thepipe90

[thepipe90]

Do you have any advice for creating character backstories? I seem to fluctuate between not preparing anything and writing six pages of backstory that I either end up changing or just completely ignoring.

Oh boy do I!

I get where you’re coming from. I tend to lean toward more detail, not less, but there’s definitely some things you can do to make a manageable backstory that doesn’t overwhelm.

1. Figure out what your character wants.

This is the big one, and while you don’t have to start here, it is essentially the heart of your character. What drives your character? Do they seek honor? Revenge? Love? Start with the general drive and work your way to specifics.

For instance, my paladin wants to make an impact on the world. More specifically, he wants to do this by performing well at the position he’s just been appointed to. Even more specifically, he wants to stop a recent crime spree in order to live up to the expectations of his position.

“I want” is the phrase that drives the story. Your character can and most likely will have more than one want, and the driving factor at the beginning of the story isn’t always the same as the one at the end.

2. What makes them “them”?

What does your character value? What flaws and fears do they have? What virtues and vices are the underlying current for their actions?

Answering questions about what is and is not important to your character can help you quickly get a grip on who they are and how they might play in game. The follow up question to all the above questions is, of course, ‘why?’. If you’re worried about writing too much and then discarding it, don’t answer ‘why’ beyond the surface reason.

For example, the paladin we’re talking about values honesty and fears disappointing those he admires. Why? He grew up hearing stories of heroes and longs to be one himself.

You don’t have to flesh out every single aspect of the character’s personality and life, which brings me to my next point.

3. Leave gaps.

Don’t fill in every bit of minutiae you can think of for your character. There’s a couple reasons for this: first, you need to allow the GM and other characters room to play.

“But it’s my character!” you say. That’s true, but you’re telling a story collectively. If you know every single thing about the character, you’ll have a more difficult time being flexible as you and your group tell a story. Allowing a GM to surprise you because you left room in your backstory for some past action/NPC to bite you in the ass, or because you didn’t flesh out with 100% certainty your character’s relationships and responses to various situations is delightful!

Secondly, you need to allow yourself room to play. Sometimes what we put on paper doesn’t translate to the table, or a response that flows better with the gameplay is “out of character” with your backstory. Give yourself wiggle room. Understand that you can’t conceivably know how your character would react to every single scenario; the split second reactions and improv may come more from you than your character, but that’s part of the charm of telling a story. You can inhabit a character well without knowing every little thing about them. Develop them as you go based on the solid foundation you have built.

Building a whole backstory that may or may not impact the game can be disappointing. Don’t set yourself up like that! It’s fine to have details and impactful events, but remember that your character needs to be ready to take part in a story with other characters whom they likely do not know or share history with.

4. Connect them to someone/thing.

Adding in a couple NPCs can give your GM fodder to make a story more personal to your character (and no, I’m not talking about them killing off your loved ones in session one). It allows you to carve out a little part of the world that is yours. While it can feel more real to make an entire family tree and circle of acquaintances, it can also bog things down! I tend to enjoy rolling with a little improv when my GM says, “Your paladin knows this fruit seller from the days before he joined the order,” rather than me writing a character the GM then finds himself having to play.

You can similarly connect your character to a cause or organization. I’m not saying it’s bad to have a loner character! But even the most independent individuals know people. Do yourself a favor and give yourself a reason to connect to the story in advance, and then see where that connection takes you.

5. Quirks, preferences, and other little things.

This is optional, but for me it’s the quickest way to make my character feel like a real person, even if I don’t know much about them or have much in the way of backstory. Write down some likes and dislikes, or habits/superstitions, just 3-5 of each. Then jot a little note about why. It quickly gives your character the feeling of being a fully realized creation.

For example, my paladin has the following:

Likes

swimming - used to visit cousins on the coast

walnuts - a favorite snack from late night study sessions

vaudeville - if he hadn’t been a paladin, he’d be destined for the stage

Dislikes

bees - deathly allergic

cold - grew up in a warm climate and gets cold easily

the sound of metal on metal - inconvenient, but raises goosebumps every time

You can even start here, with the smallest details, and build out!

Whatever your preferences when it comes to building a character, the important thing is that you’re considering how they will fit at your table. TTRPGs are not a solo effort; it is important for you to enjoy your character, but equally important is making sure that who you choose to play is someone who will be compatible with the story/table, and who can be adaptable.

Happy gaming!

[thepipe90]

The Woods At Blight's Hollow: A Folk Horror / Dark Fairytale TTRPG

We're finally launching the kickstarter for our Folk Horror TTRPG "The Woods At Blight's Hollow" with tons of original art and writing on Oct 31st, the scariest day of the year!!!

Sign up for updates and discord at blightshollow.com or Toothless Molly will get you!

Happy spooky season!!

[thepipe90]

It's been awhile but I made some NPCs for a friend's game he can just drop in when he feels appropriate.

Frayne's Fabulous  Fantasia

Frayne Shadowtop, halfling ring leader of this traveling circus. Has a contract with a powerful creature of the fae court.

Maminio, Goliath strongman of the circus. Plays up his heritage at being dumb and stronk. Actually an accomplished painter and has many books of poetry under a pseudonym. 

Alser Nibbledin, Gnome illusionist of the circus. Used for acts that are very dangerous for the performers to keep them safe. Is actually on the run and passes himself off as a halfling. Goes into towns they stop at and does various crimes because it just reinforces how good he is at his magic.

Joxina Gemmoon, Wood elf animal tamer for the circus. Has love for gossip, booze, and anyone who can keep her bed warm for the night. 

Wedge and Zircon, water and fire Genasi twins. They perform various acrobatic and fire dancer acts. Their big finally causes steam to fill the tent, letting some of the other circus workers pick pockets. For the right price they'll also tattoo people. If a hefty tip is given, they may even break out their "special" ink. (The tattoo may be able to allow the use of a water or fire based cantrip once per day.)

These are not part of the travelling circus above:

Kirneal Hiroth, Copper Dragonborn blacksmith. A rather short and rotund Dragonborn than what is use to. He's always quick of wit and his tongue is sharper than any sword. Rumor has it if you can prank him properly or make him laugh he may ignore some cost of any job you give him. 

Berxis, Eladrin knight. He was tasked by his patron to find a magical item the patron dropped on the material plane. He may not return to the fae wild until he has said item in hand. That was 30 years ago and he longs to return home.

Echo, Shifter bounty hunter. Great source of information of the city. Be it people, places, or directions; he'll know about it. For a bit of coin he'll even drag someone kicking and screaming to you. 

Amata, Shardmind with amnesia. They do not remember how they got to this plane but would happily help the party in anyway. They must have been a warrior because violence comes naturally to them. Font of information of other planes. 

Mardelle Stouteye, Dwarven tavern keeper. She sells the best ale in town and her tavern is THE place to be. All walks of life mingle at her tavern. She harbors a dark secret though.(Her ale is made through repugnant means.)

#NPCs #D&D #DnD #5e #characters #rpg #fantasy #d&d #dnd npc #dungeons and dragons

[thepipe90]

Here's the link to my patreon if you want to see more of my content or want to support me in making it. Also consider joining my discord!

[thepipe90]

The Halfling Language should be called "Small Talk" send tweet

[thepipe90]

So I think what I like best about the Chronicles of Darkness is the sheer flexibility it offers when it comes to the world building. Yes, there’s a basic template to follow each splat and methods for integrating them into a mixed game, but there’s so many other options to choose from and to mix and match. Take Vampire for example, with the origins of the kindred. Was it a curse by a divine being? Sure, but it could have also been a strange, if nonetheless natural occurrence. Are Werewolves right about Spirits, or do the Mages have a more accurate understanding of them, or perhaps even neither do. What about beings like the Crow-Headed Devil or Inothiel the Angel? They might have been strange incarnations of the Demons and Angels from Descent, but they also could be something quite different, even from the established beings from the other source books.

[thepipe90]

hey hey --

it's ya girl with another journalism request!!!

are you — or anyone you know — running a d&d campaign and have you noticed changes in your campaign dynamic after baldur’s gate 3 came out? do your players finally know how to use bonus actions and spell slots? i’d love to talk to you! please send me a DM here or email me at petrana at polygon dot com by friday (8/25)!!!

[thepipe90]

Aku’kau Guard

The Aku’kau Guard are the elite bodyguard and security force for the kings of Rapi Tano. Only the largest and strongest are chosen to be members of the guard regardless if they wish it or not. Priests in service of the king use portents to seek out newborns that show promise and take them from their families to be raised within the warrior brotherhood.

The Aku’kau Guard are said to be the chosen of the god Akusamu, the god of battle and sharks. Taught to be as fierce and deadly as the shark warriors of this order and indoctrinated with the belief they are directly chosen and touched by Akusamu. When becoming a full member of the brotherhood warriors are tattooed with ink made from shark blood and tropical flowers to represent their prestige and rank. Wearing armor made from shark leather the Aku’kau Guard forego metal protection believing their faith and ferocity will protect them from mortal weapons.

The most elite members of the brotherhood are said to be given the ability to transform into a shark whilst in the water. On land these same warriors can shift their bodies into a terrific human-shark hybrid making them a force on the battlefield few can overcome.

[thepipe90]

we are in a media literacy crisis

[thepipe90]

Hey! I've noticed you share some VTR stuff - as someone who's only really been a VTM guy, I was wondering what VTR does """different"""?

It looks really cool and I'd love to get into the lore but I'm not sure which bits to look into see a different experience from V5 narratively ^^

Thanks for the ask! In VTR, there are only five core Clans: Ventrue, Gangrel, Nosferatu, (much like the originals but with some changes), Daeva, and Mekhet (amalgamations of some of the archetypes present in Toreador, Brujah, Ministry, Lasombra, Hecata). Each clan has a myriad of potential 'bloodlines' to explore, like sub-clans with a unique discipline.

There are also five Covenants, which are like the Sects in VTM except they're all different facets of the same society and have to interact and coexist more often than, say, the Camarilla and Sabbat. Some are just as diametrically opposed, but on different axes, like the Invictus vs Carthians (status quo/traditional vs change/experimentation), and the Lancea Sanctum vs Circle of the Crone (Abrahamic religions/service to a higher power vs pagan religions/indulgence of the beast), while one, the Ordo Dracul, focuses inwards on honing and improving the vampiric condition through science and discipline.

The intricacies of the intersection between Clan and Covenant are what make VTR so unique and interesting to me. Definitely read more about the Covenants to get better summaries of the sort of purposes the Kindred of this setting can devote their unlives to beyond mere survival.

[thepipe90]

Homebrew DnD One-Shot #5

[thepipe90]

Disintegrate has long been a popular way of 'sending a message' - nothing inspires fear quite like the ability to instantly reduce someone to a pile of ash. This only problem is, sometimes you just don't have the time to go around blasting people one by one. This upgraded version is much more efficient, though the rays are slightly attenuated as a result.

[thepipe90]

Had an idea for a quest in D&D: The party gets an invitation to a formal ball. With the invitation is a package filled with the appropriate amount of plain, white, porcelain masks. The invitation details they must wear the mask to attend and not to place them on until they get to the grounds.

The ball is happening at a lavish mansion with many guests. There is dancing and a dinner where the party may interact with the guests. After the dinner the hosts announces he actually called you all here for a little game.

The party goers will be fighting for their life. There are two "teams". Whoever kills all of one team gets to choose an item from the hosts treasury. The teams are separated into adventurers and monsters.

Everyone may use magic of they know it but in order for monsters to use some of their natural abilities they must remove the mask and reveal themselves.

#D&D #Quests #scenarios #ideas #mystery #masks #fantasy

[thepipe90]

It blows HARD how much of the World of Darkness fandom is dominated by Vampire: The Masquerade. Yeah it was always this way and Vampire will continue to be the most popular part of a very niche franchise; I remember hearing about Vampire years before I started getting into the WoD games and had no idea there was anything else and I feel like thats a common story for fans my age and slightly older that live in a post-Bloodlines world, lol. And like Vampires are cool. Vampires are really neat. But for gods sake I'm not interested in Malkavian OC # 56978, Show me your weird changelings and werewolves and mages and technocrats and mummies and Hunters and Wraiths and demons. Blast me with a fire hose of weird Chronicles of Darkness content like Sin-Eaters and Prometheans and the weird HR Giger angels you can be. At least show some love for the weirder parts of Vampire:Where are the Submariner Gangrels? the Samedi? A Kuei-Jin perhaps, or a Nagaraja if I'm really lucky? Theres more to life than rolling up another fucking Toreador. PS. I know that this is largely in part due to most people being exposed to 5th edition, which nuked large parts of the lore, but idk. thats more my frustration with TTRPG players as a whole refusing to engage with anything but the latest edition. Also tagging this with a bunch of WoD games other than Vampire so maybe I can bumble into a secretly thriving Mage tumblr fandom (God I hope)

[thepipe90]

a collection of motivational insights regarding content creation and creative hobbies

and of course the classic

[thepipe90]

I’m officially opening commissions!

If you want to commission me I ask that you read through this info first:

I’m taking 4 commissions at a time, check this post to see if a slot is available!

0/4 slots taken

[thepipe90]

Came up with the base idea of this and a friend of mine tweaked it so it sounded closer to the actual wording found in the books.

#homebrew #D&D #DnD #spells #5e #fantasy