Backstory Betterment: Who do you Owe?
One of the easiest ways to make your backstory usable is to add in a debt of some kind. A debt is like a secret implanted suggestion in your character that the GM can activate in order to engage you on a quest. The secret passphrase is uttered, and adventure begins!
In order to really flesh out the debts, choose a specific person/organization that you owe, what they did for you, and what they want in return.
Level 1: Who do you know?
“Blastimus owes Uplight - the Captain of the town guard.”
Be specific. Keep it to just one important person. The person should have some influence in their own right. They came through for you, and you owe them, after all. So they should have some resources of their own, but those resources don’t have to be military or money. A person with political influence, or a specialty skill works as well.
Keep this brief, general statements only. The person’s specialty is your opportunity to add a “resource” to the game world. Even if you already owe the person something, they still have their specialty, and you could get in contact if needed.
Level 2: What did they do for you?
“Blastimus owes Uplight - the Captain of the town guard. Uplight once let Blastimus escape when Blastimus would have been caught “vandalizing” a local crime lord’s hideout.”
A sentence or two explaining how they saved the day for you. We are in backstory-land here, so remember that you would be less powerful than you started the campaign with. Try to come up with a human-scale problem. They didn’t defeat a dragon on your behalf. Did they lend you some fancy gear for a one-time job? Rescue you from a job gone bad? Use their political influence to get you out of prison? These types of favors are a fertile ground for your GM to use this NPC as a character built into their world. It doesn’t pigeonhole the GM into giving you a contact who can finish quests for you, but they can be a vibrant piece of the game.
Level 3: What do you owe?
“Blastimus owes Uplight - the Captain of the town guard. Uplight once let Blastimus escape when Blastimus would have been caught “vandalizing” a local crime lord’s hideout. Uplight says one day he’ll collect when another criminal needs a message sent their way.”
Since they helped you, what would they ask for back? If you don’t specify what you now owe, it is less likely that your GM will incorporate it. They simply have to spend more effort to bring it in. Try to be somewhat vague here, and avoid owing money or something like “my firstborn child” that you’ve heard in mythology. Money isn’t a favor that someone can call in to trigger a quest. And campaigns often last only months in game, so a child isn’t gonna show up. It should be different than what they gave you, because you’re a specialist that can do different stuff than they are. Again, choose human-scale problems you’re going to be called in to solve. If you owe someone “a ride”, that is specific enough to be actionable, but vague enough that the GM can build it in to just about any situation.
You’ve given a great tool to your GM
When you design your own debt, you give your GM permission to “pull the lever” on your character and kick you into action. This is something that a GM can use to spice up a downtime session, or something they can lean on when they are feeling creatively drained. Your debt is the premise to a whole free adventure. Does your contact need a ride? That ride will just happen to be under attack by cultists. That’s why they called in the favor. Andy you’ll see your little bit of extra work reflected back in your campaign.
Everyone wins!