Did Your Character Have A Former Life?

The tavern was thick and smoky when the Gallows Hunters arrived. Talk trailed off, and the patrons watched them approach the bar. Harald kept wiping down the bar not looking up until Galstag the Grave rested his hands on the mahogany.

"What can I get you all?" Harald asked, stuffing his rag in his apron and folding his arms.

"We need you to come with us," Galstag said.

"Why's that?" Harald asked, tugging at his thick beard.

"We're making for the Inoch Valley," Galstag said.

"Wish you luck." Harald tugged his beard a little harder, a nervous tic rarely seen by those who came to his bar. "Want a bottle for the journey?"

"You owe me," Galstag said, leaning in a little closer. "I wish there was another way, my friend, but I need you for this."

"What do we need him for?" Dornier asked, leaning back against a statue of a beautiful woman. "Cooking our meals on the trail?"

Harald turned his head toward Dornier, and spoke a single, harsh word in a language none of them had ever heard before. Dornier's eyes went wide, and filled with darkness. He screamed, falling to the ground and clutching at his face. Harald took off his apron, and stepped around the bar. He hadn't changed, but there was something different about him. Something that made the patrons draw back, like dogs sensing a wolf.

"My debt is paid after this," Harald said, waving a hand to dismiss the spell that had stolen Dornier's sight. "And I never want to see you in my bar again."

There's a reason we go to taverns looking for adventurers, after all.

Who Were You, In Your Old Life?

With some characters, what you see is what you get. Bethal Yarr is a militia sergeant looking to find a higher place in this world. Cornell Hardwick is a graduate of the prestigious Acadamae Arcane, and looking to make a name for himself. Sechel Darne is a Sister of the Healing Hand. But what if they had been someone else, before we met them? A notorious burglar, a mob enforcer, a noble scion, or something else entirely?

As character tropes go, this is one we see all over. Perhaps the most famous example of it is when Strider turns out to not just be a long-lived ranger, well-known for his deadliness, but the last of a line of kings who could bring greatness back to the land. But we also see it in the film Solomon Kane, where the main character tries to leave his life of piracy and brutality behind in order to become a man of peace. We see it in Star Wars with "old Ben" who's trying to lead a simple life after the fall of the Jedi, and it's a background fact that Alfred Pennyworth was once one of the most dangerous men in the British army.

Then, for real life examples, there's Sir Christopher Lee.

If you want to have a character who had a past life, there are two major ways you could play it. The first is the retired badass, who's been out of the game long enough that they're back down to level one mechanically. To everyone else they're just old Jeb, but to those who remember, he was once Jebidiah Blackwater, the Terror of Butcher's Bay. While the old pirate might not have all of his swagger left, he has probably forgotten more about being a buccaneer than anyone else in the party knows.

Alternatively, there are characters who took a side-step from their old life into their new one. The Iron Fist, for instance, was a brother of the Three Streams Monastery. He was a champion-at-arms, there, and he'd won several tournaments before the order disbanded. While he still carries the sacred tattoos, and the bloody knuckles of his trade, now he's a fighter for the Hatchetmen, defending the gang's claims in the southern part of the city. While someone might be able to identify him from his style, or from his body art, it would be hard to believe someone in such a noble position would fall into a den of thieves.

How Does Your Secret Affect Your Story?

The fun of playing a character with a former life is that there's a secret kept between you and the DM (and possibly another player, if your PCs have ties in the old days). However, unless that secret is going to come out in a meaningful way at some point, you won't get as much punch out of this idea as you otherwise might. So, before you go this route, sit down with your DM and lay out who are are, who you were, and what effects you can expect to get away with as a result of your story.

"We need access to restricted medical resources." All right, give me a sec to make a call...

As a for-instance, say you're playing a paladin. Just your standard, lawful-good, boring old paladin. But what if the character was born and raised in a death cult to be the exact opposite of that, and it was only through accepting an atonement spell that he became what he is? Cool story, bro, but what does that have to do with this adventure? Well, nothing if you're just fighting dragons and trying to save a town from kobolds. But if that death cult is the campaign's primary enemy, or the paladin has a reward out for the deeds he committed under his old name, then those factors could influence the game. Whether it's using his former identity as a way to sneak into a stronghold, or having to deal with bounty hunters coming after the party for being associated with such a stone-cold killer, it adds flavor to the ongoing story.

Whether you're a war criminal who's one wrong recognition away from the gallows, or a princess who could get the party out of hot water, it's important that your story has some bearing on the campaign. Otherwise your big reveal will leave people going, "Okay... what was that all about?"

If you like this idea, I'd also recommend checking out The 1st Level Badass. Or, if you'd like to see a story of this concept in action, go take a look at The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone, starting with Don't Ever Field A One-Eyed Dragon.

That's all for this week's Fluff installment. I hope it got some wheels turning regarding new character concepts! If you'd like to see some more work from yours truly, head over to my Vocal archive, or take a look at the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I get together with fellow gamers to make videos about DM tips, player strategy, and fun stuff in the world of Evora. To stay on top of all my releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And, if you'd like to support Improved Initiative, then please head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, or just Buy Me A Ko-Fi! It's much appreciated, and there's some thank you swag in it for you, as well.

The 1st Level Badass (Freeing Your Backstory From Level Restraints)

There are a lot of complaints about starting a campaign at level 1. The most common complaints are that low-level heroes are made out of cardboard, armored in aluminum cans, and that they can be taken out by a lucky critical hit from a goblin, or a moderately successful spell from a kobold shaman. This complaint is often followed by the fact that low-level PCs don't have any of their really shiny red balls yet, and so can't string together deadly feat combos that can clear the battlefield in a single round, or cast spells that shake the mountains and split the heavens. And, as much as we might look down our noses at that complaint, there really is nothing like watching the minis fall over when you did that thing you built your character to do.

All right, my action is over.

Another complaint that we often hear from around the table is that 1st level characters are inherently limited in the story they're allowed to have up to that point. After all, you can't very well be a champion of the realm, a hero of a great war, or an infamous death-dealing assassin if you're starting off at level 1...

Can you?

Creating The Level 1 Badass

I'll be the first to admit that it's frustrating when you have an epic character idea, but you still have to start that character from square 1 mechanically. After all, in your head, the Dragon's Bastard is a terror to behold. A warrior without peer, whose heritage is writ large across his body, there's just no way to bring across the raw physical and magical might of a feared mercenary captain with the blood of great wyrms flowing through his veins at such a low level.

Except there is. But it requires a little thinking outside the box.

You have my attention.

My best example for how to do this was my character Brazen Red-Eye, a half-orc gunslinger/alchemist whom you might remember from Why You Should Never Field a One-Eyed Dragon in the Table Talk section. The character was a war leader, the right hand of a sprawling orc tribe, and he had been single-handedly responsible for the destruction of several towns and settlements, in addition to the raids he'd led on larger areas and cities. The problem was that the abilities he needed to justify that kind of swath of destruction (in particular the combination of fast bombs with the enhanced destructive power of certain gunslinger deeds and higher BAB) meant that I was looking at a character who, in his pre-game background, was level 10 or 12. While it's true that he came in at level 5, and not level 1, that's still a big discrepancy in power level.

So what did I do? Well, he was in hiding. You know, for being a wanted war criminal, and all.

Just like that, poof, I had a character whose displayed level of power made total sense. It wasn't that he didn't possess the higher-level abilities that he'd used to rampage in his backstory; it was that he simply could not use them because they were part of his old life's calling card; anyone who saw him fight like that would recognize him as surely as they would if they saw the brands of rank across his chest and upper arms.

It Really Is Easier Than You Think

There are all kinds of ways you can swing this idea to make it work. I've included a few below, in case you're looking for further inspiration.

- Amnesia: While it's tropey as hell, if you have forgotten you used to be a great warrior or powerful sorcerer, then it will take time for your memory to return. Your capabilities are still there, though, and they may manifest in a kind of spiritual or muscle memory.

- Left That Life Behind: This is a variation on the story I told above. For example, say you wanted to play a paladin/rogue/assassin. Assassins are, by the requirements of the class, evil. However, your backstory can shift the timeline around by saying you were once an assassin, but you allowed yourself to be redeemed and have since walked in the ways of the righteous. Thus when you take assassin levels mechanically, you aren't just learning these skills; rather, you've had them this whole time, and simply not used them because that's not who you are anymore... or is it?

- Was Never Worth My Full Power: Whether your character is an accomplished warrior, a learned wizard, or a sorcerer with a particularly potent bloodline, the justification for your badass backstory is that you are significantly more powerful than any foe you've ever faced. Even when you are, mechanically speaking, pulling out all the stops at level 4, in-character you're just barely flexing. And if your character gets beaten down, taken out, or nearly killed? Well, it wasn't because the foe was too strong, but rather because you were too arrogant. It won't be until you've reached the pinnacle of your mechanical build that you decide to give it your all. This is similar to Superman's "World of Cardboard" speech, suggesting you've been holding back till you found a worthy foe.

- Blending In: This applies to more than just characters with criminal or formerly evil backgrounds. For example, you might be a prince of the realm, famed far and wide for your skill with a dueling blade. You could be a famous war hero, or even a minor celestial being. For whatever reason, you're trying to move undiscovered among the common folk. This might mean that you sometimes throw fights, or that you have to take careful precautions to disguise birth marks, so that no one knows who you are. When the stakes are down and your friends need you at higher levels, though, it's time to drop the charade.

- Cursed: You are a character who possesses great power, but you're prevented from using it until your curse is lifted. Perhaps you're able to access it in small doses, such as when your barbarian/alchemist rages and downs a mutagen, along with a potion of bull's strength, allowing out a minor aspect of the titan you have locked inside yourself for a scant few minutes. Whether your arrogance has driven a deity to teach you a lesson through struggle and strife, or you once wronged a powerful hag who laid a quest across your shoulders, there is more to you than you can sometimes bring to bear.

These are, of course, just some of the more obvious methods of playing characters with more experience, and more power, than is written on their sheets. While there's certainly nothing wrong with the wide-eyed farm boy hero, the barbarian away from her tribe for the first time, or the freshly-minted paladin out to take on the world, sometimes you want to do more than that. That kind of ambition should be rewarded, and be given a place in the story.

As always, thanks for stopping in and checking out what I've put up this week! If you'd like to make sure you don't miss any updates, then please follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. If you'd like to support this blog so I can keep bringing you content just like this, then stop by my Patreon page to become a patron today!