Writing The Perfect Backstory
Jak Charles
Intro
Backstories are meant to reflect what you want out of the game. They are your character’s foundation and provide the tools your character uses to interact with their environment. But they also showcase who the character is and what they are possibly capable of.
In this blog, I will attempt to guide you on how to craft your backstory to fit the needs of yourself and the table you choose to play at.
Image: Marta Nael /Wizards of the Coast
It’s not the size of the backstory, it’s how you use it
Character backstories can be a challenging thing to get right. On one hand, you may want to write something awesome to flesh out your character in a way you enjoy, but on the other hand, if you create a character too powerful, then why the hell are they a level 1 adventurer?
There are a ton of players out there who enjoy writing 5+ pages worth of a backstory and there are a ton that prefer a single paragraph (or even a single sentence). And both methods are the right method, but WHAT you write could make or break your relationship with your GM and fellow players.
“Your son is a rogue ma’am… you don’t have long to live I’m afraid…”
There isn’t a bad way to write a backstory (but there also is as you’ll see below) as long as you create something that you want to play out at the table, and the path of an adventurer一you will often find一is paved with the cobblestones of dead parents.
Being a mother or father in the Forgotten Realms, in Greyhawk, in Exandria or wherever you are slaying goblins, is often a deadly role to have. Many player’s backstories have begun with some variation of “my character is an orphan”. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let’s say for example you choose to include that your parents were slain by the local lord for defaulting on their rent payments… Now you have given the GM a villain for you to defeat, your backstory has immediately become woven within the narrative of the game, and the other players have a reason to join the fight.
However, let’s also say that your party members are all of a generally good alignment, but your parents are dead because your patron demanded a sacrifice in return for their magical gifts, and you happily share this information with the other players 5 minutes into Session 1. Now the other players know they can’t trust this character. They’ve all banded together to help protect the realm, and you’ve just freely admitted your character killed their loved ones for a sweet 1d10 cantrip. Can you see how this could be a “bad” way of writing a backstory?
However you choose to craft your character’s history, make sure it’s in a way that fits the game you’re playing and the people you’re playing with.
Rolling a Dexterity Save against backstory traps
When writing your character’s past, it can be helpful to include people and places you know, as well as motivations for why they are an adventurer and a reason why the other players would want you partying with them.
As an example, the following is what I came up with for one of my characters, a centaur Artificer named Winslow:
Originally from the nomadic Sharpspear tribe, Winslow felt out of place when he wanted to create and learn while others felt content galloping wild plains. Winslow left for civilization and found the opportunity to better his craft in the modern world. While he was able to prove his capabilities with alchemy and magic, Winslow is still constantly chided by his fellow artisans for his barbaric ancestry. A way to prove his worth presented itself in the form of adventuring; joining with other like-minded folk who seek danger and excitement for a chance at treasure, though treasure to Winslow comes in the form of hidden or forgotten knowledge plundered from deadly tombs and mythical dungeons. Winslow hopes this will help expand his understanding of the multiverse and enhance his craft beyond that of his peers so that they may finally look upon him as an equal.
Can you spot how this would benefit my fellow players and the GM running the game?
I included his:
Place of origin: his wandering tribe.
People he knew: the other centaurs.
People he knows now: his artisan guild.
Motivation for being an adventurer: searching for forgotten knowledge to better himself.
And finally, and most crucially, a reason why the other characters would party up with him: he wants to prove himself. The hardest truths are often the most boring everyday ones, and Winslow’s truth is that he wants to be seen as an equal.
I was able to work all of that into a single paragraph. But all of what I included is definitely not necessary to build and play a Dungeons & Dragons character. If you wished, you could absolutely have fun as a player with the smallest of backstories. For example:
Garruk loved smashing things with his hammer but learnt he can have more fun smashing things with friends.
I came up with that while writing this blog. In that single sentence I’ve shown that Garruk loves his hammer, he loves smashing things with it, and he found enjoyment in friendship.
We don’t know if Garruk is evil or good. We don’t know if his parents are dead. We don’t know how he likes his eggs. What we do know is that you as a player have written something you wanted to write, and anything or everything else to do with Garruk can be explored while role-playing.
Or not. Maybe Garruk doesn’t know how he likes his own eggs because he’s too busy smashing things with his hammer and having fun doing it. The beauty of it all is again, you wrote something you enjoy and it doesn’t conflict with the table’s needs.
Leaving parts of the map uncharted
While the above talks about what to include in your backstory, I’ll also talk about what to exclude from your backstory, or in other words, leaving holes for your GM to fill in.
Maybe your character doesn’t remember past ten days ago, or maybe they met a strange old man that helped them out one time and was never seen again. Either way, both are examples of how it can be quite handy to leave some details of your character’s past vague. Having holes like these in your backstory allow the GM to further involve your character in the narrative, and help provide a more engaging experience for your character (and by extension you the player). That old man from earlier could now possibly have been the avatar of a lesser god, or a metallic dragon in disguise. Perhaps this old man will show up again and need your help this time. Again, either way, you’ve provided your GM with a narrative tool they can include within the overall story (and trust me, we GM’s go mad for this sort of thing).
Include too many holes however, and you’re forcing the GM to pick up the slack and increase their already heavy workload. It’s all about balance and finding that sweet spot by discussing with your GM what exactly the character doesn’t know, and what you’re comfortable with letting them decide for you.
A water-tight backstory with all elements accounted for is a valid backstory, but will it impact the game at all? Not likely. A backstory that opens up relationships you might have, mysteries you might inadvertently be involved in, or provides unique knowledge you might have gained? Most definitely.
Wrapping it up in a nice bow
Lastly, what you decide to write for your character should, again, reflect the campaign you are playing in. If you and your party members are evil mercenaries stripping the land of its resources for personal gain, just make sure that the other players are cool with you suddenly developing empathy for the orphans you’ve created along the way. If you and your party members are folk heroes tasked with protecting a noblewoman from assassination, just make sure that the other players are cool with you being bribed to look the other way when the assassin catches up.
No matter the length, always remember to have your fellow players and your GM in mind when crafting your perfect backstory, but above all else don’t forget to have fun.
