Getting to Know Your Character 3 – History

This series of posts is loosely organized around different themes to offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this third set we move back into a character’s history; those formative events that shaped them.

For those developing role-playing characters, history ties into the world around your character. When answering these questions, consider the kind of places and events, and then work with your game master to put specific labels on them.

History

  • Where is your homeland?
    • What are its people like?
    • Are you aware of its history?
  • How do you view the heroes/legends of your country?
  • Where do you fall on the patriot / pariah spectrum?
  • What are your opinions of home?
  • Where is your home town?
    • What is your home town’s name?
    • What was the area like and how did it affect you?
  • Did you witness any historical events?
    • If so, how did that event impact you?
  • Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer different from what you tell others?
    • If so, how might such secrets be revealed?
    • How far would you go to keep such secrets from being revealed?
    • What would you do if the truth became known?
    • What are you afraid would happen if the truth got out?
  • Do you have any strengths or weaknesses as a result of your past (particularly high or low ability scores)?
    • If so, were these scores a result of your past?
    • How have these scores affected your life so far?
    • How have they affected your chosen profession?
  • Did you grow up in a majority or minority for your species?
    • How were you treated by other nearby species?
    • Were you persecuted for your species?
    • How did this impact your outlook?
    • How has it affected your personality?
  • How do you feel about other species?
    • How does your character justify these views?
  • Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years? (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age, etc.)
  • Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.
  • What was childhood like for you? (Calm, peaceful, turbulent, traumatic)
  • Did you have any childhood friends?
    • If so, who and where are they now?
    • Are you still close to them or have you grown apart?
  • What was the most foolhardy thing you did as a child?
  • Which toys from your childhood have you kept?
    • What do they mean to you?
    • If you didn’t keep any, what happened to them?
  • Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?
  • What conflicts might arise from your past?
  • Are you who you claim to be?
  • Do you have a criminal record?