Character Backstory
The backstory for your character is the story of their life up to this point.
Some campaigns will not require a backstory to this degree of detail, simply following the steps listed in the Character creation document Here may be enough information for the game the DM has planned.
If the DM has requested a full backstory it will be at the beginning of a campaign, or at a bridge point between a short initial story arc. This document will provide the base structure for any character to have a well fleshed out past for the DM to draw from and integrate into a more engaging and targeted campaign.
- Build your character. Go to the Character Creation document Here and follow the steps. This will cover the basics for your character, homeland, hometown, background, class, and name. Among the more functional aspects related to gameplay.
- Expand on the backstory. With your character outlined to this degree you should know a few basic facts already.
Background will give clues to what kind of work they have done in their past. Class will tell what skills they learned and how they use them to their advantage. Homeland will give an idea of where their greater allegiances and ideals may lie based on different cultures.
- Detail the story. with these aspects in mind you can get started writing your backstory. Below is a list of suggestions and details that will make it more engaging and easier for the DM to draw from.
-Childhood: Where they born rural or Urban (name the town/city/choose one from on the maps)? What did they do as a kid? Were their parents rich/poor/Alive/dead (Name them)? Where they homed or a street urchin? Where they educated well? Did they have to work to help survive with their family? Any brothers or sisters (name them)? How close to their siblings were they to their family? Did anything of interest happen to inspire them or set them apart in this time? What did they dream of doing?
-Adolescence: How were they as a teenager? Did they have to sacrifice to help their family or siblings? Have they traveled from their homelands? How did they survive? Are they religious? to what god/s? What skills did they learn as their first work? Did they go to a school or receive special training? Introduce a mentor character that taught them their skills; could be a ranger needing an assistant, a knight needing a squire, mage in need of an apprentice, simply a craftsman seeking to share their skill. How much did they enjoy this craft/trade? What relationships did they have in this time? Friends and romances (name them)? Were they popular or an outcast? What was their relationship with the local authority? How much trouble did they cause and how? intentional vandalism or wild accidents?
Who are their rivals? No story is good without a good enemy or two. Introduce some characters that work against your character, make them interesting and of similar power, they will likely arrive later to cause trouble. Also, If you are planning a certain theme for your character arc across the game, characterize them to best set them up a part of that. Similar abilities or complete opposite abilities?
What do they want to do? Have they found legends to seek answers to? Magics, mysteries and places to explore? Money to make? Monsters to slay? Trophies to hunt? Challenges to complete? Items to collect? Books or maps to write? Revenge to seek? It can be anything but your character needs a proper goal. Many backstories end and reach the start of the game point by the late adolescence/early adulthood time periods. The following section is for those that want their character to be slightly older and have had a bit more life experience before their adventure begins. This is also suggested for races that live much longer and mature much later but live within the cultures of much shorter lived races, they may inevitably begin living the expectations and activities of adulthood during their relative adolescence. If this is not the case skip to the Inciting Incident section. -Adulthood: What do they do now they are all grown up? How do they ply their craft? How is their relationship to their family? do they still keep in contact? do they still live nearby? Are they married with kids or not? Do they own a house or business? What happened to their mentor, alive/dead? Were they given a final task by them they are yet to complete? How well known are they? Their relative fame will depend on the level of these characters and their life up till this point. A blacksmiths apprentice will be largely unknown outside of their town, while a well to do child of nobility will be well known and recognized in their circles by adulthood. Though, is probably unknown in the Blacksmith's town. Inciting incident that set the character on their current path, this can be anything from an attack on their home from foreign enemies, a savage tribe or bandits. Conscription into a Lords army to be dragged on campaign. A divine intervention of some sort. An attack from creatures in the wilds. Captured and imprisoned by enemies. Parents kicked them out, or sent to boarding/church school. Family torn apart for whatever reason? Debts come due? Became an outcast in the town? Angered a local noble? Faced a grave accident from which their reputation may never recover? Was betrayed and must have justice? Generally the Inciting Incident will be a point in the story where the character either loses basically everything, or willingly leaves it in search of something new or in pursuit of their goal. Any option can make for an interesting story. What is important is where this took them, how did they escape? Why did they choose to leave it all behind? What did they leave behind? Now refer to the initial blurb the DM will have sent outlining the story of the campaign and decide the last few things. Why is your character here? What brought them to this point? What are they hoping to gain? And why would they be interested and willing to travel a dangerous journey with a group of strangers? If the previous format has not been helpful here is a list of bullet points that your story should ideally detail at the bare minimum. -Family members, names and status (Alive/Dead and How) -Lifestyle that gave them their background skills and talents -training they had in the past -someone they held a rivalry with that is still around to return later -A mentor that helped them hone their skills to reach their class status. -Relationships and Friends in their past -Unfinished business /goals /tasks -Inciting incident, how they got from their previous life to the start of the campaign.
Who are their rivals? No story is good without a good enemy or two. Introduce some characters that work against your character, make them interesting and of similar power, they will likely arrive later to cause trouble. Also, If you are planning a certain theme for your character arc across the game, characterize them to best set them up a part of that. Similar abilities or complete opposite abilities?
What do they want to do? Have they found legends to seek answers to? Magics, mysteries and places to explore? Money to make? Monsters to slay? Trophies to hunt? Challenges to complete? Items to collect? Books or maps to write? Revenge to seek? It can be anything but your character needs a proper goal. Many backstories end and reach the start of the game point by the late adolescence/early adulthood time periods. The following section is for those that want their character to be slightly older and have had a bit more life experience before their adventure begins. This is also suggested for races that live much longer and mature much later but live within the cultures of much shorter lived races, they may inevitably begin living the expectations and activities of adulthood during their relative adolescence. If this is not the case skip to the Inciting Incident section. -Adulthood: What do they do now they are all grown up? How do they ply their craft? How is their relationship to their family? do they still keep in contact? do they still live nearby? Are they married with kids or not? Do they own a house or business? What happened to their mentor, alive/dead? Were they given a final task by them they are yet to complete? How well known are they? Their relative fame will depend on the level of these characters and their life up till this point. A blacksmiths apprentice will be largely unknown outside of their town, while a well to do child of nobility will be well known and recognized in their circles by adulthood. Though, is probably unknown in the Blacksmith's town. Inciting incident that set the character on their current path, this can be anything from an attack on their home from foreign enemies, a savage tribe or bandits. Conscription into a Lords army to be dragged on campaign. A divine intervention of some sort. An attack from creatures in the wilds. Captured and imprisoned by enemies. Parents kicked them out, or sent to boarding/church school. Family torn apart for whatever reason? Debts come due? Became an outcast in the town? Angered a local noble? Faced a grave accident from which their reputation may never recover? Was betrayed and must have justice? Generally the Inciting Incident will be a point in the story where the character either loses basically everything, or willingly leaves it in search of something new or in pursuit of their goal. Any option can make for an interesting story. What is important is where this took them, how did they escape? Why did they choose to leave it all behind? What did they leave behind? Now refer to the initial blurb the DM will have sent outlining the story of the campaign and decide the last few things. Why is your character here? What brought them to this point? What are they hoping to gain? And why would they be interested and willing to travel a dangerous journey with a group of strangers? If the previous format has not been helpful here is a list of bullet points that your story should ideally detail at the bare minimum. -Family members, names and status (Alive/Dead and How) -Lifestyle that gave them their background skills and talents -training they had in the past -someone they held a rivalry with that is still around to return later -A mentor that helped them hone their skills to reach their class status. -Relationships and Friends in their past -Unfinished business /goals /tasks -Inciting incident, how they got from their previous life to the start of the campaign.
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