Character Goal Setting Template

This template helps players set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals for their characters, ensuring a more immersive and proactive role-playing experience. Each goal should be achievable, have clear consequences for success and failure, and contribute to the fun and dynamics of the game.

Short-Term Goals (Completion: A few play sessions)

• Goal Description: What is the specific objective your character aims to achieve in the short term?

• Skills and Resources: What skills and resources does your character currently possess that will aid in achieving this goal?

• Action Plan: What specific actions will your character take to achieve this goal?

• Consequences of Success: What are the immediate benefits or rewards for achieving this goal?

• Consequences of Failure: What are the immediate setbacks or consequences if the goal is not achieved?

Example: Retrieve a stolen artifact from a local thief, learn a specific spell from a mentor, or protect a village from a marauding creature.

Mid-Term Goals (Completion: Requires time and development)

• Goal Description: What is the challenging objective your character plans to achieve in the mid-term?

• Skills and Resources Needed: What additional skills, resources, or information does your character need to acquire?

• Plan for Growth: How will your character develop or acquire the necessary skills or resources?

• Milestones: What are the key milestones along the way to achieving this goal?

• Consequences of Success: How will achieving this goal change your character or their situation?

• Consequences of Failure: What are the potential setbacks or negative impacts of failing to achieve this goal?

Example: Gain entry into an elite guild, avenge a personal wrong by defeating a mid-level antagonist, or reclaim a lost family heirloom from a distant land.

Long-Term Goals (Completion: Drives the campaign)

• Goal Description: What is your character’s overarching goal or ambition that drives their actions in the campaign?

• Necessary Power/Skills Acquisition: What significant powers, skills, or allies must your character acquire to achieve this goal?

• Plan of Action: Outline the broad steps your character must take to move towards this goal.

• Impact on the Campaign World: How will achieving this goal affect the larger world of the campaign?

• Consequences of Success: What are the lasting changes or impacts of achieving this goal?

• Consequences of Failure: What are the potential long-term repercussions for your character and the world if this goal is not achieved?

Example: Overthrow a tyrannical ruler, uncover and foil a world-threatening plot, or embark on a quest for a legendary artifact.

Additional Questions for All Goals

• Alignment with Character’s Background and Motivations:

  How do these goals align with your character’s backstory and personal motivations?

• Interactions with Other Characters:

  How might these goals affect your interactions with other party members and NPCs?

• Flexibility and Adaptability:

  How might these goals change based on the evolving dynamics of the campaign?

• Personal Satisfaction:

  What personal satisfaction or character development do you, as a player, hope to achieve through pursuing these goals? This goal-setting exercise encourages players to think deeply about their characters’ ambitions and how these goals can enrich the gameplay experience for everyone involved.

Source: Fishel, J., & Fishel, T. (2023). The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying. Game Master.