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| "Paladin" by Ben Wootten |
As I'm generating some 13th Age characters, there's lots to like, but the coolest bit by far is the One Unique Thing. But coming up with a good one is hard. It really requires some thought to come up with one that really hits what I think are the requirements:
- Adds significant spice to your past.
- Lastingly impacts who & what your character is.
- Makes you ask more questions than it answers, i.e. it dangles juicy hooks that will make your future exciting.
- As it says on the tin, it should actually be unique in the whole of the Dragon Empire.
How hard it is to really kick ass creating uniques is made apparent by many of the uniques out there. "I'm the [Icon]'s ex / child / sibling / parent" or "I used to be a [animal]" are both popular, but what could be less unique than being a relative or an animal? Think harder and get yourself a +3 relationship with that icon or buy a pet. "I beat [Icon] in a card game / drinking contest / whatever" also seems to pop up a lot, and while these can be "cool", they're also more or less dead ends; singular past events that don't sound like they have too much impact on the PC.
As an inspiration for our future characters, I collected some of the best (by my reckoning) uniques I could find. I found these in the G+ Community, the Pelgrane forums, the Vault and Twitter, or in the rulebook, and wrote a couple of them myself. As I discover and create more, I'll add them here. Enjoy!
"I hear the voices telling me I am destined to rule, and believe they are my ancestors instructing me."
"My shadow was stolen and is now hunting me."
"The Prince of Shadows has given me five hidden hypnotic trigger words. I am not aware of this fact."
"I'm the oldest elf alive."
"I am one of the Archmage's homunculi."
"I befriended a Koru Behemoth."
"I'm a half-orc orphan adopted and raised by Dwarven nobility."
"The stars sing to me."
"I wasn't born; I arrived fully grown in a flash of light on the steps of the Cathedral."
"Eating my flesh gives euphoric delight."
"I'm a dwarf who was born covered in scales from the egg of a dragon."
"Since birth I dream the dreams of The Three every night."
"I spent 10 years living as an animal after being cursed by a druid."
"I'm full of demons."
"I am the only acrobat who performed their way out of the Diabolist's Circus of Hell."
"I literally die every night when I lie down, and am raised at dawn."
"There are more of me, but I am the strongest."
"I cannot die until I return what I stole."
"My first memory is waking up naked on top of Starport."
"As a child I swallowed a scale of the Great Gold Wyrm, and it's still inside me."
"My reflection is an owlbear. I don't know why, and it terrifies me."
"I'm the only Forgeborn with a biological heart, a heart that remembers that its previous owner owes the Dwarf King his life."
"I am a paladin of the Golden Order. Before throwing itself into the Abyss to save the world, the Great Gold Wyrm spoke its last words to me."
Update May 20, 2014: +Andre Comtois also gave me an interesting link: "Picking a One Unique Thing” To Enable Awesome". Thanks!
"My shadow was stolen and is now hunting me."
"The Prince of Shadows has given me five hidden hypnotic trigger words. I am not aware of this fact."
"I'm the oldest elf alive."
"I am one of the Archmage's homunculi."
"I befriended a Koru Behemoth."
"I'm a half-orc orphan adopted and raised by Dwarven nobility."
"The stars sing to me."
"I wasn't born; I arrived fully grown in a flash of light on the steps of the Cathedral."
"Eating my flesh gives euphoric delight."
"I'm a dwarf who was born covered in scales from the egg of a dragon."
"Since birth I dream the dreams of The Three every night."
"I spent 10 years living as an animal after being cursed by a druid."
"I'm full of demons."
"I am the only acrobat who performed their way out of the Diabolist's Circus of Hell."
"I literally die every night when I lie down, and am raised at dawn."
"There are more of me, but I am the strongest."
"I cannot die until I return what I stole."
"My first memory is waking up naked on top of Starport."
"As a child I swallowed a scale of the Great Gold Wyrm, and it's still inside me."
"My reflection is an owlbear. I don't know why, and it terrifies me."
"I'm the only Forgeborn with a biological heart, a heart that remembers that its previous owner owes the Dwarf King his life."
"I am a paladin of the Golden Order. Before throwing itself into the Abyss to save the world, the Great Gold Wyrm spoke its last words to me."
Update May 19, 2014: In the comments, +Clark Olson-Smith pointed me at the Chatty DM's article on uniques, "Of Templates, Uniqueness and Adventure Hooks", which is awesome.
Update May 20, 2014: +Andre Comtois also gave me an interesting link: "Picking a One Unique Thing” To Enable Awesome". Thanks!
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