What are bonds?

According to the official rules, “Bonds represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character’s motivations and goals.“
Basically, the main thing your bonds ask is who drives your character. Could it be the one who murdered your family, edgelord style? Or could it be the military squad that you spend time with, as part of your solider background.

Background bonds

Surprisingly, bonds might be the most straightforward when making a character, due to how simple they are. This is likely because as real people, we tend to have connections with other people, so it is kind of like second nature to choose connections to people when making our backstories for characters. Of course, you don’t HAVE to have connections with people. You bond could reflect yourself, or even a treasured item you might have, as is detailed in the Criminal background, “I will become the greatest thief who ever lived.”

Your bonds, like your ideals, can change

Much like your ideals, your bonds can become prone to change throughout the course of the campaign. For example, regarding the Criminal background, perhaps your ambitions to become the greatest thief has began to hinder your relationships with your fellow party members. This could cause you to go through a humble experience, and it would change from your currrent bond to, “my actions have endangered my friends. I hope they can come to forgive me.”