Hi everyone! My group of friends and I have FINALLY decided to hunker down and create characters for our first DnD session! Our GM has requested each of our backstories and I have spent all day working on mine and editing. I think I have come to a point where I am happy with it; It has enough info to explain how I got the where I am today without revealing everything. I want to run all my ideas by you guys before sending him everything.
My character is a medium water genasi/half human of 28 years, she is a Druid and her name is Lux'awna (Lux). Chaotic good. She carries both a dagger and a quarter staff that she personally crafted from the fallen branch of a tree that was imbued with magical qualities, enhancing her already deep connection with nature. Her staff grants her an additional +2 to nature checks.
BACKSTORY (feel free to edit any grammatical errors!)
The seaside city where I lived as a child was simple; my mother Tyesha took good care of my twin brother Ucath and I when our father Marcas sailed the seas for months or years at a time. We had the necessities and simple comforts to keep us entertained while our father was absent. When we were young; Ucath and I were inseparable, sneaking off into the forest to play with our animal friends while our mother searched for us. It’s impossible for me to remember when Ucath changed; it happened so gradually that we didn’t realize how distant he had become until everything spiraled out of control. He became erratic and was prone to fits of anger or sadness without reason, his affection for mother and I dwindled. It dawned on me that my brother was changing into someone unrecognizable and that he needed help that we couldn’t provide.
As our 10th birthday approached Ucath was no longer recognizable; filthy and uncept with blood stains on his clothing of the animals he killed. I was scarcely awake that morning feeding the chickens as I heard in the background yet another argument between Ucath and our mother. Their raised voices revealed to me that mother had found another one of Ucaths dead animals. The chickens reflected my nervousness as their arguing rose to unbearable levels and faster than it started they stopped. My curiosity got the better of me and I found my way back into our cottage. If only I had never gone inside; my mothers dead eyes staring back at me will haunt me to the end of my days.
It took me years to realize that I had blocked portions of the event from my memories, choosing rather to forget than to wallow in self pity. What I do remember however was the feeling of rage boiling inside me and the loneliness the crept in when I realized how utterly alone I was. I remember asking why and begging to understand. I remember his face holding no emotion as he dragged me towards our water well; throwing me in with ease and covering it blocking my cries for help.
It was dark and cold as I panicked. Floating downward I remember thinking that drowning didn’t seem so bad.
I don’t know how long I floated beneath the water but at some point the cover of the well raised upward and with blinding light I was lifted from my watery prison. Sadness became a hollow place in my heart when I saw my only home burned down around my feet, my rescuers said that my brother had been arrested for the murder of my mother and the destruction of our home. Seeing my world destroyed sent me into an uncontrollable frenzy; I broke free of the man helping me and ran. I did not look back; my emotions controlling my actions. Running until I fell from exhaustion I realized I had ended up in a neighboring seaside town. Spending days trying to find anyone who may know of my father or his whereabouts I searched until I became weak; and yet and no one seemed willing to help a young starving girl. I retreated into a nearby forest since I could not trust anyone. It was numbing to realize that no one cared, I became subjective to the sufferings of others because nothing has ever hurt as much as losing my mother or being unable to find my father.
In time I realized why I had survived my brothers attempt on my life; I had druidic abilities. As I connected to the forest I realized that animals are far more loyal and caring then humans ever were. So I ignored the outside world. Creating a place to call my own within the forest I interacted with others solely for the purpose of surviving. I spent 18 years moving from place to place and manifesting my abilities since I could no longer trust the outside world.
I am no longer the person I once was, perhaps it is better for everyone to think of me as dead.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
I have little emotion towards human death, but cannot handle the death of an animal
I’d rather not burden others with talk of my past
I do not like large crowds I enjoy time to myself, often going to bed early to be alone.
Metaphorical walls put in place that are hard to break down even by close friends
I am too honest
I have anger and resentment when I see brothers and sisters getting along or happy familys
I have bouts of depression and highs of happiness
BACKSTORY NOTES
My brother began displaying traits of schizophrenia
Ucath killed our mother by strangulation
This traumatic event awoke dormant Genasi genes.
I do not know that I have Genasi genes I just believe my water breathing is associated with my Druid abilities.
This also means I do not know that I can speak Primordial.
While I do roam from place to place I do have a home.
My home is located deep in the forest, in order to access my home one would need water breathing abilities.
My home is located hundreds of feet below a large lake. It is a small place built within an underwater cave that I found one day while exploring.
My home is filled with the bare necessities and a few trinkets of what I have found within the forest over the years and books ( I taught myself languages in order to trade with others) Languages spoken: Common, Primordial, Undercommon, Druidic, Gnomish, and Sylvan
My most prized possession is a small locket of a woman that I had found. I consider this photo my 'mother' even though she looks nothing like her.
I have no clue what happened to my brother after the event.
I wish to one day find my father; over the years I have lost the need to look figuring he probably already considers me dead.
I feel I am no longer the person I once was, perhaps it is better for him to think of me as dead
Thanks for taking the time to read and forgive me of any mistakes; I am still learning the vastness of this game.
So the most important things for a backstory are present (at least in my opinion).
You have some defining moments in your life that have shaped the character you want to play. They are interesting with lots of opportunity for role play interactions.
You have interesting and flexible plot threads that a DM can utilize to make enthralling story arcs. In particular what was the fate of your brother, and your father. Perhaps they are intertwined.
You haven't made such a complicated backstory that there is no room for the DM to use it in any meaningful way. This may seem counter intuitive, but some people want to have such a well defined backstory that there is no room to use that story for something more. A little bit of uncertainty can go a long way.
I will add that I would very much enjoy having your character in a group that I DM for. I hope you enjoy your game and that maybe someday Lux will decide she is ready to find her father and discover the ultimate fate of her brother.
Edit : You should take the picture you linked and set it as your portrait.
"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."
As stated, it leaves quite a bit of room for a DM to use. You might have had a chat with your DM about the game but a good idea can be to just ask if she or he would like to add something that ties your PC to something in a planned campaign.
The only tidbit I would add is perhaps that: “Much later I learned that my brother was sentenced to hang but somehow escaped. I have no idea of his faith.” This you have a murderous brother out there still (which is not excluded by your present description but this highlight it more strongly).
Thank you! Your comment makes me feel confident in my character :)
I mentioned a few of my ideas to my DM and he is really interested in where this character could go. I am very happy that my story doesn't overshadow other characters, my fear was becoming the center of the groups focus and I did not want that. I want my character to have slow reveals that make the narrative interesting. Including reveals that my character wouldn't even know.
I will add that I would very much enjoy having your character in a group that I DM for. I hope you enjoy your game and that maybe someday Lux will decide she is ready to find her father and discover the ultimate fate of her brother.
Haha im so flattered you would want my character in your group! Maybe one day when I become more comfortable playing!
Thankfully my DM is really great and wants to weave all of our groups stories together.
The only tidbit I would add is perhaps that: “Much later I learned that my brother was sentenced to hang but somehow escaped. I have no idea of his faith.” This you have a murderous brother out there still (which is not excluded by your present description but this highlight it more strongly).
I agree with you here, I am just trying to find the right place to squeeze that in.
Great backstory. However two things that jumped to my attention were:
1. “If only I had never gone inside; my mothers dead eyes staring back at me will haunt me to the end of my days.” That seemed rather cold. Surely your character would be haunted by her hesitation or fear, wishing she had listened to her intuition and gone to her mothers aid. ‘My mother’s dead eyes with their unspoken accusation. ‘Where were you when I needed you.’.
2. I don’t think you can not know you understand a language. Creatures only know their default language because they have been brought up learning it. Eg. And Elf raised by dwarfs would only know dwarvish and common and not know elvish. Language isn’t an innate ability.
I think you have a great start here, but I'd like to offer some constructive criticism. I apologize if any of this seems overly harsh, but I'm approaching this from the perspective of someone who has read a lot of PC backgrounds and edited a great number of creative writing pieces over the years.
The main defining event is very interesting, but I think this reads more like half of a backstory. You wrote: "I spent 18 years moving from place to place." 18 years is a long time, and this time seems to represent the period in which your character was truly developing and coming to understand their druidic abilities, and yet it's treated like an afterthought. You need to expand on this significantly.
This timeline is also problematic, as it suggests your character has essentially been living on their own since the age of 10. I'd suggest moving this later, so that your character has spent more time in regular society before following the druidic path or at least touching on what it was like for Lux to be living on her own at such a young age. Also, the number of languages Lux speaks is remarkable; how did she learn all of this on her own, out in the wilderness?
I also think that the connection between Ucath's crimes and Lux's becoming a druid is a bit tenuous, as though Lux just woke up one day and thought: "I have druidic powers now, so I guess I'm a druid." But being a druid is more than just wielding natural magic; it's a committment to protecting the natural world that isn't taken lightly. The line I really do like is, "As I connected to the forest I realized that animals are far more loyal and caring then humans ever were." You need to dig deeper into this emotional and personal connection to being a druid. Why, after the traumatic event that happened to Lux, was becoming a druid the natural choice (beyond just the magic)? Did she ever find any humans she could trust, or is she still reluctant to relate to anyone?
In summary, you need to flesh out your character's NPC connections and add some additional events that happened after Lux discovered her druidic abilities, ones that show her growth as a druid. Since your character is so close to animals and other wild creatures, it would make sense to mention some specific creatures as well, as it sounds like they might be Lux's closest friends.
Hi everyone! My group of friends and I have FINALLY decided to hunker down and create characters for our first DnD session! Our GM has requested each of our backstories and I have spent all day working on mine and editing. I think I have come to a point where I am happy with it; It has enough info to explain how I got the where I am today without revealing everything. I want to run all my ideas by you guys before sending him everything.
https://imgur.com/a/hTGHqzs <--- Drawing
My character is a medium water genasi/half human of 28 years, she is a Druid and her name is Lux'awna (Lux). Chaotic good. She carries both a dagger and a
quarter staff that she personally crafted from the fallen branch of a tree that was imbued with magical qualities, enhancing her already deep connection with nature. Her staff grants her an additional +2 to nature checks.
BACKSTORY (feel free to edit any grammatical errors!)
The seaside city where I lived as a child was simple; my mother Tyesha took good care of my twin brother Ucath and I when our father Marcas sailed the seas for months or years at a time. We had the necessities and simple comforts to keep us entertained while our father was absent. When we were young; Ucath and I were inseparable, sneaking off into the forest to play with our animal friends while our mother searched for us. It’s impossible for me to remember when Ucath changed; it happened so gradually that we didn’t realize how distant he had become until everything spiraled out of control. He became erratic and was prone to fits of anger or sadness without reason, his affection for mother and I dwindled. It dawned on me that my brother was changing into someone unrecognizable and that he needed help that we couldn’t provide.
As our 10th birthday approached Ucath was no longer recognizable; filthy and uncept with blood stains on his clothing of the animals he killed. I was scarcely awake that morning feeding the chickens as I heard in the background yet another argument between Ucath and our mother. Their raised voices revealed to me that mother had found another one of Ucaths dead animals. The chickens reflected my nervousness as their arguing rose to unbearable levels and faster than it started they stopped. My curiosity got the better of me and I found my way back into our cottage. If only I had never gone inside; my mothers dead eyes staring back at me will haunt me to the end of my days.
It took me years to realize that I had blocked portions of the event from my memories, choosing rather to forget than to wallow in self pity. What I do remember however was the feeling of rage boiling inside me and the loneliness the crept in when I realized how utterly alone I was. I remember asking why and begging to understand. I remember his face holding no emotion as he dragged me towards our water well; throwing me in with ease and covering it blocking my cries for help.
It was dark and cold as I panicked. Floating downward I remember thinking that drowning didn’t seem so bad.
I don’t know how long I floated beneath the water but at some point the cover of the well raised upward and with blinding light I was lifted from my watery prison. Sadness became a hollow place in my heart when I saw my only home burned down around my feet, my rescuers said that my brother had been arrested for the murder of my mother and the destruction of our home. Seeing my world destroyed sent me into an uncontrollable frenzy; I broke free of the man helping me and ran. I did not look back; my emotions controlling my actions. Running until I fell from exhaustion I realized I had ended up in a neighboring seaside town. Spending days trying to find anyone who may know of my father or his whereabouts I searched until I became weak; and yet and no one seemed willing to help a young starving girl. I retreated into a nearby forest since I could not trust anyone. It was numbing to realize that no one cared, I became subjective to the sufferings of others because nothing has ever hurt as much as losing my mother or being unable to find my father.
In time I realized why I had survived my brothers attempt on my life; I had druidic abilities. As I connected to the forest I realized that animals are far more loyal and caring then humans ever were. So I ignored the outside world. Creating a place to call my own within the forest I interacted with others solely for the purpose of surviving. I spent 18 years moving from place to place and manifesting my abilities since I could no longer trust the outside world.
I am no longer the person I once was, perhaps it is better for everyone to think of me as dead.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
So the most important things for a backstory are present (at least in my opinion).
You have some defining moments in your life that have shaped the character you want to play. They are interesting with lots of opportunity for role play interactions.
You have interesting and flexible plot threads that a DM can utilize to make enthralling story arcs. In particular what was the fate of your brother, and your father. Perhaps they are intertwined.
You haven't made such a complicated backstory that there is no room for the DM to use it in any meaningful way. This may seem counter intuitive, but some people want to have such a well defined backstory that there is no room to use that story for something more. A little bit of uncertainty can go a long way.
I will add that I would very much enjoy having your character in a group that I DM for. I hope you enjoy your game and that maybe someday Lux will decide she is ready to find her father and discover the ultimate fate of her brother.
Edit : You should take the picture you linked and set it as your portrait.
"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."
That’s a really nice background. Great work!
As stated, it leaves quite a bit of room for a DM to use. You might have had a chat with your DM about the game but a good idea can be to just ask if she or he would like to add something that ties your PC to something in a planned campaign.
The only tidbit I would add is perhaps that: “Much later I learned that my brother was sentenced to hang but somehow escaped. I have no idea of his faith.” This you have a murderous brother out there still (which is not excluded by your present description but this highlight it more strongly).
Thank you! Your comment makes me feel confident in my character :)
I mentioned a few of my ideas to my DM and he is really interested in where this character could go. I am very happy that my story doesn't overshadow other characters, my fear was becoming the center of the groups focus and I did not want that. I want my character to have slow reveals that make the narrative interesting. Including reveals that my character wouldn't even know.
Haha im so flattered you would want my character in your group! Maybe one day when I become more comfortable playing!
Thanks for your advice!
Thank you!
Thankfully my DM is really great and wants to weave all of our groups stories together.
I agree with you here, I am just trying to find the right place to squeeze that in.
Thanks again!
Great backstory. However two things that jumped to my attention were:
1. “If only I had never gone inside; my mothers dead eyes staring back at me will haunt me to the end of my days.” That seemed rather cold. Surely your character would be haunted by her hesitation or fear, wishing she had listened to her intuition and gone to her mothers aid. ‘My mother’s dead eyes with their unspoken accusation. ‘Where were you when I needed you.’.
2. I don’t think you can not know you understand a language. Creatures only know their default language because they have been brought up learning it. Eg. And Elf raised by dwarfs would only know dwarvish and common and not know elvish. Language isn’t an innate ability.
But these are only small things.
I think you have a great start here, but I'd like to offer some constructive criticism. I apologize if any of this seems overly harsh, but I'm approaching this from the perspective of someone who has read a lot of PC backgrounds and edited a great number of creative writing pieces over the years.
The main defining event is very interesting, but I think this reads more like half of a backstory. You wrote: "I spent 18 years moving from place to place." 18 years is a long time, and this time seems to represent the period in which your character was truly developing and coming to understand their druidic abilities, and yet it's treated like an afterthought. You need to expand on this significantly.
This timeline is also problematic, as it suggests your character has essentially been living on their own since the age of 10. I'd suggest moving this later, so that your character has spent more time in regular society before following the druidic path or at least touching on what it was like for Lux to be living on her own at such a young age. Also, the number of languages Lux speaks is remarkable; how did she learn all of this on her own, out in the wilderness?
I also think that the connection between Ucath's crimes and Lux's becoming a druid is a bit tenuous, as though Lux just woke up one day and thought: "I have druidic powers now, so I guess I'm a druid." But being a druid is more than just wielding natural magic; it's a committment to protecting the natural world that isn't taken lightly. The line I really do like is, "As I connected to the forest I realized that animals are far more loyal and caring then humans ever were." You need to dig deeper into this emotional and personal connection to being a druid. Why, after the traumatic event that happened to Lux, was becoming a druid the natural choice (beyond just the magic)? Did she ever find any humans she could trust, or is she still reluctant to relate to anyone?
In summary, you need to flesh out your character's NPC connections and add some additional events that happened after Lux discovered her druidic abilities, ones that show her growth as a druid. Since your character is so close to animals and other wild creatures, it would make sense to mention some specific creatures as well, as it sounds like they might be Lux's closest friends.