Character Motivations, Desires, and Goals

The quiz is a way of getting you to think about your character and why they do the things they do.

The answers to the quiz are a way of communicating your ideas to the SG.

Early in the campaign, you may not have much idea about the answers. That's fine, just think up a reasonable (or unreasonable) answer, and a reason why your character thinks that way.

For example, their uncle always told them to do it like that. Maybe you'll find out in the course of playing the character, that they don't really think like that at all. Then you've added a new element to the relationship between the character and the uncle.

On the other hand, maybe you do have a clear idea about what your character values, and why. Usually, that implies your character is relatively strong-willed. Playing a strong-willed character in Amber is a definite plus!

Questionnaire

These questions are designed to assist the development of your character. They are designed to be most relevant to Amberite characters, as the campaign will centre on Amber.

Read through all the questions. Answer some of them. Try to decide not only, what your character would think about the question, but why they think that way. Give the SG the answers so that they can tailor the campaign around your character. Use the answers you develop to guide your character's actions.

If your character is not from Amber, discuss with the SG how to change the questions to reflect that. At least two kinds of changes might be made. You should consider answers to both. You may answer according to how your character feels about their home, and according to what your character thinks Amberites should reply to the questions.

Amberite opinion of Shadow people

A defining feature of the Amberite view of reality, is that Amberites are Real and everything else is Shadow. Shadow things, including people, are relatively worthless, valued as a kind of property, not as people.

When Random and Corwin argue about the truck driver that nearly ran them down, in Nine Princes In Amber, Corwin objects to Random shooting at the guy, after Corwin was insulted. Corwin doesn't object because he's against random murder, but because Random had no right to kill the truck driver when Corwin was the one who had been insulted. Corwin owned the guy, not Random. (Wujcik points out that Random is the nicest guy in the family.)

Not that this means that Amberites don't care about their property. In Guns of Avalon, Benedict goes to considerable trouble to hunt Corwin down, chasing him through Shadow, because he thinks Corwin killed some of his servants.

How does your character view Shadow people? Here are some questions examining this attitude:

Which would your character regard as the greater evil, murder of a Shadow person, or the maiming of an Amberite? What if that maimed Amberite were you?
What would provoke you to kill a Shadow dweller? An insult? An attack? A crime against one of your friends, Shadow or otherwise? Nothing could?
You return to a comfortable, way-shadow inn that has housed you in comfort numerous times over the years. You find that the kindly family has recently been threatened, beaten up, and robbed. You track down the guilty bandit leader and capture him. <[>What will you do now?

Relations with other Amberites

The Amber family is pretty stuck up, by Earth standards. Anyone from outside the family is treated as dirt, or, if they are liked, totally patronised. Imagine being a part of a family like that. Relations within the family are judged in a similar way. Where do you come on the scale? As a junior member, do you meet the standard or not? Remember that most Amberites are very competitive, conscious of impinged honour, and touchy about appearing weak by requiring assistance.

Remember when you were a little tyke, and all the adults were giants? It seemed like Mum and Dad were like gods, all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful.

Your character's relationship with the elder Amberites should be something like that. Only maybe it's more like this. Your character is at high school. A bright kid, good at some things. Maybe a star athlete, or a math whiz, or a history expert.

Imagine they are sent to summer school at the most prestigious university in the world. One where four star generals teach military strategy, and presidents and prime ministers teach political science. Gold medal Olympiads train the sports teams, Nobel prize winning scientist are laboratory instructors, and you learn English from the best writers in the world.

Do you think you'd be a little, shall we say, intimidated by your teachers? The difference between your character and an elder Amberite is even greater. One of the strongest forms of stress is parental. Who is completely comfortable with their parents? Or, for that matter, with the entire generation of elders who stood around and watched nappies being changed, baby-food being worn, and ouched over bumps and bruises?

In every family, the younger generation (while still living at home, anyway) regards the elder with a kind of mythic respect.

Amberite parents are a million times worse. Because they are, for all intents and purposes, gods. And you can never move out of home.

Assume that your character is about to complete a month-long struggle against hard odds, working towards something of great value to the character. Suddenly, the final opposition turns out to be stronger than you had anticipated, and you are attacked where you are weakest. It may not be a battle to the death, but it will determine whether or not your quest is a success.
Unexpectedly, you receive a Trump call from an senior relative offering assistance. This relative is a champion in the field of struggle you are involved in. (In other words, if the contest is Strength, Gérard calls. If the contest is Psyche, Fiona calls. Etc.) If asked, this elder relative will either move through to assist you, or leave you to your challenge.
Do you accept the help, or reject it?
What if the battle involved your greatest attribute or power?
What if the battle was a matter of life and death, and failure would mean that you die?
A relative, one you respect but do not fear, has committed the same breach of etiquette three times. Each time, in front of other relatives, this person has treated you as an inferior, giving you orders instead of making requests. And your performance has been criticised in front of others.
You can arrange things so that you'll not be bothered again. Or you could confront the person. Or have a third party intervene.
What would you do?
Would you respond earlier than the third occasion, or later?
If you have to explain your actions, what would you say?
Midway through a pleasant meal, with a very enjoyable companion, you receive a contact from the aforementioned enemy. Frankly, you are sick of the whole business, and you don't relish becoming a pawn in someone else's game.
How would you deal with the situation?
From your character's point of view, in relations with family, is it better to be loved than feared? Or better feared than loved? Why?
Would the answer be different with respect to another group of people? If so, which group? And why the difference?

The Cost of Power

After the PatternFall War, the question of Brand's actions has provoked much discussion among Amberites.

Why did he seek to destroy the Pattern? Was he simply mad, megalomanical, wanting to control a new Amber? Or did he seek too hard for Power? Was he tricked by certain Nobles of Chaos? Or did he go forward, open-eyed, willing to destroy Amber, and all of Shadow, in order to satisfy his desires? What was he after exactly anyway?

One aspect of the discussion is the question of magical Power. Towards the end there, Brand had gained some very interesting abilities. It is a matter of uncertainty as to how much these powers were due to his study of the Pattern, and how much due to discoveries he may have made in Shadow, or even in Chaos.

Does your character think that Shadow alone (leaving aside the Courts) possesses sufficient Power to threaten Amber? Assuming such Powers exist, would study of these Powers be beneficial, or harmful? Would your character be interested in gaining personal control of such Powers?
Would you use these Powers for your own personal gain?
Would you be willing to use such Powers to gain control of Amber?
If Amber were in danger of being destroyed, would you study and use such Powers to defend it?
How do you feel about Corwin's new Pattern in the light of this discussion? Is it likely to be a threat to Amber, an obstacle, or an asset? Or does it need to be studied more before such an evaluation can be made?

The Courts of Chaos

Another aspect of the discussion about PatternFall is Amber's relationship with the Courts. Were Brand, Fiona and Bleys wrong for seeking an alliance there? Did the Chaos members of that alliance originate Brand's plan to destroy and recreate Amber?

How would your character reply to a direct request for assistance, out in Shadow, from an unknown Chaosian Noble, on a purely personal matter?
If you met a Chaosian Noble by chance, in the ways of Shadow, how would you respond? Would you make a polite greeting and pass by quickly? Would you suggest a meal together? Would you ask for the latest gossip from the Courts, knowing that you would be expected to respond with the same about Amber?
Would you seek assistance from them in escaping a relative who was pursuing you? Would you seek assistance in order to catch a relative whom you were pursuing?
Should Amber shun the Courts, and live separately and apart from them? Should Amber have a more open approach to the Courts, and seek to build a long-term alliance with them? Or should the Courts be conquered, perhaps even destroyed, to prevent the next attempt on Amber's existence?
How is your character acting on this opinion?

Tuesday, August 19, 1997
Suhuy
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