Using the help of Microsoft's Copilot, here is a list of questions to help someone create their backstory.
Character Basics
What is your character’s name, race, and class?
What region of the world does your character come from?
What is your character’s current occupation or role in society?
Family and Friends 4. Does your character have any family? If so, what are their relationships like? 5. Who was your character’s best friend growing up? 6. Has your character lost someone important to them?
Formative Experiences 7. What is your character’s earliest memory? 8. What event had the most impact on your character’s life? 9. Did your character have a happy childhood? Why or why not?
Beliefs and Motivations 10. What are your character’s personal beliefs? 11. What does your character fear the most? 12. What is your character’s greatest ambition?
Adventuring 13. Why did your character leave their previous life behind to become an adventurer? 14. Has your character ever killed before? If so, under what circumstances? 15. What would your character die for?
Secrets and Regrets 16. Does your character have any secrets they’ve never told anyone? 17. What is your character’s biggest regret? 18. Is there anything your character wishes they could change about their past?
Personality and Quirks 19. How would others describe your character’s personality? 20. What are some of your character’s habits or quirks? 21. How does your character handle stress or pressure?
Goals and Future 22. What short-term goals does your character have? 23. Where does your character see themselves in 5 years? 24. What legacy does your character want to leave behind?
Feel free to skip questions, expand upon them, or add new ones as you see fit. The backstory should serve as a foundation for your character’s motivations and actions, making your gameplay experience more immersive and enjoyable. Happy adventuring!
This sounds more like a job interview than a character backstory.
It's definitely not for everyone, but it's pretty easy with the help of AI. I do something similar with my NPCs by taking from the PHB Backgrounds to automate an NPC's Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws on the fly. If it's a villain, I use the DMG Villain tables to sort their Objective, Scheme, Methods, and Secret Weakness.
If I want to go further, I blend in This is Your Life from Xanathar's Guide to Everything to get even more depth. This is great for a major NPC and characters.
If I am really in the zone, I ask the AI to generate a plotto-style story for the character. At that point, I've got so much information that it's super easy to role-play the NPC or character. As always, the AI is a starter; things can easily be modified.
Here's what it looks like - I'm only sharing the prompts and final result, but each prompt has a relevant response that gets modified by the next prompt. NOTE: This is a wall of text and detailed profile. The point I'm making is anyone can save the same prompts and use AI to get different, but valid results. The "work" is minimal after the first pass.
Drake_Silvack's questions could be fed into an AI for fast answers that can be hand edited quickly to get a great answer.
Prompt: I'd like your help creating a Non-Player Character (NPC) for my Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Please pick a random Background from the Player's Handbook, pick one, give the NPC a job, and identify their Personality Trait, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws in a format that makes it easy for me as the Dungeon Master to quickly reference them during play.
(stuff generated)
Prompt: Fantastic, holding to all of this, please update Thalia using the Villains table from the Dungeon Master's Guide to give her a Objective and Scheme, Methods, and Secret Weakness.
(stuff generated)
Prompt:
Please go deeper by using the 'This is Your Life' tables from Xanathar's Guide to Everything
(stuff generated)
Prompt:
Lastly, please generate a PLOTTO style narrative for Thalia and make sure it is suitable for a fantasy D&D game (vs. a PLOTTO novel narrative).
(stuff generated)
Final Prompt:
Now, please bring all of this together for a single profile of Thalia and all of the generated responses about her. The goal is to present the information in a clear and accessible format that makes it easy to scan for information without repetition.
The Final Product
NPC Character Sheet: Thalia Greenthorn
Name: Thalia Greenthorn Race: Half-Elf Class: Commoner (or Fighter/Artificer for a more detailed stat block) Background: Guild Artisan (Blacksmith) Job: Blacksmith
Personality Trait:
I always want to know how things work and what makes people tick.
Ideal:
Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization.
Bond:
The workshop where I learned my trade is the most important place in the world to me.
Flaw:
I’m never satisfied with what I have – I always want more.
Appearance: Thalia is a sturdy half-elf with a strong build, developed from years of working the forge. She has short, curly auburn hair, sharp green eyes, and is often seen wearing a heavy leather apron over simple, practical clothes.
Roleplaying Notes:
When interacting with the players, Thalia is always asking questions, showing genuine interest in their equipment, methods, and stories.
She is willing to offer her services and expertise, especially if it benefits the community or if she sees potential in the players’ cause.
Despite her generally friendly demeanor, she can become noticeably envious when encountering someone with better tools or more wealth than her.
Key Information:
Thalia runs the Greenthorn Forge in the market district, known for producing high-quality weapons and armor.
She is a respected member of the blacksmiths' guild and often attends guild meetings and events.
Her ultimate dream is to create a masterpiece that will be remembered throughout the ages.
Early Life:
Parents: Human father, Garrick Greenthorn, a renowned blacksmith, and elven mother, Aeloria, a skilled woodcarver.
Birthplace: Small artisan village near a great mountain range.
Siblings: One younger brother, Felan Greenthorn, a talented woodcarver.
Family Lifestyle:
Lived a modest but comfortable life, respected for their craftsmanship.
Childhood Memories:
Helped her father in the forge, learned the basics of metalwork, and explored nearby forests and mountains with her brother.
Significant Life Events:
Early Training: Apprenticed under her father, showing great promise as a blacksmith.
Guild Membership: Joined the local blacksmiths' guild at 16, learning advanced techniques.
Tragedy: Father passed away when Thalia was 18, leaving her to take over the family forge.
Magical Encounter: Discovered an ancient, enchanted anvil during an expedition, boosting her skills but binding her to a dark curse.
Relationships:
Mentor: Father, Garrick, and later, Master Brennar from the guild.
Rival: Lorian Thorne, another blacksmith in the guild.
Adventures and Ventures:
Commissioned Work: Crafted armor for a renowned knight, earning a stellar reputation.
Expedition Leader: Led a dangerous expedition to retrieve rare metals.
Guild Politics: Played a key role in resolving a guild dispute.
Current Goals:
Determined to complete her life's work: forging magical weapons and armors for immortality and unmatched power, willing to manipulate guild politics and undertake dangerous rituals.
Villainous Objective and Scheme:
Objective: Achieve Immortality through Master Craftsmanship.
Scheme: Work on a series of magical items using forbidden techniques and materials.
Methods:
Manipulation: Manipulates guild politics and sabotages rivals.
Espionage: Employs spies to steal designs and techniques.
Ritualistic Crafting: Engages in dangerous rituals, requiring rare and sometimes illegal components.
Secret Weakness:
Cursed Tools: Her primary forging tools are cursed, draining her life force. Separation from these tools for more than a week weakens her significantly.
PLOTTO-Style Narrative:
Initial Situation: Thalia discovers an ancient, enchanted anvil that boosts her crafting skills but curses her.
Complication Arises: Thalia learns about the curse and her rival, Lorian Thorne, plots to steal the anvil.
Hero's Goal and Strategy: She seeks to craft magical items for immortality, gathering rare materials and manipulating guild politics.
Allies and Opponents: Enlists adventurers to help, while cultists and Lorian Thorne pose additional threats.
Turning Point: Discovering that breaking the curse requires a powerful artifact in a monster-infested ruin.
Climax and Resolution: Adventurers retrieve the artifact, lift the curse after a final confrontation with cultists and Lorian.
Conclusion: Thalia completes her work, realizes the cost of her ambition, and vows to use her skills for the community's benefit.
This comprehensive profile provides a clear, detailed, and easily accessible summary of Thalia Greenthorn, making it easy for the Dungeon Master to reference and integrate her into the campaign.
You really need to ask two basic questions before you go through any real work developing a backstory:
1) What do I hope to achieve by developing this backstory- why should I, or anyone, care?
2) Are the DM intentions around player backstory in line with my intentions? Because if they aren't, then the detail of your backstory may mis-match the need.
For example, as a DM, I simply do not care about the players backstory, and never pull any details from them.
You really need to ask two basic questions before you go through any real work developing a backstory:
1) What do I hope to achieve by developing this backstory- why should I, or anyone, care?
2) Are the DM intentions around player backstory in line with my intentions? Because if they aren't, then the detail of your backstory may mis-match the need.
For example, as a DM, I simply do not care about the players backstory, and never pull any details from them.
Since my characters are mostly used in Discord, I always have issues making backstories. And what I posted is a good way to do so. Though, I did use another set of questions to create a backstory for one of my characters.
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Using the help of Microsoft's Copilot, here is a list of questions to help someone create their backstory.
Character Basics
Family and Friends 4. Does your character have any family? If so, what are their relationships like? 5. Who was your character’s best friend growing up? 6. Has your character lost someone important to them?
Formative Experiences 7. What is your character’s earliest memory? 8. What event had the most impact on your character’s life? 9. Did your character have a happy childhood? Why or why not?
Beliefs and Motivations 10. What are your character’s personal beliefs? 11. What does your character fear the most? 12. What is your character’s greatest ambition?
Adventuring 13. Why did your character leave their previous life behind to become an adventurer? 14. Has your character ever killed before? If so, under what circumstances? 15. What would your character die for?
Secrets and Regrets 16. Does your character have any secrets they’ve never told anyone? 17. What is your character’s biggest regret? 18. Is there anything your character wishes they could change about their past?
Personality and Quirks 19. How would others describe your character’s personality? 20. What are some of your character’s habits or quirks? 21. How does your character handle stress or pressure?
Goals and Future 22. What short-term goals does your character have? 23. Where does your character see themselves in 5 years? 24. What legacy does your character want to leave behind?
Feel free to skip questions, expand upon them, or add new ones as you see fit. The backstory should serve as a foundation for your character’s motivations and actions, making your gameplay experience more immersive and enjoyable. Happy adventuring!
This sounds more like a job interview than a character backstory.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It's definitely not for everyone, but it's pretty easy with the help of AI. I do something similar with my NPCs by taking from the PHB Backgrounds to automate an NPC's Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws on the fly. If it's a villain, I use the DMG Villain tables to sort their Objective, Scheme, Methods, and Secret Weakness.
If I want to go further, I blend in This is Your Life from Xanathar's Guide to Everything to get even more depth. This is great for a major NPC and characters.
If I am really in the zone, I ask the AI to generate a plotto-style story for the character. At that point, I've got so much information that it's super easy to role-play the NPC or character. As always, the AI is a starter; things can easily be modified.
Here's what it looks like - I'm only sharing the prompts and final result, but each prompt has a relevant response that gets modified by the next prompt.
NOTE: This is a wall of text and detailed profile. The point I'm making is anyone can save the same prompts and use AI to get different, but valid results. The "work" is minimal after the first pass.
Drake_Silvack's questions could be fed into an AI for fast answers that can be hand edited quickly to get a great answer.
Prompt:
I'd like your help creating a Non-Player Character (NPC) for my Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Please pick a random Background from the Player's Handbook, pick one, give the NPC a job, and identify their Personality Trait, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws in a format that makes it easy for me as the Dungeon Master to quickly reference them during play.
(stuff generated)
Prompt:
Fantastic, holding to all of this, please update Thalia using the Villains table from the Dungeon Master's Guide to give her a Objective and Scheme, Methods, and Secret Weakness.
(stuff generated)
Prompt:
Please go deeper by using the 'This is Your Life' tables from Xanathar's Guide to Everything
(stuff generated)
Prompt:
Lastly, please generate a PLOTTO style narrative for Thalia and make sure it is suitable for a fantasy D&D game (vs. a PLOTTO novel narrative).
(stuff generated)
Final Prompt:
Now, please bring all of this together for a single profile of Thalia and all of the generated responses about her. The goal is to present the information in a clear and accessible format that makes it easy to scan for information without repetition.
The Final Product
NPC Character Sheet: Thalia Greenthorn
Name: Thalia Greenthorn
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Commoner (or Fighter/Artificer for a more detailed stat block)
Background: Guild Artisan (Blacksmith)
Job: Blacksmith
Personality Trait:
Ideal:
Bond:
Flaw:
Appearance: Thalia is a sturdy half-elf with a strong build, developed from years of working the forge. She has short, curly auburn hair, sharp green eyes, and is often seen wearing a heavy leather apron over simple, practical clothes.
Roleplaying Notes:
Key Information:
Early Life:
Family Lifestyle:
Childhood Memories:
Significant Life Events:
Relationships:
Adventures and Ventures:
Current Goals:
Villainous Objective and Scheme:
Methods:
Secret Weakness:
PLOTTO-Style Narrative:
Initial Situation: Thalia discovers an ancient, enchanted anvil that boosts her crafting skills but curses her.
Complication Arises: Thalia learns about the curse and her rival, Lorian Thorne, plots to steal the anvil.
Hero's Goal and Strategy: She seeks to craft magical items for immortality, gathering rare materials and manipulating guild politics.
Allies and Opponents: Enlists adventurers to help, while cultists and Lorian Thorne pose additional threats.
Turning Point: Discovering that breaking the curse requires a powerful artifact in a monster-infested ruin.
Climax and Resolution: Adventurers retrieve the artifact, lift the curse after a final confrontation with cultists and Lorian.
Conclusion: Thalia completes her work, realizes the cost of her ambition, and vows to use her skills for the community's benefit.
This comprehensive profile provides a clear, detailed, and easily accessible summary of Thalia Greenthorn, making it easy for the Dungeon Master to reference and integrate her into the campaign.
You really need to ask two basic questions before you go through any real work developing a backstory:
1) What do I hope to achieve by developing this backstory- why should I, or anyone, care?
2) Are the DM intentions around player backstory in line with my intentions? Because if they aren't, then the detail of your backstory may mis-match the need.
For example, as a DM, I simply do not care about the players backstory, and never pull any details from them.
Thank you for this list! I always struggle. And now, to get on rolling a new toon for session 0 in a few days! :)
Since my characters are mostly used in Discord, I always have issues making backstories. And what I posted is a good way to do so. Though, I did use another set of questions to create a backstory for one of my characters.