A baldur background script

I’ve been playing Baldur’s Gate recently, and thinking about how the party’s story arcs unfold across the game. If the game was an actual ttrpg, that’d be pretty nice to bounce between. I’m also the type who doesn’t immediately have a pile of trauma for my character when I start off, I usually react to the bad shit coming for my character (when I even have one, anyway).

Cause of that, I wanted to see if there was a template in mind for making a character with a traumatic event that has last event in the Baldur’s Gate cast. This is what I came up with, it… like 90% overlaps with the various Baldur’s Gate characters. As a player you can use it to flesh out something that’s definitive for a new PC, as a GM you can prompt these questions during session zero. Hopefully that’ll generate hooks for the GM, be that you or not, to use to give you a chance to face your past in the game.

Backstory with a Dash of Trauma

• One Traumatic Event
  • What happened and how did it affect you? What lasting consequences do you still deal with today?
• Three NPCs
  • Someone who directly related to your traumatic event. Was it intentional? Why are they still a negative figure in your life?
  • Someone you care about who you haven’t seen in awhile. Do they know about your trauma? Are they affected by it? Do they care for you as well?
  • Someone who might be able to help you solve or move on from your trauma. Are they related to the cause? Do they have your best interests at heart?
• Two locations
  • A place related to your event. Do you still frequent that location, or do you not go back? How do you feel about that place?
  • A place that’s key to solving or moving past your trauma. What is there that can help you? Who or what prevents people from getting that easily?