapon or artifact that radiates with power... In fact, he's practically unique", everyone else's over-played stories only made him even better. So memorable was it that being decidedly unspecial was called "Silat Syndrome" by the rest of the players since the game ended.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-09-27, 09:22 PM
My titlr char, Azerian Kelimon, now Azerian Kelrain due to a change in whims, both of me and Az. He's currently trying to find a way to go back in time and amass a gigantic army of devils, and have them annihilate their "weak" successors and demons, only to slaughter them with an army of Galaxians (the superiors of Solars). He was raised by a prismatic dragon, who taught him his basic swordsage skills, and reinforced his natural NG instincts. Then, at his request, he slew his foster father and drank his blood in a ritual that granted him prismatic powers (and nifty wings), to honor his last will. He's also collaborated on creating Megacastle ZZY, a massive base for his society, the Voidstrikers. And he's clinically immortal and endlessly youthful because of a wierd incident involving an unwanted simulacrum that grew more powerful than him. What can I say, things that happen when you have a level 117 character.

Telvos
2007-09-27, 09:39 PM
Before this gets crazy outta hand, my favorite and most memorable character ever was "not-so-silent" Silat, a rogue. The premise? He is absolutely and completely unspecial in every way. I swiped Pratchett's description of Carrot's sword for him. "He's not marked by destiny. Both his parents are alive, neither of them are evil (they're craftsmen in a small city). He doesn't have famous ancestors. He has no secret powers, nor is he especially good at anything. He isn't dark or mysterious at all. Nor is he a radiant example of goodness and virtue. He has no addictions. He doesn't adventure to find a lost love or family member. There are no omens concerning his birth. He doesn't own a weapon or artifact that radiates with power... In fact, he's practically unique", everyone else's over-played stories only made him even better. So memorable was it that being decidedly unspecial was called "Silat Syndrome" by the rest of the players since the game ended.


I did that on an online game once; a neverwinter nights Roleplay server. I created a True neutral human fighter; he was an ex-soldier who'd come to live in the town. That's all. I got sick of everyone having such HUGE backstories, and decided that I'd start with something plain and give him enough personality that it would be memorable.

Aaron Ardiveil, True Neutral Human Warrior. Used a two-handed flail, died working as a mercenary guard for a caravan escort. RIP, hero.

Dr. Weasel
2007-09-27, 09:45 PM
Tim Bartle, the prancing minstrel. His parents wanted him to be a lawyer or a preacher, he wanted to prance. (Not dance or skip, mind you) He travelled alone for many a year, prancing roads that had never been pranced before. He wasn't too fond of shaving or washing or cutting his hair because time spend doing those was not time spent prancing so he was unkept, dirty scraggly and prancing. Always prancing.

He happened upon the party as an NPC (the DM and I figured it would be easiest if the character was introduced without the party understanding he was intended to join). The party quickly tired of his prancing, wrestled him to the ground, tied him up and made him hop after them, carrying their stuff around with his legs still tied together.

I dug it. Mechanically he was a Marshal/White Raven-focused Warblade so I helped the party out even while immobile. He was heaps of fun until he met his tragic end being devoured by a Fiendish Hippopotamus the Big Spooky Italian Lich summoned at him.

BardicDuelist
2007-09-27, 09:53 PM
Had a warlock who made Faustian Pacts for unlimited power. Funny thing was, he was a warlock and so subpar in our party of casters. The irony amused me at least.

TheLogman
2007-09-27, 10:02 PM
I once played in a session of Oriental Adventures (Using the "Honor System", the DM assigns honor points and takes them away for player actions, if you reach 0, you commit ritual suicide (It made it easy for him to railroad us)). This wasn't my design, but was interesting nonetheless.
I was a fisherman, which I assume now meant commoner with Weapon Proficiency (Harpoon) definitely a lot of ranks in Profession (Fisher). I had really no past whatsoever, save for the fact that I was honor-bond to this lady Wizard. If she died, I would commit ritual suicide. The catch? Her Con was so low, she only had 1 hp. That was an interesting session (With an annoying back story)