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With the rise of online games like Critical Role,Dungeons & Dragonsplayers have seen more and more of the player’s backstory taking center stage. While many games operate on the idea of ‘frontstory,’ or, how the character’s story progresses as a result of the choices made during the game, backstories are often important for some Dungeon Masters' plotlines. At the front of these plots are NPCs, driving the characters forward.
But how do you craft an NPC in someone’s backstory? Where do you even begin, and what’s important enough to warrant making one? Here are a couple of tips for creating NPCs specifically for a character’s backstory!
Ask What Your Players Want
Right off the bat, you should make it clear to your playersthat you want to bring in NPCs from their backstory.This prepares them, especially during the writing process of character creation. They also won’t feel bamboozled later on if you start bringing in their wizard’s brother for some shenanigans.
If you want creative control, say it!Let them know you’re taking a particular interest in NPC building, and they should leave some room for you to bring characters from their character’s lives into the story.
This also allows your player totell you what sorts of NPCs they want in their story.If they come to you with a backstory involving a wife and kids, make a note of it and generate some ideas to bring to them later. This also means you’ll avoid some of thecommon pitfalls Dungeon Masters makeas your game progresses.
Put some time aside for your players, whether in person or on call. If distance is an issue, just taking ten minutes to check in can make all the difference. You can get your ideas out as they crop up in the conversation, and it guarantees your player some space.
Keep an open mind to their input, and they should keep an open mind to yours. After all, both of you are writing the story! Keep the collaboration alive toshare the workloadandmaintain player engagement.
When creating a character, figure out the direction your player wants to go with their backstory. This is, perhaps,the most important step when creating NPCs in a backstory.After all, the direction of a backstory helps you better craft the characters that would be in it.
A darker backstory may involve alooming evilthat the player has tangled with in the past. These types of characters can serve as’mini-bosses’and prompt mid-level arcs in player characters. They can also be benign influences,driving the character to achieve goals within the campaign.
A good example of this might be a member of the local thieves' guild coming after the player’s debt, or a former employer holding a grudge against a player who has ‘left that life behind.’
There are countless stories online about Dungeon Masters running away with their player’s backstory or changing things around to suit the campaign.Check with your player first before making any changes to NPCs that could alter their story, unless you haveexpress permission to exercise creative freedom!
Examine thethemes of their character for potential reoccurring elements.For example, if their character is built around themes of redemption or vengeance, that can more or less tell you the types of NPCs you might bring in (i.e an NPC who was wronged by the character or an NPC who wronged the character).
Don’t be afraidtouse their background, too!A player who wants their character to be a disgraced knight might have had an order they belonged to. you’re able to expand from that initial idea and ask if they, say, had a parental figure within the order if they joined young.
Characters who come from established groupsare theeasiestto create NPCs for because you have such a wide variety of people in one place. Suggest to your player that you do some research together, so they can tell you what sort of people they associated with while in the group… or who they avoided.
Conversely, in the case of characters who may align with the hermit background or have been removed from society in other ways,you’re able to ask about pets, spirits, or travelers who may have come through.No one is truly alone, unless, of course, that’s the direction your player wants.
Ask Leading Questions
A common tactic for figuring out a character’s backstory in TTRPGs is toask a specific, leading question to get the player to open up.Once you’ve read your player’s backstory, this should come naturally.A couple of good examples of basic questions to ask are these:
Once you’ve established these details,you can move on to the actual characters.These questions might look more like:
Have fun with it! The point of these questions is tohelp shape the NPCin their relations to the player characters. While the stories of NPCsareimportant, at the end of the day,their stories are meant tobolster the players.That’s why they’re non-playable, after all!
We recommend keeping your player involved, even if you, as DM, are given complete creative control. This mitigates the workload you’ll experience.
Figure Out Attributes
Makingmemorable NPCsis hard enough, but holding these backstory NPCs up to your player’s expectations may be daunting. Don’t be afraid! The fact that you’re bringing in a character from your player’s story will score you points. Still, once you’ve established the player’s relationship with the NPC,personality will inevitably follow.
Alongside online generators that have thousands of options for character traits, you may use all the information you’ve gathered to make a general idea. If you’re planning on creating a mini-boss,cracking open the Monster Manual is encouraged, so you canbrowse the statblocksand see what fits.
Another helpful tip may be to take into accountwhat this NPC will be doing in the story.Are theyquest-givers?A temporarycompanion?A brief moment of respite? This can help you better set up a statblock or configure their ideals and bonds.
