I'm about to launch into a summer campaign with the PCs starting out at a pretty high level, to be exact they'll be level 18. This coming week I'm going to be sitting down with the players to work out the backstories of their PCs. I'm wondering what sort of backstory would work to explain the high level the PC has reached. Is there really any good way of doing this ?? Thoughts or suggestions guys ?
A Little Help with High Level PC Backstories
- Thread starter johndaw16
- Start date
Altamont Ravenard
Explorer
If you want to keep things simple (if not a little bland), have them wake up, equiped, in a temple of some sorts. They are together, they do not know how and why. Part of the campaign is figuring out their backstories (they could be ancient heroes that agreed to go into some sort of temporal stasis so they could fight their nemesis in the future. Their nemesis has risen, and so have they).
Doesn't quite resolve the backstory, but it gives you a little time to come up with it
AR
Doesn't quite resolve the backstory, but it gives you a little time to come up with it
AR
Aust Diamondew
First Post
Have them all be retainers of some powerful king or members of his government.
cignus_pfaccari
First Post
Impeesa said:They're all powerful heroes who've done a variety of adventuring and questing over many years?
Seems like the standard, after all.
I suppose it's more "who did you fight, what did you do, who did you do it with" than anything else.
The last time I ran D&D (WAAAAY back, '97 or thereabouts), I had my PCs roll a d4 to determine what happened to their last group...whether they were beaten by elves, goblins, psychotic pseudo-Russians, or giants.
Anything else they could make up, if they gave a rat's patoot.
Brad
DonTadow
First Post
I've always wanted to see a d and d campaign based around the old action movie cliche of the heroes about to retire when the biggest thing in the world comes up and only they can stop it because it realtes to something from their past . At 18th levle their powerful as hell but obvious past their prime days. I keep imagiing lethal weapon dungeons and dragon style
A backstory like htis or something simliar is easy because theyn you can concentrate on three or four of their biggest adventures, write up each heroes take on it.
A backstory like htis or something simliar is easy because theyn you can concentrate on three or four of their biggest adventures, write up each heroes take on it.
Byrons_Ghost
First Post
I was going to suggest the heroes coming out of retirement, similar to above. If they've been retired for a while, though, it might be neat to give the players a little bit of a world-building exercise, having them describe how their heroes achieved fame and what they did with it.
The paladin could have defeated a tyrannical undead creature and then taken over it's lands, making them his kingdom, for example. The wizard could have stymied an extra-planar incursion and then built a fortress around the now closed gate, using its unique energies to aid his researches. That sort of thing.
One thing I've always thought would be cool for something like this would be to have people dust off their old PCs that they haven't played in years and update them to the higher level (and possibly 3rd ed, if needed). Everyone has old favorite characters that they don't get to play any more, and these would come with ready-made personalities and back stories.
As to getting the party together, it could involve divine visions, visitations from powerful entities, threats to dominions or family, etc. All the usual stuff, really. Or you could just tell the PCs what the threat is, and tell them "Ok, you've all been looking into this and have decided to work together to save the world". It really depends on what's best for the players in question.
The paladin could have defeated a tyrannical undead creature and then taken over it's lands, making them his kingdom, for example. The wizard could have stymied an extra-planar incursion and then built a fortress around the now closed gate, using its unique energies to aid his researches. That sort of thing.
One thing I've always thought would be cool for something like this would be to have people dust off their old PCs that they haven't played in years and update them to the higher level (and possibly 3rd ed, if needed). Everyone has old favorite characters that they don't get to play any more, and these would come with ready-made personalities and back stories.
As to getting the party together, it could involve divine visions, visitations from powerful entities, threats to dominions or family, etc. All the usual stuff, really. Or you could just tell the PCs what the threat is, and tell them "Ok, you've all been looking into this and have decided to work together to save the world". It really depends on what's best for the players in question.
If you've got the time, track down a copy of Central Casting (its out of print, so go to the internet first). There's one specifically for fantasy characters.
sniffles
First Post
Central Casting can be fun, but beware of too many random dice rolls - you can end up with something rather bizarre! 
Why not have the players work together to come up with a joint backstory, assuming they've adventured together before? Or if they haven't, ask each player to come up with one pivotal event in the character's life that led him to become such a powerful adventurer.
Why not have the players work together to come up with a joint backstory, assuming they've adventured together before? Or if they haven't, ask each player to come up with one pivotal event in the character's life that led him to become such a powerful adventurer.
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