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TheYell
2019-04-19, 02:27 AM
So we're starting a campaign...

Bambi the Changeling is something nearly unique – the offspring of a captive green hag and a drow noble of House Umbakul. She has marked drow features though she is intensely beautiful. Bambi is still haunted by a superstitious dread of drow. It suits her to be among people who never think of the Enemy at all. She is tattooed on the rump with the sigil of Umbakul and her Common has a queer lisping quality, being that she speaks Undercommon as her native tongue.

Born a beautiful slave, Bambi as a young girl of nine was given as a reward to an evil Samsaran wizard named Azhar Wyrmmaster. He trained her as a courtesan: to sing his favorite songs accompanied by a lute, to cook rich intimate meals, and to play ruthless chess. Bambi can do all these things, but never for a large audience because of shyness. Azhar also taught her Draconic so she could amuse his dragon cohort, and, discerning a rough talent in the girl, schooled her in the rudiments of the magical arts.

Bambi was “rescued” at age sixteen in that her master was slain by a party of Pathfinders who took her from his cavern to Magnimar. Bambi was left with a guild of rogues in the Shady side of town. Bambi was taught Common and set to work as a whore in the guild tavern, the Hidden Hand.
Bambi has been taught to use a dagger and club for self-defense and wears a thief's leather suit especially lined to accommodate her disability – a sheen of sensitive velvety fur down her back.

Bambi hated the Hidden Hand and hoped for adventure for a better life. She got her chance after two years when she seduced a merchant in an outbound caravan. Bambi packed her bags and left the caravan a few miles outside the present city.

Bambi is a latent crossblooded sorcerer with the Psychic and Raksasha bloodlines. She is just coming to understand that her thoughts can actually harm others, and wonders what other powers she can develop. At present she likes to play a common lute when she casts spells, as a distraction to others and an emotional focus for herself.

Bambi has a disinterest in religion, since her main experience with organized religion was the demon worship among the drow. She hasn't been treated very well by life and is hostile to the notion of benign divinities influencing things for the better. This actually helps her resist divine magic, of which she is not yet conscious.

Bambi has enjoyed a very rich lifestyle and experienced real poverty, and has no doubt which one she prefers. She is attracted to fine food, clothing, liqueurs, wines and tobaccos. She sees wealth as essential to this lifestyle and is out to gather as much as she can for herself. In this she is frustrated by a penchant for reckless gambling as a shortcut to fast wealth.

Bambi has a fear of the drow, a respect for dragons, and a general contempt of humanoids especially regular humans who she has seen to be coarse and uncouth. She dislikes rogues and sailors, respects arcane spellcasters, likes wealthy male merchants, and distrusts priests and pious folk.

Bambi is still young and probably could improve if treated well by companions who care. I see her as Rick in Casablanca or Lucinda in Man of La Mancha, somebody jaded but still reachable by a moral argument. She is especially protective of children of any kind in danger or want. However she is very new to the wide world and has a hard time really trusting others so far.

In my humble opinion, I see this gal as Chaotic Neutral, with the heavy caveat that she can't persist in being CN without some serious immediate consequences. I'd like her to veer towards NG where she trusts her friends and helps them because they're her friends. In the instant circumstance, she's motivated to protect a kid who witnessed an attack, and she can get others to help her by helping them, which is why she's working with the party (and the money of course.)

Question for the forum, am I creating a bad player character? Am I putting too much on the party to help reform this waif? It's a fairly mature table, so I don't see the harsh backstory as a barrier, but I'm concerned that I'm putting too much on other members to care and rehabilitate Bambi. And I would really hate to be a purposeless CN forever.

zlefin
2019-04-19, 07:05 AM
long as the players are ok with it it's fine. easiest way to find out if it's a problem is to ask them OoC. that'll be far more accurate than any advice we can give.

The char seems more neutral to me than CN.

TheYell
2019-04-19, 07:50 AM
Thank you, I'll ask them directly.

MrSandman
2019-04-19, 07:54 AM
The problem with that backstory is that it gives very few hints as to her alignment. She knows this, she's experienced that. Okay. She is out there to get wealth. Will she get it at others' expense? How much harm is she willing to do to get money?
What does she believe other than luxury is the good life? Does she think that everyone has intrinsic value or does she see them as tools?

Doctor Awkward
2019-04-19, 08:10 AM
The problem with that backstory is that it gives very few hints as to her alignment. She knows this, she's experienced that. Okay. She is out there to get wealth. Will she get it at others' expense? How much harm is she willing to do to get money?
What does she believe other than luxury is the good life? Does she think that everyone has intrinsic value or does she see them as tools?

I second this.

The problem is that her history is full of events but is short on specifics and experiences.

There's little insight into her personality, desires, and goals. She hated the Hidden Hand, but why? Is she fine with stealing but not murdering? Does she only want to steal from certain people? How did she feel about being a slave? Did her master treat her so well that she thinks that's what slavery is and doesn't know why people would object? Why is she with an adventuring group, and what does she eventually hope to achieve?

Once you answer these you'll have a much better idea what her alignment should be.

denthor
2019-04-19, 09:12 AM
Her blood line is Evil ( her parents are both)

Her upbringing is chaotic Evil

I stand by Nuetral Evil as a start. Her thinking is selfish, gambling is chaotic. Her points in her favor she did not kill anybody on her way out. The answer lies in role play. What does she do when no one is watching? Just like gambling there are quick ways to power.

Geddy2112
2019-04-19, 09:35 AM
+1 to there is very little alignment wise to go on. What little sticks out is a general "I look out for myself" cynic who does the right thing if convinced. Wanting to help children in need, particularly at great risk to herself or with no expectation of reward points her towards good but does not outright mean G. I would say TN leans g, certainly not evil.

Rick Blaine is probably CG(cynical good) before the events of Casablanca, CN at the start and progresses to CG throughout the course of the movie.