Understanding The Difference Between Story Freedom and Mechanical Freedom in RPGs

Today I want to talk about a particular way of describing games that I heard in a discussion a few weeks back. It neatly encapsulates a lot of the things I've been trying to say pretty much since I started this blog, and for all the other folks out there who haven't come across this term I want to take a moment to share it with you.

That term is mechanical freedom.

Freedom...

Story Freedom

Before we talk about mechanical freedom, you need to understand what story freedom is.

When most players hear the word freedom in terms of an RPG, they tend to think of story freedom. Story freedom is the ability to change, alter, or customize anything that doesn't actively change the mechanics of how the game works, or how your character works. Re-skinning, in other words.

The best example I have of this is the 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons barbarian. At level one every barbarian's Rage cuts your damage from slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing in half, and you get some bonus damage, along with advantage on certain rolls that happen while you're raging.

Did somebody say Rage?

Now, you have total story freedom when it comes to how that Rage works. Are you going the traditional hulk/berserker route where you just lose yourself in battle fury? Do you grow cold and silent, showing no emotion and feeling no pain? Is your Rage a gift from the divine, or is it something that flows in your blood? Perhaps you claim storm giant blood, which makes your blows fall like thunder.

You know, the sort of stuff I talked about in 50 Shades of Rage: Flavoring the Barbarian's Signature Ability.

Let's take that last example for a moment, and focus on it. There is nothing in the rules that stops you from giving your barbarian gray skin and blocky features, as well as white hair to look like a creature descended from storm giants. If they have maxed-out physical stats, you can easily flavor their giant heritage to be the reason.

However, no matter how good this story is, it doesn't change any actual mechanics on your character sheet. Your character gains no special powers listed in the storm giant creature entry, and if a magical items requires you to be a storm giant in order to wield it, then by the rules as they exist you simply can't. You don't have any special resistances to electricity, and so on, and so forth.

Story freedom is good, but it tends to be toothless. Because no matter how cool the reskin you've made is, it hasn't altered the fundamental mechanics of what's just beneath that skin.

Mechanical Freedom

When you have story freedom, you are able to change how things look. It's the equivalent of giving your car a new paint job, but no matter how cool or sleek the exterior is, it will not change the engine that's running inside the vehicle.

Mechanical freedom does change the mechanics, and it tailors them to do what you want.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Let's go back to that barbarian who claimed they were descended from storm giants. However, instead of 5th Edition, let's switch over to Pathfinder. Because in Pathfinder you can mechanically show that heritage in a variety of ways.

The first is to take Rage Powers that allow you to deal electricity damage, or to resist it when you are raging. At higher levels you can even absorb it, healing yourself or letting it out in a burst to show that you and this element are one. Alternatively, you could make a Bloodrager whose entire affinity for electricity may, indeed, have been inherited from storm giant forebears. Or if you take the feat Racial Heritage (Storm Giant) at first level (provided you're a human, a half-elf, or a half-orc), then you have it in writing that your character counts as both a human and a storm giant for any and all effects that depend on your creature type.

So if you get hit with a spell that only affects storm giants, then it affects you. If you need to be a storm giant for a stronghold's enchanted lock to open, then it opens for you. If you try to lift the maul of storms, which can only be wielded by the hand of a storm giant... well, if you can physically pick it up, it recognizes you as a storm giant!

The Difference Is Clear

The problem with story freedom is that it's flimsy. Story is important, but you don't get to just ignore the rules of the game because you made up a cool story. Otherwise you end up with a playground game of make-believe where you have players claiming they should win because they have a better idea, or a cooler concept, or an everything-proof shield gifted to them by their half-angel mother before she died gloriously in battle protecting them while they were still in the crib.

Mechanical freedom, though, means the rules are on your side. This means that you make statements about mechanical facts, instead of asking for special treatment because of the effort you put into your re-skinning.

It's the difference between saying, "I shouldn't take any of that damage, because my barbarian is descended from storm giants," and saying, "I don't take any of that damage because I have the feat Storm Soul, a storm giant feat which makes him immune to any electricity damage."

That one down there! That's my grandson!

 

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with exercising your story freedom. If you want to give your tiefling big, curly ram horns, sharp hooves, black claws, and a spiny tail, you are perfectly within your rights to do so. However, you don't get two claw attacks, two hoof attacks, and a gore attack that all do 1d4 to 1d8 of damage because of your description.

For some players, that's fine. They enjoy just being able to exercise their story freedom on its own. But for me, and for a lot of other players, this simple term can now explain why story freedom on its own often isn't enough, and why you'd like a little more.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday installment! Hopefully some folks out there find this explanation useful, and this term goes into a wider circulation for those of us who had trouble putting what we found lacking in a game into words.

If you'd like to see more of my work, check out Vocal, Gamers, and Dungeon Keeper Radio! Also, consider stopping by My Amazon Author Page, where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife!

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Unusual Characters: Alistair "Lefty" Rockhammer

About once a year or so, I get an itch to write about a specific character in this section, rather than just talking about an archetype that breaks conventional RPG stereotypes. A character who stands out to me, in some way, and which I think folks would be interested in. In this case, I thought I'd share the fellow I drew the last time my craft night group got together. Because if you've got a picture, you should have a thousand words or so to go with it.

The Story of Alistair "Lefty" Rockhammer

Dwarves have their stereotypes. They're hardy, taciturn, industrious folk who keep to themselves, bear long grudges, and who tend to be miners, craftsmen, and artists in their own, unique ways. Or, at least, that's what folks who don't live among dwarves tend to think of when they come up in conversation. But, like any people, they are unique and varied, with outliers even among their own cultural norms.

One of those outliers was Alistair Rockhammer.

G'day all.

 

Born in the Sky Citadel of Kraggodan, Alistair was a middle child of three. His father was a smelter, and his mother a wizard who specialized in the repair and maintenance of enchanted items. They were well-to-do enough that the children were allowed to pursue their own paths... which in Alistair's case was mostly causing minor mischief and avoiding anything that remotely looked like work. As he grew, though, he developed a peculiar talent; he could always tell when something was genuine, or fake. No fool's coins ever made it into his purse, and he made a small name for himself in detecting forgeries. Of course, he couldn't stay on the straight-and-narrow for too long, and he eventually started vouching for poor-quality items that he knew were fake. This tanked his reputation, and he managed to leave Kraggodan one step ahead of the scandal.

As a young dwarf with little in the way of trade skills, Alistair had to rely on his wits to see him through. He managed to make his way through Nirmathas relatively unscathed, and he took passage with a caravan into Varisia. With barely two silver pieces to rub together, he found himself in Korvosa. While he hadn't been much of a trail hand, and he was an even worse woodsman, Alistair knew cities. There was opportunity there, if he followed his nose.

Time in The Acadamae

Alistair made friends in Korvosa, and part of his trade was picking the wheat from the chaff in the black market. His uncanny talent for spotting a forgery served him well, but he also came into contact with several students from the Acadamae's Hall of Crafting who were trying to offload their work. Many of them had been technical successes, but the spells had been woven just a little too poorly to do what the creator wanted. Knives that grew sharper in darkness, shields that would only safeguard those with elven blood, or rings whose protective powers faded at sundown. Alistair helped find homes for all of them, while sniffing out the fakes, phonies, and utter failures.

One of his clients, who had a particular proclivity for shiver, was always running low on funds. So when he'd run out of goods, he offered Alistair something else; admittance and protection in the Acadamae.

Give a man an enchanted item, he profits for a day. Teach him to enchant items, well...

 

On a lark, Alistair accepted his acquaintance's offer, despite the fact that he was older than any three or four students combined. With his eclectic knowledge of magic, and his grifter's mind, Alistair quickly carved a niche for himself in the Acadamae. Dealing in rare spell components, connecting tutors with hopeless cases, and even managing a short-lived imp-control service installing wards on student dorms in exchange for future services. While he was never what one would call a brilliant student, Alistair managed to do well enough that he was never thrown out of the Acadamae. It helped that there always seemed to be a student or professor who spoke up for him, though their endorsement often came as a result of cashing in a favor rather than from affection or admiration.

For all he'd learned while a student, though, Alistair hadn't truly changed since he'd fled Kraggodan two steps ahead of having "slag" appended to his name. So when it came time to complete his summoning to prove he'd truly mastered conjuration, he cut a corner or two. So while he managed to summon an impressive specimen, he wasn't quite able to contain it properly. While not unusual in the Hall of Summoning, Alistair managed to banish the thing before it could do too much harm... but not before the fiend's teeth mauled his left hand, leaving him with a barely-functional stump.

Alive, if maimed, it was decided that he'd done well enough to be considered a graduate (with the urging of many who wanted him out the door with as little pomp and ceremony as possible). Once his wounds had been bound, Alistair left the Acadamae... but not before conducting one, last ritual. Something small, and simple. Because every good conjurer of cheap tricks needs a partner in crime... and when Alistair heard of a fellow classmate whose sickly green rabbit wouldn't stop spitting acid globules at him, the dwarf knew he'd found a kindred spirit. He just had to bind them together before taking the next step in his journey with his new friend Hoptail.

Time For A Change

Losing his hand had been a blessing in disguise for Alistair. With an iron hook affixed to the stump, he found that magic was the best way to handle the challenges of his everyday life. As such, even spells that would once have been a trouble for him became second nature. Aside from growing more skilled, and acquiring an acid-green rabbit with a chip on its shoulder who always seemed game for a bit of smoke and mirrors, Alistair decided to really see what else the Inner Sea had to offer. Whether he was a mountebank in a carnival, a journeyman wizard leaning on the reputation of the Acadamae to open doors for him, or just a treasure hunter looking for the next big score, Alistair "Lefty" Rockhammer is a man who wears many hats.

If you enjoyed this, you should check out the previous two characters I wrote up specifically:

- Dweren Dragonsblood (dwarven sorcerer)

- Gaspar Dell'Amore, The Black Rose of Edme (warpriest/rogue)

 

Also, don't forget to stop in and check out both my 5 Tips For Playing Better Wizards, as well as my 5 Tips For Playing Better Dwarves!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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Make Characters More Unique By Adding "But On The High Seas"

Despite roleplaying games opening up massive rifts of possibility, a lot of us find ourselves standing on the same foundation stones, making the same characters over and over again. Though they may have different names, different faces, and different alignments, we often find ourselves going back to the same basic building blocks of the iconic characters in their iconic roles.

One interesting exercise you can do at this point is to add the phrase, "But on the high seas," to the end of your character description to see how that changes what you've put together.

Seriously, try it out a few times.

Take any standard character concept you've had, and add the phrase to see how it changes them. For example, you might choose to play a templar who fights wickedness and protects the innocent... but on the high seas! You could play an orc brawler who sends his winnings home to his mother... but on the high seas! You could make a halfling spy who gathers information for the crown, a tengu warpriest who relishes a good fight, or a tiefling archer looking for work... but on the high seas.

And if you're looking for some crews they could have signed up with (or fought against), then you might want to take a look at my 100 Pirates to Encounter supplement from Azukail Games!

Changing Up Environments Opens Up Your Brain

While the phrase I find most helpful is, "But on the high seas," the specific environment can be changed to your liking. You might prefer, "But from the open plains," or, "But from the mountains," but the idea is the same. By altering the region your character is from, or is used to, you change up the typical three or four square miles of English countryside that most Tolkien-esque fantasy seems to take place in.

When you make those kinds of changes, you end up asking yourself what a wizard from the tundra might act like, or what their magic might look like. What does a cleric from the jungle, or an alchemist from a small island, act like? What environmental choices have informed their strengths, skills, and fashion choices? What are they accustomed to, and what would be strange or unusual to them?

What are barbarians like in paradise?

Even the most basic race and class combinations can feel new and refreshing as part of this exercise. And it doesn't take a special, "hey, let's play pirates!" game for these characters to be useful, and viable. For example, your fighter might opt for light armor and a tower shield, because that kind of mobile defense platform is extremely useful in ship-to-ship battles, but it can be cast aside in an instant if he goes over the gunwale. A magus might keep spells like hydraulic push on hand to clear the decks, and fight fires, along with spells like force hook charge in order to always end up where he wants to be. A gunslinger may not opt for different weapons or armor on a ship, but everything from how he dresses, to his tastes in food, to the way he talks will be different. Even if it's something small, like expecting to have a ration of rum with his food, along with a lime.

Don't Waste Resources, But Have Fun!

There are certain character concepts that are a product of their environment. If you're a mounted character who depends on their charge to be effective, you aren't going to be at home on the deck of a pirate ship. And if you have that concept with an aquatic mount, then you aren't going to be terribly useful on dry land. But it is perfectly possible to make character concepts that would be at home on the ocean (or in the desert, or in the jungle, etc.) work in other places. The key is, rather, to ask how certain races, classes, etc. would be different in those far-off or more exotic locales.

Of course, if your game is going through frozen tundra, or being spent on an island-hopping campaign with a lot of ship travel, you're going to benefit the most from characters adapted to that region and climate. But most people and features are far more adaptable than we give them credit for. So, instead of being from another, usual small town surrounded by hills and forest, spice things up a bit. You'll be surprised at what you come up with.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday installment. Hopefully it got some wheels turning out there. If you'd like to check out more content from me, head over to my Vocal archive, or stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I work with other gamers to make fun skits and unusual videos. To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, head on over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. Or click the following link to just Buy Me A Coffee. Either way, I'll happily send you some sweet gaming swag as a thank you for your support.

3 Questions For Fleshing Out Criminal Characters

Every party has one. Well, at least one. You know, like the burly former captain who always pulls up his hood when guard patrols walk by. The light-fingered mountebank with that tattoo she's always trying to keep hidden. The halfling who seems to know just a little too much about how locks work, and how to sweet talk them open. Even the woodsman, whose knowledge of branding techniques is pretty extensive, and whose running iron appears to have been used in more than one fire.

He sure does know a lot about tying up struggling women... just saying.

While stalwart heroes often heed the call to adventure, there are an even greater number of unscrupulous rogues, black-handed villains, vicious bandits, and cold-blooded assassins who make their way into our adventuring parties. If you don't want your criminal PC to feel like just another random thief, though, then you should ask what made them into a criminal in the first place? And what made them stop... if, indeed, they have stopped?

And if you're looking for old friends, unique gangs, or even legendary bandit captains to tie your character to, you might want to check out 100 Random Bandits to Meet, written by yours truly for Azukail Games.

Part One: What Do You Get Out Of It?

There are a lot of reasons to play PCs who are criminals. Maybe you just don't like classic heroes, so you want to play someone who's got some dark spots on their record. Perhaps you're using it as a way to justify the particular set of skills your character has. Or you might just feel that the law is an inconvenience, and you're more concerned with getting results than in what methods you used to get them. There are plenty of reasons to play characters who are, or who were, criminals.

However, it's important to ask what got your character started down that road, why they did or didn't turn off that path, and how that jives with what they're doing at this point in their lives.

You call it theft. I call it freeing slaves.

There are a lot of factors that can lead someone to becoming a career criminal (since that's typically what we see at our tables when discussing criminal PCs). The first, and most important, is asking what they get out of it?

The most obvious answer tends to be profit. You were a sailor, and when you were discharged you had no viable skills for civilian life. So you assembled a crew, and you all turned pirate, bringing down merchant vessels and trading ships, emptying their holds to fill your pockets. However, there are reasons to become a professional lawbreaker other than gold. Perhaps you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but the thrill of thievery turned you into a gentleman thief. Maybe you kept what you took as a trophy, or gave it away to the needy, but what you stole isn't what mattered. It was the rush you got from the theft. Maybe you committed your crimes because if you wanted to stay safe in your neighborhood, then you had to run with one of the gangs that controlled the area. So you might not have realized anything in the way of profit, but you got protection, approval of your friends, and built a kind of family among your crew. Maybe it was just tradition. Something you were born into as surely as you had dark hair and blue eyes.

Part Two: What Did It Cost You?

Once you know what someone got out of being a criminal (whether it was money, security, family, or just fun), the next question you should ask is what did they have to overcome to do it? Or, put another way, what did being a criminal cost this PC?

The ability to wear collarless shirts, perhaps?

This one can be a lot to unpack, depending on your character. For example, say you had someone who became a pickpocket for the Red Brand Boys out of a need for protection. As he grew older, and bigger, he became a hatchet man. He fought, and he killed, in the service of his gang. He earned his colors. But how many friends did he see buried because of turf wars? How many times did his boss put his life at risk for stupid reasons, costing him a hand, an eye, or a leg in his service? Did the respect he got from his brethren stop outweighing the fear he saw on other people's faces? Did his reputation make family members turn away from him, or get a lover killed to send him a message?

That's the best-case scenario. Unfortunately, when you're an outlaw, stuff can always go wrong. For example, take the gentleman thief. Did he get caught? Did being caught lose him his title, or land? Has he been disowned, forced to rely on his skills and his wits? Or, worse, was he treated like a common thief and punished publicly for his crimes? Did your bandit get captured, and so he opted to do a stint in the army rather than face the rope? Are there angry nobles looking for your conman who swindled them out of entire fortunes, which has made him give up his name, his life, and even his home nation in order to stay one step of the hunters?

There are all kinds of costs you pay when you gamble on criminal enterprises. How often have your PC's pips come up snake eyes?

Part Three: Are You Still A Criminal?

So, you now know why you became a criminal in the first place. We know what it cost you to live that life. Now you need to ask if your character is still a criminal, and if not, what made them leave that life behind?

I made that last score. I'm done, now.

Characters grow and change all the time. For example, being a neck breaker for an organized crime family might not really gel with accompanying a paladin and his squire into the wild lands in order to raid a dungeon. However, let's say your enforcer met a woman, and her condition for marrying him was that he get released from his bond to the Black Brotherhood. So he left, and never looked back. Now he's got a wife, and a child on the way, and he wants to be able to provide a good life. So he agrees to accompany the knight and his hangers-on for a share of the loot to be found in the necromancer's tomb. After all, dead men had no need for gold, and whatever lurked down there couldn't be any darker than the deeds he'd already done.

Or, perhaps, that enforcer never left the Brotherhood. However, his street commander told him to tag along, and watch the knight's back. Why? Maybe it's as a favor to someone. Maybe it's because the paladin never interferes with this town's running, and the mob doesn't want that to change. Maybe it's because someone in the group inquired, and where there's ruins, there might be loot. Stealing from dead men is often easier than stealing from live ones, and an easy score is never something to turn down.

There's no right or wrong answer to part three, but it does bear thinking about because your character's current criminal status could affect the rest of the party. Of course, it's possible that you're all criminals, which is why you're "adventuring" together in the first place.

This Isn't About Good, or Evil

It's important to note here that we're talking specifically about criminals, not necessarily about evil characters. Because while that can play into some of these questions (such as an assassin who accepted an atonement spell, who then became good-aligned and left their old ways behind them), it's important to remember there are several types of heroes who are technically criminals. Robin Hood is the iconic example, stealing from corrupt tax officials and the rich in order to give the poor enough to live on. Those who free slaves through violence are often seen as freedom fighters, but the nation who allows slavery would see them as little more than thugs and brigands. And, of course, someone who steals, transports stolen goods, or sells illicit material out of a necessity rather than out of maliciousness is often seen as at least sympathetic. Especially if they're just looking for a way out of the life they've been forced to lead.

However, if you've decided your PC is (or was) a criminal, put some thought into it. What kind of criminal were they, what did they get out of it, and why did they stop? Or if they never stopped, then what keeps them going? Is it habit? Need? Or just being unable to live a regular life after being this person for so long?

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday update. Hopefully it greased the wheels, and gave some folks new character ideas. If you'd like more content from yours truly, check out my Vocal archive, or head on over to Dungeon Keeper Radio where I and several other games offer advice, tips, and a few laughs straight from the world of Evora. If you want to stay up-to-date on my most recent posts, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, to help support Improved Initiative, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to toss a little love in my cup. All it takes is $1 a month to make a difference, and to get some sweet gaming swag as a thank you!

Marry Your Rules and Story in Pathfinder With Achievement and Story Feats

Story and rules are like a couple that can be perfect, under the right circumstances. Sometimes story gets too wrapped up in itself, and shouts down any complaints or arguments the rules have to make. Other times, the rules are so domineering and inflexible that story just curls up in the corner, trying not to be noticed. When the two of them set aside their differences, and agree to work together, though, the result is something that's bigger than the sum of its parts.

Significantly bigger.

Getting story and rules to blend seamlessly into one, cohesive whole isn't always easy. That goes double for players who find that they're just better at one than they are at the other. If you're playing Pathfinder, and you're looking for a solid way to make your choices feel like they have real effects, you might want to take a look at achievement feats, and story feats.

What The Hell Are Those?

Pathfinder is a very rules-dense game, and as such it's not unusual for things to fall through the cracks. Hell, I have an entire series on rules Pathfinder players keep forgetting, misremembering, or outright overlooking. Achievement feats and story feats, because they're off the beaten path, are things that most players either don't know about, or have never really looked into.

So, I thought I'd highlight them for everyone's benefit.

First, story feats. A story feat is a feat that can only be taken by characters who meet certain story-based requirements. For example, if your parents, childhood friend, or lover were killed by a powerful and challenging NPC (which accounts for roughly 35% of all characters overall, and 86% of first-time characters), then you could take the Vengeance story feat. It grants you a +1 bonus to all saves against a particular enemy, and his minions. If you meet the goal of the feat, which is to thwart that foe, the the benefit changes so you gain a +1 on all saves.

My name is Ernst Fireheart. You killed my father. You know the rest.

You can take as many story feats as you want and qualify for, but you can't have more than one of them whose goal remains unmet. So, if you achieve your Vengeance, you may decide to quest for an Object of Legend. And before you start thinking that story feats are just for heroes, there are story feats like Innocent Blood and Wretched Curator, which are about the murder of innocents and hoarding of evil spells respectively.

Here's a complete list of Paizo's story feats.

Now, moving on to achievement feats. An achievement feat is similar to a story feat in some ways, but achievement feats have much less nebulous prerequisites. The feat Relentless Butcher, for example, requires you to have confirmed 50 critical hits. If you take the feat, then from that point onward any time you confirm a critical hit your opponent has to make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round.

Achievement feats don't have an inherent story attached to them. Someone with the Grave-Risen feat (died and been brought back twice) could be a noble paladin just as easily as a devil-serving assassin. Unlike regular feats, though, you're never quite sure when you'll be able to take achievement feats, short of some serious planning, or heavy-handed event forcing. Still, they're not feats that just any adventurer can write down on his or her sheet, and they're a direct reflection of something you have personally achieved.

Here's a complete list of Paizo's achievement feats.

Do You Need Them?

Of course not. Neither story or achievement feats are truly necessary for most character concepts. However, they can greatly enhance how much influence you feel your story is having on your mechanics (such as giving your dwarven giant-hunting ranger a bigger bonus than any other kind of ranger via the Giant Vendetta feat), and they can help you get more thoroughly under your character's skin, if that's something you want to do as a player.

And sometimes it's just fun to play with feats that most people never consider bringing to the table.

As always, thanks for stopping in to see what I had to say during this week's Crunch post. If you'd like to help support me, then consider stopping by my Patreon page to leave a small donation. As little as $1 a month can go a long way toward keeping the lights on, and the content coming at you. If you want to make sure you don't miss any of my updates, then consider following me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, too.

Fleshing Out Your Background or How To Avoid Playing A Murder Hobo

There's a very specific kind of character who ends up in a lot of games. It could be Shadowrun or Pathfinder, Vampire the Requiem, or Dungeons and Dragons, it doesn't matter; this character will eventually put in an appearance.

This character is referred to as the murder hobo.

The adventurer in its natural habitat.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the murder hobo they're fairly easy to recognize. These characters have no connection to the world, including to the party they adventure with or the society to which they tacitly belong. Their only motivations seem to be blood letting and collecting resources, but without any motivation for either. They are violent forces of destruction who take as much loot as they can for no purpose other than to upgrade their murder tools to take on bigger and bigger targets.

If you feel you or players at your table are at risk of allowing a murder hobo (or worse a pack of them!) to flourish then follow these simple steps to inject genuine character and pathos into your game.

Who Are They Connected To?

Often times player characters are treated as if they stepped out fully formed. Garth Broken-Tusk has never been a child with friends he cared for or a father whose respect he wanted to earn. Kalin Nightblade never spent time as a girl wearing dresses and thinking about boys before she became a knife for hire. No, these adventurers did not exist before their first level, and they stepped out of the mold with no family, no friends, no peers, tutors, or confidantes.

That's a good place to start.

Thus began the training of Alton Snare, First Wizard of Flame.

Every character was once a child (barring androids, golems, and other races who are formed as adults), and they had a life before becoming adventurers. That life wasn't necessarily good, but even child soldiers, homeless sneak thieves, and orphan wizard's apprentices will have people and things they care about. Ask whether or not your adventurer had a kid sister he had to care for after their parents died, and when she found a position with a local lord he realized he had no reason to stay in that town? Did your bard receive his training from his grandfather, whom he sends letters to apprising him of all the adventurers he's gone on? Does your blood-thirsty berserker like kittens?

Regardless of who or what your character is there is a connection somewhere in his or her life. It might be membership in a holy order, a position in the army, a spot in a gang, or just a family that he or she left behind for one reason or another. Point is that these things all had a hand in shaping that character.

Why Are They Adventuring?

I've harped on this before, but motivation is important when it comes to PCs. Sure it's cool that Splitshield Axebeard, hero of the Irontooth Mountains sought out and destroyed an entire valley of trolls... but why? Were the trolls attacking innocent people, and the dwarven warrior felt that had to be stopped? Did the trolls threaten his people and family, causing him to take a stand for his clan and home? Is he obsessed with his own prowess and reputation, so he sought out the biggest, most ridiculous challenge he could find?

Let's go with that last one.

Character motivation does more than legitimize PC violence (though if that's all it did that would be enough). By understanding a character's motivation you understand that character's goals, what's important to that character, and what sort of actions he or she is more likely to take. You could take two characters of the exact same class and the exact same alignment, but if you give them different motivations you will get two very different stories.

Why Are They In The Party?

So you're still determined to play a callous, cynical loner whose only real talent is laying waste to things that get in the character's way. You have no past, no family, no country, and no loyalties. All right, it's your character and you can play it how you want... but why is this character in the party if that's the schtick you're going with?

*ahem*

A lot of the time parties form because players acknowledge that they are in this together and they all need to follow the plot hook the storyteller is giving. That said it's still important to figure out some reason you're all following this adventure from start to finish.

The reason doesn't have to be complicated, but it should be solid. Let's say you're playing a half-orc barbarian from a desert tribe. His greatest loves are battle and spoils, and if left to his own devices he will slay anyone he feels deserving. Why is he in the northern mountains helping to make peace between two warring nations? Perhaps he owes the paladin a blood debt, and so travels with him to keep him safe. Maybe he's in love with the sorceress, and is attempting to figure out this strange feeling. Perhaps the gods sent him a vision and told him to follow the man riding the bear to find his destiny. Or, simplest of all, having fought and shed blood with the party he considers them his sword-family, a bond that in-debts him to them and which draws them closer according to the rules and customs of his tribe.

There are innumerable ways to make your character invested in the adventure. Perhaps he's running from a dark past and trying to re-make himself into a hero so no one ever believes he was once a savage bandit leader. Maybe your character has great national pride, and wants to serve as an example to her nation. Maybe you're in the army, or you're a member of an arcane order, and you've been tasked with fulfilling a mission. Whatever method you use to connect your character to the world and to the game is great, as long as it puts you there for a purpose beyond killing everything in sight and taking its stuff for no better reason than because you can.

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