What Does Your Character Do For Entertainment?

"This is what you're spending your night doing?" Albrecht asked, taking a sip from his thin beer.

"You didn't have to come with," Baren said, not even turning her head to look at him.

"You talked them up, figured I should at least give them a chance." The bearded man plucked a flask from an inside pocket, pouring a shot of stronger stuff into his mug.

Albrecht was about to say something else, when the lights went out. A cold wind went round the tavern, blowing out candles and torches, leaving the place in darkness. Out of the shadows, a rhythmic thumping came from the stage. It was joined by a cymbal, hissing like a metallic serpent in the dark. A whisper of strings under a bow, and then a rising note from an inhuman throat. The growl rose higher, and higher, and the dark was pushed back by bobbing, red globes. Standing on the stage, surrounded by wisps of acrid smoke, was a band from hell. Wild-haired and sharp-eyed, they were a collection of claws and teeth, horns and tails that looked like something out of a fever dream. Their lead smiled, flashing her fangs to crowd.

"Like to start you all off with one of our favorites," she said, her husky voice filling the room before Devil's Bargain launched into Good Intentions, one of their most infamous tunes.

"Well?" Baren said, grinning as the first song drew to a close.

"Hell of an opener," Albrecht said, though he was smiling behind his beard. "Let's see if they can keep it up."

And now, let's take it down a notch. This is Black Queen's Bargain!

What Does Your Character Do For Entertainment?

When we sit down to make our characters, we tend to think of them in terms of their skills, their role within the party, and their eventual goals. They're wizards, warriors, priests, and scoundrels, looking to make that big score, earn a knighthood, start their own business, or what have you. However, one thing we often ignore (or which just doesn't occur to us) is to ask what our characters do for entertainment. Whether it's out on the road, or when they finally get some leave in town, what do they seek out to blow off some steam? And what does that say about them?

Does going to the tavern count?

As an example, is your character a tourist who loves seeing historical sites? Even if it's something bland or boring to most people, do they seek out sites of battles, events of minor import, or just try to take in as many road side attractions as they can find? Is your character a foodie, seeking unusual cuisine like salamander steaks or shallow bay oysters (a few examples off the menu in 100 Fantasy Foods) to expand their palate? Do they have a tendency to pick up fresh tattoos to mark personal achievements, new levels, or just because they're in a unique location (like the Ketch's Knot or Fortune's Torc found in 100 Fantasy Tattoos, And The Meaning Behind Them)? Do they tour art galleries or museums, taking in the culture and looking at installments dedicated to particular artists?

Do they love live music, like Devil's Bargain in the story above, drawn right out of my 100 Fantasy Bands supplement?

This isn't just a downtime question, either. Because there's often a lot of time spent in transit when you're a PC, and that's a lot of time to get bored. So what does your character do? Do they like to play cards, either alone or with others? Do they prefer to shoot dice? Is there a game equal to chess, or checkers, that they use to pass the time? Do they read the equivalent of dime novels while they travel, just slouched down in the back of the cart while they wait for the party to get where they're going? Do they like to sing, whether or not their companions enjoy the performance? Do they like to spend the evenings fishing, or whittling, or sketching?

Everybody's Got Hobbies

We've all got hobbies, and things we enjoy spending our money on when it's time to unwind. And while there's nothing wrong with a good pub crawl (especially if you're hitting some of the bizarre bars in 100 Random Taverns to spend your share of the treasure), you can get a lot more out of your character if you dig a little deeper than that.

And it can get even more unique/unusual when you start embracing the weird, wild, and magical aspects of a game.

For example, did the wizard learn a game when she was still an apprentice using prestidigitation that's the equivalent of Pong that they play with the sorcerer? Does the tiefling enjoy cooking strange and bizarre things using their bare hands, because burns are a thing other people have to deal with? Does the druid plant fruit trees wherever they go using their magic to ensure the fruits grow, turning the entire world into their garden to ensure there's also fresh fruit along the routes they and other travelers follow?

While this aspect of a character might not define them in major ways, it can say a lot about who they are, and what makes them happy. Not only that, but it can make a character feel more organic, more real, and it's often these little details that can flesh them out, and add interesting details to the world as their hobbies carve out areas of culture and flavor that other folks may not have thought about.

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That's all for this week's Fluff post!

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5 "Modern" Ideas You Should Try Adding To Your Fantasy World

The devil is in the details, or so they say. So this week I thought I'd suggest a few, minor changes you could make to your game's world and setting that would make it feel more unique. After all, who doesn't love a fun little world-building exercise?

No one reading past this point, I'll tell you that much!

So, if you enjoyed previous posts like Introduce Some "Period" Technology Into Your Game, or the much more recent What Is Graffiti Like In Your World?, this one will build on some of the ideas put forth in there.

#1: The Highway Rest Stop

Oh... well isn't this lovely?

If you've ever been on a road trip, then you know exactly what a life saver a highway rest stop can be. It's your one-stop place for stretching your legs, refilling your water bottles, buying a quick snack, and getting information about the local area. You can even take a quick nap, if those highway lines are starting to blur together, and you need a bit of rest before you keep on trucking.

Given that we have all sorts of roads in our fantasy games, why don't we have pit stops like this every so many miles as a benefit of traveling along popular highways? If you want to go simple, they could be shelters that were built for use by travelers, and kept up by the same (introducing a whole cultural thing where it's considered good form to leave fresh firewood, make sure the doors are closed, etc. when you leave). Alternatively, if you're in deep woods, these locations might also be outposts maintained by a company of wardens. These woods guides could act as information sources, and they might be useful for quest hooks. Or perhaps these settlements have small enchantments on them, making them warm in the winter and cool in the summer, giving greetings using magic mouth, and other, similar luxuries.

The sky is the limit here! But they can make things a lot more interesting than, "Roll survival to find a bed of grass to sleep on tonight."

#2: Advertising

Drink at the Dirty Duck! Best pints in town!

When was the last time you saw advertising for something in a game world? Whether it was for a tavern, a curiosity shop, or even a pawn broker's where you could flog all your dungeon trash for drinking money? Probably never. Even in towns big enough to have more than one drinking hole, or a couple of different merchants, we never bother with one of the central conceits of capitalism.

So give it a try, and see what your players do.

If they're walking down a forest path, have them notice a huge painting on the side of a bounder advertising the Sunset Tap, fifteen miles north, take the fork at Durnhill. If your party is in a city, consider putting up actual signs, or have someone handing out leaflets (especially if paper is a fairly cheap resource that could be used for such "low" purposes). Or, if there is a lot of magic in a town, why not have an illusion that stumps for a particular place to eat, rest, get new gear, etc.? It might look like high fantasy Blade Runner, but who at your table would expect that kind of laser light show?

#3: Branding

Is that an ORIGINAL Ulfbehrt? Whoo, that must have set you back.

We tend to think of brand names as a modern conceit, but for goods manufacturers your brand has always been important. That's why smiths would leave their mark on something they'd forged, and why everyone from leather workers, to dress makers, to bakers would try to do something that stood out. In some cases, that mark became synonymous with quality and value, like the signature marks on the Viking Ulfbehrt blades that were made from crucible steel imported from the Middle East back in the iron age.

So what kind of brands exist in your setting?

For example, is the Ironcrest clan the standard for quality in dwarven steel weapons and armor? Are health potions brewed by the Godmouth Springs the equivalent of those who drink fancy, bottled water? Are there off-brand magic items that have drawbacks, but still work well enough under the right circumstances like some of the examples in Drawbacks on Magic Items Can Force Players To Make Tough Decisions in Pathfinder?

Even if the brand doesn't offer any inherit benefits to the user (though many of them might explain the masterwork cost, or be used exclusively for defining the forgers of particular magic items), they can add a great deal of flavor to your world. Particularly long-standing brands, such as those begun by nearly immortal races when early examples of their crafts are found in forgotten tombs, or ancient treasure hoards.

#4: Franchises

We tend to think of franchises as a uniquely modern thing, but they aren't really all that new. Especially when you consider that they could be built around a brand name from the section above, or they could be built around a particular service or creed. Like Crazy Olaf's Adventurer's Emporium, which prides itself on having every kind of gear an adventuring party might need, while offering trade-in value on anything they find in a dungeon. You can even get new and used equipment! While there are outposts for Crazy Olaf's all over, the ones in the hinterlands tend to transport their goods traded items into the big cities where people are more than happy to buy authentic goblin swords to hang on their walls, or to acquire a hill giant's club for use as a conversation piece (paying platinum for what Olaf got for a handful of silver). And then the expensive steel, magic items, alchemical weapons, etc., are shipped out to where such items are needed by monster hunters, rangers, militiamen, etc.

A franchise can be built around anything, though. Do Gillman's Stables offer the finest horse flesh? Do the Iron Riders guarantee that your letters and packages will get to their target safe and sound within a fortnight? Can you go to the furthest reaches of a trading road, and find a Stumble Inn ready and willing to put you up for the night?

It's a little thing, but it can add a lot of flavor to your world. Especially when it devolves into franchise v. local for your buying choices. Also, if you're looking for some franchises to put into your setting, you should check out 100 Merchants to Encounter from Azukail Games. I purposefully built several of them to act as widespread operations that can enhance any setting they're put in.

#5: Entertainment Options

We are Skullduggery! Now did you come here to rock!?

When we think of entertainment in most of our RPGs, we usually picture the local tavern. You can drink, get some food, and maybe play a few games of dice or cards in the corner tables. If you're lucky, there's a band playing to provide live music. And... that's about it unless your game specifically takes place during festivals, or in cities big enough to support a pleasure district.

While there's nothing wrong with that setup, consider expanding the entertainments on offer.

As an example, include an outdoor stage near the town, and post some goings on. Maybe the church does morality plays on their holy day, but traveling performers are welcome to use it as well. Everything from theater companies, to stage magicians, to insult comics. And, sometimes, well-known bands might set up their own show, complete with magical enhancements to play to bigger audiences (probably a festival-style audience).

Then there are sporting events. If a town has a team, then there should be regular events for the locals to follow. Whether it's Skrum (an orc take on rugby), Slammers (a kind of frenetic polo that requires both brutality and skill to play), or even more traditional sports like wrestling, boxing, or the joust, including those elements in the makeup of the local culture can make things more fun. Especially if the owner of the tavern supports a particular team or fighter, making it clear in their decorations who they stand with.

If you add in other potential entertainments, like curated arboretums, smoking dens, coffee houses, poetry slams, libraries, museums, and the latest novels released by retired adventurers telling the tales of their time in the field, then there's a whole plethora of background information you could use to fluff up your world, provide character hooks, or even include as part of your story arcs.

That's all for this week's Fluff installment. Hopefully it got some wheels turning out there in DM land. If you'd like to see some more of my work, drop by my Vocal author page (or just click over to my Gamers archive). Or you could head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio, where Crazy Olaf and others make their homes. If you'd like to stay on top of all my latest releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, to help support Improved Initiative you can either Buy Me A Ko-Fi, or go become a patron on The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page.