Just like anything written for the purposes of playing a great game of D&D, the backstory is a tool. Players use their backstory to inform their character’s decisions moving forward. DMs use that same backstory to craft encounters that draw the attention of the character. Backstories help both parties learn what kinds of stories the group wants to tell at the table.
I think a lot of people might forget about this fact. They hear the “story” part of backstory and start writing pages and pages of a tragic, multifaceted origin, replete with character glossaries and bits of lore. While that stuff is fun to both write and read, as a DM I find it hard to use.
And like I’ve established, a backstory is just as much a tool as it is a story. It’s a story we use to continue telling the story. So, how can we write a backstory that can help both the player and the DM at the table?
The first answer to that is always ask your DM what works for them. (Or, if you’re a DM, give your players guidelines for what you’re looking for). If your DM doesn’t give you any guidelines, or if you’re a DM and you don’t know what to ask for, here’s my three-step guide:
Step 1: The Backstory You Want to Tell
I start writing my backstory by coming up with the themes I want to use to tell my character’s story. Believe it or not, every ttrpg character’s personal story is about something. That something can be as complex as a character arc on your favorite TV show or as simple as “I like to fight monsters!”
But if there are particular tropes, conventions, or themes that you like exploring, write them down! Before you write your backstory is the perfect time to brainstorm what you want to explore over the course of this character’s life. If you like rival tropes, write down that you’d like to have a rival. If this is a journey of self-discovery, take note of that.
Each one of my characters typically starts with an idea I’m interested in exploring. When I first played a wizard, I didn’t feel confident enough to play such a complex spellcaster. So my wizard’s story was all about finding that confidence by combatting her impostor syndrome. The Corellon-touched Bratwurzt McRib’s story was all about discovering yourself as a genderfluid person in a world that doesn’t always understand you.
Step 2a: Knives Out
I am a Dungeon Master, which means that I process information like a Dungeon Master. I like things to be in bite-size, actionable pieces. I’m willing to bet that your DM might be the same.
For a while when people have asked me how I’d like their backstory, I usually asked for “one or two paragraphs plus a few knives.” The knives are in reference to knife theory, which is an awesome little tool for backstory creation.
The idea is that there are pressure points in your character’s backstory—like a rival or a long-lost family member, an obligation, or a secret—that can make playing your character more interesting. When you list these things as knives, you’re giving your DM express permission to stab you with those knives. You’re also requesting that your DM stab you with those knives, which means that your DM knows what kind of stories you want to tell.
After a year and change of sharing knife theory with players, I noticed that I’ll often receive knives that are too dull, or knives that come with unclear instructions on how to wield them.
A dull knife is something like, “My character has a brother.” That’s cool, but I’m not quite sure how to stab with that! There are a few more things I need:
- How will bringing this backstory element up affect your character? Is this brother well-known? Do they overshadow your character, or do they have a terrible reputation your character seeks to undo?
- How does this knife affect your character moving forward? Does your character treasure the fraternal bond, and would they fight to protect it in others?
- How does this affect your character’s bond with the party? Does one of them maybe remind you of your brother? Do you pursue a close relationship with them because of it?
You might not need to answer all of these questions for every knife. As a DM I love it when players give me at least one knife that answers each question.
Some players might think that being this specific about knives might spoil the game. And that might be true! I’ve never really been that worried about spoilers at the table, as much as I hate them with other media. As a collaborator in storytelling, I like holding a lot of cards. It makes me feel more like a participant than a passive observer. But if you want your DM to craft a mystery for you to puzzle out alongside your character, here’s another suggestion:
Step 2b: Story Hooks
If you’ve ever looked through a ttrpg adventure or supplement, you’ve probably seen story hooks. These are one or two sentences that convey the beginning of a story:
A wizard who lives on the outskirts of town has gone missing. Lately, the windows of her laboratory flash with multicolored lights even though no one is home.
A strange singing voice emanating from the forest has been luring villagers inside. Once they enter the forest, they’re never seen again.
An adventure typically expands a hook by explaining what happens next and what the party can do to facilitate that. But lots of people have perfected the art of writing just the hook. The purpose of the hook in this case is to spark an idea for the Dungeon Master. Who says players can’t get in on that fun?
I always love sending my DM story hooks that pertain to my character. I’ve used a mysterious talking spellbook of unknown origins, a missing loved one, a quest for revenge. The list goes on!
These differ from knives because they specifically ask your DM to fill in the blanks. In D&D, campaigns are typically never driven by character backstories. They come from hardcovers and DMs Guild adventures, or pages and pages of homebrew campagin notes. Hooks are a great way to help your DM to fit your backstory into an existing campaign like that.
Step 3: Cooking with Backstory Aromatics
The last step to any good backstory is to add your fluff! I’m talking about all the little details that bring your character to life for you. I call them aromatics because, just like garlic, onions, etc. you don’t actually need them to make a meal, but you do need them to make a flavorful meal. Aromatics include:
- Character timeline
- Fun facts
- A family tree
- Microfiction
- Long-form fiction
- Visual Art
Basically, anything you create in celebration of your character or that informs your character falls under this category. It can be a lot of fun to write this stuff, and it can also be a lot of fun to read! But one thing is key here. You shouldn’t expect your DM to know all of this stuff.
I find that the aromatic parts of my backstory grow along with my character. When my character has a strong reaction to something in-game, I leave the table wanting to write a story that explains why. D&D characters usually have years, maybe even decades, of life before adventuring. It can be fun to fill those years up with stories that foreshadow the moments you make at the table.
If you don’t want to write a super-long backstory, that’s totally fine! You don’t need it, and your DM probably won’t incorporate all of it into their game.
Step 4: Have a Conversation
Communication is key. I love when DMs ask me questions about my characters. I equally love sliding into my DM’s DMs to talk to them about how my character feels about current table events. When my partner DMs for me, he’ll allude to moments from dinner dates where we spent the night talking all about our characters. It makes me feel like he cares a lot about my character as an element in the story we’re all telling together.
As with any advice for the world’s most homebrewed game, your mileage may vary with this method. Maybe your DM wants your masterpiece novella, or maybe you’ve tossed out the idea of a backstory in favor of a front-story. In one campaign, I had a DM send us a list of questions he wanted us to answer about our characters.
But in the absence of guidance, this method has worked for me. Having themes and tropes helps keep my narrative focused. Incorporating small bits like knives and hooks helps inform my character’s decisions in the moment. And building out the big, beautiful world of my characters on top of that has brought me joy if nothing else. When you think about your backstory in terms of how it supports play, your game and your roleplaying will be that much stronger.
Recent Comments