Hey everyone! First post, so sorry if the formatting is weird.
I'm trying to write out my character's backstory better so the DMs can actually use it for some plot/story-hooks, as I really only had a general basis for it, and no actual detail. Only thing is, I'm a bit iffy on it. I want some tragedy in her story, as it's good for a potential villain and a goal for her to strive towards - plus, clichés are nice to use in moderation - but I don't want it to be so overly-cliché, that you could cut yourself on the edge, haha. So I'd appreciate if you could rate my backstory, and tell me what I could work on in it. (Don't hold back! Always good to get some constructive criticism)
On that note;
the character is Asteria Alecto. She's a fire genasi, Rune Knight fighter. She's being played in a homebrew game with a group of close friend.
Asteria was the proud daughter of her efreeti mother and goliath father, being born into a nomadic village in the desert-lands. While she still did have her own affinity to magic, it would sadly never be as strong as her mothers. So turning more towards her father's teachings instead, he would help lead her down her current path. She learned everything she could from him about fighting, the giants, and of their age-old practice on how to use & create runes.
Sadly though, she would eventually have to continue down her path, alone.
At the ripe old age of 15, Asteria would have to watch her village become but a pile of rubble and ash. A cult, led by their mad priestess - that worshipped a God of destruction - would soon come to attack her village. In the dead of night, when everyone least expected it, they didn't stand a chance. Everyone she knew were either slaughtered or went missing, having become sacrifices to the dark God. Asteria doesn't know if she was the sole survivor that night. She can only hope that maybe a few stragglers got away... but she has yet to see anyone she remembers, and that she didn't see get cut down.
All she had left of her old life were 3 things. The clothes on her back, the battle-axe her parents gifted her, and a vow of vengeance. She still vividly remembers the priestess' face, and her wicked laugh as clashed swords with her mother. She won't just let anyone be hurt in the same way again. She'll hunt down that priestess and her sick cult. And when she does find them, she'll cut down them in the same way.
I do also want to make a note that her personality for the most part is pretty upbeat. She's a bit cocky, and hotheaded from the efreeti heritage, and awkward or blunt at times due to a 10 Charisma, but she's also, for the most part, pretty cheerful and confident. She does what she can to uplift others, and she's the stubborn but supportive tank of the group. The only times she's hinted towards her past is when empathizing with a PC & NPC who had something similar happen to them, and she tries to keep the focus on them, not wanting to dwell on her own past too much.
As a DM: excellent backstory. Not very long or story form, no epic plot or deep lore (all of which would be bad). Explains where the character came from, how they got their skills, why they chose to adventure, and (most importantly) why they’d go on non-personal quests. And this is D&D, not a novel, so cliches are not bad! In moderation, they can help everyone “get” the story you want to tell, and why it’s so cool, since they’re familiar with similar things.
Remember, as always, to check details with your DM, though! Maybe it’s a module where the DM doesn’t want to add an evil cult, or there’s no desert in the setting, in which case you’d have to shelve the character until next game.
Oh, and I’d also consider having your character either be a bit older or to have traveled for a few years after the destruction of her village. Most campaigns, I don’t allow “child” characters (under 18) for a number of reasons, from realism to trauma to “why don’t we just leave Timmy in an orphanage?” Your group might feel differently, especially if you’re younger than 18 yourselves, but it’s something to think about.
Thank you so much! And I actually did write some of the backstory around the DM's lore (they do have a desert, for example) but I'm still going to make sure they're ok with everything, just to be safe.
As for the age, I'm the same way actually, haha. Never was really too comfortable with having children in the party, just for personal reasons. So she's been traveling & searching for quite some time, and is in her mid 20's now.
As a newer GM and player (interest has been deeper than avoidable ability to play), I find that so long as details can be explained in a reasonable fashion, the amount or limited can work well. Being general allows a GM to implement into the campaign easier than if you're too specific, unless you've worked with the GM in the creation of your back story to specifically fit the campaign.
I've considered a backstory for a character who's species/race would not normally be in a campaign setting, as their home was attacked. In effort to escape magically to another location or plane, the caster was interrupted, resulting in a random planar travel. This could explain how your character has arrived in a world that your species/race doesn't exist...with GM's approval of course.
I think you've got a good starting position, in which your GM can incorporate as desired.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hey everyone! First post, so sorry if the formatting is weird.
I'm trying to write out my character's backstory better so the DMs can actually use it for some plot/story-hooks, as I really only had a general basis for it, and no actual detail. Only thing is, I'm a bit iffy on it. I want some tragedy in her story, as it's good for a potential villain and a goal for her to strive towards - plus, clichés are nice to use in moderation - but I don't want it to be so overly-cliché, that you could cut yourself on the edge, haha.
So I'd appreciate if you could rate my backstory, and tell me what I could work on in it. (Don't hold back! Always good to get some constructive criticism)
On that note;
the character is Asteria Alecto. She's a fire genasi, Rune Knight fighter. She's being played in a homebrew game with a group of close friend.
I do also want to make a note that her personality for the most part is pretty upbeat. She's a bit cocky, and hotheaded from the efreeti heritage, and awkward or blunt at times due to a 10 Charisma, but she's also, for the most part, pretty cheerful and confident. She does what she can to uplift others, and she's the stubborn but supportive tank of the group. The only times she's hinted towards her past is when empathizing with a PC & NPC who had something similar happen to them, and she tries to keep the focus on them, not wanting to dwell on her own past too much.
The InsanityVirus~
As a DM: excellent backstory. Not very long or story form, no epic plot or deep lore (all of which would be bad). Explains where the character came from, how they got their skills, why they chose to adventure, and (most importantly) why they’d go on non-personal quests. And this is D&D, not a novel, so cliches are not bad! In moderation, they can help everyone “get” the story you want to tell, and why it’s so cool, since they’re familiar with similar things.
Remember, as always, to check details with your DM, though! Maybe it’s a module where the DM doesn’t want to add an evil cult, or there’s no desert in the setting, in which case you’d have to shelve the character until next game.
Oh, and I’d also consider having your character either be a bit older or to have traveled for a few years after the destruction of her village. Most campaigns, I don’t allow “child” characters (under 18) for a number of reasons, from realism to trauma to “why don’t we just leave Timmy in an orphanage?” Your group might feel differently, especially if you’re younger than 18 yourselves, but it’s something to think about.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Thank you so much! And I actually did write some of the backstory around the DM's lore (they do have a desert, for example) but I'm still going to make sure they're ok with everything, just to be safe.
As for the age, I'm the same way actually, haha. Never was really too comfortable with having children in the party, just for personal reasons. So she's been traveling & searching for quite some time, and is in her mid 20's now.
Again, thanks for the reassurance!
The InsanityVirus~
As a newer GM and player (interest has been deeper than avoidable ability to play), I find that so long as details can be explained in a reasonable fashion, the amount or limited can work well. Being general allows a GM to implement into the campaign easier than if you're too specific, unless you've worked with the GM in the creation of your back story to specifically fit the campaign.
I've considered a backstory for a character who's species/race would not normally be in a campaign setting, as their home was attacked. In effort to escape magically to another location or plane, the caster was interrupted, resulting in a random planar travel. This could explain how your character has arrived in a world that your species/race doesn't exist...with GM's approval of course.
I think you've got a good starting position, in which your GM can incorporate as desired.