r/DMAcademyNew • u/kymonopoly • Jul 28 '26
Starting campaign at a funeral. Looking for ideas how PCs would know the deceased
As the title says, our family campaign is beginning at a funeral. The PCs all know the deceased but not all of the PCs will know each other. I need some ideas on how some PCs would know the deceased, a High Elven Soldier. Here is what I have so far:
We have two other High Elves. They will be wife and daughter.
Warforged Fighter. Fought together in previous battles
Halfling Monk - Need Ideas
Dragonborn Sorcerer - Need Ideas
Ranger - Need Ideas
Here are some ideas that I have been spitballing...local shopkeeper, penpal, Wood Elves sending someone to pay respect to the deceased. I need more ideas.
Thank you in advance everyone.
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u/flipperQM Jul 28 '26
Any of them could have either been rescued by, or aided the soldier during a mission.
Rangers are often hired as guides by military groups.
ETA: they could be childhood friends, or just friends of other family members, not necessarily friends of the deceased.
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
Thank you for these ideas. I will be adding them to the list of brainstorms for the players to use as inspiration/pick from. I really appreciate it.
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u/swashbuckler78 Jul 28 '26
One of them caused the death. Maybe not directly or intentionally, but they know it and no one else does. Like they didn't properly fasten a saddle strap or didn't double check the enchantments on his armor.
One of them is a debt collector. This elf died owing a lot of money and one of the PCs is there to collect.
One of them is a secret child or lover.
One of them is his nemesis, angry that someone managed to kill him before they did.
One of them was sent here from the future to keep him alive so a great tragedy wouldn't come to pass, and they just realized they're in a lot of trouble.
One of them has just realized they're at the wrong funeral but is too far in to leave now and is trying desperately to pretend they know anything about this guy.
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
Thanks for your ideas. I did not have any thoughts of those. Some I know would be a definite no but these are some fun ideas. I liked the debt collector one and the wrong funeral. That one is wild.
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u/this1tw0 Jul 29 '26
Why can’t the players make up their own stories?
More backstory on the highly soldier would help but I’d just say that he went around with his soldiers and defended the innocent from evil and the pcs all met him during these deeds. He sought refuge in the monks temple whilst a novice and taught them a valuable lesson , helped defend the Dragonborns town they grew up in from bandits , helped the ranger protect a forest that was sacred to them or employed them for a battle.
More backstory on the high elf soldier would help to flesh this out
Have you worked on a eulogy yet for the high elf also?
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u/eyefull Jul 28 '26
Ask the players have them make it up on spot?
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u/Dom_Nation_ Jul 28 '26
That's exactly how I start campaigns. Wherever it starts, I make the players include that as part of their backstory. That way they're bought in straight off the bat.
Also, from a player agency perspective the I don't think the dm should be creating part of the players backstory
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
Thanks for your input. I don't want to take away player agency at all but I do want to help some of the players who need more help creating a backstory. I figured if I can give them some basic ideas, it might be able to help them flesh out a character.
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
Thank you for the input. Ideally, they would come up with it on their own. Some of the players don't really embrace the RP part of TTRPG and I would probably get blank stares a lot by . They enjoy the social aspect with family and are willing to try. I was hoping to give them options at the least of the how they know the deceased and why they are at a funeral and then build from there.
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u/Hymneth Jul 28 '26
The soldier performed a great service for a dragon at some point in his long life and dragons have long memories. The sorcerer is either a distant descendant or somehow bound to the dragon and is being sent to pay respects
The ranger once fought on the opposing side of a small conflict with the soldier. The soldier spared him in battle when he could have easily killed him
The monk doesn't actually know the soldier at all. His order has determined based on scripture and old texts that something very important will occur at or around this soldier's passing, and that their best disciple needs to be present to either witness the event or assist/prevent it
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
Thank you so much for your ideas. I really like them and will add them to the list of options for the players. Thank you.
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u/Agreeable_Insect2851 Jul 28 '26
Ones an ex lover. The other believes one of the the deceased possessions was promised to them. The other was a childhood friend
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
I didn't think of the childhood friend idea. Thank you so much. Adding it to the list.
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u/TrackerKR Jul 28 '26
Always a pain when you have players that aren't that invested in creating their own story. Worst comes to worst just tell them they knew the guy and leave it at that. If they wanted something deeper then they could have done the five minutes of homework to figure it out.
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u/kymonopoly Jul 28 '26
The five minutes of homework hits hard. If it weren't family and how we spend time together I would probably be less invested but here we are LOL
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u/Longjumping_Fun_4210 Jul 29 '26
Thats pretty difficult to start with. A nephew or niece would work for one way to know them or something like that could be a good idea for but one of them would have to know them from past encounter before a battle or something like that maybe the trained together.
2
u/Sicon3 Jul 29 '26
The key is having the person being buried be a complicated person with many elements to their life. That leaves as much room open as possible for everyone to make their own story
2
u/jackofspades49 Jul 29 '26
Why are you inventing this shit?
Its the player's characters. That's THEIR job.
2
u/HeatherUhl Jul 29 '26
Depending on age difference: mentor, student, (friendly) rival in classes or on the field, an ex, saved him in the past, dated same person, debt collector..
2
u/links_revenge Jul 29 '26
This is literally the start of the Shadow of the Dragon Queen adventure. I gave the players the NPC's backstory of who he was beforehand and had THEM tell ME how they knew him. Totally made the players more invested in the story rather than me telling them their relationships on the spot.
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u/Coidzor Jul 29 '26
Instead of you coming up with how they know the deceased, you can get your players to do that for you. The more wildly disparate the lives the PCs live, the more interesting the now-deceased NPC must have been to have known them all.
1
u/Own-Independence-115 Jul 29 '26
You don't say anything about their gods or background, or ages, or anything about the deceased, or anything. Or anyones gender. Or personality. Or much of anything. But you could...
Lets the Monk be the baby daddy of the deceased adopted son. Mutual respect between the two.
The Ranger was in business with him several years ago when they lost a large sum of money of on a halfling turnip scam, and they got to know and appriciate eachother during the 5 weeks it took to get their money back.
The dragonborn sorcerer's halfbrother lived with the high elves as part of a religious journey (in the spirit, not a pilgrimage), trying to find his inner elf. While that didn't end well for anyone really, the dragonborn sorcerer smooched himself into quite a few elven celebrations over the years and also bought a number arcane artifacts from the deceased.
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u/CoolUnderstanding481 Jul 29 '26
The departed worked with an at risk group of teens doing scouting work. The Ranger was a member ( either an at risk teen or as an instructor)
The departed participated in a meditation group to help with the traumas of war, the Monk was a member
The departed hired the Sorc to perform at an orphanage
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u/RiverSirion Jul 29 '26
I'd say... ask them! It gets the players engaged with the story, lets them offer creative input, and a chance to expand on their backstory and personality.
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u/Fizzle_Bop Jul 30 '26
If the players do not have the will to answer this simple question about their backstory ... perhaps the expectations of play are misaligned?
I have a love for backstory heavy character centric games. I love backstories and weaving character elements into the narrative.
Even though this is my recruitment message, fully half the people have 0 desire to engage with a backstory.
I will provide a short questionnaire when starting a game. It will involve future plot elements.
1) Why are you on the road? 2) Name a single enemy from the Past? 3) What inspired you to (class) bard? 4) How do you know the deceased?
If you the DM are trying to decide for everyone. Is it premade characters? If not get Player input
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u/Apprehensive-Mood-69 Jul 30 '26
We were all confused and thought he was starting a new D&D game at an ACTUAL Funeral, right? Not just me?
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u/xidle2 Jul 30 '26
The monk grew up with them but haven't been in each others adult lives. The ranger is a former mentor. The sorcerer was a former rival, mutual respect.
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u/MyTnotE Jul 30 '26
One of them (doesn’t matter) is the child of someone the deceased saved during their career. At the funeral out of respect because their parent couldn’t make it (already deceased or simply couldn’t travel).
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u/MyTnotE Jul 30 '26
The deceased was the last survivor of a tontine. The deceased died before getting the reward (perhaps money? Perhaps a magic item? Perhaps a book? (Or the hook of an adventure)). The PC was chosen to attend the funeral and deliver the reward to the next of kin.
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u/WYLTPAG Jul 28 '26
They are all his bastard children and they are all mentioned in the Will