ideas for children characters

[kaskavel]

I want to run a couple of sessions with the characters being at ages of 8-15 filled with various childhood events, eventualy leading to their main characters being created at the end. I have no trouble with stats, but I wonder where I can find interesting material for adventure ideas-or small events ideas.

[Celestia]

The players have to run around town performing chores to earn enough gold to buy a present for their big sister's birthday.

[Berenger]

From Media featuring child protagonists? The Famous Five, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, His Dark Materials? Lindgren (Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart)?

[Maelynn]

There are a lot of children's adventure books that have great plots for the associated age. Just to think of a few that I can remember from the ones I read as a kid:

- there is a contest (a race, or a treehut building competition) during one of the annual festivals and the party participates
- a dog has fallen down a well and one of the children is asked to help, since they're small enough to fit in
- one of the children is accused of theft and the rest of the party wants to prove his innocence
- one of the villagers appears to hate the party and is always nasty to them, chasing them off. Turns he's smuggling goods and doesn't want nosy kids finding out
- someone steals a necklace and the party starts their own investigation to find the thief

[Kaptin Keen]

How bright or dark do you want this? They could be picking flowers to feed the unicorns at the elven petting zoo. On the other hand, I spoke with a ugandan child soldier the other day, he also had some 'quests'. I mean ... he's 50 now, right, he's not actually currently a child soldier =)

[BWR]

From games I've run, we had one where the children of a powerful noble were kidnapped by subordinates with grievances, intended to be use to pressure the parents into making certain decisions.
The two twins about 13 managed to escape but their little sister was still captured. The two split up, one went off to get help, the other stayed behind to save their sister.
He did so by rolling ridiculously well on his stealth rolls and murdering the kidnappers in their sleep.

We've had one where an the children are lost in what was basically Fairyland and the elder sibling had to keep track of hyperactive youngsters in what was basically the coolest amusement park imaginable and try to get the home.

We've had one where a kid of about 12 sees his sister-in-law and infant niece murdered before his eyes because some people didn't approve of the elder brother marrying a foreigner. Cue some disturbing character development.

[kaskavel]

From Media featuring child protagonists? The Famous Five, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, His Dark Materials? Lindgren (Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart)?

Yes, something like that. Especially a mystery one like famous five. But I cannot afford to read all of that to see which one can be adjusted.

[Belac93]

Have you checked out tales from the loop? It's made for childhood adventure games.

[Anymage]

How much do you really want them to be adventurer-children? If they go out and do adventuring type things before they come of age, they're already adventurers and don't need to be built up much more.

Depending on how much you want to stretch out character creation and session zero, you could turn it into a prelude. A rules-less session that touches on snippets of what they're like as they grow up, to help players refine their ideas. But they still have normal commoner style roots, to highlight how adventuring is still a step up.

[kaskavel]

OK, I will check the loop stories. Thanks.
Character building is not a problem for me, neither do I need a true adventure (experienced players they are anyway)
Just small ideas for children stories. Saving the cat, solving a small mystery and the like.

[Mystral]

I want to run a couple of sessions with the characters being at ages of 8-15 filled with various childhood events, eventualy leading to their main characters being created at the end. I have no trouble with stats, but I wonder where I can find interesting material for adventure ideas-or small events ideas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Fears

[JamesBarrett]

I agree with the ideas of @Berenger

[Mordaedil]

From Media featuring child protagonists? The Famous Five, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, His Dark Materials? Lindgren (Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart)?

Oh man, Lindgren is some nostalgia for me. I wonder if those works are just as good translated as in their original language.

[Durandu Ran]

Depending on how serious you want to get, maybe a survival or escape scenario where their village is attacked by monsters?

[DuctTapeKatar]

1. Wine Cellar Madness!
The itsy bitsy adventurers find themselves locked in one of their parent's wine cellars, which they were specifically told not to go into. One of them has been drinking from one of the bottles (whether or not it's wine is a mystery, but the kid thinks it is!), one is terrified of the dark and is holding on to another kid for dear life, and one of them is trying to scare the rest by pretending that they heard a voice in the darkened far corner.

2. Big, fat ugly spider
The kids find a really big spider on their house, and they are trying to convince someone to kill it so that they won't have to deal with it. When someone is chosen, the spider jumps at them and gives them a nasty bite.

3. Tag in the Woods
The kids are playing in the woods. They are all trying to hide and run, and if anyone goes by the river, they will encounter a wounded unicorn nursing its wounds.

4. Lesser Spirit in a Bottle
The kids find an enchanted bottle that holds an ancient spirit that would be grateful if they release it from its prison. If the kids manage to figure out how to open it. The bottle is made of some sort of jade, inscribed with writing, and because they are kids, have no idea that it holds a somewhat powerful being.

5. The Shy Guardsman
The kids know a town guard who wants to propose to his girlfriend, but isn't quite sure how to do it. The kids may either try to help the poor guy, or prank his sorry butt.

[Segev]

A carnival or traveling show caravan comes to town. It's only here for a week; can the party get enough money and free time to go before it's gone? Why are the grown-ups less and less happy with the notion of the kids going with each passing day?

When the caravan left, Miss Suzy (or the Miller's Daughter, or one of the kids' older siblings or cousins) was gone, too. Can they find out what happened?

One of their pet puppies has gone missing, but while looking for him one night, they find a new kid who takes an immediate liking to them. Unfortunately, a strange man who is a real creepy jerk keeps trying to lure the new kid away. If they manage to keep their new friend from running off with the stranger, he still disappears after three nights, but the puppy comes home. (A wolfwere bit the puppy and infected him with anthrolycapy, or reverse lycanthropy. They'll have their new friend, aging much faster towards his prime, show up every month around the full moon.)

A family of a race not typical to the town passes through (peddlers, or while moving, or nomads). They have a kid the characters' age.

When playing house with a dryad of a sapling, one of the kids (or their NPC friends) accidentally exchanged vows that are technically binding. Despite their youth, the two are considered afianced by fey and mystic law. Is this a serious problem, or just a silly childhood incident?

A stranger offers to buy a valuable good belonging to one of the kids' families for a wondrous magic item about whose properties he is vague but excitingly poetic.

If the kids perform an act of selfless kindness for some wild animal (a rabbit in a trap, a wounded dog, a mouse rescued from a cat), they shortly thereafter find all their chores are done before they try to do them. PErhaps with parents thanking/praising them for their hard work as the first sign it has been done. Can they find out what's causing it?

[Bohandas]

I want to run a couple of sessions with the characters being at ages of 8-15 filled with various childhood events, eventualy leading to their main characters being created at the end. I have no trouble with stats, but I wonder where I can find interesting material for adventure ideas-or small events ideas.

What kind of setting are we talking about? Fantasy? Modern? Sci-fi? Are the characters human?

[Jay R]

Exploring the local haunted house.
Following a nearby stream.
Finding a wounded animal.
Looking for a lost little brother or sister.
Running away from a gang of bullies.
Fighting back against a gang of bullies.
Running away from home.

Also, pretty much any scenario for 1st level thieves will work. The crucial fact is that for kids to adventure at all they need to get out from under the adults' control and protection.

I once rolled an original D&D character with STR 3, DEX 16, low wisdom and high charisma. I was about to toss him when the DM said, "That's a nine-year-old kid."

So I played a very successful nine-year-old thief named David. Once, trying to get into a walled city, he walked up to the guard sniffling and saying, "I'm lost, and I'm tired, and I'm thirsty, and my feet hurt, and I can't find my mother, and .. and ... (start crying)." When the guard turned to get him something to eat, David stabbed him in the back.

[weckar]

The players have to run around town performing chores to earn enough gold to buy a present for their big sister's birthday.

Have you ever met/been a child? I don't think anything like this has ever happened outside a 50s-styled sitcom. Most children are selfish bastards and have no sympathy for older siblings.

[Manyasone]

Have you ever met/been a child? I don't think anything like this has ever happened outside a 50s-styled sitcom. Most children are selfish bastards and have no sympathy for older siblings.

She is referring to Fable, mate...

[Segev]

Have you ever met/been a child? I don't think anything like this has ever happened outside a 50s-styled sitcom. Most children are selfish bastards and have no sympathy for older siblings.

While "earn money for a present" is unusual, I will say that my younger siblings have often been very thoughtful towards me. :P

[Xania]

Have you ever met/been a child? I don't think anything like this has ever happened outside a 50s-styled sitcom. Most children are selfish bastards and have no sympathy for older siblings.

And most older siblings certainly are more than glad to generate that antipathy.

[denthor]

No character classes. They start at negative 1,000 experience points.

Coastal village.

1st question where do you go?

No mater which direction they run into caves.

They explore caves find daggers swords paper spell scrolls 0 or 1st level. I like giant rats. 5 hit points four at a time one has necklace.

Let them decisive in how they attack this gives you clues as to what class they are when they reach zero. They get a class by actions of there choice.

Played a video game like this once. Ended up fighting with fist missed the weapons the second time through unlocked a ninja by accident.

[Maelynn]

Played a video game like this once. Ended up fighting with fist missed the weapons the second time through unlocked a ninja by accident.

I'm going to need the name of that game. Because of reasons.

[Manyasone]

I'm going to need the name of that game. Because of reasons.

yups, reminds me of the jobs in one of the old (SNES) final fantasy's

[denthor]

I'm going to need the name of that game. Because of reasons.

yups, reminds me of the jobs in one of the old (SNES) final fantasy's

That is going back prior to 1988.

All I remember is that it was programed by F (aster) T (hen) (L)ight. FTL.

It was for a real computer at the time. The only real colors where blue purple and green.

You had eat and drink water. Your choices purple worm steak, green was from living mushrooms that tried to kill you.

Eye of the beholder style but before that game came out.

[Bohandas]

I want to run a couple of sessions with the characters being at ages of 8-15 filled with various childhood events, eventualy leading to their main characters being created at the end. I have no trouble with stats, but I wonder where I can find interesting material for adventure ideas-or small events ideas.

What is the setting of your game? Fantasy? Modern? Science fiction? Because that makes a difference. Childhood experiences are gonna be different if one of the children is an elf or an alien or something

[Bohandas]

You could steal plots from movies

How about they go into the sewers to fight an evil clown who's been terrorizing them (It)
Or one of them is a slave child trying to win their freedom in some kind of high speed death race (The Phantom Menace)
or one of their toys is possessed by the ghost of a notorious serial killer (Child's Play)

[GreatWyrmGold]

From Media featuring child protagonists? The Famous Five, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, His Dark Materials? Lindgren (Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart)?

The needs of a prologue are different from those of a full story. Hence, I'd like to recommend looking at stories which have prologues that include their protagonist(s) as child(ren).
Speaking of which, if you've got an overarching plot in mind, see if you can't sneak some foreshadowing in. That's true whether you're going Hardy Boys, Junie B. Jones, or Lord of the Flies.

Spoiler: Asides

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And most older siblings certainly are more than glad to generate that antipathy.

Hey, the younger siblings started it!

All I remember is that it was programed by F (aster) T (hen) (L)ight. FTL.

...A game developer named Faster Than Light? That's gonna be tricky to Google. (Unless it's something Justin Ma and Matthew Davis threw together in their childhood.