20 Reasons for PC's to Adventure Together
On Leap Year Day, I wanted to create something a little different for you. Something that you may not need often, but hopefully something you'll find useful never the less. This is a table for starting a new campaign, shaking up an old one to introduce new characters, or giving you a premise for your group in a one-shot game. Additionally, sometimes the players create such a diverse group of characters that the GM has difficulties trying to make them all fit into a group. For all of these purposes and any other thing you may be able to use it for, I give you 20 Reasons for PC's to Adventure Together. Happy gaming!
The PC's may or may not know one another, but are all on board the same ship. Some may be crew, others may be passengers, stow-aways, or even slaves. A storm in the night wrecks the ship and strands the PC's on an island together as survivors.
The PC's are all unknown to one another, but at their coming of age celebration, in seperate communities, each was given a piece of a magical artifact and told to guard it with their lives. That was long ago, but now the magic has pulled them together for some purpose.
Each member of the group has made their own seperate contract with the Adventurer's Guild and the group has been called together for a secrective high-paying client. The PC's may or may not know one another, but everyone has their own reason to be here.
Once again, the PC's may not know each other except by reputation yet they are all rounded up by the town guard for questioning regarding the stealing of several magical items from a rich itenerant wizard. Innocent of all charges, these usual suspects get to know each other while in jail together.
The PC's may or may not know one another, but all are participants in a strenuous ritual physical competition designed to leave only X winners as the Defenders of the Faith to be addressed by the wise ones and sent out on a quest.
The PC's all know one another from childhood. They grew up in the same village, went to the same school, or were perhaps orphans. Whatever the circumstances were, it has now been years since they have seen one another.
The PC's have all been drawn to the same remote location by shared visions, dreams, and spiritual guides. None of them know one another and all are travelling alone, but each of them shares a feeling that the visions are important.
The PC's are members of same nomad clan. They may or may not be family, but they certainly all know one another. Something causes the PC's to be shunned from the main clan and they must undertake a great quest to reclaim their spots in the clan with glory.
The PC's are just out-of-work adventurers looking for a job. Some may know one another by reputation, but none are associates. The group meets when they all show up to answer the same help wanted ad.
The PC's know each other in a cursory fashion. They are all in the same class at university together. While on a field trip to an ancient ruin, a magical event gates the PC's to another world. The group must now depend upon one another if they want to get back home.
The PC's happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and are mistakenly attacked and very nearly killed by the Big Bad's henchmen, who believe the PC's are someone else entirely. The PC's meet one another while recovering in a temple or healing sanctuary.
The PC's are members of the same magic-wielding family from different time periods on a quest to stop a great evil from destroying the world itself.
The PC's each receive an engraved invitation to meet for lunch at the estate of a rich and powerful recluse. None of them know one another before arriving at the country estate for the noon day meeting.
The PC's are all watching the spectacles at Pluton's Circus Maximus, a mile long chariot racing oval, when a massive earthquake begins to destroy the city. The PC's don't know one another when things start, but will be among the only survivors when it's done.
The PC's do not know one another, but they share a religion. Each has been picked by the high cleric overseeing their area to travel to the main temple and meet the bishop. The bishop will evaluate them further and perhaps send them on a holy quest.
The PC's don't know anything about one another. They all come from different walks of life, but what they all share in common is that each of them owes a favor to an extermely powerful man. Tonight is the night they will meet each other and begin to repay those favors.
The PC's know each other by reputation only. Each one is a member of a political faction rival to every other one. An important job MUST be done, but no faction trusts any other faction to do the job without gaining an advantage over all others. This is why a team of known rivals was created.
The PC's come from varied backgrounds and do not know each other. All of them wake up half-naked and chained to a slave-galley oar. The ship is no longer in sight of land. The last thing any of them remembers is drinking in tavern last night.
The time has come for all good citizens to come to the aid of their kingdom! A great threat is upon our lands that means our way of life may be destroyed if able-bodied men and women aren't willing to do their part. The PC's are part of a newly-formed military unit.
The PC's don't know each other and come from a variety of backgrounds. They randomly walk into a tavern, whose bartender can't seem to remember his own name, but knows a great deal about an old ruin just outside of town. They consume far too much ale, meet a mysterious patron with a quest for them, and they leave the tavern, which they will never return to, on an adventure that will make them life-long friends.