Character Backgrounds
Do you consider writing a character background a chore?Are you disappointed when, after exercising your creativity and spending three hours writing an exciting background, your DM gives it a quick read-through before filing it away, never giving it a second thought?
There's hope.
Let's explore the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of character backgrounds -- and we'll throw in a How for good measure.
Who is your target audience?
Regardless of what you write, be it a school essay, a newspaper column, or a short story, you should always keep your target audience in mind. In this case, your DM is your target audience. Know your audience: is your DM a stickler for proper grammar and spelling? Does he hate melodrama? Is he a fan of action scenes?Your background is the first impression your DM will have of your character -- make him love your character before the campaign even starts.
What do you write?Ask your DM what he's looking for in a background. Some DMs want a full biography, whereas others may simply want you to include the most interesting events and details of your character's life. You should also ask the DM if he has a preference for 1st or 3rd person perspective, and roughly how long of a background he expects -- don't write 5000 words if he only wanted 500. |  |
Where do your background events take place?
DMs love to see players integrating their character into the game world. If you can, name-drop. Ask your DM for names of towns, mountains, kings, nations... anything that you can work into your background. If each player creates a background write-up with no regard for the campaign setting, the DM has to integrate the various player-created settlements and geographical features into his gameworld. The more difficult it is for the DM to make player-created content fit his gameworld, the less likely it is that the player-created content will have a meaningful presence in the gameworld.If the DM's human towns are named Ethalea, Molurium, and Xanatias, how well will your town of South Nelsonton fit in? Why not just make your character's birth place be Ethalea -- do you really need to create your own town?
When do you write a character background?
When your DM asks for one. If your DM doesn't require a background write-up, you could ask him if you may write one anyway -- don't just write one and expect him to read it. Some DMs might have three kids and a full-time job, and may be annoyed to have to fit reading a 3000-word background into their schedule.You can also write a background for a character midway through a campaign -- it's never too late for a background write-up, provided your DM consents.
Why write a character background?
A character background opens the doors to a floodgate of roleplaying opportunities. Your character's past has molded him into his present self. He fears fire because his home burned down when he was a child. He mistrusts dwarves because a dwarven merchant conned his family out of their life savings. He hates half-orcs because an orc killed his brother.Consider how often you bring up past experiences in your daily life; why wouldn't your character do the same?
Furthermore, providing your DM with a background allows him the opportunity to integrate that material into his campaign and the ongoing plot.
How do you write an exceptional background?
A good character background should cover all the important aspects of your character's life thus far. An exceptional background is written as a piece of fiction, both entertaining and informative. Practicing conservation of of words is essential -- it is better to leave a reader wanting more than leaving him wishing for less. An exceptional background should hold the reader's interest and be a pleasure to read.Hopefully this article has given you some insight on how to get the most out of your background while making it less of a chore.
