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 discusses how to use character themes in both character creation and the makeup of a party, and it goes on to detail four character themes: the alchemist, the animal master, the order adept, and the wizard’s apprentice.