Reasons to start an adventure

[Hazrond]

From time to time my characters die and i need to reroll, so im like "sure" and i get my character all set up and everything but then i run into a problem, the parties i play with tend to be a bit how do you say... dismissive maybe?
they never go out and look for new members and i am left trying to figure out a reason why my new character would want to risk life and limb for these people he/she/it just met, so any good ideas playgrounders as to what i should use as some reasons next time this comes up?

[Flickerdart]

You're not adventuring for them. You're adventuring with them. Why are they out risking their own lives? Money? Power? Saving the world? Your goals happen to align with theirs, and so you hitch a ride on the party train to adventure town.

[Coidzor]

Have you tried talking to the DM and the rest of the group about smoothing out the reintegration process?

You're not adventuring for them. You're adventuring with them. Why are they out risking their own lives? Money? Power? Saving the world? Your goals happen to align with theirs, and so you hitch a ride on the party train to adventure town.

Also, yes.

[Averis Vol]

The way I normally do it is they start off as a means to the end of my goals (Save the world, redeem the name of my family, collect an ancient artifact of my order, etc, etc.) and later on they might become friends and valued companions. It's not terribly hard to even justify staying in a group of people you don't like, a simple "These are some of the most dangerous and powerful people to walk the earth. They have goals that bypass mine for the most part, so I should probably stick with them to get what I want."

[erok0809]

What are the motivations of your group? In my current game, we're a special team in the army. We've added new members three times; the first one, the two new people were another special team that got combined with ours based on where we were going. The second one, we rescued an assassin who got caught behind enemy lines, and when we got back to the camp we convinced our general to add him to our team. The last one...we didn't actually have a reason, other than that she helped us out in a fight against some werewolves, and we appreciated it. It's actually come up in game about why she's still with us, but she has her own reasons that I might not know, and she's helpful to the group, so we don't want to kick her out or anything.

The point is that if you're on any kind of assignment, a new person can be an addition commanded by a superior or the quest giver or whoever's in charge. Otherwise, the "joining because your goals align" seems to be good enough for most people, like the previous posters said.

[Hazrond]

Your goals happen to align with theirs, and so you hitch a ride on the party train to adventure town.

they start off as a means to the end of my goals (Save the world, redeem the name of my family, collect an ancient artifact of my order, etc, etc.)

"joining because your goals align"

yeah here we come to a bit of a flaw with my characters, i rather bad at making goals usually they adventure to simply gain more experiences etc.

[Flickerdart]

yeah here we come to a bit of a flaw with my characters, i rather bad at making goals usually they adventure to simply gain more experiences etc.

No, that's the thing though. You don't need to come up with a goal. Just take the party's goal and say "yeah, my guy is into that too."

[paperarmor]

I once made a character whose entire motivation was just staving off boredom, at first. After meeting up with the party and foiling an extradiminational invasion with them he became a champion for truth justice and the faruneanian way. Essentailly, a dull or generic backstory isn't bad as your character will grow as you play the game and you'll come to a better understanding of him/her/it.

[erok0809]

Adventuring to gain experience is a great goal to have. It allows you to pretty much join every group, since you gain experience by doing basically anything that a party would be doing. In terms of getting them to let you join, show them that you can be useful to whatever it is they're doing, and you should be in. And as paperarmor said, your character will grow as you go on in the campaign, and you can come up with a different or more in-depth goal if you want to. You definitely don't have to, adventuring because it's better than doing nothing is a perfectly valid reason.

[Averis Vol]

yeah here we come to a bit of a flaw with my characters, i rather bad at making goals usually they adventure to simply gain more experiences etc.

Choose literally anything dude. "I want to grow in experience" "I want a new sword" "I want to beat some dude upside his head with a shovel" "I want to pants the king"......anything at all could be your goal.

[AMFV]

Make it a job. I've always wanted to have a game where I played a member of an adventurer's union or guild. They go adventuring for money and pay, with the guild taking a small finder's fee or having dues, this way there's always people you can trust as allies, and there's some protection from big unpleasant organizations.

[Yahzi]

usually they adventure to simply gain more experiences etc.

So your character wants to kill other sentient beings (like orcs and such) for no better reason than to gain skill in killing other sentient beings?

Have you considered joining Team Evil? They have a great dental plan (what with all the fangs).

[prufock]

We need a thread: 101 reasons to join an adventuring party.

1. They're paying you
2. You're bored and seeking something to stave off boredom
3. You're a good-hearted white knight and want to save the world or some such
4. You are acquainted with the party (friends, lovers, family) and are there to help/look after them
5. You hate them and are looking to double-cross them
6. You've been hired to spy on them
7. They seek out assistance and you agree
8. They save you from certain death and you owe them
9. You want to see the world
10. You want to test your might and bravery against the dangers of the world
11. You seek riches in the form of treasure
12. You have some goal that aligns with theirs
13. You are members of the same organization and are tasked to work together

[Red Fel]

"I want to pants the king"

This is a character that has to happen. A character driven by the singular and all-consuming goal of humiliating every nation-leader in the world in front of his subjects. Via pantsing.

Should the campaign proceed to epic levels, that goal will expand to include giving wedgies, swirlies, and wet willies to every deity and greater power in the cosmos.

Be that character, OP. Be that character.

[Kaeso]

We need a thread: 101 reasons to join an adventuring party.

1. They're paying you
2. You're bored and seeking something to stave off boredom
3. You're a good-hearted white knight and want to save the world or some such
4. You are acquainted with the party (friends, lovers, family) and are there to help/look after them
5. You hate them and are looking to double-cross them
6. You've been hired to spy on them
7. They seek out assistance and you agree
8. They save you from certain death and you owe them
9. You want to see the world
10. You want to test your might and bravery against the dangers of the world
11. You seek riches in the form of treasure
12. You have some goal that aligns with theirs
13. You are members of the same organization and are tasked to work together

14. You're the youngest son of a nobleman and excluded from succession. You want to gain your own fiefdom by your own hand.
15. You're the last living member of a wronged noble family, and set out to reclaim what's rightfully yours
16. You're a sadist. You want to see your enemies quiver in fear, beg for mercy and squirm in pain. Actually getting PAID to hurt other people is even better than just hurting them (ie. literal murder hobo).

Come on guys, let's expand this list.

[ddude987]

17. You're afflicted with wanderlust
18. You're a kender and borrowed something and are trying to find who to give it back to

[AMFV]

So your character wants to kill other sentient beings (like orcs and such) for no better reason than to gain skill in killing other sentient beings?

Have you considered joining Team Evil? They have a great dental plan (what with all the fangs).

Eh, he wants to explore ancient tombs and find cool stuff, it's not his fault that the monsters keep attacking him.

[ElenionAncalima]

19. You are a lonely wanderer, with no family, eager to become part of a group.
20. You or a family member has a great debt and adventuring seem like the fastest way to make cash.
21. Your parents have always been overprotective, now you are an adult you want to break out on your own.
22. You have been banished from your homelands. If you can complete some great act of heroism you think they will accept you again.
23. You are on a religious quest and your god has told you to seek out the party.
24. You have recieved a prophecy that travelling with the group that just came through town will give your strength beyond your wildest dreaks.
25. One or both of your parents were great adventurers, now you feel you must live up to their legacy.

[Segev]

26. You developed a hero-worship/crush on one of the party members. Whether you have the guts to tell them this or not, you want to join their party to try to catch their eye.

27. You were going to investigate the same matter they're after anyway; why not join forces?

28. You're one step ahead of the law from a town or two over, and traveling with this party will help obscure your trail and provide you with allies if the law shows up and you can keep the law from identifying its own legitimacy.

29. You have soap-opera amnesia, and the party finds you unconscious in the middle of the road or dungeon crawl.

[Lightlawbliss]

30. Due to recent events, you now have a dept to the party (ex: saved your life) and want to pay it back.

[Coidzor]

31. After having come under the *ahem* "guardianship" of a party of Adventurers as the child of one of their dead henchmen, you have become so accustomed to the life (and horribly traumatized) that you can never really stop, it's become second nature to seek out quest hooks if unoccupied, in addition to all of the various PTSD issues and tics that conspire to prevent you from ever settling down to a "normal" life.

[AMFV]

32. You were out for drinks with some rough looking folk near the docks. The next morning you awake on their ship and are informed that you are now part of their pirate crew.

[Prince Raven]

33. You want find the lost city of El Dorado/Atlantis
34. You seek to discover the key to immortality to further your plan to eventually become Emperor of your nation.
35. You've committed the ultimate taboo and been punished by the gods, now you travel to redeem yourself and reclaim what has been taken from you.
36. You're cataloguing various kinds of animals/monsters/plants and need some meatheads as bodyguards/lackies.

[atomicwaffle]

Bounty Board.

Lots of problems in the area (goblins, orcs, etc.) each ear gets you a reward (usually a few silver or some gold). You can fight for glory or prestige with a leader board of most confirmed kills, they can rid the area of vermin, or start making money to buy what they want.

It doesn't work as well past level 3, but its a great way to get a group of adventurers adventuring. Sign up, get assigned teams, go hunting, BAM! party.

[Hazrond]

34. You seek to discover the key to immortality to further your plan to eventually become Emperor of your nation.
35. You've commuted the ultimate taboo and been punished by the gods, now you travel to redeem yourself and reclaim what has been taken from you.

Been watching FMA have we? ;)

[Prince Raven]

<.< >.>

... Maybe...

[Hazrond]

<.< >.>

... Maybe...

Dont worry, i have watched the whole show

[Prince Raven]

I have watched the original once and Brotherhood three times.

[Hazrond]

I have watched the original once and Brotherhood three times.

Oh ho ho? it looks like this person is quite the true fan.