So my group is going to be playing through the dread domains soon, and I had an idea for a dark jester character. Thing is, I got jack-shit in the backstory department, and I'd love to be able to give my DM a lot to work with. I got notes for the general idea/basis of the character, but nothing concrete as of yet. Any ideas or even just a prompt to go off of would be super helpful!
Here are the notes I got, just so you know the general idea and concept of the character;
Used to be in the Carnival (dread domain). She left on probably a good note, or at least a feigned good note.
Is a dark jester of sorts. Maybe not directly malevolent, but her tricks and stories are much more on the macabre side (and she's pretty brutal to their actual enemies)
Also is not afraid to call out the morally & politically corrupt out on their bullshit. (She's even clownd on herself for some of the darker shit she's supposedly done)
Is haunted by the spirits she killed (Whispering Spirits dark gift)
Something revenge-based, possibly?
College of Whispers Bard
Entertainer Background
Inspired by 2 songs (Zach Callison's "Interlude IV (Showtime)" + Nico Collin's "Nothing Ever Changes")
I don't know what level your character is supposed to be starting at, so it's difficult to know just how much actual backstory is needed to fill out her past. If she's only going to be 1st or 2nd level, then she shouldn't have been doing to much adventuring outside of her basic travels and performances with the Carnival. So, just throwing out some questions and ideas to help flesh out the points that you've mentioned above:
Was there something particular in her past that led DJ (i.e., your dark jester) to become a bard/entertainer?
Did DJ find the Carnival and decided to join them? Or did the Carnival see something in DJ that they wanted to add to their show?
Perhaps being a member of the Carnival helped DJ as a College of Whispers bard, since Isolde would help protect her from the repercussions of her calling out the morally and politically corrupt.
However, maybe DJ's stories and acts eventually went too far for too many times, which caused her and the Carnival to go their separate ways. Issue with this departure is that DJ no longer has the protection of the Carnival from those whom she tricked/insulted. Might help explain why she becomes an adventurer (i.e., the safety in numbers concept).
Where did the "Gathered Whispers" dark gift come from? Was this something that she gained at a young age? Did the dark powers bestow this upon her for some reason? Or perhaps this dark gift was more of a curse that was "gifted" to her by an insulted dark lord?
Unless you're working with your DM, I wouldn't worry about getting too specific with some of the details. I say this because you don't necessary want to say that DJ pissed off Starhd Von Zarovich while the Carnival was in Barovia, since that might create issues with how the DM wants to direct the main flow of this Dread Domains campaign. However, I would certainly say that DJ upsetting one or more (unnamed) darklords could act as a big hook for future adventures.
We're starting a level 1 and going to 3 for our DM just to test the waters, before we actually go into anything huge. Basically something like the death house is COS. And to answer your questions to give you better context
This answers both the first and last questions, but she's always been "gifted" since a young age. Seeing glimpses of spirits that others can't see, hearing whispers or howls that others don't, etc. She turned to the darker aspect of comedy as a way to cope, and she enjoyed actually making light out of the darkness, as it seemed to both cheer herself & others up. Plus, if she couldn't make people laugh, it was pretty funny to creep 'em out then, instead. (Though being cursed by a Dark Lord is something I didn't think about, but do like)
I think it was a mix of both. She might have pissed off a lord (or been revealed to be a changeling, as I decided on that for her race) and had to go on the run, and she ran into the carnival. She could be a shape-changing attraction in their show, and they could offer her a way out.
I definitely see the Carnival having taught and pushed her into being a College of Whispers bard. Nail on the head with that one.
I do like the idea of her stories/acts going too far at times, but I might also need help/examples there, as I'm going out of my comfort zone with this character. I enjoy dark humor, but I'm trying to research how to do dark jokes lmao
I'm working a bit with my DM, partially cause I did take a dark gift & partially just to give her something good to work with. I probably won't need a super detailed backstory, but giving them something good to work with, or open-ended to work around, I know they'd appreciate.
First and foremost, I think that you already have a pretty solid starting concept and a decent base for your background, especially for a 1 level character. There ae a few points that you might want to flesh out a bit more to help ultimately shape the mindset and direction of your character, but I don’t think that you need much more detail at this point. Keep in mind that some of your past may be better left a little vague so that you and/or your DM have wiggle room to better incorporate the actual events during gameplay.
Having said that, here are a few additional ideas/questions that I would have as either the player or the DM running the game. Since I am ultimately neither, please feel free to use or refuse as you deem appropriate.
Youthful Indiscretion: DJ has always been an imaginative and emotive child, but she also tends to have a bit of a dark/mean streak to her playstyle. This aspect became much more apparent the day that her sibling (or perhaps friend) accidently died due to a prank gone wrong…
Dark Blessing or Curse: The death of her sibling (or friend) was also when DJ started seeing ghosts and spirits; such as that of her dead sibling (or friend). Was the death merely a playful prank gone wrong, but somebody viewed it as intentional and cursed you? Or perhaps your darker nature truly spilled forth in a moment of anger or macabre curiosity, and something far bigger and darker took notice and “blessed” you with this gift (i.e., such as the Dark Powers)?
Bardic Career: DJ leaned heavily into her natural talents of creativity and performance to help alleviate the darkness and sadness hanging around her. However, constantly surrounded by ghost and spirits tainted her style to the point of being more dark humor. Living in areas that are already fairly bleak, her bardic style tended to be unappreciated…until she met Isolde and her roving Carnival.
Freaks & Friends: DJ honed her talents as a bard while traveling with the Carnival troupe. With so many other performers, she found the family and friends that she hadn’t fully had for quite some time. Plus, the unusual nature of the other troopers made DJ feel safe and comfortable. The Carnival offered protection from the standard masses, and it even offered some protection when DJ’s jokes/pranks went too far.
Going Too Far: However, despite finding a temporary home, DJ’s antics eventually got her in trouble again when she insulted the wrong person (e.g., perhaps a particular Darklord). Retribution for her actions caused a fellow Carnival trooper to be killed. DJ wasn’t killed as part of Carnival Law, but she was marked as an outcast and sent away.
Not sure what I'd recommend as dark jokes, but I would probably focus on "gallows humor" more than anything, since DJ is essentially haunted by the whispering spirits. Would expect that having ghosts speaking to you would lend a fairly morbid aspect to her performances. Similarly, depending on which path you go (i.e., "innocent done wrong" versus "darker aspect within"), her antics might be more mean/malicious versus just darker views of humor.
So my group is going to be playing through the dread domains soon, and I had an idea for a dark jester character. Thing is, I got jack-shit in the backstory department, and I'd love to be able to give my DM a lot to work with. I got notes for the general idea/basis of the character, but nothing concrete as of yet. Any ideas or even just a prompt to go off of would be super helpful!
Here are the notes I got, just so you know the general idea and concept of the character;
Used to be in the Carnival (dread domain). She left on probably a good note, or at least a feigned good note.
Is a dark jester of sorts. Maybe not directly malevolent, but her tricks and stories are much more on the macabre side (and she's pretty brutal to their actual enemies)
Also is not afraid to call out the morally & politically corrupt out on their bullshit. (She's even clownd on herself for some of the darker shit she's supposedly done)
Is haunted by the spirits she killed (Whispering Spirits dark gift)
Something revenge-based, possibly?
College of Whispers Bard
Entertainer Background
Inspired by 2 songs (Zach Callison's "Interlude IV (Showtime)" + Nico Collin's "Nothing Ever Changes")
Any help or ideas would be wonderful!
Cicero from the Elder Scrolls games, could be inspiration. He is close to insane, quite driven, and can be lethal as a member of the Dark Brotherhood which assassinates people.
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So my group is going to be playing through the dread domains soon, and I had an idea for a dark jester character. Thing is, I got jack-shit in the backstory department, and I'd love to be able to give my DM a lot to work with. I got notes for the general idea/basis of the character, but nothing concrete as of yet. Any ideas or even just a prompt to go off of would be super helpful!
Here are the notes I got, just so you know the general idea and concept of the character;
Any help or ideas would be wonderful!
The InsanityVirus~
I don't know what level your character is supposed to be starting at, so it's difficult to know just how much actual backstory is needed to fill out her past. If she's only going to be 1st or 2nd level, then she shouldn't have been doing to much adventuring outside of her basic travels and performances with the Carnival. So, just throwing out some questions and ideas to help flesh out the points that you've mentioned above:
Unless you're working with your DM, I wouldn't worry about getting too specific with some of the details. I say this because you don't necessary want to say that DJ pissed off Starhd Von Zarovich while the Carnival was in Barovia, since that might create issues with how the DM wants to direct the main flow of this Dread Domains campaign. However, I would certainly say that DJ upsetting one or more (unnamed) darklords could act as a big hook for future adventures.
We're starting a level 1 and going to 3 for our DM just to test the waters, before we actually go into anything huge. Basically something like the death house is COS. And to answer your questions to give you better context
I'm working a bit with my DM, partially cause I did take a dark gift & partially just to give her something good to work with. I probably won't need a super detailed backstory, but giving them something good to work with, or open-ended to work around, I know they'd appreciate.
The InsanityVirus~
First and foremost, I think that you already have a pretty solid starting concept and a decent base for your background, especially for a 1 level character. There ae a few points that you might want to flesh out a bit more to help ultimately shape the mindset and direction of your character, but I don’t think that you need much more detail at this point. Keep in mind that some of your past may be better left a little vague so that you and/or your DM have wiggle room to better incorporate the actual events during gameplay.
Having said that, here are a few additional ideas/questions that I would have as either the player or the DM running the game. Since I am ultimately neither, please feel free to use or refuse as you deem appropriate.
Not sure what I'd recommend as dark jokes, but I would probably focus on "gallows humor" more than anything, since DJ is essentially haunted by the whispering spirits. Would expect that having ghosts speaking to you would lend a fairly morbid aspect to her performances. Similarly, depending on which path you go (i.e., "innocent done wrong" versus "darker aspect within"), her antics might be more mean/malicious versus just darker views of humor.
Cicero from the Elder Scrolls games, could be inspiration. He is close to insane, quite driven, and can be lethal as a member of the Dark Brotherhood which assassinates people.