I know people have probably been wondering why I keep going on and on about this hook and kicker thing. The writing is not the best but I hope this clears it up a bit.
(the originals are on the
wiki)
The Principal of Private Information and Hooks
In general the information in your character's background is
private. It can not be altered by anyone without your permission. If your character backstory includes the fact that you are "searching for your sisters murderer" a DM can not create that murderer and have you interact with them without your permission.
The exception to this is parts of your character's backstory that you designate as a
hook. If you include
Hook: My sisters' murder
on your character sheet then you are are allowing a DM to include that part of your character's backstory in their adventure.
Feel free to include suggestions into your hooks. (You might write Hook: My sister's murderer (someone unexpected) or (she died for knowing to much) or even something very specific.
Kicker
A kicker is an event that happened to your character directly before they become active in the Living Enworld setting. It is designed to help motivate your character toward an active adventuring life and guide DMs in creating adventures as well as giving your character a way to be included in an adventure.
By definition a kicker is a hook.
To encourage incorporation of player desires into a an adventure introduction that directly addresses your hook will receive an OOC point. If you feel your kicker has been addressed by a DM simply post to the (Hooks Book-keeping) thread with a link to the post or thread where the kicker was addressed. The kicker will be marked "addressed" and the OOC point credited to the DM.
Please be aware that you can award only one DM a ooc point for addressing your kicker.
