Well...
I may start to play a new character soon and he depends mostly upon his background to function (good vs. evil type...haunting)
I need to know how much the average player with the average character (or as average as they can get) would emphasize their background story (what would be found in the Hero Builder's Guide)
Thanks
The Deathy Halfling
Well...
I may start to play a new character soon and he depends mostly upon his background to function (good vs. evil type...haunting)
I need to know how much the average player with the average character (or as average as they can get) would emphasize their background story (what would be found in the Hero Builder's Guide)
Thanks
The Deathy Halfling
How much a player depends upon his/her character's background story is pretty much dependant on his/her play style. Most players fall somewhere in between hardcore roleplayers and hardcore rollplayers.
I can't quite decide how to answer your question other than this; I think it would help me to know why you're asking about how OTHERS' emphasize character backgrounds...and why this matters to YOUR character's background.
It also depends on your DM. I've had characters with tons of cool background hooks that the DM totally ignored because the rest of the group was more into rollplay than roleplay. When I DM, I like to have fairly detailed backgrounds for the PCs, so I can play into that later if I want to...but some players just aren't willing to do that.
Well thank you I guess...
My DM wanted us to create backgrounds for our original characters (with enemies and the like) and if we didn't happen to have something in there he forced us to put it in, but now that we have been on this campaign for so long I havn't seen the backgrounds used, mostly because he is too lazy to try and create/mod a campaign to fit our characters.
So I think the question that I'm trying to ask is how much have you actually used a characters background??
I just don't want to spend two hours writing the basic thing down on paper and then not use it...
I guess it depends on how much work the DM wants to do with it. I've had the most success using background material that actually tied into how I played the character every session (i.e. reactions to other characters and situations), for instance, a fighter that was so terrified of water that he would go out of his way to avoid it. The DM actually gave him a -2 to hit whenever fighting near water (took a lot of flak from the rollplayers in the group over that one--"how could you do something that would wreck your attack rolls?" and such.) Background material that ties into how you roleplay the character is most useful for you. Background that ties into things that the DM can bring out later is most useful for the DM...
Guess I'd ask the DM if he's looking for stuff he can use in later adventures, or if he just wants you to have thought about how you're going to roleplay your character.
Don't know if that's helpful or not...
-Fang
You can also go to the NPC Stat Block Bank and go to any of the NPC pages. It'll generate some basic traits and descriptions for a starting point for character backgrounds.
It's popular these days for DMs to demand backstories so that you've got a character who's less than two-dimensional. In exchange, though, he should know and use those backstories in the plot. Give the GM a hint that if your character has to have a background, it'd be nice for the game he presents to reflect that.
Really? He wants the big storyline from ya' but isn't actually gonna' do anything with it? That stinks.
I personally love deep character backstory, as a DM I base the entire campaigns I run off of the loose ends offered me in my players' backstories. However frankly I would say if the guy is demanding so much for so little then I'd just come up with something to satisfy him. Come up with a place your character comes from, some goal he's after, maybe throw in a note about who his parents were. I woundn't go too crazy with it though unless you intend to pursue your storyline to spite your DM. That's fun sometimes too.
So yeah, in our group its all about the character storylines, but if you're DMs a turnip I wouldn't bother myself overly.
We give xp rewards for backgrounds, but found some too complicated to work into the game (why your character has three eyes is not as important as why she hates mind flayers from the perspective of running the game). I would also award bonus xp to the character who fights near water because that is in their background too. Imagine the rest of the party complaints then *grin*
For a shortcut use an outline or timeline. It will be a 10 minutes worth or work and you can flesh out the 'hours' stuff later if the DM wants/enjoys/uses/rewards it.
I usually write up a one page that gives some of the formative years and starts off the "pre-adventure" years (that gives the class information development). Then I usually throw in one or two plot devices that the DM can use against me. These usually aren't particularly nice ones, but they add a lot of flavor for the game. I'm still waiting for my Tarren Tarnruth encounter to happen...
I usually like to wait a few game sessions to create a history, as it gives me a chance to see how the character goes and get into a groove. Besides, my D&D characters have a high mortality rate for some reason (about 2-3 game sessions). I need to find some lucky dice...
The below background was for a elven cleric that I did for a GURPS Forgotten Realms game in Myth Dranor before the fall of Netheril. I was reading an article on MSN about Identity Theft and thought "That'd be cool!" Who says D&D can't cross over into real life (with the exception of cartoons ; )!
Tarren Tarnruth enjoyed a simple and quiet childhood. An only child, his parents indulged upon his whims. Even from an early age, Tarren showed an affinity for religion, but never acted upon it. He was always a bit on the conservative side, even though he insisted on having a “wild side”. He likes to partake in activities outside of his usual habits, but tends to be uncomfortable with them. His tastes are more toward the elegant side, but does not try to be blatant about it.After his formative years, he began to branch out and explore other options than living the life of a “domestic” elf. This was not his idea, though. One day, a stranger came to his village that showed remarkable physical similarities between Tarren and the stranger. Amazingly enough, the stranger’s name was Taeryn Tarnrooth. Tarren found that Taeryn was a bit of a troublemaker. Unfortunately, Tarren was usually left with the brunt of Taeryn’s transgressions. This resulted in Tarren assuring that his name is spelled correctly.
The Tarren/Taeryn situation went off and on for a number of years, until Tarren a serious situation almost cost Tarren exile from his homeland. Tarren was found innocent and Taeryn was banished, never to set foot in the glade again. This is where Tarren decided to take more responsibility for his life. He began studies with a local cleric and was eventually relocated to Myth Dranor. Thankfully, no new Taeryn stories have populated since the incident.
Tarren has always fought with a hint of anti-authority, as he believes that leaders don’t always know what is right. They tend to be focused on the overall situation, but tend to overlook the “little guy”. Being a cleric, this focus is contradictory to his beliefs. As a result, he tends to belittle the “leader” when he feels especially oppressed. He does know the difference in authority and does not directly chastise them (although he may grumble about it when they are not around).
Tarren would like to climb the clerical ladder, but is not inclined to do so right now. He believes that he is needed “in the field” and that the experiences this teaches him will go a long way in showing him as a leader.
I wrote about a 4,000 word backstory for a character I currently run, who started first level as a human fighter. It was a tale of romance, marriage, tragedy, and the intense need for revenge. As the game began, my character had begun praying to St. Cuthbert for the power he would need to bring justice to the criminals who had stolen his wife and burned down his house with their young son inside. At a temple, he had heard, "Transgressors of the law, by the divine right of the Cudgel, must be punished." He badly wanted to punish!
My DM has used practically every detail from my story, such that, now that he's level 12, he has attained his revenge. It's been a blast!
I had a few things going for me, though. One, I simply wanted to write that particular story, because I was badly wanting to play the character to whom that story belonged. Second, I knew my DM was a campaign-style DM who liked continuity, meaning that, in the absence of very bad luck, I would be playing this character long-term. Third, one of my fellow Players is a very experienced gamer and excellent roleplayer who my character plays off of well.
In short, it's been a blast to play a character with an enormous backstory. However, as other people have said, I wouldn't recommend going to so much trouble if your DM isn't going to do anything with it.
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As well as the DM, you need the cooperation of your fellow players.
There's no point going to all that trouble if the rest of the party is Melf the Elf, Fred the Fighter and Eric the Cleric, from the village of "Whocares". Any attempt to interact with NPCs will be sneered at as 'hogging the stage', compared to their 2-D creations.
Or if the other players are a bunch of jerks who stab each other in the back every session, or get run out of every town for causing havoc.
I've played in both, and it's better to just walk away...
As a player and a DM (although new to 3.5 after a hiatus since 2ed) I love a good back story. It helps fill out the character and gives a good DM something to work with. It also allows other PCs to weave their stories in with mine. As a player, it's fun to flesh out the character. As a DM it's fuel for the fire. I also enjoy the consistancy it allows in the world.
It just seems silly for a DM to ask for it and then not use it though. It could be a great way to get a party together too. Unless you enjoy meeting random people in a tavern and running off to face death with complete strangers that is...