Backgrounds--Does your PC have one? Does it get used?

[Napftor]

As the primary DM of our group, I don't often get the chance to make PCs (much less a background for one). But I certainly encourage my players to fashion one. Nothing is made mandatory, mind you, but I find that a background can stimulate adventure ideas I might not have come up with on my own. Most of my players come up with something and during the course of the campaign I try to reward their work by having a relative or friend show up (i.e. be in jeopardy) at least once. Not only does the character in question get a little extra attention but the rest of the PCs get to see him in a different light. As a result, the characters become that much more "real" for everyone.

So how about your group? Do you have PC backgrounds and do they get used by the DM?

 

[Crothian]

I encourage players to have backgrounds because I will use it. But not all my players give backgrounds or at least as much as I would like.

 

[adwyn]

I almost always give my characters two - the first when I make up the character. Its broad and basic, along the lines of I'm a mercenary or such, but once he's leveled up I usually have a better feel for the character and do a more detailed one.

Most players though are reluctant. DM's usually use backgrounds against characters or ignore them all together. The benefits just aren't there very often.

 

[Felnar]

i kill something and loot its background

 

[xnosipjpqmhd]

The background of the PCs in my last campaign was deeply entwined with the whole story, and many of the secrets/subplots of the PCs backgrounds were discovered or resolved as an integral part of the game.

Some examples:

Two of the PCs (Ulfgard and Nepzillian) were from the same small village. Ulfgard's father was the village smith. Ulfgard wanted to be a smith as well, but his father did not think he was cut out for it. So part of the underlying story of the campaign was Ulfgard "proving" himself to his father.

Also early in the adventure, Ulfgard recovered his (dead) mother's journal, which was also a spellbook and herbal notebook and proved invaluable on several occasions (it contained the remedy needed to counteract his sister's near-fatal allergic reaction, it had extensive but cryptic notes about the relationships of landmarks nearby that were previously thought inocuous, etc).

Nepzillian was a cousin of Ulfgard's. His family owned a once-prosperous winery outside of town. When he was younger, his father died and his mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances. It was late in the campaign by the time the PCs gradually pieced together the clues about what happened and about Nep's unusual heritage.

Early in the campaign, Nep's ailing, bed-ridden grandfather was being treated by a healer who just didn't seem "right" to the PCs, which led to the uncovering of a cult that also touched upon Nep's heritage and the historical notes in the journal of Ulfgard's mother.

Most of these notes were fleshed out by the DM based on players' ideas.

ironregime

 

[IronWolf]

I include a background with my PC when I create him. It is up to the DM whether he uses it or not (though in this case the DM makes use of it). In fact in this case the DM has helped add some other elements to my background along the way.

 

[Shemeska]

I won't allow any PC that doesn't have a background*. It doesn't have to be pages upon pages long, but without a decently written background and history for the character they're just a stat block with a name.

I can understand that some folks don't want to create a deeply detailed character, they just want to kill things and loot the bodies, but in that case you wouldn't like my campaigns at all. Hence me wanting the character backgrounds and histories.

* With the sole exception of the amnesiac PC that woke up in the gatetown of the Gray Waste with only clothing, a sword, and a blue gem embedded in their ankle. I largely made their history for them in exchange for getting to use the PC as a walking plot hook for a number of early plotlines in the campaign. *slow grin*

 

[The_Gneech]

I always create a background.

It never gets used.

-The Gneech

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I almost always give my characters two - the first when I make up the character. Its broad and basic, along the lines of I'm a mercenary or such, but once he's leveled up I usually have a better feel for the character and do a more detailed one.

Most players though are reluctant. DM's usually use backgrounds against characters or ignore them all together. The benefits just aren't there very often.

Some DMs demand a very detailed background before you even start playing. It's very difficult to have a very detailed character background if you're starting at 1st-level anyway. Very long backgrounds is especially a problem when you're online gaming, as you can't really talk the way you would in a face-to-face game.

 

[Kuld]

I love it when a player creates his/her own character backgrounds and I do adhere to them through out the game.
Some don’t like to do it on their own so I’ll either help them out or write one for them, with their approval of course.
I too think that it’s important for players to have some hand in the creative process. Besides, It’s kind of fun trying to get a wacky, off the wall character background to fit into the game.