Motivations (for an adventurer)

[RigaMortus2]

I am wanting to come up with an additional personality trait for characters, similiar to alignment. This would be called Motivation. I am looking to get ideas on typical reasons why someone would become your atypical "adventurer" in a fantasy setting.

There was an RPG a few years ago called DC Heroes, which was later bought out by another company and called Blood of Heroes (whose mechanics were identical, just changed the super heroes names to prevent copyright infringement). Anyway... This is where I thought of an idea for adding Motivations into a D&D setting. Just an additional piece of background info to remind the player why they chose to become (or were thrust into becoming) an Adventurer. To give you some ideas of what I am looking for, here are the typical Motivations for Super-Heroes found in Blood of Heroes...

Upholding the Good
A character with the motivation of Upholding the Good believes steadfastly in traditional moral values: compassion, justice, truthfulness, and a resolute faith in society’s laws. A character Upholding the Good is unrelenting in the pursuit of Good and would never overstep the boundaries of the law, even if it may occasionally seem justice would be better served otherwise. A character with the motivation of Upholding the Good believes societal laws to be ultimately benign and will defend those laws at all costs.

Responsibility of Power
A character with the Motivation of Responsibility of Power decides to change as a result of the awesome Powers and Skills which separate him from the rest of the world. The Character, no longer ordinary, accepts that with great power comes great responsibility. Such a hero will generally uphold the laws of society, realizing that he is an example to others and that such power demands a more disciplined lifestyle than the hero might otherwise have chosen. However, the course of action this responsibility dictates occasionally strains such a hero’s patience.

Seeking Justice
A character with the Motivation of Seeking Justice will ignore anything which interferes with a quest. This hero will willingly subvert society’s laws, especially those he believes help protect criminals. This hero will seek out a criminal at whatever social level the criminal exists and match him deed for deed, violence with violence.

Thrill of Adventure
A character with the Motivation of Thrill of Adventure takes extreme chances in combat and enjoys every minute of it. Sometimes the hero will overestimate his abilities and people will often consider the Character flippant and occasionally ridiculous. Yet, such as hero would never desert a friend or run from a fight.
A Character out for the Thrill of Adventure will not easily accept other people’s concepts of justice. Similar to a Character who is Seeking Justice, this is an independent hero who works under a strict code of behavior. This Character enjoys having Powers and Skills and thrives on the fame which comes with being a hero. Such a hero will often use humor during seemingly inappropriate combat or diplomatic situations.

Unwanted Power
A Character with the Motivation of Unwanted Power is typically created by accident or at a whim of others, and usually unwillingly. This Hero in no way desires such Powers and abilities, the possession of which often brings severe personal consequences. This is a reluctant hero, one who would gladly return to his former life if given the opportunity.
Such a Character often joins a hero team, seeking an acceptance denied the Character in the normal world. This hero regularly forms extremely close, personal attachments to other heroes and is very loyal to the team. A hero with Unwanted Power may strongly feel that society owes him a debt and can often be short-tempered.

And that is basically it. Any Super-Hero you could think of would easily fall into one (or more) of these 5 categories as far as what motivates them to be Super-Heroes. And that is what I am looking for for Adventurer Motivations. Now remember, those are for Super-Heroes. I am looking for something more fantasy oriented for Adventurers...

So to lead this off, the one example I though of for a Motivaiton would be:

Fame & Fortune
Someone who is specifically looking to get rich and/or famous by risking thie lives to go on adventurers, dungeon crawls or quests.

Unlikely Hero
A simple person who is unknowingly (or unwantingly) thrust into adventure. Think Luke Skywalker .

Any other ideas? I am looking to encapsulate these Adventurer Motivations into only a few categories.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Graybeard]

How about:

Personal Quest: A person who adventures due to a personal quest of some sort. It might be a search for a long lost artifact (Indiana Jones) or it could be a quest for information.

I've used this motivation for NPCs and PCs alike.
I've also used the Power and Fame motivation before.

 

[Shadowslayer]

The Just Revenge: Hero sets out to right a wrong done long ago.

Knowledge: Hero sets out to find the secrets of the world.

Seeks safety and/or succor: Hero adventures to accumulate wealth, so that he may be able to surround himself with the things that please him.

Lead by Example: hero seeks to promote a cause/discipline/diety through his deeds and actions.

Defender of the Weak: Hero seeks to protect those that can't protect themselves.

Thats all I got for now.

 

[Lifelike]

ever read any white wolf (the publisher) RPG books (e.g. mage, vampire, werewolf, etc)... your idea sounds very similar to their vice/virtue system. They add a nice touch where how well or poorly one roleplays one's respective motivation as restoring a character's willpower to boot.