Dark Sun character background help request

[darkbard]

Greetings! My group is new to Dark Sun and is about to embark on a 4E campaign beginning in or around Tyr itself shortly after the death of Karak, though the 4E details here aren't necessarily vital. What is vital--or, at least, would be very helpful--is those with more experience with the setting than my group lend some aid if they can. My group has a pretty strong idea of what the characters are personality wise and mechanically, but we don't know the setting well enough to fill in the blanks below.

I'm playing a pretty standard mul fighter (though beginning as a MC Warlord), and I think it's easy enough to envision her as a former slave or gladiator or mercenary. However, her theme is Guardian, which allows her to interrupt an attack on a nearby ally, so I would like some help with ideas as to how she has developed her class and theme powers. Was she a bodyguard? To whom? Why might she no longer be serving in that role to an NPC? Was she born and raised in Tyr itself, or is there a more appropriate or interesting location?

More importantly, however, are the backgrounds of my group mates.

One is playing a human Druid of the Wastes (hybrid with Warlord and MC with Artificer) with a living zephyr companion. She reveres the primal spirits of the wastes, of course, though how she acquired her power and education is yet to be determined. She covers the INT/WIS skills for the group, and so is likely literate, and has the Ghost of the Past theme. Where might she be from? How might she have acquired her powers?

The final character is a halfling Rogue (who will eventually MC Sorcerer), with split DEX/CHA scores. He handles the social interaction, CHA checks in skill challenges, and stealth. He has the Beguiler theme, which allows him to conceal himself from and slide a target of his power once per encounter. The typical halfling Forest Ridge background seems unlikely for him. He seems more urbane, or, at the very least, street smart. From where might he hail? Why is he so silken-tongued and "polished"? What other halfling communities might he have grown up in, and what experiences may have helped him develop his talents?

Any and all suggestions, brainstorming feedback, etc. are most welcome and have my thanks!

 

[Saint_Ridley]

Bodyguard slave would work very easily. I think you could still make pit fighter a solid background - think of gladiatorial fights as similar to pro wrestling. Sometimes you want a bit of a change up to the standard formula. That's where team fights are in - suddenly you have to watch out for and work with a partner against two opponents. Guardian suggests to me Protection as a fighting style, and the pit fighter who participated in tag team fights sounds like a good way to justify that.

Either set up gives you an NPC (partner/employer). In the case of the bodyguard, perhaps you were sold, or your employer died and you had to go underground to avoid being the primary suspect (justified or not), or maybe your employer still employs you but in different capacities because you're trusted enough to carry them out and this is part of a long-term job. As a pit fighter, you have a partner. Perhaps you and your partner tried to escape and your partner died, or you both won a tournament that would grant you freedom (or won a tournament that meant you two had to fight to the death for only one of you to be free), or other options.

 

[Jhaelen]

I'm playing a pretty standard mul fighter (though beginning as a MC Warlord), and I think it's easy enough to envision her as a former slave or gladiator or mercenary. However, her theme is Guardian, which allows her to interrupt an attack on a nearby ally

My first idea would be that he was part of a gladiator team, just like Rikus and Neeva from the first novel. Either his partner was killed in an arena fight or just disappeared at some point before or after Kalak's death. The latter option is likely better, if you'd like your background to play a role in the future of the campaign.

One is playing a human Druid of the Wastes (hybrid with Warlord and MC with Artificer) with a living zephyr companion.

An artificer in Athas? And a druid/warlord hybrid to boot?
I honestly have no idea how such a creature might exist in the world of Dark Sun. I may be prejudiced, but this sounds like a min-maxed atrocity to me.

The final character is a halfling Rogue (who will eventually MC Sorcerer), with split DEX/CHA scores. He handles the social interaction

A halfling to handle the party's social interactions? Good luck with that!
Even if it's a 'civilized' halfling, anyone meeting him for the first time won't know it, and react accordingly, likely having a negative starting attitude towards him. Did the player have any knowledge what typical halflings of Athas are like before creating the character?
Anyway, IIRC, halflings are rather accepted in the City state of Gulg, so perhaps the character's from there. He would still need a reason to travel to Gulg. Perhaps the Oba sent him to (secretly) investigate the current state of Tyr? Such a mission and a connection to a Sorcerer King might fit well with the future plans of multi-classing into a Sorcerer.

While there's clearly different preferences regarding how to approach character creation, I always try to think about my character concept first. Then I'll discuss that idea with my DM to arrive at a good fit for a character class, race, and background. Thus, I never end up in the problematic situation of having to make up a convincing story about my character afterwards.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) I'm playing a pretty standard mul fighter (though beginning as a MC Warlord), and I think it's easy enough to envision her as a former slave or gladiator or mercenary. However, her theme is Guardian, which allows her to interrupt an attack on a nearby ally, so I would like some help with ideas as to how she has developed her class and theme powers. Was she a bodyguard? To whom? Why might she no longer be serving in that role to an NPC? Was she born and raised in Tyr itself, or is there a more appropriate or interesting location? (snip)

This one is definitely the easiest. What about a bodyguard for a former templar of Kalak who lost his or her life and/or position in the events following Kalak’s death?

(snip) One is playing a human Druid of the Wastes (hybrid with Warlord and MC with Artificer) with a living zephyr companion. She reveres the primal spirits of the wastes, of course, though how she acquired her power and education is yet to be determined. She covers the INT/WIS skills for the group, and so is likely literate, and has the Ghost of the Past theme. Where might she be from? How might she have acquired her powers? (snip)

Why artificer? That really doesn’t suit Athas at all and, as it’s a multiclass rather than a core concept, wouldn’t it make more sense to ditch this in favour of something that suited Dark Sun?

Otherwise, and this applies even if you keep artificer, I can imagine her being the keeper/apprentice keeper of some ancient Green Age ruin of a temple of knowledge (imagine bas reliefs of sphinxes and whatnot) where she communes with the ghosts who teach her mysteries of the past. That explains her theme, the warlord hybrid, and even the artificer MC. Yeah, artificer is doable, especially with the ghost of the past theme.

The only question then becomes: Why is she adventuring? Perhaps a monster moved into the ruin. Perhaps her ghosts sent her on a vision quest (imagine seeking out a seed of a tree of life). Perhaps the seismic activity and/or a major sandstorm has buried the ruin.

(snip) The final character is a halfling Rogue (who will eventually MC Sorcerer), with split DEX/CHA scores. He handles the social interaction, CHA checks in skill challenges, and stealth. He has the Beguiler theme, which allows him to conceal himself from and slide a target of his power once per encounter. The typical halfling Forest Ridge background seems unlikely for him. He seems more urbane, or, at the very least, street smart. From where might he hail? Why is he so silken-tongued and "polished"? What other halfling communities might he have grown up in, and what experiences may have helped him develop his talents? (snip)

The first thought I had was that he disguises himself as a human child. Sure, he’s miles away from being a Dark Sun halfling but that’s OK; now he’s an orphan who survived on the streets of Tyr by disguising himself as a human child and living by his wits and nimble fingers. And then, one day, he picked the pocket of the wrong mul who was desperately trying to flee the chaos after Kalak’s death and he agreed to get him out of the city where, suffering from exhaustion and exposure, they stumbled into the camp of a mysterious druid.

Or something like that.

 

[darkbard]

I can imagine her being the keeper/apprentice keeper of some ancient Green Age ruin of a temple of knowledge (imagine bas reliefs of sphinxes and whatnot) where she communes with the ghosts who teach her mysteries of the past. That explains her theme, the warlord hybrid, and even the artificer MC. Yeah, artificer is doable, especially with the ghost of the past theme.

This is good! Similar thoughts were already being bounced around in our discussion: something akin to the relationship between Buffy and the first slayer in season 7, should you be familiar with the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though with the timelines reversed.

The only question then becomes: Why is she adventuring? Perhaps a monster moved into the ruin. Perhaps her ghosts sent her on a vision quest (imagine seeking out a seed of a tree of life). Perhaps the seismic activity and/or a major sandstorm has buried the ruin.

Yes, there would need to be some catastrophe or similar motivating factor for her to leave the shrine or sacred space or whatever and adventure!

 

[darkbard]

An artificer in Athas? And a druid/warlord hybrid to boot?
I honestly have no idea how such a creature might exist in the world of Dark Sun. I may be prejudiced, but this sounds like a min-maxed atrocity to me.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on play styles. Our group has found that 4E really shines when the characters are fairly optimized mechanically. Using such characters and monsters from MM3 and later makes combats much more "swingy" and faster, with less grind. Besides, the MC Artificer only adds a trained skill (Arcana), a daily heal, and access to Paragon Paths. There's nothing particularly disruptive to the setting about that! See Scrivener's post above for a way to justify the concept within Dark Sun.

A halfling to handle the party's social interactions? Good luck with that!

And yet Dark Sun halflings, just like Core 4E, have the option of a racial CHA boost. Surely, the writers took this into account for the setting, for there is no suggestion otherwise, hence my question about other roles for the race besides jungle cannibal. Your suggestions about Gulg are good ones.

Since the character has chosen Elven with the bonus language, we have been tossing around the idea of the character having some sort of experience or affiliation with an Elven Market in a city. Perhaps the character grew up as an urchin or messenger or something in this context. Would that make sense for the setting, and, if so, is there any material or idea that could support this and flesh it out some?

Furthermore, where might he have acquired the nascent sorcery he will develop over the course of the heroic tier of play?

 

[darkbard]

If we're beginning play in the city of Tyr, shortly after Karak's death (as I presume), and play will develop from there, what is a likely locale from which this druid character might have emerged? Are there locations near to Tyr but outside its direct influence that offer themselves to developing in the way Scrivener of Doom suggests above? Or would it be better for her to have traveled to Tyr from a distant location?

If it's of any help, her mechanical Background choice is East Rift from the Forgotten Realms, though, obviously, we will be adapting it for Athas as necessary, certainly reducing the watery references: "The East Rift consists of a country-sized shelf overlooking a cavernous abyss. Waters from various seas spill down from the heights, forming rapids and sparkling falls that tumble into the darkness below. Suspended in the air are curious motes, clumps of earth and stone that are crawling with strange creatures, wormed with tunnels, and laden with relics from the not-so-distant past. The East Rift is a wondrous place, with cunningly crafted switchback stairs, twisting pathways, and trained griffon steeds that all serve to connect the tiny communities that cling to the wounded stone."

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I would simply place it anywhere outside of Tyr. There's a lot of nothing there.

What does your DM say?

 

[darkbard]

With regard to the urban Tyrian halfling, we've been directed to this blurb from the DSCS: "Ruincreepers: This group of displaced halflings lives like feral animals in the deepest part of the Warrens. Word is that they have tamed an escaped braxat that lairs among the dilapidated structures."

So it looks like there is precedent for some comparatively integrated, urban--albeit "feral"--halflings. Has this group been fleshed out anywhere, perhaps in one of the previous edition sourcebooks or adventures?

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I think they're new to 4E.