In order to assist with coming up with background/backstory information, I've come up with this Background Prompt Generator - it will answer 8 "questions" about your backstory and character flavor. These answers can either be selected based on your preference, or decided via a d6 roll - the numbers by each response correspond to a number on a six-sided die. Without further adieu, here are the "questions":
"You were born..."
1) "...in a great city."
2) "...in a hamlet on the borderlands."
3) "...in a far-away land across the sea."
4) "...in an isolated, single-race community."
5) "...on a quiet farmstead in the countryside."
6) "...in the wilderness."
"You were raised as..."
1) "...the child of a lesser noble."
2) "...the child of a merchant family."
3) "...the child of a farmer."
4) "...the child of a soldier."
5) "...an orphan, taken in by the community."
6) "...an orphan, out on the streets."
"As you grew up, you were trained in (your class)..."
1) "...by an order which conscripted you at a young age."
2) "...by one of your parents/grandparents as you grew up."
3) "...by a master who took you on as an apprentice."
4) "...by the community in which you were raised."
5) "...by an entity which selected you as its chosen one."
6) "...by no one; you taught yourself your skills."
"You decided to become an adventurer when..."
1) "...you met a great adventurer who inspired you."
2) "...you left home and set out on your own."
3) "...you finished your training."
4) "...you were exiled from your community."
5) "...your wanderlust drove you to do so."
6) "...you realized it would be a much better way to make a living."
"The worst event of your life..."
1) "The tragic death of a loved one."
2) "The destruction of your home village/town/district."
3) "The accidental death of a loved one by your hand."
4) "The loss of your fortune/possessions."
5) "Your imprisonment/capture/slavery."
6) "Nothing; your life has been free of great tragedy."
"In terms of siblings, you have..."
1) "...a single, older brother/sister."
2) "...three younger brothers/sisters."
3) "...seven brothers/sisters, some older, some younger."
4) "...a twin sister/brother."
5) "...an identical twin sister/brother."
6) "...no siblings; you are an only child."
"You carry with you..."
1) "...a memento from your childhood, something simple and innocent."
2) "...an old weapon, passed down to you by your master/a relative."
3) "...a trophy, taken from a monster you killed."
4) "...a letter from a loved one, your last communication from them."
5) "...a symbol of an organization - religious, arcane, or political."
6) "...nothing you don't need; you see no point to sentimental trinkets."
"Your goals are..."
1) "...altruistic; help those in need, protect the weak, save the world."
2) "...ambitious; acquire power, gain prestige, be somebody."
3) "...financial; find treasures, recover artifacts, get rich."
4) "...vindictive; kill monsters, hunt a villain, get revenge."
5) "...inherited; you follow a destiny given to you by another."
6) "...undefined; you don't know what you want yet."
Note that this generator is not meant to completely fill in all of the information you'll ever need for a backstory - rather it serves to give you prompts; a foundation upon which you can build your full backstory. Once you've chosen an answer for each question above, talk to your DM and work out with them what elements from the world to plug into the more generalized parts of these responses. For instance, if your character was born in a great city, ask your DM what cities would meet those criteria, and decide from there.
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