Motivations for Heroes/PC (Need Advice/Ideas)

[RigaMortus2]

So I had this idea to incorporate PC or Hero "motivations" into my next D&D session. Similiar to alignments, less strict, no real in-game benefits or disadvantages. Just an extra tool to help people roleplay or remember why their character "does what he does".

I got the idea from the Super Hero Motivations found in the old DC Heroes RPG (later reprinted as Blood of Heroes). I like the idea a lot. I found the following Superhero motivations online, and am asking for advice to modify, re-write and re-title them so they are more fitting in a fantasy D&D setting, for heroes or adventurerers. So here is the "super hero" versions I found. I will add/edit some sample fantasy hero examples along with some of them to give you an idea of what I am going for.

Upholds Good (Heroes only): This character is a hero because it's The Right Thing To Do. They are deeply concerned about their fellow man, and will do everything in their power to promote the common good, preserve order, and generally make the world a better place. They almost always work within the law, because they feel lawlessness breeds its own problems. Even if they didn't have superpowers, this character would do everything they could to "fight the good fight."
Example: Superman
Fantasy Example: Samwise. "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo - and it's worth foighting for."

Responsibility of Power (Heroes only): With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, and this character knows it. Similar in some ways to a character that Upholds Good, the primary difference between them is that a character with Responsibility of Power would be more like a normal person -- less idealistic and more flawed than an Upholder of Good -- if their powers hadn't thrust upon them the choice of how those powers would be used. Having chosen to use them responsibly, they now must do the best they can to balance their commitment with their need for a "normal life."
Example: Spider-Man
Fantasy Example: Haldir. "An alliance once existed between Men and Elves...we come to honour that allegiance."

Seeks Justice (Heroes only): This character feels that, whether the system is up to it or not, whoever stands in their way, by whatever means necessary, Evil Must Be Punished. Frequently, these characters are vigilantes because their pursuit of wrongdoers that the system has missed forces them over the lines of legality. Some of these driven, often grim, heroes draw the line at killing ... others do not.
Example: Batman
Fantasy Example: Gimli. "Let them come! There is yet one Dwarf in Moria who still draws breath!"

Thrill of Adventure (Any): This character is in the supers game (on whichever side) for the sheer Thrill of Adventure. This may mean the exhilaration and danger of superpowered fighting, or the more cerebral challenge of matching wits with a brilliant enemy.
Example: Mr. Mxyzptlk
Fantasy Example: Pippin. "So...where are we going?"

Unwanted Power (Any): The hero didn't ask for this , didn't want it, but seem to be stuck with it. Normal life is no longer possible, so this is the best he or she can do in the mean time. Perhaps acceptance can be found among other do-gooders.
Example: The Hulk
Fantasy Example: Aragorn. "I do not want this power. I have never wanted it."

Works For A Goal (Any): This character is involved in superdom almost incidentally while pursuing a particular objective. This is usually something specific, such as trying to find something or trying to get somewhere. However, Works For A Goal can also be used for characters whose "goal" is to follow the orders and/or precepts of an organization such as an army or a superagency (like VIPER or U.N.T.I.L.).
Example: The Hulk (Banner is seeking a cure.)

Personal Gain (Any): This character dons the cape n' tights to gain some personal reward. Most often, this is simply money, or perhaps fame. But other "rewards" are possible, such as respect or companionship. Personal Gain is, of course, very common among greed-driven villains. It also makes a good "catch-all" for characters who don't seem to fit another Motivation. Almost any personal reason for supering could conceivably be called Personal Gain.
Example: The Penguin

Wants Revenge (Any): This character is out to avenge a wrong done to him or his -- usually by some opposing character or group. They won't rest until vengeance has been exacted. For campaign purposes, it's best if the target of their vengeance is either so powerful that vengeance will be very difficult to achieve, or so amorphous (like a large agency) that the fight can go on and on without ever actually destroying the group. Otherwise, the character could be left in mid-campaign without a reason to continue. (Of course, this might make an interesting campaign plot twist in and of itself...) Not surprisingly, this is a more common Motivation for villains.
Example: Silver Age Lex Luthor (Sought revenge against Superman for making him bald.)

Now bare in mind, some of these need a little updating, and some cane be folded into one another. For example, Thrill of Adventure makes sense as a fantasy hero motivation, but Responsibility of Power or Seeking Justice doesn't entirely. They need to be renamed and tweaked a little. You have to remember, the PCs are going to be more than just stopping super villains (ie BBEGs). So Seeking Justice would work well with a Paladin (as would Upholding the Good), but anyone (Paladin or not) that picks Seeking Justice as a motivation to be a hero is basically stuck in the vigilante fighting street crime camp (pretty much). I just need some of these to be reworded or tweaked to more fit the fantasy hero/adventurer setting. So any help anyone has in rewriting some of these, I'd much appreciate it!

Thanks

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Edit: Right off the bat, I just noticed... I think Wants Revenge can be tied right into Seeking Justice (I want these to appear as general and open as possible). One form of Seeking Justice can be seeing someone punished for a crime they committed against you (ie Revenge).

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I would say that if these things are in addition to alignments then maybe you want to make the motivations have nothing to do with morality. IE "Upholding Good" seems basically the description of the Lawful Good alignment. So maybe a motivation would be more like "Fight For His Principles", which could be upholding good, or it could be crushing everyone weaker than him under his foot because he's Lawful Evil and that is the way the world is supposed to work!

Seeks Justice and Wants Revenge would probably also merge into one motivation if alignment isn't a factor. A Chaotic character would probably go about it as a vigilante, while a Lawful one would want justice. In between sorts of characters might not be too picky about exactly how they get their vengeance.

The other motivations basically seem pretty good the way they are. Some of them may come into conflict with a character's alignment at times, but nothing precludes a greedy person from being good, they'll just have to choose between greed and moral rectitude at times. Responsibility of Power might be a bit of a tough one for a Chaotic Evil character, but a Lawful Evil character could have a sense of duty to his group or to the rules that it follows and believe his power is there to serve those ends.

I think I would provide these to players as templates. They can then elaborate and modify as they see fit to create a description of their character's personal motivations.