D&D 5E Incorporating PC Backstory Into Game

[fatso101]

Hey all,

I'm starting a 5e group for some friends from work. Many of them are first time players. I had each of my PCs come up with a character concept and a bit of a backstory to bring with them to a character creation session. I like to incorporate my PCs pasts into the game. I'm usually pretty decent at this, but one of my players has an idea that I'm not coming up with any ideas for and I'd like to pick the internet's brain.

She's playing a dragonborn barbarian. Her clan (tribe, lineage, whatever) is connected to a brass dragon that was well known for betraying his allies during a high profile adventure. The dragon was discovered and killed, but the damage was done. As such, the PCs clan gets a lot of crap from the others. She seeks to redeem her clan's honor. Basically, anything that her clan does immediately gets overshadowed by the Betrayer. So, she takes up an alias and sets out into the world to do honorable deeds. She's not told me her plan, but I assume at some point she will reveal her true lineage. Until then, she wants to keep it a secret.

My request is some idea to include this in my material. Since they're new to the game, I've decided to run Lost Mine of Phandelver. I'll be making changes and stuff as needed, but I like using a base module to start new players off.

One idea I had related to Venomfang in the module. Would it make sense for a green dragon to have heard the legend of brass dragons? Would it also make sense for Venomfang to potentially know that she is descended from the Betrayer (be it through deduction or some other means)?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[Kite474]

I am going to go with a strong Yes to Maybe.

YES: Green dragons are slippery ers and makes sense that while being that creepy dude in the woods they know what they need to know. As for knowledge of ancestors that can depend entirely on how you think dragons work being raised. (i.e. are they like RL lizards which lay the eggs and leave). But it would make a very interesting dynamic with your Player so it would be pretty awsome to have the "mortal enemy" kind of thing

MAYBE: Depends on how you fluff green dragons. They kind of tend to be those crazy nutters who like to stay in the forest corrupting elves and animals for a looooooong time. So they may not even know jack outside their own little pocket of forest.

But as the saying goes it's up to you as the GM and it depends on the setting

 

[Oofta]

I think the trick here is to incorporate the character's story into the background of the world without being too obvious about it. I don't remember Mines of Phandalver, but you could try to weave the copper dragon's betrayal into the story of how the mines were lost, or why some of the adversaries exist. Maybe they overhear a bard telling the story, or the copper dragon's name has become part of the curse. Something along the lines of "You're about as reliable as Arroth the Betrayer!"

I would probably make the betrayal common knowledge for the group along with other local knowledge such as who the major factions in the area are and other background fluff. You could also work it into someone else's background, that they (or their parents/family) were personally harmed by the betrayal. So the street urchin was part of a happy middle class family until their king was betrayed and they were orphaned.

I would be very hesitant about having anyone magically recognize the player's clan unless they betray the knowledge themselves somehow. Let the player have their secret, at least for a while.

Good luck!

 

[BoldItalic]

You've told us the Race and Class, but not the character's Background. Is it the Outlander background, or something less usual? Is there anything in there that can be linked into the adventure?

 

[fatso101]

Kite,
Thanks for the input. A green dragon might very well know the story of the Betrayer. Maybe even some details that could help it mess with the PC a little bit, even if he doesn't specifically know they're connected.

Oofta,
I like the idea of tweaking the module itself. I'll have to explore this a little more. Having another PC potentially related to the betrayer could be cool. One of them is doing a noble background as an old elf, so it's possible that a connection could exist there. And I agree wholeheartedly about about the PC being recognized. If I were to go that route, I'd take it in a one-on-one type scenario where the discoverer basically confronts them. I want all my players to maintain their secrets from each other as needed until the story makes sense for it to be revealed.

Bold,
I don't know that she's actually selected a background yet. Although, based on her story thus far, the outlander (wanderer) sounds appropriate.

Thanks for the help so far, guys. Some solid inspiration here. Hopefully, I can put some ideas to paper and eventually into the adventure. Love this part of being the GM.

 

[Anakzar]

You mention using Lost Mine of Phandelver. I would also take a look at the included characters. They each have a back ground with a tie-in to the adventure... you should be able to match those tie-ins with your PCs. Or create similar ones that will help bind everyone together before even meeting. The green dragon in the module has somewhat recently set up house keeping in the Thundertree tower so yes he definitely could have knowledge from outside the Phandelver area.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=6815660]fatso101[/MENTION] Welcome to ENWorld!

I second Anakzar's comment about checking out the pre-generated characters included in Lost Mine of Phandelver for background connections is a good start. Though be aware that the adventure doesn't call out in the text those connections, so you'll need to be on your toes.

Brass dragons are described as exceedingly conversational and collect magic items that help them communicate with, well, everyone and everything. So there's a chance the green dragon in LMoP crossed paths and conversed with the brass dragon at some point...maybe about a treasure alleged to be in the mines that the brass dragon wanted?

Oh, and one more thing...

So, she takes up an alias and sets out into the world to do honorable deeds.

The dragonborn with brass scales takes... up... an... alias...?

 

[fatso101]

I don't think it makes a huge difference to the backstory, but I misspoke. Her lineage is of a bronze dragon, not a brass one.

Anakzar,
I've thought about it. I might look into using the past events at Thundertree as a previous attempt at an honorable deed. I'm using a minor character from the adventure for another PC and that appears like it's going to work rather smoothly (It's d&d though, so we'll see, right?). Thanks for the help.

Quickleaf,
That bit about brass dragons and magic items would have been great for Phandelver if I hadn't messed that up. Sorry for the mislead, but it was a solid idea nonetheless. And I say alias in terms of name only. Obviously, dragonborn are going to stand out just a bit. She's changed her name and steers clear of her lineage in conversation so as not to let on that she is connected to the betrayer. She isn't trying to impersonate anyone or anything, just not be known as her real self for the time being.

 

[Shiroiken]

I would try to utilize the Cult of the Dragon. In addition to other really good ideas mentioned, you could use the Cult in the background who want to use her for their own ends. I would suggest that they somehow learn who she is, and approach her away from the others. They could offer her a position in the cult, threatening to reveal her linage should she refuse, or simply use her as a dupe (so she'll take the blame when things go wrong). This offers some great RP opportunities, trying to balance the desire to redeem her name without her name causing her downfall.

 

[delericho]

One idea I had related to Venomfang in the module. Would it make sense for a green dragon to have heard the legend of brass dragons? Would it also make sense for Venomfang to potentially know that she is descended from the Betrayer (be it through deduction or some other means)?

Yes to both. Or you could switch out Venomfang the green dragon for Venomfang the bronze dragon, child of the Betrayer, who entices the PC to betray her allies for the greater pursuit of fortune and glory.