Why Characters Go Adventuring
There are many reasons a character might go adventuring.
Here are some ideas to help spur your creativity.
Seeking justice/revenge for something that happened
This could be any kind of bad thing that happened to anyone that your character cares about.
Attacked, stolen from, dishonored, wrongly accused, abandoned, etc.
Done to the character themselves, a family member, friend, mentor, pet, ally, etc.
Seeking a treasure or power or fame
The treasure could be a particular magic item, or any magic item, or just a heap of gold, or something else.
The power could be a class skill, or a specific spell, or political power, or an army, or something else.
The fame could be as an honorable doer of good, or as an infamous warlord to be feared, or as a great mage, or something else.
Aiding or supporting an ally that is committed to adventuring
Your character’s ally wants to go adventuring for their own reasons, and your character is going along to help.
Self-preservation
Your character is on a mission to save themselves. Maybe an adversary sees your character as a threat, or could see your character as a threat if they knew of your character’s existence. And your character is going adventuring to get away from the adversary or to find something to help your character defend themselves from the adversary.
Protecting loved ones
An adversary threatens your character’s loved ones or allies, and your character is adventuring to find a way to keep them safe.
Prophecy or destiny
Your character believes they are destined to do some great (or small) deed when they go adventuring.
Duty or responsibility
Your character feels a moral drive to right wrongs, or spread a religion, or gain honor for their house.
Or maybe your character owes a life debt to one of the other members of the party, or your character’s family has always served a party members’ family, and your character is there to honor that commitment.
Redemption
Your character is trying to make up for wrongs they committed in the past.
Maybe the wrongs were unintentional, like accidentally freeing a demon.
Or maybe the wrongs were done intentionally, but are now regretted, and your character is trying to make amends.
Or maybe your character has been legally sentenced to carry out some tasks as penance for a crime they were committed of.
Thrill seeking
Your character just wants to see what will happen if they tackle this challenge.
Way of life is threatened, or your character’s freedom is in jeopardy
Something is threatening the way of life where your character comes from. Or your character isn’t going to be able to live the way they want if something is allowed to continue to spread or grow. And your character is adventuring to find a solution.
Growth
Your character wants to take on hard challenges to push themselves to grow more capable.
Hiding a secret
Your character has a secret or is a guardian of a secret. And something is happening that threatens to reveal that secret eventually if nothing is done. Your character is on a mission to remove that threat.
Guilt
Your character feels guilty about something and is trying to resolve that guilt by fixing the situation.
This is similar to Redemption above.
Searching for someone
Your character is searching for a particular person. Maybe there’s a missing royal, or a missing family member.
Or maybe your character is recruiting for a group or sect, and is searching for anyone that fits the requirements.
Something else?
You could mix and match these, or come up with something completely different.