Hey guys, so I am new to D&D and have sort of been on my own with creating my character (dnd beyond has been a godsent and I have been reading the player's handbook as well). I didn't have a real reference as to how long a backstory could be but being a creative writer myself I think I might have gone a little overboard.
Would anyone be interested in reading it and just giving me some feedback? That would be great :)
(Also I am still working on her, so if you notice things missing from her character sheet, I probably haven't gotten that far lol)
We cant read notes and such with a link to the character. Sorry, you would have to copy paste it here.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Without seeing the specifics, just remember a few things: A level 1 character is just getting started. The adventure is mostly ahead and less behind. Don't lock yourself into too much before the character takes its first step. What you expected is likely not how things will develop.
I know a character that wanted to be a greedy bard but by the 3rd campaign, the bard had been defined as someone with no understanding of wealth - being exceedingly generous. While in the same group, a noble-born pirate wanted to be a folk hero to spite his high-class, rich upbringing ended up being exceedingly greedy. These only happened because they left their backstories with few foundations to give them more options going forward.
EDIT: Something I've noticed with my recent backstories: I focus on details of the immediate family (which for Halflings can be quite large and difficult to keep track). Who are my siblings? Who are my parents? What about everyone's spouses? Kids? What do they do? Where are they now? For my characters, it's mostly just, "With a family like that, why did I step out of my door?"
While that can lead to a family history of great deeds and sorrows as a foundation, I stick with a simple life. I guess I'm a Bilbo at heart - the ordinary hero.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
It seems too OP by being a Tiefling wizard lvl 1 ( IMO ). No negative stats , only decent 11 ???
Rolling for stats and they got 18, 18, 16, 12, 10 and 9. That's not unlikely so I think accusing them of 'faking' their stats is a bit rude.
Also I fail to see what's 'OP' about being a tiefling wizard, they only get a +1 to Int racially, there are much more 'powerful' wizard/race combinations
I think we should focus on the backstory more than the stats. Stats can add to and be explained in backstory such as training, some worldly experience, a minor adventure, but that level 1 is still a key factor in how much experience a character has had.
EDIT: That brings me to something I often use in backstories: The dice. XGtE has some interesting random tables to poke a character's history in certain directions. (I've only dumped one character before starting because the rolls ended up with the most emo edgelord I've ever seen. *crumple sheet* *reroll*)
(EDIT EDIT: The badly rolled backstory was a single child of squalid-poor family where the mother ran off and the father committed suicide. I noped right out of that one. I kept the stats [standard array], race, and class but started everything else all over again - even new name.)
EDIT EDIT EDIT: That brings me to a thing about names. Unless there's some prophetic naming ceremony or some other strict tradition of names, most parents just name their kids arbitrarily. Being born Swordeater Overhill makes no sense to me for the typical family.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Quill Coldshore was orphaned at 2 days old when her parents Havana and Jiferid Mubarak were killed by a gang of thieves while they were traveling. Before the baby could also be killed, a chariot with a small group of knights from a neighboring kingdom stumbled upon the troop. The knights stopped the men before harm could come to whoever was in the royal chariot, and that is when the baby was discovered. The cries of the baby brought the person inside the chariot to get out and walk towards the baby's wails. Inside the chariot was Ash'eldi Coldshore, royal mage to the kingdom of Trenzelore. He picked up the babe from the ground, to which she calmed down in his arms. Ash'eldi felt a small magical presence while holding the baby, and decided to take her with him back to Trenzelore. Once getting back to the castle, he spoke with the royal family, Queen Jayla who was known as "The Wolf of Trenzelore" and her husband, King Fredrick as to keeping the teifling child. They, of course, were extremely wary of having a creature who was called "part demon" in their castle walls, but Ash'eldi explained how this small babe had a magical presence that could do the kingdom of Trenzelore well. Still slightly wary, Queen Jayla approved for Ash'eldi to raise the teifling baby as his own. He later named the child Quill after the feathers found in the blanket she was wrapped in. Quill grew up within the castle walls under the guidance of Ash'eldi, who didn't treat her like anything less than his own. Even though there were those who worked in the castle who frowned on her teifling heritage, Quill knew the love and care of Ash'eldi and that always persisted over the negative thoughts of others. While growing up, Quill was also learning about magic from Ash'eldi, mostly reading many, many books in the castle library. Once she was old enough to do physical magic, she sometimes pulled small pranks on servants in the castle. Quill also grew up alongside the heir to Trenzelore, Prince Vertus. They were somewhat close, being the only two children in the castle, but the queen and king didn't quite like Vertus being near Quill. When Quill was 12, Ash'eldi gifted her with a light blue crystal on a metal chain. He told her that he found that on her when he first took her in and put it away in a safe place until he thought she was ready. It was a couple of years later that she noticed that the crystal would glow not just every night, but the glow would correlate to the phases of the moon (full moon=brightest, new moon=dimest (but still glowing)). This is around the time she started thinking of religion and found out about the goddess Selûne, and so she liked to think the crystal's patterns related to her. Quill was 23 when news came to the queen and king that enemy forces were coming toward Trenzelore. Queen Jayla prepared for battle along with her army. Ash'eldi was told to stay at protect the heir Prince Vertus and King Frederick, while Quill tried to survey what was happening with magic, but after hours of trying, she gets nothing. It's not until she has given up when she receives her first vision, and it is of Queen Jayla in battle, and an arrow going through her neck. After, Quill rushes to Ash'eldi and the rest of the royal family to tell them of what happened. King Frederick doesn't believe her, and its not until Ash'eldi checks with his main crystal ball that King Frederick believes. As they plan what to do next, a Trenzelorian knight that was in the room with the group sneaks behind the king and stabs him. Ash'eldi takes care of the rogue knight and Quill tries to heal the king but fails. Out in Trenzelore, the enemy forces had just reached the city and runs amuck. Ash'eldi tells Quill to get her things and take Vertus with her and try to escape. She refuses, but he grabs her by the shoulders and looks her in the eyes, telling her to do as he says. She relents, and then Ash'eldi says, "My child, there is a very big possibility that we will not see each other again. But just know that finding you all those years ago changed my life and you have made it better every day since. Be safe, and never stop learning." Quill takes Vertus to her and Ash'eldi's chambers and she quickly packs a bag, and at the very last moment, sees one of Ash'eldi's tools which was a gauntlet with a crystal ball on it and takes it. They quickly do the same in Vetus's room and then leave the castle through the servant's quarters. They make it to the stables and are about to leave on horseback when they are spotted by the enemy. The horses gallop off, being followed by the enemy knights. Quill thinks they are going to get out safe, but then Quill and Vertus get separated by a burning building falling between them. Quill ends up having to take a different route out of the city, safely making it out without being caught, but was not able to find Vertus again. Quill has now been traveling by herself now for the past year, hoping to find Vertus.
In my opinion, you made good use of your space there. No unnecessary fluff (though the escape part is a bit long to me), wide-open future, some hooks for the DM to play with...
I'll never say I'm any kind of expert on backstories. (I can only say what I do.) Given that, I say, "Go with it."
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
One of my roles was actually a natural 20, but only came to an 18 lol. And thank you for defending me :)
Official 5e rules are rolling 4 d6 and taking the top 3 making the only possible range being 3-18 with the average at 13 (instead of a straight 10.5). There would be no 19s or 20s or 1s or 2s for the base stats. 3 is the least likely (requiring all four to be 1).
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
In my opinion, you made good use of your space there. No unnecessary fluff (though the escape part is a bit long to me), wide-open future, some hooks for the DM to play with...
I'll never say I'm any kind of expert on backstories. (I can only say what I do.) Given that, I say, "Go with it."
On an aside, many (most?) DMs do not require you to spill your backstory to other players from the get-go. I feel it is important for the DM to know the backstory if you want the DM to build a story around it, but most people don't walk up to strangers and tell them everything from the time of their birth. Given the story regarding mysterious enemy forces, being too forthcoming with others about from where she comes or what she seeks is risky. Anyone could be an agent of the enemy upon the first meeting.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
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Hey guys, so I am new to D&D and have sort of been on my own with creating my character (dnd beyond has been a godsent and I have been reading the player's handbook as well). I didn't have a real reference as to how long a backstory could be but being a creative writer myself I think I might have gone a little overboard.
Would anyone be interested in reading it and just giving me some feedback? That would be great :)
(Also I am still working on her, so if you notice things missing from her character sheet, I probably haven't gotten that far lol)
https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/massas_44/characters/22469296
We cant read notes and such with a link to the character. Sorry, you would have to copy paste it here.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Without seeing the specifics, just remember a few things: A level 1 character is just getting started. The adventure is mostly ahead and less behind. Don't lock yourself into too much before the character takes its first step. What you expected is likely not how things will develop.
I know a character that wanted to be a greedy bard but by the 3rd campaign, the bard had been defined as someone with no understanding of wealth - being exceedingly generous. While in the same group, a noble-born pirate wanted to be a folk hero to spite his high-class, rich upbringing ended up being exceedingly greedy. These only happened because they left their backstories with few foundations to give them more options going forward.
EDIT: Something I've noticed with my recent backstories: I focus on details of the immediate family (which for Halflings can be quite large and difficult to keep track). Who are my siblings? Who are my parents? What about everyone's spouses? Kids? What do they do? Where are they now? For my characters, it's mostly just, "With a family like that, why did I step out of my door?"
While that can lead to a family history of great deeds and sorrows as a foundation, I stick with a simple life. I guess I'm a Bilbo at heart - the ordinary hero.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
It seems too OP by being a Tiefling wizard lvl 1 ( IMO ). No negative stats , only decent 11 ???
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Rolling for stats and they got 18, 18, 16, 12, 10 and 9. That's not unlikely so I think accusing them of 'faking' their stats is a bit rude.
Also I fail to see what's 'OP' about being a tiefling wizard, they only get a +1 to Int racially, there are much more 'powerful' wizard/race combinations
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I think we should focus on the backstory more than the stats. Stats can add to and be explained in backstory such as training, some worldly experience, a minor adventure, but that level 1 is still a key factor in how much experience a character has had.
EDIT: That brings me to something I often use in backstories: The dice. XGtE has some interesting random tables to poke a character's history in certain directions. (I've only dumped one character before starting because the rolls ended up with the most emo edgelord I've ever seen. *crumple sheet* *reroll*)
(EDIT EDIT: The badly rolled backstory was a single child of squalid-poor family where the mother ran off and the father committed suicide. I noped right out of that one. I kept the stats [standard array], race, and class but started everything else all over again - even new name.)
EDIT EDIT EDIT: That brings me to a thing about names. Unless there's some prophetic naming ceremony or some other strict tradition of names, most parents just name their kids arbitrarily. Being born Swordeater Overhill makes no sense to me for the typical family.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
lol, I thought the link would work, sorry.
here is the copy and pasted backstory:
Quill Coldshore was orphaned at 2 days old when her parents Havana and Jiferid Mubarak were killed by a gang of thieves while they were traveling. Before the baby could also be killed, a chariot with a small group of knights from a neighboring kingdom stumbled upon the troop. The knights stopped the men before harm could come to whoever was in the royal chariot, and that is when the baby was discovered. The cries of the baby brought the person inside the chariot to get out and walk towards the baby's wails. Inside the chariot was Ash'eldi Coldshore, royal mage to the kingdom of Trenzelore. He picked up the babe from the ground, to which she calmed down in his arms. Ash'eldi felt a small magical presence while holding the baby, and decided to take her with him back to Trenzelore. Once getting back to the castle, he spoke with the royal family, Queen Jayla who was known as "The Wolf of Trenzelore" and her husband, King Fredrick as to keeping the teifling child. They, of course, were extremely wary of having a creature who was called "part demon" in their castle walls, but Ash'eldi explained how this small babe had a magical presence that could do the kingdom of Trenzelore well. Still slightly wary, Queen Jayla approved for Ash'eldi to raise the teifling baby as his own. He later named the child Quill after the feathers found in the blanket she was wrapped in. Quill grew up within the castle walls under the guidance of Ash'eldi, who didn't treat her like anything less than his own. Even though there were those who worked in the castle who frowned on her teifling heritage, Quill knew the love and care of Ash'eldi and that always persisted over the negative thoughts of others. While growing up, Quill was also learning about magic from Ash'eldi, mostly reading many, many books in the castle library. Once she was old enough to do physical magic, she sometimes pulled small pranks on servants in the castle. Quill also grew up alongside the heir to Trenzelore, Prince Vertus. They were somewhat close, being the only two children in the castle, but the queen and king didn't quite like Vertus being near Quill. When Quill was 12, Ash'eldi gifted her with a light blue crystal on a metal chain. He told her that he found that on her when he first took her in and put it away in a safe place until he thought she was ready. It was a couple of years later that she noticed that the crystal would glow not just every night, but the glow would correlate to the phases of the moon (full moon=brightest, new moon=dimest (but still glowing)). This is around the time she started thinking of religion and found out about the goddess Selûne, and so she liked to think the crystal's patterns related to her. Quill was 23 when news came to the queen and king that enemy forces were coming toward Trenzelore. Queen Jayla prepared for battle along with her army. Ash'eldi was told to stay at protect the heir Prince Vertus and King Frederick, while Quill tried to survey what was happening with magic, but after hours of trying, she gets nothing. It's not until she has given up when she receives her first vision, and it is of Queen Jayla in battle, and an arrow going through her neck. After, Quill rushes to Ash'eldi and the rest of the royal family to tell them of what happened. King Frederick doesn't believe her, and its not until Ash'eldi checks with his main crystal ball that King Frederick believes. As they plan what to do next, a Trenzelorian knight that was in the room with the group sneaks behind the king and stabs him. Ash'eldi takes care of the rogue knight and Quill tries to heal the king but fails. Out in Trenzelore, the enemy forces had just reached the city and runs amuck. Ash'eldi tells Quill to get her things and take Vertus with her and try to escape. She refuses, but he grabs her by the shoulders and looks her in the eyes, telling her to do as he says. She relents, and then Ash'eldi says, "My child, there is a very big possibility that we will not see each other again. But just know that finding you all those years ago changed my life and you have made it better every day since. Be safe, and never stop learning." Quill takes Vertus to her and Ash'eldi's chambers and she quickly packs a bag, and at the very last moment, sees one of Ash'eldi's tools which was a gauntlet with a crystal ball on it and takes it. They quickly do the same in Vetus's room and then leave the castle through the servant's quarters. They make it to the stables and are about to leave on horseback when they are spotted by the enemy. The horses gallop off, being followed by the enemy knights. Quill thinks they are going to get out safe, but then Quill and Vertus get separated by a burning building falling between them. Quill ends up having to take a different route out of the city, safely making it out without being caught, but was not able to find Vertus again. Quill has now been traveling by herself now for the past year, hoping to find Vertus.
One of my roles was actually a natural 20, but only came to an 18 lol. And thank you for defending me :)
In my opinion, you made good use of your space there. No unnecessary fluff (though the escape part is a bit long to me), wide-open future, some hooks for the DM to play with...
I'll never say I'm any kind of expert on backstories. (I can only say what I do.) Given that, I say, "Go with it."
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Official 5e rules are rolling 4 d6 and taking the top 3 making the only possible range being 3-18 with the average at 13 (instead of a straight 10.5). There would be no 19s or 20s or 1s or 2s for the base stats. 3 is the least likely (requiring all four to be 1).
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
On an aside, many (most?) DMs do not require you to spill your backstory to other players from the get-go. I feel it is important for the DM to know the backstory if you want the DM to build a story around it, but most people don't walk up to strangers and tell them everything from the time of their birth. Given the story regarding mysterious enemy forces, being too forthcoming with others about from where she comes or what she seeks is risky. Anyone could be an agent of the enemy upon the first meeting.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.