Character Background

[Nevar]

Ok I've started on creating a character background but I'm sort of in a rut of decisions. But first some background
The campaign is going to be FR and it's going to be a good campaign. Plus it's going to be more roleplaying then rollplaying as of the DM's style. Now typicaly I've seen very I'm an only survivor from village slaughtered by x monster(s) or family killed by thieves etc. What I haven't seen are more domestic kinds of backgrounds. And I was wondering if anyone has created a decent character background with a less climatic aproach and how well it has worked with them. The DM I'm gaming with is very good at tying in backgrounds with the game for either side quests or what not.

[CaptainSam]

How about having someone from a large, loving family who support them in their decision to become an adventurer. They welcome him home whenever he's around and they're all normal people? There's no family curse, no prophesies, the local lord is a kind, generous man and there's never been any war or plague or anything like that.

Frankly, you got bored and set out to see what's out there.

Hold on, that's my bard's background.

[slexlollar89]

What is your character's class and scores? I often make a character's persona befre rolling up this stuff, but then use the mechanical characteristics to fine tune the backround/personality.

Having said that, try a character who wanders for no reason than to gain experience (not in the literal sense, he he). Give him amnesia, so he knows nothing, and ask the DM to make up your past. That way even you are surprised!

[GimliFett]

I once played a tailor's son who read and dreamt of being one of the Heroes of Old. He saved up and managed to purchase basic gear (secondhand) and set out as a sword-and-board fighter as that's usually what the heroes in tales used, with the intent of becoming a Paladin (which I've almost always felt should be Prestige Classes, ie something you aspire to, not something you just pick up and start off as). Eventually he made enemies. Enemies who knew where his family was located. Much nastiness ensued. But he was a very fun character to play.

[kamikasei]

Where in the Realms will you be playing? Being orphaned or cast out or whatever is similar wherever you go, but the "normal life" you're leaving behind won't be.

Depending on your class, you could play your character as pursuing some fairly conventional career which happens to include a journeyman's period of adventuring - not proper save-the-world adventuring, but just enough to get him in to the party and swept up in events. A wizard from the local college who's doing a work placement as a mercenary, for example. For that matter, you could be taking a year out before going to wizards' college and adventuring to pay your way.

[Grey Watcher]

Ok I've started on creating a character background but I'm sort of in a rut of decisions. But first some background
The campaign is going to be FR and it's going to be a good campaign. Plus it's going to be more roleplaying then rollplaying as of the DM's style. Now typicaly I've seen very I'm an only survivor from village slaughtered by x monster(s) or family killed by thieves etc. What I haven't seen are more domestic kinds of backgrounds. And I was wondering if anyone has created a decent character background with a less climatic aproach and how well it has worked with them. The DM I'm gaming with is very good at tying in backgrounds with the game for either side quests or what not.

I was played a Fighter who had flunked out of Wizard school. Personally traumatic, perhaps, but not exactly the melodramatic My-World-Is-Dust-Now-And-All-I-Loved-Is-Dead stuff you want to avoid (a cookie to anyone who can tell me to what I'm referring there).

[Skyserpent]

I had your standard kid who's dad was a Police Officer and wanted to become one as well, turns out, he got the chance to do one better becoming a Squire to a Local Paladin. His family is very proud and he is now traveling far from home on a mission to improve the world. His biggest difficulty is homesickness and culture shock. (He's in an oriental setting) But all in all, he's never experienced real Tragedy... ( I worry the DM may well make that change in the near future)

[Dullyanna]

There's a PC that I've been itching to use for a while now. To put it succinctly, he's a fiendish (Literally) little gully dwarf with a tail. Expanding it a little more, he's pretty damn smart (For a gully dwarf), and thus was snatched up by a Barnum and Bailey type con man early on in his life. The little guy picked up a lot of trivia from him (Reflected by a few ranks in multiple knowledges). Unfortunately, he's also a greedy, mean-spirited little ****, so he eventually killed his owner for a couple hundred gold pieces, and ran off to raise some hell. I know it's still a bit cliche, but it's not nearly as bad as the aforementioned Byronic hero.

[Grey Watcher]

Let's see, other character backgrounds I've used....

A nobleman who wants to try to be a man of the people and thus pursued a military career.

A woman who fled the altar rather than go through with an arranged marriage.

I haven't used this one, but you could try an orphan who never even knew his birth family, but was raised from infancy in an orphanage. Maybe he hopes to find is "true family" somewhere in his adventures. Leaves the door open as to whether or not it's actually tragic.

That's about all I've got for backgrounds I've used that don't involve somebody dying.

That said, if you want a little bit of tragedy in there, you might have one (and only one) family member be dead. For example, dad was captain of the guards and was killed by the Thieves' Guild. While the Guild has since been destroyed, the assassin himself is still at large, and you want to hunt him down. Mom and your siblings, on the other hand, are fine (give or take some grieving for dear dparted dad).

[AKA_Bait]

I've always liked the 'my family is poor' background. Small family, maybe a sibiling that died young as a direct result of some disease but really as a resuly of the poverty into which you and they were born. Once you were old enough, seeing the hordes of coins adventureres were always throwing around in town you set off to become one, despite the risks (those adventurers only came back alive around half the time) so that you might make enough money to lift your family out of poverty.

[leperkhaun]

had one fighter, dad was an ex merc. Just taught his kid how to use a sword. when he got old enough he left his house to find work as a merc.

Bard from a noble house
rogue from a poor family