Character Background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character Background [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Zyklon
07-18-06, 08:31 AM How detailed Character background you usually want your players to write? What are those things you want to find from that? Im soon starting a new campaign and would like to add more details to characters background.
Now i have thingls like:
Long term Goals for life
where did he came
why he started to adventure
What does he like/dislike

But i really would like them to write more, what points would be good to know about character. These can be even small ones. Just throw your ideas.
Stumm_Dolch
07-18-06, 08:41 AM If they are so inclined I'll let em go crazy with all the character background they can come up with. I'll read a novel they write if it's interesting enough.
WayneTheGame
07-18-06, 08:42 AM Short answer: As much as you need to roleplay the character.

Long(er) answer: As a player, I write enough to give the DM a decent background on my character (typically one page) to place him in the world, and enough potential plot hooks (usually 3-5) that he can use for the future. If I have any PrCs or goals in mind I let him know this as well so he can work them into the campaign. I usually don't go overboard however. With my most recent character (I'm still working on him), I gave the DM an outline explaining the concept and a bit of flavor text summing the character up; I also gave a few personality traits that I think would work out.
Zyklon
07-18-06, 08:44 AM Ah, but these little points might inspire my players to write even better background. It can be helpful to develope your character background when you have kind of list of things that could be good to keep in mind when writing background.
SokenzanMarauder
07-18-06, 08:49 AM For my non-online games generally a paragraph-ish depending on the player.

As for my online games, I generally require something longer. Like this:

Background:
Born and raised in the slums of Waterdeep Myrius is far from the standard Gnome. Where most of his kind find technology interesting, Myrius was always fond of watching the birds fly through the sky and squirrels chittering over their next meal. Even though he has never been particularly wealthy Marius always managed to bring in enough food to keep himself fed and even though he found himself sleeping outside more than not he never complained. A few years ago he took up the call of a ranger and has been travelling since. His travels have carried him far south to the region of Tethyr. He stayed in Murann for a time but found its inhabitants far to talkative and dour for his tastes so he traveled west and eventually came upon the happy, alibet well defended and some say haunted, village of Velen where he resides now.

Appearance:
Standing at only three-foot five Myrius is hard to take seriously, however his striking green eyes often allow him to get, and keep, someones attention. Unlike most gnomes his nose is strangely small and he is totally devoid of appearant body hair. He claims both are due to an accident during his childhood.

Personality:
Quiet by Gnome standards, Marius prefers to keep to himself unless neccesary due to this he is more at home with animals than he is with people, but he makes due. He has always been small, even by his races standards, because of this he almost always fights with the underdog and enjoys fighting for those that cannot defend themselves.

That's only for my online games though because the players generally have more time to think their characters over and give me a good description of them.

-Gene
Radijs
07-18-06, 09:12 AM With the exception of one player I don't set any criteria from the characters they play.
From that one player I want a Biography, A set of values (both things he values and a code of honor if he has any) and some goals (life, long term(5-10 years) and short term(between now and three months).)
illiterate
07-18-06, 09:20 AM I once had a player show me a genealogy. I married her.

Honest. :love:
Zyklon
07-18-06, 09:22 AM I once had a player show me a genealogy. I married her.

Honest.

You just dont want to admit it :)
razorboy
07-18-06, 10:51 AM One of my players typically provides a 6-10 page background, full personality, phobias, likes/dislikes, and quite a lot of openings for adventure hooks, and it's all a blast to read. Once the game starts however, the character is played like almost nothing that the background would suggest. She has fun writing it, I have fun reading it, but the character turns out to be bland or different in actual play.

So therefore when I ask players to provide backgrounds, my main criteria are:
1) Write a background for a character that you would like to play and have fun playing. Don't write a background for a character in a novel you're writing, but which you will have no fun or interest playing for more than one session.
2) Background should be somewhat vague. Don't provide absolutely everything about your character, and his family and his friends and his contacts and the names of all the pet goldfish he's ever had. Leave me some freedom as a DM to insert stuff in your background to help bring the party together and help the campaign.
3) Provide motivations. Motivations are key in adventuring. No one just picks up a sword or a spellbook and decides "today I think I'll go down to that dungeon over there and kill some monsters." Accumulating wealth is fine, but it's rarely an end goal in itself. There's usually some purpose to accumulation of wealth.
4) Don't write a background that will handicap your character. That goes with making a character that's unplayable. If you know that dark elves are killed on sight in a city where you'll be playing - don't make a dark elf. Similarly, if according to the background the character has a huge grudge against all spell-casters and the rest of the party are all wizards and clerics, you gotta rewrite the background or else the party will never work together.

And above all - if your players just want hack'n'slash - a background is completely optional. :) Don't make them do extra work in that case, and just get on with the monster slaying and loot grabbing.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zyklon 07-18-06, 08:31 AM	How detailed Character background you usually want your players to write? What are those things you want to find from that? Im soon starting a new campaign and would like to add more details to characters background. Now i have thingls like: Long term Goals for life where did he came why he started to adventure What does he like/dislike But i really would like them to write more, what points would be good to know about character. These can be even small ones. Just throw your ideas.
Stumm_Dolch 07-18-06, 08:41 AM	If they are so inclined I'll let em go crazy with all the character background they can come up with. I'll read a novel they write if it's interesting enough.
WayneTheGame 07-18-06, 08:42 AM	Short answer: As much as you need to roleplay the character. Long(er) answer: As a player, I write enough to give the DM a decent background on my character (typically one page) to place him in the world, and enough potential plot hooks (usually 3-5) that he can use for the future. If I have any PrCs or goals in mind I let him know this as well so he can work them into the campaign. I usually don't go overboard however. With my most recent character (I'm still working on him), I gave the DM an outline explaining the concept and a bit of flavor text summing the character up; I also gave a few personality traits that I think would work out.
Zyklon 07-18-06, 08:44 AM	Ah, but these little points might inspire my players to write even better background. It can be helpful to develope your character background when you have kind of list of things that could be good to keep in mind when writing background.
SokenzanMarauder 07-18-06, 08:49 AM	For my non-online games generally a paragraph-ish depending on the player. As for my online games, I generally require something longer. Like this: Background: Born and raised in the slums of Waterdeep Myrius is far from the standard Gnome. Where most of his kind find technology interesting, Myrius was always fond of watching the birds fly through the sky and squirrels chittering over their next meal. Even though he has never been particularly wealthy Marius always managed to bring in enough food to keep himself fed and even though he found himself sleeping outside more than not he never complained. A few years ago he took up the call of a ranger and has been travelling since. His travels have carried him far south to the region of Tethyr. He stayed in Murann for a time but found its inhabitants far to talkative and dour for his tastes so he traveled west and eventually came upon the happy, alibet well defended and some say haunted, village of Velen where he resides now. Appearance: Standing at only three-foot five Myrius is hard to take seriously, however his striking green eyes often allow him to get, and keep, someones attention. Unlike most gnomes his nose is strangely small and he is totally devoid of appearant body hair. He claims both are due to an accident during his childhood. Personality: Quiet by Gnome standards, Marius prefers to keep to himself unless neccesary due to this he is more at home with animals than he is with people, but he makes due. He has always been small, even by his races standards, because of this he almost always fights with the underdog and enjoys fighting for those that cannot defend themselves. That's only for my online games though because the players generally have more time to think their characters over and give me a good description of them. -Gene
Radijs 07-18-06, 09:12 AM	With the exception of one player I don't set any criteria from the characters they play. From that one player I want a Biography, A set of values (both things he values and a code of honor if he has any) and some goals (life, long term(5-10 years) and short term(between now and three months).)
illiterate 07-18-06, 09:20 AM	I once had a player show me a genealogy. I married her. Honest. :love:
Zyklon 07-18-06, 09:22 AM	I once had a player show me a genealogy. I married her. Honest. You just dont want to admit it :)
razorboy 07-18-06, 10:51 AM	One of my players typically provides a 6-10 page background, full personality, phobias, likes/dislikes, and quite a lot of openings for adventure hooks, and it's all a blast to read. Once the game starts however, the character is played like almost nothing that the background would suggest. She has fun writing it, I have fun reading it, but the character turns out to be bland or different in actual play. So therefore when I ask players to provide backgrounds, my main criteria are: 1) Write a background for a character that you would like to play and have fun playing. Don't write a background for a character in a novel you're writing, but which you will have no fun or interest playing for more than one session. 2) Background should be somewhat vague. Don't provide absolutely everything about your character, and his family and his friends and his contacts and the names of all the pet goldfish he's ever had. Leave me some freedom as a DM to insert stuff in your background to help bring the party together and help the campaign. 3) Provide motivations. Motivations are key in adventuring. No one just picks up a sword or a spellbook and decides "today I think I'll go down to that dungeon over there and kill some monsters." Accumulating wealth is fine, but it's rarely an end goal in itself. There's usually some purpose to accumulation of wealth. 4) Don't write a background that will handicap your character. That goes with making a character that's unplayable. If you know that dark elves are killed on sight in a city where you'll be playing - don't make a dark elf. Similarly, if according to the background the character has a huge grudge against all spell-casters and the rest of the party are all wizards and clerics, you gotta rewrite the background or else the party will never work together. And above all - if your players just want hack'n'slash - a background is completely optional. :) Don't make them do extra work in that case, and just get on with the monster slaying and loot grabbing.