Background for Fun and PCs
- KL Forslund
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
How much background or backstory do you really need to play your first D&D session with a new character? I bet it could be none for some players. Personally, I’ve gone with an idea in my head that amounts to a sentence and a half. I’ve certainly heard of players showing up with ten pages of written backstory, and then ironically, never comes up in the campaign, worse, the PC dies in the first game. Ouch. However you approach it, at some point, you might want to define your character’s backstory. Here’s how I think about it.
A Start that Fits
I have seen players show up with PCs from noble families claiming to have access to better stuff. Clearly the opposite of the starting money and equipment. Your first goal is to come up with something that aligns with your DM’s setting, and the actual character you created. The less you know about the setting, the more vague you might want to be. And ironically, the more particular your DM setting seems to be, the more you should plan on that. If the game is a nautical setting about serving in the human navy (a campaign I ran), the more you should make a human who serves in the navy and thus has a background that would support that.
Basically, find the right level of unusual or not that works for the group you are playing in. I try to come up with something simple that explains my class and why I’m out adventuring, or at least about to be embroiled in adventure. Like out to prove myself to parent’s, society, or just earn a living. Thereby accommodating any previous income level while now only having a sword by my side and the few coins in my pouch.
How About Not An Orphan
Just like Disney cartoons, a popular character origin is orphan. With no family, there’s no leverage for the DM. But even that character has a past, had parents, maybe even more. More importantly, why I urge players to try not doing an orphan, is it doesn’t lead to personalized story telling as well. If you have a parent, they could become sick, and now you get a quest to find the cure. If you view family as leverage to be used against you, while certainly true, this is a game about telling stories, why would you resist that?
It’s up to you.
Where to Start
I’ve played in plenty of campaigns where I haven’t seen the map, gotten a description of the deities, or have any idea of what to expect when the game starts. DMs like that tend to be looser with allowing players to invent a few details like places or temples to fill in the spaces they probably haven’t invented yet. That can be fun, but keep the details light until you get a feel for the dungeon master’s style preferences.
With all that said, let’s say you’ve played the first session or two, and would like to fill in the many gray areas about your character’s past, which probably won’t be grandiose given that you’re first level, but still might feature heartache and a broken limb.
Who are your parents and siblings?
Dead or alive, your parents made you. Who are they? What do they do for a living? It’s alright if they weren’t adventurers, most folks aren’t adventurers. Were they supportive of your decision? You might also consider adoptive or found family if you went the orphan route.
How did you get your class skills?
Nobody wakes up slinging magic missiles or getting +5 to-hit with a sword. Where did you learn this? A school? A mentor? The mean streets? As my sensei told me, “Nobody does it alone.” Which means somebody taught you, and you may even have learned alongside a peer. That’s at least two NPC names to invent.
Where do you hail from, who are your people?
Whether a city, town, village, or cabin in the woods, you come from somewhere and the people there know you. That’s how places work. What do they think of your career choice? Does anybody stand out as having a specific feeling about you (like Farmer Baub, who thinks you stole his prize winning turnip)?
What do you want?
You left home for a reason. Hopefully for something that won’t require you to resolve it right away if the DM had no clue about this before. Maybe you want power, so you can change things back home, or prove yourself. Choosing something more nebulous will usually fit with whatever the DM already planned out, but here’s a shocker, you can talk to your DM.
Who would miss you?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character start with a significant other, or specific person who would be heartbroken if they died. But much like Samwise pining over Rosie, this could be interesting. It doesn’t even have to be romantic. What if your PC grew up close to their grandma, hearing her stories of adventuring. She might understand your desire to see the world like she had, but still feel heartsick if what she passed on led to your demise. Awww…
Wrap it Up
As a writer, I’ve got whole questionnaires I can fill out to flesh out a character. Or I can go with a basic sense of the character and go with it. I don’t think it pays to over think this, but I picked these questions because they lead to interesting things your dungeon master might pick up, but also, inform you a little bit about your character to make them different from yourself.
Personally, I find that last bit important. I’m not saying you need to go Method Acting to play Dungeons and Dragons, but it can be fun to try wearing your character’s life for a while, and that means knowing something about them, even if you never tell anyone else. I picked these questions because they are tangible aspects that should exist for your character. Unless your planet was destroyed, someone can go there, meet these people, and confirm you exist. Or kidnap them to incite the next adventure.
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