What Keeps Your Character Traveling?

There's a reason so many tales begin in the tavern... it's usually the one place that travelers gather to wile away the evening hours before they have to get back out on the road. And while there are some games where the party members are local to the area, those tend to be fairly few and far between. Heroes (and villains, for evil games) tend to come from afar, walking into whatever danger and adventure awaits them in the place where their adventure begins.

Before you put together another traveling adventurer with worn down bootheels and a cloak that's just getting ragged around the edges, take a moment to consider just how many reasons there are to be on the road. Because a lot of us only seem to think of the same handful to be from home when the plot thickens.

Also, road is sort of a loose term in this instance.

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Professional Reasons

The most common reasons you find PCs located far away from home when we first meet them is because they're looking for work... but that work is almost universally A) as a wandering sellsword, or B) as a traveling bard.

And there are some characters who tend to be a bit of both.

While there's nothing wrong with either of these reasons (and you can improve them by lifting some content from 100 Random Mercenary Companies as well as 100 Fantasy Bands by yours truly if you'd like), there are so many other options out there!

For example, consider the fantasy teamster. With her wagon and her mule she runs goods all over the region, and any trouble she meets out on the road gets a quarrel between the eyes from the crossbow she keeps locked up by her seat. Traveling peddlers, river boatmen, and sailors can also fall into this category. Or consider the barber surgeon, who can cut hair, stitch wounds, set bones, and pull teeth, but who tends to make rounds to a wider area in order to help as many people as possible while collecting modest fees. There's the treasure hunter who's always looking for that next big score, the forest ranger acting as a freelance guide, the cartographer who is making new, updated maps of the region, and the historian who's attempting to piece together parts of the past to provide a window onto what came before.

The key for characters who are traveling for professional reasons is that you need to give them a pressing enough reason to be on the move, but not something so pressing that they end up ignoring the adventure hook in favor of their personal travel plans. If the drunken master monk is a roadie/bodyguard for touring musicians, for example, you don't want them to be so committed to that role that they refuse to go check out the troll caves, or to stick around and help protect the town against bandit raids.

It's all about balance, and flexibility.

Personal Reasons

Much like the above section we see plenty of personal reasons for travel among PCs... but a lot of them tend to fall into the same, very broad categories. The most common examples I've seen of this are, A) Looking for revenge, B) Running from debts/commitments C) Some kind of rite of passage.

You met a man with three fingers on his left hand? Which way did he go?

Again, because I cannot stress this enough, there is nothing wrong with those reasons. They're old fall back positions, the same as the paladin that's a knight in shining armor, or the wizard that's an old gray-bearded sage. But they aren't the only options you have, and you can get a lot out of stretching your creativity in this case.

For instance, is your character having a mid-life crisis, so they decide to leave behind a steady trade or a growing business to go out and make their name as a hero? Are they hounded by visions and prophecies, driven toward certain places by the will of inscrutable gods (whether or not they're divine caster classes)? Did they want to get out of their small town to see the world before settling down to have kids? Are they looking for a long-lost friend, family member, or rightful owner of a strange ring they found that draws them on like an iron filing to a lodestone? Are they a really dedicated foodie determined to try all the strange dishes and unusual customs found in 100 Fantasy Foods?

There are hundreds of different reasons someone might find themselves on the road, far away from home. The advantage of personal reasons to travel, though, is that a good GM can take them, and weave them into the ongoing plot in order to hook a PC into said plot to satisfy the player's personal arc. Whether it's deciding to Don Quixote their way through a goblin siege on their old plow horse, or traveling to the capitol to taste the finest viands while also solving the murder of the duchess, players with personal reasons to be out and about can often be easily directed toward the plot with a dangling carrot.

Additional Resources and Inspiration

If you're going to be running a game that takes place out in the open world, and your PCs are going to be doing a great deal of traveling, then I would suggest checking out some of the following supplements for extra inspiration!

- 100 Random Taverns: One of my bestselling supplements, it's gone Electrum at time of writing. Whether you need a sports bar hung with regalia of tourney knights, a clockwork brewery, or a hole-in-the-wall run by kobolds, this supplement has you covered!

- 10 Fantasy Villages: Whether you need a place for your PC to be from, or you need unique locations for the party to stop in, this supplement has everything you need. Maps, histories, rumors, notable places, NPCs, and more can be found between these pages.

- 100 Encounters in a Fey Forest: Traveling through a fey forest is a unique kind of danger... people who are actually from such places might be seen as touched in the head by the rest of the world. For those looking for specific lists there's both a Pathfinder Classic version as well as a DND 5E version.

- 100 Encounters For on The Road or in The Wilderness: From road construction, to guard patrols, to mating wolves, and strange discoveries, there's no reason your PCs should ever have a dull moment when getting from point A to point B. And like the previous supplement this one comes in both a Pathfinder Classic version as well as a DND 5E version.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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

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 thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

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.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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

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 thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Tabletop Audio Gives DMs Free, Hand-Crafted Soundtracks For Their Games

Have you ever found yourself sitting up late at night, digging through streaming sites trying to find just the right soundtrack to go along with your game's upcoming epic showdown? Have you tried to subtly start playing ambient music for the duke's party, or the tense stalk through the vampire lord's keep, only to have a YouTube ad pop up and destroy the mood you were trying to create? Did you ever wonder if there was a way to get great soundtracks that you wouldn't have to pay through the nose to use?

Well, good news! There is, and it's called Tabletop Audio.

Seriously, take a moment to set the mood before you start rolling dice.

What Is It?

Put simply, Tabletop Audio is a place you can go to get all the ambient noise you've ever wanted to help set the mood, and add a touch of immersion to your RPGs. Do you want some tinkling piano and crowd noise for when the party is in the saloon? Well, the site has that. Do you need the sound of a city at war? Well, the site has that, too. The strange music of the astral plane? The interior of a 747? A river town? A volcano?

Yep, all of that is available for free from Tabletop Audio.

You've got all kinds of options, too. You can go to the site, and play the tracks directly from there. You can download them, and save them to your mobile device. You can even set up a queue so you've got a playlist ready to go for your game. It allows you to up your game, and do something your players won't forget.

Who's Responsible For This?

The DM behind this site is a man named Tim, and according to him the whole thing started off as a lark. He played tabletop games with his kids, and he just happened to have the necessary skill set to put together audio tracks to improve the game. Once he'd finished using them, he realized other DMs might find these tools useful as well. So he made them available free of charge.

Donations are welcome, though.

Tim's goal is to show it's possible to run a useful, helpful gaming site that provides great, unique content, and which runs entirely off the donations of patrons who want to help him help them improve their games. There are no ads on the site, and as far as Tim's concerned, there never will be. Because that's not what he's about. He just wants to be able to help other people run great games, and it's his hope they'll give back what they can.

Oh, and before I forget, these tracks aren't just for your tabletop games. If you run a podcast, or a YouTube channel that needs some background noise, Tim's tracks are ideal for your project. Check out what I and the folks over at Dungeon Keeper Radio did for our first episode of Risky Business using Tim's saloon track as a scene setter.

Good stuff, right?

So, if you want to add a tool to your DM toolbox, check out Tabletop Audio. It costs you nothing, but if you have some spare scratch, toss it into the donation box to help Tim keep doing his thing.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday installment. Hopefully you all found it helpful, and at least some of the DMs out there use it in their games. If you want to keep up-to-date on my latest releases, consider following me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And, if you've got a Washington floating around in your entertainment budget, consider heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! All it takes is $1 a month to make a difference, and to help me bring great content right to your screen.