Author Topic: Backstory Optimization Challenge  (Read 2258 times)

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Tohron

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Backstory Optimization Challenge
« on: June 24, 2010, 08:34:36 PM »
So here's the idea: I post a number of requirements, which you have to work into a single coherent backstory.  After a while, I judge the backstories, and the winner gets to come up with a new list of requirements.

So without further ado, the requirements are:

Character must have had, at various times, the LG, LE, and CN alignments.
Character must be a single-classed wizard (PRCs allowed) who has never cast a single spell.
Character must have defeated a Balor in single combat.
Character must have a maximum HP total no higher than 10 HP.

So now, get optimizing!


woodenbandman

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2010, 09:14:56 PM »
Define "single" combat.

Y'know what, while we're at it, define "Balor," too. How many HP does the balor have when the character starts killing it? Can it be a baby balor?

Amechra

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2010, 10:02:24 PM »
PC the CN wizard apprentice with an Int of 5 was standing in his master's shop on his first day when Jack the fighter grabbed him and took him on an adventure. PC was, of course, unable to collect his material component pouch before they left, so there was that problem. In addition, Jack was rather careless; one time, he left a greasy patch of cloth near a fire, so PC fell in and accidentally swallowed a coal, becoming mute. He also managed to burn his hands badly.

After a long and arduous journey (during which PC died any time he would have gained a level, strangely enough), PC and Jack encountered a wounded Balor. Jack, always the practical joker, used PC as a bludgeon to kill it. The act of killing such a beast suffused PC's soul, and he became CG. Jack, appreciative of PC's talents as a bludgeon, said he would buy PC some fun little magic items.

Of course, Jack was a cheapskate, so he bought PC a magic helmet and a magic belt at a pawn shop. Unbeknownst to Jack, however, the items were cursed; the helmet was a Helm of Opposing Alignment, and the Belt was a Belt of Masculinity/Feminity. PC put them on, and immediately became a LE woman. Jack, knowing this was his fault, took PC to the church of Pelor for fixing.

One spell of Atonement later, and PC is a LG worshiper of Pelor. Along with that, they healed her voice and hands. They also gave her a bunch of bedtime stories (they read intelligence increasing tomes to her), so now she has an Int of 13. She is now ready to go out and serve Pelor as an adventuring Wizard (Divine variant).

How's that for a backstory. He technically did kill the Balor...
[spoiler]Fighter: "I can kill a guy in one turn."
Cleric: "I can kill a guy in half a turn."
Wizard: "I can kill a guy before my turn."
Bard: "I can get three idiots to kill guys for me."

On a strange note, would anyone be put out if we had a post about people or events we can spare a thought for, or if its within their creed, a prayer for? Just a random thought, but ... hells I wouldn't have known about either Archangels daughter or Saeomons niece if I didn't happen to be on these threads.
Sounds fine to me.
probably over on "Off-topic".
might want to put a little disclaimer in the first post.

This is the Min/Max board. We should be able to figure out a way to optimize the POWER OF PRAYER(TM) that doesn't involve "Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu".
[/spoiler]

My final project for my film independent study course. It could do with a watching and critiquing

Tohron

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2010, 12:01:49 AM »
Define "single" combat.

Y'know what, while we're at it, define "Balor," too. How many HP does the balor have when the character starts killing it? Can it be a baby balor?

By 'single combat', I mean that he could have been buffed prior to the combat, but does the fight himself.  Basically, he would be the only one who gets XP for killing the balor.

And by balor, I mean the standard balor as in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm), at full health and with all SLAs available.

However, I will grandfather in Amercha's entry, since I was a bit slow in clarifying.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2010, 12:05:25 AM by Tohron »

Amechra

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2010, 02:15:15 AM »
Alright, I'll do another one (It's obvious how much I want to do the next one, right?)

PC the Wizard with 10 Int had a very bad problem as he was going through childhood. When he was younger, he was a carefree anti-establishment rebel, but the incessant mockery of the other rebellious Wizards, who disdained his lack of intelligence (at least compared to them.)

Broken by such derision, he overcompensated and became a bureaucrat's assistant (for he was not wise enough to be a bureaucrat himself.), and thus LN. However, he found that he liked the more vicious aspects of the bureaucrat's profession, and became a LE bureaucrat, bent on destroying those he once considered comrades.

A couple years later, PC ran across a Paladin of Pelor who immediately began to attempt to smite him. PC, in frantic hope of not dying, begged to be converted from his sordid, evil state. So the Paladin, taking pity upon him, hauled him before a Cleric of Pelor, and requested that the Cleric make PC's soul clean.

In a long and difficult ceremony, an incantation of great power was called upon. At the end of it, PC stepped forth, clean and with a shiny new LG alignment.

Years passed; and a Demonic insurgency upon the Material Plain occurred. The highest clerics and paladins of Pelor were ordered to aid the heroes of the land in dealing with it, so only PC and some weak Clerics, Paladins, and a group of low level Sorcerers who had requested the boon of staying there for the night. However, a single Balor had been separated from the rest of the invasion forces, and had coincidentally appeared 50 feet above the temple of Pelor. The people at the temple saw the Balor, and began to despair, until PC hit upon a cunning plan.

He ordered the Sorcerers to cast a spell of Flight upon him, and had them give him control over the duration.

He also had the Clerics give him all of the bottles of holy water they could spare.

He had them hand him a tower shield made of cold iron, for defense.

So, PC flew high above the Balor (who did not stop him, for he was as arrogant as hell, no pun intended), 500 feet to be exact, and dropped his load of holy water upon him. Sadly, there were merely 50 bottles.

The balor suffered greatly, but was not slain (It did 225 damage). The Balor screamed, and began to rise.

PC saw that it was not enough. He saw that the Balor would slay him, and then would proceed to massacre all of those that PC cared for. He could not, would not let that happen.

So PC shut his eyes, gave a short prayer to Pelor, and stopped the spell of flight.



He began to plummet. The Balor, in it's pain and rage, didn't realize the little mental voice praying to Pelor was coming from above far too swiftly until too late.

PC's last action was to silently say, "I'm sorry."

PC rammed into the Balor 300 feat above the temple, moving at such terrific speed that the Balor simply couldn't withstand the force (it dealt 85 damage, unaffected by DR because of the cold iron shield). Both the Balor and PC were slain by the impact, and PC's body was destroyed by the Balor's dying explosion.

The temple to Pelor on that spot still says that the temple is blessed by PC's sacrifice.

But that is not the end of PC's journey.

PC's soul was brought before Pelor, who bestowed upon him a great deal of honor for his sacrifice.

He decided that, since PC was so noble, he would return him to the world in the form of a Deathless, ordering him to spread goodness and law across the world.

And that, my friends, is how PC the Wizard X/ Risen Martyr 0 came to be.

This should count, because all Risen Martyr 0 does is apply the Deathless type on you.

So PC is really a Deathless wizard
[spoiler]Fighter: "I can kill a guy in one turn."
Cleric: "I can kill a guy in half a turn."
Wizard: "I can kill a guy before my turn."
Bard: "I can get three idiots to kill guys for me."

On a strange note, would anyone be put out if we had a post about people or events we can spare a thought for, or if its within their creed, a prayer for? Just a random thought, but ... hells I wouldn't have known about either Archangels daughter or Saeomons niece if I didn't happen to be on these threads.
Sounds fine to me.
probably over on "Off-topic".
might want to put a little disclaimer in the first post.

This is the Min/Max board. We should be able to figure out a way to optimize the POWER OF PRAYER(TM) that doesn't involve "Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu".
[/spoiler]

My final project for my film independent study course. It could do with a watching and critiquing

Prime32

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2010, 10:14:18 AM »
An LE wizard fought a balor and killed it, but died in the process. He had a contingency to restore himself to life if he was killed, but it backfired. The result was a feeble man with spellcasting ability but no memories, who developed a CN personality as he wandered around struggling to survive. Eventually he discovers his identity and is horrified, becoming LG as he swore to repair the damage he once dealt.
My work
The tier system in a nutshell:
[spoiler]Tier 6: A cartographer.
Tier 5: An expert cartographer or a decent marksman.
Tier 4: An expert marksman.
Tier 3: An expert marksman, cartographer and chef who can tie strong knots and is trained in hostage negotiation or a marksman so good he can shoot down every bullet fired by a minigun while armed with a rusted single-shot pistol that veers to the left.
Tier 2: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything, or the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.
Tier 1: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything and the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.[/spoiler]

Tohron

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2010, 01:23:19 PM »

Since Amercha did the best job meeting the requirements, he wins this round!

Amechra

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2010, 07:52:02 PM »
Yay!

Alright, here are the criteria for the next backstory.

-Must be male at the end
-Must be LG for his/her entire life
-Must be a Eldritch Theurge or Hellfire Warlock
-Must have levels in Swanmay
-Must have killed 1 outsider of each alignment

For all you naysayers, yes it is possible to make a LG character able to enter a class that allows CG characters; I'm just not going to tell you what that way is.

Have fun.  :D
[spoiler]Fighter: "I can kill a guy in one turn."
Cleric: "I can kill a guy in half a turn."
Wizard: "I can kill a guy before my turn."
Bard: "I can get three idiots to kill guys for me."

On a strange note, would anyone be put out if we had a post about people or events we can spare a thought for, or if its within their creed, a prayer for? Just a random thought, but ... hells I wouldn't have known about either Archangels daughter or Saeomons niece if I didn't happen to be on these threads.
Sounds fine to me.
probably over on "Off-topic".
might want to put a little disclaimer in the first post.

This is the Min/Max board. We should be able to figure out a way to optimize the POWER OF PRAYER(TM) that doesn't involve "Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu".
[/spoiler]

My final project for my film independent study course. It could do with a watching and critiquing

Tohron

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2010, 01:23:12 AM »
So by "for his/her entire life", do you mean their current life, or for all of their past live(s) as well?

Amechra

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2010, 02:02:19 AM »
Doesn't matter what he/she was in a past life. All the classes must be done in the LG-only life, though.
[spoiler]Fighter: "I can kill a guy in one turn."
Cleric: "I can kill a guy in half a turn."
Wizard: "I can kill a guy before my turn."
Bard: "I can get three idiots to kill guys for me."

On a strange note, would anyone be put out if we had a post about people or events we can spare a thought for, or if its within their creed, a prayer for? Just a random thought, but ... hells I wouldn't have known about either Archangels daughter or Saeomons niece if I didn't happen to be on these threads.
Sounds fine to me.
probably over on "Off-topic".
might want to put a little disclaimer in the first post.

This is the Min/Max board. We should be able to figure out a way to optimize the POWER OF PRAYER(TM) that doesn't involve "Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu".
[/spoiler]

My final project for my film independent study course. It could do with a watching and critiquing

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #11 on: June 28, 2010, 02:42:41 AM »
Yay!

Alright, here are the criteria for the next backstory.

-Must be male at the end
-Must be LG for his/her entire life
-Must be a Eldritch Theurge or Hellfire Warlock
-Must have levels in Swanmay
-Must have killed 1 outsider of each alignment

For all you naysayers, yes it is possible to make a LG character able to enter a class that allows CG characters; I'm just not going to tell you what that way is.

Have fun.  :D
Ages ago, due to a fortunate mutation, a succubus was born LG (part of the fraction of 1% of "always" who isn't CE).  Hiding her true nature, she advanced in the art of secretly using her inborn powers for the sake of good, eventually becoming a swanmay.  Since succubi can change their gender at will, that works for the "must end at male".
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Tohron

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Re: Backstory Optimization Challenge
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2010, 04:36:04 PM »
Draeanni was once an extremely powerful NE Druid who protected her domain with a vengeance.  To ensure that no one could discover her secrets, she waged campaigns across the planes against those she felt threatened her holdings, killing many outsiders of all alignments.  She also conducted many experiments on unnatural beings such as aberrations and undead, to discover how best to fight them.

Eventually, one of those experiments went wrong, and she was turned into a spawn by a Greater Shadow.  Defenses around the lair killed that being, along with any other hostiles, but the shadow that had been Draeanni was spared.

Perhaps some remnant of her former power remained, for the shadow learned to survive in the environment outside the Druid's lair.  As it defended itself from the surrounding fauna, memories of its past life began flooding back.  Alarmed by the destruction that had been wrought by her ruthlessness, the new Draeanni decided that the only protection from such a fall was unrelenting commitment to benevolence and order.  Slowly the Shadow worked to improve the region it inhabited, developing its mental powers to influence the minds of other creatures.  Eventually, after many years, Draeanni saw an deranged ogress attacking a swan.  Exerting all of her now-formidable telepathic power, she stunned the ogress, then permanently transferred her own mind into it.  It turned out that the swan was actually a member of a secretive order of women working to protect nature.  She was invited to join, and gladly accepted.

More years passed with relatively little incident, then the forest she now guarded suddenly came under attack by a warlock wielding the fires of hell.  Draeanni retaliated with the entirety of her power, and when the warlock fell, she took his body for her own.  Discovering that some of his powers remained inside his form, Draeanni now adds hellfire to the powers she wields to protect against those who would do evil in her domain.