Are you struggling to come up with a backstory for your character? Don’t worry, having a PC goal is just as good, if not better.
When it comes to D&D, one of the best things you can do to really get into the swing of it with your character, is to have a personal goal. It’s a small thing that can really change the way you roleplay. Sometimes, it can even bleed into the mechanical choices you make.
And I think a lot of the times, that’s what we want from a backstory. We want a hook that pulls us into character. Not necessarily in the like “acting” sense, but in the sense of “now I’m going to play this guy for the next 3-6 hours despite it being a week/fortnight/month since we last did anything in this campaign.” You want something that gets you thinking about your character in the off time. Immersion, if you will. It doesn’t all rest on the DM’s shoulders – nor does it rest on the backstory you come up with. Here’s a few reasons you might want to think of a PC goal instead.
It Gives You Something To Do
The best thing about having a PC goal is that it gives you something to do right away. It’s active. Your goal could be anything from “kill the six-fingered man who killed my father” to “get 150 gold pieces to afford the nicest inn in town”. In a lot of ways, the what doesn’t matter – it’s about what you do to try to get it.
And how going after what your character wants informs their personality. Or in some cases even their play style. Because a Wizard that wants to discover a way to become an automaton will probably pick different spells from a Wizard that wants to use their magic to pick up hunks and babes in the dungeon.
It Gives You Something To Think About
One of the things aobut your backstory is that it’s just that – it’s what happened before. It’s literally in the back of the story that you’re telling now. And that doesn’t mean you can’t explore it, or mine it for context or memories – but having a goal gives you, the player, something to think about a little more actively.
It’s between the game fun. You can think about how your Fighter can prove she’s the greatest Halberdier this side of the Thorn Mountains – and maybe even the kinds of Feats or subclasses you might take to align with that. I find one of the best ways to get more immersed in a game is to think about how your character wants might be expressed in the mechanics.
It Gives You Something To Say
Say what you will, but combat banter is great when it’s got a good motivation. Otherwise you just sit there thinking of James Bond style one-liners, hoping that you manage to land the killing blow on an enemy with a weapon that does piercing damage, so you can say “I think that enemy got…the point!“
But having a goal, even if it’s just “impress the grand cleric of the temple of the four winds (whom you just kidnapped)” can give you something to talk about. It also works for the less-intense situations as well.
It Gives You Something To Signal To The DM
D&D is a conversation between the players and the DM and the other players. It’s a game all about communication. And having the right goal gives you, the player, something to talk to the DM about. It’s as simple as being able to ask the DM, “hey is there a brewer here? I want to try an ale from every corner of the world.”
And I know it’s different for every DM, but I will say for most DMs, it’s helpful to know what your players want. Because when you’re looking for details, or weird little things to put in the quiet moments between adventures, if you know your players are after certain things, you can just put them in there. Got a PC looking for cool magic boots? That’s an easy include on a treasure list.
It Gives You Something To Grow From
Finally, a good goal gives you a mile marker of sorts. It’s something to track the arc of your character. You got that magic sword, or you killed that six-fingered man. Now what? Now you find a new goal. You keep your character feeling dynamic. You can track progression besides just with every level up. So. I like a goal because it lets me feel like I’ve got at least some character growth, even when the XP or milestones are few and far between.
Happy adventuring!
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