Making a D&D Character for a Marathon Game

Forward:

Where to start when making a D&D character? Marathon game require players to be engaged in the world for an extended period of time. The character we make needs to be deep enough to last us from level 5 to 13 (ish) and be set up in a way to enable growth and meld well with the party.

Typically a DM (Dungeon Master) will request at least two character concepts. Not a class and build with the stats and abilities, but the what the idea of the character is, what are their goals, who are they, where are they in the current world.

For this post we will follow give examples for this exercise and make one of these characters following the steps laid out in this post.

The World

The most important things a DM can provide for a campaign is the setting. We will use the a starter map made on hexfriend. This will serve to give all the players a foothold in the world. All players should have the freedom to add some lore as they see fit to the world as longs as it helps flesh out their character.

Lore in the world.

Above is the small kingdom of Hidden Allure. A spoiled child of a king was entrusted to rule over this small peninsula of land separated from the northern continent by mountains. To his credit, his quarry was almost successful. But the inhabitants of the mountains were not pleased with humans encroaching on their land.

Hidden Allure seems to always fail upwards, while things kings projects all seem to fail the economy is kept up by the sheer amount of ships that use this peninsula as a half way point between three other nations. Dwarfs, Elves, Gnomes, and Humans alike are all common among this small kingdom, and almost any race is seen within the ports barring monstrous races.

With so many ships coming in and out and multiple nations gunning for this key transcontinental stepping stone there is always a heavy military presents in Each port and all supplied out of Fort Darwatch.

While pirates don't attack the ports themselves, some have made home in the rocky islands of Hell's Reach Peak. Locals joke that eventually all the pirates will die off trying to dock in there hidden island.

What this means for Characters.

Now that the lore is laid out players are free to insert them into this world how ever they please. There are options for military and sailor back grounds as well as adventures coming to a newer part of the world just wanting to be explored. Even the possibility for monstrous races emerging from the mountain nearby.

Who Am I?

The best way to start is to create a 100 word outline of the character. Where are they from and what do they want to do in the world? What is their background at a very high level, and where do they want to see them self in the future?

Example 100 words

I got a hot tip there is fast cash to be made in Donguart Quarry in that little port bouncing peninsula. The risk is high but so are the rewards. Imagine being so stupid to leave all the brand new equipment just because of some little goblins attacked. It was just happenstance I could make off with this cargo boat so cheap and quick. I'm hoping I can find some good talent in the port to help me execute on this plan before the loan sharks fine me again.

Takeaways from 100 words

This sets up a lot of hooks for our DM to get in for the world and with other players. The other players can be people to found and hired to help. Or part of a crew that came with this character. Additionally the character is explicitly high risk which can lead to shenanigans later. Overall this gives the DM a lot of options to make this character work well with others in the party.

Additionally the above story makes no mention of race or class. This is ideal as it leaves more options down the line in character creation and can be tied into in the 5 big events.

5 big events

From the 100 words section, we need to make some backstory from that idea. These events aren't just the cliche of "oh my parents were murdered in front of me". These are specific anecdotes from this character that were important to them.

Additionally give the age or date in the world when these events occurred. These are significant moments in the characters life that matter to them, not just dramatic or world changing evens from an outside perspective.

Example Events

Here is a spread of examples for the character made above. You should follow similar style of moments, from earth shuddering to small in the sense of the world but big for the person themself.

Age 5, old shop finds

When I was in the supply shop with my father, I was left to my own devices. When digging through a small crate of climbing gear I saw a small glint at the bottom the crate. I jumped into the crate not thinking twice and buried in the sacks ropes and sharp spikes. When I emerged I had a little silver clad box with a crank. When we took it out the store owner he said it was broken and it was mine for the keeping. I still have the music box to this day.

Age 13, the bully and the willow

After months of being picked on by the new kid in school I had had enough. I hatched a plan to have him meet me at the willow tree by the pond. When I got him in the spot, I cut the rope with my knife. I swear he went flying 100s of feet before landing in the pond. I never did see him again after that.

Age 23, the church

The first time I stepped foot in a church I was 23.

Age 25, a simple cut

After getting the gold to convince the cleric to come to town to heal my dad, it was too late. The infection had gone too far in his arm. He could never farm again.

Age 26, bad luck turned good

After spending too much to prep for transport job, I meet an elf ranger named Griss in the bar. She offered to come on the trip free of charge. She cut our trip down by 3 days and scared off goblins and wolves. It was the smoothest job I had ever done and I have felt luckier ever since.

Takeaways from 5 big events

As seen above, there are a variety of events that can effect a character greatly, some were longer story and others were a single sentence that can be expanded on later during game play. While this example had short titles following the age these are not required but make it easier for some players to remember some of these core events.

Known people

At minimum, make two generic NPC's descriptions and their relation to you. This helps your DM flesh out the world better. These individuals don't have to be on the same continent or even world that you are on. The goal of making these NPC's are to give you more connection to the world and allow the DM for plot hook ins later.

Two allies example

Griss, the elf ranger that saved my ass on the transport job. Extremely reliable and I feel I owe her.

Zell, traveling entertainer that knows everything going on and always has a solid lead for me on a job.

Two enemies example

Jimbo, hick farmer that dumped hog crap on me when I passed through his farm land in the middle of the night.

Giovanni, loan shark that I may have screwed over on accident years ago and could never go back to.

Takeaways from known people

All the descriptions given above were rather short. In terms of the character that was made, it makes sense that they have no large attachments to one character as they drifts around too much to make solid long-term connections. If the character you are making would have a solid connection with one enemy or friend, feel free to expand much more about your character and their relationship.

Ending notes

From here, you should have a good character base to submit to your DM. While there are many approaches this is generic enough to work for most campaigns. The next step on the DM's part will be to mix all the characters in the party together and find some explanation of why they are all adventuring together.