The origins of things, including folk of different sorts, can say a lot about your world. It can feel daunting to build out origins but they are rewarding, once they’re done. They can also be short. I like 1d6 tables. Six is a good number of options that isn’t enough to wrack the brain to come up with.
I am fond of the classic zero-to-hero style, mud farmer to king, sort of progression and my PC origin tables can reflect that.
Generic Origins
These tables give some broad brush origins that can be fleshed out in collaboration with the players. They’re generic and an apply to practically anything.
Family background
What family did they come from?
| 1d6 | Family |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown/orphan |
| 2 | Nomad |
| 3 | Farmer |
| 4 | Trade |
| 5 | Minor noble |
| 6 | Mystic |
Experience
Before embracing adventure, what sort of things did they do?
| 1d6 | Experience |
|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal |
| 2 | Hunting/gathering |
| 3 | Farming |
| 4 | Warfare |
| 5 | Culture |
| 6 | Mystic |
The spark?
What situation sparked their embrace of adventure?
| 1d6 | Situation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Outcast |
| 2 | Refugee |
| 3 | Survivor |
| 4 | Fugitive |
| 5 | Opportunist |
| 6 | Wanderer |
Outcast: they were forced to leave their original community for straying too far outside the societal norms.
Refugee: they were displaced when their original community was destroyed.
Survivor: they managed to avoid a dark or deadly fate.
Fugitive: they committed a crime but escaped capture and punishment.
Opportunist: they saw no future in their situation so they left to take their chances.
Wanderer: some folks just have an itch for the unknown.
3d6 down the line
Rolling once on each table generates a quick origin story for the player-character.
World-Specific Origins
Here is a much more defined set of origins. They are specific to my setting. There are much fewer options but that’s a feature. In this case, we want to place PCs in specific backgrounds, potentially together, if the dice allow. The included contexts give players some grounding for their characters.
| 1d6 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | Survivor of the Great Rupture |
| 2 | Veteran from the War of the Midnight Duke |
| 3 | Acolyte of the condemned Temple of the Golden Serpent |
| 4 | Ex-member of the Iron Spike Band |
| 5 | A traveling vagabond |
| 6 | A student of the missing wizard, Braggus the Bearded |
Other than the vagabond origin, all of these point to specific aspects of the setting. By tying the PCs to these aspects, we have some immediate investment in them. What was the Iron Spike Band and what happened to them? Who was the Midnight Duke and what was the war about?
I think these sorts of origins are great— it’s easy to come up with six— even less can work in a pinch— and they’ll help you flesh out your world and connect your players to it.
