Inspired by this thread (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/118414-how-do-you-make-boring-backstories-and-characters), let’s see your Three-Sentence Backstory.

As a DM, all I ask for is: something about your home life; single significant event (good or bad) from your past; and most importantly, why you decided to become an adventurer. Here were a few I whipped up in there 👆, just to get things started:

My father and my father’s father were both Bladesingers. But I was orphaned during the war when I was too young to remember and raised by my Aunt May. Now I have left to follow the family tradition.

I was the third son of a third son, raised by two loving parents. My father was a Bladesinger, as was his father before him. Now I follow in their footsteps as a Bladesinger myself, and have left home to seek fame and fortune.

I was the third child of loving parents, my mother was a Bladesinger, as was her mother. My mother died in battle, and my father and two older siblings went missing, after the battle, I know not where. My grandmother raised me to be strong like my mother was, and now I too have taken up the mantle of Bladesinger and have set out to make my own way in the world.

(Three variations on a theme.)

I was raised by my single mom. I watched her struggle to feed me and my brother. Now I am an adventurer to get rich and take care of my hardworking mom.

(That’s Johnny Dangerously’s backstory.)

What’s your three sentence backstory?

As a child, I should have drowned after five hours under the ice. My family saw my survival as a gift from the Morrigan, so I became an acolyte in her service. Many years later, I’m an adventuring cleric, still convinced I survived for a reason.

I was a dutiful wife and mother. It's just there's so much I want to do with this life and it feels that I haven't done any of it. You know, the sand is running out of the hourglass, and I want to look back and say, ‘see, I did that, that was me, I was reckless and I was wild, and I ******* did it.’

Born and bred of a royal line, trained from an early age to rule by might and law. Scoundrels come in all shapes and sizes, they cannot think I will tolerate them in MY realm. Death awaits those who overstep their place.

The other goblins left me behind on a raid. Is it my fault I got distracted by these art supplies I found? Well, anyway, it's been a little hard to sell my works lately, so I'm a little strapped for cash.

My rival and I are both destined to lead the tribe. Problem is, the tribe got wiped out while the two of us competed for dominance. But the ghosts say if I can manage to rebuild it faster than she can manage to get revenge on the killers, I'll win, so naturally I've taken up the Bard life.

(Here are a couple that didn't quite work. They didn't really affect the "now," and they didn't really give me a strong enough image of how the characters will handle various scenarios I found myself in. Maybe you can deduce some reason why. I cannot. I thought they were pretty good. And the characters were/are fun to play. The backstories just aren't as fertile as they could be.)

Growing up among those guardians of the dark depths, my only joy came from sunken tales of heroic knights. So when I got a chance to visit the surface world, I was overjoyed! I have all the expertise I need to fit in, but so far I've only encountered weird fringe places where people don't know the codes of chivalry.

I got myself into some dangerous fights as a young farmhand. When a travelling priest came to town, I realized I could make myself useful at the temple as a healer instead. But lately, some monster's forced us to evacuate the temple, and it looks like I'm going to have to learn how to fight again.

An idea for a bard I still hope to play eventually: As young halfling, Curio found a vuvuzela and it was love at first honk. Despite learning how to play most of a scale on this usually monotone instrument, he was ultimately chased away from his village. Curio has set out on his sudden, impromptu travels determined to find a maestro that will help him truly master his beloved instrument.

"I was raised to be a peerless samurai warrior, armed and trained to strike down the unspeakable evil unleashed on our lands.  But before the final blow was struck, the fiend tore open a portal in time and flung me into the future, where his evil is law.  Now I seek to return to the past and undo the evil that is Aku." 

I was born a tiefling to human parents, and my tribe considered me the chosen one, naming me Salvation for what they thought I would bring them. Days before the completion of my training, a new tiefling was born, named Retribution, and my future was snatched from me, so I stole the sacred Oakhammer and set out to fulfil it anyway. Everything went wrong after that.

I woke up, realised how boring my life was and was smitten by wanderlust. I sold everything brought some supplies and left to see what was around the corner, over the hill and beyond the horizon.

I was a noble girl cast out and replaced by an imposter. Taken in by a master thief who taught me how to thrive int he shadows. Now I'm on my own, to learn about my enemies, and one day reclaim what is mine. 

Grew up in a bustlin port town getting into trouble. Eventually graduated from ne'erdowell to full fledged pirate. Then our ship was sunk, and I made a deal with a kracken to survive. 

I'm a half elf who grew up isolated from the elven side of my heritage, trying a little too hard to connect to it. Eventually sought out the wood elf side of my family and earned my place among them. When my sister vanished into the feywild, I set out on a journey to find a way to save her. 

I was raised by a traveling circus troupe and became their star performer. Through the loss of the one I loved I discovered that the people I thought of as family were in fact my captors. I decided to escape through any means necessary and am now on the run from the only home I've known with no destination in sight.

Just to see if I could boil them down, here are the three characters I'm currently playing:

The eldest child and only son of a powerful and corrupt magistrate, I led a very privileged life. I was mostly raised by my nanny however, and unbeknownst to me, she may have secretly been a hag who owed my father a debt. When dad was finally brought low and the mob came for him, she spirited me out of town and told me I was on my own from there, with only my sword skills (and the strange runes she'd taught me) to keep me safe.

---

When my family and whole village were wiped out in a freak magical incident, I was left alone in the wilderness as a young boy. Taken in and raised by a pack of wolves, I was eventually found by a traveling carnival, who taught me how to talk and act somewhat like a person... and how to be a thief. Now magic is getting dangerous again, and I'm looking to help stop it from hurting anyone else while also hunting for a new pack.

---

Perhaps because me and my parents lived far from civilization near the site of an ancient battle in the Thousand Years War, I was always more interested in the distant past than the present. I once vanished into the mountains for three days only to come back speaking fluent Giantish. After spending some time at Candlekeep learning to be both wizard and archaeologist, I hit the road to explore old ruins and try to re-discover knowledge which has long been lost.

My master, Karsus the Bloody, has transformed me into a Changeling to serve his will. I fell in battle and sought out his aid, so he transformed me into his herald (Hexblade Warlock). I shall use the powers that he has granted me and my own wit to accomplish his will (restoring Netheril and ascending to godhood). 

My village keeps the lighthouse burning to guide the ships at sea to safety.

I've often wondered who the people on those ships are, and where they're going.

So I decided to go find out. 

Lord Kristane Stolward, the spoiled son of a noble, had a near-death experience and was revived by a cleric. Thinking he actually died and was returned through dark magic, he now believes he is a death knight and goes by the name Lord Edgegod. Spoiler alert: The smell isn't the 'rotting flesh' of his returned corpse -- he just needs a bath.

(Inspired by Lord Edgegod from Slack Wyrm comic)

Arcane in the streets, freak in the sheets. "Magic Missile" Mike got his start as a local...performer, before finding his way into the arcane arts. Now he casts magic missle with pelvic thrusts. 

Quote from Yurei1453 >>

"I was raised to be a peerless samurai warrior, armed and trained to strike down the unspeakable evil unleashed on our lands.  But before the final blow was struck, the fiend tore open a portal in time and flung me into the future, where his evil is law.  Now I seek to return to the past and undo the evil that is Aku." 

 Nice.

1. A half orc was given an ancient sword of kings by The Lady in the Lake.

The problem was that he wasn’t a king.

She gave it to him because she was bored.

2. A goblin saved an elf from a bad situation.

Together they traveled on adventures.

The goblin could not save the elf a second time.

3. The half-elf worked as a janitor in a wizard’s tower.

One night, he saw something he shouldn’t have.

He fled for his life, with the spell book in tow.

My parents, both adventurers of no small skill, always held me back as they didn't want me to live their lives. They tragically survived when our city was besieged. I plan on fixing that.

Born into a hardworking farming family, it was terrifying when the wizened old crone came and told my family that I had a gift and that she wanted to take me on as her apprentice. My parents agreed as they thought it would be the best opportunity for me to have a better life. After a decade of training my apprenticeship is at an end, and now I have set out to find my way back home… wherever that is….