We’ve all heard of ghosts, whether or not we believe in them. They come in many shapes and forms, but in D&D, they do serve a role. One of their key traits, Possession, will be the subject of discussion today. And not just ghostly possession either; we will also be discussing being possessed by a demon.

What is this backstory concept about?

This backstory focuses on the idea of a character who was at the wrong place at the wrong time after an encounter with a ghost/demon, and now they are trying to prevent it from possessing them completely. For the time during the campaign, this could manifest through a simple change in personality and/or appearance. As the ghost/demon within gets more powerful, however, it will be harder for the player to regain control when the ghost takes control. An entire story arc could resolve around them trying to figure out the identity of their would-be possessor, and trying to find a way to either kill it, thus freeing themselves from it, or grant it peace.

Why this backstory is great for players

This backstory could work for those players who want to play a character with the Haunted One background, or play as a Fiend Warlock. It helps establish a clear threat and stakes for the party, and also can give a player good motivation for staying together with the rest of the party, as the spirit might have ties with other members of the campaign

Example backstory: Grok, half-orc Ancestral Guardian barbarian

Grok never knew much of his childhood before the dreaded encounter with the ghost. As an adult, he was walking down a street when he encountered the spirit, seeminingly running from something. The spirit jumped into his body, almost like for protection. Now, whenever he gets angry, the spirit takes over, and protects him and his friends. Grok now wanders the land, trying to figure out the truth behind the spirits identity.

Hey there, this is part two for helping with your character’s personality! Today, we will be discussing ideals, and what exactly it means.

What exactly are ideals?

As discussed when I first discussed personality with you guys, ideals are, in a way, your character’s strongest beliefs, and what drives them forward in their adventure. These could include your personal codes of conduct, what you strive for, or what your personal philosophy is.

A good way to help determine your ideal is to look at your character’s alignment. For example, let’s say that you are Chaotic Neutral. This alignment is about holding your own personal freedom above all else. Thus, an easy thing to put in your ideal is that you desire freedom.

Background ideals

Ideals found within backgrounds are also amazing ideas for your character. It can help determine your backstory, such as what events in your life led to your main ideals and goals.

For example, let’s go simple and focus on the Acolyte background. This background assumes that you have spent your entire life within a religious order of sorts, devoting yourself to a specific deity.

For ideals, you could put the Faith ideal found in that. It states it like this: “I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well.”

Your ideal could also change

Now, this is the case with all of the four personality components, but once you have your ideal you don’t have to lock it in for the rest of the campaign. Some of the best characters grow along with the story

For example, back to that acolyte background example. Say that they were a Paladin who has devoted their entire life to a deity of justice. What would happen to the Paladin if they wind up having a crisis in faith, due to a recent catastrophe that was set in motion during the campaign? Maybe he begins to feel disillusioned with his deity’s ways, and changes both his ideal and his oath entirely. Maybe he strives to prove that his god’s ways are ineffective at making the world a better place. Moments like these can truly define character development between a party.

Not to be biased or anything, but when it comes to creating backstories, my favorite class for this is without question the Warlock.

Why, you may ask?

As you might already know, Warlocks are defined by the magical pacts they make with otherworldly and powerful beings known patrons, either for desperation, meeting said beings by chance, or just for pure selfishness. These beings can range from powerful devils and demons to Cthulhu-like beings, just to name a few. The warlock would ask for knowledge, power, or anything else they may want, in exchange for being a servant to the patron.

Why Warlocks are great for backstories

The personal reason why I enjoy warlocks for the backstory is because it can drive the campaign in interesting and unexpected ways. Since warlocks are basically under the leash to this patron, they might be forced to do what the patron wants them to do.

It’s also a good way to ground them into the campaign, by making them a warlock to an established figure in whatever world the DM is making for the players. The warlock might even try to break free from their patron if they wish to do so.

Why this class is great for new players

This class is great for new players if they are prepared to play a more complicated character, in exchange for a backstory that gives the DM a lot to work around, and is interesting enough to where the player can get invested in them.

Backstory example: Wyll

This example will be a bit different. I will be providing an example of a warlock from the video game Baldur’s Gate 3, a D&D 5e game coming out next year.

This is Wyll, a companion you can meet in the game. His backstory is that his village was raided by goblins, so he made a pact with a devil from the Nine Hells, to harness its magic in exchange for his soul. He was praised as a local hero and monster hunter, but he came to regret his decision, so his main motivation is to try to end his connection for the devil before it can claim his soul.

As a player, it can sometimes be difficult to create a character with personality. Heck, most characters I encountered as a player are one dimensional. Classic examples include the kleptomaniac rogue, or the bard seducing everything and everyone.

So this blog will serve as a means of helping you make a character with personality traits!

1. Use multiple personality traits to better define your character

While the personality traits found in the Player’s Handbook are invaluable to helping make a character, I find people tend to only pick one and use that trait for the rest of the campaign.

Why not pick more than one? Perhaps that kleptomaniac rogue only steals from the rich, Robin Hood style, and would never try to steal from the poor. That same rogue might also have a soft spot for cats. Examples like these can help make better personalities for the characters around you.

2. Look at your character sheet, and build the personality off of your stats

This one might be a bit tricky to understand, but hear me out.

Building your character’s personality off of your stats on the sheet can actually do wonders to help. It helps because it seperates a character that’s basically numbers on a page to a living, breathing character

For example, I once had a Half Elf Fighter named Felix Hardgrove, a once arrogant noble who was killed by a demon, and then later resurrected. I decided that since he had a low Wisdom score, he would tend to make agreements with shady beings, or charge headfirst into a fight if demons are involved, at the risk of his own safety.

3. Build it around the theme of the campaign and your party

This one sounds a bit obvious, but it is still vitally important. There’s nothing a DM hates more than a character who, personality wise, just does not fit in with the campaign, whether it be the “unique for the sake of unique” characters, or gimmicky characters.

Instead, communicate with the DM about what the world is like, what cities or nations there are, then consider your personality. That way, it makes the DM’s job much easier to handle characters.