Okay, second time, because I really like having my stuff talked about for some reason...
Shon is a verdan, his mother died during childbirth and his dad thinks it was all Shon's fault. After years of abuse, Shon runs away into the mountains. He forgets to pack a water bottle, and eventually passes out from dehydration. He is awoken to a sight to behold! An angel, sent by Celestian, has come to save the day. He hands Shon a canteen of a strange liquid, and then teaches him his new celestial warlock powers. He then goes back to sleep, and wakes up again at sometime around twilight/early night, the angel gone, and instead replaced with marauders. He flees, and runs to a nearby inn... and that's where he was introduced.
It's interesting to see a celestial warlock for a change. Warlocks are often assumed to be making pacts with evil beings or eldritch creatures, so the idea of a pact with a good-aligned entity is a nice change that I'd love to see more often.
It's a pretty straight forward backstory, but I could certainly see some potential. I had to remind myself what a verdan is but going that route would allow you to subvert the common stereotype of goblins/goblinoids as evil or mischievous thieves. Though I feel like you could have a bit more detail regarding Shon's childhood. Some idea of where he grew up would be a good start. Considering he was able to run to the mountains, I'm presuming he was living somewhere within easy reach of a mountain range. Maybe some sort of mountain village or something?
Some details about his relationship to his father might help better develop him as well. You mention that his father blames him for his mother's death, but that is a bit vague. What did his father do, and how did it affect him? Maybe think a bit about how that impacts him now, too. Perhaps the abuse he took from his father has instilled an instinctive distrust toward parents, or it makes him more empathetic towards children who are mistreated. Maybe escaping from his abusive father has given him a desire to help others in similar situations, or a need to bring abusers to justice by any means necessary. Getting into his psychology will help with working out his motivations.
Now with the appearance of the angel, it would be good to leave some creative space for the DM to explore. Leaving unanswered questions or mysteries can be a great opening for the DM to tie your character's backstory into the overarching world. In this case, there could be some questions regarding Celestian and the angel's motivations? Why exactly have they taken an interest in this particular individual? Is this part of some long-term goal? Just what is the full extent of Shon's newfound power?
That said, you could try thinking about his reaction to getting those powers. I'd imagine being visited by an angel and suddenly given powers for reasons unclear would be a bit overwhelming at first. He'd probably be confused and disoriented, maybe wondering if what he saw was actually real. Maybe even a little frightened of his powers at first. It also sets up some goals and a possible arc- he needs to learn how to use them effectively but also wants to learn more about Celestian and what exactly he is expected to do. That would provide a good starting point when he is introduced to the party.
Also a small point I feel inclined to nitpick, you say that he passed out from dehydration, but I should ask what sort of mountains are we talking here? Like my first instinct was wondering if he would have more likely been frozen before dehydrated, but that's assuming we're talking snow-covered peaks and not something else.
I didn't think about the dehydration in the mountains, is there a way that's possible? I don't want to be too unrealistic in this...
Also, I want to keep the abuse talk to a minimum. While I am fine with it, and I love the idea of a character who has dealt with that, I don't want to describe it too much due to how it can be triggering to some and I don't want to anger someone.
Don't worry. It's find if you don't want to share all the details. Sometimes it's better not to go into too much, BUT what you know about your character doesn't always correspond with what you actually share about your characters. The funny thing about writing- even if you don't actually state a particular piece of information, your knowledge of those details will still shape how you write the character. Basically, you don't have to share any of those details about abuse if you don't feel like it, but if you can still get a clearer picture of it- if you can put yourself into Shon's shoes and imagine what he went through on a day-to-day basis, what emotions went through his head, how it affected him personally, what finally made him decide to run. THAT will all help you to add so much more depth to your character. Even if the players never know that information, the fact that you-the author- know it will help make Shon feel much more genuine as a character.
As for the question about dehydration in the mountains, I confess I'm not an expert. I was just making a guess based on what seemed to make sense with the knowledge I do have, but I could be entirely wrong. That said, the potential dangers he's dealing with probably depend on what sort of mountains we're talking about. When you said "the mountains" my first instinct was to imagine massive snow-covered mountains, think something like the Himilayas or the Alps. If that's the case, than a better explanation might be that he wasn't able to prepare for the cold weather and nearly froze to death. Though even then failing to properly supply yourself with food and water certainly wouldn't help.
But that might change if it's something else. A smaller more rockier mountain might have very different conditions. Mountains can also have extremely varied environments, especially much larger ones- so it could depend on what part of the mountain he was on. If it was a volcano (unlikely but not impossible) there might be problems with heat which would make more sense with dehydration as the problem. If possible, you might want to see if you can find anything on the dangers of mountain climbing for reference.
I was thinking mountains more like USA's Smokie mountains, where they are hot and humid. I know they don't usually have caves, but these mountains would require one for Shon to sleep in.
Also. the abuse has made Shon scared, he runs from most confrontations and, when fleeing is not an option (thanks, party members!), he stays in the back and tries to hide.
Oh, in that case dehydration would make sense. Sorry, I'm not familiar with that particular mountain range so it didn't really occur to me.
But now we're talking! You're starting to get into Shon's thought processes and how he works. It also gives him some room for possible character development down the line in the form of facing his fears and becoming more open with the party. Maybe you could even roll with a dynamic where the party starts to become more like the family he never head. That said, I would try not to overplay that side of him too much. If every encounter has Shon immediately panic and hide while the rest of the party takes care of the problem they're going to get fed up with him pretty quickly.
From the looks of things, Shon isn't built for being a big damage dealer, so you might want to think about what other roles he can do for the party. If he's going to be a celestial warlock than a good place to start might be some spells that can offer good support to the party, many of which can be cast from a distance. Looking at the spell list for Warlock there might be a few good options:
Healing Elixir: Healing is always valuable to any party. Even if your team has a cleric and a Paladin, an extra means of healing certainly wouldn't be rejected
Frostbite: A good way to help your allies during combat without directly engaging. Even if you're not actually striking any blows, you can still help by producing more favorable conditions for the barbarian or fighter, or a well-timed strike from the rogue
Create Bonfire: Probably great for camping, but it could be useful if you need to quickly light something up or block an enemy's path, or just need a means of keeping warm or a light in the dark.
Minor Illusion: This would be a great tool for creating distractions, making it easier to avoid confronting enemies you don't want to fight
Unseen Servant: Might offer you more options when it comes to solving problems.
I actually have his spells already picked out! Things like misty step, invisibility, and spider climb. Only three spells besides sacred flame are combative spells: eldritch blast, magic stone, and sickening radiance (just cast and run!)
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Okay, second time, because I really like having my stuff talked about for some reason...
Shon is a verdan, his mother died during childbirth and his dad thinks it was all Shon's fault. After years of abuse, Shon runs away into the mountains. He forgets to pack a water bottle, and eventually passes out from dehydration. He is awoken to a sight to behold! An angel, sent by Celestian, has come to save the day. He hands Shon a canteen of a strange liquid, and then teaches him his new celestial warlock powers. He then goes back to sleep, and wakes up again at sometime around twilight/early night, the angel gone, and instead replaced with marauders. He flees, and runs to a nearby inn... and that's where he was introduced.
It's interesting to see a celestial warlock for a change. Warlocks are often assumed to be making pacts with evil beings or eldritch creatures, so the idea of a pact with a good-aligned entity is a nice change that I'd love to see more often.
It's a pretty straight forward backstory, but I could certainly see some potential. I had to remind myself what a verdan is but going that route would allow you to subvert the common stereotype of goblins/goblinoids as evil or mischievous thieves. Though I feel like you could have a bit more detail regarding Shon's childhood. Some idea of where he grew up would be a good start. Considering he was able to run to the mountains, I'm presuming he was living somewhere within easy reach of a mountain range. Maybe some sort of mountain village or something?
Some details about his relationship to his father might help better develop him as well. You mention that his father blames him for his mother's death, but that is a bit vague. What did his father do, and how did it affect him? Maybe think a bit about how that impacts him now, too. Perhaps the abuse he took from his father has instilled an instinctive distrust toward parents, or it makes him more empathetic towards children who are mistreated. Maybe escaping from his abusive father has given him a desire to help others in similar situations, or a need to bring abusers to justice by any means necessary. Getting into his psychology will help with working out his motivations.
Now with the appearance of the angel, it would be good to leave some creative space for the DM to explore. Leaving unanswered questions or mysteries can be a great opening for the DM to tie your character's backstory into the overarching world. In this case, there could be some questions regarding Celestian and the angel's motivations? Why exactly have they taken an interest in this particular individual? Is this part of some long-term goal? Just what is the full extent of Shon's newfound power?
That said, you could try thinking about his reaction to getting those powers. I'd imagine being visited by an angel and suddenly given powers for reasons unclear would be a bit overwhelming at first. He'd probably be confused and disoriented, maybe wondering if what he saw was actually real. Maybe even a little frightened of his powers at first. It also sets up some goals and a possible arc- he needs to learn how to use them effectively but also wants to learn more about Celestian and what exactly he is expected to do. That would provide a good starting point when he is introduced to the party.
Also a small point I feel inclined to nitpick, you say that he passed out from dehydration, but I should ask what sort of mountains are we talking here? Like my first instinct was wondering if he would have more likely been frozen before dehydrated, but that's assuming we're talking snow-covered peaks and not something else.
I didn't think about the dehydration in the mountains, is there a way that's possible? I don't want to be too unrealistic in this...
Also, I want to keep the abuse talk to a minimum. While I am fine with it, and I love the idea of a character who has dealt with that, I don't want to describe it too much due to how it can be triggering to some and I don't want to anger someone.
Don't worry. It's find if you don't want to share all the details. Sometimes it's better not to go into too much, BUT what you know about your character doesn't always correspond with what you actually share about your characters. The funny thing about writing- even if you don't actually state a particular piece of information, your knowledge of those details will still shape how you write the character. Basically, you don't have to share any of those details about abuse if you don't feel like it, but if you can still get a clearer picture of it- if you can put yourself into Shon's shoes and imagine what he went through on a day-to-day basis, what emotions went through his head, how it affected him personally, what finally made him decide to run. THAT will all help you to add so much more depth to your character. Even if the players never know that information, the fact that you-the author- know it will help make Shon feel much more genuine as a character.
As for the question about dehydration in the mountains, I confess I'm not an expert. I was just making a guess based on what seemed to make sense with the knowledge I do have, but I could be entirely wrong. That said, the potential dangers he's dealing with probably depend on what sort of mountains we're talking about. When you said "the mountains" my first instinct was to imagine massive snow-covered mountains, think something like the Himilayas or the Alps. If that's the case, than a better explanation might be that he wasn't able to prepare for the cold weather and nearly froze to death. Though even then failing to properly supply yourself with food and water certainly wouldn't help.
But that might change if it's something else. A smaller more rockier mountain might have very different conditions. Mountains can also have extremely varied environments, especially much larger ones- so it could depend on what part of the mountain he was on. If it was a volcano (unlikely but not impossible) there might be problems with heat which would make more sense with dehydration as the problem. If possible, you might want to see if you can find anything on the dangers of mountain climbing for reference.
I was thinking mountains more like USA's Smokie mountains, where they are hot and humid. I know they don't usually have caves, but these mountains would require one for Shon to sleep in.
Also. the abuse has made Shon scared, he runs from most confrontations and, when fleeing is not an option (thanks, party members!), he stays in the back and tries to hide.
Oh, in that case dehydration would make sense. Sorry, I'm not familiar with that particular mountain range so it didn't really occur to me.
But now we're talking! You're starting to get into Shon's thought processes and how he works. It also gives him some room for possible character development down the line in the form of facing his fears and becoming more open with the party. Maybe you could even roll with a dynamic where the party starts to become more like the family he never head. That said, I would try not to overplay that side of him too much. If every encounter has Shon immediately panic and hide while the rest of the party takes care of the problem they're going to get fed up with him pretty quickly.
From the looks of things, Shon isn't built for being a big damage dealer, so you might want to think about what other roles he can do for the party. If he's going to be a celestial warlock than a good place to start might be some spells that can offer good support to the party, many of which can be cast from a distance. Looking at the spell list for Warlock there might be a few good options:
I actually have his spells already picked out! Things like misty step, invisibility, and spider climb. Only three spells besides sacred flame are combative spells: eldritch blast, magic stone, and sickening radiance (just cast and run!)