[Party] Something to Prove

My basic theme for my entry in the party contest is a group of characters who have something to prove. In order to breathe sufficient variety into these characters, I have put a considerable amount of thought into giving them each a unique thing they're trying to prove. As I develop each character, I should be able to use these basic internal struggles to flesh out ther backgrounds, personalities, and, eventually, stats. Here are the rudimentary frames I have so far, in no particular order.

Name: Giselle LaFontaine
Age: 21
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 127lbs

Appearence: This physically fit young woman's green almost seem to flash with eagerness as she looks about. Her bright red hair is cut unusually short, for a girl, and with her flat chest, she almost passes for a very pretty young man. Her freckled face with its delicate features is filled with contradiction, bearing at once the childish enthusiasm of a little girl and the unyielding determination of a much older woman.

Personality: Giselle is an extremely fiesty young woman. Though good-natured and approachable, she is inclined to aggression, be it physical or social. When confronted with a problem, her first reaction is usually to confront it directly and overwhelm it, though she is smart enough to recognize defeat. She may withdraw, but anyone who knows her knows the respite is temporary. She dislikes males in positions of authority, especially if she is aware of females in subordinate positions. Left to her own devices, she would rouse the women to rebel, but her impulses are often checked by her companions. As it is, she will often seek out such women privately and try to explain their own plight to them and lead them to seek equality with males.

Background: Giselle's father was a minor nobleman, interested more in social climbing than much of anything else. He hoped to groom Giselle into the perfect bride for higher-ranking nobles, thus granting him access to greater circles of power and influence. Thus, Giselle spent much of her childhood attending one finishing school or another. Giselle, however, proved resistant. She was often bored and innattentive in class, and frequently snuck off to observe the city watch, adventurers, and anyone else she could find connected to the art of combat. Nevertheless, when she was fifteen, her father finally found a suitor for her to wed. Right up to her wedding day, she daydreamed about her handsome husband-to-be, a warrior who would take her away from the cloying finishing schools and treat her as his equal on the battlefield. It wasn't until she was before the altar, and her viel was lifted that she saw that her husband was a fat, bejeweled man wearing more make-up than she'd ever seen on one person in her life. She fled immediately, finding a horse and galloping out of town still in her bridal garments. With her winning smile and eagerness to learn, she quickly found a man to train her in the deadly arts. Despite her love of combat, she found her true calling a year later, when an adventuring party composed entirely of women came through town. A priestess among them began to teach her of the many ways in which "womyn", often without realizing it, made themselves into the servants of men. Giselle left with the adventurers and quickly became a priestess in her own right. She has since left that company of womyn, to spread the message of liberation herself.

[stat block to come]

Name: Frederic Fairfax
Age: 24
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 198lbs

Appearence: This bulky, blond-haired man has a faced marked by anger and sadness. While he has the potential to be a truly inspiring man, some innerturmoil churns behind his blue eyes, though he is quick to try to hide it.

Personality: Though many Paladins are called to lead, Frederic prefert to be more of an advisor. Unusually moody for a Paladin, he is not afraid of speaking up when he feels it is necessary, but prefers to spend his personal time alone in quiet meditation. He has a nearly obsessive interest in keeping his equipment in top condition, as he feels keenly that neglecting his duty, in any way, is a form of weakness. Though he maintains confidence in his mission, his prayer sessions and his dreams are often disturbed by darker thoughts which sap his talents for leadership.

Background: Frederic's father was captain of the guards, and, while not spiritual by vocation was a devout man who took his eldest son to temple every day. Frederic, motivated both by hero worship of his father and attracted to the spiritual certainty of the church, decided quite early on that he wished to become a Paladin. His father could not have been more proud, and encouraged his on at every step. This is why it was so shocking that he was not present at Frederic's ordination into the ranks of Paladins. Once the ceremony was complete, Frederic learned that his father had been murdered, as an example, by a local crime syndicate. Against objections from his temple, Frederic joined the team that arrested the criminals involved. The assassin himself, however, escaped. Frederic vowed to bring the man to justice for his crime, and left to resume the trial. However, the warning of the High Priest, that he should act out of a desire for justice, not vengeance, has haunted him ever since. He alternates between painful bouts of self-examination and adamant denail that his motives are anything but the highest.

[stat block to come]

Name: Jack "The Phantasm" Corwin
Age: 22
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 176lbs

Appearence: This lithe young man's features betray a mixtured of human and elven heritage. He has a number of piercings on each ear, along with a nose ring. While not outright covered, loose-fitting leather armor reveals various tattoos on his arms, chest, back, and legs. His hair is equally outlandish, a chaotic mix of various colors, none of which appear to be natural. His brown eyes are alight with mischief.

Personality: While quite daring, Jack isnevertheless non-confrontational. While most of his companions prefer a direct approach, he prefers to work his way around problems in as clever and stylish a manner as possible. When in a social setting, Jack can alwasy be found in the thick of things, working the room, as it were, with his charm and wit. While an accomplished thief, he actually cares little for money. Instead, he steals because it is a challenge to be overcome. The more secure a particular object or facility is reputed to be, the stronger his urge to penetrate it. He doesn't want to steal, he merely wants to prove to himself that there isn't a lock, trap, or guard he can't get past, and prove to the authorities that nothing is ever theif-proof. He has been known to steal objects of great value, only to sneak in again the following night and put them back, often with a note taunting the owners and the authorities.

Background: Jack Corwin never quite fit in with other children. His human mother had been an adventuress, his father, an unkown dalliance of hers on one of her adventures. Still, with her sorcerous skills, she was able to make a reasonably comfortable home for herself and her son. However, as he began attending school, Jack encountered problems. Due to his elven blood, he grew slower than the other children, and was regarded as something of a freak. Rather than give in to resentment or shame, Jack simply tried all the harder to ingratiate himself with the other children. Despite the dire warnings of his teachers, he became a prankster, and had a childhood and adolesence filled with one escapade after another. The other children were fascinated by his exploits, giving him the nickname "the Phantasm". As he approached the age of 17, he caught the attention of the local Thieves' Guild. At first, Jack was eager to become a professional at what he had spent his whole life doing, but the hierarchy and structure of the Guild "cramped his style" and he was unnerved by their blatant brutality. He was forced to flee town when he stole the Chief Thief's glasses. He was able to escape, but not before leaving the glasses on the face of a sleeping thief. Since then, he's been making his living as an adventurer, living happily off of his legimate commissions. He steals now mostly to keep in practice, using the name given to him by his childhood friends, "the Phantasm."

[stat block to come]

Name: Joan Sangazure
Age: 29
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 183lbs

Appearence: With her green skin, prominent jaw, and oily, shoulder-length black hair, this woman nevertheless makes an imposing appearence, with her great height trained stance. Her brown eyes burn with a jarring sense of purpose.

Personality: Joan is not given to flowery conversation. In fact, she rarely speaks, usually answering questions put to her with one word answers that sound more like a grunt than anything else. Her response to most of life's problems is more reactive than anyone around her. For example, she will fight off attackers, but will not attempt to track down their employers of her own initiative. She will, however, join her companions in such a quest without protest. The one topic that is capable of provoking her into action is religion. Passionately opposed to the worship of so-called "Gods," she has been known to enter temples, disrupt worship services, and attempt to preach that congregation need not prostrate themselves before beings who, while powerful, are not spiritually superior to mortals. She only barely manages to get along with her religious companions because she grudgingly concedes that alleigance to a God is not much different than alleigance to a king, but she becomes disgusted if they engage in religious ceremonies in her presence, and will often storm off angrily. Indeed, only her keen sense of obligation keeps her from leaving the party entirely.

Background: Joan never knew her mother or her father. She was raised in a cloister by men and women devoted to the improvement of body, mind, and soul in service to the God of Justice. Though trained in their ways, she proved resistant to the doctrines. She earned strict punishments from her instructors for questioning the need to devote one's life to a higher power. Whereas her teachers developed themselves to serve a God, Joan saw no reason why they should be asked to give up their hard effort to another being simply because that being was stronger. She found it hypocritical that they would laud justice and then submit themselves into spiritual bondage simply because they were impressed by the power of these beings. Her upbringing did give a her a strong sense of duty, and so, she endured the repugnant teachings until she was 21 years old. On her birthday, freed from her obligation to stay and be tutored, she left and never looked back.

[stat block to come]

Name: Drudoc Lightbender
Age: 51
Height: 3'4"
Weight: 47lbs

Appearence: A pleasant looking gnome with inquisitive blue eyes. His unkempt but shortcropped brown hair trails down his face in a pair of mutton chops. He wears a simple traveler's outfit of utilitarian browns.

Personality: This affable young gnome is quite comfortable among other people. Though bookish and academic by nature, his experiences at school make him comfortable discussing things over a mug of ale. While certainly never "the life of the party," he is almost always a welcome addition to any social gathering. Despite his current profession as an adventurer, Drudoc strongly dislikes violence, preferring to find a peaceable solution to problems. When forced into combat, he prefers to use spells or ranged weaponry to contribute from a safe distance.

Background: The Lightbender family has long been involved in the buisness of illusion and enchantment. Thus, it was no surprise when Drudoc was accepted at a prestigious University. Though he struggled a little under the weight of new academic demands, he quickly hit his stride. Unlike his ancestors, he never gravitated to a particular school, but took many classes covering all the schools of magic. As hsi studies continued, he began to see patterns. His perception was dim, and he couldn't nail much of anything down, but he became convinced that magic was a much more unified endeavor than it first appeared. He approached many of his professors, but they were entrenched in the notion that each spell school was distinct and unique. So, though his grades suffered as a result, Drudoc continued to delve deeper into Magical Theory, to try and find the underlying principles behind Arcane Magic. Unfortunately, much of the writing on the subject was riddled with the same bias that his teachers held. Thus, upon his graduation, he surprised his family by taking up the life of an adventurer, to find the evidence he needs to prove and to develop his theories fully.

[stat block to come]

• A Fighter who saw his brother cut down in battle. Though he is not consciously aware of it, he feels that his survival was undeserved, and, without knowing it, seeks to die a "meaningful" death. The result is a Fighter who, while inclined to be intelligent and philosophical, is reckless in times of danger.
• A Druid, who has become convinced that there is a driving force behind all creation. This force is greater than the Gods themselves, and this Druid seeks to become perfectly in tune with this great source of creation. He seeks to prove that ultimate oneness with the core of the universe is the key to the highest level of understanding.

This sounds pretty interesting as a PC party, or as a long term competitive antagonist if you were to use them as NPC's.
May I suggest a Monk as the class for the atheist? That seems the right balance of Contemplation, Religious Studies, and ability to disbelive. A Storytelling bard might be another good choice; less meditation, but fits the itenerant scholar mold you've drawn him from.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blue C.

May I suggest a Monk as the class for the atheist? That seems the right balance of Contemplation, Religious Studies, and ability to disbelive. A Storytelling bard might be another good choice; less meditation, but fits the itenerant scholar mold you've drawn him from.

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Monk was my first thought, actually, and is still the forerunner, but I'm not sold on the idea yet. I don't want him to be a different class than the rest (Paladin, Cleric, Druid, Rogue, Wizard, and Fighter), however, I'm still toying with the idea that he could be pretty much anything. I think I'll put him off until last for fleshing out.

I withdraw this entry from the contest. Between my various gigs, I have not had the chance to complete the stat blocks for these characters. :(