do I need aa dm to make a backstory for my character?

[jadus]

I have my background pretty much set up in my head amd all my charater sheet stats are done aswell. All im curiuos of is if I need a dm to finish my charaters story, thats just what ive heard. This is my first time ever playing dnd, and im also looking for a group to play with.

[Septimus Faber]

Really, it's dependent on your situation, but I'd say yes. It's hard to fit a character into a campaign if you haven't got a campaign to fit it into. Also, two bits of friendly advice:

1. This thread should probably go in the Roleplaying Games forum, not Friendly Banter.

2. I *really* wouldn't start making characters before you even know if you'll have a group to play with. Trust me, I've been there. That way lies madness...

[jadus]

Alright! Thank you very much!

[Waar]

I have my background pretty much set up in my head amd all my charater sheet stats are done aswell. All im curiuos of is if I need a dm to finish my charaters story, thats just what ive heard. This is my first time ever playing dnd, and im also looking for a group to play with.

Character creation rules can have minor variations/options within the same game (for instance what level you start at, or wheter certain optional rules are in effect) and you might need a group to agree on these beforehand (and it is often helpfull if the group has a dm ).

Now personally I don't think you would need the help of a dm to finish your background story in most cases, but there are exeptions.

[Exediron]

I have my background pretty much set up in my head amd all my charater sheet stats are done aswell. All im curiuos of is if I need a dm to finish my charaters story, thats just what ive heard. This is my first time ever playing dnd, and im also looking for a group to play with.

That's up to your DM, when you find one. I believe many groups nowadays do operate that way, yes. My personal view is that while the DM must have the ability to veto a back-story if it doesn't fit with the campaign world or story being told, players should be free to come up with their own within certain constraints imposed by the DM.

And I'll second (third?) the advice that you shouldn't get too invested in a character without a group to play them in. Conceptualizing is fine, but I'd recommend waiting to finalize the details until you know more about where you'll be playing that character. It's no good dreaming over a barbarian princess who found a forgotten relic from a space-faring civilization of four-armed reptiles and now seeks to lead her people into a new age of technology if the game is all about musketeers in historical France.

[TheThan]

Yes and no.

Most of the time Dms will let players create whatever sort of back-story you want. Usually you provide a background yourself and it can affect what happens in the game. Some DMs like to incorporate things from players back stories into their settings/campaigns and make them part of the game. Some do not and simply ask for a back-story so to get you into the spirit of role playing.

Some times DMs will provide you with a little bit of back-story to help get the ball rolling. For instance most of the time, when I Dm Star Wars Saga, I tell the players that they are all part of the crew of a smuggling ship, or that they’re all imperial storm troopers or rebel agents, or whatever happens to be the theme of the game and let them come up with their personal backstories on how they got to where they are.

Rarely DMs will assign you a specific backstory to accommodate whatever sort of campaign he is running. I’ve played in one where all the players were forced to be siblings (made weird as we were all different races). It can work in some situations, and DMs will succeed or fail at this depending on how good they are at providing a story.

[Kol Korran]

I have my background pretty much set up in my head amd all my charater sheet stats are done aswell. All im curiuos of is if I need a dm to finish my charaters story, thats just what I've heard. This is my first time ever playing dnd, and im also looking for a group to play with.

The game is a collaborative effort. While you have most of the agency about your character, you usually work with the GM (And other players to a degree!) to fit it with the game. The game is different if it's Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron or perhaps even a home brewed world. The house rules may affect things, as do the type and theme of the campaign- Great heroes saving the world, dastardly villains, protecting a lone fortress against the hordes, pirates campaign, expedition to the underdark, political intrigue in the court, and many, many more types of games.

It's a good idea to have a character concept in mind, just try nto to have it too finished, and flexible enough to work out into different ideas. And work with the DM (And again- the other players!) to find a way to create a character that both fits the game, and excites you to play!

Good luck to you!

[VoxRationis]

You'll end up with a somewhat generic backstory if you don't consult with your DM about the world you're playing in: lots of references to "the king," for example, without mentioning his name or even the name of his country.

[ORione]

Yeah, you'll at least want to check for restrictions, such as, "No elves because they don't exist in this world," or "No Evil characters because this is supposed to be a heroic campain."

[Jay R]

Have some ideas to discuss with the DM, but be flexible, so that they can be made consistent with the world and the setting.

You don't want to invent a background about growing up during the orc/elf wars, and then find out that orcs and elves are on different continents, or be seeking revenge on the red dragon who destroyed your village, and then find out there are no red dragons on that world. Imagine inventing a sailor and then finding out the scenario takes place in the middle of the continent, in a land that has never heard of the sea.

[jedipotter]

I have my background pretty much set up in my head amd all my charater sheet stats are done aswell. All im curiuos of is if I need a dm to finish my charaters story, thats just what ive heard. This is my first time ever playing dnd, and im also looking for a group to play with.

Some Don't s:

* Don't make your character a prince, chosen one or any other type of special unique person. Most DM's don't really like to have such a special character, as it can disrupt the game and put way too much focus on just that character. Your character can be just fine as ''just a normal person''.

* Avoid vengeance. Sure it is a classic to say ''orcs killed my family'', but then to ''hate'' orcs just does not add much to the game play. Sure if your character encounters orcs, they can say how they hate them, but not much else. And if no orcs are around, it does not matter.

* Don't get too complex. Your backstory does not need to be a novel.

[Curbstomp]

Yes. What jedipotter said. Remember that this is collaborative story-telling and whatever group you join may have a character creation session or particular rules for backstory selection depending on the campaign.

[Jay R]

The important thing is to feel free to ignore any advice except your DM's. All games are different.

For instance:

* Don't make your character a prince, chosen one or any other type of special unique person. Most DM's don't really like to have such a special character, as it can disrupt the game and put way too much focus on just that character. Your character can be just fine as ''just a normal person''.

Of course the statement that most DM's don't really like such characters implies that some DMs do. But I recommend that you not consider such a character without talking to the DM first. Any "chosen one" should be chosen for something plot-related, which the DM knows about and you don't.

* Avoid vengeance. Sure it is a classic to say ''orcs killed my family'', but then to ''hate'' orcs just does not add much to the game play. Sure if your character encounters orcs, they can say how they hate them, but not much else. And if no orcs are around, it does not matter.

Again, generic vengeance isn't a good idea, but if the DM's world provides a good hook for it, it can be great. For instance, a bitter Confederate soldier makes perfect sense in an Old West game, and similarly, a vengeance scenario can work in D&D, if it's tied to the actual world history.

* Don't get too complex. Your backstory does not need to be a novel.

Make your backstory as simple or as complex as you and your DM want it to be. The crucial thing to realize is that the complex story is meaningless unless it affects how the character will be played. I find a long backstory to be extremely valuable, because that's how I get into his head, and make the character different from ten thousand others with the same abilities and basic outlook on life. But many other people (like, evidently, Jedipotter) don't work that way. You need to work your way, neither his nor mine.

So read all of our advice, decide whose advice fits with your own desires, and then make your own choices - with the DM.

[VoxRationis]

Oo, oo! I have another one.
Don't include a backstory whose execution would realistically put your character at a level higher than your starting level.
This can happen quite easily, particularly for 1st level characters, whose backstories all too often include stuff like a military career. (For one thing, pre-modern militaries usually had terms of service, at least for the sorts of professional soldiers who get fighter levels, spanning two decades or more.) Don't give your 1st-level character a past that involves killing an outpost full of orcs—that would entail getting to 2nd level at least.

[ElenionAncalima]

Oo, oo! I have another one.
Don't include a backstory whose execution would realistically put your character at a level higher than your starting level.
This can happen quite easily, particularly for 1st level characters, whose backstories all too often include stuff like a military career. (For one thing, pre-modern militaries usually had terms of service, at least for the sorts of professional soldiers who get fighter levels, spanning two decades or more.) Don't give your 1st-level character a past that involves killing an outpost full of orcs—that would entail getting to 2nd level at least.

This is good advice. We have a player in a game I am a part of who decided to make his background that he was a war veteran. Now because a series of jokes about him being level 1, he made it canon that he was never able to get able to see any combat and is becoming an adventurer so he can actually put his combat training to use.

[Jay R]

This is good advice. We have a player in a game I am a part of who decided to make his background that he was a war veteran. Now because a series of jokes about him being level 1, he made it canon that he was never able to get able to see any combat and is becoming an adventurer so he can actually put his combat training to use.

How far we've changed in 40 years.

When I started playing D&D, the term for a first level Fighting-Man (yes, that was the class name), was "Veteran". PCs started with enough background training and experience to be above the ordinary. A new recruit was not a first level Fighting-Man until he had some training and experience.

[Mr.Moron]

Generally I've found that detailed backstories created before play wind up being straight jackets,cringe-worth, ignored or some combination of all three.

Characters emerge on the table and it is super-duper hard to have a feel for who they've actually been given some to exist.

I'm at the point as a GM where I explicitly ask my players not to develop huge back stories. Just have an idea of an personality, and a very broad background that's kind of a location and socio-economic status and reason for leaving home. If it's more than 3 sentences it's probably too long.

Once we get a few sessions in, maybe after the end of the first adventure we can start filling in the blank spots. We can do Q&A about why they're acting they way they are, maybe do some short background RP in the each of the character's pasts with the other players playing NPCs for each others backgrounds. Do another adventure and repeat the process.

This had spectacular results in my last game and really helped the players to integrate their PCs with the world and helped me to integrate the events of the campaign with personal stories of their individual characters.