TTRPG Character Motivation
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Why is did your character become and adventurer? In today's video Dawn talks about the importance of building motivation into your character's backstory and how their motivation might change over the course of a campaign along with several examples.
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This is something I've been struggling with for a while now with a group I'm playing with. I Love the role play and think it's one of the coolest parts of D&D but everyone else in our group is either bad at it or just can't be bothered, I can't tell which. When something really cool happens (ie we meet a Fey made of starlight) in a role-playing aspect I like to get my character involved and in the moment of the scene but everyone else just wants to move on to whatever the DM has set up with next which I think is kind of boring. I'm struggling with a reason for why my pc would want to spend time with a party who finds no joy in the adventure or even wants to have a conversation about things. I'm changing my character motivation to something a little more interesting for others in the group and hoping it will also motivate others to be more motivated about role-playing their characters more as well.
Character Motivation is decided by the player, and as a DM it can drive you crazy when a player purposefully decides not to get involved. I have a player that loves to make a Brewer, blacksmith, or some other profession and I have to push them to join the party. When a player says its the DM's job to get my character to go adventuring, and then chooses to not follow the leads to get into the story. I have given players a free nights stay at the nicest Inn in the city, so all the player can meet, and then one player that decides no I'll stay at the Inn down the road. It's a group game don't make it harder then it has to be. Sorry didn't mean to rant, but if the DM can make the world, then players can make a character that wants to play in it.
Yeah, that's frustrating when players don't pick up on the story-hooks offered. It's a cooperative game and you need everyone to be invested
I lean into my own personal caretaking compulsions and weave it into my character. That usually takes care of the “why am I with this party” questions. It’s because they are a ball of chaotic disasters and my character feels compelled to assist them when things inevitably get bad again. Maybe that sound shady but it isn’t the only reason.
In my recent roleplay heavy game, the character I play has that first mentioned part as their reason, but also
1) they promised the cleric to be their friend, and that they would stick around even when things got physically dangerous (because that cleric character has abandonment issues)
2) the wizard is an old friend of my character’s druid (npc) friend and the worried friend asked mine to look after him (I play a fighter so asked to be a tank basically).
3) Already clicked with the monk character and the pair “speak” the same stoic language, love sparring and talking swords, and have a weakness for sweets, and are just…tired of tragedy but compulsively protective of their loved ones.
4) artificer is actually part of the same faction (scholars) as my own character
5) is curious about a god connection for ranger as my own character also had a similar incident that set them on the adventuring path.
So these are just the quick versions of why my fighter is part of the group. It leans into their need to be understood, be surrounded by people who understand, their own protective need to look after others, their fear of failure to protect, and to keep a promise once given. Oh and of course their deep curiosity which is what already compels their wanderlust.
Maybe all this is too in-depth but it is a roleplay heavy game so this is just the usual level for all of us. I’m also a late addition who got to sit in for a few sessions before I officially joined and that gave me a lot leeway and material to properly create a character who could and would stay with the party. And despite my character’s researcher start, the idea here is that this is secondary and the faction of scholars they are part of is used to my character running off to do their own thing. This is more because they are more a thing being studied by the faction than a full member except in name. Research is accepted and respected but not considered the focus of the faction’s own interest in my character. The fact that one character is in the same faction actually means the faction higher ups won’t protest as their is a “observer” for them.
But enough about me. Thanks for the video!
I don't like playing adventurers, but prefer when my characters do what they do because their motivation is directly tied to the central motif or conflict of the game.
Always enjoy your explanations. It occurred to me the other day that it's the player's job to decide the character goals and the DMs job to establish the boundaries, challenges and risks and rewards for achieving that goal. Ta-Da!
Good point!
some of those motivation might be not enough.
you don't go to face certain death to rebel to your family: remember going adventuring in a (believable) world with magic it's like going hunting lions and wolf packs with rudimental weapons, if nobody dies, or almost die, in 10 combat sessions there's something wrong with the dm (or you are powerplaying, and that's good, the dm should up the ante as well in that case)
Ok
This was a great video! I'm working on a character for a new Pathfinder AP, a half-drow cleric of Iomedae who is motivated by a quest for redemption for his past crimes. :)
I love this channel!!!!
My character i made is a human monk name wolfran row and his motives are to find his self again bc of the crimes he made and his wife and daughter trying to find how they die and who kill them