Character Background - What Do You Really Need?

This particular post holds an idea that can be added to any RPG.

Character Background, sometimes there's pages and pages of it, and other times there is nothing at all. How do you get those pesky players to give you something to work with without burying you in homework? Easy. There is only one question the player and the GM should know about the hero:

Why did your hero become an Adventurer?

Adventuring is a dangerous business. There are more comfortable ways to live, so what drove your character to this? I wracked my brain and came up with four basic motivations for heroes: They are ESCAPING something, They are DUTY BOUND to do something, they CRAVE something, or they are SEEKING VENGEANCE for something. From there, I created a list for what those Somethings are. A player can pick one or draw a random card if they like. (I like using cards for tables, it makes them feel like a tarot reading).

The list should help to jog the player's creativity to at least give the GM a plot thread he can work with. It can also be a spring-board for the writer's in your group. But you've got an elevator pitch for their character, and that's all that you need.

Wait, why is that all the GM needs? My character's have a lot of childhood trauma. They're well rounded characters!

Yes, but this is the Movie-verse! We won't be spending an entire lifetime with your hero. We only have time to explore the facets of one trauma, if that. Since the Movie-verse is focusing on your life as an Adventurer, your motivation is of paramount importance to the audience. We see why Conan sought revenge against Thulsa Doom, how and why Luke Skywalker became the hero of the Rebellion. We connect with these characters because they remain focused on what is important to the story (Conan's Revenge, Luke's ending the Empire).

Here's a link to my Character Background Generator (FREE!)

Edit: Sorry for being Late. Here's the link. It's also in "Free Stuff".

Worldbuilding 101: The Three Zones

So you feel ready to build your world but you don't know where to start. Suddenly the enormity of your task dawns on you and you panic! Do I have to script out every town and city, their populace, points of interest, and ruling bodies? Do I need to know how the toilets flush? And so you searched online for assistance. So did I.

Sadly I gleaned very little about a process for actually building a world. It all felt like that old cartoon joke:

I've made a few observations on the subject that might assist you in this endeavor. First, we will zoom out to view your entire blank world. What is your world? It's the playground for your players. But we need to know how they want to play. How do we find out? Well, there are typically three playground zones in any setting. They are:

1. Civilization: This zone is all about the inner cities, the core worlds, mega-city 1. If your players want adventures in the city, they are telling you they want a game about intrigue. The villain's are primarily other people. The heroes must navigate their way through political pressure, corruption, all while making the right allies to help keep them alive. Cyberpunk is exclusively a civilization game. 
2. The Fringe: The fringe is where civilization has a tentative hold over the wilderness. It's a popular starting location as it offers both intrigue and exploration storylines. It's also a quick hop back into a city if the heroes want, or into the wilderness. Fringe stories involve societal breakdowns like raiders, rising warlords, and corruption but also include stories about natural disasters, plagues, pestilence, rampaging creatures, and forbidden things lurking in the shadows. Players will often be hired to deal with local problems since on the fringe, there aren't a lot of peace-keepers. Almost the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy occurred in the fringe of the Empire. We only ever saw one civilized world... briefly, Alderaan.
3. The Wild: If your players choose to play in the wild, they are telling you they want survival to be important. In the wild, there is no resupply or comfy taverns. In the wild, anything strange can and should happen. The players are out here to explore. The locations should be awe inspiring. The threats should be unique and terrifying. This is the home of lost civilizations, ruined tombs, and undiscovered countries. Give it to them.

D&D tends to place its lost tombs conveniently in the fringe so that adventurers can investigate a sunken temple at noon and be back at the pub by nightfall for fried chicken. Well the fringe is a good place for it but might I suggest treating the search for the sunken temple as a transition between the fringe and the wild? You'll get more adventures out of it and survival without support will ratchet up the suspense.

So now that you know the three zones, what do you do with them?

If the players choose to play in civilization, then you know you need to pour your efforts into a city. That's just ONE city. Where do I put it on the map? It doesn't matter. There ought to be plenty of adventure there and it doesn't sound like your players are in the mood for cross-country travel.

If the player's choose the fringe, then you know you need a town. Your players may not like the town you have made but they won't know that until after the first adventure. Once you have an idea for a town, come up with three things that are troubling the town: Frequent orc raids, a mysterious blight on the crops, and a band of thieves are harassing the townsfolk. Your players will choose to tackle one of these issues, and if they hate the town by the end of the adventure they can go to a different town. In which case make a town more to their liking and come up with three things that are troubling the new town: Well those orc raiders are striking here as well, children are suffering from a strange "sleeping sickness", and there's rumor of a sunken temple in the nearby swamp. Build the towns as they are needed.

What if the heroes choose the wild? Then build an amazing location that holds a terrible secret, don't forget the keeper(s) of that secret. Also focus on how the heroes are able to survive the wilderness trek. What problems might they face? What random creatures might they encounter? Each adventure the heroes should: experience an amazing locale, fight something they've never encountered before, and learn a secret that the forgotten place holds. Here's an example: My heroes are trekking in the wilderness, survivors of a shipwreck, cast away on an unexplored shore. They strive to survive the wilderness when they come across an inland grotto decorated with the remains of torn-apart ships. What are they doing this far inland? The water in the grotto links to the ocean and the grotto is the lair of a kraken! The same kraken that destroyed the heroes' ship! That's not all. A local tribe of beast-men worship the kraken and view the pillaged vessels as gifts. As far as they are concerned, the heroes have violated their holy ground.

New Planetary One Sheet - Ralka Station

Ralka Station. A scummy hive of villainly wretchedness, where pirates barter their illegal goods outside the fringes of law and authority. Enjoy.

Adventure Monday!- Planet Sulluh

Planet Sulluh. I banged this one out fast. I hope you like it.

Adventure Monday! - Planet Ursae

When the trade-lanes shift, foolish worlds will suffer... 

Welcome to Planet Ursae, you will not be staying long. Please stay withing the red-dotted lines on your guest map. Your life will depend on it.

Adventure Monday! - Planet Qalesh

Not exactly a nice place to go skiing...Planet Qalesh!

 This one explains the difference between a spacesuit and a pressure suit.

Adventure Monday! - Planet Ashara

Welcome to the Nightmare World of Ashara. I hope you've notified your next of kin.

I was inspired to make Ashara first as a hunting preserve, but then it occurred to me that any habitable planet would be exploited in no time, unless it was a planet that chewed-you-up and spit-you-out like Klendathu (ala Starship Troopers), or Australia.

So here you are, a beautiful world on the outside and a meat-grinder on the inside.

Adventure Monday! - Planet Sonti

It's time for a new Planetary One Sheet so leave the kids behind because Planet Sonti is the world where any seedy fantasy can happen, if the money is right. What happens on Sonti stays on Sonti. The local authorities guarantee it. Just make sure it doesn't happen to you.

Adventure Monday! - Planet Pelligan

This is one I was working on a while ago. Since it is a planet of mystery, it doesn't have any specific adventure hooks but it does have rumors. You can decide for yourself what is really going on here. Here you go... Planet Pelligan!

 

Adventure Monday! - Planet Obsolam

So here I am rolling out a planet for use in your sci-fi adventures: Planet Obsolam, the Robot's Graveyard.

Included with the planetary description are five adventure hooks, more fleshed out than the typical, generic Adventure Mondays list. I'm shooting for five hooks per planet.

Enjoy and Game On!

Adventure Mondays! - Part 12

Not a bad run, but I'm out of stock. I still haven't figured out what to do with next Monday. Hopefully it'll be something you enjoy.

And now the Final 10!

• Rumors are that a rival kingdom is preparing to invade. The heroes are hired to find out if it is true.
• The rare local animal is becoming even rarer. Can the heroes find and stop the poachers?
• A thief/ murderer is making the local police look foolish. Can the heroes stop the crime wave?
• Everyone in an isolated village has disappeared without a trace.
• A Power Player has been poisoned and the heroes must rush to find a cure and possibly uncover the assassin.
• The heroes are hired to defend a power player that is accused of crimes
• A noble’s daughter has fallen for an enemy. The heroes are hired to find proof that he is just using her for state secrets.
• A noblewoman's journal or love letters fall into the wrong hands and the heroes are hired to get them back discreetly.
• An innocent person's loved one dies as a result of the business practices of a group of Power Players. Who will see that these men answer for their crimes?
• A group of students dip their hands into crime and play robin hood. Are there efforts really altruistic, and what about the crime syndicates that don't like the competition. Do these kids need protection, or a life lesson about how dangerous their chosen path really is?

Adventure Mondays! - Part 11

Nearly done...

• A Monster or Group of Monsters has inadvertently taken something that must be returned.
• A local politician is looking for hired heroes to rescue his kidnapped family member.
• The heroes are hired to return a wayward child, but what is the child running from?
• The heroes must guard a caravan through dangerous territory.
• A town is about to suffer its annual barbarian raid, but this time they intend to fight back. Can the heroes stop this cycle of plunder?
• A couple forbidden to be together runs off to a dangerous ruin. The heroes are hired by one of the families to bring them back (and maybe get rid of the undesirable love interest).
• A cult is abducting people to use for sacrifices. Someone should put a stop to this.
• Someone has stolen a tribe’s lucky totem to destroy the village and take the land. Can the heroes get the totem back?
• Through sabotage, a secret group is trying to destroy the public’s faith in its government and destabilize the region.
• A young woman is asking questions about her missing father, which seems to draw a very violent response from a wealthy and powerful local who is bent on keeping her from the truth.

Adventure Mondays! - Part 10

Wow, has it been a hundred adventure seeds already? Yup! Don't say I never got you nothin'.

• A map to a lost artifact falls into the heroes' hands. (An oldie but a goodie).
• The heroes have been poisoned and must find a cure. The poisoners may use the opportunity to blackmail the heroes.
• The local ruler is using magic or drugs to enslave the population as a means to maintain order and power.
• A group is whipping up sentiment against a minority. Can they be stopped before blood is shed?
• A deceased power player becomes the target of a smear campaign. The locals want to know if it is true, the family wants it stopped.
• Local law enforcement has offered a hefty bounty for the capture or execution of a criminal.
• A child or family is lost in the wilderness and is in need of rescue.
• The heroes are hired to protect an archaeologist at a dig from bandits and other, darker things.
• A Group of Monsters must be cleared from their territory to make way for expansion.
• The heroes are hired to return stolen relics or items to the rightful owner.

Adventure Mondays! - Part 9

And here we go again...

• An Unstoppable Monster is coming to destroy everything.
• The heroes are waylaid by bandits, but the robbers are children. How will the heroes handle this?
• Animals have started attacking a town every night. They seem to want something inside the old church, but the locals aren't talking.
• The players receive a map showing the location of a hidden treasure deep into the wilderness, over difficult terrain infested with dangerous animals. Is it real, a ruse, or a terrible trap for greedy looters?
• Poor laborers beg the players to save them from their cruel overlord, a man who holds a contract for each of them that allows him to legally exploit them for underpaid, dangerous labor.
• The heroes are hired to rescue a family member taken hostage to blackmail the parents.
• The heroes are assigned as the escort of a Troublesome Noble.
• A dangerous creature is plaguing the locals and a bounty has been placed for its hide.
• Uncover the spy that may be in a travelling theater group.
• The heroes wake up in a recently deserted town with no memory of the previous three days.

Adventure Mondays! - Part 8

I've almost burned through all of my generic seeds. I wonder what will become of Adventure Mondays when I run out?

• A Valuable Monster must be delivered unharmed.
• Miners have uncovered something in the mountains and now it’s causing harm to the locals. The locals want it stopped, someone wants it for themselves, and everyone who has gone to investigate has never returned.
• A child missing for years is seen running through the woods late one night.
• The Heroes are hired to ensure the safety of a negotiation.
•  The heroes are hired to hunt down a person or creature, but discover its mistreatment and may be compelled to let it go.
• Strange lights and sounds come from an old ruin.
• A contact claims to have information of a plot that threatens to destroy city or country, but winds up dead before he can pass on the information.
• The heroes are hired to bring an affair to an end without the wronged spouse finding out.
• A group of local natives are becoming restless and diplomacy is needed to avert a war.
• Villains that the heroes have crossed before have unleashed a beast or bounty hunter to hunt them down.

Adventure Mondays! - Part 7

And it doesn't get any easier...

• A Useful Monster must be captured and trained.
• Mischievous creatures have targeted the heroes for fun. They must be appeased or destroyed.
• The Heroes are hired to lift a curse from a town that the town incurred through sinful misdeeds.
• The Heroes are hired to prevent the extermination of a valuable local animal by poachers.
• An experimental robot or creature has escaped and must be caught or stopped.
• A haunted house contains valuable artistic items, which brave players could recover for profit.
• The heroes are hired to put down a grass roots uprising.
• An android asks the players for help escaping from its owner and becoming free.
• Someone or thing is attack people and leaving them with no memory of the assault.
• The heroes are hired to protect a merchant vessel.

On a personal note: Things may slow down on the blog around the end of this month and the beginning of August. I'll be moving so there will be a lot of packing, disconnecting, unpacking, reconnecting, screaming at Comcast/Xfinity or whatever new brand name they switch to.

Game On!

Adventure Mondays! - Part 6

As promised, every Monday gets you ten more seeds for your games.

• An Unstoppable Monster is coming to destroy everything. Who do you save and how?
• The players are caught between soldiers and separatist rebels, and must choose sides.
• People turn up missing right after a town reverses its fortunes. Has someone cut a deal with the devil?
• The Heroes are hired to retrieve an important invention that their patron claims was stolen from him. Unfortunately true ownership is in question.
•  Hostages have been taken and the heroes are hired to end the standoff.
• An ancient machine or creature is accidentally set loose. Can the heroes stop it?
• The heroes get wind of a slave ship in the area leaving port soon. Someone should put a stop to this.
• Someone has arisen that appears to have miraculous abilities to heal and prophesize, but is there a darker secret to this gift?
• A cursed item has been making rounds and wreaking havoc. The heroes must track it down before it causes more harm.
•  A cult is selling a popular remedy that actually causes dire suffering.

Adventure Monday! - Part 5

Woop Woop! It's that time again. I hope these are helping people. I don't get much feedback, so it's difficult to tell.

• A Monster has settled into an area that the locals need access to and it must be removed or killed.
• While on a long voyage the heroes’ vehicle is waylaid by hijackers.
• Two government’s dispute over ownership of a recent find threatens to drive the region into war.
• The heroes are caught up in an attempted coup.
• All of the children of a town have mysteriously disappeared.
• A demon possesses a living person to fulfill an ancient obligation made with a person no longer alive.
• A dying miner claims to have found a mother lode and asks the players to pass on its location to his kin. The people who killed the miner have other ideas.
• The players discover an operation underway that uses slave labor. The slavers are cruel and armed.
•  The heroes are hired to hunt down a person of noble intent who seems to have become corrupted by greed, power, drugs, or a cursed item.
• There is a creature loose at the local shipyard and no one seems inclined to do much about it. The Dock-Masters offer a bounty but are much more interested in seizing the abandoned ships of the creature’s victims.

Last week I played the Free RPG day scenario "Risen From the Sands" in the Pathfinder Society. TPK (Total Party Kill) in 29 minutes at the first encounter. Skip this one. It really shows off the lack of playtest some Paizo products get.

I'm all for tough scenarios but the first encounter was a "Square Pyramid" (geometry buffs are cringing on that one) that Tramples all the heroes each round in a narrow corridor (no cover) and deals enough damage to drop any character in one blow (it's a 2-4 level adventure). BTW this "Square Pyramid" also has Reach (WTF?), over 50 hp, and Hardness of 8.

AND I thought I would remind you that this is a free rpg being run on Free RPG Day as a marketing ploy that is supposed to draw in new players. Wanna play an RPG? Oops, yer dead. Did you have fun? Paizo Fail.

Adventure Monday - Part 4

Back again with ten more seeds.

• A Poisonous Monster must be killed and a sample of its poison must be returned.
• A Valuable Monster is loose and must be captured alive.
• The Heroes fame as made them a target by wannabes that want to prove themselves.
• A Wronged Noble needs a champion to fight in a duel of honor.
• The players are caught between soldiers and separatist rebels, and must choose sides.
• Mischievous creatures have targeted the heroes for fun. They must be appeased or destroyed.
• The Heroes fame as made them a target by wannabes that want to prove themselves.
• The Heroes are hired to bring peace to a restless ghost, allowing it to fade away.
• A power player is getting advice from their dead consort. Is it real or is there a dark secret?
• The Heroes are hired to plant listening devices into a rival company’s system so that a competitor can listen in.
• The Heroes are sent into the bowels of a planet’s machinery to capture a rebel leader, only to find out they have captured a patsy, or have they?

Adventure Monday! - Part 3

As promised, more adventure seeds for you.

• A Rampaging Monster is creating a nuisance for the locals.
• A Monstrous Plague is coming and threatens to kill everyone.
• A Monstrous Plague is coming and threatens people’s livelihoods.
• The players are set up as scapegoats for the secret misdeeds of their current employer.
• Something causes the wild animals in the area to attack humans out of desperation.
• The players are betrayed by a former employer for bounty money, and are hunted by mercenaries.
• The heroes fame as made them a target by wannabes that want to prove themselves.
• A prophesy of doom is uttered from someone who has never been wrong. Can the heroes stop this prophesy from coming true?
• Someone is forcing a hero to prove his innocence in a crime. If the heroes fail, many people and the heroes themselves will suffer.