Now that the Background Prompt Generator's been posted, I'll go ahead and set down some basic rules in terms of preparation for starting the campaign and what backstory information to have ready for your characters by our first session.
- We will be starting Wednesday, May 18th. Generally speaking, if Sal's campaign isn't set to go, we will be doing my campaign instead, so long as I've got something ready.
- Make sure that you have your character finalized by the day before we start, so that I can look it over. Currently we have a Tiefling Hexblade (Sal's character), an Elf Warpriest (Traver's character), and a Human Mage (Bibart's character); Andrew does not yet have a character made but will be playing a Defender role. I'll try and update this as things change, and make a post for each character once they're all finalized.
- In terms of character names, you may either have just a first name; a first and a last name; or a nickname. Nicknames should have some sort of relevant backstory.
- For backstory, try to fill in each of the "blanks" presented in the Background Prompt Generator's "questions", at minimum. You can come up with these answers on your own; roll for random selections from the list; or choose from the selections on the list. However you decide to do it, make sure to consult with me on the details - basic information on cities, important people, major organizations and so on. If there's more you'd like to put in your backstory, go ahead!
That about covers it. Looking forward to getting everything rolling!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Background Prompt Generator
In order to assist with coming up with background/backstory information, I've come up with this Background Prompt Generator - it will answer 8 "questions" about your backstory and character flavor. These answers can either be selected based on your preference, or decided via a d6 roll - the numbers by each response correspond to a number on a six-sided die. Without further adieu, here are the "questions":
"You were born..."
1) "...in a great city."
2) "...in a hamlet on the borderlands."
3) "...in a far-away land across the sea."
4) "...in an isolated, single-race community."
5) "...on a quiet farmstead in the countryside."
6) "...in the wilderness."
"You were raised as..."
1) "...the child of a lesser noble."
2) "...the child of a merchant family."
3) "...the child of a farmer."
4) "...the child of a soldier."
5) "...an orphan, taken in by the community."
6) "...an orphan, out on the streets."
"As you grew up, you were trained in (your class)..."
1) "...by an order which conscripted you at a young age."
2) "...by one of your parents/grandparents as you grew up."
3) "...by a master who took you on as an apprentice."
4) "...by the community in which you were raised."
5) "...by an entity which selected you as its chosen one."
6) "...by no one; you taught yourself your skills."
"You decided to become an adventurer when..."
1) "...you met a great adventurer who inspired you."
2) "...you left home and set out on your own."
3) "...you finished your training."
4) "...you were exiled from your community."
5) "...your wanderlust drove you to do so."
6) "...you realized it would be a much better way to make a living."
"The worst event of your life..."
1) "The tragic death of a loved one."
2) "The destruction of your home village/town/district."
3) "The accidental death of a loved one by your hand."
4) "The loss of your fortune/possessions."
5) "Your imprisonment/capture/slavery."
6) "Nothing; your life has been free of great tragedy."
"In terms of siblings, you have..."
1) "...a single, older brother/sister."
2) "...three younger brothers/sisters."
3) "...seven brothers/sisters, some older, some younger."
4) "...a twin sister/brother."
5) "...an identical twin sister/brother."
6) "...no siblings; you are an only child."
"You carry with you..."
1) "...a memento from your childhood, something simple and innocent."
2) "...an old weapon, passed down to you by your master/a relative."
3) "...a trophy, taken from a monster you killed."
4) "...a letter from a loved one, your last communication from them."
5) "...a symbol of an organization - religious, arcane, or political."
6) "...nothing you don't need; you see no point to sentimental trinkets."
"Your goals are..."
1) "...altruistic; help those in need, protect the weak, save the world."
2) "...ambitious; acquire power, gain prestige, be somebody."
3) "...financial; find treasures, recover artifacts, get rich."
4) "...vindictive; kill monsters, hunt a villain, get revenge."
5) "...inherited; you follow a destiny given to you by another."
6) "...undefined; you don't know what you want yet."
Note that this generator is not meant to completely fill in all of the information you'll ever need for a backstory - rather it serves to give you prompts; a foundation upon which you can build your full backstory. Once you've chosen an answer for each question above, talk to your DM and work out with them what elements from the world to plug into the more generalized parts of these responses. For instance, if your character was born in a great city, ask your DM what cities would meet those criteria, and decide from there.
"You were born..."
1) "...in a great city."
2) "...in a hamlet on the borderlands."
3) "...in a far-away land across the sea."
4) "...in an isolated, single-race community."
5) "...on a quiet farmstead in the countryside."
6) "...in the wilderness."
"You were raised as..."
1) "...the child of a lesser noble."
2) "...the child of a merchant family."
3) "...the child of a farmer."
4) "...the child of a soldier."
5) "...an orphan, taken in by the community."
6) "...an orphan, out on the streets."
"As you grew up, you were trained in (your class)..."
1) "...by an order which conscripted you at a young age."
2) "...by one of your parents/grandparents as you grew up."
3) "...by a master who took you on as an apprentice."
4) "...by the community in which you were raised."
5) "...by an entity which selected you as its chosen one."
6) "...by no one; you taught yourself your skills."
"You decided to become an adventurer when..."
1) "...you met a great adventurer who inspired you."
2) "...you left home and set out on your own."
3) "...you finished your training."
4) "...you were exiled from your community."
5) "...your wanderlust drove you to do so."
6) "...you realized it would be a much better way to make a living."
"The worst event of your life..."
1) "The tragic death of a loved one."
2) "The destruction of your home village/town/district."
3) "The accidental death of a loved one by your hand."
4) "The loss of your fortune/possessions."
5) "Your imprisonment/capture/slavery."
6) "Nothing; your life has been free of great tragedy."
"In terms of siblings, you have..."
1) "...a single, older brother/sister."
2) "...three younger brothers/sisters."
3) "...seven brothers/sisters, some older, some younger."
4) "...a twin sister/brother."
5) "...an identical twin sister/brother."
6) "...no siblings; you are an only child."
"You carry with you..."
1) "...a memento from your childhood, something simple and innocent."
2) "...an old weapon, passed down to you by your master/a relative."
3) "...a trophy, taken from a monster you killed."
4) "...a letter from a loved one, your last communication from them."
5) "...a symbol of an organization - religious, arcane, or political."
6) "...nothing you don't need; you see no point to sentimental trinkets."
"Your goals are..."
1) "...altruistic; help those in need, protect the weak, save the world."
2) "...ambitious; acquire power, gain prestige, be somebody."
3) "...financial; find treasures, recover artifacts, get rich."
4) "...vindictive; kill monsters, hunt a villain, get revenge."
5) "...inherited; you follow a destiny given to you by another."
6) "...undefined; you don't know what you want yet."
Note that this generator is not meant to completely fill in all of the information you'll ever need for a backstory - rather it serves to give you prompts; a foundation upon which you can build your full backstory. Once you've chosen an answer for each question above, talk to your DM and work out with them what elements from the world to plug into the more generalized parts of these responses. For instance, if your character was born in a great city, ask your DM what cities would meet those criteria, and decide from there.
Campaign Introduction
We will be using the default campaign setting for this campaign. The physical setting of the campaign will be the island-continent of Titania, named for its rich history as a former outpost of the primordials' mightiest servants, the titans. Titania itself is a continent of extremes, playing host to a number of biomes; there are the icy Winterspring Mountains in the north, the arid Tarranine Wastes in the south, the wet marshlands of the Crimson Fens in the east, the rolling green plains over which the High Road travels, the thick forests of the Wildwood, and many others.
Most people live around Titan's Breath Bay, particularly in the cities of Falconia (the seat of the realm), Highroad, Kinsfort and Vulkannen. All races can be found in settlements here, though most common are humans, dwarves, halflings & the "half-" races. Tieflings are the majority in their city of Vulkannen, maintaining small communities in the other cities & towns. Elves are rarely found in the mapped settlements, preferring the nameless communities they have constructed for themselves in the forests found across Titania (primarily within the Elven Wildlands). Dragonborn reside in the Tarranine Wastes, either in scattered encampments (the largest being mapped) or in the sandblasted ruins of their once great city, Io'vanath. The Eladrin maintain no major communities in Titania proper, however portals to the Eladrin city of Illu'vanath (or "Sunbough") open often in the Wildwood, and a permanent one is maintained by elves within the Fey Gardens. Those Drow who choose to live apart from their evil kin primarily reside in a large quarter of Vulkannen, having escaped the Drow city of Umeth'shol (or "Nightshore") in the Underdark via caves in the Peaks of Woe.
The threats to Titanian citizens are many, and the danger grows greater the further one goes from the cities connected by the High Road. Marauding orcs maintain encampments in the lands beyond the hilly region known as the Borderlands, believed to be under the command of hill giants. Evil cults fluctuate in membership and influence, and all too often their evil plots spell disaster for the people of the communities these cults hide in. Bandits from Underwood and pirates from Albacora make life difficult for travelers on land and at sea. Perhaps most dire of all are the whispers that somewhere deep within the Khades Necropolis, under the shadow of the great mountain known as the Titans' Throne, there stirs a timeless evil so great that the titans themselves may again be moved to act - and the last time the titans acted, Io'vanath was destroyed and the Tarranine Wastes were made the harsh desert they are today...
Most people live around Titan's Breath Bay, particularly in the cities of Falconia (the seat of the realm), Highroad, Kinsfort and Vulkannen. All races can be found in settlements here, though most common are humans, dwarves, halflings & the "half-" races. Tieflings are the majority in their city of Vulkannen, maintaining small communities in the other cities & towns. Elves are rarely found in the mapped settlements, preferring the nameless communities they have constructed for themselves in the forests found across Titania (primarily within the Elven Wildlands). Dragonborn reside in the Tarranine Wastes, either in scattered encampments (the largest being mapped) or in the sandblasted ruins of their once great city, Io'vanath. The Eladrin maintain no major communities in Titania proper, however portals to the Eladrin city of Illu'vanath (or "Sunbough") open often in the Wildwood, and a permanent one is maintained by elves within the Fey Gardens. Those Drow who choose to live apart from their evil kin primarily reside in a large quarter of Vulkannen, having escaped the Drow city of Umeth'shol (or "Nightshore") in the Underdark via caves in the Peaks of Woe.
The threats to Titanian citizens are many, and the danger grows greater the further one goes from the cities connected by the High Road. Marauding orcs maintain encampments in the lands beyond the hilly region known as the Borderlands, believed to be under the command of hill giants. Evil cults fluctuate in membership and influence, and all too often their evil plots spell disaster for the people of the communities these cults hide in. Bandits from Underwood and pirates from Albacora make life difficult for travelers on land and at sea. Perhaps most dire of all are the whispers that somewhere deep within the Khades Necropolis, under the shadow of the great mountain known as the Titans' Throne, there stirs a timeless evil so great that the titans themselves may again be moved to act - and the last time the titans acted, Io'vanath was destroyed and the Tarranine Wastes were made the harsh desert they are today...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Intro & Test Post
Yes, that's right, our campaign has a blog now. This will serve to chronicle the events of our sessions. Just making a test post for now - next time I'll open up the proper posts.
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