I realize that the title sounds like I'm trying to talk about the most strategic builds for each adventure, but I'm not.
I'm interested in running some D&D modules, and I want to know what the best kinds of characters to recommend for each module, so that they have reason to join in the inciting adventure?
Picture this: you bring a group together for a game of Lost Mine of Phandelver, but one of your players describes their character as something like "My character lives in the forest, so he has no need for money, and also he hates working with other people above all else." In this situation, you have a player character who cannot fit in with the adventure easily, and now you have to bend over backwards to force in a character with no character motivation in this adventure. I think an example of an answer to my question for Lost Mine specifically would be: "needs gold for some reason, not a lone wolf," because the motivation at the beginning of the module is each character taking the job from Gundren Rockseeker.
What I'm trying to ask is this: For every individual module, what are the best character traits to recommend for a player who wants to play in a specific module, but is not sure what type of personality to play?
(I'm sorry if I wrote this in a very confusing way, just know that I'm not talking about races or classes, only personality traits that work well with how each module begins.)
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
Picture this: you bring a group together for a game of Lost Mine of Phandelver, but one of your players describes their character as something like "My character lives in the forest, so he has no need for money, and also he hates working with other people above all else." In this situation, you have a player character who cannot fit in with the adventure easily, and now you have to bend over backwards to force in a character with no character motivation in this adventure.
I hate to be That Guy, but you're trying to solve the wrong problem. What you really have is a problem player. Their character didn't just pop out of thin air; the player decides what the character's motivations are, and they could change those motivations if they wanted to. If someone wants to play Lost Mine of Phandelver, then it's part of their job to come up with a reason why their character would get involved. If you're going to play a co-op roleplaying game, you don't create a character that steadfastly refuses to work with other people.
Coming up with a reason why a character is involved in an adventure is absolutely trivial. It can be as simple as "I caught wind of such and such thing happening and now I'm curious." It can be "I don't personally have a stake in this, but I'm friends with party member X, who does." Any reasonable player will meet you in the middle instead of forcing you to bend over backwards.
As InquisitiveCoder highlighted above, you more have a player issue that a character issues. To answer your question though, the most important personality trait any character should have when preparing to play a published adventure is "willingness to buy into the conceit of the adventure." If the character isn't willing to help those in need or satisfy some urge to adventure, then they aren't really characters. They are location-bound NPCs at best.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
The only thing that I would add to the comments of the others is that the character that you described isn't incapable of being in the LMoP party. The onus to make the character work within the concept is not the DM's responsibility, it's the player's. This is more or less what the others are saying by "having a player" problem. Let's say that the character who "lives in the forest, so he has no need for money, and also he hates working with other people above all else" is in the party. Why has he joined Gundren's party? Is he a druid that has been tasked to help Gundren? Was he imprisoned and this is the means that he achieves parole? Does he suddenly need money, perhaps to buy the legal claim to the forest he lives in so that it isn't cleared and developed? Perhaps the Black Spider has been encroaching on the player's territory and he has determined that he's not strong enough alone to eliminate the threat.
As for hating to work with other people, why is that the case? Is he a hermit that has shunned civilization (not necessarily the hermit background)? Is the character a tiefling, half-orc pr other race that is often treated badly by other races? Is the character so afraid of weakness that even admitting he needs help irks him and thus he avoids it when possible?
These are just a few ideas that could be mixed and matched or even give rise to other (perhaps better) ideas about how the character would fit. He may be a curmudgeonly hermit living off the land, but something inspired him to come out of the forest all the way to Neverwinter and to join a company who is going to escort some supplies to Phandalin followed by whatever other reasons your Gundren gives them for adventuring. That reason better be good enough to keep the PC in line throughout the campaign, otherwise he's just reflavored the "I'm playing an evil character so I can be a major PITA".
As for the actual answer to your question, one who can buy into the campaign despite any philosophical, personal, tactical, or any other differences. While the spy amongst the group can be a viable in for such a player, it's likely only going to enable the bad behavior of the stereotypical "evil" PC and thus I would highly consider disallowing that option.
I realize that the title sounds like I'm trying to talk about the most strategic builds for each adventure, but I'm not.
I'm interested in running some D&D modules, and I want to know what the best kinds of characters to recommend for each module, so that they have reason to join in the inciting adventure?
Picture this: you bring a group together for a game of Lost Mine of Phandelver, but one of your players describes their character as something like "My character lives in the forest, so he has no need for money, and also he hates working with other people above all else." In this situation, you have a player character who cannot fit in with the adventure easily, and now you have to bend over backwards to force in a character with no character motivation in this adventure. I think an example of an answer to my question for Lost Mine specifically would be: "needs gold for some reason, not a lone wolf," because the motivation at the beginning of the module is each character taking the job from Gundren Rockseeker.
What I'm trying to ask is this: For every individual module, what are the best character traits to recommend for a player who wants to play in a specific module, but is not sure what type of personality to play?
(I'm sorry if I wrote this in a very confusing way, just know that I'm not talking about races or classes, only personality traits that work well with how each module begins.)
You can't drown someone with Create Water. If your lungs are containers than your bones are objects. Any Siege monster that attacks you deals double damage because it’s attacking your bones.
I hate to be That Guy, but you're trying to solve the wrong problem. What you really have is a problem player. Their character didn't just pop out of thin air; the player decides what the character's motivations are, and they could change those motivations if they wanted to. If someone wants to play Lost Mine of Phandelver, then it's part of their job to come up with a reason why their character would get involved. If you're going to play a co-op roleplaying game, you don't create a character that steadfastly refuses to work with other people.
Coming up with a reason why a character is involved in an adventure is absolutely trivial. It can be as simple as "I caught wind of such and such thing happening and now I'm curious." It can be "I don't personally have a stake in this, but I'm friends with party member X, who does." Any reasonable player will meet you in the middle instead of forcing you to bend over backwards.
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As InquisitiveCoder highlighted above, you more have a player issue that a character issues. To answer your question though, the most important personality trait any character should have when preparing to play a published adventure is "willingness to buy into the conceit of the adventure." If the character isn't willing to help those in need or satisfy some urge to adventure, then they aren't really characters. They are location-bound NPCs at best.
The only thing that I would add to the comments of the others is that the character that you described isn't incapable of being in the LMoP party. The onus to make the character work within the concept is not the DM's responsibility, it's the player's. This is more or less what the others are saying by "having a player" problem. Let's say that the character who "lives in the forest, so he has no need for money, and also he hates working with other people above all else" is in the party. Why has he joined Gundren's party? Is he a druid that has been tasked to help Gundren? Was he imprisoned and this is the means that he achieves parole? Does he suddenly need money, perhaps to buy the legal claim to the forest he lives in so that it isn't cleared and developed? Perhaps the Black Spider has been encroaching on the player's territory and he has determined that he's not strong enough alone to eliminate the threat.
As for hating to work with other people, why is that the case? Is he a hermit that has shunned civilization (not necessarily the hermit background)? Is the character a tiefling, half-orc pr other race that is often treated badly by other races? Is the character so afraid of weakness that even admitting he needs help irks him and thus he avoids it when possible?
These are just a few ideas that could be mixed and matched or even give rise to other (perhaps better) ideas about how the character would fit. He may be a curmudgeonly hermit living off the land, but something inspired him to come out of the forest all the way to Neverwinter and to join a company who is going to escort some supplies to Phandalin followed by whatever other reasons your Gundren gives them for adventuring. That reason better be good enough to keep the PC in line throughout the campaign, otherwise he's just reflavored the "I'm playing an evil character so I can be a major PITA".
As for the actual answer to your question, one who can buy into the campaign despite any philosophical, personal, tactical, or any other differences. While the spy amongst the group can be a viable in for such a player, it's likely only going to enable the bad behavior of the stereotypical "evil" PC and thus I would highly consider disallowing that option.
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I did NOT eat those hikers.