I need help with ideas for backstory. I have a paladin who has reached a midlife crisis. He wants to continue fighting evil in the world, but feels he is one of the few truly up to the task, but he is starting to realise that his body will soon start feeling the effects of aging. He could try to train someone to take up his mantle, but truthfully he would only get one, maybe 2 attempts to get the right person. Even then it wouldn't be him.
To summarize, human paladin with big ego want to keep fighting until all major evil is destroyed. This will be only a part of his research, in the end he will be using a wish, or something similar that will mostly backfire. He ends up becoming the spirit being for a hexadin.
His research will include undead options, negotiating with outsiders, using magic/artifacts, and anything else that people may suggest. I have several lines of thought on how he will attempt it, but I need help on some of the research behind the thinking. One part of the research is looking into undead. He will push the line of good vs evil, perhaps even capture some for research. I need sentient beings with their own will that can be good aligned. I even some ideas that are close, but not quite right.
A few thoughts I've had is lich, vampire, mummy, ghoul, wraith, revenant, ghost, I know revenant can be shot down quickly, the conditions to become one too situational and single goal oriented. Ghost would be similar I would think.
Please help with more ideas, and more rationality on the undead research. Also could use more avenues to look into. Realise that in the end he will most likely end up going for a failed wish, but it’s the journey I want to work on.
On the whole, I don't usually associate paladins with research. I would more likely think he would swear an Oath so powerful that it bound him to the cause after death.
By the sword have I lived, and by the sword shall I die,
What I have sown, I will reap, but fallow I will not lie.
Though my hands grow weak, there is work to be done,
Til the beasts of the night lie dead, I and my sword are One.
Yikes. Most of the time, the ego of "I must be the one to do this" is the start of a dark path, especially when it's the reason to thwart the natural order of things.
Read Mogworld. It's a take that the person never wanted to be raised from the dead and (after being freed from servitude and getting past a long period of bemoaning being undead) decided to do something worthy while stuck in undeath when an unexpected opportunity dragged the "zombie with a mind and will" out of a miserable, repetitive existence.
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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.
An undead paladin is a Death Knight. They are usually evil, but you can homebrew whatever you want. I think ghost, revenant, and mummy are all great ideas, regardless of what the monster manual might say. How many stories have good ghosts? Nearly-Headless Nick. Force ghost Obi-Wan. Patrick Swayze. The revenant in the movie Revenant sought justice, if not, perhaps, good. (Lawful neutral would probably be his alignment.)
Ophidimancer, I agree with your line of thought, and really like your ideas, but I am working on something a little bit different. Let me give you some more details.
Eric, I'll have to look into Mogworld. Sounds familiar, but never read it.
The main character is Kendall, half elf paladin/hexblade. The basic intelligent dump stat paladin hexblade. Not too bright, always smiling. He seems a little bit insane as he talks to himself. Bob is his spirit instructor, the one who we are working on background. Bob has been around for centuries in spirit form training paladins. His last trainee had great potential, an elf paladin, Ken's father. Great until he and his human wife were murdered.
Bob is a bit sarcastic, somewhat perverted, and sometimes "drunk". I wanted to make a little humorous with a walking seemingly crazy paladin odd couple.
Kendall barely knows he is a paladin. He is fighter who obeys the mighty Bob. Bob doesn't want to be worshipped, but Ken usually insists on titles. When needed Bob will guide Ken with his abilities. When he needed to heal someone else Bob would tell Ken how to lay on hands, a light slap on a male, mild grope on a female.
Hopefully this long winded background helps let you know where I am working towards. Bob's journey that eventually led to the point he is at now.
Might want to cut this bit out, seems like it could make people uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable.
If it's the character's mysterious old spirit mentor, you don't have to pin down all of his backstory specifically. You can leave things mysterious, but sure if you want some good aligned undead as research subjects, how about the Undying Court of Eberron?
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
True on the edit for female, simple fix, a kiss on the forehead or cheek. Was thinking of the old anime perverted teacher. Drinks too much and chases the girls. He has no body of his own, so he has his ignorant innocent student act in his place, at least until he figures it out.
Forgot about deathknight, definitely need to add them. Never heard of the undying court, but definitely worth looking into.
I need help with ideas for backstory. I have a paladin who has reached a midlife crisis. He wants to continue fighting evil in the world, but feels he is one of the few truly up to the task, but he is starting to realise that his body will soon start feeling the effects of aging. He could try to train someone to take up his mantle, but truthfully he would only get one, maybe 2 attempts to get the right person. Even then it wouldn't be him.
To summarize, human paladin with big ego want to keep fighting until all major evil is destroyed. This will be only a part of his research, in the end he will be using a wish, or something similar that will mostly backfire. He ends up becoming the spirit being for a hexadin.
His research will include undead options, negotiating with outsiders, using magic/artifacts, and anything else that people may suggest.
I have several lines of thought on how he will attempt it, but I need help on some of the research behind the thinking. One part of the research is looking into undead. He will push the line of good vs evil, perhaps even capture some for research. I need sentient beings with their own will that can be good aligned. I even some ideas that are close, but not quite right.
A few thoughts I've had is lich, vampire, mummy, ghoul, wraith, revenant, ghost, I know revenant can be shot down quickly, the conditions to become one too situational and single goal oriented. Ghost would be similar I would think.
Please help with more ideas, and more rationality on the undead research. Also could use more avenues to look into. Realise that in the end he will most likely end up going for a failed wish, but it’s the journey I want to work on.
Hmm a Hexblade patron, eh? Sounds a bit like Need, an enchanted sword who was once a warrior smith who had grown old and could no longer fight, but did know an apprentice who could benefit from her expertise, so she sacrificed herself to imbue a sword with her spirit.
On the whole, I don't usually associate paladins with research. I would more likely think he would swear an Oath so powerful that it bound him to the cause after death.
By the sword have I lived, and by the sword shall I die,
What I have sown, I will reap, but fallow I will not lie.
Though my hands grow weak, there is work to be done,
Til the beasts of the night lie dead, I and my sword are One.
Grip and tang, hilt and blade,
From fire and iron and faith it was made.
In darkness and death was I born,
To Light Eternal am I sworn.
By blood and iron am I marked,
By blood and iron am I bound.
While there yet stands an evil foe,
To my rest I shall not go.
There is work to be done.
There is work to be done.
Or you know ... something like that.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
Yikes. Most of the time, the ego of "I must be the one to do this" is the start of a dark path, especially when it's the reason to thwart the natural order of things.
Read Mogworld. It's a take that the person never wanted to be raised from the dead and (after being freed from servitude and getting past a long period of bemoaning being undead) decided to do something worthy while stuck in undeath when an unexpected opportunity dragged the "zombie with a mind and will" out of a miserable, repetitive existence.
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.
An undead paladin is a Death Knight. They are usually evil, but you can homebrew whatever you want. I think ghost, revenant, and mummy are all great ideas, regardless of what the monster manual might say. How many stories have good ghosts? Nearly-Headless Nick. Force ghost Obi-Wan. Patrick Swayze. The revenant in the movie Revenant sought justice, if not, perhaps, good. (Lawful neutral would probably be his alignment.)
Ophidimancer, I agree with your line of thought, and really like your ideas, but I am working on something a little bit different. Let me give you some more details.
Eric, I'll have to look into Mogworld. Sounds familiar, but never read it.
The main character is Kendall, half elf paladin/hexblade. The basic intelligent dump stat paladin hexblade. Not too bright, always smiling. He seems a little bit insane as he talks to himself. Bob is his spirit instructor, the one who we are working on background. Bob has been around for centuries in spirit form training paladins. His last trainee had great potential, an elf paladin, Ken's father. Great until he and his human wife were murdered.
Bob is a bit sarcastic, somewhat perverted, and sometimes "drunk". I wanted to make a little humorous with a walking seemingly crazy paladin odd couple.
Kendall barely knows he is a paladin. He is fighter who obeys the mighty Bob. Bob doesn't want to be worshipped, but Ken usually insists on titles. When needed Bob will guide Ken with his abilities. When he needed to heal someone else Bob would tell Ken how to lay on hands, a light slap on a male, mild grope on a female.
Hopefully this long winded background helps let you know where I am working towards. Bob's journey that eventually led to the point he is at now.
Might want to cut this bit out, seems like it could make people uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable.
If it's the character's mysterious old spirit mentor, you don't have to pin down all of his backstory specifically. You can leave things mysterious, but sure if you want some good aligned undead as research subjects, how about the Undying Court of Eberron?
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
True on the edit for female, simple fix, a kiss on the forehead or cheek. Was thinking of the old anime perverted teacher. Drinks too much and chases the girls. He has no body of his own, so he has his ignorant innocent student act in his place, at least until he figures it out.
Forgot about deathknight, definitely need to add them. Never heard of the undying court, but definitely worth looking into.