OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Character Motivation Generator
Goals, Desires and Reasons to Adventure
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How the Character Motivation Generator works
A character motivation generator for goals, desires and reasons to adventure. A motivation tells you why a character acts, and it is the fastest way to make any hero, villain or NPC feel purposeful. Pick noble, selfish, secret or villainous and give your character a reason to get up in the morning.
How the character motivation generator works
Noble motivations are about helping others, protecting a village or keeping a promise. Selfish motivations are about wealth, fame, love or winning, and they are just as good for heroes as for rogues. Secret motivations are hidden from the rest of the party, like spying for a client or running from an order, which gives a game master a twist to reveal later. Villainous motivations explain why the enemy does what they do, and the best ones sound almost reasonable. Pair them with names from the villain name generator for a full antagonist.
Understandable villains
A villain who wants to end all suffering by force is more frightening than one who is simply evil, because players can see the logic.
FAQ
Why does a character need a motivation?
Motivation drives every choice a character makes. Without it, heroes wander and villains feel flat. With a clear goal, you always know what the character would do next, which makes them easy to play and to write.
Can a character have more than one motivation?
Yes. Many great characters have a public goal and a private one that pull in different directions. A knight who wants justice but also wants revenge will face hard choices, and those choices make great scenes.
What makes a good villain motivation?
A good villain motivation is one the hero could almost agree with. If the villain wants to protect people or fix an injustice, but uses cruel methods, players will argue about it, and that makes the villain memorable.
Can I use these in my game or book?
Yes. The motivations are free to use in tabletop campaigns, video games, novels and short stories. Combine one with a trait and a flaw from the other character generators, and you have the core of a full character.
See also: all Fantasy & RPG tools, People, Sci-fi, Culture & Language, Online & Social, Business & Brand, Places & Things.
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