Friendship is Dragons
Updates Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Page 199 - It's All Relative
Author Notes:
Notice: Guest comic submissions are open! Guidelines here. Deadline: February 20th.
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149 Comments:
The rule with me is that they never have families(or even a past) unless the DM decides to dump one on them.
I usually just go "oh, okay."
But what do I know? I'm not an experienced DM, I'm just going off of what I've heard around the 'net.
Eh. A background you dump on them isn't going to connect the players to the game.
It might be a hook that they feel compelled to chase, but it'll still feel like they're being led around by a sharp pointy metal bit lodged in their lip.
It might be a hook that they feel compelled to chase, but it'll still feel like they're being led around by a sharp pointy metal bit lodged in their lip.
I've played characters who actually were popped into existence on a whim of the universe.
Yet one of those characters still had a family in an alternate universe she remembered being from. That was a weird backstory.
Yet one of those characters still had a family in an alternate universe she remembered being from. That was a weird backstory.
Well, there's another variant. The Characters are created, in universe, as the solution to the problem.
-by the very force that needs the problem solved most.
Goddess: Hmm... The Big Bad is Getting kinda rowdy.
Angel: Someone should brew up a Hero.
[Beat]
Goddess: I'll get right on that. But first, I need to figure out what kind of Hero I want to make.
Angel: Take your time... Take your time... You have a few months.
Goddess: NOT LONG ENOUGH!
No Backstory needed... Just "Goddess made your @$$".
True. Most of my characters with a backstory have been orphaned, though my most recent one has adopted parents.
He's a dragonborn, they're tieflings.
He's a dragonborn, they're tieflings.
Universally all my characters are found in a cabbage patch.
First, or a least 2nd. AB was always my fav CMC. Will this comic explian scooterloo. Me hope me hope me hope.
Poll time: Who is your favorite CMC. You can only pick one. Total appers tommorow.
Poll time: Who is your favorite CMC. You can only pick one. Total appers tommorow.
My favorite CMC is the CMC it's self but if that's not an option...I don't really have one but, I'll just say Scoots just cause.
Going with the Sweetie Belle crowd because she comes up with the weirdest ideas at times.
Apple Bloom always seemed like just a bite-sized Applejack to me, and Sweetie Belle just doesn't have all the chicken-related jokes to give her an edge.
main reason, scoot is the final for my list. no charther devopment. just for laughs.
And for me I can't decide between AppleBloom or Scootaloo.
*flips a coin*
P.S. do you want me do Poll Time in the future. If no, I'll do it less often. If yes, I'll probaly do it almost every comic.
painkillers are bad. They make me tell nudity jokes, and nobody wants to see that.
Poll update.
AB:2(my vote counted)
SB:2
SC:2
a 3-way tie. keep going.
AB:2(my vote counted)
SB:2
SC:2
a 3-way tie. keep going.
Wow, that's right. however, fanfiction stories don't count. pick agian.
I am disappointed in the relative lack of love for Applebloom here. +1 AB
When half of her fans spell her name wrong, is it any wonder?
scootaloo, because she is the same race as the one of the mane six that I am most like, and the chicken jokes.
I'd have to say Apple Bloom, but that may be because she has the most screentime and I find her voice adorable.
Current tally is 4-3-3, with Scootaloo in the lead.
Oh, and one abstention. :P
Oh, and one abstention. :P
My favorite Command MasterChief? Well the one back on my ship was a real jerk. So I'd guess i'd Go with the Halo Guy since he at least has some funny smartass comments to accompany the Obligatory making life hell for the lower ranked Enlisted that comes with his Rank.
Eventually enough misunderstandings will cure this pointless abbreviation fad.
Sweetiebot followed by Nyx followed by Thrakazod or whatever her name was.
Sweetie Belle. It's obvious her talent's going to be singing someday...and there's just so much that can be done with that. Can you imagine Rarity's reaction if she walked in on adolescent Sweetie Belle singing a ...risque song to a group of stallions? XD
And we're back to a three-way tie with five votes apiece.
Zuche, thank you for keeping up with the poll while I was gone. A wedding takes a long time to do. the party after, was even longer. Say congrats to my unlce and my new aunt.
Congratulations to your uncle, your aunt, and yourself for the addition to your family, ANW.
Poll favours Sweetie Belle at this time with a 6-5-5 lead. Count will resume tomorrow morning. Good night, all.
Poll favours Sweetie Belle at this time with a 6-5-5 lead. Count will resume tomorrow morning. Good night, all.
Thanks. let me post the final results.
one hour left guys and gals.
one hour left guys and gals.
time is up at 9:00 am my time aka 6:00 comic time. (Go GA)
They did, didn't they? (#10-ranked 'Bulldogs' 17 points, #2-ranked 'Gators' 9 points.) [I'm a 'Duck,' so I'm not allowed to say, "How 'bout them Dawgs!"]
Keeping with the Ponies theme, though: how often do the Boise State 'Broncos' play against the Southern Methodist (SMU) 'Mustangs'?
Go Jackets.
Trixie is best CMC. SWEETIEBOT is second-best. But CMC only really develop as a team or otherwise in the fictions, so it's a hard pick.
FINAL RESULTS:
AB:7 votes (mine inculded)
SB:9 votes
SC:6 votes
Sweetebelle wins. And for winning, she gets to go to our world for one whole week. Who wants to take her?
AB:7 votes (mine inculded)
SB:9 votes
SC:6 votes
Sweetebelle wins. And for winning, she gets to go to our world for one whole week. Who wants to take her?
In this case, this is appropriate...
FIRST!
I call dibs!
FIRST!
I call dibs!
Can your house even support her. She is very craf... Forget what he was trying to say. I'll come over right away... Tatsurou, good luck. Spell to send her back is "cutie marks don't exist".
Not to worry. I know ALL about Sweetie Belle. I'm sure my house can handle her. Besides, Can't wait to hear her sing!
My favorite Dinobot is Grimlock.
I mean, Sweetie Belle.
I mean, Sweetie Belle.
My favorite Dinobot is Grimlock.
I mean, Sweetie Belle.
I mean, Sweetie Belle.
I have this deep love for anything southern and hospitable, so I'd originally go with Apple Bloom, but Sweetie is just SO CUTE! Plus, we never hear anything about Scoots. Ever.
Applebloom, hands down. She builds stuff, she manipulates adults, she brews evil potions. When she grows up she's going to be somepony's nemesis.
Yeah, not always simple, since family member NPC's can have a big impact on the campaign.
Paladin: Why didn't you tell us that the woman who is going around slaughtering villages, sacrificing dragons to virgins and training kittens as stealth assassins is your sister! We've been hunting her for three weeks!
Rogue: You didn't ask.
Paladin: What the f**k, do you really believe that we would consider asking if our companions are related to a genocidal mad woman!?
Wizard: Hey wait a minute, you're a paladin, you're not suppose to swear.
Paladin: Look up the code, all it says that I cannot knowingly commit an evil act or associate with an evil character. I can swear till the barbarians blush and it wouldn't affect my alignment. And speaking of which, hold still Rogue, I'm doing a detect evil spell on you.
Rogue: Oh so that's how it is. You fascist pig, you find out I have one black sheep in my family and you automatically assume that I am cut from the same cloth as well.
Paladin: No, it's because you never told us about your sister, knowingly putting our lives in danger to the assassin kitten tamer. Now hold still while I cast this and draw your weapons. If I need to smite evil, I don't like doing it on a defenseless opponent.
Wonderful, Wonderful end to that rant. Don't you hate it when the Paladin turns out to be right?
Also, was she sacrificing dragons to virgins or virgins to dragons?
Also, was she sacrificing dragons to virgins or virgins to dragons?
I can make that work. Conventional dragons feed off the innocence of virgins to keep themselves strong enough to save themselves from being captured by Elizabeth I, the virgin queen's, knights, who take them back to her. Then the Virgin Queen eats their hearts in a dark ritual to gain more power, eventually growing strong enough to rule the cosmos.
I'm working on a story in which the source of dragon vitality was youth. (Peter Yarrow was almost correct. It's because of little boys that dragons live forever.) Fearing the power of dragon educated children, community leaders misrepresented the interest in youth as a desire for purity. Offering only girls to bond-seeking dragons, they stirred the public to fear and hate both dragons and those they taught. This also helped enforce the idea that a girl's value was determined primarily by chastity.
As you can guess, I keep bogging down in explanation. Attempts to be subtle on delicate points have also proven to be well beyond my ability thus far. This will require a bigger drawing board.
As you can guess, I keep bogging down in explanation. Attempts to be subtle on delicate points have also proven to be well beyond my ability thus far. This will require a bigger drawing board.
Unicorns to dragons.
The circle is complete.
Oh wait, you meant the sacrificing. Eh, still works.
Depending on what the DM decides to do with my backstory, we could be climbing over the corpses of a lot of my half brothers and sisters later on.
Paladin: OK I am sorry for flying off the handle about your sister being a major villain and I understand that you didn't tell us about her because you were ashamed. However in the future I think it would be best for the party if you did not hold out on vital information like that.
Rogue: It is just so hard seeing my sister decend like that and knowing I cannot help her.
Paladin: OK, before we continue is there any thing else that should be shared that may cause problems for the group later before we head out.
Party: Ehh....
Paladin: Sigh...Go ahead, I wont judge.
Cleric: Well actually I'm a noble prince who's family was killed by the rebelling nobles and they are looking to kill me because I am the true heir to the throne.
Fighter: I was once intended to a woman that I left at the alter after we celebrated our wedding night a little early. Right now her family declared that I owe them a blood debt.
Wizard: I am actually a reform villain. For all the good deeds I have accomplished so far I have done much more evil deeds and entire nations want my head.
Ranger: I am a spy for the nations rival kingdom. I have been placed with your group to keep tabs on you and get close to the royalty.
Paladin:.....
Paladin: Ah ^*#$ this, I'm going to form a new party filled with nothing but mercenaries. At least I know that they are only in it for the gold.
Cleric: You said you wouldn't judge.
Paladin: You're right, I'm sorry. And truth be told I have my own dark secrets. I fell from Paladin hood six times.
Rogue: Wow, how did your paladin hood back.
Paladin: I pick another DM that actually understood that Paladin doesn't automatically mean lawful stupid.
If I was the Rogue I would use my scroll of forcecage, and then go kill the Paladin's family. Being related to someone you are hunting does not increase the amount of danger you are in, and obviously if evil runs in the family so does crazy.
Actually my favorite archetype to play is "evil on a leash" A completely unrepetant antihero at best and would be mastermind at worst who is always offering advice to the most good aligned person in the party that would accomplish the parties goals in the most morally objectionable way possible.
Applejack: Well, it was a dark and stormy night...
Pinkie pie starts playing sleazy jazz music.
Rarity: On second though, some things are better left unspoken.
At least it wasn't banjo music. No one wants to revisit that "routine expedition" any time soon.
Anyway, I love the Faust in this comic. It's hilarious how much fun he's having! :D
As long as you weren't looking for a phone number, it probably doesn't matter. ;)
...Wait, wait... Crimson Doom, as you encouraging Newbiespud to use the Faust?
...Wait, wait... Crimson Doom, as you encouraging Newbiespud to use the Faust?
So would you call this campaign Faust's World, Home for Arcane Pony's Friends?
I remember one time - just a thing regarding backstories - I made a troll character who was raised by dwarves, and was on a quest to figure out which he really was. I managed to convince the DM to give me both sets of racial bonuses, as long as I gave him full control of family ties.
I wound up with an older brother (troll) who worked for the main bad guy, and a younger sister (dwarf) who was captured by the big bad as a ritual sacrifice, and after beating the bad guy into retreat I had to keep them from killing each other. I managed it by sitting on them (despite being raised as a dwarf, my character was big for a troll).
I wound up with an older brother (troll) who worked for the main bad guy, and a younger sister (dwarf) who was captured by the big bad as a ritual sacrifice, and after beating the bad guy into retreat I had to keep them from killing each other. I managed it by sitting on them (despite being raised as a dwarf, my character was big for a troll).
And then it turns out your parents were a Tiefling and an Elf?
No...it turned out I had seventeen children and all the wealth I had gathered now had to go to child support. I went from the richest character in the group to not even having enough for a health potion...
No...it turned out I had seventeen children and all the wealth I had gathered now had to go to child support. I went from the richest character in the group to not even having enough for a health potion...
Because I have your voice as my headcanon for the DM, Fuzzy, I'm having to imagine you pulling an Apple Bloom voice.
It's amazing.
It's amazing.
One thing my players always provide to me on their character backgrounds is a listing of parents and siblings. Besides the obvious fuel to use against the players, it's useful to have a few already established NPCs when the party passing through someone's hometown.
You think battling dragons are tough?
Try having dinner at the Paladin's parents house without embarracing anyone. :D
(P.S. Sweetie Belle is best CMC)
You think battling dragons are tough?
Try having dinner at the Paladin's parents house without embarracing anyone. :D
(P.S. Sweetie Belle is best CMC)
RD: "You get extra points for a sister? Then I have twelve of them!"
GM: "No no and no. Besides, it's too late for that. The best you can get now would be a sidekick."
GM: "No no and no. Besides, it's too late for that. The best you can get now would be a sidekick."
Also she's secretly a duchess.
Rarity's screencap in the first panel is PERFECT. Just the right level of pouty.
And the comic DM's lines are precisely why I love DMing and often have entire sessions of dialog: It can be so fun!
You don't HAVE to have high action and combat to have a fun time, after all. Nor do you need to be ON a quest to have fun: Often times, just trying to find a quest is entertaining.
And the comic DM's lines are precisely why I love DMing and often have entire sessions of dialog: It can be so fun!
You don't HAVE to have high action and combat to have a fun time, after all. Nor do you need to be ON a quest to have fun: Often times, just trying to find a quest is entertaining.
I wonder how Applejack and Rarity will react when Twilight's sibling get revealed? Just look at her standing there so innocent without speaking a word about Shining Armor.
Even better, as captain of the guard of a goddess, that makes him the head of an order of paladins. Rarity would likely be flirting with him at first sight until that little fact comes up, then it would just be awkward.
You know, the good kind.
You know, the good kind.
It probably won't be the good kind since he doesn't get introduced until a few days prior to his wedding to the Princess. Although the fact that he'll soon be a Prince may just make Rarity flirt more to make a good impression with her best friends brother who's just about to join the exact social circles she's trying to get into.
That makes me wonder how the Canterlot Wedding sequnce will go down D&D style...though I can see one reaction.
The Invitation
RD: I get to show off? Meh, whatever.
Shining Armor revealed
RD: So...am I the only only child in this team?
FS: I'm an only child...I think...maybe...does Angel count as a sibling?
Something's off with Cadence
RD: Do I get to roll for combat damage yet?
Everyone Else: NO!
Changeling's revealed
RD: FINALLY! EPic slaughter time! I've been waiting for this! Come on dice, mama needs another level!
The Invitation
RD: I get to show off? Meh, whatever.
Shining Armor revealed
RD: So...am I the only only child in this team?
FS: I'm an only child...I think...maybe...does Angel count as a sibling?
Something's off with Cadence
RD: Do I get to roll for combat damage yet?
Everyone Else: NO!
Changeling's revealed
RD: FINALLY! EPic slaughter time! I've been waiting for this! Come on dice, mama needs another level!
Rainbow Dash is going to be as happy as... Well, as a Chaotic Evil Pegasus Barbarian let loose on a horde of clones of the friends who have been holding her back from letting loose and employing the violent solution for the ENTIRE GAME.
Cry havok, and let slip the dice of war!
Given that Shining was pulled *completely* out of nowhere in that episode, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that he's either not her brother in the gaming session, or that the DM plays the "long-lost brother" card.
Cadence is actually worse, though. The DM's put enough work into building the mythology for the campaign that he's going to have a _very_ interesting time explaning a) where a third alicorn came from, and b) why nobody seems to consider her unusual.
Heck, this could even be a dream sequence session. Or a "you find yourselves in an alternate universe" session. The wedding broke a _lot_ of things in FiM canon, and if you do that as a DM, your players tend to call you on it very forcefully.
Cadence is actually worse, though. The DM's put enough work into building the mythology for the campaign that he's going to have a _very_ interesting time explaning a) where a third alicorn came from, and b) why nobody seems to consider her unusual.
Heck, this could even be a dream sequence session. Or a "you find yourselves in an alternate universe" session. The wedding broke a _lot_ of things in FiM canon, and if you do that as a DM, your players tend to call you on it very forcefully.
Cadance is obviously a PC with such a fascinating backstory that the GM was charmed into letting them play a winged unicorn.
That, or she's also a changeling, just from a rival hive.
Possibly both.
That, or she's also a changeling, just from a rival hive.
Possibly both.
Maybe I have a problem. I can't make a character without creating a ridiculously complex backstory. And then I dump it on my DM to let them play with it, if they so desire.... Sometimes it backfires, but sometimes the awesome NPCs that they make from them are fun!
Next time I get to play something, though? My character is totally having an Apple Bloom... If it's a system where I can get points for having a Dependant, that is.
In the Amber RPG, family is pretty important; our long-running Amber games built up a huge web of players and kinfolk.
It was a ton of fun. You just have to make sure family is a benefit as well as a source of trouble.
It was a ton of fun. You just have to make sure family is a benefit as well as a source of trouble.
One time I had a player who RP'd as a bard. Literally, he kept a notebook of EVERY female he was able to swoon, mooch, swindle, and shag as he adventured across the continent.
He even had them all Catagorized by town and Charisma score!! O_O
He even had them all Catagorized by town and Charisma score!! O_O
Keeping that sort of diary in-game would actually be a very good idea, so that he can make sure he doesn't have "oh, it's *you*" surprises more often than necessary.
Of course, that would give the DM a great big plot hook in the form of having someone steal said diary. And then either blackmailing the bard or ratting him out to selected victims. Or even doing nothing, but making the bard sweat over a) the possibility that they _might_, and b) the fact that he's now flying blind.
Much potential for fun, here.
Of course, that would give the DM a great big plot hook in the form of having someone steal said diary. And then either blackmailing the bard or ratting him out to selected victims. Or even doing nothing, but making the bard sweat over a) the possibility that they _might_, and b) the fact that he's now flying blind.
Much potential for fun, here.
Huh, I didn't think of that.
Too bad the character died when he courted the true BBEG vampire during the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft adventure. The party decided to leave after killing Strahd, thinking they won, but the bard stayed behind to make out with the mayor's daughter for a night.
Learned the hard way who really was behind the plot of Ravenloft. XD
Too bad the character died when he courted the true BBEG vampire during the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft adventure. The party decided to leave after killing Strahd, thinking they won, but the bard stayed behind to make out with the mayor's daughter for a night.
Learned the hard way who really was behind the plot of Ravenloft. XD
In a plane-hopping campaign, he'd also have a girl in every portal.
...And all I can think of on reading that is this strip:
http://csimadmax.deviantart.com/art/married-again-325751862
There are several in that sequence.
http://csimadmax.deviantart.com/art/married-again-325751862
There are several in that sequence.
Back in the epic game I'm sure I've mentioned before my character was the only one with a mentioned family: in his case the seemingly endless supply of hill-folk cousins who he became warleader and speaker for. Lias was a little 'traditional' in his thinking but sufficiently charismatic to make this seem charmingly rustic instead of backwards and ignorant, but his cousins were basically soccer hooligans in woad.
They were glorious.
They were glorious.
For that matter there was also the L5R game I was in where I and several of my fellow players decided to start writing family trees which ended up going five generations back and awfully wide horizontally. I used an actual genealogy website to make the tree.
I actually had a character once who's father and mother were deeply important to his backstory. He was a gnome priest/thief named Pyon, and he had a complicated childhood. Born the son of an influential priestess and a master thief, both of them tried to influence his early development, hence his bizarre class split. However, they both agreed that he had to be kept secret, so they both conspired to hide Pyon's identity whenever possible. Pyon's father had hitmen kill entire families that had found out Pyon's identity. Now of course this was known around the player table but in game the other characters thought I was just a somewhat suspicious traveling priest, and I had this plan to have his story unfold kind of like Book in Firefly. And what's one of the first things our DM decides to do when we level up? Claim that it's impossible for me to level my thief side without my companions knowing. I briefly struggled with whether or not it would be in character to slit all of their throats, but eventually decided against it for player harmony and because they would have kicked my ass.
It's entirely possible to have a good-aligned thief, or even a non-good one that the party considers acceptable.
This works best in wartime: they're _commandos_ (or scouts, if using the Wilderness Rogue version, or spies, if using the Urban Rogue version).
The "designated trap-disarmer" I'd mentioned a few posts ago is one of these. She's somewhere between a commando (a specialist in fighting dirty) and the medieval equivalent of the bomb squad (identifying dangerous traps on enemy pay-chests and the like).
So, levelling in thief should be possible without having to reveal the backstory or get the party unduly upset.
This works best in wartime: they're _commandos_ (or scouts, if using the Wilderness Rogue version, or spies, if using the Urban Rogue version).
The "designated trap-disarmer" I'd mentioned a few posts ago is one of these. She's somewhere between a commando (a specialist in fighting dirty) and the medieval equivalent of the bomb squad (identifying dangerous traps on enemy pay-chests and the like).
So, levelling in thief should be possible without having to reveal the backstory or get the party unduly upset.
Well, the problem wasn't that "Oh no thief in our midst," cause damn near everyone in the party was at least part thief, and I think my guy was neutral-good anyway. The biggest issue was that his backstory was supposed to be secret so it could be this cool reveal later on, and the DM goes and ruins it the first or second time we level up.
My point is that the backstory could still have stayed secret. Nobody would bat an eye at "oh, I have commando training" in most mixed-party campaigns. Or your character could have been a quick study from the ones who were also taking thief levels.
I agree that the DM could have handled things better.
I agree that the DM could have handled things better.
I remember a DM like that. If you introduced anything into his game, he had to get it out of the way immediately. Secrets were made public within minutes. Plot hooks set up to guide your character through at least a few levels were resolved in a single session. Open-ended opportunities handed to him were sometimes just tossed aside by NPCs. If you weren't available, but had a character who was set up to provide useful background support (such as information gathering) during your absence, he'd have an NPC cover that instead.
After he'd done this a few times, I told him point blank to leave a particular plot point alone when another player said she wanted more time to develop it. He resolved it within the week, with her character serving as little more than a witness.
I sure hope he's learned something since then.
After he'd done this a few times, I told him point blank to leave a particular plot point alone when another player said she wanted more time to develop it. He resolved it within the week, with her character serving as little more than a witness.
I sure hope he's learned something since then.
So of course, they had to show up at some point.
Me: "Hi mom, dad."
Dad: "Oh hey son. Who are your friends?"
Me: "These? They're my travelling companions. We're in town to do (quest X) and I was wondering if we could stay here for the night instead of having to pay lodgings at an inn."
Mom: "How wonderful: you're having a sleepover!"
Me: "It's not a sleepover, mom! We're here on business."
Mom: "Don't you worry, Grymnos: I kept your room just the way you left it."
Needless to say, when the GM decided to pull in my character's baby sister and older brother, things got hilariously awkward. On the plus side, the end of that session also showed what happened when you try to kill a member of a family of warlocks and warlords. ^^
And I'm not even bringing up the times when Grymnos' grandparents showed up or extended family...
(I put way too much effort in my character's life story XD)
I was just remembering something I did once for a character...
I joined the campaign late, so I was allowed to have a higher leveld character with good equipment...if I could come up with a good backstory to explain it all.
My human barbarian/wizard's father was a great hero to the realm, and had through his adventures gained an oath of friendship from a powerful good-aligned dragon. WHen both my characters parents died at the hands of the big bad when he (my character) was a baby, the dragon fulfilled his oath of friendship by raising and training the child to seek vengeance, and arming him from his hoarde. Because of the dragon's teachings and training, I had barbarian and wizard bonuses, and since it was an ancient good-aligned dragon, I started with three artifact equips. At one point, we actually bumped into said dragon...who, since he was controlled by the DM, just HAD to share the baby pictures and embarrasing stories with his 'adorable hatchling's new friends.'
I joined the campaign late, so I was allowed to have a higher leveld character with good equipment...if I could come up with a good backstory to explain it all.
My human barbarian/wizard's father was a great hero to the realm, and had through his adventures gained an oath of friendship from a powerful good-aligned dragon. WHen both my characters parents died at the hands of the big bad when he (my character) was a baby, the dragon fulfilled his oath of friendship by raising and training the child to seek vengeance, and arming him from his hoarde. Because of the dragon's teachings and training, I had barbarian and wizard bonuses, and since it was an ancient good-aligned dragon, I started with three artifact equips. At one point, we actually bumped into said dragon...who, since he was controlled by the DM, just HAD to share the baby pictures and embarrasing stories with his 'adorable hatchling's new friends.'
When I try to imagine it, I keep hearing James Hong as the voice of Po's father. It's a good fit.
Our DM has a way of making us know characters we never met before
Case in point, for a while back we had this mission to get some books from this strange old rich guy who liked to invite pretty young ladies to party
So we got hired as guards for 3 girls who were invited to his party. One of us playing played a kitsune thief and at the house she made one of the 3 sisters show her the bathroom. First thing she did was knock her unconcious and used her kitsune trait to look just like her
2 scenarioes later thesame player used a diffrent character and our DM starts by the real woman banging on the kitsune player's other characters door saying that her sisters has been kidnapped by a vampire because apparently she had attacked a vampire and stolen from him
Ofcourse this is the point all of us who played the last game starts to snigger but still the point stands that our DM felt that he could make the woman my friend knocked out a few days ealier know another of her characters
Case in point, for a while back we had this mission to get some books from this strange old rich guy who liked to invite pretty young ladies to party
So we got hired as guards for 3 girls who were invited to his party. One of us playing played a kitsune thief and at the house she made one of the 3 sisters show her the bathroom. First thing she did was knock her unconcious and used her kitsune trait to look just like her
2 scenarioes later thesame player used a diffrent character and our DM starts by the real woman banging on the kitsune player's other characters door saying that her sisters has been kidnapped by a vampire because apparently she had attacked a vampire and stolen from him
Ofcourse this is the point all of us who played the last game starts to snigger but still the point stands that our DM felt that he could make the woman my friend knocked out a few days ealier know another of her characters
The family situation isn't a big issue in my current game. Ya see, we're playing Legend of the 5 Rings, which has a very detailed history to the world, so we make characters by talking with the GM about what kind of character we want to make, their personality, and where they're from. The GM then plans out the general backstory, family, and other fun little details within this very complex setting, based on what was discussed. This can result in some fun surprises during the game. For example, I knew I had a decently high class family and that we lived and raised horses near/within the leader of my clan's castle. Turns out, the leader of my entire clan is my UNCLE, and that my side of the family had simply decided to stay out of politics to raise valuable warhorses. I learned this through a random letter one day!
Even better is the backstabbing can begin as early as this very phase in character creation, because other players get to draw connections to you or anything you've added to the plot web. Great example from the game I played in: I was running a gang task force, and wrote in that they were planning a bust on the largest crime lord in the city. One of the other players then draws a connection back from that crime lord to my task force, saying there's a mole in my group. The last we ever saw of that crime lord was him laughing at us as he left town on a train two steps ahead of us.
I don't know if this fits regarding character backstory, but...
This one DM I had was REALLY obsessed with the roleplay aspect of the game, so we could get away with a lot if we could roleplay it well. The character I made was a gnomish tinkerer (like in the dragonlance novels), and because I was able to roleplay good reasons for it, I got to house rule a few feats.
1. On the Fly - when my character was in a life threatening situation, building a device became a minor action in exchange for a slight penalty to the score, basically letting me build something big super fast. An example of this:
DM: The cliff face beneath you has broken away. You are falling thousands of feet to your doom.
Upyours (my character): I BUILD A HANGGLIDER!
dice roll
DM: ...your hangglider is succesfully built and you are able to ride the windcurrents safely back to the ground with the rest of the party.
2. Inventor's intuition - If I built it, I can use it...no matter what it is. The penalty was I couldn't use it UNLESS I built it. That included such things as healing items, which meant all I could carry was my special Invention Pack, which was a backpack style bag of holding which held my inventions and anything I used to make more.
3. Scrounger - I'm always on the lookout for resources, so if there's anything useful in the area, I automatically acquire it for construction. Unfortunately, this included anything that triggered dangerous traps or environmental hazards.
4. Sketch artist - I could make invention plans based on nearly anything.
Basically, my reaction to nearly anything in the campaign was, "I start making sketches." One role play incident that happened.
Paladin: Well, you really seem to have an invention for anything.
Rogue: Yeah, but at the rate you go, I wouldn't be surprised if you invent a God of Destruction someday.
Me: ...I draw some sketches.
Paladin punches Rogue.
This one DM I had was REALLY obsessed with the roleplay aspect of the game, so we could get away with a lot if we could roleplay it well. The character I made was a gnomish tinkerer (like in the dragonlance novels), and because I was able to roleplay good reasons for it, I got to house rule a few feats.
1. On the Fly - when my character was in a life threatening situation, building a device became a minor action in exchange for a slight penalty to the score, basically letting me build something big super fast. An example of this:
DM: The cliff face beneath you has broken away. You are falling thousands of feet to your doom.
Upyours (my character): I BUILD A HANGGLIDER!
dice roll
DM: ...your hangglider is succesfully built and you are able to ride the windcurrents safely back to the ground with the rest of the party.
2. Inventor's intuition - If I built it, I can use it...no matter what it is. The penalty was I couldn't use it UNLESS I built it. That included such things as healing items, which meant all I could carry was my special Invention Pack, which was a backpack style bag of holding which held my inventions and anything I used to make more.
3. Scrounger - I'm always on the lookout for resources, so if there's anything useful in the area, I automatically acquire it for construction. Unfortunately, this included anything that triggered dangerous traps or environmental hazards.
4. Sketch artist - I could make invention plans based on nearly anything.
Basically, my reaction to nearly anything in the campaign was, "I start making sketches." One role play incident that happened.
Paladin: Well, you really seem to have an invention for anything.
Rogue: Yeah, but at the rate you go, I wouldn't be surprised if you invent a God of Destruction someday.
Me: ...I draw some sketches.
Paladin punches Rogue.
I've had two Orphan characters, and I've gone entirely separate ways with them. One was a bard (class) and a thief (occupation), a practice character, and her parents were explicitly 100% unimportant in the big picture of the world. It's fortunate that that practice campaign didn't go on long enough for the DM to realize I'd never mentioned a lack of siblings.
The other was a paladin who had been raised as a foundling by the dominant church of his culture, and I'd worked out the frameworks and details of the few people he'd spent much time with, as well as the major incidents of his formative years, including a character who had plenty of reason to show up (because it would have been dramatically appropriate) but not much likelihood of showing up (because they grew up on another continent from the campaign, in an insular culture). The character's parents, on the other hand, were left a complete blank specifically so the DM could go crazy with who they were, /what/ they were, and even whether or not they existed.
Aside from that, I usually build my characters' families to fit what the text says about their species' or race's culture, and if the DM feels like latching onto some detail I gave or omitted, so be it.
The other was a paladin who had been raised as a foundling by the dominant church of his culture, and I'd worked out the frameworks and details of the few people he'd spent much time with, as well as the major incidents of his formative years, including a character who had plenty of reason to show up (because it would have been dramatically appropriate) but not much likelihood of showing up (because they grew up on another continent from the campaign, in an insular culture). The character's parents, on the other hand, were left a complete blank specifically so the DM could go crazy with who they were, /what/ they were, and even whether or not they existed.
Aside from that, I usually build my characters' families to fit what the text says about their species' or race's culture, and if the DM feels like latching onto some detail I gave or omitted, so be it.
The icing on the cake was that even though he had wrote that into his backstory, not only did none of the other players know it, but he himself had forgotten.
My sister is running a campaign for our family, and I came up with a fairly elaborate backstory for my character... Which will probably never come up. Oh well, if it doesn't, I can reuse it.
I don't always come up with a complete backstory right away when I create a character; sometimes I just start with a rough archetype, fill in the stats, and consider that enough to start adventuring...for the time being. If the game actually runs for a while, I'll typically go back and start to fill in the gaps.
That said, it's pretty safe to assume that once that background has been fleshed out it'll include at least a few sketchy NPCs that my character feels attached to and that were still alive at least last time he or she saw them. Could be parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, favorite neighbors, buddies from his or her early class training days...the point is, I doubt I could really believably play somebody who's "conveniently" completely socially isolated just so Mr. McMeaniepants the Sadistic GM can't then use those parts of my background against me. It's just not me. (Besides, it's not exactly as though a suitably fiendish game master couldn't then just as well simply use that utter lack of human-or-otherwise connections against me...)
That said, it's pretty safe to assume that once that background has been fleshed out it'll include at least a few sketchy NPCs that my character feels attached to and that were still alive at least last time he or she saw them. Could be parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, favorite neighbors, buddies from his or her early class training days...the point is, I doubt I could really believably play somebody who's "conveniently" completely socially isolated just so Mr. McMeaniepants the Sadistic GM can't then use those parts of my background against me. It's just not me. (Besides, it's not exactly as though a suitably fiendish game master couldn't then just as well simply use that utter lack of human-or-otherwise connections against me...)
The mongols. Er, wait. What I meant to say, there is an exception to the 'no parents' rule. Biracial characters. Half-dragon, half-demon, half elf, and certainly half orc. All of them will have a story for both parents. 50% are the product of rape.
"You had family that was relevant to this game and you didn't mention it!"
"I didn't know it was relevant yet, and you never asked!"
Every. Single. Time.