Avowed character background stories offer a crucial foundation for understanding each character’s motivations and place within the world of Eora.
Ever wondered what shapes the heroes and villains in Obsidian’s upcoming RPG, Avowed? The depth of storytelling goes beyond mere quest lines; it dives into the origins. We are talking about the intricate tapestry of Avowed character background stories. These backstories provide the crucial context for their actions and choices we see in the game.
These histories will not be simple and straightforward. They are complex and will influence the character’s personality. These tales directly impact how we connect with them. Understanding these characters origins, makes their journey more interesting.
Avowed Character Background Stories
Okay, let’s dive deep into the exciting world of character backgrounds in Avowed! It’s not just about picking a cool-looking hero; it’s about crafting a story that feels like it’s yours. The choices you make before the game even starts can change how you see the world of Eora and how it sees you. Think of it like choosing the first chapter of a really awesome book, and this chapter is going to shape everything that comes after. We’ll explore how these backstories influence your adventures, relationships, and even the quests you get to embark on.
The Importance of Background in Role-Playing Games
Before we get into the specifics of Avowed, let’s chat about why character backgrounds matter in role-playing games (RPGs) in general. They give your character a soul. It’s like they have their own special history that makes them more than just a puppet on a screen.
Adds Depth: A background gives your character more layers. You’re not just some random adventurer; you’re someone with a past, with motivations, with things they care about.
Impacts Dialogue: The things you’ve been through affect how you talk to people. A character who grew up in a city might have different things to say to a farmer than someone who lived their life in the wilds.
Changes Gameplay: Some backstories might give you special skills, or special quests that others might not be able to experience. Your history opens doors and can sometimes close others.
Personal Connection: A good character background is like a magnet. It draws you deeper into the game, because you’re not just playing a character, you’re playing your character.
Avowed’s Unique Approach to Backstories
Avowed takes this idea and runs with it, offering players rich and varied backgrounds to choose from. This isn’t just a simple “pick a class” system; it’s more like selecting a piece of a puzzle that makes up who your character is. We don’t have all the details yet, as Obsidian is holding some of their cards close to their chest, but we have a good starting point based on what we do know.
Known Background Elements
Though exact backgrounds are still mostly under wraps, we can infer a few things about what might be influencing your character:
The Living Lands: The world of Eora and the specific region called the Living Lands will play a huge part. It’s likely that your character’s connection to the landscape, or a particular group of people living within it, will play a role. Were you a wanderer? A member of a specific settlement or clan?
The Oath and Your Connection to it: The main idea is that you’re being asked by the Living Lands (or its inhabitants) to come and take action. How you respond to this call, and if you feel obliged to do so, will likely be connected to your backstory.
Magic and Abilities: Your background may influence your starting abilities with magic, giving you a head start with certain types of spells or combat techniques. Perhaps those of specific schools of magic (as confirmed in the gameplay trailers).
Factions: Avowed seems to be following Obsidian’s design history of giving us a factional system, this time, we can see the focus will be on the Living Lands themselves with groups of people, so, based on your background, you may have an existing relationship to one or several of these groups.
Hypothesized Background Archetypes
Based on what we know, we can speculate on some of the types of character backgrounds we might see in Avowed. Remember, this is speculation, but it gives us an idea of the possibilities.
The Wandering Scholar
Imagine a character who spent their early life poring over ancient texts and researching lost magics.
Possible Traits: Intelligent, curious, perhaps a bit socially awkward.
Skills: Might start with knowledge of specific spells or a knack for deciphering cryptic clues.
Motivations: Driven by the pursuit of knowledge, a desire to understand the world’s secrets.
How they react to the oath: They may feel compelled to investigate, believing that their research has led them to this point and that they can use their knowledge to assist.
Possible gameplay: They may get access to specific magic based quests and a higher insight/knowledge.
The Clan Warrior
A character raised within a close-knit community, skilled in combat, and loyal to their people.
Possible Traits: Brave, loyal, protective, with a strong sense of honor.
Skills: Likely to excel in melee combat and survival techniques.
Motivations: Driven by the duty to protect their clan, their land and their beliefs.
How they react to the oath: They would see it as a necessary duty and feel compelled to defend what is sacred.
Possible Gameplay: They would probably focus on close range combat and physical confrontation with potential specialisations in specific combat styles.
The City Outcast
A character who grew up on the streets, learning to survive by their wits.
Possible Traits: Resourceful, street-smart, maybe a little cynical.
Skills: Could be good at stealth, lock-picking, and persuasion.
Motivations: Might be seeking a way to escape their past or to use their skills for a greater purpose.
How they react to the oath: They may be less trusting, more cynical of the intentions of those calling them to do the oath.
Possible Gameplay: They may be better at stealth and persuasion, and they could have quests linked to their old underworld connections.
The Mystical Seer
A character with an innate connection to the spiritual side of Eora, perhaps with visions or prophecies.
Possible Traits: Intuitive, perceptive, maybe a bit eccentric.
Skills: Might have access to unique magic or healing abilities.
Motivations: Guided by their visions or a desire to understand the deeper mysteries of the world.
How they react to the oath: They would feel called by destiny and be guided by the visions or signs they are being presented with.
Possible Gameplay: They would likely use healing and other magical abilities, and may have alternative solutions to quests based on their prophetic abilities.
The Traveling Merchant
A character who spent their youth traveling the land, connecting with different cultures and learning a range of skills.
Possible Traits: Charismatic, adaptable, knowledgeable about different cultures.
Skills: May be good at trading, negotiation, and have a wide range of knowledge.
Motivations: May seek out profit, but perhaps also the thrill of adventure and the chance to explore new places.
How they react to the oath: They might see it as a great business opportunity, or another chapter in their life of adventures.
Possible gameplay: They could have specific trading quests, knowledge of item locations, and a knack for negotiating with NPCs.
How Your Background Impacts Your Journey
Okay, so you’ve got a character background, now what? How does it actually affect the game? Here are some ways your chosen history might make a difference:
Dialogue Options: You might have unique dialogue choices based on your background. For instance, a Clan Warrior might have a different way of speaking to a town guard than a City Outcast.
Quest Lines: Your background can open up specific quest lines. A Wandering Scholar might stumble upon ancient ruins others would miss, while a Clan Warrior might be asked to settle a dispute between their people and another.
Factions Interaction: Your background could automatically make you liked or disliked by different groups within Eora.
Starting Gear and Skills: You might begin the game with specific armor, weapons, or spells that align with your history. For example, The Clan Warrior might start with a sword and basic armor, while the Scholar might have magical books.
NPC Relationships: Some characters you meet might react differently to you based on your background. An outcast might find a kindred spirit in another who has had difficulties in their lives, while the Scholar may be approached for help in researching ancient secrets.
Crafting Your Own Story Within Avowed
The beauty of Avowed, like many RPGs, is that it’s not just about playing a story; it’s about creating your story. Your background is the foundation upon which you build your character’s journey through the Living Lands.
Think about your character’s personality
Even with a set background, you can still decide what your character’s personality is like, are they kind and compassionate, or cold and cynical?
Their Values: What’s important to them? Justice? Freedom? Knowledge?
Their Flaws: Are they quick to anger? Perhaps they struggle with trust or they are maybe a bit too curious.
Their Goals: What do they hope to achieve during their time in Eora? Are they seeking peace, vengeance, power?
Your Character’s Name: Names have the power to enhance the character, you can choose to keep the default name or chose your own.
Making Choices That Reflect Your Character
As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter many situations that test your character’s morals and goals. Your background should inform these choices.
Consider the Consequences: Every decision has an impact on the world and your relationship with others.
Stay True to Your Character: If you’ve decided your character is a peace-loving soul, try to avoid actions that would compromise those values.
Don’t Be Afraid to Evolve: Characters can grow and change during their adventures. Let your journey impact your character’s development.
Looking Ahead: What to Expect from Avowed’s Backgrounds
While we don’t know all of the exact details yet, we can be sure that Avowed’s character backgrounds will be a crucial part of the gameplay experience.
More Detailed Backstories: Obsidian is known for its detailed world-building, so it’s likely we will get very detailed backstories that will give us a lot to think about.
Variety of Options: We’ll hopefully be presented with a wide array of backgrounds that will suit different playstyles and tastes.
Meaningful Impact: Our choices will be reflected in the game, and we won’t be just picking something that has no impact on the world around us.
The character backgrounds in Avowed are shaping up to be more than just starting points; they’re the seeds from which your unique stories will grow. By carefully considering your character’s history, motivations, and values, you’ll be able to craft a truly memorable experience in the Living Lands. It will be fascinating to see how different players will use these backgrounds to forge their own individual adventures. We can all be sure that Obsidian is committed to giving us a world to be truly immersed in, and that a lot of care and attention is being put into giving our player characters depth, history, and, most importantly, a sense of agency.
Avowed Story Trailer
Final Thoughts
Avowed character background stories promise intricate narratives, shaping player experience. These varied origins and histories will likely heavily influence gameplay choices. Players will see the depth of each character. It could provide unique abilities and quests.
The different paths in the character background will add to replayability and offer a more individualized story. Avowed character background stories seem crucial to the world. We can expect compelling personal journeys to enhance the game significantly.
