Why Orphans?

[Tech Boy]

I just have a quick question for all of you playgrounders out there.

I am in a campaign now. My friend and I are connected players that went through life normally and now are in our twenties and on our own.

Every single other character is an oprhan. Why is this? Even in my other campaigns, everyone is an orphan. Either their parent's couldn't take care of them and dumped them on the side of the road, or the parents just hated them as kids.

WHY?!

To me, it seems very un original and pretty flipping boring...
Any ideas on why this seems to be a default for everyone?

[Scoot]

Because it's easier.

And it's just one less way the DM can mess with you.


The only time I've ever had dead parents was with my one evil character. But that was actually rather crucial to why he was evil.

[Meek]

The less family you have, the less family your GM can kidnap and hold ransom and/or murder and etc. To actually answer your question – most fantasy societies are based on time periods that were very patriarchal, and everybody was beholden to their dad. There's a lot of stories about exceptional and independent orphans because it's generally easier to be exceptional and independent when Daddy is dead and can't boss you around or marry you to someone or make you work his trade and so on.

[Tech Boy]

Because it's easier.

And it's just one less way the DM can mess with you.


The only time I've ever had dead parents was with my one evil character. But that was actually rather crucial to why he was evil.

Not to be mean, but still! Just because it is easy, doesn't mean it is fun...

I think that if the DM has a tie to you, or your friends, it can be used in the campaign. I just don't like to play an orphaned adventurer. Oh well.

[Alleine]

in 99% of the characters I've seen, the backstory isn't really used. Sure it could be, but it isn't. And not everyone thinks having an interesting backstory is fun.

[Rixx]

Having no parents is a good device for having to become self-sufficient at an early age, a convenient trait for adventurers

[Psyren]

It provides a ready explanation as to why an otherwise well-adjusted individual might pursue the questionable career choice of the adventurer.

If you don't like orphan adventurers, just don't be one.

Because it's easier.

And it's just one less way the DM can mess with you.

It dovetails nicely with other tropes too, e.g. this one and this one.

[Violet Octopus]

I don't think the desire to avoid DM plot twists explains the general prevalence of orphan characters.

Other possibilities:

* Player alienation from RL parents, in that stereotypical "spoiled teenager" way.
* Easy (if not effective) way to generate drama/character depth, in a half-hearted attempt to make the character more than a statblock. Related to True Art Is Angsty. Maybe a player can only think of two parent-related angsts: orphan or their parent is an evil overlord. Because the latter crosses over into defining the DM's world rather than just their character, players might be reluctant to do so.

[thubby]

Having no parents is a good device for having to become self-sufficient at an early age, a convenient trait for adventurers

more or less this.

adventurers aren't made like most people, or they'd be a lot more common. for any adventurer, there has to be something that happened that drove them to follow a life of mortal danger, frequent isolation, and constant change.

[comicshorse]

It means pirates won't attack you

[Dr.Epic]

It apparently gives your character a dark, dramatic story which makes other interested and sympathetic. Personally, I think, unless it's done right, is extremely cliche and lazy writing.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

It means pirates won't attack you

I, quite literally, loled.

[AnswersQuestion]

As said, orphaning is a convenient way to explain why your character doesn't want to settle and have a peaceful life...

Face it, adventurers are freaks, always seeking to leave their own comfort zones to deal with deadly problems or create them!

That said, family ties make for interesting story twists.
One of my characters was sired by a dragon who happened to entertain himself by secretly manipulating an entire country's court.
The other had no relatives left because she was immortal and they weren't, but she had a Brachina lover who took part in her immortalization (human -> half fiend elan) who also supplied the cohorts and followers of her Leadership feat.

Both were masterfully used by the dm to:
1) Give the group a place to return to after the adventure is over
2) Give the group someone to get pissed at because the #1 place was burned down
3) Give the group a higher (or different) influence to lead into new quests
4) Squick the rogue as he realized his fire-forged buddy got it on regularly with a pleasure devil
5) Give the group enemies by proxy

[rubycona]

more or less this.

adventurers aren't made like most people, or they'd be a lot more common. for any adventurer, there has to be something that happened that drove them to follow a life of mortal danger, frequent isolation, and constant change.

Agreed.

I tried to avoid making my character an orphan, but I was trying to get a certain feeling with my character, to give her the drive necessary to adventure at the risk of her own life. She didn't know her father too much, but loved her mother, and her mother was... how to summarize... basically, killed by the system, the social order. My character is, as a result, intent on overthrowing the social order, into one of freedom and equality, so people like her mother wouldn't be killed or enslaved (part of the campaign setting, not a personal background bit) as a matter of principle. Her father was killed, too. This was just before the adventure started.

Without parents, without their pressure to be good, be normal, have a life, she was free to strive and literally throw her life away if she felt so inclined, in pursuit of her dreams and goals.

Mind, I'd love for the DM to pull out cousins or aunts or whatever to pull her in more, so it's not about tying up loose ends, but the orphan thing just worked so damned well.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Orphans as kids; violent, grave-robbing hobos as adults

[urbanpirate]

sets the charachter up as a classic hero. I believe it was joseph campbell who wrote and spoke extensively on the hero archetype, jesus, luke skywalker, waterbaby..... most myths and legends play on the orphan or son of absent diety being not quite of the culture they are born (or adopted into very young) into. it sets the charachter up as somthing special by default

[Gensh]

It apparently gives your character a dark, dramatic story which makes other interested and sympathetic. Personally, I think, unless it's done right, is extremely cliche and lazy writing.

I've only ever seen it done as this, with the exception of the one time I made that campy dread necromancer who kept his parents around as zombies and interacted with them like they weren't mindless. "But Mooooooom..."

[elpollo]

* Player alienation from RL parents, in that stereotypical "spoiled teenager" way.

I think you're reading way too much into this.

[Fiery Diamond]

I've only ever seen it done as this, with the exception of the one time I made that campy dread necromancer who kept his parents around as zombies and interacted with them like they weren't mindless. "But Mooooooom..."

That's highly disturbing.

I'm also kind of intrigued.

I think something's wrong with me.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

It means pirates won't attack you

It does! Hurrah for the orphan boy!
And it is sometimes a helpful thing to be an orphan boy.
It is! Hurrah for the orphan boy, hurrah for the orphan boy!

[Severus]

I am a sad panda to think that so many people have GMs they can't trust to tell the right story.

I have great GMs, and I always have family and if they get messed with, I know it's going to be well worth the pain because the story is going to be great.

[AslanCross]

Having no parents is a good device for having to become self-sufficient at an early age, a convenient trait for adventurers

I think this is a good point. If you have a family that's still around, chances are you're going to end up as just another baker or dirt farmer to try to support your poor family, just like most other people.

[Dr.Epic]

I've only ever seen it done as this, with the exception of the one time I made that campy dread necromancer who kept his parents around as zombies and interacted with them like they weren't mindless. "But Mooooooom..."

I wasn't talking tabletop RPGs. I was talking fiction in general. Seriously, how many protagonists lost both (or at least one of their) parents at a young age? Off the top of my head let's see how many I can name:

Superman
Batman
Spiderman
Wolverine (pretty much any X-Men too)
Kick-Ass
Hit Girl
Probably the vast majority of superheroes (but I'm too inexperienced with comics so I can't really say)
Luke Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker
Too many Final Fantasy characters to name
Frodo Baggins
Finn from Adventure Time

the list goes on

[mootoall]

I just think the oddest part of it is how, once they're dead, they just ... never come up again. It'd be a fine day when all of them sit down and this happens:

"It's the anniversary of my parents' death today."
"Really? Mine too!"
"No way! How were yours killed?"
"Marauding orcs!"
"Marauding kobolds!"
"Oh my gods, we should go get revenge on our now-ridiculously-low CR enemies together!"
"Alright!"

[druid91]

The obvious reason is so your wizard with an itchy trigger finger can blow up the orphanage and have a legitimate reason to do so...


...I have never once done this.
Unfortunately.

[thubby]

superman didn't (not in any meaningful sense anyway), and he's a marty-stu.

[lightningcat]

I've only had one PC that was an orphan. He was a half-elf that was left on a monastary doorstep when he was a baby. It was a good reason for him to hate elves, but otherwise in never came up in game.

[Coidzor]

It means pirates won't attack you

I, quite literally, loled.

What?

That's highly disturbing.

I'm also kind of intrigued.

I think something's wrong with me.

*shrug* I came up with the idea of using undead as pots for gardening soil to grow floral vines over the mobile frames. There's just something about undead.

[Galileo]

As far as backstory devices for explaining the character's decision to enter a life of murderous vagrancy go, I always preferred having alive parents who were ex-adventurers. It has the added bonus of offering an alternative explanation for why a character who starts at higher level has a ton of magic gear: cause his folks let him dig around in the attic before setting off.

[Otacon17]

superman didn't (not in any meaningful sense anyway), and he's a marty-stu.

How is it not meaningful? The whole 'orphaned alien' thing is a pretty major part of Superman.