Author Topic: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters  (Read 10987 times)

Setherick

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Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« on: April 10, 2009, 09:08:42 PM »
I have a lot of fun making character backgrounds to play in games, even one-shot games. I made this thread so everyone can post the background of some of your favorite characters that you have made. Please provide the name(s) the character has gone by and and what game(s) you used the character in.

---

Name: Orlen Johnson (See the original character sheet here.)
Games: Masks of Nyarlathotep (unrecorded but not unmentioned)
CoC One Shot (recorded but unposted)

Orlen Johnson – Gun For Hire / Hit Man / Gambler

Orlen is an averaging looking American male with a long list of people he has killed. His wispy brown hair is beginning to gray along the sides, but it is always well kempt. He is usually clean shaven, but has been known to wear a mustache. He has a penchant for white suits, bowler hats, and Colt 1911 Model .45s. He keeps two of the last in shoulder holsters under his suit jacket at all times. He carries several forms of fake badges in case he is ever stopped, everything from Wells Fargo to Texas Ranger. He shuns drinking and smoking, looking down upon both as vices which will destroy society if given the time, but he is never one to pass up a game of poker. He would not call it an addiction, he knows when to walk away from the table.

Orlen has a first class cabin on the cruise ship that is heading toward Australia. He was actually going their for pleasure and not for business. Although, if business happens to come up for the right price, Orlen would gladly come aboard. Orlen is usually found in the casino playing cards, in the dining hall, or along one of the cruise ships sun decks. In his cabin, stored in the false bottom of his trunk, is a dissembled Tommy Gun with a drum and two magazines fully loaded and a sawed off double barrel shotgun because one never knows when trouble will arrive. (And if Larsen wants to contract Orlen, trouble will definitely arrive.)

---

Name: Reginald "Six Gun" McNamara
Games: Hunter One Shot (not recorded)
A different version of McNamara appeared in an All Flesh Must be Eaten one-shot where he led an anarchist revolt in a military compound.

Reginald “Six Gun” McNamara
Age 35
Occupation: Marine—Infantry (retired), Truck Driver

Reginald grew up in a small town in the desert Southwest like New Rome. His ancestors had been part of the Irish that had built the railroad and his father had been a ranch hand that had drove cattle on the mesa. When Reginald was eighteen he decided that he had had enough of dirt farming and post planting and joined the Marines. The Persian Gulf War was starting, so Reginald traded one desert for another one. When he came home, something just wasn’t right about Reginald. He suffered from mild paranoia and flashbacks. He never told anyone about them because the Persian Gulf wasn’t supposed to be another Vietnam and he didn’t want to attract any attention.

To calm himself, Reginald turned to truck driving. There was something about hauling ten to twenty tons of cargo through the desert that appealed to him. Perhaps it was the way the wheels on his rig sung to him as he moved down the interstate. But trucking also offered Reginald a different kind of escape as he fell into a group of drivers that believed that they were the last real American Cowboys. Once he had enough money, Reginald bought his own rig. During that time he earned the moniker “Six Gun” for always carrying two .357 Magnums on his hip like a gunslinger; cowboy boots, blue jeans, and a cowboy hat complete his wardrobe.

The truck stop in New Rome was Reginald’s many haunts. And he keeps in relatively close contact with the owner of it and a few of the drivers that made permanent homes in the area. He chews tobacco incessantly, sometimes falling asleep with it in his mouth, has been known to drink more than his fair share of the whiskey, and has on occasion challenged people to a duel at high noon. No one has accepted.
   



"Something smart so that I can impress people I don't know." - Some Author I've Not Read

Setherick

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2009, 09:26:04 PM »
Here's one more.

---

I never played this guy. It's the background for a Mutants and Masterminds or similar game.

Name: Devon Carter
Ethnicity: African-American
Age: 27
Supernatural Ability: phorm

Phorm takes its name from the phonetic spelling of “form” as in to transform into something else, while also being an anagram for “morph” as into metamorphose into something else. Devon supernatural ability allows him to briefly, and exhaustingly, turn into the mythical fire bird the phoenix. While in phoenix “phorm,” Devon is nearly invincible. Bullets pass through him without effect and few things can extinguish the fire, although a particularly well-aimed water cannon can help keep Devon under mild sedation. The danger Devon faces is not so much from outside threats but from his own supernatural ability. Most people do not survive their initial phorm; instead, they burn to death from the inside out, a process that leaves victims looking as if they spontaneously combusted. Even though Devon survived his initial phorm, he cannot use his power for very long without risking immolation. At best calculation, Devon believes he could phorm for five minutes without risking instant death. Even that amount of time would have dire consequences for Devon as most of his bodily hair, clothing, and any other apparel he may have been wearing would be singed off or melted into his skin. Phorming is also physically exhausting and a phorm of more than thirty seconds leaves Devon lightheaded and suffering from vertigo. The longer Devon stays in his phorm the longer these after effects are present.

To explain what happens when Devon phorms, it is best to visualize a shell in the shape of a phoenix forming around Devon’s body. Devon controls the phoenix from the inside as though he were controlling a body suit, every action he takes is replicated in the phoenix form. As the shell forms around Devon’s body, it is instantly set ablaze. The shell helps insulate Devon from the effects of the fire now engulfing his body, but the fire slowly eats away at the shell. Once the shell is completely eaten away, the phormer is engulfed in the flames and burns to a pile of ashes. There is no way to stop the immolation process once it has begun. (Contrary to popular belief, the ashes to not rise again after a year’s time and become a new human or phoenix.) 

"Something smart so that I can impress people I don't know." - Some Author I've Not Read

clockworkjoe

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2009, 02:06:59 AM »
A mage from the old world of darkness

Joe Tynes
Concept: Ex-cult member
Type: Orphan

Joe believed. At first, he believed in science, America, his friends
and happiness. He wasn't a brilliant or deep thinker, but he was
diligent and worked well with others. Hell, he was a natural leader in
his cliques. He got along with nearly everyone and just knew how to
get others to do what he wanted. He joined the Air Force after high
school, impressed by a recruiter's speech about teamwork and
leadership opportunities.

After boot camp, he was placed in a technical school, to learn about
science and chemical and biological weapons, everything about poisons
both gas and germ. He did well, earning a promotion and becoming the
popular guy among the students. He became too popular, as other
students introduced him to endless weekends of drinking and drugs.
Figuring out how to beat drug tests became the first application of
Joe's knowledge of science. Despite this, shortly before graduation
from the technical school and assignment to active duty, another
classmate was caught with some cocaine. The classmate told the
investigators that Joe was a dealer responsible for hooking many
students on drugs. Joe was arrested with trace elements of pot and
coke in his room, but no other proof was found, so he was only
dishonorably discharged instead of prison.

Joe began to drift after the Air Force, seeking self annihilation
through drugs. He almost died one night from an overdose, but Gene
Downing, the Living Power saved him. The man dressed only in white and
seemed to Joe to radiate an almost visible glow. The Living Power was
with a small group of followers and claimed that the spirits of the
drug den Joe was lying in had told Downing that a noble spirit wrongly
persecuted was dying an unjust death and that the Living Power had to
intervene. The cult took Joe with them.

Downing seemed to already know everything about Joe. He somehow purged
Joe of the drugs in his system (although in Joe's muddled memories of
the time, that might have been just because he went cold turkey and
the cult members sprayed him with cold water on a regular basis. And
the sleep deprivation for the meditation exercises). And by the time
Joe recovered, he believed. He believed so much, he sought out other
troubled souls and recruited them. He wanted to help others now,
instead of selfishly only caring for himself. Joe's selfishness
brought about his downfall. If he could show other people the Living
Power, perhaps he could redeem himself.  He had become the second in
command of the cult, in charge of the day to day stuff.

Downing taught the cult that literally everything in the world was
alive, that spirits, for lack of a better word, inhabited normal
objects and that our ideas and memories lived on as spirits after we
died. More importantly, these spirits behaved like all biological
organisms. They wanted to survive and reproduce. Objects could not
reproduce on their own, so they sought humanity's help. A tool made
itself useful to humans so they would make more of them. Ideas tried
to reproduce by being interesting and unique so people would spread
the ideas to others. Downing taught Joe special techniques to see the
spirits and interact with them. Downing hinted at more powerful
techniques, once Joe proved himself worthy. The techniques didn't seem
to work to Joe but that didn't matter. He believed.

Over time, the cult moved around for a while before finally settling
in Upstate NY. Joe learned more about persuasion and how to lie to
cops and scare private investigators looking for 'brainwashed' teens.
But then, Joe began to doubt, when Downing started asking questions.
About poisons. Gas and germs.

Joe complied for a little while, and gave him advice on how to make
such poisons, but eventually Downing figured out that Joe hadn't
learned enough at the air force to make something powerful enough for
Drownings secret plans.Then the Living Power ordered Joe to make 100
gallons of cyanide and wouldn't say why. Joe began to fear and doubt
the Living Power. But he couldn't turn away from the man who saved his
life.

The next day, the Living Power declared that every cult member had to
spiritually evolve into a higher life form by shedding their current
shells. Joe served the poison to each and every member, young and old,
until only he and Downing remained. Downing set fire to the building
and ordered Joe to drink the poison. Joe raised the cup to his mouth
and began to drink. He looked to Downing, waiting to see him drink the
poison as well.

That's when Joe saw the spirits for the first time.

He saw every cult member's spirit, around the burning building, in
agony, pain and confusion. They weren't supposed to be like that! The
Living Power said they would be enlightened! He felt the poison
killing him, but he fought it. He was terrified of the spirits he saw
and did not want to join them. Somehow, the poison didn't kill him. He
flung himself through a window to safety. Before he passed out, he
Downing staring at him from the distance, a strange look on his face.
He was alive...

The police questioned him but all evidence of the poison went up in
smoke. They thought Downing died with the rest as many of the bodies
were left unidentified. The building had collapsed and mangled their
bones, putting them in a tremendous pile. Joe, fled to new york city,
taking dead end jobs to survive. He still had access to some of the
cult's funds, which he used to support himself.

He's spent his free time learning about the occult, trying to figure
out where Downing had learned from and what of the cult's teachings
were true and what isn't. More than anything, he wants to redeem
himself for his past actions. He's a good liar and knows enough to not
act like a creepy cultist, except when he has to scare someone. He can
act normal and even light hearted when he wants to. He's confused but
is eager to prove himself.

clockworkjoe

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2009, 01:06:06 AM »
A character for a GURPS zombie survival horror game

Jack Blackguard, cult film director and iconoclast

One of the darlings of the horror film industry, Jack Blackguard has directed three ultra budget horror cult classics and has recently been noticed by Hollywood. His films are in the tradition of early George Romero and Tobe Hooper, gory but also critically acclaimed. He created the special effects, wrote, directed and even acted in the movies.

They are:

Icarus Falls: A drug addict overdoses and finds himself in a strange netherworld filled with monstrous entities. Similar to Jacob's Ladder and Silent Hill.

Dirac Mandate: A group of urban explorers find a secret government underground base and awaken discarded bio-weapon monsters that were developed in the cold war by captured Nazi scientists.

Revelation Springs: A 19th century spiritualist cult reawakens in the 21st century, infecting normal people with its dogma. Only a few survivors immune to the cult can stop it.

Revelation Springs premiered at Sundance and got a decent reception. So far, so good. Then Jack got a chance to write the plot of After the Bomb 3, a popular post apocalyptic video game series. As a huge fan of the games, Jack took them up and wrote the overall plot for the game in a few weeks.

A year later, while working on a new movie, After the Bomb 3 came out. The fans were not amused. In fact, they were rabid. Numerous bugs and changes to the setting enraged the hardcore fans of After The Bomb and they decided Jack was to blame. Since then, a small number of After the Bomb fans have stalked and harassed Jack. They've spread rumors, prank called, slashed his tires, and left threatening messages. They want to ruin him for ruining the game. Jack thinks there are hundreds of deranged nerds after him, but in reality only a dozen or so actually harass him.

He's in the area as a means of getting away from hustle and bustle of the big cities and concentrate on writing his new movie. He's sunk a lot of his personal finances into the new movie so he's merely comfortable instead of rich.

Now that the zombie apocalypse is real, Jack has given himself a new mission. To record the events firsthand and learn the secrets of the undead. Even if he doesn't live, he'll want to document what happens for future generations.


Code: [Select]
Name: Jack Blackguard

Player Information
Player: Clockworkjoe
Campaign: Zombie Survival Game

81 Points
Attributes: 40
Advantages: 23
Disadvantages: -25
Quirks: -5
Skills: 47
Spells: 0
Race: 0


Description
Race: Human Height: 5' 10" Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium
Gender: Male Weight: 175 lbs Eyes: Blue
Age: 33 Size: +0 Skin: Light Brown
Birthday: February 15 TL: 8 Hand: Right

Attributes
Strength (ST): 10
Dexterity (DX): 10
Intelligence (IQ): 12
Health (HT): 10
Will: 12
Fright Check: 12
Basic Speed: 5
Basic Move: 5
Perception: 12
Vision: 12
Hearing: 12
Taste & Smell: 12
Touch: 12
thr: 1d-2, sw: 1d

Encumbrance, Move & Dodge
Level Max Load Move Dodge
• None (0) 20 lbs 5 8
Light (1) 40 lbs 4 7
Medium (2) 60 lbs 3 6
Heavy (3) 120 lbs 2 5
X-Heavy (4) 200 lbs 1 4

Fatigue/Hit Points
Current FP:
Basic FP: 10

Tired: 3
Collapse: 0
Unconscious: -10

Current HP:
Basic HP: 10

Reeling: 3
Collapse: 0
Check #1: -10
Check #2: -20
Check #3: -30
Check #4: -40
Dead: -50

Lifting & Moving Things
Basic Lift: 20 lbs
One-Handed Lift: 40 lbs
Two-Handed Lift: 160 lbs
Shove & Knock Over: 240 lbs
Running Shove & Knock Over: 480 lbs
Carry On Back: 300 lbs
Shift Slightly: 1,000 lbs


Advantages & Disadvantages Pts Ref

Reputation 3
People Affected (Movie fans), x0.33;
Recognized sometimes (10-), x0.5. 3 B26
Contact (Media Industry Contacts)
Effective skill (12), +1; Group, x5;
Appears fairly often (9-), x1;
Somewhat reliable, x1. 5 B44
Vow (Document the zombie apocalypse) -5 B161
Versatile 5 B96

Sense of Duty
Current friends and companions -5 B153

Like the horror genre -1 B164
Imaginative -1 B164
Responsive -1 B164
Careful -1 B163
Insomniac (Mild)
GM secretly rolls 3d for the number of days
between episodes -10 B140
Wealth, Comfortable
Starting wealth is twice the average 10 B25
Curious
CR: 12 (Quite Often). -5 B129
Obsession
Thinks conspiracy of nerds is out to get him -1 B164




Skills SL RSL Pts Ref
Current Affairs/TL8 (Popular Culture) 12 IQ+0 1 B186
Acting 11 IQ-1 1 B174
Diplomacy 11 IQ-1 2 B187
Fast-Talk 11 IQ-1 1 B195
Leadership 12 IQ+0 2 B204
Teaching 12 IQ+0 2 B224
Armoury/TL8 (Melee Weapons) 11 IQ-1 1 B178
Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) 11 IQ-1 1 B178
Artist (Drawing) 10 IQ-2 1 B179
Artist (Scene Design) 11 IQ-1 2 B179
Performance 11 IQ-1 1 B212
Group Performance (Directing) 11 IQ-1 1 B198
Electronics Operation/TL8 (Media) 12 IQ+0 2 B189
Hobby Skill (Horror fan) 13 IQ+1 2 B200
Electronics Repair/TL8 (Media) 11 IQ-1 1 B190
Scrounging 13 Per+1 2 B218
Stage Combat 9 DX+0 1 B222
Swimming 10 HT+0 1 B224
Two-Handed Axe/Mace 9 DX-1 1 B208
Search 11 Per-1 1 B219
Computer Operation/TL8 12 IQ+0 1 B184
Carpentry 12 IQ+0 1 B183
Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) 11 DX+1 2 B198
Makeup/TL8 13 IQ+1 2 B206
Guns/TL8 (Pistol) 10 DX+0 1 B198
Machinist/TL8 11 IQ-1 1 B206
Electrician/TL8 11 IQ-1 1 B189
First Aid/TL8 12 IQ+0 1 B195
Diagnosis/TL8 10 IQ-2 1 B187
Chemistry/TL8 10 IQ-2 1 B183
Explosives/TL8 (Fireworks) 12 IQ+0 2 B194
Brawling 10 DX+0 1 B182
Writing 13 IQ+1 4 B228
Driving 9 DX-1 1 B188

Equipment (so far)

In Car (was shooting some b-roll footage for short film idea)
Panasonic AG-HVX200 6k-RENTED AT TIME OF OUTBREAK
batteries, case, repair equipment, plenty of spare tapes, memory cards, and batteries 500
Tripod RENTED
solar panel laptop case [url]http://www.voltaicsystems.com/bag_generator.shtml[/url] 600
solar panel backpack [url]http://www.voltaicsystems.com/bag_backpack.shtml[/url] 250 bucks
Iphone 8 gigs 400 bucks
headphones 50 bucks
digital still camera 250 bucks Panasonic FZ8.
macbook pro with Adobe CS and Final Cut Pro 3000
Sony Handy Cam HDR-SR12 1400
5 8 gig memory stick duo cards 600
batteries, minor accessories 100
digital voice recorder 100 bucks
1 case bottled water
2 days of food (snacks, trail mix and sandwiches)
tool box 50 (car repair and misc jobs)
notebooks
Used SUV 15k
first aid kit 30
clothing (wearing) 200
Bear mace 50
Area maps
3 LED flashlights 50
Professional lighting kit RENTED 2000
Boom microphone and audio kit RENTED 500
Makeup kit and gore effects 500
Pyrotechnics materials 500
generator 300
9mm handgun 600
170 rounds 9mm

2 handed axe (movie prop but real) 50
foodstuffs 100




Tadanori Oyama

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2009, 01:03:19 PM »

Setherick

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2009, 03:56:18 PM »
Faster to just link to the Wiki entries on these ones:

Rashad Barthez, New World of Darkness Vampire

Peter Blake, New World of Darkness Changeling

You have a wiki for your characters? That's like +5 to your Nerd skill.
"Something smart so that I can impress people I don't know." - Some Author I've Not Read

Tadanori Oyama

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2009, 05:17:39 PM »
Well, in fairness I just added the pages. The Wiki exists for fans of the game but it's mostly made up of entries for characters, places, and events from the official nWoD chat game hosted by White Wolf.

I played for a few days. It was far to aggrivating for me to continue but I like to wander the Wiki and look for new info. Basically I steal people's characters for NPCs sometimes. They also have some fan created material for the nWoD games, including a fan made town.

I don't use it much these days, it's kind of dead among the rule minded people like myself so there's not much detail. And nobody is making new stuff anymore.

All that aside, yes, I have a wiki for my characters.

Setherick

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2009, 05:23:49 PM »
To be perfectly honest, every WoD game I've played in that wasn't simply a one-shot fell apart or wasn't well run so I don't have a good idea on what the system can actually do.
"Something smart so that I can impress people I don't know." - Some Author I've Not Read

Tadanori Oyama

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2009, 05:29:30 PM »
I have had some great games in the short term. I like the skill versitility. It requires a wide mind to get the most out of it. Sure, you could combine dexterity and firearms to shoot your gun but what about using your firearms and your wits to identify the guns the bad guys are using?

My favorite was my brother who asked if, when using a rifle at snipe at long range, he could roll firearms composure to make his shot.

Addition- Oh, for those of you not familiar with the nWoD system, the above there is a really odd thing to do.

Setherick

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2010, 12:55:40 AM »
Res'ing this old thread to post another character bio I found. This was one of the two characters I played in the IH game featuring Sir Redgar.

Character Sketch

Wulfstan Thornbane – Hunter

I was born in the deep forest into a clan of Hunters. When I was very young, a hostile clan destroyed my clan, killing most of the members. A local friar found me and brought me back to his village. After what happened to my parents and my clan, one would imagine that my loftiest goal would be that of revenge, but I have learned that revenge only hastens the perpetual cycle of nature. We all are born to die, and I don’t want to die any faster than I have to.

Living in the village, I was trained in various skills, crafts, and professions. The village was known for fletching and tanning, so I learned to work with wood and leather. As a self-sufficient community, we had to learn to tend to our wounds and the wounds of those that found their way into the village to this extent I learned how to heal those around me, using the crudest of materials.

Our village made most of its money by trading with caravans traveling through the forest road or by venturing to one of the outlying towns. Often leaders of the outlying towns would hire members of the village to scout locations. I went on several of these missions because of my perceptive eye, and learned how to draw reasonable maps. I believe that all of my skills will be useful on our explorations.

My goals are to thoroughly explore the new lands that we will encounter, to hunt exotic game and trade those pelts for gold, and to make a name for myself so that I can reform the Thornbane clan. To these ends, I am a very driven, take-charge individual. But during my maturation in the friar village, I have an urgent need to be compassionate. If I see an impoverished village, I will give all that I have to the villagers. If I see an injured person, I must help them. That extends to enemies, if after a battle an enemy soldiers lies injured on the field, I must tend to the enemy as much as I tend to my friend. If I can restore the enemy to life, then I will at least ease the pain of passing into death. Thus my character is very torn between ego and selflessness.

My appearance is for the most part nondescript. I am average height (5’10”) and weight (175). I have shoulder length jet black hair and jet black eyes. I wear mid length leather boots with leather pants that tuck inside the boot. I wear leather armor over a course cloth shirt and a cloak over all of it. My cloak is hooded and the leather has been slicked to repel rain and snow. I carry a backpack, which is full of supplies; a longbow, usually taken down and strapped to my backpack; a long sword on my left hip, and a hand axe on my right hip.   
"Something smart so that I can impress people I don't know." - Some Author I've Not Read

Vega Baby

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2010, 05:26:48 AM »
I don't particularly make many detailed backgrounds for characters, but I have an interesting one from a Call of Cthulu one shot set in a pharmaceutical lab.  It is a character I'd love to play again though.

Name: Christy Campbell (Christy is short for Christal)

Profession: Bio-Technician

Bio: Christy grew up in Beverly Hills, California, as the typical valley girl.  When she reached college age, she found her way to a prestigious school, though her grades in no way qualified her up to that point. (Naturally, her daddy bought her way in.)  She planned to follow her friends' leads by studying for a job that looked easy and was well-paying;  She went for pharmaceutical technician, but in her studies in the intro to bio-technology class she signed up for to fill in some of her class credits, something happened that completely surprised her.  She was utterly fascinated by the subject!

To make a long story short, she actually became somewhat well-established in the field of bio-technology, earning her a relatively prominent position at a pharmaceutical company working on bio-weapons, among other things.

Another point, which I sort of ended up inventing during the game, was that, at some point, she dated an older man who essentially led one of the projects for some time.  They ended up splitting up due to him winning the Nobel Prize for a discovery involving artificial life she thought wasn't legitimate, or something to that effect. (It has been a while since the game, hard to remember the details)  Anyway, it turned out that she was half-right, as he'd actually just discovered some eldrich horror of some sort frozen in the Antartic, and some special quality of it's DNA or something allowed him to create the life.

There was a particularly great part of the game where, finding out that his doing this had been the thing that had set off the whole scenario basically , she punched the guy out and badgered the only other remaining party member to go with her to solve the whole problem by killing the original creature he'd taken the DNA from.  She also tended to refer to medical terms with phrases like 'bacterial thingy'.  It was pretty fun.

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2010, 08:21:26 AM »
Dr. Ramirez that handsome old brazilian man who completely flipped out after being punched by christy. I don't think I've ever effected such a sharp change in tone with an NPC before; he went from calm and collected to shouting "you're a naive bitch".

I still have the follow-up game to that all ready and waiting I really should chase people up/make a post about it here.

Flawless P

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2010, 07:38:19 PM »
James Porter

Daredevil driver of a Dodge Charger he nicknamed Kitt after the show Knightrider. He entered the Twisted Metal competition and after narrowly winning wished for one thing.

I wish I had a Dragon as my best friend.

Done.

James Porter woke up with no memory of his former life in the real world. He now inhabited a medival world of sword and sorcery. He was granted his dragon companion, an insane Half Black Dragon Bard named Thom. His duty to what is right kept him trying to keep his new friend out of trouble as the magic that forcibly changed his friends alignment drove him wacky. Little does James know that this change of heart is only active when he is around and if James ever gets outside of 500 ft of his friend, Thom will revert to his evil murderous self a Fighter named Moht.

A ton of FUN

My friend played Thom. It was epic.
42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
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Dogfish

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2010, 08:15:38 PM »
Sir Arthur Merlot.

His father was a cleric of the silver flame that was a bit friar tuck in how he acted but those who liked him pushed him far into the poltical high ranks. After getting a kitchen maid pregnant out of wedlock he was sent on a mission into Karnath.

Sir Arthur was raised in the church by those who were loyal to his faher. He lived a quiet but well-tended for life. Being brought up to be a priest he was given a free reign to the church libraries. In the books he read about the war and other grand adventures. It was then that he contacted one of his fathers paladin friends, Sir Brut.

Sir Brut was sent to the City of Towers with young Arthur. On the way the group was attacked by a gang of were-rat bandits. Brut fell in the ensuing battle and took up his charges sword and shield. This is where the game began.

In the city of towers the paladin took it upon himself to meet some of the locals and try to find out what the hell it was Brut was supposed to do.

Several adventures later...(in which we fought a growing cult of Vol and did political baggage handling. We were also contacted by both an evil necromancer and some deities. During this time his suspicions of one of the party members grew who was personally contacted by the necromancer.)

Word gets to Merlot that his father is still alive and is a prisoner in Karnath. Eventually the party made their way across the continent into Karnath. After felling another, higher up, necromancer they were told about a journey into the magical wastes by a powerful paladin. The journey came to an end at an ancient war-forged factory where Merlot finally came face to face with his father.

There was a tense moment of disbelief side-by-side with the suspicious party member turning full evil. A big climax and Merlot rides to safety on his giant westie riding dog with his father behind him.


This is where the game ended.

The_Last_76

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Re: Post the Backgrounds of Your Favorite Characters
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2010, 10:21:57 PM »
Not so much a character backstory as his endstory, but I felt it was appropriate to post.

His name was Dargan Blackblood.

Slayer.

Murderer of Brother, Wife and Son, though few ever uncovered this. He found out his wife was cheating on him with his brother, and that his son was truly his nephew. In a blind rage, he slew them all. Hey, it might sound soap-operaish but give me a break, I was 12 when I made this character.

Throughout my gaming life, I've had one character that I've kept falling back on. Dargan Blackblood. He wasn't my first, but he was my longest. Since I started gaming, 10 years ago, Dargan has been my main character that I've played. For nearly half my life, I've roleplayed a slayer. 10 years real-time, decades in game-time.

Back in the begining there were 12 of us. Two slayers, an scout, three outlaw types, a merchant, an engineer, a priest, a bounty hunter and a wizard.  We rarely played together in one massive group, but all the characters were generally present. Over the years they died, save Dargan and Edgar Shcnult, the priest. We went through 8 years of gaming.

Then tradegy struck.

Over the last two years, we started losing players. Some died. Some moved away. Some lost interest. Until there was 4. So, for everyones sake, we put the game on hiatus.

Then we started playing again, scant months before the next edition of the game came out.

At the time, we were heading to Khemri to find the skull of Nagash, for no reason other than obscure player logic. After a long discussion in game, we decided it was a stupid idea and that there would be no glory from dying of starvation and thirst in the desert. So we started treking north, back towards the Empire. When we heard the whispers of the coming Storm.

We talked long and hard with our GM. We wanted to play with the new edition as soon as it came out. We also wanted to start new characters, begin afresh. Our four characters had too many memories of the old group. So, after much soul searching and not a little crying, we decided that we would kill our characters off. For the games sake, anyway.

Of the surviving four, there was Dargan, Edgar, Wolfgang the Antagonist and Marcus the Charlatan. Of the group, I was the only real fighter. And of the group, Dargan was the domineering character. His history, his style, his life had more or less controlled the group. The others were bound to follow him, to record his death and his feats (not original, but very poignant). I just didn't feel right to simply 'kill him off', after all he's been through.

He's slaughtered family, maimed ogres, vivisected elves, eviscerated beastmen and, through a simple trick of thermodynamics, asphyxiated an entire warband of orcs hiding in a cave system. He's lowered daemons, lesser and one great (A Keeper Of Secrets, burnt through 2 Fate points alone trying to take that monster down, but that's a story in itself, a cult dedicated to 'The Twister Of The Sacred Flesh'). He was a hero. Though he felt no shame over being a kinslayer. This lack of remorse was in itself one of the reasons he took the Slayers oath. His weapons of choice? A crowbar (we even had stats made for it, basic handweapon but -1 damage and +10 to Parry) and the hammer he used to crush his nephew's skull with, a permanent reminder of why he had taken the oath.

So, after discussing it with the GM, we came to a conclusion.

What better place for a slayer to find his death, than at the forefront of the greatest Chaos Incursion the Old World had yet to see.

We were deep north, heading to Erengrad with the idea of heading to Norsca, when we were captured. An advanced scouting party, but bigger than most armies we had ever seen. Dargan slew three dozen before he was concussed and captured. The others surrendered swiftly afterwards. For agonizing hours they discussed our future, before deciding to take us to there masters to try and earn a little pride and respect in their ranks.

At each stage, we were forced to fight. Wolfgang was gutted fighting a Bezerker of Khorne, but not before taking the beasts eyes out with his knife. Marcus was ripped apart by Ungors and his innards fed to carrion birds. Even Edgar lost his leg to a Chaos Champions axe. But through it all, Dargan fought, and slew. Until he came to the attention of Archeon.

They presented him up as a prize. He was battered, weak and bloody, but his eyes still burned with fury. His tongue had been ripped out years before, and he said naught when questioned. Archeons plate mailed fist left it's mark upon his face. Eventually, the captured priest Edgar spoke, telling him of his tales and his woes. Archeon smiled beneath his helm. He tied Dargan to a great banner, his arms outstretched and his weapons lost to the horde. For days it was told of his feats and his battles, paraded around the army like a prize.

Until the fight came.

We all know how hard it must have been for Archeon to keep the four powers of Chaos united for so long. He need a morale boost. By now, a great chunk of his host had heard the tale of the Silent Slayer. They all longed to see this monster in action, to see him move with an axe in his hand. And, in classic poise, Archeon granted them their wish. The bringer of the Storm of Chaos took up his axe and hewed Dargan from his prison. He was unfed, unwashed, wounded and beaten, but still he lived. Still a great fury burned in his chest.

The gave him a hammer. An old, rusty, broken whelp of a hammer. In a broken hand he took that weapon up and, in a feat that was in and of itself legendary, stood before Archeon, the Bringer Of Darkness.

Edgar watched all this, memorising every moment, recording every move.

We rolled the dice, but that was moot by this point. The real story was in our words.

We spoke of Dargans charge and his wide eyed stare. He swung that hammer like an wood chopper, trying to break Archeon in twain. But no matter what angle he came from, Archeon's axe was there to block. He knew Archeon was toying with him, but he didn't care. He had this one last chance at redemption, and he was intent on taking it.

Eventually, Archeon tired of this game. He had shown his force what this beast could do and now, like a horse with a broken leg, he was going to put it down. He swung his axe but, to his surprise, found Dargan's hammer up to block the blow. But the axe Archeon wielded was a weapon of Chaos. And the force that drove it was enough to break an Ogres back. It shore through the rusty steel of the handle, snapping it in two and gouging a great trench into Dargan's chest.

Dargan fell back, broken, beaten, bloodied. And defeated. A plated boot fell to his chest, driving him into the mud. Archeon stood boastful over the body. He spoke of the coming of the end of times. Of the dominance of Chaos over the forces of the Old World. He spoke of his might, of his rule. And while he spoke, he raised his axe, preparing for the coup de grâce.

But Dargan was not ready to die just yet. His fingers squeezed tightly around that broken shaft. With the lust of his might he lunged and, through the grace of the Ancestors, buried that metal shaft between the plates of the beasts armour, lodging it into his ribs. It was merely a mosquito bite for such a creature, but it had been Dargan's mosquito bite.

Dargan knew he looked upon the very face of death and, for the first time, truly knew he was going to die. He understood out his brother must have felt. Why his wife had screamed as she did, and why his son-come-nephew had made no sound. In the darkness of his mind, he begged for their forgiveness.

Archeon buried his axe into the dwarves skull, and the light of Dargan's life disappeared into the void. His corpse was decorated and tied to their banners once more, flying daemonettes plucking at the decaying flesh and dessicated body.

Edgar was released, sent to tell the tale of the dwarf's fall to the world. He wrote Dargan's memoirs and retired a wealthy man. He was assassinated in his sleep by a cult dedicated to the Twister of the Sacred Flesh. He had no family to speak of, and his wealth was donated to the Cult Of Slayers, such that it was. Dargan's name was finally carved into the wall of shame, along with the names of countless other slayers over the years.

We like to think that it was Dargan's blow that saw the eventual defeat of Archeon and his forces. That it was that slight wound that slowed the beast down just enough to allow others to defeat him. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't.

Probably odd to think that such a big part of my life was laid to rest when he died.
"When you realise that humanity is a dead end, the only way out is to stop being human."