For the past several months, I have been on a sliding scal of craziness. In an attempt to make my characters and NPCs unique and fun, I have been making them more whacky and bizarre. The culmination of which; was a strange, trope heavy NPC, that mixed and matched all kinds of nonsense and really didn't make sense at all.
Looking at the direction I was going - I decided that I needed to break away from castles in the sky and get back to basics and the creation of a character that was founded in the roots of my world.
I have started him off as a level 17. He is an old man by now, he has already lived his life, been to war, raised a family.
I still haven't written his back story because his backstory, will be nothing more than a story he is telling his grandchildren.
When we first meet him, that is how we find him. Weary, haggered with age and sat his big easy chair - his beloved pet at his side - telling his grandchildren about his adventures.
He will be rudely interrupted by banging on the door and sound of a ruckus coming from outside.
Opening the door, we will find several towns people trying to get a posse together to chase down a beastie that has carried off several of their own.
At first, our guy will not be interested but upon hearing that his estranged son is one of those who has been taken, this old soldier will go on one last adventure to rescue his most wayward child.
This is a very basic character build and the skeleton of an idea just now, so any thoughts you or opinions you might have will be most welcome.
Do you think I have succeeded in breaking away from the craziness of recent months, or have I failed entirely?
I'd say as an NPC the Wolf totem you chose is a better option giving more of the focus on your allies in battle.
You've got a character that is relatable and down to earth it sounds like, but you do want him to be memorable at the same time. As an old man that's not much trouble. Everyone loves the old characters. Old age often comes with quirks that you can play up when writing/playing him. Consider what those are and try to be consistent with their application. To some degree I have a hard time with this with my own grandpa character (in Brian_Avery's campaign ironically)
Is he hard of hearing? Probably not with that danger sense. Is he a perv like Master Roshi? Probably not, he's a family man. Does he talk a lot, sharing too much of his unwarranted wisdom and experience with anyone who'll listen, or is he quiet and reserved?
Thanks for your replies. To answer a few questions. 1: Why didn't I give him the bear totem. The bear totem seems to be everyone's favourite go-to totem when creating a Totem Warrior and with resistance to all but psychic damage, I am not surprised. The first reason why I didn't go with bear though, is that the wolf fits him better. He lives in a cold region of the world. A place continuously battered by icy winds. There is snow on the ground for a good portion of the year and the entire region is home to frost giants, wild winter wolves and other creatures and monstrosities that like the cold. This is a harsh environment where only the hardy survive. The Humans who live in this region have lived here for countless generations. So long that they have adapted to the harsh cold environment and become resistant to all but magically generated cold. Once upon a time, these humans battled the frost giants for control this region. They fought with such spirit and tanisty that despite their small size, they were a thorn in the side of the giants for hundreds of years. Long enough that the oldest giants can remember tales of humans that possessed the heart and soul of a creature 20 times their size and to this day, no frost giant approaches a human settlement unprepared for a fight.
The other reason why I didn’t give him the bear is - I have given him a WInter Wolf as a pet.
Having this kind of pet is meant as a nod to the type of hero he used to be when he was in his prime. Not many humans could tame a monstrosity like a WInter Wolf, or would even take the time to do so.
Most humans would run from such a creature - or; if they were powerful enough, kill it and be on their way.
This is just the kind of person our guy is though. Not only did he dare to attempt to tame a monstrosity, but he managed it and in the process, forged a bond with it that has lasted for many years.
Both are old now and - relying on each other, have become inseparable.
Lastly; the reason I chose the wolf totem, is just because of the kind of person he is. Like a wolf, he enjoys the company of his family and the few friends he has - his pack. He cares for them, looks after them and so on.
So; in every respect, the wolf totem fits him much better than the bear.
2: Why is his HP so high?
I have given him the maximum HP allowed for his level and class. It looks high because most people go with the average HP.
Granted, this characters HP is at the upper limit of what is allowed, but is still within the rules.
His HP is maxed out because his is going to be a support character. He won’t actually level up any more.
This is quite literally his last adventure.
He joins the party (the posse) to rescue his son and whether he lives or dies at the end of this adventure, the torch will pass to the son that he has set up to rescue.
That though, is another story!
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
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For the past several months, I have been on a sliding scal of craziness. In an attempt to make my characters and NPCs unique and fun, I have been making them more whacky and bizarre. The culmination of which; was a strange, trope heavy NPC, that mixed and matched all kinds of nonsense and really didn't make sense at all.
Looking at the direction I was going - I decided that I needed to break away from castles in the sky and get back to basics and the creation of a character that was founded in the roots of my world.
So here is the character that so have so far.
A human barbarian named Aldred Hughes
https://ddb.ac/characters/6524237/ATKq9i
I have started him off as a level 17. He is an old man by now, he has already lived his life, been to war, raised a family.
I still haven't written his back story because his backstory, will be nothing more than a story he is telling his grandchildren.
When we first meet him, that is how we find him. Weary, haggered with age and sat his big easy chair - his beloved pet at his side - telling his grandchildren about his adventures.
He will be rudely interrupted by banging on the door and sound of a ruckus coming from outside.
Opening the door, we will find several towns people trying to get a posse together to chase down a beastie that has carried off several of their own.
At first, our guy will not be interested but upon hearing that his estranged son is one of those who has been taken, this old soldier will go on one last adventure to rescue his most wayward child.
This is a very basic character build and the skeleton of an idea just now, so any thoughts you or opinions you might have will be most welcome.
Do you think I have succeeded in breaking away from the craziness of recent months, or have I failed entirely?
How would you improve this character?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
I'd say as an NPC the Wolf totem you chose is a better option giving more of the focus on your allies in battle.
You've got a character that is relatable and down to earth it sounds like, but you do want him to be memorable at the same time. As an old man that's not much trouble. Everyone loves the old characters. Old age often comes with quirks that you can play up when writing/playing him. Consider what those are and try to be consistent with their application. To some degree I have a hard time with this with my own grandpa character (in Brian_Avery's campaign ironically)
Is he hard of hearing? Probably not with that danger sense. Is he a perv like Master Roshi? Probably not, he's a family man. Does he talk a lot, sharing too much of his unwarranted wisdom and experience with anyone who'll listen, or is he quiet and reserved?
Extended Signature
Thanks for your replies.
To answer a few questions.
1: Why didn't I give him the bear totem.
The bear totem seems to be everyone's favourite go-to totem when creating a Totem Warrior and with resistance to all but psychic damage, I am not surprised.
The first reason why I didn't go with bear though, is that the wolf fits him better.
He lives in a cold region of the world. A place continuously battered by icy winds. There is snow on the ground for a good portion of the year and the entire region is home to frost giants, wild winter wolves and other creatures and monstrosities that like the cold.
This is a harsh environment where only the hardy survive.
The Humans who live in this region have lived here for countless generations. So long that they have adapted to the harsh cold environment and become resistant to all but magically generated cold.
Once upon a time, these humans battled the frost giants for control this region. They fought with such spirit and tanisty that despite their small size, they were a thorn in the side of the giants for hundreds of years.
Long enough that the oldest giants can remember tales of humans that possessed the heart and soul of a creature 20 times their size and to this day, no frost giant approaches a human settlement unprepared for a fight.
The other reason why I didn’t give him the bear is - I have given him a WInter Wolf as a pet.
Having this kind of pet is meant as a nod to the type of hero he used to be when he was in his prime. Not many humans could tame a monstrosity like a WInter Wolf, or would even take the time to do so.
Most humans would run from such a creature - or; if they were powerful enough, kill it and be on their way.
This is just the kind of person our guy is though. Not only did he dare to attempt to tame a monstrosity, but he managed it and in the process, forged a bond with it that has lasted for many years.
Both are old now and - relying on each other, have become inseparable.
Lastly; the reason I chose the wolf totem, is just because of the kind of person he is. Like a wolf, he enjoys the company of his family and the few friends he has - his pack. He cares for them, looks after them and so on.
So; in every respect, the wolf totem fits him much better than the bear.
2: Why is his HP so high?
I have given him the maximum HP allowed for his level and class. It looks high because most people go with the average HP.
Granted, this characters HP is at the upper limit of what is allowed, but is still within the rules.
His HP is maxed out because his is going to be a support character. He won’t actually level up any more.
This is quite literally his last adventure.
He joins the party (the posse) to rescue his son and whether he lives or dies at the end of this adventure, the torch will pass to the son that he has set up to rescue.
That though, is another story!
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.