I'm making a campaign, off my own world. I can't find any way to include the backstories in the plot, because most of them didn't mention other people. It's my first time running a campaign, and any help integrating the stories into any plot would be appreciated.
Notes on the world:
High elves are the only wizards
The world is closer to the other planes than normal
The Pantheon is a mix of all the 5e pantheons (and the Raven Queen, not sure if she's in 5e)
Tiefling Paladin:
I became a paladin to be just like my father. He was a skilled warrior and intelligent man. However he was killed when I was 9 years old so ever since it has just been Mama and I. We've been living in Ornin so I can be nearer to my mentor, Uncle Tobin(A wizard). He and my father had been working on unraveling a dark magical secret up until father's death. Since then, Uncle has been teaching me all I need to follow through with their work. I became a paladin to honor my father and hide the secrets he worked to keep hidden until his death. I value knowledge just as much as my dagger which was a gift from my father. I will do whatever I can to protect my friends and allies unless it comes between me and my father's secret.
Human Cleric:
As the first and only child born to Soldier-Rouge Willa Clansworn, and War Priest Richard Clansworn, Eloise grew up in a poor area of with her mother after her father disappeared on a religious pilgrimage with the local church of Lliira. Devastated by this, she turned to worship the goddess that her father had followed before her. Not long after, her father's death was confirmed, and Eloise said goodbye to her mother and set out on a crusade to avenge her father. Now she resides in , as a member of a holy clerical order. During one particularly devastating crusade with a small force of clerics, paladins, and holy warriors alike, Eloise encountered and duelled a skilled drow swordsman, who left her with the scars upon her face. This day has left even worse scars in her mind, though she pushes them back to remain joyful. Throughout her life, she has met many an odd character, though none meant more to her than her lover, fellow follower of Lliira known as Argran Darlington, a roguish half-orc priestess whom she treasures above most anyone she meets. After nearly a decade and a half of religious work, Eloise has dedicated herself to the common folk of any city, prizing their safety over that of the higher classes, due to her own origins.
Halfling Fighter:
Duke Prospero was getting old, and had to decide to give his title to either Lothar or Adalard. One day on a fishing trip, their boat was ravaged by a hurricane that threatened to destroy the boat if everyone wasn't careful. While Lothar hid below deck, Adalard started to steer the ship to safety. Everyone thankfully survived the storm. When they reached land, Prospero had everyone arrange for Adalard to become duke the following week. Prospero died in his sleep later that night. The days flew by, and the coronation day swiftly arrived. The royal banquet that night was a lavish feast, with people from all over the continent coming to partake in the dinner. At the end, Adalard raised a glass in order to toast for good fortune for everyone at the celebration. When everyone took a sip from their glass, Adalard collapsed to the floor, his face an unusually pale white, his eyes a bloodshoot brown. Lothar rushed to his fallen brother's side, cradling his hands under Adalard's head. He feigned care and sadness over his brother's death, but he had mastermined the poisoning. When Adalard's Fiance, pregnant with Chorus and on a different continent, recieved the letter detailing her would-be-husband's untimely demise, she wept for hours. But later that night, she heard a beautiful melody in the streets of her town and decided then and there her son's name would be Chorus. She moved continents to be closer to her late fiance's spirit. Eventually, Chorus arrived. A healthy baby, Chorus grew up with the love from his mother, and never hearing of his father. When Chorus' mother was sick on her death bed, she recounted the tale to Chorus, after piecing together who did it. Chorus was indifferent to his uncle, never seeing him, and slightly hoping he never would.
Chorus Withill was only 20 years old when he met Clancy. Clancy was an elderly gnome adventurer wandering the continent. When he was in Chorus' city, he stopped to look around at the small town. Chorus spotted the stranger looking around, slightly confused and asked the gnome if he wanted a place to sleep and eat. The gnome accepted. They spent a few days together in Chorus' house. Chorus gave Clancy great food and in exchange, the adventurer recalled tales of wonder and described the great cities he had seen. After a while, Clancy decided to continue adventuring and wished Chorus farewell. Many years passed. Now an old Halfling, Chorus remembered the tales from his old friend. He decided he wanted to see the cities Clancy went to. He packed up most of his things, bought a rapier to defend himself should he need to, and set out to see the world .
(He's 146 now, so Clancy is probably dead by now)
Human bard: has the equivalent of at least a bachelors degree in biology, english (or literature in general), chemistry, physics, medicine, history of the last 100 yrs, racial studies, music theory and composition, architecture, and forensic science.
he has a little less proficiency in social communications, but somehow he's persuasive so idk man also not a great understanding of finances, loves to give away his money, he's good to beg to
this mans also travelled with a performing troupe for a while and as a result is decent in acrobatics, atheletics, and sleight of hand, he was just the musician though, albeit a musician who did some flips he's from a small town on the southern coast
he grew up on a farm but he never was very good with the animals, to the chagrin of his father, but took after his mother, who was more bookish and encouraged his learning.
he was originally shy but again, because of his mother, he was encouraged to try public speaking and music performance, which increased his confidence. He went to the university of Autumnharbor for his first 4 degrees (literature, chemistry, physics, and medicine) and then went to university in Brittlewood for his racial studies, music theory composition, architecture and forensic science degrees.
He gained his biology degree while travelling, as a more hands on experience he spent a semester teaching in edgeglen
he's a southern gentleman, knows that everyone has the capability to help themselves, but knows that they shouldn't have to
They don’t have to do with whatever your plot is, they can just be little side plots within. Or just ask the players if they can give you some ,ore information or make suggestions to the player “I think it’d be cool if there was this person that...______ do you like that idea or no?” Insert whatever you need and brainstorm with your players. The way I’m doing it, if I can connect any players to the main plot, I will if not I just sprinkle little treats in along the way.
The paladin uncovers more clues regarding the dark magical secret while they are exploring a crypt regarding your main plot.
At a certain point, the cleric gets word that followers of liira are making the same pilgrimage that ended in her fathers death. She could then find out her father isn’t actually dead and all sorts of directions, good or evil, you could go with that. Or he is dead and she could learn more about his death from whoever she meets there, she somehow gains liiras favor while doing a quest for them and as a result/reward starts being visited by a holy avatar which could end up being her father sent by liira to guide and watch over her on their journey.
The players in my homebrew never had their backstory written into it. Over time I learned about them and started writing things into the game that included them. That way I got to know the players a bit and how they played and they told the others of their story. I took notes as I listened then came up with a story for each player.
They all entwine together as well so that we are not just on one person's character arc. That way they all have something happening together.
If you want to incorporate the players' backgrounds into the plot but they have already set up their backgrounds, then maybe try working with the backgrounds that they have. Maybe they discover more parts of their past as they progress. Also, could you explain this?
The world is closer to the other planes than normal
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The main way I integrate player backstories is to pick out a person from it that can serve as an ally or rival in subsequent adventures. And if they don't have one, just ask them to make one up or if its okay for you to.
And also just straight up ask each player "What motivates your character to adventure" and have some stuff that checks that box for each character (not all boxes all at once though)
The players in my homebrew never had their backstory written into it. Over time I learned about them and started writing things into the game that included them. That way I got to know the players a bit and how they played and they told the others of their story. I took notes as I listened then came up with a story for each player.
They all entwine together as well so that we are not just on one person's character arc. That way they all have something happening together.
I think Avohei summed it up best. The backstories develop over time as you play, and you introduce tidbits from their backstories to the campaign. The random "trinket" roll chart in the PHB is great for this. The players usually roll on that chart, and then over the course of a few sessions they notice that thing on their sheet and start developing a reason why they have it, which I then incorporate hooks into side quests or the main story. sometimes it's just a mini 1 session arc, sometimes it morphs into a massive part of the main questline. Organic development of story at the table is best. I don't even ask my players for backstories anymore. We use a session ".5" for them to build characters, and figure out why they know and care for eachother, and where i introduce the world and maps and stuff, then they pick where they're from, how they got to the starter area, and why they know each other and want to work together. (We usually start at level 3 for this reason).
One Recent example that we did in our ".5" sesson. It was a funeral for a man who had left things to each of the players in his will. That was it, that was all the planning. Build a level 3 character who's attending a funeral. By the end of the session, we had determined that the man was a travelling broom salesman, that he had families in each of the places he sold brooms (each of the players was actually a half sibling), and that a witches coven he sold brooms to had cursed him and all his descendants to die on their 46th birthday. The items left to each of his children then became random story arcs that I used to build the subsequent sessions of the campaign, and the main quest was to break the curse. All organically developed in the .5 session.
Am I the only one who sees an opportunity with the Tiefling Paladin to pull a straight up Luke/Vader moment? The Tiefling's dad "died" when theywere very young trying to unravel a dark magical secret. Translation: Their dad was consumed by the dark magic, and their uncle has kept the secret from them and their mother to protect them from the ugly truth. Then the dad can show up later as a major arc villain, slowly revealing/discovering their relationship to the Tiefling.
The Cleric has given you, like, 18,000 different hooks into your campaign. You've got a dead father who could have been killed by anyone or anything (hell, have the Tiefling's dad be the one who did it, or whatever force overwhelmed him), the drow swordsperson who could be an enemy OR an ally, a loved one that you can put in peril anytime you want, and a tether to a community of common folk that will be constantly put in danger by their actions. If you can't tie this character into your campaign, it's because you're not trying.
The Fighter has an evil uncle. I... just... that's a gimme. Tie this dude into anything. Make him a servant of a BBEG. Maybe he sold his allegiance to the Tiefling's dad in exchange for the power to kill his father and brother. Maybe he's just a jerk who's taking advantage of the common people, and the Cleric and the Fighter have to team up, Tango and Cash style, and bring the dude down. Also, Clancy is probably dead? More like the Halfling discovers Clancy is alive and imprisoned in some dungeon at some point, and the team has to stop what they're doing and rescue the dude so they can have one last moment together as Clancy dies in the halfling's arms, ready to face his last adventure, free but unbroken.
The Bard, I will admit, biffed this backstory. I'd sit down with the player and maybe ask a few leading questions: What was your mother's name? Is she alive? Why did you leave school to become an adventurer? Did you have any friends at school? Any enemies? Name a person you had a memorable experience with in the performing troupe. Use that to connect the character to the world. You don't need much. If you can connect the player to the character's past, you can get them sentimental about any of it. Then you say their mother/best friend/mentor was kidnapped, and off they go.
Have you had a session zero yet? Something where the players introduce each other, and you have a discussion about how they all met, and what common goal they're striving towards? Those kinds of things will be HUGELY effective in deciding how you want to attach the players to the game, and they want to be attached to each other.
The Bard, I will admit, biffed this backstory. I'd sit down with the player and maybe ask a few leading questions: What was your mother's name? Is she alive? Why did you leave school to become an adventurer? Did you have any friends at school? Any enemies? Name a person you had a memorable experience with in the performing troupe. Use that to connect the character to the world. You don't need much. If you can connect the player to the character's past, you can get them sentimental about any of it. Then you say their mother/best friend/mentor was kidnapped, and off they go.
They added more recently. The Bard's name is Ted.
ted's mother has 2 sisters, aunt dua linja and aunt brittanica and his father has no sibilings he has an older brother name Sal Kahn and younger twin brothers named tim and moby and 1 sister name Kwahoot his sister has a baby called gigi who ted loves to play with
during his time with the performing troupe, he got to know the others
Sofia - an excellent dancer who was afraid of spiders, has blood type B, and is a little bit vain and pursued ted for a while before he left to continue his studies. She enjoyed being upside down to think.
Starcy - an actress with a little bit of proficiency in cold magic who loved castry, but was quite sweet to everybody. she loved ice cream and settled in Yeendall with castry to have her own ice cream stand
Castry - the stage manager, starcy's gf, had size 7 shoes, elf. after she stayed behind in yeendall, stage management was given to ted for 2 months before he again passed it on to jarvis
Jarvis - a little gruff, 8 ft tall, idiot who was a little bit greedy but mostly fair. he liked going to fine dining areas and ordering a completely rare steak (raw:)
Claire - clown, who was depressed but was excellent at the accordion and makeup, she did the stage makeup smile - the other clown, more chipped and probably schizophrenic. she's a gnome and enjoyed in irritating jarvis. she also procured props, though no one knows wherefrom
Verain - also a dancer, sofia's dancing and acting partner. he's a run away elf and a shame to the family. he's a little spoiled but he can also make pretty lights appear and draw in more people. he's immune to poison and adds a little to some of his meals and claims it makes it "spicier." he was ted's gentleman friend for a few months until ted stayed in Edgeglen during his troupe time, ted acted as the inpromptu healer and de-escalator
That's great, but does he care about any of these people? I guess you can just kind of assume he wants the best for his family and his niece/nephew, but none of this really provides you with much to work with. Who's his favorite sibling? Does he love his mom? Does he want to impress his dad? Did a specific member of the troupe teach him everything he knows? Did one of them always make trouble for him? Who would he die for? Who would he kill for? I imagine the player has these relationships in his mind. Coax them out of him so you can use them.
I can tell you that I have a big brother named Steve, but that could mean that Steve looked out for me, taught me to throw a ball and throw a punch, and was the best man at my wedding, or he could have been a bully who beat me up and made fun of me every day, who I openly hated, and kicked out of my life when he said something homophobic about my best friend. It's the relationships you want to dig into. Once you know that Steve was my best friend, you know you can pull me into an adventure by putting him in danger, or by having him ask me for help. If he's my worst enemy, you can drag me in by making him the bad guy and giving me a chance to settle old scores, or to bury the hatchet and try to bring him back from the brink.
Connections, man. Not just the facts of a person's life, but the connections that motivate them. Then have a session zero. No gameplay, no dice. Everybody sits down and introduces themselves, talks a little about their past, and what's brought them to a life of adventure. Then, tell a story together of their first "mission" together. Something small, clearing out a rat's nest, fighting off some bandits, whatever. Establish how they meet - did they get the job from a local adventuring guild, or an old man at a bar? Then, have each player say something they did during the adventure that went well, and something they did during the adventure that did badly. For an extra bit of lore building, one of those things MUST include another member of the party.
Example: You all get to know each other, and decide there's a barkeep in town looking for people to clear out his cellar. Seems some rats got in down there and made themselves at home. Big rats. BIG rats. You all volunteered. The Fighter discovered the rats and waded into the fray. He took out the first rat with a skull-splitting crack of his axe, but was ambushed by two others and had to be dragged to safety by the Paladin. The Paladin frightened the rats with a booming shout of his voice, driving them back long enough for him to drag the fighter out, but could do nothing against the remaining two rats, who surrounded him. Then, the Bard shouted a word of encouragement, allowing the Paladin enough confidence to strike a killing blow against one of the rats before firing his bow and... accidentally hitting the cleric in the shoulder. Fortunately, the cleric was able to heal the fighter just in time for the fighter to leap in and help the Paladin dispatch the last rat. The cleric said something rude to the barkeep, however, upon coming up from the cellar, and the man refused to give them their pay.
Boom. Quick story told. Every player owes another player for something. You create a little bit of history together that your players can bring to your first adventure, and you've got an instant adventuring party with a little bit of trust. Now the Fighter knows the Paladin and Cleric have his back, the Paladin knows the Bard can be handy in a pinch - but shouldn't be trusted with a bow. And everybody knows the cleric should keep his mouth shut when it's time to negotiate the pay.
I know nothing about your characters, so I'm just making all that up, but you see the point.
A good way to work woth shorter backstories os to interpret what the players gave you in a way that works with your setting/environement. I like to keep major reveals for intense momments in my campaign or when the players will least likely expect it.
Also since the players give you locations, you could use that in your plots or even better some side-story. Something is happening at a place of someone's backstory and instantly, this session becomes more about THAT player, he/she will feel instantly more involved and can help open up the situation and deepen their understanding of their characters and give them maybe new goals or ideas for their character. Does not need to be absolute tragedy, just a reunion of old characters, maybe an old flame and a new rival? Even though we all lay the session, whenever I have characters meet NPCs they know, I always RP them as inquisitve about their adventures, asking them to recount what they've been up to, it gives me insight on what the characters find interresting about the story (oh we slew this giant! or We were lost in the wood and through ingeniosity we found our way out). It does not need to be the majority of yuor session, but I find adding some story heavy momments helpful in building on what I learn from my players. Having down to hearth momments, helps them remeber that they are people and not JUST heroes. Plus, it's a great way for you to positively reinforce their view of their accomplishments (I always have surprised or amazed reactions from NPCs about the heroes tales)
Another thing is to NOT be affraid to add stuff to the characters's backstory if they left it empty, or maybe they learn as they go along. Also do not be affraid to play the long game with NPCs. In one of mygames, on one of the first session, the bard had a bard-off against another bard in the city and he won. Now, months later in the story, the other Bard honed his skill and challenged him again, surprising the bard in another city completely. My player was so surprised to see THAT bard again!
Hope this helps!
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I'm making a campaign, off my own world. I can't find any way to include the backstories in the plot, because most of them didn't mention other people. It's my first time running a campaign, and any help integrating the stories into any plot would be appreciated.
Notes on the world:
Tiefling Paladin:
I became a paladin to be just like my father. He was a skilled warrior and intelligent man. However he was killed when I was 9 years old so ever since it has just been Mama and I. We've been living in Ornin so I can be nearer to my mentor, Uncle Tobin(A wizard). He and my father had been working on unraveling a dark magical secret up until father's death. Since then, Uncle has been teaching me all I need to follow through with their work. I became a paladin to honor my father and hide the secrets he worked to keep hidden until his death. I value knowledge just as much as my dagger which was a gift from my father. I will do whatever I can to protect my friends and allies unless it comes between me and my father's secret.
Human Cleric:
As the first and only child born to Soldier-Rouge Willa Clansworn, and War Priest Richard Clansworn, Eloise grew up in a poor area of with her mother after her father disappeared on a religious pilgrimage with the local church of Lliira. Devastated by this, she turned to worship the goddess that her father had followed before her. Not long after, her father's death was confirmed, and Eloise said goodbye to her mother and set out on a crusade to avenge her father. Now she resides in , as a member of a holy clerical order. During one particularly devastating crusade with a small force of clerics, paladins, and holy warriors alike, Eloise encountered and duelled a skilled drow swordsman, who left her with the scars upon her face. This day has left even worse scars in her mind, though she pushes them back to remain joyful. Throughout her life, she has met many an odd character, though none meant more to her than her lover, fellow follower of Lliira known as Argran Darlington, a roguish half-orc priestess whom she treasures above most anyone she meets. After nearly a decade and a half of religious work, Eloise has dedicated herself to the common folk of any city, prizing their safety over that of the higher classes, due to her own origins.
Halfling Fighter:
Duke Prospero was getting old, and had to decide to give his title to either Lothar or Adalard. One day on a fishing trip, their boat was ravaged by a hurricane that threatened to destroy the boat if everyone wasn't careful. While Lothar hid below deck, Adalard started to steer the ship to safety. Everyone thankfully survived the storm. When they reached land, Prospero had everyone arrange for Adalard to become duke the following week. Prospero died in his sleep later that night. The days flew by, and the coronation day swiftly arrived. The royal banquet that night was a lavish feast, with people from all over the continent coming to partake in the dinner. At the end, Adalard raised a glass in order to toast for good fortune for everyone at the celebration. When everyone took a sip from their glass, Adalard collapsed to the floor, his face an unusually pale white, his eyes a bloodshoot brown. Lothar rushed to his fallen brother's side, cradling his hands under Adalard's head. He feigned care and sadness over his brother's death, but he had mastermined the poisoning. When Adalard's Fiance, pregnant with Chorus and on a different continent, recieved the letter detailing her would-be-husband's untimely demise, she wept for hours. But later that night, she heard a beautiful melody in the streets of her town and decided then and there her son's name would be Chorus. She moved continents to be closer to her late fiance's spirit. Eventually, Chorus arrived. A healthy baby, Chorus grew up with the love from his mother, and never hearing of his father. When Chorus' mother was sick on her death bed, she recounted the tale to Chorus, after piecing together who did it. Chorus was indifferent to his uncle, never seeing him, and slightly hoping he never would.
Chorus Withill was only 20 years old when he met Clancy. Clancy was an elderly gnome adventurer wandering the continent. When he was in Chorus' city, he stopped to look around at the small town. Chorus spotted the stranger looking around, slightly confused and asked the gnome if he wanted a place to sleep and eat. The gnome accepted. They spent a few days together in Chorus' house. Chorus gave Clancy great food and in exchange, the adventurer recalled tales of wonder and described the great cities he had seen. After a while, Clancy decided to continue adventuring and wished Chorus farewell. Many years passed. Now an old Halfling, Chorus remembered the tales from his old friend. He decided he wanted to see the cities Clancy went to. He packed up most of his things, bought a rapier to defend himself should he need to, and set out to see the world .
(He's 146 now, so Clancy is probably dead by now)
Human bard:
has the equivalent of at least a bachelors degree in biology, english (or literature in general), chemistry, physics, medicine, history of the last 100 yrs, racial studies, music theory and composition, architecture, and forensic science.
he has a little less proficiency in social communications, but somehow he's persuasive so idk man also not a great understanding of finances, loves to give away his money, he's good to beg to
this mans also travelled with a performing troupe for a while and as a result is decent in acrobatics, atheletics, and sleight of hand, he was just the musician though, albeit a musician who did some flips he's from a small town on the southern coast
he grew up on a farm but he never was very good with the animals, to the chagrin of his father, but took after his mother, who was more bookish and encouraged his learning.
he was originally shy but again, because of his mother, he was encouraged to try public speaking and music performance, which increased his confidence. He went to the university of Autumnharbor for his first 4 degrees (literature, chemistry, physics, and medicine) and then went to university in Brittlewood for his racial studies, music theory composition, architecture and forensic science degrees.
He gained his biology degree while travelling, as a more hands on experience he spent a semester teaching in edgeglen
he's a southern gentleman, knows that everyone has the capability to help themselves, but knows that they shouldn't have to
(This one's more of a list, but it gives a idea)
They don’t have to do with whatever your plot is, they can just be little side plots within. Or just ask the players if they can give you some ,ore information or make suggestions to the player “I think it’d be cool if there was this person that...______ do you like that idea or no?” Insert whatever you need and brainstorm with your players. The way I’m doing it, if I can connect any players to the main plot, I will if not I just sprinkle little treats in along the way.
The paladin uncovers more clues regarding the dark magical secret while they are exploring a crypt regarding your main plot.
At a certain point, the cleric gets word that followers of liira are making the same pilgrimage that ended in her fathers death. She could then find out her father isn’t actually dead and all sorts of directions, good or evil, you could go with that. Or he is dead and she could learn more about his death from whoever she meets there, she somehow gains liiras favor while doing a quest for them and as a result/reward starts being visited by a holy avatar which could end up being her father sent by liira to guide and watch over her on their journey.
The players in my homebrew never had their backstory written into it. Over time I learned about them and started writing things into the game that included them. That way I got to know the players a bit and how they played and they told the others of their story. I took notes as I listened then came up with a story for each player.
They all entwine together as well so that we are not just on one person's character arc. That way they all have something happening together.
If you want to incorporate the players' backgrounds into the plot but they have already set up their backgrounds, then maybe try working with the backgrounds that they have. Maybe they discover more parts of their past as they progress. Also, could you explain this?
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
More inter-planar portals and that sort of thing. Doesn't really help now that I think about it
The main way I integrate player backstories is to pick out a person from it that can serve as an ally or rival in subsequent adventures. And if they don't have one, just ask them to make one up or if its okay for you to.
And also just straight up ask each player "What motivates your character to adventure" and have some stuff that checks that box for each character (not all boxes all at once though)
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I think Avohei summed it up best. The backstories develop over time as you play, and you introduce tidbits from their backstories to the campaign. The random "trinket" roll chart in the PHB is great for this. The players usually roll on that chart, and then over the course of a few sessions they notice that thing on their sheet and start developing a reason why they have it, which I then incorporate hooks into side quests or the main story. sometimes it's just a mini 1 session arc, sometimes it morphs into a massive part of the main questline. Organic development of story at the table is best. I don't even ask my players for backstories anymore. We use a session ".5" for them to build characters, and figure out why they know and care for eachother, and where i introduce the world and maps and stuff, then they pick where they're from, how they got to the starter area, and why they know each other and want to work together. (We usually start at level 3 for this reason).
One Recent example that we did in our ".5" sesson. It was a funeral for a man who had left things to each of the players in his will. That was it, that was all the planning. Build a level 3 character who's attending a funeral. By the end of the session, we had determined that the man was a travelling broom salesman, that he had families in each of the places he sold brooms (each of the players was actually a half sibling), and that a witches coven he sold brooms to had cursed him and all his descendants to die on their 46th birthday. The items left to each of his children then became random story arcs that I used to build the subsequent sessions of the campaign, and the main quest was to break the curse. All organically developed in the .5 session.
Am I the only one who sees an opportunity with the Tiefling Paladin to pull a straight up Luke/Vader moment? The Tiefling's dad "died" when theywere very young trying to unravel a dark magical secret. Translation: Their dad was consumed by the dark magic, and their uncle has kept the secret from them and their mother to protect them from the ugly truth. Then the dad can show up later as a major arc villain, slowly revealing/discovering their relationship to the Tiefling.
The Cleric has given you, like, 18,000 different hooks into your campaign. You've got a dead father who could have been killed by anyone or anything (hell, have the Tiefling's dad be the one who did it, or whatever force overwhelmed him), the drow swordsperson who could be an enemy OR an ally, a loved one that you can put in peril anytime you want, and a tether to a community of common folk that will be constantly put in danger by their actions. If you can't tie this character into your campaign, it's because you're not trying.
The Fighter has an evil uncle. I... just... that's a gimme. Tie this dude into anything. Make him a servant of a BBEG. Maybe he sold his allegiance to the Tiefling's dad in exchange for the power to kill his father and brother. Maybe he's just a jerk who's taking advantage of the common people, and the Cleric and the Fighter have to team up, Tango and Cash style, and bring the dude down. Also, Clancy is probably dead? More like the Halfling discovers Clancy is alive and imprisoned in some dungeon at some point, and the team has to stop what they're doing and rescue the dude so they can have one last moment together as Clancy dies in the halfling's arms, ready to face his last adventure, free but unbroken.
The Bard, I will admit, biffed this backstory. I'd sit down with the player and maybe ask a few leading questions: What was your mother's name? Is she alive? Why did you leave school to become an adventurer? Did you have any friends at school? Any enemies? Name a person you had a memorable experience with in the performing troupe. Use that to connect the character to the world. You don't need much. If you can connect the player to the character's past, you can get them sentimental about any of it. Then you say their mother/best friend/mentor was kidnapped, and off they go.
Have you had a session zero yet? Something where the players introduce each other, and you have a discussion about how they all met, and what common goal they're striving towards? Those kinds of things will be HUGELY effective in deciding how you want to attach the players to the game, and they want to be attached to each other.
Ask your players to set three goals for their characters
short term - something they need to attain or learn
long term - something they need to achieve that would have several levels to do
Penultimate - what would be their character arcs completion
Have them share the goals with you but not the other players, work their goals into the story. Reward them for completing them.
alternatively -
have the players need to pay a cost to enter a dungeon or something, have that cost be an unrevealed secret from the characters past
RWinnie it the nail ! 😄
Yup make a few games with not link to the background (mouhahahahah) The player will not know they are on a personal quest 😏
But in your (story) create the link to Minions or Boss to all the backgrounds 😆
And all of the link should lead to your main boss 😲😲
Peace be with you friend.
They added more recently. The Bard's name is Ted.
That's great, but does he care about any of these people? I guess you can just kind of assume he wants the best for his family and his niece/nephew, but none of this really provides you with much to work with. Who's his favorite sibling? Does he love his mom? Does he want to impress his dad? Did a specific member of the troupe teach him everything he knows? Did one of them always make trouble for him? Who would he die for? Who would he kill for? I imagine the player has these relationships in his mind. Coax them out of him so you can use them.
I can tell you that I have a big brother named Steve, but that could mean that Steve looked out for me, taught me to throw a ball and throw a punch, and was the best man at my wedding, or he could have been a bully who beat me up and made fun of me every day, who I openly hated, and kicked out of my life when he said something homophobic about my best friend. It's the relationships you want to dig into. Once you know that Steve was my best friend, you know you can pull me into an adventure by putting him in danger, or by having him ask me for help. If he's my worst enemy, you can drag me in by making him the bad guy and giving me a chance to settle old scores, or to bury the hatchet and try to bring him back from the brink.
Connections, man. Not just the facts of a person's life, but the connections that motivate them. Then have a session zero. No gameplay, no dice. Everybody sits down and introduces themselves, talks a little about their past, and what's brought them to a life of adventure. Then, tell a story together of their first "mission" together. Something small, clearing out a rat's nest, fighting off some bandits, whatever. Establish how they meet - did they get the job from a local adventuring guild, or an old man at a bar? Then, have each player say something they did during the adventure that went well, and something they did during the adventure that did badly. For an extra bit of lore building, one of those things MUST include another member of the party.
Example: You all get to know each other, and decide there's a barkeep in town looking for people to clear out his cellar. Seems some rats got in down there and made themselves at home. Big rats. BIG rats. You all volunteered. The Fighter discovered the rats and waded into the fray. He took out the first rat with a skull-splitting crack of his axe, but was ambushed by two others and had to be dragged to safety by the Paladin. The Paladin frightened the rats with a booming shout of his voice, driving them back long enough for him to drag the fighter out, but could do nothing against the remaining two rats, who surrounded him. Then, the Bard shouted a word of encouragement, allowing the Paladin enough confidence to strike a killing blow against one of the rats before firing his bow and... accidentally hitting the cleric in the shoulder. Fortunately, the cleric was able to heal the fighter just in time for the fighter to leap in and help the Paladin dispatch the last rat. The cleric said something rude to the barkeep, however, upon coming up from the cellar, and the man refused to give them their pay.
Boom. Quick story told. Every player owes another player for something. You create a little bit of history together that your players can bring to your first adventure, and you've got an instant adventuring party with a little bit of trust. Now the Fighter knows the Paladin and Cleric have his back, the Paladin knows the Bard can be handy in a pinch - but shouldn't be trusted with a bow. And everybody knows the cleric should keep his mouth shut when it's time to negotiate the pay.
I know nothing about your characters, so I'm just making all that up, but you see the point.
I agree!
A good way to work woth shorter backstories os to interpret what the players gave you in a way that works with your setting/environement. I like to keep major reveals for intense momments in my campaign or when the players will least likely expect it.
Also since the players give you locations, you could use that in your plots or even better some side-story. Something is happening at a place of someone's backstory and instantly, this session becomes more about THAT player, he/she will feel instantly more involved and can help open up the situation and deepen their understanding of their characters and give them maybe new goals or ideas for their character. Does not need to be absolute tragedy, just a reunion of old characters, maybe an old flame and a new rival? Even though we all lay the session, whenever I have characters meet NPCs they know, I always RP them as inquisitve about their adventures, asking them to recount what they've been up to, it gives me insight on what the characters find interresting about the story (oh we slew this giant! or We were lost in the wood and through ingeniosity we found our way out). It does not need to be the majority of yuor session, but I find adding some story heavy momments helpful in building on what I learn from my players. Having down to hearth momments, helps them remeber that they are people and not JUST heroes. Plus, it's a great way for you to positively reinforce their view of their accomplishments (I always have surprised or amazed reactions from NPCs about the heroes tales)
Another thing is to NOT be affraid to add stuff to the characters's backstory if they left it empty, or maybe they learn as they go along. Also do not be affraid to play the long game with NPCs. In one of mygames, on one of the first session, the bard had a bard-off against another bard in the city and he won. Now, months later in the story, the other Bard honed his skill and challenged him again, surprising the bard in another city completely. My player was so surprised to see THAT bard again!
Hope this helps!