what are some standard motivations by type.

P

Persell

Ten Thousand Club
just thought I'd compose what I see as a good list of the "generic Motivations" so an ST has an easy time coming up with one.


Important note: these are GENERIC as I said before and Im attempting to provide a quick list for St's who need Motivations for NPC's in a hurry. (P.S. they dont deserve much help though... exalted should NOT EVER be used as if they were  extras... if you just want a tough monster to throw at a circle come up with a wyld beast thank you)


Solar: Topple the realm and bring back the golden age, avenge himself on the dragon blooded (and if hes discovered their role in it) the bronze faction siderals, Regain the love of his lunar spouse. Gain control of (Insert name of city)


Dynast: Enslave everybody, protect the realm, safeguard his house, achieve rank of abbot, general, senator, or what have you.


Lunar: Topple civilization and bring the world under the law of the jungle. Guide tribe to prosperity and peace. Become known as greatest warrior ever. Reconcile who you are with the silver pact (Only appropiate really if the charachter is someone from civilized society and see's a conflict.


Outcaste dragonblooded: Achieve wealth and power. achieve respect of Dynasts, suppost mortal family (good for one of peasant birth) Stand at my masters side when he sits himself on a golden throne (good for a Celestials lietenant)


Bronze factoin sideral: Enslave everybody


gold faction sideral: topple the realm and bring back the golden age.


Abyssal: Destroy creation utterly. (renegades are usualy: either "escape my masters clutches! or maybe "Become a solar"


Fairfolk: topple order and stability.


Spirits: expand by dominion, someday play the games of divinity.


sorry this was meant to be serious but since I was succint I think it came out rather comical.


please try to remember Im trying to eyeball whats Standard,not say every NPC or PC of the type should have one of the listed motivations.
 
closest thing their is is wyld cauldren technique.


I just think that a charismatic enough solar, should be able to get a dragon blooded from the immaculate order to renounce his robes, and the orders tenets, and become his body guard and shield bearer.
 
There's a host of Presence, Socialize and Performance Charms that could do the trick.  Some aren't even high-Essence Charms, so any starting Solar could likely talk their way around the brainwashing of the Immaculate Order with the appropriate Charm and a helluva lot of RP.  Hypnotic Tongue Technique, Respect Commanding Attitude and Heart-Compelling Method alone could alter a Motivation given the proper amount of RP.  I don't see any reason to make Motivation-altering an instant thing; it has to be RPed through with judicial applications of appropriate Charms.
 
I'd say those would be cookie cutter motivations, and pretty thin ones at that.


Solars can have as wide a motivations as anyone else.  They may want revenge for past wrongs, to bring about the wonders of the First Age, to carve out their own empire, to bring about the Third Age.  


The Lunars...they have a different wisdom from their years in wilderness.  It's not so much "civilization" as a whole, but a culling of the weakness that led to the fall of the First Age.  They can see the civilization that is currently tottering as wrong, but even the tribes under their sway have a certain level of civilization, they have to in order to come together.  Rather, they are looking for a society that is looking towards their own sense on honor and balance.


The Dragon Bloods aren't neccessarily looking to enslave everyone.  They can be seen as looking to preserve Order.  They are looking to bring the blessings of civilization to a world that has been ravaged by the Contagion, the Fae, and the fall of the First Age.  Mind you, that sense or Order has them at the top of the heap, but that is pretty much what everyone is looking for.  Solars, Lunars, and Sidereals all.


The Bronze Faction isn't neccessarily looking to enslave everyone, but guide the Creation back to order again.  The Solars are an impediment to that goal, being mad, or tending towards that, and they have prophesy to back them up on that.  They want to avoid the deaths of millions.  If that means keeping the Creation creaking along, in its diminished state, they're willing to do that, if it means less folks screaming into that good night.  


The Gold Faction is looking to bring the Solars back, again to restore Order, because things are out of whack, and the Bronze Faction knows it too.  They have a philosophical difference in if the Solars can be guided--with a Sidereal influence to watch for creeping in madness.  But the goal is still the same to preserve Order, and keep things running properly.  They just differ on if the Celestial Bureacracy can handle the Solars return, and their power.


The Neverborn certainly want to erase the Creation, but their Abyssals have motivations just as varied as the Solars, but they have masters who can yank their chains and get them back in line with what the Neverborn are after--but that doesn't mean that Abyssals all want to destroy the Creation--they all have different reasons for wanting to return, and some of them can be noble, or just selfish.


The Fair Folk again have a lot of varied motivations.  Some would like to see the Creation as their own playground--a respite from their own conflicts, supplied with fun toys to play with.  Others want nothing more to do with the place, but again need a place of respite from their own wars and conficts, and are making due.  


Spirits, you're about on track with, but even then Spirits have wildly varied motivations, due to their differing purposes---and some Spirits may want to avoid their duties altogether, and try something different, while others are just about being a Poop Spirit, filling the world with their own particular stink.


The Wyld Hunt should be motivated to protect the Realm from threats of a Spiritual nature.  Against rogue Spirits, Demons, Ghosts, Deathknights, Solars, Lunars gone bad.  Their purpose is to protect folks from Things Gone Wrong.  


Show a member of the Wyld Hunt that the Solars aren't the blood thirsty Baby Eaters that they've been told they are, that they want to build rather than tear down, and you could conceivably turn a Hunt to the side of the Solar.  It's a matter of what that particular character is looking to do.  A bloodthirsty egomaniac who is looking to loose himself on targets of opportunity, not so much, but a noble warrior who is looking to protect his home and hearth from Threats From Beyond...they might see the benifit to working with a Solar, rather than drygulching him.


The key is not to make cookie cutter motivations, but individual motivations.  Make good characters, and their motivations become clear, rather than relying on stereotypes.  


I have to disagree with the list you put up, because that sort of thinking leads to drab, predictable, and not terribly deep games, and if that's what you're looking for, then have at it, but don't sign me up to play, because those sorts of games make me feel icky inside, because there is so much potential, and these sorts of cut and paste motivations make for thin fare...
 
lol!!! I was ttrying to help Eyeball NPC motivations quickly. not to say every one has that kind of motivation.


but (As I admitted) as it went on it DID become more of a comedy


Yes they CAN have Other motivations but its good to give the ST  a starting point.
 
Another list, this based on occupation or social class (AGAIN let me reiterate these are whats STANDARD not whats invariable.


Slaves: Obtain freedom, vengeance on ones master, work oneself into the masters good graces, Help my master Achieve X project.


Peasant: Obtain my freedom, achieve a moderate amount of wealth, retire with a moderate degree of wealth


Soldier: protect my nation, Protect my comrades, Just get out of this alive, become a hero, achieve a officers rank, Dessert sucessfuly.


disenfranchised: save up the 4 koku needed to pay a residency pledge fee, escape from the realm, achieve vengeance on the prefect who disenfranchised me and my family, stay alive.


Officer: Keep my men alive, Slay the enemy, Achieve greater accolades/Promotion, Outperform a rival.


Merchants: retire comfortably, leave a large business to my son.


Patrician of the realm: achieve great wealth, Marry my way into the Dynasty, take control of X business in X prefecture.


Mayor/Headman/ village elder: Keep my community peaceful and prosperous/ Remain in control at all cost, Embezzle amounts of money without them knowing it.
 
Again, I guess I just question the usefullness of listing the most obvious and stereotypical...
 
My initial impression of motivations is that they should be grand and far-reaching (I went with "rid the world of shadows"; shadows = forces from the Underworld). But in a more traditional campaign, I would elect to go with something more personal and build upon it with each successful accomplishment. For example, start off with "purge Shantytown of shadows", then when that's done, "eliminate all outposts in Creation belonging to Angry Dreams of Vengeance in the Waking Hour", then "Topple the Underworld empire of Angry Dreams of Vengeance in the Waking Hour." I think it's good to have evolving goals.


Relating to this thread, I also think the specific approach would work better for coming up with ST character motivations. Basically the ST should tailor the motivation for the story and not even think about generics.
 
sumocat said:
My initial impression of motivations is that they should be grand and far-reaching (I went with "rid the world of shadows"; shadows = forces from the Underworld). But in a more traditional campaign, I would elect to go with something more personal and build upon it with each successful accomplishment. For example, start off with "purge Shantytown of shadows", then when that's done, "eliminate all outposts in Creation belonging to Angry Dreams of Vengeance in the Waking Hour", then "Topple the Underworld empire of Angry Dreams of Vengeance in the Waking Hour." I think it's good to have evolving goals.
Relating to this thread, I also think the specific approach would work better for coming up with ST character motivations. Basically the ST should tailor the motivation for the story and not even think about generics.
Click to expand...
Yeah I wholeheartedly agree with that. If you start too big i.e. destroy the realm and reestablish the deliberative, there there is no room for growth which will ultimately bore the players.
 
one reason Im asking is Im "2nd Editizing" my game right now.


so im having to come up with motivations and intimacys for my NPC's.


For my current antaganist. (a mortal infernalist, who's little more then a disaffected madman)  Im thinking that "summon up a demon and loose it on creation" might be a good motivation


For his intimacys I'm a little stumped... and it might come up...
 
did I say that the mortal infernalist had a CHANCE in Malfeas of actualy SUCCEEDING in bring creation down?


no I did not.


remember most Yozi Worshippers are like devil worshipers in real life.


Disaffected, silly and often stupid.
 
one more thing I REALLY want to know...


to put it succintly...


how many dragon blooded should have motivations that, essentialy, will not brook collaboration with the Anathema.


any guesses?
 
As many as you want?  As many that make your tales interesting and engaging?  As many as will make your games fun?
 
Again' date=' I guess I just question the usefullness of listing the most obvious and stereotypical...[/quote']
Then come up with a few for us, Jakk.   :wink:   I'm preparing my first game and I'm going to use pregenerated Heroic Mortal characters.  I have their concept divided according to the castes and give them Virtues according to that concept: Warrior (Valor), Priest (Compassion and Valor), Savant (Temperance), Hood (Conviction), Diplomat (Compassion).  Because these are Heroic Mortals and pregenerated, I wanted to come up with something great but also general so that when they Exalt they can be changed.  For the Savant, it's "discover First Age lore," for the Hood it's "amass wealth and power," and for the Diplomat it's "end conflicts peacefully."  I couldn't come up with one for the Warrior and the Priest that aren't corny, though, and I want to provide them with some depth.  Any ideas on what I could give them?
Click to expand...
 
Warrior--Find his lost sister, who was taken into the Deadlands by a ghost, searching for its lost daughter...trapped in the Deadlands, still alive.


He believes that she's still alive, and its that personal quest that keeps him going.  Defines him as he seeks to perfect his skill, so that he can rescue her...


Priest--Find a copy of the Broken Winged Crane to test himself against the temptation of the Yozi...  


He's heard whispers in his sleep for years, and he knows that he Fell in a previous incarnation, and carries that Taint with him, and now he seeks to vindicate himself from the Yozis' siren lure...
 
While I personally tend to more open motivations, those are very good.  The way I'm getting them all together is by saying they're members of the Guild who are going to put them on a mission where they come across Barrow Black for the first time and it is during a confrontation with him that they Exalt as Solars.  I think I'll use the one for Priest, though, as I had a concept where he was more of an ex-priest which is why he's in the employ of the Guild now.  The Priest had been seduced by a cultist and made him do a vile thing or two (he has a Temperance of 1).  He has now run away and found employment with the Guild by adminstering the spirtual needs of caravans, as well as using his knowledge to help protect them.  This is just a means to redeem himself, which is his Motivation.  Thanks Jakk.
 
I prefer more focused motivations.  Small details make for plot hooks later on--and I likes to set a lot of lines...
 
I do to.


but a lot of motivations will help with, or against the same thing.


e.g. a motivation to defend, your house, become emperor of the realm, and perfectly emulate one of the immaculate dragons will ALL be incompatible with a dragon blooded engaging in any kind of nonhostile contact with anathema.
 
I find it endlessly amusing that one of my players has a motivation which is something to the effect of "Sleep with player X", and an intimacy which is "Kill a Deathlord". Man, I love this stuff.


Problems with motivations are the same as problems with driven characters in any game: If one person wants to topple the realm above all else, and another wants to find his sister somewhere in the underworld, who gets to go first, and why are we helping each other when we could pursue our own goals instead?


I'd prefer to write up the characters around the game. I recently wrote a serial-killer thriller-style game (V. funny, as it happens), and I held off writing in any dots or intimacies 'till I'd given everyone a background reason to dislike murder or crime. I stuck them into a PI group assembled by a zenith and then got to the intimacies and motivations. That way, the characters were already undoubtably compatible, and I could tailor motivations to be the same.


Players shouldn't share the same motivation without a reason, but it helps if their motivations point even vaguely in the direction of your plot. Nothing wrong with one person having "Challenge the Silver Prince to Single Combat" and another having "Kill Moray Blacktide"; at least geography is on their side.
 
Interesting idea, but what I'd like to see is motivations split up by caste/aspects. Mostly for the Solars and DBs since those are the only ones we have rules to play at the moment.
 
I don't think that any of my players have actually ever exchanged motivations. They describe their characters to each other, their background, their history, and the players most often figure out why they're travelling together, and what they have in common, and while they'll share the core concept around the character, their natures just reveal themselves as they go on.


Same with NPCs.


No one has ever declared: "And my life's quest is to end slavery in Gem!"


It comes out, in play, as folks piece their companions together, and the conversations they have, and how they react to situations, but such declarations sort of break the narrative.
 
Oh I know, but I find that with some player groups that leads to a situation where they initially get on like wildfire, but later diverge or argue because one person wants to liberate thorns and another wants to run Gethamane, and another still wants to discover what's at the depths of the seas, etc.


Of course, if this gets in the way at some point one can always spend the 1xp and change one's motivation, but that can gut a character so it's hardly ideal.


It'd just be nicer if, from the beginning, they had goals that in some way overlapped or meshed, so as to keep the group together. After all, their motivations should have been an important measure in why they got together in the first place anyway. Might as well make the harmony last?
 
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