Ask a GM [05/04/09]: Questions to flesh out a PC

[Malruhn]

I've done this one for years, immediately after six stats have been rolled (I always roll!):

"Your character is very, VERY old, sitting on a rocking chair, contempating their pending demise due to old age, and a small child walks up. Acting all shy, they say, 'Daddy says you are famous. What did you do to make my Daddy know about you?'"

Some folks will just say, "I adventured and got lots of gold and riches." Others will claim that they were the King of Somewhere, or the world's greatest swordsman, or they slew the foul dragon of the Dread Marsh.

It's all adventure fodder. If you want to slay the dragon, then I'd better have a campaign that has a dragon or two (dozen... (insert evil laugh here!)). If the whole party just wants to be rich and famous, then it's easy... but if one wants to slay the dragon and one wants to raid the tomb of the Mummy of Ickiness, and one wants to save the fairy princess, then my time as a DM is busy.

[Lord Captain Tobacco]

I have a chart for the players who haven't figured out that it is safer to compose on their own. This chart had it's start in the Mekton game and added a spice of BattleLords (particulariy the 'fickle finger of fate' -sometimes just called 'the finger' for obvious reasons.)for a truely evil mix. Most of the results are easy to incorperate into the plot; a few will almost never be heard from again but will worry the player to no end. The next time I ask the player about their background- they usually have one...though there are a few gluttons for punishment...