Backstory for a happy Adventurer?

[2D8HP]

Here's my current problem, I write back-stories in order to submit to DM's, and I've become adept at it, all I have to do is write-up a Mad Max-ish survivor haunted by a tragic past, and BAM! I'm in like Flynn (the longer and more tragic, the more likely it seems that a DM will accept the PC).

But I'm tired of playing brooding PC's weighed down by the ghosts of their lost loved ones!

I want to play a happy-go-lucky swashbuckling hero who does daring feats with a smile!

Some of my inspirations?

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/oots/images/0/0c/Julio.png/revision/latest/thumbnail-down/width/178/height/262?cb=20120101220153

Julio Scoundrel from OOTS of course!



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/The_Sea_Hawk.JPG/220px-The_Sea_Hawk.JPG

From a movie I saw even before I first knew about Dungeons & Dragons:

Errol Flynn as Geoffrey Thorpe in The Sea Hawk



http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/schwab/images/f/fa/Lila_Bard_-_victoriaying_2.jpg/revision/latest/top-crop/width/195/height/195?cb=20150817095224

And Deliah "Lila" Bard from the novel A Darker Shade of Magic

“I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it."
"Seen what?"
Her smile widened. "Everything.”
-Lila Bard and Kell, A Darker Shade of Magic


But..... while writing "dark" and "intense" is dead easy (too easy), I have no idea how to write a happy hero, with a back-story compelling enough for a DM to accept.

:frown:

Read (and weep!) some previous back-stories I've written (if you can stand to!)

Here's::
The girl screamed while the soldiers laughed.
He's forgotten so much, but he could remember that.
He didn't understand.
When the Queens soldiers took Paw away, Ma said Paw "was going to the Queen to be a hero", but they were hurting her! Heroes didn't do that!
Ma said that he was as strong as Paw now, maybe stronger, even though he didn't have a beard yet.
Ma said he needed to do what Paw used to, cut the tree's, dig the wells, and when the time came slaughter the pigs. With axe, hammer and shovel he would swing his arms and do what Ma said.
Ma said "Ossian, you listen now to your cousin Gwen, she's got a good head".
Maw was the only one who called him "Ossian", everyone else called him "Ox".
Gwen was screaming!
Maw said "you need to do what your Paw would do".
Paw was a hero.
So he swung his arms.
The soldiers stopped laughing, but Gwen still screamed.
"You've got to run Ox, they'll kill you"! "Run far, go to the rebels".
So he ran.
He ran far and met the rebels.
They gave him a sword.
And he did what they told him.

He swung his arms.

While life on the farm was hard, life in the forest was worse. For years they snipped at the Queen's men and hid and waited, till enough of the people knew that the time had come. Buried under homes, and hidden in wells and the walls of cottages were long stored weapons.
Out they came, by the thousands, and they marched on the capitol.

To defeat the tyrant.

And by the thousands they were slaughtered.

The brave and the good died.

Ox tore off the crimson flower of the rebels, ran and survived.

The gallow men had much work to do.

The walls of the capitol were decorated with the heads of rebels, as were the crossroads of the country, and every village square, to remind the foolish.

For years the heads rotted.

So much he has forgotten.
But he remembered somethings.
He remembered Maw's, Paw's, and Gwen's faces.
Now when he looked into the water he saw Paw's face, but Paw's beard was never grey was it?
He remembered that they called him "hero" once, now if anyone used that word about him they put "was a" in front of it.
He remembered he used to be strong.
He was still strong, but not like he was.
And he remembered the Queen.
And he remembered her hunters, who were now her son, the King's hunters.

And he would have to swing his arms again.

Uncomfortable amidst such strange opulence, and distrustful of nobility in the city, "Ox" closes his eyes in the hopes it will prove a dream, only to remember how that morning he saw a man who looked how Paw looked when the Queens men took him away, and the young lady that man was with looked like cousin Gwen.
But they couldn't be. Ossian was now older then Paw had been when he last saw him, so "Paw" could not be Paw, and Gwen? She would now have grey hairs as well.
More and more he saw memories walking in the day, which wouldn't do. Best not to remember.

Can I get a drink, sir?



Though he'd "lived", if you could call it "living" for years, growing soft in this city of men, Riardon remembered the forest.

Riardon loved the forest.

The sound of the wind, the river, the birds.
And foot steps.
He loved his family as well, but he always felt the call of the forest, where he could live without speaking, and be still.
And listen.
And wait.
For his prey.
He told himself he hunted to feed his family and neighbors, but deep inside he knew that wasn't true.
He needed the sounds of the woods, as well as the quiet.
And to watch
And to listen.

He heard the woods burning.

He had lived through forest-fires before, but this was different. There had been no lighting. And he heard screaming. Elf screams!
In an instant from so still he would appear to be part of the woods, he became quick as a deer running from a couger, and he ran towards home.
Towards his family.
Towards everyone he knew.
He saw the burned bodies.
And the arrows.
And something else.

A banner.

Men's banner.

Riardon knew then that he would leave the woods.

He had a new prey.

Lander Stormwind grew up "on the street" (Waterdeep or similar big city of your choice) and fell under the influence of a half-orc lead street gang (which used the Orcish language as a "cant/slang), most of the gang was killed by a larger criminal gang or arrested and Lander has been a wanderer since. Lander's main companion since has been a pet mouse, Mr Squeekers.
Pick pocketing orphan street urchin adopted by troop of wandering minstrels/players.
Adoptive parents found steady gig in one town (playhouse etc)
Del not ready to give up wandering life
Often speaks in exaggerated "posh" accents (uses many long words where a few short one's will do), excellent mimic, can pass for different ages, nationalities and genders (actors training), but when under stress or agitated speaks as a lower class male "street tough"

The general appearance of the man speaks of the city. His dark face is that of a jester. Bright, grey eyes, snub nose, and little lines of irony about the mouth. Hands of a conjurer. Something about the set of his wiry frame betokes experience in street fights and tavern brawls. He is clad from head to foot in garments of rough dark rough brown leather, which dimmed to black in some spots . From his belt hangs.a slim sword, cased in deerskin, with a slightly curved toward the tip. Over his shoulder is slung a small bow.
Big city street "Arab" (urchin)/pick-pocket.

"Do unto others before they can do unto me", and "It's not stealing if I need it more!"

Gang was destroyed by rivals and City Watch (Watch was likely protecting rivals), went on the road and far away to escape murder or hanging!

May still be wanted in home town.

Seeks a life of secure wealth, ale with brandy chasers, and escaping poverty!
"The Lady, She-who-shall-not-be-named... The 'Million-to-One' Chance - and all of the other chances as well... The One who will desert you when you need Her the most - and sometimes She might not..."
Her suitors can be distinguished by their distinctive repetitive prayer; "please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please."

Shakespeare:"Fortune, good night, smile once more; turn thy wheel!"
Augustine:"How, therefore, is she good, who without discernment comes to both the good and to the bad?...It profits one nothing to worship her if she is truly fortune... [b]let the bad worship her...this supposed deity"
For those aligned with Law Dame Fortune/Lady Luck/Tyche/]Tymora! does not seem an appropriate choice!
Medieval lyrics:
O Fortuna (O Fortune)
velut luna (like the moon)
statu variabilis (you are changeable)
semper crescis (always waxing)
aut decrescis; (and waning;)
vita detestabilis (hateful life)
nunc obdurat (first oppresses)
et tunc curat (and then soothes)
ludo mentis aciem, (as fancy takes it)
egestatem, (poverty)
potestatem (and power)
dissolvit ut glaciem. (it melts them like ice.)

Sors immanis (Fate - monstrous)
et inanis, (and empty)
rota tu volubilis, (you whirling wheel)
status malus, (you are malevolent)
vana salus (well-being is vain)
semper dissolubilis, (and always fades to nothing)
obumbrata (shadowed)
et velata (and veiled)
mihi quoque niteris; (you plague me too;)
nunc per ludum (now through the game)
dorsum nudum (I bring my bare back)
fero tui sceleris. (to your villainy.)

Sors salutis (Fate is against me)
et virtutis (in health)
michi nunc contraria, (and virtue)
est affectus (driven on)
et defectus (and weighted down)
semper in angaria. (always enslaved.)
Hac in hora (So at this hour)
sine mora (without delay)
corde pulsum tangite; (pluck the vibrating strings;)
quod per sortem (since Fate)
sternit fortem, (strikes down the strong)
mecum omnes plangite! (everyone weep with me!)

With the death of his mother in childbirth, Gorstag was an unwelcome addition to his noble family. Called "Little Grim" by the servants, his father and siblings had little contact with him, and he grew up awkward snd isolated from social mores.
From the tapestries, pictures in books as well as his fathers armory, he inculcated the notion that "mighty warriors" are worthy of respect, and had fantasies of being one, notions his eldest brother encouraged with the death of their father.
Gorstag's newly deceased father Grim the was the hero summoned by the Lord's Alliance to join an expert team of investigators, travel to the faraway town of Red Larch, and destroy whatever dark force is threatening the Dessarin Valley, and his brother and uncle told "Little Grim" to go in his fathers place, a mission which Gorstag now "Grim" eagerly obeyed.
Being told to travel far to lands "in need of heroes", and to "bring honor to the family, was all it took for Gorstag, now "Grim" to take his father's third best sword and try just that.



I've played mostly Wood Elves, some Humans, one High Elf, and two Half-Elves.

For "Backgrounds", I've played a bunch of Outlanders, some Urchins, two Folk Heroes, and one Noble.

I get class levels in Fighter, Rogue, and occasionally Barbarian.

My PC's can:

Fire arrows

Swing swords

Track

Sneak

Heal

Hide

Climb

Swim

Sometimes Convince

And one could entertain

And one could shoot bolts of fire out of his fingertips!

Mechanically I'm quite happy with my characters, it's having fun yet still really role-playing them that's what I perceive as the problem. I'm going by the theory that DM's basically look for a long word count in deciding whether to accept a PC, and if I can write one long enough, even if I describe a character that doesn't brood I can still get in, but unfortunately since

Happy men don't volunteer. They wait their turn, and thank god if their age or work delays it.

-‎Yevgraf Zhivago

I really can't imagine how one becomes the character I want to play.

:sigh:

Any ideas thatI may steal be inspired by?

[Ninja_Prawn]

survivor haunted by a tragic past, and BAM! I'm in like Flynn

In fairness to DMs, a tragic backstory provides far more for us to work with in terms of plot hooks and scenes where "the last cultist stands before you, bloody and defeated. You take off her mask... and discover that it was your long-lost sister!"

But to get a positive, happy-go-lucky character into the adventuring trade, there are a few tricks. Youth is a good one. Play a young, idealistic knight like Benfred Tallhart from ASoIaF or early-series Finn from Adventure Time. Or you could go for a genki girl type, obsessed with pixies and unicorns. Kender naturally lend themselves to this: they have a racial wanderlust practically built in.

Other happy characters I've seen include wandering minstrels out looking for a story to tell and ordinary people who got caught up in an adventure by accident.

Really, your backstory doesn't have to be full of drama, it just has to tell us who your character is and demonstrate your commitment to them. :smallsmile:

[Naanomi]

Adventuring is a dangerous career that I imagine more 'broken' people are attracted to than healthy ones, but not exclusively.

One thing that helps is to remember that PCs are exceptional people and may feel stifled in a 'normal' life. We have a player who is... not 'happy-go-lucky' per se but loves the adventuring life... a stout halfling born in a regular 'hobbit' village but constantly bored by that life. Got into trouble, eventually 'apprenticed' under the local sheriff to channel that drive... and once he did a job 'tracking down' someone who stiffed the tavern on a big tab, everything clicked. He left the town (on amicable terms, everyone hopes he will 'grow out of it' and return to a respectable life), became an independent bounty hunter, which eventually morphed into more classic adventuring

[TentacleSurpris]

Go down the list of Disney princesses. Bam, done.

Then make your character a forest gnome so you can have a little buddy to talk to.

[CaptainSarathai]

You can write a character who has had a troubled past, but who isn't necessarily all moldy and grim as a result.
Think of someone like Capt. Jack Sparrow from the first PotC movie. He's still a really fun character, but his catalyst for adventure is still to take back what he's lost (his ship). If you read up on his backstory, he's actually pretty tragic. He had an absentee father, mother died, and was raised by his wickedly abusive grandmother. Was an honest and good captain for the East India company until they had him haul a run of slaves, at which point he freed the slaves and turned pirate (people ain't cargo, mate). He formed a small crew, several of whom were killed, maimed, or otherwise messed up by his adventuring schemes. If anything, he has a case of Survivor's Guilt, which makes him so loyal (albeit begrudgingly and reluctantly).

So you could have a character who was sort of "forced" into the adventuring life by circumstance, but has a positive outlook on it. They're happy for the opportunity to make a new/better life, and they're putting that old life behind them.

2 examples from my character stable:


He's the 5th of 8 children, so he can't really expect much of an inheritance from his father, can't stand boring court life, and is often ignored or overshadowed by his older brothers. So he's taken some gold and left home to enjoy a life of adventure and challenge.

His older sister is worried sick about him (closest mother figure). His 3 younger brothers are enraptured by his stories of adventure and the strange things he sends them from far off places, and he loved them to death. His father didn't even notice he was missing, for 2 months. His oldest 2 brothers are set to run the family business together and feel like he's squandering his privilege and easy lifestyle out there "mucking about with the rabble and thieves." His last brother, the closest to his own age, feels deeply betrayed, as they were very close and always said they'd make the best of life together.

So that gave the DM lots of hooks. My character is motivated by wealth, fame, and experiences. If any family except the father and 2 eldest brothers went missing, he'd go to the ends of the earth to find them. There's a good chance that his youngest brothers might get into trouble by seeking to emulate his risky lifestyle before they're old enough. His father and two eldest brothers might send out agents or bounty hunters to return him home and cut short this absurd fantasy he's living. The 3rd brother might become a villain, driven by the sense of loss, betrayal, and jealousy.


I know, a happy Warlock? Outrageous!
Anyway, he was a poor dock worker in a big city. He was already living in the ghetto, with barely enough to eat, and he developed a pretty serious gambling habit. Because of this, he was in and out of jail, couldn't hold down a steady job, was always on the run or fighting with bookies, and generally just getting beaten down by life.

One night he's out of money at the gambling den, and a mysterious man offers him a game. Money isn't the currency here. The mystery man is the dealer, and there's one other person at the table, but it's too dark to see who he is. It's a single hand, against the dealer. A vast sum of gold, vs your life. The first hand, the other man loses, and as he's escorted out, my character recognizes him as a minor noble from a very wealthy line. The mystery dealer pushes across a pile of gold, and then entices him,
"Do you want more? Play me again. This time, your life, against his."
So the game goes on for a while, until finally my character wins, and claims the "life" of the minor noble.
At this point, the mystery dealer reveals himself as Andromalius, an Outsider vestige. He gives my character his warlock abilities, Disguise Self, a wealth of skills, and the ability to pass himself as that minor noble. However, that minor noble was violently murdered and dumped in the river, so if my character is ever found out for his fraud, he's going to be in deep trouble.

To avoid being caught, my character headed out on the road, looking to further his new powers and enjoy the sweet life. However, Andromalius always has a few "side jobs" for him.

I ended up playing the character similarly to Gambit, from XMen. He's a gambler, con-artist, but not a thief. Andromalius hates thieves, and my character had a compulsion that he could not take anything that was not given to him willingly (hence the gaming and cons - tricking people to willingly part with their belongings). His ultimate goal was to use the Noble's identity only until he could become independently wealthy, and then to achieve immortality. Andromalius was interested in watching this game play out, and had no interest in acquiring my character's soul - rather, he wanted a living agent in the material realm. This was all a game to him, an enjoyable gamble - if my character won and became immortal, then Andromalius had permanently weakened himself by giving a measure of power to him. If I failed, Andromalius would consume me I'm death, recovering my power and making me is servant for eternity.

The story was grim, but the character was happy-go-lucky and fun-loving. Not at all the angsty, troubled fare you normally get with Warlocks.

[Fishyninja]

To mirror many of the above statements, your character needs a hook, something they are looking for be it a specific object or skill or the fact they want to 'grow up' and 'see the world', once you work that hook in it's great.

Going back to the Noble Knight trope you could come from a good working family who then good be kidnapped (good adventure arc there).

[2D8HP]

m..But to get a positive, happy-go-lucky character into the adventuring trade, there are a few tricks. Youth is a good one. Play a young, idealistic knight like Benfred Tallhart from ASoIaF..... I didn't know the character.
Thanks!

Really, your backstory doesn't have to be full of drama, it just has to tell us who your character is and demonstrate your commitment to them. :smallsmile:Good to know!


Adventuring is a dangerous career that I imagine more 'broken' people are attracted to than healthy ones, but not exclusively.

One thing that helps is to remember that PCs are exceptional people and may feel stifled in a 'normal' life. We have a player who is... not 'happy-go-lucky' per se but loves the adventuring life.."Loves the adventuring life?
Thanks I'll use that!

Go down the list of Disney princesses. Bam, done.Really?
Admittedly I haven't seen all of the Disney "Princesses" movies (and it's been decades since I have), but I recall some grim (or Grimm?) "back-stories"

Snow White: Stepmother is trying to kill her.

Aurora: Cursed by a fairy

Belle: Imprisoned

Ariel: Cursed by Ursula the sea witch

I'm just not seeing it (but then again the last version of one of these stories I've seen was "Snow White and the Huntsman", which may be shading my view).

Fun fact I learned when I looked up the "Little Mermaids" name (from Wikipedia)
Early in the production of The Little Mermaid,Jeffrey Katzenberg cautioned Clements, Musker, and their staff, reminding them that since Mermaid was a "girl's film", it would make less money at the box office than Oliver & Company, which had been Disney's biggest animated box office success in a decade. However, by the time the film was closer to completion, Katzenberg was convinced Mermaid would be a hit and the first animated feature to earn more than $100 million and become a "blockbuster" film.

Also I've read a collection of Hans Christian Andersen stories

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61gn%2BLPrwEL._SY400_.jpg

including the "Little Mermaid", and um... let's just say not that happy.


You can write a character who has had a troubled past, but who isn't necessarily all moldy and grim as a result.
Think of someone like Capt. Jack Sparrow from the first PotC movie. He's still a really fun character, but his catalyst for adventure is...

2 examples from my character stable:


He's the 5th of 8 children, so he can't really expect much of an inheritance from his father, can't stand boring court life, and is often ignored or overshadowed by his older brothers. So he's taken some gold and left home to enjoy a life of adventure and challenge.

His older sister is worried sick about him (closest mother figure). His 3 younger brothers are enraptured by his stories of adventure and the strange things he sends them from far off places, and he loved them to death. His father didn't even notice he was missing, for 2 months. His oldest 2 brothers are set to run the family business together and feel like he's squandering his privilege and easy lifestyle out there "mucking about with the rabble and thieves." His last brother, the closest to his own age, feels deeply betrayed, as they were very close and always said they'd make the best of life together.

So that gave the DM lots of hooks. My character is motivated by wealth, fame, and experiences. If any family except the father and 2 eldest brothers went missing, he'd go to the ends of the earth to find them. There's a good chance that his youngest brothers might get into trouble by seeking to emulate his risky lifestyle before they're old enough. His father and two eldest brothers might send out agents or bounty hunters to return him home and cut short this absurd fantasy he's living. The 3rd brother might become a villain, driven by the sense of loss, betrayal, and jealousy.


I know, a happy Warlock? Outrageous!
Anyway, he was a poor dock worker in a big city. He was already living in the ghetto, with barely enough to eat, and he developed a pretty serious gambling habit. Because of this, he was in and out of jail, couldn't hold down a steady job, was always on the run or fighting with bookies, and generally just getting beaten down by life.

One night he's out of money at the gambling den, and a mysterious man offers him a game. Money isn't the currency here. The mystery man is the dealer, and there's one other person at the table, but it's too dark to see who he is. It's a single hand, against the dealer. A vast sum of gold, vs your life. The first hand, the other man loses, and as he's escorted out, my character recognizes him as a minor noble from a very wealthy line. The mystery dealer pushes across a pile of gold, and then entices him,
"Do you want more? Play me again. This time, your life, against his."
So the game goes on for a while, until finally my character wins, and claims the "life" of the minor noble.
At this point, the mystery dealer reveals himself as Andromalius, an Outsider vestige. He gives my character his warlock abilities, Disguise Self, a wealth of skills, and the ability to pass himself as that minor noble. However, that minor noble was violently murdered and dumped in the river, so if my character is ever found out for his fraud, he's going to be in deep trouble.

To avoid being caught, my character headed out on the road, looking to further his new powers and enjoy the sweet life. However, Andromalius always has a few "side jobs" for him.

I ended up playing the character similarly to Gambit, from XMen. He's a gambler, con-artist, but not a thief. Andromalius hates thieves, and my character had a compulsion that he could not take anything that was not given to him willingly (hence the gaming and cons - tricking people to willingly part with their belongings). His ultimate goal was to use the Noble's identity only until he could become independently wealthy, and then to achieve immortality. Andromalius was interested in watching this game play out, and had no interest in acquiring my character's soul - rather, he wanted a living agent in the material realm. This was all a game to him, an enjoyable gamble - if my character won and became immortal, then Andromalius had permanently weakened himself by giving a measure of power to him. If I failed, Andromalius would consume me I'm death, recovering my power and making me is servant for eternity.

The story was grim, but the character was happy-go-lucky and fun-loving. Not at all the angsty, troubled fare you normally get with Warlocks.Those are good!
Thanks!
:smile:

[Dr.Samurai]

Have the character still have his parents alive and well and close to him or her. Have the character be successful, but make their career or occupation something that might lead them on the adventure. As an exceptional person (adventurer) they can easily find themselves in a high station working for the crown or something similar.

The idea is that they don't *need* to go on this adventure out of hardship. Rather, this is the means to their very prosperous and well-respected livelihood.

[CursedRhubarb]

Go down the list of Disney princesses. Bam, done

Supposed to avoid tragic backstories. Disney Princess's are full of tragedy. For example; I think it's a requirement is they can only have a max of one parent and either one or both have to have died terribly.

Have you thought about trying to build a background for a character that's pursuing the perfection of their craft or hunting for unique inspiration? Bards are great for this but you can work it with any class. Tool selection can give ideas for their art or craft or perhaps they do something else. If you've a fighter or barbarian, perhaps they have the gladiator variant of the entertainer background and simply have a love of competitive fighting and seek adventure to hone their skills while learning new ones and the chance to test themselves against the many mighty creatures the world has to offer is a mighty challenge to enjoy.
A charismatic character that is hindered by habitual flirtatiousness could be fun too. Adventuring for the change to meet exotic and beautiful women or men. This can be a lot of fun as well as often results in awkward or hilarious situations if you have them a helpless romantic that tends to fall for the worst possible people. Not as in bad people but as in falling for the prince/princess, heir of a Duke, flirts with the guard the group is trying to not get arrested by...actually, now that I think about it, falling for the BBEG could be hilarious. Pleading for them to change their ways or hoping to save them from themselves in their own tragic fantasies.

[TentacleSurpris]

Disney Princesses (using the Disney version, not historical):

Mulan: Becomes a warrior to fulfill her father's military obligation. She's determined but there is no tragedy there.

Merida: Leaves on an adventure to avoid being married and settling down like her mother wants.

Pocahontas: Fascinated with a new culture and a handsome man, leaves her village to try to prevent conflict (as I said, ignoring the historical person).

Jasmine: Wants to see a whole new world instead of marrying the suitors her father presents.

Snow White: I totally forgot about the stepmother trying to kill her. I thought the witch was just a witch. Anyways I just remember her singing to the birds.

Elsa: Leaves her hometown because her innate magic is misunderstood and feared.

Moana: haven't seen it yet.

Aurora: Spending the campaign asleep doesn't make for a good adventurer.

Cinderella: She is an orphan and a servant, but she sings to mice and is pretty happy most of the time, so it's not a dark and gritty story.

[Sir cryosin]

You can always use that they feel that there's a higher calling calling them to Adventure. 4 bed hotels Brave and smart tales of Heroic Adventures and they want to be just like their Heroes. Maybe your dad or mother is an adventure and they went out go adventure and you are following in their footsteps to go find them aka plot of hunter X hunter. Maybe you have a love back in your hometown and to earn the right to merry your love you need to make a name for your self and complete acts of heroism. You want to be a cartographer for you want it write a book on all the different monsters there are and categorize them and and study them. You're in search for knowledge of any kind of knowledge whether the blacksmithing knowledge for different fighting styles of knowledge ancient technology history ect...

[Ninja_Prawn]

Jasmine: Wants to see a whole new world instead of marrying the suitors her father presents.

A WHOLE NEW WOOORLD!


Elsa: Leaves her hometown because her innate magic is misunderstood and feared.

That's... actually kind of angsty. :smalltongue:

[Fishyninja]

That's... actually kind of angsty. :smalltongue:

Nobody understands me *Adjusts Fringe*

[CursedRhubarb]

Disney Princesses (using the Disney version, not historical):

Mulan: Becomes a warrior to fulfill her father's military obligation. She's determined but there is no tragedy there.

Merida: Leaves on an adventure to avoid being married and settling down like her mother wants.

Pocahontas: Fascinated with a new culture and a handsome man, leaves her village to try to prevent conflict (as I said, ignoring the historical person).

Jasmine: Wants to see a whole new world instead of marrying the suitors her father presents.

Snow White: I totally forgot about the stepmother trying to kill her. I thought the witch was just a witch. Anyways I just remember her singing to the birds.

Elsa: Leaves her hometown because her innate magic is misunderstood and feared.

Moana: haven't seen it yet.

Aurora: Spending the campaign asleep doesn't make for a good adventurer.

Cinderella: She is an orphan and a servant, but she sings to mice and is pretty happy most of the time, so it's not a dark and gritty story.

Mulan, Merida, and Pocahontas aren't Princesses, a shame too since Brave was a great movie.
Jasmine's mother is dead.
Elsa, both parents smashed to pieces and drowned at sea.
Cinderella, dead parents and essentially enslaved to the stepmother and stepsisters.
Aurora...This one is a snoozefest if you look at the Disney one and if you look at the origins it gets very dark and involves her being raped and impregnated while under the sleep spell.
Moana doesn't really have a backstory.

[Fishyninja]

Mulan, Merida, and Pocahontas aren't Princesses, a shame too since Brave was a great movie.
Jasmine's mother is dead.
Elsa, both parents smashed to pieces and drowned at sea.
Cinderella, dead parents and essentially enslaved to the stepmother and stepsisters.
Aurora...This one is a snoozefest if you look at the Disney one and if you look at the origins it gets very dark and involves her being raped and impregnated while under the sleep spell.
Moana doesn't really have a backstory.

If you are referring to princesses in the royal sense then Merida is, her parents are royalty (King Fergus and Queen Elinor). If you are referring to princesses as in the Disney Line of Princesses the following characters are counted as pincesses:


Snow White
Cinderella
Aurora
Ariel
Belle
Jasmine
Pocahontas
Mulan
Tiana
Rapunzel
Merida


Sources: Here (http://attractionsmagazine.com/merida-becomes-disneys-11th-princess-in-a-ceremony-at-the-magic-kingdom-video-and-photos/) and Here (http://princess.disney.com/)

[Grey Watcher]

I'd suggest focusing on what your character wants out of adventuring: you're used to doing this with the tragic stuff (revenge and so forth), instead it's something less... grim. Maybe you learn you've got a long lost sibling and want to find them; maybe there's a particular difficult-to-reach location you've always wanted to see; maybe there's some legend you want to learn the truth of. Maybe the pursuit is professional in nature: you're an archeologist, out to prove your Crazy Theory about some ancient precursor civilization; the order you're joining requires a sacred pilgrimage; you want to learn more about the ways magic is practiced in distant lands, to enhance your own understanding of the craft.

Basically, start with "What do you want?"* and then move on to "Why do you want it?"

*The Babylon 5 reference was unintentional.

[JellyPooga]

There's always the "along for the ride" or "it's just a job" style character. Take Wash or Kaylee from Firefly for example; their backstories aren't troubled by tragedy, woe or misery; they've got a talent and it happens to be one that's useful to an "adventurous" lifestyle; that's it.

An extension of this is the "perfectionist"...the guy (or gal) who's in the Hero trade because he wants to be the best and wherever he came from didn't provide enough challenges to allow him to improve. His life up to now, has been charmed; perhaps even sheltered. Maybe he's in for a rude awakening when he realises that to be the best, you have to beat the best and that ain't always easy!

[Shoreward]

It's important to remember that a tragic past doesn't preclude a happy present. Many people with darkness in their pasts seek to counter that by bringing light to the future so it doesn't happen again to someone else. This is before we get into all the people who develop a sense of humour to push back their inner demons and get functioning again, using it as a shield for next time.

The other thing to remember is that how you frame the backstory and how the character reacts to it is as important as what happens in it. I myself have had a street-urchin-come-thief character whose backstory included being orphaned, bullied, the orphanage burning down, living on the streets of a city after a great fire, and working a number of odd jobs for criminal organisations to stay afloat before being dragged off on adventure by someone else. But I didn't play this backstory as a string of tragedies, because the character's reaction was one of growing and humorous cockney annoyance to the whole establishment. I went Pratchett instead of Martin. Humour in the telling can deflect a lot of darkness without changing a whole lot.

The third thing to remember is that adventuring doesn't just attract savage fighters and broken men. We're talking about a profession in which you (theoretically) go out to see the world and meet new people. Consider the number of wealthy entrepreneurs and fortune-seekers that sort of thing has historically attracted in our own world. Basically, it can attract the naive and the cheerfully oblivious as well.

Consider your swashbuckler. A little tragedy won't hurt, but how do they react?

Maybe your character is a noble who learned to duel, and now travels seeking other duelists, wine, and their choice of adoring fans. Their 'tragedy' is considerably minor due to their safe station. Maybe a mysterious wandering duelist beat them when they were young, a humiliating defeat which inspired them to train until they could get a name as the greatest duelist of all time, find them again, and beat them?

Maybe your character grew up with nothing but their father's sword and old adventure books (since everyone in D&D 5th seems to be literate, with a couple exceptions), and went out emulating their favourite adventurer like a giddy little kid to prove to people that they could? To make people remember them?

The trick is that tragedy isn't necessary for conflict. All you need is a goal and something which gets in the way, whether that's a personal thing or an external one. Nothing about that needs to be unhappy.

Hope something came out of these ramblings, I'm late for my morning cookie.

[Ziegander]

Scroll down to Ealasaid of Zena? (https://m.reddit.com/r/DarkSoulsRP/comments/4mkwj4/character_creation_start_here/d49kphz)

[Ravinsild]

Play a skeptic. "you don't REALLY believe there are deadly monsters out there?" And stuff like that. A guy who thinks of the most romanticized life as an adventurer.

He thinks gold is just laying around in forgotten places easy for the taking. He doesn't really believe in monsters or scary things and thinks it's just stories to stop people from getting rich.

Then build from there. It's a decent starting point and once they face their first combat encounter with whatever monster how do they react?

Maybe it's just even more exciting. Maybe he's a natural at fighting and wins easily and thinks "hey I can do this! Easy money and monsters are real but aren't even scary!"

Etc...

[Feederman111]

My charater is a wizard whom family is a fully happy family. He has parents, 1 sister and everything is absolutely ok. He was very smart so he learn things(magic) fast. After a while at his home village and learnt everything he could, he decide he would go out and see the world, learning new things on his way, and his ultimate goal is to share his knowledge to people who eager to learn magic like him. If the DM want some sort of personal quest, that would be a quest to achieve greater knowledge (becoming an archmage ?). I feel there's no need of bad things in the PC's past and my DM gladly agree with it.

[Slayn82]

Justin from the first Grandia. Your first fight is against the rival group of boys from your street who want you to join their group and give up on the idea of becoming an adventurer. Then you go have dinner with your mom.

Later, he and his cousin Meredy sneak in a nearby ruin the Empire is exploring, avoids the soldiers, and defeats a monster that was guarding the main chamber, gets a talisman: the spirit stone, then escapes from the officers from said Empire who were in charge of the exploration.

Having heard the words of the Oracle in the chamber, he decides to go to another continent to discover the secret behind the Icarian civilization.

He is young, idealistic, and don't allow obstacles to stop him from reaching his goals. Very fun character.

[Philistine]

I'll second (third? more?) the idea that a character (or indeed, a person) can be cheerful despite having a brutally bleak history. One of my favorite characters to play was a cheerful, quippy mercenary, whose backstory included the standard "his family was annihilated, and he swore an oath of Bloody Vengeance!" schtick; when he came of age he started on the Quest for Revenge (and the Restoration of His Father's Throne), but halfway through changed his mind and instead ran off to become a hard-fighting, hard-partying mercenary soldier who laughed in the face of - well, pretty much everything. Danger, authority, uptight paladins... Indeed, IC he cited the grimdark backstory as the reason he was so cheerful: he figured he'd already taken the worst the world could throw at him, and he was still standing. And laughing.

[2D8HP]

In case anyone else is looking for inspiration for a happy adventurers back-story, here are some related posts from an older thread:

I definitely agree with you on the grimdark edge = accepted PC point. It seems that to a lot of people 'writing a backstory' has become synonymous with 'giving your character a horrible tragic past that haunts them to this day'. If you want to play a more happy character, I suggest writing a backstory that has your character feeling confined by their stuffy old family, their laws and traditions and just wants to go out to enjoy and experience the world. Works especially well for a half-elf raised among elves.


Come to think of it, since I cited an Errol Flynn "Swashbuckler", some of his movies had grim starts, especially "Captain Blood".






I want to play a happy-go-lucky swashbuckling hero who does daring feats with a smileIt's an old cliche but a good one. Boy Likes Girl, Girl likes Boy, Boy travels the world still in love with the girl, Girl is being forced into a marriage she doesn't want, Boy becomes dread pirate and comes back to save her, insert a spanish fencer, a giant and a man who doesn't understand the definition of the word inconceivable and they all have a merry advernture with a iocane laced wine........

......I think I might have seen this somewhere.

Fishyninja, have you been reading my old posts, or just an insightful guess?

More "Princess Bride" and less "Black Hawk Down"!


It's funny but the list I made for RPG's doesn't match my taste in other media. For example I recently rummaged through my old book pile looking for some reading material (or re-reading material) and I pulled out "The Canterbury Tales", "The Maltese Falcon", and "The Princess Bride". I started reading each of them bit by bit and it was the "Maltese Falcon" that I finished (more in the mood for), but all else being equal a gumshoe-noire RPG would not be my pick to RPG (a Princess Bride like setting would probably be my pick instead), and what I prefer as a player (Swords and Sorcery) is not what is easiest for me to Gamemaster (espionage and horror) .



While they are fun/lighthearted films set in D&D like worlds (Princess Bride and maybe Stardust), all of the films I listed before that for me exemplify "Paladinhood" are kind of downers, probably because for me the struggle for good while worthwhile ultimately is tragic, because there never are permanent wins (sorry to be a buzzkill).*



But my taste these days runs more to "Princess Bride" now, but back in the day it was always "needs more badass".
:smallwink:

[Sigreid]

I've got a wizard that is a happy go luck type, to the point of being reckless. His motivation for adventuring is curiosity. Each new thing he learns, no matter how trivial is a delight to him and worth whatever risk he had to undertake to learn it. He simply has to know and understands that living a normal life in town won't give him the opportunity to learn the really good stuff.

Easy to bait with an adventure hook? Certainly, I mean his curiosity is totally out of control. It's even in his flaws.

[Draco4472]

I may not be of much help, given all of my PC's have either never met or watched their families die, but the best advice I can give for a character like this would be to make something akin to Jack Sparrow.

[Logosloki]

The third son knight errant, who isn't letting anything minor like a lack of inheritence let him down. A newly minted priest, going out into the world to make it suck less and maybe bring in some fresh converts. The troubadour, heading out with the stories they were taught and willing to hear the stories others tell. A young druid, heading away from the grove they have lived in to find themselves and their place. The east going chef who is heading to strange lands and exotic people to taste what the world has to offer. The well to do daughter of a noble and her retainers heading out on the pretext of 'getting it out' of their system before settling down with her beau.

[Vogonjeltz]

FWIW, I'd start by picking a motivation for going into the adventuring life that is positivist at its core:
Right wrongs (Fight the Good Fight)
Money and Fame (Get rich or die trying; Demonstrate ones bravery for their God) aka Fortune and Glory
Seeking Knowledge
Explore/Discover New Lands

Possibilities:
Swashbuckler who decided to make their way in life, but didn't want anything humdrum, no they wanted a life of ...ADVENTURE!

[Sigreid]

Elsa, both parents smashed to pieces and drowned at sea.


Don't forget nearly killing her sister due to poor power control (PPC if you're hip), twice.