The 5e campaign that I'm running is almost entirely based on the characters my four players pitched. I helped them flesh out their backgrounds based on their choices and blended them with my ideas. The campaign is set in a home-brewed Calimshan because one player chose to play a human and chose Calishite as his ethnicity. One player chose to be a cleric of the knowledge domain, so right there in Calimshan, the Temple of Divine Truth popped up and I started to flesh out how religion worked in this world. I took aspects from everyone's race, class, and background, including those ideals and bonds to world build and make hooks! We've only played two levels, but so far so good! Thanks for the videos.
I typically write long backstories, but usually centering around specific events in his/her life that has shaped him/her and/or caused them to leave their home. I have a Human Noble Eldritch Knight whose father killed his half-Elf half-sister's mother (in this world, high Elves were largely scorned for their empire that ended less than 100 years before and the atrocities they committed) and told him to sacrifice his half-sister to Mephistopheles to become a warlock. He stabbed his father, was stabbed back, carried his half-sister out, she disappeared and he ran away thought to be dead. The backstory had three major events: his going to a drow martial academy (think the best fighters of every style and most magic, and that's the drow in this world) and meeting the Grandmaster who trained him--this introduced his father, his sister, and the Grandmaster Xeran--then returning to home to find his mother is dead and going to the other city for the funeral his mother was from with his half-sister--this introduced the other side of his family and strengthened the relationship with his half-sister, as well as some of the politics that he'd be more apt to pay attention to now--and finally the scene where he fights his father (who is now an Infernal warlock), fails to protect his half-sister, and runs to the Grandmaster who shelters him for a while then points him to a mercenary group.
in a campaign i run that has been running for years. one character is a 1/2 bard, his backstory was great & included his mentor. later on my bad guys tried to manipulate the group into something they didnt want, they really hated that & refused, so the bad guy mage brings in the bards mentor who had'd been seen in years. the mage then polymorphs the mentor into a rabbit and puts him in a cage of razor sharp bars about a ft square, then re-manipulates them by saying he'll release the polymorph spell & slice & dice his mentor. It forced the players to go along, even though in the end they beat the bad guys. It turned into a epic point in the game. the players hated it as "PC's" but loved it as Players. It has become a major part of the game hunting & killing the associated bad guys. I love Back stories as a DM
In one of the 4e sessions I'm a part of, the DM has this idea for a world torn apart by a war. Warforged aren't really seen in that world, so when I created one, I made it so Dinobot (my character) didn't know who created him or why and didn't even know where he /did/ come from. The DM responded by making Dinobot have to deal with racism from the powers-that-be because he's something no one had ever seen before. It's great! So now this lawful good Samurai Swordmage is seeking not only to find the answers to his existence but also to prove himself (and his equally uncommon ally, a tiefling named Lys) as equal to any of the more common races. Fortunately, despite having almost no ability to bluff or any diplomacy, he seems to make a weirdly good lawyer!
From a DM's perspective, the entire world of Tholl spawned from the back story of one Halfling Fighter. A village name, a town name, and a Goblin tribe all came from that. The rest was all imagination. My buddy's Teifling character "Inhala" then spawned story lines, NPCs, and what I viewed as an "end game" scene all based upon who and what the character was. As a player, my League character, the Sorcerer "Zmey", has multiple hooks in his own background intentionally left open. Lost and unknown relatives, former colleagues, and a vague memory of a dragon. I described the background in almost a screenplay format to add visual elements. My DM has lots to draw on. I already know when the next season of the League starts, we'll have to generate new characters. I have a firm concept already, and in just the concept, there are a lot of hooks. This character will have stepped on a lot of toes, and belongs to a different sort of "thieves" guild that aren't thieves - they're vigilantes. Since he's from Waterdeep, that means my DM can "unleash the hounds" so to speak, and generate stories, enemies, past contacts. Having sat on both sides of the screen, hooks and leads like these are important to give the DM a creative edge, as well as making the players feel involved in the world they are playing in.
One of my players has a Drow rogue that was once part of a noble family in the underdark that was usurped (that was all they came up with.) That was great for me, because I sent drow assassins after her, because while she lives she's a threat to their legitimacy to rule.
"Character hooks!" That's the concept I'm generally looking for when I think of character backgrounds. And that the DM/GM *and* the players should all have them is a great idea! I tend be the pages-of-backstory character creator, and I regularly find that most of it remains in my head. I don't play enough to put this into practice, but I'm trying to bring more focus to simply putting on the table...and to only put on the table those hooks. Thanks for the video--it's helping me quite a bit.
I tend to have a very hard time writing short back stories, but I am trying to cut one down to a single page, and am hoping that this idea of writing open loops will be helpful.
I'm not sure if anyone has tried this, or if it would work for most groups, but has anyone tried to do character generation by beginning with background and back-story first? Rather than being defined by attributes, race and class (all of which appear in the PHB first), try to sketch out a character idea, and then tailor the other features to fit your idea. It may work better with experienced players who know what's possible and what's not from the point of view of mechanics, but it may be worth testing out.
I'm sure it's been done. I don't recall if I've done it that way before or not . I know there are plenty of times I've come up with a character based on story concept, but I can't say for sure I've done it ignoring class. - Nerdarchist Dave
+Boris Stremlin I agree with this method as I enjoy the role-playing character development aspect of these games. I never let stats define the character as I think that makes for a boring time. I try to have a fleshed out backstory as it helps me - and the GM. I try to give as many hooks and details as the GM wants for the particular campaign. Very right about being more invested and part of the world. Stats should be a reflection of the character you want to play instead of the other way around. Always try to tell a good story.
I did a detective once in 5th that was searching for his lost acquaintance/crush. Ended up making a lore bard with a slightly customized background of law enforcement. Had a good set of disable spells along with longstrider and a bunch of manacles for me to animate. I played him dark and broody in a comical way, where he'd be serious with terribly straight faced jokes. It was a very story involved character that usually needed other people because he couldn't brute force his way into things (lore bards aren't strong). Also, had crossbow expert for the pot shots that could.
I kind of do that. I start with a concept. Could be anything. I wanna try this combination, or I wanna make a character who does this, or someone who was that. Then I pick a class and a background, in either order, that supports the idea (or sometimes the class choice specifically doesn't). And I always leave race last. Sometimes it's important and I tune out some options from the beginning, but most times I don't even think about race until everything else is done.
When I create a new character, I always ask 2 questions: 1) How did the character learn the skills to make him whatever class he is? And, 2) Why is that character out adventuring? Which sounds like what Dave did with his dwarven wizard. That'll usually be enough to get you started with an interesting background. You and your DM can fill in the rest as the campaign progresses.
Gregory Floriolli Interesting, I do neither of those two questions. Maybe because I don't see my class as something my character learn, but just as how me character solves problems. My three 5e characters so far have been a princess which I using the bard, even though she barely ever left her tower before the game started, but I wanted to play a non-combatan that tries to solve everything in a social way, the second has been belly dancer in an arabian nights like setting which I build using the Monk, to emphasis on her dexterity and that she is rather self-reliant in such a world, my third chracter now is a half-orc warlock for which I barely took any combat spells but focused on utility stuff since in combat she is relying on her pack blade and the melee damage she is doing. So, the class doesn't infom my background, but how I want to play the character is what lets me selct the class. Regarding the adventuring, I have to say, I don't see my characters as adventurers, my princess wanted to investigate and if possible a prophecy regarding her noble family, but she didn't had started doing so before the game. My belly dancer has run away from home, since she didn't wanted to marry a man her father wanted her to. And my half-orc wants to become chieftain of the chieftains of all the orcs... but was sucked into another world at the start of the campaign, a world that has not eve orcs otherwise. So, often why my character is adventuring happens during the game, when I see what the game master is trying to do with the game, and when I have the freedom to do what I want, only then I will take a more proactive approach and take that into my own hands. Since, if I am too set on why my character is adventuring, then it can lead to a dead end when the game master wants to run a game that focus on different things, or even contrary things, then I would run out of the game because the goal of the game would not fit the ones I have for my characters.
The two questions are good. I like to come up with 3 things- 1) Something from the characters past 2) Something they are trying to do right now 3) Something they seek to accomplish. - Nerdarchist Dave
My response to long, overwritten, extravagant player backstories: "TL;DR. Pitch it in three sentences, I'll make a few point-form notes." Emergent story, yo.
Having a back story that the DM can use is important. However, DM's have to be careful about that. I was in a game once where the DM made my back story the focal point o the emitter campaign. I was a little uncomfortable with that and I think the rest of the players weren't all that into it either. As always, balance is the key.
Joey Richter That is why I simply ask what part of the backstory the player actually want to have impact on the campaign and what is just fluff that I should not touch on. Or as a player why I do what was said in the video, that I give my GM just aparagraph on what I would like to see be used, even when I might have more in the back of my head regarding my character.
Joey Richter From the DM perspective, sometimes we get inspired a bit too much from one particular player or another and start writing too much material that pertains to that PC. I have seen it happen with best friends as well. I had the misfortune recently to write a lot of plot dealing with a player that is currently on a 6 month break from playing due to scheduling. The best way I can figure to test to see if one has gone too far with just one player is to think about the other character's going through the material without the key player. Then asking the question,"is this still interesting, does it matter to the PCs?"
Nathan Riggins As a DM myself I would make sure to talk to the player if I was going to make their backstory a central part of the campaign. I ended up leaving that group and they were stuck dealing with the rest of the campaign that still was focused on my character's backstory.
I freely admit I'm an exception, but I love the long backstories. I definitely prefer the open-ended ones, but if a player gives me a "closed" backstory, I'm all about throwing a twist into one of the first few sessions that makes them question everything they thought they knew about their PC. >:-} Very cool video! I think I'll reference/require future players watch this prior to PC gen for all future campaigns
XainMexi While a more experienced DM can navigate the closed back story without to much fuss it's still nice to get the lob from a player every now and again. We feel honored that you'd refer players to us during character gen. -Nerdarchist Dave
Oh yeah. It's a "Bring on the challenge" that even the oldest DMs wouldn't want from all his players. But, in my experience, the players that create closed backstories almost always have a subconscious desire to just play their PC casually, and when, at around session 3-4, you throw in a "I do not think [your backstory] means what you think it means" plot twist, it pulls them to the edge of their seat instantly. That kind of sudden immersion bleeds over to the whole table, and then it's on!
In the session zero, or when the character is created think ahead to where you want to be at level 10 or 20. If you are thinking I want to be a fighter/ rogue someday, you should probably address how you might reasonable be able to accomplish that.Was the character a Gypsy in his youth and his family were actors and sneak thieves. Or maybe Your character was a gypsy, and was pressed into service by a local lord and forced into 2 years of service as a soldier.
I agree with you guys, I wish my players would do that. They all seem reluctant to have backgrounds.@Nate Why didn't you go with the Favored Soul Sorcerer origin from the Unearthed Arcana for your Asimar? Good advice guys, I hope every player learns to do this.
Art Wood (In a southern accent) Back in the day before fancy things like favored souls, we had to make due with what the 5e gods gave us. The players said to me a few sessions into the game,"sorcerer's don't have radiant damage spells... oh, really? I should probably fix that soon... Favored soul isn't a good fit for the character bc it is too martial
I like common people. The guy that copies scrolls in the basement of a library that get's bored of his nine to five job and decides to grab a pack and go on adventure.
Here is a link to a Reddit post that lists 20 great questions to answer when coming up with a new character: www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/3bnael/twenty_questions_to_help_you_create_a_backstory/
The 5e campaign that I'm running is almost entirely based on the characters my four players pitched. I helped them flesh out their backgrounds based on their choices and blended them with my ideas. The campaign is set in a home-brewed Calimshan because one player chose to play a human and chose Calishite as his ethnicity. One player chose to be a cleric of the knowledge domain, so right there in Calimshan, the Temple of Divine Truth popped up and I started to flesh out how religion worked in this world. I took aspects from everyone's race, class, and background, including those ideals and bonds to world build and make hooks! We've only played two levels, but so far so good! Thanks for the videos.
Frederick Pagliarulo When the DM is great at creating on demand, and not hung up on playing a setting, that is a great setup. nice work
I typically write long backstories, but usually centering around specific events in his/her life that has shaped him/her and/or caused them to leave their home. I have a Human Noble Eldritch Knight whose father killed his half-Elf half-sister's mother (in this world, high Elves were largely scorned for their empire that ended less than 100 years before and the atrocities they committed) and told him to sacrifice his half-sister to Mephistopheles to become a warlock. He stabbed his father, was stabbed back, carried his half-sister out, she disappeared and he ran away thought to be dead. The backstory had three major events: his going to a drow martial academy (think the best fighters of every style and most magic, and that's the drow in this world) and meeting the Grandmaster who trained him--this introduced his father, his sister, and the Grandmaster Xeran--then returning to home to find his mother is dead and going to the other city for the funeral his mother was from with his half-sister--this introduced the other side of his family and strengthened the relationship with his half-sister, as well as some of the politics that he'd be more apt to pay attention to now--and finally the scene where he fights his father (who is now an Infernal warlock), fails to protect his half-sister, and runs to the Grandmaster who shelters him for a while then points him to a mercenary group.
in a campaign i run that has been running for years. one character is a 1/2 bard, his backstory was great & included his mentor. later on my bad guys tried to manipulate the group into something they didnt want, they really hated that & refused, so the bad guy mage brings in the bards mentor who had'd been seen in years. the mage then polymorphs the mentor into a rabbit and puts him in a cage of razor sharp bars about a ft square, then re-manipulates them by saying he'll release the polymorph spell & slice & dice his mentor. It forced the players to go along, even though in the end they beat the bad guys. It turned into a epic point in the game. the players hated it as "PC's" but loved it as Players. It has become a major part of the game hunting & killing the associated bad guys. I love Back stories as a DM
In one of the 4e sessions I'm a part of, the DM has this idea for a world torn apart by a war. Warforged aren't really seen in that world, so when I created one, I made it so Dinobot (my character) didn't know who created him or why and didn't even know where he /did/ come from. The DM responded by making Dinobot have to deal with racism from the powers-that-be because he's something no one had ever seen before. It's great!
So now this lawful good Samurai Swordmage is seeking not only to find the answers to his existence but also to prove himself (and his equally uncommon ally, a tiefling named Lys) as equal to any of the more common races. Fortunately, despite having almost no ability to bluff or any diplomacy, he seems to make a weirdly good lawyer!
From a DM's perspective, the entire world of Tholl spawned from the back story of one Halfling Fighter. A village name, a town name, and a Goblin tribe all came from that. The rest was all imagination. My buddy's Teifling character "Inhala" then spawned story lines, NPCs, and what I viewed as an "end game" scene all based upon who and what the character was.
As a player, my League character, the Sorcerer "Zmey", has multiple hooks in his own background intentionally left open. Lost and unknown relatives, former colleagues, and a vague memory of a dragon. I described the background in almost a screenplay format to add visual elements. My DM has lots to draw on.
I already know when the next season of the League starts, we'll have to generate new characters. I have a firm concept already, and in just the concept, there are a lot of hooks. This character will have stepped on a lot of toes, and belongs to a different sort of "thieves" guild that aren't thieves - they're vigilantes. Since he's from Waterdeep, that means my DM can "unleash the hounds" so to speak, and generate stories, enemies, past contacts.
Having sat on both sides of the screen, hooks and leads like these are important to give the DM a creative edge, as well as making the players feel involved in the world they are playing in.
Mike Gould well said. I would really enjoy playing with the vigilante group.
One of my players has a Drow rogue that was once part of a noble family in the underdark that was usurped (that was all they came up with.) That was great for me, because I sent drow assassins after her, because while she lives she's a threat to their legitimacy to rule.
steelvoltage Ah the old silence through violence hook never gets old. Good play off of her background.
"Character hooks!" That's the concept I'm generally looking for when I think of character backgrounds. And that the DM/GM *and* the players should all have them is a great idea!
I tend be the pages-of-backstory character creator, and I regularly find that most of it remains in my head. I don't play enough to put this into practice, but I'm trying to bring more focus to simply putting on the table...and to only put on the table those hooks.
Thanks for the video--it's helping me quite a bit.
Awesome! Glad to be of service.
- Nerdarchist Dave
I tend to have a very hard time writing short back stories, but I am trying to cut one down to a single page, and am hoping that this idea of writing open loops will be helpful.
I'm not sure if anyone has tried this, or if it would work for most groups, but has anyone tried to do character generation by beginning with background and back-story first? Rather than being defined by attributes, race and class (all of which appear in the PHB first), try to sketch out a character idea, and then tailor the other features to fit your idea. It may work better with experienced players who know what's possible and what's not from the point of view of mechanics, but it may be worth testing out.
I'm sure it's been done. I don't recall if I've done it that way before or not . I know there are plenty of times I've come up with a character based on story concept, but I can't say for sure I've done it ignoring class.
- Nerdarchist Dave
+Boris Stremlin I agree with this method as I enjoy the role-playing character development aspect of these games. I never let stats define the character as I think that makes for a boring time. I try to have a fleshed out backstory as it helps me - and the GM. I try to give as many hooks and details as the GM wants for the particular campaign. Very right about being more invested and part of the world. Stats should be a reflection of the character you want to play instead of the other way around. Always try to tell a good story.
I did a detective once in 5th that was searching for his lost acquaintance/crush. Ended up making a lore bard with a slightly customized background of law enforcement. Had a good set of disable spells along with longstrider and a bunch of manacles for me to animate. I played him dark and broody in a comical way, where he'd be serious with terribly straight faced jokes. It was a very story involved character that usually needed other people because he couldn't brute force his way into things (lore bards aren't strong). Also, had crossbow expert for the pot shots that could.
I kind of do that. I start with a concept. Could be anything. I wanna try this combination, or I wanna make a character who does this, or someone who was that. Then I pick a class and a background, in either order, that supports the idea (or sometimes the class choice specifically doesn't). And I always leave race last. Sometimes it's important and I tune out some options from the beginning, but most times I don't even think about race until everything else is done.
When I create a new character, I always ask 2 questions: 1) How did the character learn the skills to make him whatever class he is? And, 2) Why is that character out adventuring? Which sounds like what Dave did with his dwarven wizard. That'll usually be enough to get you started with an interesting background. You and your DM can fill in the rest as the campaign progresses.
Gregory Floriolli Interesting, I do neither of those two questions. Maybe because I don't see my class as something my character learn, but just as how me character solves problems. My three 5e characters so far have been a princess which I using the bard, even though she barely ever left her tower before the game started, but I wanted to play a non-combatan that tries to solve everything in a social way, the second has been belly dancer in an arabian nights like setting which I build using the Monk, to emphasis on her dexterity and that she is rather self-reliant in such a world, my third chracter now is a half-orc warlock for which I barely took any combat spells but focused on utility stuff since in combat she is relying on her pack blade and the melee damage she is doing. So, the class doesn't infom my background, but how I want to play the character is what lets me selct the class. Regarding the adventuring, I have to say, I don't see my characters as adventurers, my princess wanted to investigate and if possible a prophecy regarding her noble family, but she didn't had started doing so before the game. My belly dancer has run away from home, since she didn't wanted to marry a man her father wanted her to. And my half-orc wants to become chieftain of the chieftains of all the orcs... but was sucked into another world at the start of the campaign, a world that has not eve orcs otherwise. So, often why my character is adventuring happens during the game, when I see what the game master is trying to do with the game, and when I have the freedom to do what I want, only then I will take a more proactive approach and take that into my own hands. Since, if I am too set on why my character is adventuring, then it can lead to a dead end when the game master wants to run a game that focus on different things, or even contrary things, then I would run out of the game because the goal of the game would not fit the ones I have for my characters.
The two questions are good. I like to come up with 3 things-
1) Something from the characters past
2) Something they are trying to do right now
3) Something they seek to accomplish.
- Nerdarchist Dave
My response to long, overwritten, extravagant player backstories: "TL;DR. Pitch it in three sentences, I'll make a few point-form notes."
Emergent story, yo.
Having a back story that the DM can use is important. However, DM's have to be careful about that. I was in a game once where the DM made my back story the focal point o the emitter campaign. I was a little uncomfortable with that and I think the rest of the players weren't all that into it either. As always, balance is the key.
Joey Richter That is why I simply ask what part of the backstory the player actually want to have impact on the campaign and what is just fluff that I should not touch on. Or as a player why I do what was said in the video, that I give my GM just aparagraph on what I would like to see be used, even when I might have more in the back of my head regarding my character.
Joey Richter From the DM perspective, sometimes we get inspired a bit too much from one particular player or another and start writing too much material that pertains to that PC. I have seen it happen with best friends as well.
I had the misfortune recently to write a lot of plot dealing with a player that is currently on a 6 month break from playing due to scheduling.
The best way I can figure to test to see if one has gone too far with just one player is to think about the other character's going through the material without the key player. Then asking the question,"is this still interesting, does it matter to the PCs?"
Nathan Riggins As a DM myself I would make sure to talk to the player if I was going to make their backstory a central part of the campaign. I ended up leaving that group and they were stuck dealing with the rest of the campaign that still was focused on my character's backstory.
I freely admit I'm an exception, but I love the long backstories. I definitely prefer the open-ended ones, but if a player gives me a "closed" backstory, I'm all about throwing a twist into one of the first few sessions that makes them question everything they thought they knew about their PC. >:-}
Very cool video! I think I'll reference/require future players watch this prior to PC gen for all future campaigns
XainMexi While a more experienced DM can navigate the closed back story without to much fuss it's still nice to get the lob from a player every now and again. We feel honored that you'd refer players to us during character gen.
-Nerdarchist Dave
Oh yeah. It's a "Bring on the challenge" that even the oldest DMs wouldn't want from all his players. But, in my experience, the players that create closed backstories almost always have a subconscious desire to just play their PC casually, and when, at around session 3-4, you throw in a "I do not think [your backstory] means what you think it means" plot twist, it pulls them to the edge of their seat instantly. That kind of sudden immersion bleeds over to the whole table, and then it's on!
In the session zero, or when the character is created think ahead to where you want to be at level 10 or 20. If you are thinking I want to be a fighter/ rogue someday, you should probably address how you might reasonable be able to accomplish that.Was the character a Gypsy in his youth and his family were actors and sneak thieves. Or maybe Your character was a gypsy, and was pressed into service by a local lord and forced into 2 years of service as a soldier.
Alexander Maxwell That is a great point about shaping your past to head towards a future that you want for your character.
Question! Who drew the goblin?
Arthur Kidawa I think that was Nerdachist Ryan.
Art Wood indeed. He also did all of these webcomics featuring the goblins nerdarchy.com/category/web-comics/hows-to-speeks-goblin/
I agree with you guys, I wish my players would do that. They all seem reluctant to have backgrounds.@Nate Why didn't you go with the Favored Soul Sorcerer origin from the Unearthed Arcana for your Asimar? Good advice guys, I hope every player learns to do this.
Art Wood (In a southern accent) Back in the day before fancy things like favored souls, we had to make due with what the 5e gods gave us.
The players said to me a few sessions into the game,"sorcerer's don't have radiant damage spells... oh, really? I should probably fix that soon...
Favored soul isn't a good fit for the character bc it is too martial
Ahh.. I see. I was just wondering if it was before the Unearthed Arcana....interesting.
I like common people. The guy that copies scrolls in the basement of a library that get's bored of his nine to five job and decides to grab a pack and go on adventure.
Here is a link to a Reddit post that lists 20 great questions to answer when coming up with a new character:
www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/3bnael/twenty_questions_to_help_you_create_a_backstory/
Kevin VF Thanks for the resource.