Three suggestions for motivations for a character whose parents were killed by orcs

The most well-worn cliché in the world of fantasy roleplaying games is probably “My parents were killed by orcs.” In theory, it sounds like an interesting character background; In practice, it’s usually an excuse used by players who want to ignore any possible familial relations of their character and erase any connection to her past. Without a family or personal history, the character is seemingly free to do whatever she wants without any fear of the consequences, but this lack of connection usually just pushes her away from a lot of potentially interesting drama.

For those kind of players, and for others, here are three suggestions for motivations for a character who seems to lack a past. This is the reason she goes out adventuring, and a possible basis for later complications in her story.

There’s no need to actually use orcs as the village-destroyers. The following motivations can be used as an interesting dramatic basis for any character background that starts with “something big came and erased my history”.

Each new origin comes with a new Background Feature for 5e.

Note: the intent behind these motivations is to help players find a reason for their characters to go on adventures, or to provide them with an interesting personality to play. None of these are supposed to provide an excuse to people who’re trying to break party cohesion, or steal the GM’s attention. Be good players – give enough room for everyone’s stories.