Backgrounds and Inspiration

[Brian Williamson]

It sounds like a lot of us are going to use the roll 20 character sheets to enter our backgrounds. Either by using this or through some other means, I need access to everyone's flaws/ideals/bonds/traits so that I can weave the story around the characters you guys have created, and also so that we can use the inspiration mechanic.

If you missed my explanation of Inspiration before, here's basically how it works: when you roleplay your character particularly well (usually by choosing an action that is true to your character even though it might not be what you, the metagamer, would do) I will award you Inspiration*. You can use your inspiration to grant advantage to your own skill/attack/saving throw roll or you can even apply it to another party-member's roll (new in PHB).

You can't collect "Inspirations"--you either have it or don't (no one starts with it). As I write this, Joseph and Joel both have it as a result of taking some actions that I considered to be less-than-optimal because it was the sort of thing their characters would do.

Feel free to use this thread to share what you've written about your character's background.

*I may also award it if I feel that an action you've taken particularly exemplifies your character and demonstrates that you're inhabiting that character (even if it is the obvious choice metagame-wise). No promises. It's a cool mechanic: let's not break it on the first go.

[reiphil]

Hi Brian - just to note, one thing you could do is also use google drive and have your players share with your backgrounds (if they are secret).

[TheGrammarian]

Hey, guys. Here is my character's background. Sagan is a level 1 High Elf Ranger.

Sagan was born to Erevan and Silaqui Amastacia in the forests of Myth Drannor. Her childhood was marked with both triumphs and failures. The top of her class and the cleverest of her age, Sagan quickly showed her prowess for study and education. Her obsession with logic and deduction irritated her magical, more ethereal-minded friends. Despite growing up in beautiful ancient forests marked with magical ruins glittering with fantastic faerie light, Sagan was rarely moved, and it had little effect on her. The soft drifting music and fragrantly scented forest air seemed to be wasted on her. She couldn't take her focus away from her more important task: gathering and learning information. Sagan could often be caught in an tree with twenty to thirty scrolls reading for days. She quickly learned that she could absorb ancient wisdom quicker and more efficiently while alone. Somewhat of an outcast, Sagan often struggled with magic. Ironically, memorizing scrolls, spells, and spell origins wasn't enough to “make the magic happen” for her. Mastering only a small number of spells, she was often teased and ostracized by her peers. Upon reaching adulthood, she vowed to find her magical path and left Myth Drannor. Because of her quick and massive intellect, she can sometimes lose herself in complicated and drawn-out problem solving. Because there are so many solutions or explanations for problems, she often sees past the obvious into the obscure. This flaw has prolonged her period of seclusion and her search for magic because she is easily distracted and often picks up tangential quests in the promise of new information. Her travels take her to Neverwinter, where there is rumor of a rare text that will help her find her magic.

[Brian Williamson]

Aug 26, 2014 6:25:16 GMT -8 reiphil said:

Hi Brian - just to note, one thing you could do is also use google drive and have your players share with your backgrounds (if they are secret).

Good call. I share stuff on the board with Drive (and I've shared my backgrounds that way) If anybody wants to go this route, let me know.