(Secretly) related characters

[barakas]

I'm hosting a session zero this week for a campaign that will start the following week. I've given some basic information about the world we're playing in and requested the players come to session zero with several ideas about race/class combinations they'd like to play as well as possible backstories for character ideas.

One player approached me with a unique concept and I'm unsure about how to proceed. Here's the gist in broad strokes (for this example, I've named the PC "Iris"):


Iris left home early in life to serve a deity. In late midlife, Iris learned of a siege in her hometown and rushed back to save her family. She was too late and only one of her children, Herman, survived. Herman rejected Iris, and Iris lived out her days as a hermit. At the end of Iris' life, the deity she served granted her the chance to de-age back to her youth so she could live her days again. By this point, Herman had grown, had his own family including a child named Arthur, Iris' grandchild. Iris, now the same age as Arthur, has joined the party and her top priority is to ensure Arthur's safety at all costs.

The player wants for Arthur to be another of the PCs in our game, but for this relationship to be unknown to Arthur and Arthur's player.

My questions for the playground:

Have you experienced this type of request before?
If you approved of this type of secret relationship, how did you navigate it in game?
Would you advise against this, and if so, why?



Thanks in advance for your constructive feedback and ideas.

[ZorroGames]

Arthur’s player should have some say in a case like this.

But strictly IMO, “No.” This sounds edge case special snowflake if Arthur is blindsided.

[Unoriginal]

My advice: never impose any part of background to any character.

You can ask them to justify how they're here, or tell them that X won't work, or try to find a compromise, but neither DM nor other players should be able to say something like "unknown to them, they're actually the grandson of Other Player's character".

The only exception is if the player ask the DM to do that, for example "I want my character to be amnesiac and you can write what was my life before I lost my memories".

[Honest Tiefling]

I haven't encountered this type of request, but I think you should not consider doing this unless you speak to Arthur's player. In general, mucking about with a character's backstory without permission is generally frowned upon, and I can't think of a way to do it without asking.

However, doesn't mean you have to spill the beans, completely. You could just ask if the player wants a surprise in their backstory, and give them some details, most of which are irrelevant or red herrings. (Such as, 'You have never met any of your grandparents, as they died before you were born. Your paternal grandfather was rumored to have been a criminal, and supposedly had a stash of ill-gotten goods. Your father had a birthmark that the town priest indicated that would grant him bad luck.' and so forth.)

If Arthur never met his grandparents, nothing says that Iris isn't under a fake name or Herman didn't make some stuff up about her.

Furthermore, you could even give a hint to the player about this mystery. A mysterious note comes to them, indicating to find their grandmother. Could be someone trying to find Iris and having no luck, someone who wants to frame Iris and needs her in a particular location and has more sway with Arthur, or just someone who remembered Iris and wanted to mend the rift but sadly died due to the home town burning down on the protagonist left.

[JackPhoenix]

She could simply be wrong. Just because she believes the PC is her grandson doesn't mean he actually is.

You know, senility and all that. Also, if she lived as a hermit, she propably wasn't keeping too close eye on her family.

[JoeJ]

I'll join in with the others who have said that Arthur's player needs to agree to this. Have the two players work out together how much each of the characters knows. If they can't reach an agreement that they're both happy with, Iris will need a different background.

[barakas]

Arthur’s player should have some say in a case like this.

But strictly IMO, “No.” This sounds edge case special snowflake if Arthur is blindsided.


My advice: never impose any part of background to any character.

You can ask them to justify how they're here, or tell them that X won't work, or try to find a compromise, but neither DM nor other players should be able to say something like "unknown to them, they're actually the grandson of Other Player's character".

The only exception is if the player ask the DM to do that, for example "I want my character to be amnesiac and you can write what was my life before I lost my memories".

Thanks for these thoughts. I should have mentioned that, when they approached me with this idea, Iris' player was sensitive to the inherent issues with imposing elements in another player's backstory. Great points, reinforcing the concerns I brought into this post.


I haven't encountered this type of request, but I think you should not consider doing this unless you speak to Arthur's player. In general, mucking about with a character's backstory without permission is generally frowned upon, and I can't think of a way to do it without asking.

However, doesn't mean you have to spill the beans, completely. You could just ask if the player wants a surprise in their backstory, and give them some details, most of which are irrelevant or red herrings. (Such as, 'You have never met any of your grandparents, as they died before you were born. Your paternal grandfather was rumored to have been a criminal, and supposedly had a stash of ill-gotten goods. Your father had a birthmark that the town priest indicated that would grant him bad luck.' and so forth.)

If Arthur never met his grandparents, nothing says that Iris isn't under a fake name or Herman didn't make some stuff up about her.

Furthermore, you could even give a hint to the player about this mystery. A mysterious note comes to them, indicating to find their grandmother. Could be someone trying to find Iris and having no luck, someone who wants to frame Iris and needs her in a particular location and has more sway with Arthur, or just someone who remembered Iris and wanted to mend the rift but sadly died due to the home town burning down on the protagonist left.

I like this approach! If a player is keen to have a mystery/surprise built into their backstory and another player wants a secret relationship within the party, it could be a win-win. Thanks for the ideas.


She could simply be wrong. Just because she believes the PC is her grandson doesn't mean he actually is.

You know, senility and all that. Also, if she lived as a hermit, she propably wasn't keeping too close eye on her family.

An awesome twist. I feel like I might unnecessarily pull the rug out from under Iris' player, though. It could ultimately be a bigger let down to go this way rather than just asking the player to pick a different backstory.


I'll join in with the others who have said that Arthur's player needs to agree to this. Have the two players work out together how much each of the characters knows. If they can't reach an agreement that they're both happy with, Iris will need a different background.

Yep.

For session zero, my plan is to inquire to see if any players would be interested in having a mystery written into their backstory. This campaign is rich in intrigue to begin with so this will definitely add to the unraveling of various storylines and arcs. I'll work with Iris' player to iron out some details about the relationship, and then take it from there. Thanks all!

[mgshamster]

I'd say go for it!

And then play it by ear based on the player's reaction. If they're down for it, it will be an awesome surprise and they'll love it.

If they don't like it, turn it into a delusion on Iris' part.

I, for one, would love a secret like this to pop up in game.

[JackPhoenix]

An awesome twist. I feel like I might unnecessarily pull the rug out from under Iris' player, though. It could ultimately be a bigger let down to go this way rather than just asking the player to pick a different backstory.

As with the original scenario, don't keep it a secret from the affected player. Just because the character doesn't know it doesn't mean the player can't. It could be interesting if Iris never learned the truth, but her "grandson" did, and found out about her motivations. Would he tell her he knows his grandparents, and they can't actually be related, or would he keep things as they are? Would he help her to find her real family?