PC's with memory loss! (background)

[gandwarf]

So, I am dming a campaign and there's this character that lost his memory. He has some elements in his background (he was a prisioner, and then joined a thieves guild, and he's like a chain breaker/freedom to all chaotic character)...

This type of background feature is often used in video games, to help the player relate to the protagonist.

But this is a D&D campaign, and I was wondering what can I reveal about his past, without using the common cliches like 'you are the chosen one' and 'you are actually a god!' or stuff like that. I wanted to make a interesting reveal, that makes sense and also have a little of a plot twits, cause why not.

So that's why I would like to ask...
Does any one have any experience with that kind of character, did that happen in your game? Did you make a character like that? How was that? How the dm dealed with the situation?

[Lord Torath]

I have no experience with this.

The thing that jumps to mind, though, is to have memories that will be triggered by certain things. The first time the PC encounters Thug #8, he gets a flash of memory of Thug 8 in different circumstances. Maybe Thug #8 was being kind, maybe he was killing someone related to the PC, maybe he (or she) was just walking down a hallway or street. It could even be the memory of a cat the PC owned as a kid that was the same color as #8's hair. Or the first time they see the village fountain, they get a flashback to this or another fountain.

I'd have these memory flashes prepared before-hand on index cards (for table-top) or text files (for online play) so you can quickly and easily give them to the player as soon as their character experiences them.

You just need to decide what the character's background is, then plan visions that will be triggered by people or events or locations they are likely to encounter.

[Robert's Dragon]

I like Lord Torath's ideas using flashbacks. Ultimately use them to have fun/ advance the plot. Maybe following his memories reveals the BBEG that erased his memories as part of some scheme. Maybe he's a mind flayer experiment that managed to escape. Really the only limit is your imagination.

[False God]

The reveal need not be spectacular. A good knock to the head can cause a myriad of memory issues.

Sure I understand that you want to make it interesting but that should be something you work with the player to develop, and then hide away behind "reveal cards" as suggested above.

[MoiMagnus]

So that's why I would like to ask...
Does any one have any experience with that kind of character, did that happen in your game? Did you make a character like that? How was that? How the dm dealed with the situation?

I've played a character that lost its memory. But the important part was that me and the DM were collaborating on this, and I was the one to fill up the blanc in my past (with DM approval), and planed for a "big reveal" to the remaining of the team where my character fall to possession because of the source of my loss of memory, and followed by a sub-quest where they find a way to heal me. I was temporary DM for this sub-quest, with the DM playing my right-hand-man explaining how to heal me. That was great.

[The exact moment of fall to possession happened like this: after the triggering event, I revealed a sheet of paper where I had written "Ritual: Apocalypse" in big, and 10 dots, and started to recite threatening rituals sentences and crossing slowly one by one the 10 dots. Waiting for the other players to stop me.]

If your player is interested enough, and able to play his character while ignoring information he knows as a player, including him in the scheming works pretty well. By making him an active part of this scheming, you can ensure he will be ok with what happen, and not feel like you're appropriating their character and playing with him as a cruel god. On the flip side not everyone like to "split themselves" between "what my character know" and "what I know".

[Anonymouswizard]

I've played a character that lost its memory. But the important part was that me and the DM were collaborating on this, and I was the one to fill up the blanc in my past (with DM approval), and planed for a "big reveal" to the remaining of the team where my character fall to possession because of the source of my loss of memory,

I've never had a player request it, but I do have some standard rules for total anmesia along these lines: the player gets to give me the rough outline of anything they want revealed, but I get to define the details and can veto things I think shift the focus to you too much or could cause problems ('I am the chosen one' is out, 'I slept with/killed a princess' is fine). You might not even get your character sheet for two or three sessions, but I'll let you pick out a handful of skills or spells/powers you definitely have at decent levels.

For partial anmesia players get not control. They got points back for letting me slot some details into their character background they have no idea of, I am going to have some fun.

As a side note, details that make it interesting are better than details that screw over the players. I have a list in a word document, 'committed insurance fraud with their tavern' is one of the ones I really want to pull out at some point. The same for 'authored notrious republican text' and was found utterly naked in the town square one Wednesday morning, distressingly sober and shouting about an upcoming alien invasion'. It can be mundane or fantastical, the point is that it shouldn't be entirely negative or overwhelming to the plot.

[Psyren]

What's in his pockets? That can help you set all kinds of hooks up for an amnesiac character. A faded drawing of an obscure sigil or a sad woman's face? A cracked holy symbol? A coin or dagger bearing the mark of the thieves' guild? A dried flower that isn't native to the region? A deck of cards from a neighboring nation? A brass ring inlaid with a dwarven inscription? A necklace or bracelet made of fangs? Some locks of elven hair bound in a silk ribbon? A couple of broken arrows with obsidian tips?

You don't even have to flesh any of these out until much later if you don't want to, but they'll give the player a long-term mystery to aim toward.

[Pleh]

Idea that comes to my mind:

He's a freedom fighter? Suppose he crossed the wrong wizard, freeing slaves the wizard was using for experiments. Wizard used Modify Memory, but chose to leave the affected memories blank.

[The Fury]

First of all, I've had some hit and miss experience with DMs. When leaving details of my character's past deliberately vague or incomplete so the DM can fill in those details for themselves, it usually gets called a "cop-out" or otherwise completely ignored. So it's actually really cool when a DM is willing to fill in the gaps of a character's backstory and actually make it part of the campaign. I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is thanks for being cool.

Have you thought about making NPCs that are people from this character's past? Like maybe they show up, tearfully hug him and say something like "We didn't know what happened to you, I'm so glad you're OK." then maybe have them pick up on the character's confusion and ask, "What's wrong? ...You don't remember me, do you?"

An interaction like this is pretty vague, but it might open the door to some backstory elements. This person seems to have been close to the character, but what was the nature of their relationship? Who is this "we" that they mentioned? How much of the character's past does this person know about?

If you wanted to go a darker route, if there were villains in the campaign that knew about this character's memory loss and tried to exploit it.

Other than stuff like that, I'd agree that "chosen one" status or divine origin is kind of lame. Though I have a certain distaste for those story elements in general.