i'm trying to create a story arc for one of my pcs and im drawing a blank. just started my first campaign as a DM. All i know is she was kidnapped by ppl but escaped. looking for a bigger, more involved story to build off of. HELP!! thnx
As a DM who loves player stories, involve her, is the kidnap idea one of hers, or is this all you?
My player stories are collaborative I will give you an example from my most recent campaign.
Warforged was discovered by dwarves mining, he was buried in the rock of the mountain in a pocket, deactivated with the decomposed remains of some humanoid. Dwarves found him and "reactivated him" but his memories from before being turned off have vanished. Now I have sketched out why he was there, who created him and why, at the moment I will say is that this is a few bullet points on the piece of paper and even though we are 20 sessions in I am still fleshing it out, giving the character glimpses.
Now everything that has happened to him since being reactivated, that is all written by the player, he has come up with about 10 years of history for himself, people who disliked him, his former forge master, who retaed him like property until he died, the forge masters brother and son who might come seeking him claiming him as property, the benifit of this is that he is bought in entirely to his characters motivations, thinking and how he reacts to things like, seeing people in slavery, I am not having to tell him this as it relates to his background.
So ask your players, why might you have been kidnapped, what happened in your past, who where they, describe how you escaped, tell me the tale.
But it is also perfectly fine to start the adventure with no ideas, the first 20-30 sessions will be the party forming and taking on jobs for coin getting to level 3-4, you probably don't need to explore backstories this early on in the game, so you have time to flesh this out based on how your campaign develops.
As is, that are awful few information to work with.
Does the PC have a bit more backstory? If not, I would suggest for the player to work a bit more on that before trying to come up with a story arc.
First questions to the small snippet we have here would be: - Why was she kidnapped? - Is family or friends involved? - Who kidnapped her? - What is the kidnappers plan now, she escaped? - Did she cause colleteral damage while escaping? - Were there consequences for the kidnappers becaus of her escape? - ... and so on
So, you could go on, and let have an organisation hunting her. Or she could have a run in with her kidnappers.
Overall, I would expect some more background from my players, if they expect me to weave a character story arc into my campaign.
Maybe your players should take a look at one of these links below for help with creating character backgrounds:
As is, that are awful few information to work with.
Does the PC have a bit more backstory? If not, I would suggest for the player to work a bit more on that before trying to come up with a story arc.
First questions to the small snippet we have here would be: - Why was she kidnapped? - Is family or friends involved? - Who kidnapped her? - What is the kidnappers plan now, she escaped? - Did she cause colleteral damage while escaping? - Were there consequences for the kidnappers becaus of her escape? - ... and so on
So, you could go on, and let have an organisation hunting her. Or she could have a run in with her kidnappers.
Overall, I would expect some more background from my players, if they expect me to weave a character story arc into my campaign.
Maybe your players should take a look at one of these links below for help with creating character backgrounds:
I will say if your player wants certain parts of the story to be secret from them this is perfectly fine, but I never let a player give themselves the out of, I don't know anything tell me all of it. Ask them to give you something to work with, history of the family, what was happening before they where kidnapped. It is perfectly fine for them not to know who it was or exactly why, but you should not be defining everything they did that made them need to be kidnapped. They also absolutely know the details of the kidnapping, where they where kept, how long for and how they escaped, have they been on the run long, are they being hunted or do they feel they are. Have they had contact with family or friends since, this is information they should be telling you, or the 2 of you should be walking through together, almost have a mini one on one session, no dice rolling, or mechanics and broad story strokes but, run it as a theatre of the mind session, you wake up, describe what you see, lets talk through how you escape.What did you do, did you kill anyone etc.
Once they give you enough then you can tell them, great, I am going off to work on this. BUT, and I have had this happen before, be prepared for a player mid campaign to come to you and say, I have been thinking and I want to tweak this, or change that, or, I have come up with a great idea for who kidnapped me and why. In that case my advice is to sit down with them and shape the story to incorporate at least part of their idea. I usually have a cut off point, a place where I will take a player aside and tell them, if there is anything you want to change, or take agency in deciding, for X to do with your back story, then you have 2-3 sessions before what I have written for you is fixed and can't be changed. This doesn't always mean something obvious will happen, but it does usually indicate that we are moving into that characters part of the story soon and I need to have everything sorted to start prepping.
As is, that are awful few information to work with.
Does the PC have a bit more backstory? If not, I would suggest for the player to work a bit more on that before trying to come up with a story arc.
First questions to the small snippet we have here would be: - Why was she kidnapped? - Is family or friends involved? - Who kidnapped her? - What is the kidnappers plan now, she escaped? - Did she cause colleteral damage while escaping? - Were there consequences for the kidnappers becaus of her escape? - ... and so on
So, you could go on, and let have an organisation hunting her. Or she could have a run in with her kidnappers.
Overall, I would expect some more background from my players, if they expect me to weave a character story arc into my campaign.
Maybe your players should take a look at one of these links below for help with creating character backgrounds:
I will say if your player wants certain parts of the story to be secret from them this is perfectly fine, but I never let a player give themselves the out of, I don't know anything tell me all of it. Ask them to give you something to work with, history of the family, what was happening before they where kidnapped. It is perfectly fine for them not to know who it was or exactly why, but you should not be defining everything they did that made them need to be kidnapped. They also absolutely know the details of the kidnapping, where they where kept, how long for and how they escaped, have they been on the run long, are they being hunted or do they feel they are. Have they had contact with family or friends since, this is information they should be telling you, or the 2 of you should be walking through together, almost have a mini one on one session, no dice rolling, or mechanics and broad story strokes but, run it as a theatre of the mind session, you wake up, describe what you see, lets talk through how you escape.What did you do, did you kill anyone etc.
Once they give you enough then you can tell them, great, I am going off to work on this. BUT, and I have had this happen before, be prepared for a player mid campaign to come to you and say, I have been thinking and I want to tweak this, or change that, or, I have come up with a great idea for who kidnapped me and why. In that case my advice is to sit down with them and shape the story to incorporate at least part of their idea. I usually have a cut off point, a place where I will take a player aside and tell them, if there is anything you want to change, or take agency in deciding, for X to do with your back story, then you have 2-3 sessions before what I have written for you is fixed and can't be changed. This doesn't always mean something obvious will happen, but it does usually indicate that we are moving into that characters part of the story soon and I need to have everything sorted to start prepping.
Clarification: I meant the questions for the DM, not the player. My bad for not writing that clear enough.
However, without more background information, it is hard to just pull something out of thin air. So, a bit more background would be needed anyway.
Since it sounds like you're having a hard time coming up with a creative story element, I'm just going to offer you a backstory that I make up on the fly, and maybe you can suggest it to the player and make changes until it's something that works for you both.
The character had some kind of special responsibility - maybe they were at a wizard college and got to lock the doors, maybe they served dinner to their lord as a page, maybe they were the heir to a big casino - and a mercenary Doppelganger in the employ of the big bad was hired to impersonate them. The Doppelganger and the big bad's agents imprisoned them and then observed them for a week to learn their mannerisms and characteristics. At the end of the week, the Doppelganger went and began to impersonate them.
The character then managed to use their unique skills (class specific) to escape (if a sorcerer or warlock, maybe even a cleric, this is the time for their powers to first emerge). They gain freedom and go home only to come face to face with the Doppelganger pretending to be them. Unfortunately, the doppel had just been seen murdering someone. The doppel shifted to look like someone else and accused the PC, who was forced to go on the run and begin living the life of an adventurer. Before they fled, they wounded the doppel in a way that permanently scars them no matter how they transform, e.g. hits them with a red-hot horseshoe that scarred them on the cheek. The PC is on the run, but always seeking someone with a horseshoe-shaped burn, even if they shift shapes.
For those who asked, the only other info I know is that she is the daughter of the leader of an elven group/town. That’s all we’ve talked about, other than that I’m having issues flushing it out.
For those who asked, the only other info I know is that she is the daughter of the leader of an elven group/town. That’s all we’ve talked about, other than that I’m having issues flushing it out.
Sanvael, thnx I can use that. Very helpful. 😁
Like several of us have said this should not be your whole responsibility roleplay games are collaborative storytelling so ask your player for more details, what is this group, where is the town, who are her parents, what are their political affiliations, do they have enemies, are her parents corrupt or good, have they upset people.
This is her character, her life, she really needs to be invested in the parts of the story she has agency over and then give you space to fill out the other areas. As a first time DM coming up with player in depth backgrounds, as well as creating your world, your myth and your campaign is a lot to take on I have been DMing for 30+ years and I struggle with creating a backstory for any player with as little info as you have, the main reason being you are effectively creating an NPC that a player will control, the background dictates how they play that character, how they think, feel and react to things.
But I would also say, you can leave this blank for a few months yet, let the player play the character for a while and then fill in gaps as you go. I have found this is the best way, you only need to know what you need to know for the story in that moment. I have had players come to the game with a blank piece of paper for their history they then fill out as the game progresses, asked about their mother they make it up on the spot, and then write it down and think about what that means for them as a character.
For those who asked, the only other info I know is that she is the daughter of the leader of an elven group/town. That’s all we’ve talked about, other than that I’m having issues flushing it out.
Sanvael, thnx I can use that. Very helpful. 😁
Like several of us have said this should not be your whole responsibility roleplay games are collaborative storytelling so ask your player for more details, what is this group, where is the town, who are her parents, what are their political affiliations, do they have enemies, are her parents corrupt or good, have they upset people.
This is her character, her life, she really needs to be invested in the parts of the story she has agency over and then give you space to fill out the other areas. As a first time DM coming up with player in depth backgrounds, as well as creating your world, your myth and your campaign is a lot to take on I have been DMing for 30+ years and I struggle with creating a backstory for any player with as little info as you have, the main reason being you are effectively creating an NPC that a player will control, the background dictates how they play that character, how they think, feel and react to things.
But I would also say, you can leave this blank for a few months yet, let the player play the character for a while and then fill in gaps as you go. I have found this is the best way, you only need to know what you need to know for the story in that moment. I have had players come to the game with a blank piece of paper for their history they then fill out as the game progresses, asked about their mother they make it up on the spot, and then write it down and think about what that means for them as a character.
Thnx I will. I do want to leave somethings as a surprise to her, but I’ll work with her on more. Problem is I’m a first time DM and she’s a first time player lol
I do know her parents are leaders of the small city they live in and another PC has a similar upbringing in a nearby small city, which I put in to make it more interesting, as they both have noble backgrounds.
im also trying my best to string together a bunch of one shots for now, but they’ll need a direction soon cause they wanted to lvl by milestones. This is my first time playing 5e as well, I’m a 3.75/pathfinder veteran. But players wanted 5e cause it’s easier. I appreciate everyone’s input, it will come in handy. 😁
For those who asked, the only other info I know is that she is the daughter of the leader of an elven group/town. That’s all we’ve talked about, other than that I’m having issues flushing it out.
Sanvael, thnx I can use that. Very helpful. 😁
Like several of us have said this should not be your whole responsibility roleplay games are collaborative storytelling so ask your player for more details, what is this group, where is the town, who are her parents, what are their political affiliations, do they have enemies, are her parents corrupt or good, have they upset people.
This is her character, her life, she really needs to be invested in the parts of the story she has agency over and then give you space to fill out the other areas. As a first time DM coming up with player in depth backgrounds, as well as creating your world, your myth and your campaign is a lot to take on I have been DMing for 30+ years and I struggle with creating a backstory for any player with as little info as you have, the main reason being you are effectively creating an NPC that a player will control, the background dictates how they play that character, how they think, feel and react to things.
But I would also say, you can leave this blank for a few months yet, let the player play the character for a while and then fill in gaps as you go. I have found this is the best way, you only need to know what you need to know for the story in that moment. I have had players come to the game with a blank piece of paper for their history they then fill out as the game progresses, asked about their mother they make it up on the spot, and then write it down and think about what that means for them as a character.
Thnx I will. I do want to leave somethings as a surprise to her, but I’ll work with her on more. Problem is I’m a first time DM and she’s a first time player lol
I do know her parents are leaders of the small city they live in and another PC has a similar upbringing in a nearby small city, which I put in to make it more interesting, as they both have noble backgrounds.
im also trying my best to string together a bunch of one shots for now, but they’ll need a direction soon cause they wanted to lvl by milestones. This is my first time playing 5e as well, I’m a 3.75/pathfinder veteran. But players wanted 5e cause it’s easier. I appreciate everyone’s input, it will come in handy. 😁
One shots can still allow leveling by milestone. If you can get hold of the dragon of icespire peak, that is effectively a series of independent encounters with a loose over hanging story of a white dragon coming to the area. The milestone leveling on that is based on completion of encounters, so the moment the players complete the first (from a choice of 3) they level, they then level again when they have completed the other 2, this then opens up more jobs on the job board and they level every time they complete 2 of these (if I remember correctly).
Alternatively track the xp yourself giving a flat amount to each player and not worrying too much about individual roleplay xp, just give a blanket amount to the party. That will then let you know roughly when they should level.
i'm trying to create a story arc for one of my pcs and im drawing a blank. just started my first campaign as a DM. All i know is she was kidnapped by ppl but escaped. looking for a bigger, more involved story to build off of. HELP!! thnx
Not enough information.I need the players backstory for this and maybe some other story context
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As a DM who loves player stories, involve her, is the kidnap idea one of hers, or is this all you?
My player stories are collaborative I will give you an example from my most recent campaign.
Warforged was discovered by dwarves mining, he was buried in the rock of the mountain in a pocket, deactivated with the decomposed remains of some humanoid. Dwarves found him and "reactivated him" but his memories from before being turned off have vanished. Now I have sketched out why he was there, who created him and why, at the moment I will say is that this is a few bullet points on the piece of paper and even though we are 20 sessions in I am still fleshing it out, giving the character glimpses.
Now everything that has happened to him since being reactivated, that is all written by the player, he has come up with about 10 years of history for himself, people who disliked him, his former forge master, who retaed him like property until he died, the forge masters brother and son who might come seeking him claiming him as property, the benifit of this is that he is bought in entirely to his characters motivations, thinking and how he reacts to things like, seeing people in slavery, I am not having to tell him this as it relates to his background.
So ask your players, why might you have been kidnapped, what happened in your past, who where they, describe how you escaped, tell me the tale.
But it is also perfectly fine to start the adventure with no ideas, the first 20-30 sessions will be the party forming and taking on jobs for coin getting to level 3-4, you probably don't need to explore backstories this early on in the game, so you have time to flesh this out based on how your campaign develops.
As is, that are awful few information to work with.
Does the PC have a bit more backstory? If not, I would suggest for the player to work a bit more on that before trying to come up with a story arc.
First questions to the small snippet we have here would be:
- Why was she kidnapped?
- Is family or friends involved?
- Who kidnapped her?
- What is the kidnappers plan now, she escaped?
- Did she cause colleteral damage while escaping?
- Were there consequences for the kidnappers becaus of her escape?
- ... and so on
So, you could go on, and let have an organisation hunting her. Or she could have a run in with her kidnappers.
Overall, I would expect some more background from my players, if they expect me to weave a character story arc into my campaign.
Maybe your players should take a look at one of these links below for help with creating character backgrounds:
6 Questions You Should Always Ask When Creating a New Dungeons and Dragons Character - YouTube
(2) How to Avoid Dumb Character Backstories - Player Character Tips - YouTube
(2) GREATPC: 6 Questions to create the Ultimate Backstory for your Player Character in Roleplaying - YouTube
GREAT PC: 6 tips to fleshing out your role-playing character - YouTube
Clarification: I meant the questions for the DM, not the player. My bad for not writing that clear enough.
However, without more background information, it is hard to just pull something out of thin air. So, a bit more background would be needed anyway.
Since it sounds like you're having a hard time coming up with a creative story element, I'm just going to offer you a backstory that I make up on the fly, and maybe you can suggest it to the player and make changes until it's something that works for you both.
The character had some kind of special responsibility - maybe they were at a wizard college and got to lock the doors, maybe they served dinner to their lord as a page, maybe they were the heir to a big casino - and a mercenary Doppelganger in the employ of the big bad was hired to impersonate them. The Doppelganger and the big bad's agents imprisoned them and then observed them for a week to learn their mannerisms and characteristics. At the end of the week, the Doppelganger went and began to impersonate them.
The character then managed to use their unique skills (class specific) to escape (if a sorcerer or warlock, maybe even a cleric, this is the time for their powers to first emerge). They gain freedom and go home only to come face to face with the Doppelganger pretending to be them. Unfortunately, the doppel had just been seen murdering someone. The doppel shifted to look like someone else and accused the PC, who was forced to go on the run and begin living the life of an adventurer. Before they fled, they wounded the doppel in a way that permanently scars them no matter how they transform, e.g. hits them with a red-hot horseshoe that scarred them on the cheek. The PC is on the run, but always seeking someone with a horseshoe-shaped burn, even if they shift shapes.
Thanks everyone!
For those who asked, the only other info I know is that she is the daughter of the leader of an elven group/town. That’s all we’ve talked about, other than that I’m having issues flushing it out.
Like several of us have said this should not be your whole responsibility roleplay games are collaborative storytelling so ask your player for more details, what is this group, where is the town, who are her parents, what are their political affiliations, do they have enemies, are her parents corrupt or good, have they upset people.
This is her character, her life, she really needs to be invested in the parts of the story she has agency over and then give you space to fill out the other areas. As a first time DM coming up with player in depth backgrounds, as well as creating your world, your myth and your campaign is a lot to take on I have been DMing for 30+ years and I struggle with creating a backstory for any player with as little info as you have, the main reason being you are effectively creating an NPC that a player will control, the background dictates how they play that character, how they think, feel and react to things.
But I would also say, you can leave this blank for a few months yet, let the player play the character for a while and then fill in gaps as you go. I have found this is the best way, you only need to know what you need to know for the story in that moment. I have had players come to the game with a blank piece of paper for their history they then fill out as the game progresses, asked about their mother they make it up on the spot, and then write it down and think about what that means for them as a character.
Thnx I will. I do want to leave somethings as a surprise to her, but I’ll work with her on more. Problem is I’m a first time DM and she’s a first time player lol
I do know her parents are leaders of the small city they live in and another PC has a similar upbringing in a nearby small city, which I put in to make it more interesting, as they both have noble backgrounds.
im also trying my best to string together a bunch of one shots for now, but they’ll need a direction soon cause they wanted to lvl by milestones. This is my first time playing 5e as well, I’m a 3.75/pathfinder veteran. But players wanted 5e cause it’s easier.
I appreciate everyone’s input, it will come in handy. 😁
One shots can still allow leveling by milestone. If you can get hold of the dragon of icespire peak, that is effectively a series of independent encounters with a loose over hanging story of a white dragon coming to the area. The milestone leveling on that is based on completion of encounters, so the moment the players complete the first (from a choice of 3) they level, they then level again when they have completed the other 2, this then opens up more jobs on the job board and they level every time they complete 2 of these (if I remember correctly).
Alternatively track the xp yourself giving a flat amount to each player and not worrying too much about individual roleplay xp, just give a blanket amount to the party. That will then let you know roughly when they should level.