Ambition and Reward

The third point in my list of thoughts on what makes for great moments while playing an RPG has to do with ambition and reward. Any sentient being that straps on a battle axe or opens a spell book to go off on adventures probably has a good reason for doing so, or else they'd just stay on the farm.

When I mention ambition, I don't necessarily mean a very specific defined goal, although that can be wonderful on occasion. What I mean is characters have to want to do things. To actively seek out adventure and its rewards in order to fulfill some inner need to advance in power and wealth.

At first they may just be chasing power and wealth for its own sake, but hopefully something in your world will draw a character in and they will want to put their riches, magic items and alliances they've formed to the test to achieve something of note. Originally the Fighter was just a man trying to earn a living, but now he's found allies, companions and possibly even love in this region he's fought his way across. Now threatened by outside invaders, he gathers the allies he's made, straps on his +5 Greatsword of Rending and rides out to make these invaders regret ever reading his home's name on a map.

Players may write short or long term goals into their backstory. This can be great or awful. A dramatic short term goal like "my younger sister was captured by an evil cult" could be a great motivator for a young warrior to leave their home and take up arms. Something to consider however is that a roleplaying game isn't a 90 minute action flick or a novel starring this character. 

A character that's going to be a part of an ongoing campaign and not their own solo comic book or novella run needs to be able to operate with others and understand that not every "chapter" is going to be about their specific goal. But if a character can understand that progress of any kind, be that the accumulation of gold or experience or magic items ultimately only helps further their own purposes in the end then you've got a winner on your hands.

The main point here though is that no matter what a character may be trying to ultimately achieve, they need to be rewarded properly for taking steps towards it.

This brings me around to something I feel is missing from D&D 5e which is multiple paths of progression.

Most of the power a character has in 5e comes purely from decisions that a player makes when their character is first created, the subclass they pick, and if they choose to take feats instead of ability score increases. You'll notice none of these things really have much to do with what a character actually goes through on their adventures, or experiences in the game world.

This becomes even more apparent if your players are even slightly into the concept of min/maxing where certain feat choices at specific levels are the blindingly obvious optimal path for character power. A Paladin who takes the Oath of the Ancients and plays through Rime of the Frost Maiden comes out the other end essentially the same as a Paladin with the same Oath who played through Descent into Avernus.

To that end I've begun working on several new progression systems for my game, as well as alterations of existing ones to allow characters to have their power be tied more to things they've earned through gameplay rather than boxes they've ticked on a sheet.

Powerful racial abilities that progress through gameplay, far more flexible and impactful magic items, and character feats and build customization earned through adventuring will all hopefully allow for far more unique characters, draw my players into being invested into the characters they make as part of my world, and ultimately eliminate any player ever again saying "why would my character go on this adventure?"

Next time I'll either dive into some specific examples of these new racial abilities, or I may do a roundup/review of some materials that have inspired me lately.