With the rise of online games like Critical Role, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons players have seen more and more of the player's backstory 𓄧taking center stage. While many games operate on the idea of 'frontstory,' or, how the character's story progresses as a result of the choices made during the game, backstories are often important for s💛ome Dungeon Masters' plotlines. At the front of these plots are NPCs, driving the characters forward.

But how do you craft an NPC in someone's backstory? Where do you even begin, andജ what's important enough to warrant making one? Here are a couple of tips for creating NPCsღ specifically for a character's backstory!

Ask What Your Players Want

Right off the bat, you should make it clear to your players that you want to bring in NPCs from their backstory. This prepares them, especially during the writing process of character creation. They also won't f💞eel ꦆbamboozled later on if you start bringing in their wizard's brother for some shenanigans.

If you want creative control, say it! Let them know you're taking a partic🎐ular interest in NPC building, and they should leave some room for you to bring characters from their character's lives into the story.

This also allows your player to tell you what sorts of NPCs they want in their story. If they come to you with a backstory involving a wife and kids, make a note of it and generate some ideas to bring to them later. This also means you'll avoid some of the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:common pitfalls Dungeon Masters make as your game progresses.

Put some time aside for your players, whether in person or on call. If distance is an issue, ju꧋st taking ten minutes to cಞheck in can make all the difference. You can get your ideas out as they crop up in the conversation, and it guarantees your player some space.

Keep an open mind to their input, and they should keep an open mind to yours. After all, both of you are writing the story! Keep the collaboration alive to share the workload and maintain player engagement.

Reread Your Player's Backstory

When creating a character, figure out the direction your player wants to go with their backstory. This is, perhaps, the most important step when creating NPCs in a backstory. After all, the direction of a backstory helps you better c༒raft the characters that would be in it.

A darker backstory may involve a looming evil that the player has tangled with in the past. These types of characters can serve as 'mini-bosses' and prompt mid-level arcs in player characters. They can also be benign influences, driving the character to achieve goals within the campaign.

A good example of this might be a member of the local thieves' guild coming after the player's debt, or a former employer holding a grudge ag𓃲ainst a player who has 'left that life behind.'

There are countless stories online about Dungeon Masters running away with their player's backstory or changing things around to suit the campaign. Check with your player first before making any changes to NPCs that could alter their story, unless you have express permission to exercise creative freedom!

Examine the themes of their character for potential reoccurring elements. For example, if their character is built around themes of redemption or vengeance, that can more or less tell you the types of NPCs you might bring in (i.e an NPC who was wronged by the character or an NPC who wronged the characꩲ𒉰ter).

Don't be afraid to use their background, too! A player who wants their character to be a disgraced knight might have had an order they belonged to. Yo🍌u can expand from that initial idea and ask if they, say, had a parental figure within the order if they joined young.

Characters who come from established groups are the easiest to create NPCs for because you have such ꦡa wide variety of people in one place. Suggest to your player that you dꦆo some research together, so they can tell you what sort of people they associated with while in the group... or who they avoided.

Conversely, in the case of characters who may align with the hermit background or have been removed from society in other ways, you can ask about pets, spirits, or travelers who may have come through. No one is truly alone, unless, of course, that's the d⛄irection your player wants.

Ask Leading Questions

A common tactic for figuring out a character's backstory in TTRPGs is to ask a specific, leading question to get the player to open up. Once you've read your player's backstory, this should come naturally. A couple of good examples of basic questions to ask are thಞese:

1. Did the character have parents? Did they have any sort of guardian? How do they feel about authority?
2. Does the character still have contact with their mentor? Why/why not?
3. Who has your character helped in the past? Was this NPC important in the area?
4. Who affected your character the most while they were in the process of becoming their class?

Once you've established these details, you can move on to the actual characters. These questions might look more like:

1. What did your character's guardian do right in raising them? What did they do wrong?
2. What advice from your mentor stuck with your character?
3. Did this NPC provide compensation to your character for helping? Did your character want it?
4. What did this NPC think when your character finally succeeded in taking their first level in the class?

Have fun with it! The point of these questions is to help shape the NPC in their relations to the player characters. While the stories of NPCs are important, at the end of the day, their stories are meant to bolster the players. That's why they're non-playable, after all!

We recommend keeping your player involved, even if ꦦyou, as DM, are given complete creative control. This mitigates the workload you'll experience.

Figure Out Attributes

Making 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:memorable NPCs is hard enough, but holding these backstory NPCs up to your player's expectations may be daunting. Don't be afraid! The fact that you're bringing in a character from your player's story will score you points. Still, once you've established the player's relationship with the NPC, personality will inevitably follow.

Alongside online generators that have thousands of options for character traits, you can use all the information you've gathered to make a general idea. If you're planning on creating a mini-boss, cracking open the Monster Manual is encouraged, so you can browse the statblocks and see what fits.

Another helpful tip may be to take into account what this NPC will be doing in the story. Are they quest-givers? A temporary companion? A brief moment of respite? This can help you better set up a statblock o♎r configure their ideals and bonds.