by Jason Campbell
Today I wanted to tell a story from my previous D&D 5e campaign, Shadomain Luna. Oh yes, Shadomain is the name of my home-brewed campaign world, but the history of that is a tale for another day. Shadomain Luna followed five adventurers from 1st through 17th levels.
One of the characters in this campaign was Seebo, a wood gnome cleric. Seebo had a tragic backstory involving his kidnapping and torture by a rogue army strike troop named “Scarred Wave”. Seebo was rescued by a paladin of the god Alyanna Sylthyra, a deity devoted to forgiveness. Seebo devoted himself to the worship of Alyanna Sylthyra in tribute to his rescue.
After many adventures throughout the world of Shadomain, the heroes advanced to 14th level and were on a lands crossing quest which would eventually lead them to confront an evil god. On the road the heroes encountered Scarred Wave who confessed that they have been under the control of the arch-devil Asmodeus. Seebo confronted Scarred Wave about their past and their leader was afraid and claimed it was long in the past and he begged Seebo and the heroes for help.
I did this as a way of tying in the character’s backstory to the game, which the payer appreciated. It also gives the character a moral dilemma which they need to role play through. It was a fun session and the players loved it.
Tying backstories into the game is a great way to let the players feel more involved in the story. I recommend not tying the entire main story to a backstory but instead use it as a side plot, it puts less pressure on the players but adds depth to the world.
Do you have any stories of ethical dilemmas in an RPG campaign? Let us know below!
