Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gurullamen 12-24-05, 04:08 PM	For a while now, my character's have been well rounded out, with one exception- they never seem to have any direction in their lives. They're just kind of there, along for the ride. I just seem to have problems with giving my PCs a reason to be. I refuse to pick something as easy as money or power, because they are not ends unto themselves, merely the means to ends. So, in short, I'd like to know what are some good reasons to go adventuring instead of just cultivating a home life in a nice village or town? Why would anyone ever leave loved ones/familiar faces/places/etc.? Why risk your neck?
Deadlion 12-24-05, 06:32 PM	I'm not so sure you're right. I think wanting money and/or riches for their own sake could well be a motivating factor. As long as your character is greedy or power-hungry enough, there's no reason they couldn't want simply to have money and/or power, without ever using it. On the other hand, if that's not what you're after, there are any number of reasons for characters to go adventuring. Religion can influence people in very strange ways, and for the more pious characters (even those who aren't Paladins or Clerics) they may simply adventure because "God said so". Revenge is also a powerful motivator, or your character could simply feel an urge to go out and do battle with those who threaten society, in a completely selfless, almost Paladin-esque, way. You should also consider the less honourable reasons for adventuring. Racism (or should that be speciesism?), greed (as already mentioned) or a simple need to escape from the life they used to lead could easily give a character reason to adventure. And besides these scant few of the simpler reasons I've mentioned, there are a million more complex motivations... Hope I helped, at least a little :P
Eidolon Faer 12-24-05, 10:23 PM	The easiest way is to think about "what the character never had." If he's from a poor but loving family, maybe his goal is to "make good." Perhaps to buy his brothers and parents out of poverty and serfdom. Perhaps to prove to himself that he's better than his humble origins. Perhaps to "show them" how worthy he is. If he's a rich aristocrat by birth, perhaps freedom, a taste of a life unconstrained by social expectations, and the option to make his own future instead of having it made for him have a certain appeal. After all, he's already HAD money, and he's over it. Typically, characters with an orphan background in fiction have family as at least one layer of their motivation: either to find one that was lost, to avenge one that was taken away, or to create their own "family" on their own terms. Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Silver_Fox 12-25-05, 03:41 AM	I could be a matter of personal choice that he/she wants to be an adveturer, just for the thrill of it, or to see the world, or to live like the fabled heroes he/she heard about as a child. Fame can also be a strong motivationg factor.(again, like the fabled heroes)