How much backstory is appropriate? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How much backstory is appropriate? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Charles Phipps
06-18-06, 06:28 PM How much do you usually write up?
scaledwingofsmog
06-18-06, 06:57 PM this is normally what i go though but it might seem execive to some

Character Defining Questions
The Simple Stuff
1. What is your name?
2. What is your age
3. Where were you born?
4. What color is your hair?
5. What color are your eyes?
6. What physical characteristics do you have?

7. Who were your parents?
8. What were their professions?
9. Where are they now?
10. How do you feel about that?

Okay, that was the warm-up.
11. What is your occupation/profession?
12. Do you like your job? Yes No
13. Why?
14. Who is your best friend?
15. Why?

16. Who is your worst enemy?
17. Why?
18. If your best friend turned against you, would you fight him? Yes No
19. Would you imprison him? Yes No
20. Would you kill him? Yes No
21. If your worst enemy sought to make peace with you, would you accept? Yes No
22. If they used the claim of peace to hurt you, but later proclaimed peace again, would you accept? Yes No
23. Why?
24. Would you do something illegal for money/power? Yes No
25. Would you do something illegal for money/power that may result in the injury/death of someone else? Yes No
26. Would you kill someone for money/power? Yes No
27. What is your fondest memory?
28. Would you help someone, for no guarantee of reward? Yes No
29. Why?
30. Do you follow a certain belief or Deity? Yes No
31. If so, what is it and why?
32. Would you kill at their/its behest? Yes No
33. What are your goals?
34. Are you attracted to the opposite sex? Yes No
35. The same sex? Yes No
36. Are you attracted to wealth? Yes No
37. Are you attracted to power? Yes No
38. Would you be angry if in a fit of boredom by the ever-present deity of this world, you were thrown into the sky and utterly obliterated just for my, his, I mean Its enjoyment? this is a inside joke amongst my group
Yes No
39. Would you kill an innocent to save the world? Yes No
40. Would you kill an non-innocent to save the world? Yes No
41. Do you believe that someone who is “bad” has less of a right to live than a “good” person?
Yes No
42. Why?
43. Would you kill a loved one to save the world? Yes No
44. If the above answer was different than number 39, Why?

45. Would you kill an innocent to save yourself? Yes No
46. Would you kill an non-innocent to save yourself? Yes No
47. Would you kill a loved one to save yourself? Yes No
48. Would you sacrifice yourself to save an innocent? Yes No
49. Would you sacrifice yourself to save an non-innocent? Yes No
50. Would you sacrifice yourself to save a loved one? Yes No
51. Would you sacrifice yourself to save the world? Yes No
52. Would you steal? Yes No
53. Would you steal, if doing so would save your life? Yes No
54. Would you steal, if doing so would save someone else’s life? Yes No
55. Is number 52 still true? Yes No
56. Do you believe in absolutes in the world? Yes No
57. Do you like shopping? Yes No
58. How about for weapons or neat items or gizmos? Yes No
59. Would you slay someone/thing for a particular item or large amount of money/treasure?
Yes No
60. Are you kind to animals? Yes No
61. Are you kind to the young and old? Yes No
62. Do you respect authority? Yes No
63. Do you respect all authority or only authority that you deem legitimate?
All Legitimate
64. How do you judge between legitimate and illegitimate authority?
65. Would you struggle to remove so-called illegitimate authority? Yes No
66. Why?
67. Would you fight a war for money/power? Yes No
68. Why?
69. Would you fight a war for your belief in what is right? Yes No
70. Which is more important to you? Money Power Love Belief
Respect Awe Cool Powers Possessions
71. Why?
72. If you were presented with the option of killing guards at the front door or sneaking past them but possibly having enemies at you back, which would you choose?
Rush the front door Sneak in the back Other
73. Why?
74. If a lock was before you that required a riddle to be solved to bypass, would you work on the riddle, or very loudly break down the door? Solve riddle Break door
75. Why?
76. If you and your group were in an environment where resources were in short supply, what would you do?
77. Same question but the supplies are almost completely gone, would you take the last of them for yourself? Yes No
78. If it was only two of you and he was gravely injured, not likely to survive long, would you take the supplies then? Yes No
79. Would you sell your soul for power? Yes No
80. Would you sell someone else’s soul for power? Yes No
81. Would you help an elderly person with some task? Yes No
82. Would you do it if there was a reward to be had? Yes No
83. Would you torture? Yes No
84. If it meant you could save somebodies life? Yes No
85. What if the only way to complete you goal is to torture someone for information?
Yes No
86. Would you betray a friend? Yes No
87. Would you betray a friend if it meant great personal gain for yourself? Yes No
88. What is you favorite activity?
89. What is you favorite pastime?
90. Are you a loner or a team-player? Loner Team Player
91. Why?
92. What is your greatest fear, and why?
93. How does someone earn your respect?
94. How does someone earn your enmity?
95. Would you say your intelligence is a strength? Yes No
96. Would you say your physical conditioning is a strength? Yes No
97. Do you hold your strengths over others heads? Yes No
98. Do you take pride in a certain, ability/skill/power, if so, what is it and why?
99. Would you feel like less of a person if that was taken from you? Yes No
100. What lengths would you go to, to get it back?
Dipteran_Legacy
06-18-06, 09:54 PM my most recent character is technically still a work in progress. I wrote his background almost like the beginning of a story-or, more accurately, pieces of a story, of which there is still much more to be told. I still occasionally write in bits and pieces.(youcan check out what I have so far here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=601080) if you like.
;)

but from a DM standpoint, I may just have to steal scaledwing's little questionairre there....
:D
Taeldrin Laesrash
06-18-06, 10:02 PM I get the feeling that one or 1-1/2 pages would give plenty of detail, but stop from dragging anything out.
Hazkali
06-20-06, 03:36 PM I think it depends on your tastes, and your DM. I DM a campaign and I say that my players have to know at least where they came from and a bit about their history, but I don't push them into making too much canon. One of my players has made a whole family tree, another has written a couple of prargraphs, and another has got a general idea.

A note on the player with the full back history- he's actually retiring the character becuase he found the limits on her too restirctive. He felt that becuase he knows her so well that he there is nothing left to explore. I disagree, but i'm letting him retire her anyway.
Meek
06-20-06, 04:15 PM My first character backstory was 16 pages (for a Level 3 character!) detailing his childhood, how he became a wizard, his family ties, any enemies he's made, any organizations he's against, his entire philosophy on life and motivation, why he adventures, his thoughts on alignment, etc.

Currently, I've tried to do less and less, until I find a good balance of necessary information and flavor. My latest has been 5 pages, along with two more extra paragraphs detailing her physical appearance, attire, and another paragraph detailing a daily routine she imposes on herself, though it'll make for funny moments when her adventuring conflicts with her strict and orderly life :D
General_Ridley
06-20-06, 08:53 PM I write down the basics, come up with some more random stuff to throw in that looks good (and just adds some depth, like my changeling who whittles little figurines of everything he sees), and ad lib some more when it actually becomes game time.
xero1000
06-20-06, 11:41 PM The amount of backstory really depends on how much you want to put. If you have a huge backstory that's really cool, go for it. However, for more complex stories involving alliances, enemies, and friends, you should definatly run the stuff past your DM, so A) he can understand your story and know that you really are friends with that person and your not just making that up because it's convineant, and B) so, if he decides to, can work your backstory into the plot in an interesting fashion. (For example, if you have your script saying that you were a former soldier of a queen and was extremely devout to her, but you left to adventure for a while. The DM might twist the story so that an option is to oppose/fight against the said queen for some evil she did, causing your charector to have to decide whether to remain faithful to the queen or help your friends.)

On the other hand, you canhave no more than what's on the charector sheet. It's up you you, but having a story that brings you to where you are currently adds richness to not just our charector, but the game itself.
MonkeyPaladin
06-22-06, 02:09 PM I think you ought to figure out a basic concept of how they grew up, and how they became an adventurer. Maybe a couple plot hooks in there. It depends, some guys write these huge background, and then it's like, how did he do all this and only be first level? Of course, the opposite applies as well, high level characters need some explanation as to how they got there.

I did the long background thing before, but I think it's counterproductive. You want the DM to pick out some relevant information and use it. He's not going to sift through a hundred pages to do that.
black dragon karameikos
07-06-06, 09:06 PM I think Charles, it really depends on the level of the character, I have a level 55 noble warrior and I have detailed him from the time he was born until, recently.
I think a 1st-Level character should at least have a history that tells the DM where he/she was born, who the parents are, and if the character has any siblings and how many.
I myself, would want to know if the character has any friends or enemies.

If you would like to see the detail I went into for my character leave a post here and I will post it. :)
Harrow Blade
07-06-06, 11:49 PM The amount of background a character has is up to the individual and in my experience varies from character to character.
I have writen large backgrounds for some of my characters and found that it has really helped when it comes time to play them as I have spent time developing how they think, act and feel. Mostly the length has come from the fact I get carried away with the story that the character creates. One example of this can be found here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=394824) . The character was a low level half-drow Warlock but the story that was drawn to her caught me.
At the other end of the scale I sometimes like to start with an image and let the character develop through the game.
In my personal experience at least some form of background or back story will help when you start the game. At times Dm's will take details from your history and weave them into the game, that can be a lot of fun.

There is a link in my sig that has questions that can help give some direction to a background and has examples attached

Hope this helps.
Zarndelius
07-07-06, 09:55 AM 90% of the Time, I play the DM. When players create a good background story for there charactor, it really helps everyone out. I'd hate to say it, but when you do have a rich background you do a lot of the DM's work. I can then easily put your history into the actual story. Just make sure if you have high connections and such to ask your DM first.

A good background isn't really dependant on its length, though I fail to see how a good one could be a paragraph or two long. Usually, I'd say at least one page. But like I said, it helps the game out a lot I think. Adds a depth, and it makes the groups games more of a group effort. I encourage it so much, I will give bonus XP to those whom have shown effort and have a good background I can play off as a DM.

A good background is also void of cliches however. Honestly, I tire of adventurers whom parents died at a young age. Try to stay away from the cliches if you can, if for anything for orginalality.
Jay_Ibero_911
07-07-06, 08:55 PM Wow...I've never even actually WRITTEN DOWN a character background, but if I were, most of my characters would probably have only a few paragraphs about them before actual play begins. I prefer a character to develop over the course of play.
Eidolon Faer
07-08-06, 02:17 PM I don't know if I'd give a hard-and-fast rule.

I've worked with questionnaires similar to the one posted above, it's a good exercise to help you develop a feel for the process. But I've moved away from it as I felt the full list was no longer particularly needed. Not all the questions are going to be relevant or interesting for every character.

Also, some characters work better with a minimalist background. Some campaigns, too. As an example, consider the Mad Max movies. We have the backdrop of the end of the world, we have the Man With No Name as a main character, and all we ever see is a little snippet of a wife and child being cut down by roving gangs.

Other characters require quite a bit of exposition. I've seen binders of art, short stories, and obsessive chronology done up that were of publishable quality, and the character and campaign warranted it.

Most fall somewhere in the middle.

Also, it tends to depend on your DM's preferences. Some DM's LOATHE detailed backstories, as it limites their ability to improvise. They want two or three plot hooks to work with, a thumbnail of the character's appearance and outlook, and that's it. If every minute from birth to campaign start is written down somewhere, they have a hard time dropping a surprise visit from a long-lost relative on you.

Others like lots of detail because it does their work for them.

Also, it depends on how many PC's are in your group. If you have two players and a DM, you'll generally want a more-detailed background than something where you have eight or nine players at the table and one DM. For Living Greyhawk, "Born, grew up, became an adventurer" might be too much detail, since you'll rarely adventure with the same group twice.
Piggyfreak6
07-08-06, 10:14 PM I ususally just make up my name, and one tragic thing that happened to me that made my character they way he acts. Like, my rouge character, Hapaw Shadowblood, he lived in a small dusty town of Dartnell, with his brother, Leywin, when Leywin met Stira, who stole him away. He left with her to a bigger city, and said he would come back to me when he got enough money, but it's been 2 years and he hasn't come back.
Pan_Ai_Khan
07-13-06, 08:51 AM I'm not one for huge backgrounds.
I tend to get the basics down (a little about family, physical description, likes and dislikes) and then write one or two defining moments, such as the reason my player is lifelong friends with someone, or has a vendetta against someone/something.

Too long, and no-one wants to read it, so you have to explain every time you 'roleplay' yourself into a disadvantage. Plus, if the DM doesn't want to wade through it, you won't be commended for 'staying in character'.
Vermillion_Ruse
07-23-06, 07:57 AM Well, I won't pretend this is any defining answer....

I'm having a blast in a campaign right now that is heavily based on narrative and roleplay.

What I did, that has been working very well, is about two single spaced 12 pt. pages of background. The DM already had his overall story arc and he started working all our backgrounds into the plot. Then I started working his details into my charcters extended past, present, and future. Outside the game, I've been writing, and writing, and writing.

The point is, it's been a collborative process of discovery and storytelling that's much richer than if I'd tried to come up with a gigantically evolved backstory from my navel. It's a process of discovery with every game... like Michelangelo (?) finding the statue in the block of marble.

And very fun! :)
Sergikins
07-23-06, 09:36 AM A good background is also void of cliches however. Honestly, I tire of adventurers whom parents died at a young age. Try to stay away from the cliches if you can, if for anything for orginalality.

haha, the one LARP i go to, more that 75% of all the people there have hailed from burned down villages or have dead parents

Honestly folks, having a normal character is alot of fun too. for example, having a family IS a good thing. don't just kill them.

yeah, having a family is a weakness that you need to watch. but your characters, as strong as they are, are not invincible. if the villian threatens your family, it just makes a more powerful story.

infact, next character i make is giong to have an entire family alive. my current character.... i never actually went into his family, mainly because i technically didn't have parents...(elves in his campaign just kind of randomly appeared or something). I think they are dead though because I'm 204, they were human.... yeah
Devlonir
07-23-06, 12:27 PM I usually write my Backgrounds containing this:

1/ Area of Birth
2/ Description of family
3/ fate of family
4/ important events in life (detail these, especially if they create a still surviving antagonist or some other character hook for the DM)
5/ Dark Secrets he keeps for himself
6/ Character Quirks
7/ Reason to become an adventurer
8/ Relation to current party

If you work these things out a bit, you get 1,5 page quickly, and i normally think that is enough.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Charles Phipps 06-18-06, 06:28 PM	How much do you usually write up?
scaledwingofsmog 06-18-06, 06:57 PM	this is normally what i go though but it might seem execive to some Character Defining Questions The Simple Stuff 1. What is your name? 2. What is your age 3. Where were you born? 4. What color is your hair? 5. What color are your eyes? 6. What physical characteristics do you have? 7. Who were your parents? 8. What were their professions? 9. Where are they now? 10. How do you feel about that? Okay, that was the warm-up. 11. What is your occupation/profession? 12. Do you like your job? Yes No 13. Why? 14. Who is your best friend? 15. Why? 16. Who is your worst enemy? 17. Why? 18. If your best friend turned against you, would you fight him? Yes No 19. Would you imprison him? Yes No 20. Would you kill him? Yes No 21. If your worst enemy sought to make peace with you, would you accept? Yes No 22. If they used the claim of peace to hurt you, but later proclaimed peace again, would you accept? Yes No 23. Why? 24. Would you do something illegal for money/power? Yes No 25. Would you do something illegal for money/power that may result in the injury/death of someone else? Yes No 26. Would you kill someone for money/power? Yes No 27. What is your fondest memory? 28. Would you help someone, for no guarantee of reward? Yes No 29. Why? 30. Do you follow a certain belief or Deity? Yes No 31. If so, what is it and why? 32. Would you kill at their/its behest? Yes No 33. What are your goals? 34. Are you attracted to the opposite sex? Yes No 35. The same sex? Yes No 36. Are you attracted to wealth? Yes No 37. Are you attracted to power? Yes No 38. Would you be angry if in a fit of boredom by the ever-present deity of this world, you were thrown into the sky and utterly obliterated just for my, his, I mean Its enjoyment? this is a inside joke amongst my group Yes No 39. Would you kill an innocent to save the world? Yes No 40. Would you kill an non-innocent to save the world? Yes No 41. Do you believe that someone who is “bad” has less of a right to live than a “good” person? Yes No 42. Why? 43. Would you kill a loved one to save the world? Yes No 44. If the above answer was different than number 39, Why? 45. Would you kill an innocent to save yourself? Yes No 46. Would you kill an non-innocent to save yourself? Yes No 47. Would you kill a loved one to save yourself? Yes No 48. Would you sacrifice yourself to save an innocent? Yes No 49. Would you sacrifice yourself to save an non-innocent? Yes No 50. Would you sacrifice yourself to save a loved one? Yes No 51. Would you sacrifice yourself to save the world? Yes No 52. Would you steal? Yes No 53. Would you steal, if doing so would save your life? Yes No 54. Would you steal, if doing so would save someone else’s life? Yes No 55. Is number 52 still true? Yes No 56. Do you believe in absolutes in the world? Yes No 57. Do you like shopping? Yes No 58. How about for weapons or neat items or gizmos? Yes No 59. Would you slay someone/thing for a particular item or large amount of money/treasure? Yes No 60. Are you kind to animals? Yes No 61. Are you kind to the young and old? Yes No 62. Do you respect authority? Yes No 63. Do you respect all authority or only authority that you deem legitimate? All Legitimate 64. How do you judge between legitimate and illegitimate authority? 65. Would you struggle to remove so-called illegitimate authority? Yes No 66. Why? 67. Would you fight a war for money/power? Yes No 68. Why? 69. Would you fight a war for your belief in what is right? Yes No 70. Which is more important to you? Money Power Love Belief Respect Awe Cool Powers Possessions 71. Why? 72. If you were presented with the option of killing guards at the front door or sneaking past them but possibly having enemies at you back, which would you choose? Rush the front door Sneak in the back Other 73. Why? 74. If a lock was before you that required a riddle to be solved to bypass, would you work on the riddle, or very loudly break down the door? Solve riddle Break door 75. Why? 76. If you and your group were in an environment where resources were in short supply, what would you do? 77. Same question but the supplies are almost completely gone, would you take the last of them for yourself? Yes No 78. If it was only two of you and he was gravely injured, not likely to survive long, would you take the supplies then? Yes No 79. Would you sell your soul for power? Yes No 80. Would you sell someone else’s soul for power? Yes No 81. Would you help an elderly person with some task? Yes No 82. Would you do it if there was a reward to be had? Yes No 83. Would you torture? Yes No 84. If it meant you could save somebodies life? Yes No 85. What if the only way to complete you goal is to torture someone for information? Yes No 86. Would you betray a friend? Yes No 87. Would you betray a friend if it meant great personal gain for yourself? Yes No 88. What is you favorite activity? 89. What is you favorite pastime? 90. Are you a loner or a team-player? Loner Team Player 91. Why? 92. What is your greatest fear, and why? 93. How does someone earn your respect? 94. How does someone earn your enmity? 95. Would you say your intelligence is a strength? Yes No 96. Would you say your physical conditioning is a strength? Yes No 97. Do you hold your strengths over others heads? Yes No 98. Do you take pride in a certain, ability/skill/power, if so, what is it and why? 99. Would you feel like less of a person if that was taken from you? Yes No 100. What lengths would you go to, to get it back?
Dipteran_Legacy 06-18-06, 09:54 PM	my most recent character is technically still a work in progress. I wrote his background almost like the beginning of a story-or, more accurately, pieces of a story, of which there is still much more to be told. I still occasionally write in bits and pieces.(youcan check out what I have so far here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=601080) if you like. ;) but from a DM standpoint, I may just have to steal scaledwing's little questionairre there.... :D
Taeldrin Laesrash 06-18-06, 10:02 PM	I get the feeling that one or 1-1/2 pages would give plenty of detail, but stop from dragging anything out.
Hazkali 06-20-06, 03:36 PM	I think it depends on your tastes, and your DM. I DM a campaign and I say that my players have to know at least where they came from and a bit about their history, but I don't push them into making too much canon. One of my players has made a whole family tree, another has written a couple of prargraphs, and another has got a general idea. A note on the player with the full back history- he's actually retiring the character becuase he found the limits on her too restirctive. He felt that becuase he knows her so well that he there is nothing left to explore. I disagree, but i'm letting him retire her anyway.
Meek 06-20-06, 04:15 PM	My first character backstory was 16 pages (for a Level 3 character!) detailing his childhood, how he became a wizard, his family ties, any enemies he's made, any organizations he's against, his entire philosophy on life and motivation, why he adventures, his thoughts on alignment, etc. Currently, I've tried to do less and less, until I find a good balance of necessary information and flavor. My latest has been 5 pages, along with two more extra paragraphs detailing her physical appearance, attire, and another paragraph detailing a daily routine she imposes on herself, though it'll make for funny moments when her adventuring conflicts with her strict and orderly life :D
General_Ridley 06-20-06, 08:53 PM	I write down the basics, come up with some more random stuff to throw in that looks good (and just adds some depth, like my changeling who whittles little figurines of everything he sees), and ad lib some more when it actually becomes game time.
xero1000 06-20-06, 11:41 PM	The amount of backstory really depends on how much you want to put. If you have a huge backstory that's really cool, go for it. However, for more complex stories involving alliances, enemies, and friends, you should definatly run the stuff past your DM, so A) he can understand your story and know that you really are friends with that person and your not just making that up because it's convineant, and B) so, if he decides to, can work your backstory into the plot in an interesting fashion. (For example, if you have your script saying that you were a former soldier of a queen and was extremely devout to her, but you left to adventure for a while. The DM might twist the story so that an option is to oppose/fight against the said queen for some evil she did, causing your charector to have to decide whether to remain faithful to the queen or help your friends.) On the other hand, you canhave no more than what's on the charector sheet. It's up you you, but having a story that brings you to where you are currently adds richness to not just our charector, but the game itself.
MonkeyPaladin 06-22-06, 02:09 PM	I think you ought to figure out a basic concept of how they grew up, and how they became an adventurer. Maybe a couple plot hooks in there. It depends, some guys write these huge background, and then it's like, how did he do all this and only be first level? Of course, the opposite applies as well, high level characters need some explanation as to how they got there. I did the long background thing before, but I think it's counterproductive. You want the DM to pick out some relevant information and use it. He's not going to sift through a hundred pages to do that.
black dragon karameikos 07-06-06, 09:06 PM	I think Charles, it really depends on the level of the character, I have a level 55 noble warrior and I have detailed him from the time he was born until, recently. I think a 1st-Level character should at least have a history that tells the DM where he/she was born, who the parents are, and if the character has any siblings and how many. I myself, would want to know if the character has any friends or enemies. If you would like to see the detail I went into for my character leave a post here and I will post it. :)
Harrow Blade 07-06-06, 11:49 PM	The amount of background a character has is up to the individual and in my experience varies from character to character. I have writen large backgrounds for some of my characters and found that it has really helped when it comes time to play them as I have spent time developing how they think, act and feel. Mostly the length has come from the fact I get carried away with the story that the character creates. One example of this can be found here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=394824) . The character was a low level half-drow Warlock but the story that was drawn to her caught me. At the other end of the scale I sometimes like to start with an image and let the character develop through the game. In my personal experience at least some form of background or back story will help when you start the game. At times Dm's will take details from your history and weave them into the game, that can be a lot of fun. There is a link in my sig that has questions that can help give some direction to a background and has examples attached Hope this helps.
Zarndelius 07-07-06, 09:55 AM	90% of the Time, I play the DM. When players create a good background story for there charactor, it really helps everyone out. I'd hate to say it, but when you do have a rich background you do a lot of the DM's work. I can then easily put your history into the actual story. Just make sure if you have high connections and such to ask your DM first. A good background isn't really dependant on its length, though I fail to see how a good one could be a paragraph or two long. Usually, I'd say at least one page. But like I said, it helps the game out a lot I think. Adds a depth, and it makes the groups games more of a group effort. I encourage it so much, I will give bonus XP to those whom have shown effort and have a good background I can play off as a DM. A good background is also void of cliches however. Honestly, I tire of adventurers whom parents died at a young age. Try to stay away from the cliches if you can, if for anything for orginalality.
Jay_Ibero_911 07-07-06, 08:55 PM	Wow...I've never even actually WRITTEN DOWN a character background, but if I were, most of my characters would probably have only a few paragraphs about them before actual play begins. I prefer a character to develop over the course of play.
Eidolon Faer 07-08-06, 02:17 PM	I don't know if I'd give a hard-and-fast rule. I've worked with questionnaires similar to the one posted above, it's a good exercise to help you develop a feel for the process. But I've moved away from it as I felt the full list was no longer particularly needed. Not all the questions are going to be relevant or interesting for every character. Also, some characters work better with a minimalist background. Some campaigns, too. As an example, consider the Mad Max movies. We have the backdrop of the end of the world, we have the Man With No Name as a main character, and all we ever see is a little snippet of a wife and child being cut down by roving gangs. Other characters require quite a bit of exposition. I've seen binders of art, short stories, and obsessive chronology done up that were of publishable quality, and the character and campaign warranted it. Most fall somewhere in the middle. Also, it tends to depend on your DM's preferences. Some DM's LOATHE detailed backstories, as it limites their ability to improvise. They want two or three plot hooks to work with, a thumbnail of the character's appearance and outlook, and that's it. If every minute from birth to campaign start is written down somewhere, they have a hard time dropping a surprise visit from a long-lost relative on you. Others like lots of detail because it does their work for them. Also, it depends on how many PC's are in your group. If you have two players and a DM, you'll generally want a more-detailed background than something where you have eight or nine players at the table and one DM. For Living Greyhawk, "Born, grew up, became an adventurer" might be too much detail, since you'll rarely adventure with the same group twice.
Piggyfreak6 07-08-06, 10:14 PM	I ususally just make up my name, and one tragic thing that happened to me that made my character they way he acts. Like, my rouge character, Hapaw Shadowblood, he lived in a small dusty town of Dartnell, with his brother, Leywin, when Leywin met Stira, who stole him away. He left with her to a bigger city, and said he would come back to me when he got enough money, but it's been 2 years and he hasn't come back.
Pan_Ai_Khan 07-13-06, 08:51 AM	I'm not one for huge backgrounds. I tend to get the basics down (a little about family, physical description, likes and dislikes) and then write one or two defining moments, such as the reason my player is lifelong friends with someone, or has a vendetta against someone/something. Too long, and no-one wants to read it, so you have to explain every time you 'roleplay' yourself into a disadvantage. Plus, if the DM doesn't want to wade through it, you won't be commended for 'staying in character'.
Vermillion_Ruse 07-23-06, 07:57 AM	Well, I won't pretend this is any defining answer.... I'm having a blast in a campaign right now that is heavily based on narrative and roleplay. What I did, that has been working very well, is about two single spaced 12 pt. pages of background. The DM already had his overall story arc and he started working all our backgrounds into the plot. Then I started working his details into my charcters extended past, present, and future. Outside the game, I've been writing, and writing, and writing. The point is, it's been a collborative process of discovery and storytelling that's much richer than if I'd tried to come up with a gigantically evolved backstory from my navel. It's a process of discovery with every game... like Michelangelo (?) finding the statue in the block of marble. And very fun! :)
Sergikins 07-23-06, 09:36 AM	A good background is also void of cliches however. Honestly, I tire of adventurers whom parents died at a young age. Try to stay away from the cliches if you can, if for anything for orginalality. haha, the one LARP i go to, more that 75% of all the people there have hailed from burned down villages or have dead parents Honestly folks, having a normal character is alot of fun too. for example, having a family IS a good thing. don't just kill them. yeah, having a family is a weakness that you need to watch. but your characters, as strong as they are, are not invincible. if the villian threatens your family, it just makes a more powerful story. infact, next character i make is giong to have an entire family alive. my current character.... i never actually went into his family, mainly because i technically didn't have parents...(elves in his campaign just kind of randomly appeared or something). I think they are dead though because I'm 204, they were human.... yeah
Devlonir 07-23-06, 12:27 PM	I usually write my Backgrounds containing this: 1/ Area of Birth 2/ Description of family 3/ fate of family 4/ important events in life (detail these, especially if they create a still surviving antagonist or some other character hook for the DM) 5/ Dark Secrets he keeps for himself 6/ Character Quirks 7/ Reason to become an adventurer 8/ Relation to current party If you work these things out a bit, you get 1,5 page quickly, and i normally think that is enough.