What keeps your party together?

[Aramax]

Ok lets see if I can simply explain this:
The pcs in my world are a 3 dimentional representation of a 4th dimentional concept.
They are the Greater Adveturing Kharmic Line (or GAKL)
In actual fact they are all forms(or avatars if you will) of a single 4th dimentional being.
This is why they have all thier prior PCs memories(and since some of my players have been in the game for 25 real years ,thats a lot of memory)They also when they meet another PC are instant best friends.In game they find it nearlly impossible to be seperated,If they all go wandering off in different directions at the end of the day they automaticly find each other.
There is at least one npc mage they know of who deals in 'Kharmic"magic and evil npcs have at times attacked the Kharmic link itself
If they fight amunst themselves the Vivvar(or life plane, the living embodyment of the prime material plane)will often punish them very severlly as the GAKL is the VIVVARs 'anti-bodies'(sort of.)

 

[Firedancer]

Common practice for our group; DM gives us the setting, where the adventure starts and asks us to create around this. As we try to balance the party out we openly discuss classes and get a view of what people are intending to play. The process tends to create a reason why these folks are together.

Staying together though, that's not a given! Certainly some groups have a few characters that wind each other up, which can be fun kept in character but it is not unheard of for a player to retire a PC (their story has come to a natural end). Mostly the longer term party remains together because of the heroic quest (or the gold at the end of it).

There are instances of players toning down their characters to help cohesion; we're all there to have fun after all.

 

[VirgilCaine]

An almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.