Characters 1st level but the background is 5th

[arwink]

so what happens if, let's say, you're starting a game and most of the party creates characters with rich backgrounds and a few don't (reflecting the type of experiences a first level character should have - very few)? if the characters with rich backgrounds are rewarded, won't that encourage everyone to create 'rich' backgrounds so they don't miss out on those rewards?

Again, stating a definate reward at the outset covers a variety of ills. If the XP says you go to 2nd level when the backgrounds done, then people tend to remain relatively restrained.

Also, the rich back-ground characters don't get any more xp than those who'se background is lackluster in my games, because the majority of the background tasks are broken into small chunks and the total xp for each is limited by wordcount (for lack of a better system). Those who write three hundred words are no worse off than those who write three thousand.

What the background rich PC's do get is a notably stronger tie to the game, and a number of things from their PC's past showing up in the present. This is largely based of the theory that if you're writing that much background detail, you probably enjoy seeing stuff like this happen anyway

 

[Umbran]

Well, here's something to note - there's a difference between a "rich" background, and one that imples action that should garner many XPs.

Richness, flavor, and depth can be done without action. You can have tons of emotion and plot hooks before the character actually does anything. I mean, check out the "Wheel of Time" books. Thousands of pages of rich flavor, but frequently with few real plot moving events.

Before your campaign starts, remind your players, "The actions in your background must be feasible for a character of level X". You'll probably have fewer problems. As a DM, you play the role of editor - if some things aren't quite right, you send them back for revision. You aren't required to take a background story verbatim as it is first handed to you.

 

[Broken Fang]

I agree...as when I am a player I often do this (nice rich background that should be a character higher than 1st lvl). I know the d20 Traveller has rules for backgrounds. In the free pdf they have (only a small part of the rules) it looks pretty easy to get to 5-7th level from background. Maybe you want to check it out.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

Well, here's something to note - there's a difference between a "rich" background, and one that imples action that should garner many XPs.

too true (i was just trying to keep with the same terminology )

 

[Tonguez]

Personally I allow a character to have an NPC-class upon which to build a background so for instance Bob might be a Expert 1/Barbarian 1 who spent his early years as a fishermens son. He can have all the adventure he likes as an Expert Fisherman and tell me all about how he went out shark hunting and singlehandedly killed a great white.

I will accept the story and conclude 1. Its true and he was a very lucky 17 year old or 2. He's either deluded or exagerating (which isn't unlikely for a 19 yr old Barbarian and former fisherman) and in fact the shark killing incident involve him throwing a harpoon at a mako and missing.

Also I don't give XP for Backgrounds but do give bonus Skill ranks (eg for the good fish story above I might grant +2 ranks in Prof:Fisherman)

 

[maddman75]

I remember in one oriental game I was playing I wanted to call my character the River Scorpion, and my DM insisted on my needing a reason (the real reason that I have zero Oriental name pronunciation skills) so I invented this story that I had been passing a carnival which was being attended by a local lord and I went into the tent and noticed that one of the scorpions had gotten loose from the "zoo" and unwittingly crawled onto the lord's son's collar and was about to strike. So with one swift flash my character swung his naginata and speared the scorpion on its tip.

Now of course the two main problems here are, A. How did I get within striking range of the Lord's son with a naginata (glad my DM never caught onto that) and B. Myself being a first level character, I had a greater chance of cutting off his head than hitting the scorpion. Now, in a very annoying (though somewhat justified) fashion, my DM latched onto this and endlessly pissed me off about it until I began to hate the River Scorpion and finally abandoned all thought of my Lawful Good Naginata-wielding Peasant Warrior. I don't know who was right or wrong (it was probably him) but it killed alot of my enthusiasm for that character and campaign. So in the end I'd say you got to pick your battles.

1) You were one of his guards. Not a high ranking guy or anything, just a mook. Mostly there for show.

2) You rolled a 20.

 

[Rahkan]

1) You were one of his guards. Not a high ranking guy or anything, just a mook. Mostly there for show.

2) You rolled a 20.

I told him that I rolled a twenty, but some people never stop ya know. They always go on and on about how stupid it was, the risks I could have taken, how my name comes from something idiotic, yammer yammer yammer. Makes you kind of think of your own dude as a joke rather than a serious hero

You're right about the guard thing, that would have been awesome. It makes sense too, because it gives me a reason to save his life and everything.

 

[Capellan]

I told him that I rolled a twenty, but some people never stop ya know. They always go on and on about how stupid it was, the risks I could have taken, how my name comes from something idiotic, yammer yammer yammer. Makes you kind of think of your own dude as a joke rather than a serious hero

For the record, where you said in your earlier post that you weren't sure who was right or wrong? He was wrong. Or at least he was if your description of his behaviour here is accurate!

 

[dcollins]

So, is this is problem others have and is this really a problem?

I do think it's a problem, and a side-effect of the way most people go about the "immersive storytelling" style of play. Most players seem to believe this implies making expansive historical backgrounds for their character prior to play -- and at the same time, these types of characters rarely seem to grow in any unexpected way past this initial description.

In my games, I encourage players to not spend a great deal of time on their new character's background, because (a) it allows the character to grow and develop a history through actual game play, and (b) it's pretty darned likely that 1st level characters die in a let-the-dice-fall-where-they-may campaign.

 

[DDK]

I've had the problem before many times. I demand a decent background story however I've come to several conclusions through experience. First of all, you have to set perimeters for what can and can't be done in the background. For instance, I now say that you have to pay particular attention to what actions were undertaken. Anything that would normally net you XP, is simply not allowed. That eliminates most fo the problems. Another problem is travel. Some people want to play monks however it's sometimes simply unreasonable to do so due to travel distance and so you simply have to say no or make the player somehow justify how he travelled so far without gaining any experience.

Also, I've found that working with the player helps a lot with character backgrounds. If you're there during the process, answering questions, providing suggestions, etc. then you can easily develop a rich history whilst avoiding all the pitfalls of doing so. This also has the added benefit of you being able to incorporate the history much more thoroughly into your world and therefore the characters long-term gaming options are much broader and more interesting. An example would be that it's all very well to say that you're the cousin of a duke, but to say you're the cousin of Duke Amion of House Garesteth, a house dishonoured during a time of reformation but which has slowly reclaimed it's lost honour over the years, is far more interesting than the former.

I'd post an example of a rich character history that avoids the pitfalls of XP gain, however it's rather long (2,500 words) so I doubt it'd be appreciated here