How DARE you? My next character is going to have twice the trauma for even suggesting such a thing. Parents? Dead. Friends? Betrayed. Pets? Living with the family next door BY CHOICE.
But in all seriousness, it’s hard to make a completely trauma free PC. I do have a couple kicking around though.
I tried, but then I realised my literal accessible God, capable of world changing power, had put me in active danger on purpose and realised there was a lot to unpack in my past choices. Oathbreaker unlocked.
I often do, or leave it as something they don’t realise until later.
I have a character I have played yet who is a little Human with a knack for wizardry raised by Halfling farmers who adopted him. Turns out he was Kal-El’ed from the ancient magocracy in the settings distant past
Different from the usual character I play, Zaganna, whose mother was a hedge witch in Thay. She became a Red Wizard in exchange for saving her mother, betrays her evil master, and lost a leg escaping through a portal to Waterdeep
Oh yes, all the time. They're normally somewhere around 10 years old and will receive their trauma in game in front of everyone and not have the tools or knowledge to process it in a healthy way.
I have always been intrigued by the concept of a character born immediately before the game or just shortly into session 1. It's something I want to try eventually, but haven't found the right game yet.
At first, Ita (my Leshy) didn't even have a mouth. It mostly used pantomime. At one point, another player said "Yu can mold your body right? Why not just make yourself a mouth?"
So it did. By ripping open a hole in roughly the right place.
Most of the trauma is happening to the other players.
Yeah it was like really uncomfortable, I definitely had the feeling at the start the group might not be the best but then within the first session I was like, you know, I'm cool leaving.
My current one is a half orc/half elf fighter. (grey orc) His mom was apart of a war band that kidnapped her father to ransom him since he was apart of a wealthy merchant family. Dad (the elf) fell in love and woo'ed her through the bars of the cage. Long story short (it is kinda long) they married.
I don't know if I have the skills to pull that off at the table...
not fishing but seriously no trauma at all, I have no idea how they would think or feel! Though I certainly wish more people could know how that feels.
Talia is a surgeon and her life in the village has been very happy and peaceful...
... because in a super pro GM move, the VILLAGE is the one with the dark traumatic backstory that us PCs need to fix. 👏👏👏 I love this campaign so much and it's only been two sessions.
Real talk, my very first D&D character had a happy trauma-free backstory including alive parents she had a great relationship with. I did not get the memo as a new player. 😂😛
Not always, but sometimes it can be an interesting idea to play—not to prevent the DM from having elements to build on, but to create a richer and more meaningful background.
Did it once, the whole party was half siblings (we realized after it was like The Ridiculous 6). My character was the only survivor of a near TPK. So then he had a family to avenge.
I have decided that my next TTRPG is going to be a Tiefling Chronurgist Wizard without major trauma that is generally happy. And if something traumatic happens to him during the campaign, he's going to crash out very hard.
That's what I was hoping to do with a PC. Just a small elderly man living on his farm before a group of adventurers rolled into town and indirectly turn his very easy going life upside down.
If I make a 1st level character my background is always sparse as I see it is their life just beginning. My last two characters had no background trauma at all.
Not going to say that they didn't gain any trauma on their adventures, nope not saying that.
I haven't made an untraumatized character since I began my transition. But I made two like, right before then! Both cops, somehow. And one of them was also a notable absentee father (he sent back gold... only gold)
I'll consider trying another though, it's been like six years
My longest played one was, and it was delightful. He was just a big oaf of a tank who wanted to leave his community and set out to try new things in the best of ways. It was so fun to play to his awe and wonder. Annoyed the hell out of the party, too. That was just bonus.
Fred Feltington is a friendly sentient hat that pilots the mannequin he was first placed on. He came to life when his haberdasher mixed fairy dust, unicorn hair, and a bit of slaad blood into his felting glue. Fred is a Glamour Bard/Wild Sorcerer that uses Minor Illusion to give the mannequin a face
My Children of Éarte character had a completely lovely, trauma free childhood! She was loved, nurtured, lived a comfortable life, and supported in any way she needed. She went out into the world looking for adventure because she knew her family would always have her back.
Now of my three current streaming characters, one had a generally ok childhood, one ran away from school to avoid family judgement, and one can't remember her childhood at all. So.... 1 1/2 out of 3?
I currently have 2 alts lined up should something unfortunate happen to my current D&D character. One of them is the angstiest most traumatised character I've ever made. The other is most sunshiney happy and healthy character I've ever made. I'm not sure what that says about me.
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But in all seriousness, it’s hard to make a completely trauma free PC. I do have a couple kicking around though.
I have a character I have played yet who is a little Human with a knack for wizardry raised by Halfling farmers who adopted him. Turns out he was Kal-El’ed from the ancient magocracy in the settings distant past
Art by @rinisaurus.bsky.social
....what do you mean "that's worse?"
So all of its trauma is going to come through the game. XD
So it did. By ripping open a hole in roughly the right place.
Most of the trauma is happening to the other players.
"I'm going to drag everyone down and make the whole campaign about my PC's trauma!"
or...
"My PC's trauma is too bad for them to open up, so I'm going to push every other PC away!"
... I don't do trauma anymore.
I actually got bullied out of a group for having a stable character.
Like I know the individual meaning of each word you used but used together like that I dont understand.
not fishing but seriously no trauma at all, I have no idea how they would think or feel! Though I certainly wish more people could know how that feels.
Talia is a surgeon and her life in the village has been very happy and peaceful...
... because in a super pro GM move, the VILLAGE is the one with the dark traumatic backstory that us PCs need to fix. 👏👏👏 I love this campaign so much and it's only been two sessions.
https://bsky.app/profile/simonethebard.bsky.social/post/3lbs5w7c2fs2w
He nearly died 3 times and his best friend and partner in shenanigans did die. Adventuring was horrible for him
Not going to say that they didn't gain any trauma on their adventures, nope not saying that.
I'll consider trying another though, it's been like six years
But I'm now playing a character who fully worked through her trauma and healed. It's interesting playing someone more put together than I am!
The closest might be Patience Hollyhock's (Triangle Agency) tax fraud. 😂
I love the idea of a person who has the ability to help, wants to travel, and enjoys the possibility of adventure.
My current character is basically Kronk, so I guess it's trauma-lite
I love Neb so much. <3
Her motivation for adventuring was basically just that she was a jock over achiever/gifted kid, so "trauma free" is relative
Sure she failed all her classes to start adventuring school, but that’s not traumatic.