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Message: <blockquote data-quote="anonystu" data-source="post: 782292" data-attributes="member: 10897">Or just right now, if that's fine too. I've thought about it some more, and have decided not to go with player-to-player feats per se: in it's place, just think about what you think of everybody else in the group. You can post this, or you can not, it's your choice, although it's good to help everybody else get into character. Part of this depends on your prior relationship: we'll work out exactly how long all of you have been working together in the past.That said, we will have backgrounds. I'm going to use a slimmed down version of the Spycraft system. Basically, spycraft has you sacrifice skill points to take backgrounds, for which you get XP when they show up, or if your GM ignores them, you get a lot of XP for him being lazy. I don't like the min-max factor of this, and I also don't want to have you go back and redo your skills. Also, XP will be handled very capriciously, so I don't want to institute all these mechanics on how I give it out.So, what's going to stay is the following: you should take 4 points of backgrounds, but take no more than 2 backgrounds. The point value of a background determines its severity, and the danger involved, such that one-three point hunted background means that the people who are hunting you are very dangerous and very interested in you indeed. You should think about these not just as establishing your history, but rather, you should think of them as what do you want to see in the game related to your character: this is the active part of your background, and it'll be really cool to see issues and backstory developed from your character. For example, DE, your background is really good as is, but I'd consider tweaking it to make some of the questions more unresolved: who killed your master? What was in that pouch?What are the various types of backgrounds? I'll edit these later when I have my hands on the complete list, but feel free to make up your own, as they're mainly just categories. Also, feel free to use PC to PC backgrounds, although as with all backgrounds, subject to approval. Don't feel you have to spend a lot of time coming up with background if you don't want to: saying that these people are angry with you, or you owe these people money is probably enough for me to get whirling on.It is also integral to note that backgrounds are not just descriptive, but conflictual: there has to be some sort of pressure it exerts.Journalists are always on the wrong side of the law: taking a background like Hunted means that you specifically have been targeted by the law. Similarly, journalists always have a strong obligation to serve the Float: taking obligation means that your responsibility is even stronger.Anyway, so the incomplete list (the flavor text is just by me, making up examples of what it means, feel free to deviate): Amnesia: You can't remember certain parts of your life. (The conflictual part of this is in why you're amnesiac, and what groups/parties are responsible/influencing you now).Claim-jumping: Every spellcaster has sources of power in the world, that are more or less secure. Taking this background means you want to emphasize the less secure.Debt: You owe a substantial amount of money to some group.GM Fiat: You want a plot, but you don't want to know what it's about.Hunted: Some group is hunting you for some reason.Hunting: You're hunting some person or some group.Lost Object: There is something you value highly, which is now broken or stolen.Lost Love: You've had someone you love taken away from you, or forbidden.Obligation: You have an obligation to protect or serve some interest, regardless of the consequences. (Blackmail is a common reason for obligation)Romance: You have someone you're currently in love with, and who you either have to defend from suitors, or defend from danger.Secret Identity: You live a normal life as well: if anybody were to find out what you were doing on the side, bad consequences.Vow: self-explanatory.Please note finally, that these are all voluntary even if they seem to fit your character well: for example, DE's character obviously has amnesia, but he is not required to take this background: if he doesn't, then he just has mental blackouts, and we're not going to worry about it too much, and it's all fine. If he takes it, he's saying that he wants this to be an active sub-plot in the game.Everybody cool with this? If you don't want to take backgrounds, this is also a fine decision, although I like the fleshing out it brings.</blockquote>

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