Developing your character into someone who has a rich story can be a fun and rewarding process. You likely have an idea of what race and what class you want to play, but you might have only a general idea of what your character’s life was like before you start playing the character at the gaming table. A theme can help you flesh out your character and provide some interesting options for developing his or her background..

This article details four character themes: the explorer, the guttersnipe, the mercenary, and the outlaw.