Scion of a Rakshasa - aspect, motivation, and background ideas?

[EdgeOfDreams]

I'm bringing a new character into my long-running San Francisco game, and my GM has greenlighted my concept of a half-mortal son of a rakshasa.  For those who don't know, a rakshasa is a kind of demon from Indian and Hindu writings with illusion and shapeshifting powers, often portrayed in western media such as D&D as cat-like humanoids.

We've already got an established full-rakshasa NPC, White Eyes, who definitely has some cat-related aspects to him (though I don't think we've ever seen his true form) and who runs a local mafia as a smaller-scale parallel to John Marcone.  My character will not be directly related to White Eyes, but there's still plot potential there.

As for mechanics (8 Refresh, 30 skill points), I've been given permission to take Modular Abilities, but I don't expect to take any other shapeshifting powers.  I'm considering exactly how many points to dump into that, as well as the Claws and Glamours powers.  Skill-wise, I'm aiming for 'well-rounded' in social and combat.  I've written up a custom rapport stunt that I like but need to run by my GM, "Let's Make a Deal: +2 Rapport when negotiating a contract, deal, or bargain, so long as both parties have something to offer."

The thing I really need help with, though, is aspects, motivation, and background.  I need to be at least marginally 'one of the good guys.'  Other than that, though, I'm totally drawing a blank on interesting personality traits, backstory and so on.

Anyone got any ideas for me? Suggestions for any part of the character or build are appreciated!

[devonapple]

For types of Aspects, you probably want to have Aspects which cover at least some of the following:
- a relationship (personal, organizational) or obligation: Winning Streak; Owes [insert name] My Life; [insert name's] Wingman
- a personality trait: Profit-Minded; Alone in a Crowded Room; Masks for Every Scene
- a personal mantra or catch phrase: "What's in it for me?"
- a need or lack: Daddy Issues; Nobody Like Me; Absolute Power Corrupts Quite Nicely, Thank You
- an event of decision from your past which casts a shadow on you to this day: Rose From Poverty; No Looking Back; With Friends Like Me, Who Needs Enemies?
- something which fleshes out/modifies/explains one of your defining skills or powers: Consummate Actor; Face Man; Tasmanian Devil

Two of those Aspects can come from collaborating with the other players, but that still leaves you with five.

You really may just need to slog through developing a backstory using the Phases worksheet, as Aspects will very likely evolve from there.  Even if you go back and change it a few times to get it just right, it is still a useful exercise. Get words on a page or screen and see what happens.

Your GM's take on the background of Rakshasas would be an important element of determining your character's place in the world. We have ample documentation of how Vampires or Fey relate to the world at large, but Rakshasas are not well-defined in the DresdenVerse, so that may be one thing which is tying your hand.

On the other hand, the GM may be looking to you to help flesh out that lore, in which case, I'd suggest researching historical Raskshasa lore and determining how they would be operating in the modern world (an example of which would be that Rakshasa NPC), and go with that.

Your character is only half-Raskshasa, so the question is: which half? Mother or father? Was your supernatural parent involved in your life, or were you a product of deceit, rape, or a supernatural bargain (we give you X, but you have to raise one of us as a human)? How much did your human parent ever know about your heritage? Childhood can be easy to sidestep when doing a background, but it really helps determine who and what you are. Once you start fleshing out your childhood, a lot of other things just follow as somewhat logical consequences of your origin.

[devonapple]

Some suggestions to get you started:

High Concept:
Half-Rakshasa Broker
Half-Rakshasa Con Man
Half-Rakshasa Informant
Half-Rakshasa Troubleshooter

Trouble:
Demonic Heritage
Under Daddy's Thumb
They Can't Have Me
Born to Meddle
Born to Deal

[devonapple]

Background Aspects:
Winning Streak (pun on the collective noun for a group of tigers)
Mean Streak (another pun)
Smooth Operator
Silver-Tongued Devil
Tiger in Sheep's Clothing
Brains Over Brawn
Predator Not Prey
No Pride: Just Predator
Concrete Jungle/Apex Predator of the Concrete Jungle
The Most Dangerous Prey
Wheels Within Wheels
Deals Within Deals
Double-Dealer/Triple-Dealer
Always Ready to Deal
Let's Make a Deal
"I can deal with that"
"Deal me in"
Raw Deal/Bloody Raw Deal
Keeping Up Appearances
Forsaken Rakshasa Heritage
Peace Sells (But Who's Buying?)
Profit-Minded

Some poetic Aspects:
Tiger Tiger, Burning Bright
Fell Hand, Fearful Symmetry

[Sanctaphrax]

Focusing on the mechanical side of things a bit:

Why would you take both Claws and Modular Abilities?

Rapport stunt looks mostly good, although there is that niggling point about social attacks maybe being limited to +1 from stunts.

Beast Change would make it easy to be both social and fighty.

Of course, this is going to get expensive. A Feeding Dependency or a Human Form might be useful and thematically appropriate.

As for the actual question of the thread...

Why is your character in San Francisco in the first place? Was he born there? Sent there by daddy?

And why does he care about the events of the game?

PS: I really like some of devonapple's aspect suggestions.

[EdgeOfDreams]

Thanks for all the ideas, Devonapple!

Why would you take both Claws and Modular Abilities?

Beast Change would make it easy to be both social and fighty.

Of course, this is going to get expensive. A Feeding Dependency or a Human Form might be useful and thematically appropriate.

Well, you have to understand that I've got a rep as a bit of a powergamer among my friends, and my GM is conservative about what powers he allows players to take. My GM approved Modular Abilities under the agreed conditions of not taking a large number of points in it and "no Refresh rebate shenanigans." (This is after we had a character with Item of Power, Catch, AND Human Form discounts dominate physical combat to an absurd degree).

If I can get away with 3 Form Points (so spending 5 total on Modular), then I will just use one of those for claws/aquatic/spider climb/etc. and the other two for strength/tough/speed.  If the GM pushes me to only have 2 form points, though, Claws is probably my best choice of another 1-point power to tack on, at least in terms of combat ability.

Feeding Dependancy is the one thing there I hadn't considered yet.  I'm not certain if it'd be appropriate or what the exact 'food' would be, though.

other social stuff

Still mulling all this over.  Definitely good questions and suggestions from both of you, but I've gotta let it tumble around in the back of my head for a while yet.

[Silverblaze]

Well, no one said it yet...so...

Tiger Blood!

Sorry.

Other aspects:
1 Jack of all Trades (bit of a catch all aspect, shouldn'tbe taken all the time, but sounds potentially applicable for a rakshasa)
2 ...Trust Me
3 I Know a Monster When I See One
4 I Got Friends in Low Places
5 Rakshasa Can't Change their Stripes, But I Sure Can
6 I Never Breach a Contract
7 It's Just Business


Other Ideas: something chameleon related  - blending in...or changing your personality...or something like: Always Keep Them Guessing

[EdgeOfDreams]

Sometime around 3 A.M. this morning, I had a flash of inspiration - this guy is a Lawyer.

The build as it stands right now:

Skills:
4   Fists, Rapport
3   Athletics, Empathy, Investigation
2   Scholarship, Lore, Alertness, Stealth
1   Presence, Endurance, Contacts, Burglary, Deceit

Powers/Stunts:
[-5] Modular Abilities (3 Form Points + 2-point surcharge)
[-1] Lawyer (Scholarship stunt, bonus to rolls regarding laws, the legal system, contracts, binding agreements, etc.)

2 Refresh remaining

Aspects:
HC: Half-Rakshasa Lawyer
Trouble: Curiosity nearly killed the cat
Explorer of the Concrete Jungle
Balancing the Karmic Scales

Background is still a WIP... something about growing up in a major city in India, getting a scholarship to a law school in America, and so on.  He makes his living now as a defense lawyer specializing in black cat cases.  I imagine he's got some connections to Paranet and Detective Timmons (an NPC cop who deals with black cat files).  He knows the law can't fix everything, though, and he feels like he needs to balance out the bad karma that he believes led to his demonic heritage.  Thus, he gets himself involved in some of his cases outside the court room, as well as other adventures in the weird and arcane.

More aspects and background details are needed of course, but I feel like I've got a good foundation here.

[wyvern]

Nice.  Looks good.  And fun.