D&D 5E Backgrounds and other personality aides continually through your levels?

[CapnZapp]

The addition of Backgrounds to D&D is a great move. It really helps making characters into personalities and not just "builds".

However, I feel that something is... lacking.

After you create your PC, that whole chapter on Backgrounds is over and done with, choice-wise.

Yes, you still benefit from your choices (being harassed by your Nemesis, acting on your traits etc), but you never return to those pages to make new choices or select new advantages or disadvantages.

Are you aware of any other (fantasy, levelled) rpg where this kind of stuff pops up again, after character creation?

I'm thinking of ways to... refine? ...your character's personality, say, at the start of each tier? Not only at level 1, but also at levels 5, 11 and 17 (for example) do you return to the PHB and its pages on personality and traits, that isn't pure mechanics (such as feats, level benefits, spells etc)

Anything you've seen in other games?

 

[Gilladian]

The only thing I can think of is bonds, as in Dungeonworld. Each character has 4-8 bonds with other characters. They're a statement of your attitude towards the other PC, such as "Mary the cleric saved my life and now I shall guard her back." At the end of each session, bonds are evaluated, and if the bond is no longer relevant, it ends and an XP is earned. Both characters must agree on that. Then a new bond is written, with the same or another person.

 

[Mephista]

Are you aware of any other (fantasy, levelled) rpg where this kind of stuff pops up again, after character creation?

I'm thinking of ways to... refine? ...your character's personality, say, at the start of each tier? Not only at level 1, but also at levels 5, 11 and 17 (for example) do you return to the PHB and its pages on personality and traits, that isn't pure mechanics (such as feats, level benefits, spells etc)

Anything you've seen in other games?

Two things. One, Factions play a role kind of like that in D&D. Right now, we only have five, and they're a bit limited, but I remember Planescape Factions being much more flexible with how you could grow in them. In time, we may develop Factions as a better system in D&D.

Two, most games that I'm familiar with that allow such development break away entirely from the class-level based system.

 

[Ahrimon]

Those are the sort of things that develop from play. I would be hesitant to have backgrounds say X happens at Y level. What if the stories the players have told make no sense for that? I can certainly understand wanting backgrounds to stay relevant throught a career but I think things are better left to a nebulous this is what you have done so this is what you get type of DM's call.

 

[Mark CMG]

The addition of Backgrounds to D&D is a great move. It really helps making characters into personalities and not just "builds".

However, I feel that something is... lacking.

After you create your PC, that whole chapter on Backgrounds is over and done with, choice-wise.

Yes, you still benefit from your choices (being harassed by your Nemesis, acting on your traits etc), but you never return to those pages to make new choices or select new advantages or disadvantages.

Are you aware of any other (fantasy, levelled) rpg where this kind of stuff pops up again, after character creation?

I'm thinking of ways to... refine? ...your character's personality, say, at the start of each tier? Not only at level 1, but also at levels 5, 11 and 17 (for example) do you return to the PHB and its pages on personality and traits, that isn't pure mechanics (such as feats, level benefits, spells etc)

Anything you've seen in other games?

I've run some RPGs wherein you would justify your skill choices as you leveled a PC based on the background and/or the experiences in the game (even off-screen).

 

[Dragoslav]

7th Sea is another one where you get XP when your background is resolved, and you then pick another (e.g New rival, new lost lover, etc).

 

[redrick]

The addition of Backgrounds to D&D is a great move. It really helps making characters into personalities and not just "builds".

However, I feel that something is... lacking.

After you create your PC, that whole chapter on Backgrounds is over and done with, choice-wise.

Yes, you still benefit from your choices (being harassed by your Nemesis, acting on your traits etc), but you never return to those pages to make new choices or select new advantages or disadvantages.

Are you aware of any other (fantasy, levelled) rpg where this kind of stuff pops up again, after character creation?

I'm thinking of ways to... refine? ...your character's personality, say, at the start of each tier? Not only at level 1, but also at levels 5, 11 and 17 (for example) do you return to the PHB and its pages on personality and traits, that isn't pure mechanics (such as feats, level benefits, spells etc)

Anything you've seen in other games?

Hmm, the problem with backgrounds "leveling" in a similar way that a class does, is that that implies you continue in your background throughout your adventuring career. However, in many cases, your background is something that you have left behind in order to become an adventurer. It's the old, "Mr. Jenkins used to be a corporate lawyer, but he had a mid-life crisis and now he's teaching 4th grade." A character's background says a lot about who they are, in terms of personality, etc, but not much about what they do. So it wouldn't make sense for every acolyte to gain new features at, say, 6th level, because many characters with an acolyte background have left their church behind. It becomes more up to the DM's discretion to figure out how that background impacts the character at higher levels.

That's what I like about backgrounds — they provide a few very practical bonuses (skill proficiencies), a flavorful feature of very situational utility, and some personality hooks that the DM and the player can use to shape hooks for each other. Your personality, bond and flaw should be applicable at all levels of play.

Character species works in a similar way. Once you choose to be a dwarf and write down your various features and bonuses, you never have to go back to that section of the PHB to make any additional changes to your character sheet. But your dwarfiness will probably come up. A lot.

 

[Sunseeker]

Honestly I've wished D&D had a "3rd pillar" advancement option, something that would expand your character as you leveled up along side your class.

 

[Leatherhead]

After you create your PC, that whole chapter on Backgrounds is over and done with, choice-wise.

Yes, you still benefit from your choices (being harassed by your Nemesis, acting on your traits etc), but you never return to those pages to make new choices or select new advantages or disadvantages.

I feel there is a disconnect here between the intent of the mechanic and the interpretation of the mechanic.
The background mechanic is meant to replicate roleplaying choices that occurred in the formative years before you took direct control of the character for RP. As an attempt to mimic organic character development.

I'm thinking of ways to... refine? ...your character's personality, say, at the start of each tier? Not only at level 1, but also at levels 5, 11 and 17 (for example) do you return to the PHB and its pages on personality and traits, that isn't pure mechanics (such as feats, level benefits, spells etc)

The there are mechanics that cover learning proficiencies after character creation (not just burning feats, there are training guidelines). And factions to cover the social benefits angle.

That would leave quirks, which are basic guidelines for how a character should act. Such guidelines are naturally refined, discarded, or unofficially added (Acted out but not written down), as you play the character. There is no point to going back to the random generation tables after you start playing. If you feel the need to have them update their personality on the character sheet, just ask them to add another sentence to those boxes every time they level up.

 

[Quickleaf]

There's nothing to say that a PC's Bond, Ideal, Flaw, or Personality Traits (or even alignment) can't change over the course of their adventuring career.

While I understand the desire for factions or *something else* to contribute to a character over the course of leveling (in addition to class), I'm not sure anything needs or be hard-coded on the Role-playing side.

It's much more natural to address PC personality changes as they come up in play.