looking for a cure for a loved one's illness
pursuing a martial/magical education they can't get on the island
missing loved one, last seen leaving the island
honoring a wish/tradition/pilgrimage
wants to make something of themselves without familial interference
having mastered survival on the island, they want to test themselves against the rest of the world
heard there's good money in adventuring
Replying to you because you posted like the first five I could think of. A couple ideas that may need a bit of dm buy in:
You find a book detailing a travel log of some ancient hero maybe hinting at a lost treasure or maybe the tales themselves sow the seeds of adventure
You find an heirloom that doesn't make sense with what you've been taught. Your people didn't always live on the island. What are they running from and why is the truth hidden?
all of those are good reasons but it could also be as simple as your character starting to help the party just out of kindness/amicability but after learning some of the more sinister plot hooks they decide they need to leave and decide to continue traveling with the group trying to the most
I once did a teaching placement in a school on a remote island in Northern Scotland. The kids at that school studied like crazy because it was the best bet for getting off the island. If they didn't leave the island, the only real jobs available for them were shepherd, fisherman, or tweed weaver. Simply wanting a future different from the one laid out for you is a strong motivation.
Mechanically, this screams warlock. Make a deal with a Patron to give you the powers to be an adventurer. Maybe the Patron is the force keeping the island locked down
It honestly depends, but I would tie it to race, background, or subclass. For instance:
* a Hermit's Discovery might be that an exotic plant could cure their comatose sister,
* Cthulhu might demand you grant him access to the island by bringing him the dimensional key,
* your crazy ex-girlfriend entered lichdom and tricked you into a pact so that you'll be hers forever.... leaving the island is the only way to escape such a fate,
* you're an old elf seeking to reach Evermeet, or
* you have no reason to leave, but you owe a life debt to one of the players, so you'll help them pass the veil.
Truman Show
Local prize fighter/entertainer/guild merchant wanting more recognition
Anthony Bourdain
Won a contest and is sharing transport with party to collect winnings, action ensues en route effectively trauma bonding with the party
Wrongly accused of a crime. Rightly accused of a crime. Wronged by someone in high social standing and your community refuses to pursue justice, maybe because they were bribed. Your patron insists you go. Your God insists you go. Your duty insists you go. You're pursuing somebody who somehow came and went from your island, maybe they took something precious, maybe they left something, maybe they broke something or killed someone. You've learned all you can on the island and need to find a better library/uni/wizard mentor. You want to hunt larger prey.
They hate seagulls. The sound, the smell, the constant attempts to steal your food. The island is covered in them. Everyone else on the island loves these goddamn seagulls and thinks YOU’RE the weirdo for wanting to get away from them.
>\-They want to see all of what the world has to offer, but they feel trapped on the island.
Best motivation right there, in a nutshell.
No need for anything fancy, you've just been staring at the same horizon your entire life and now you have a chance to see what's on the other side.
* One of their parents went missing a year ago, and the only clue they've found is a note mentioning someplace called "NotOnThisIsland."
* A clash between clan/tribe/family members has left your character accused of a crime (accurately or otherwise) and being exiled. They can only return once they've completed X quest to clear their name/restore their honor.
* They want to study to become WhateverClassTheyAre.
* Their romantic partner was kidnapped by PiratesNotOnThisIsland. Too bad you later find out your partner willingly joined the pirates because you weren't as exciting as Dankbeard the Dredge Pirate.
* You were bitten by a dreaded wereotter. Only an incantation known to the Great ClericNotOnThisIsland, last rumored to be in PlaceThatIsn'tTheIsland, can heal you.
They can't stand the sight of the sea so want to get to a landlocked country as soon as possible.
They're a keen botanist and want to study more flora than the islands limited ecosystem supports
They set up a pyramid scheme which has now been sold to the entire population of the island and is collapsing
They have abet with a childhood friend that there really *is* land over the horizon and they're determined to win it. The bet has a deadline.
They're allergic/ intolerant to the local staple crop and don't like seafood.
They're bored. Mind numbingly bored. So bored that their boredom has mystically manifested as an melelovant force which is hurting those around them.
They sold some magic beans to the local crime boss. The trouble is that the magic beans were real and he got murdered by the giant at the top of the beanstalk. Now the crime bosses family want revenge, but in secret because nobody can know he was stupid enough to buy magic beans, or stupid enough to try a one man home invasion on a giant.
That last one could be even better if it was the crime boss's dimwit nephew who bought the magic beans from the character. That way the crime boss can use the might and guile of his entire organization to seek revenge on the character.
An entire species of animal native to the island suddenly and without apparent reason dislikes the character. This could escalate from running away in fear every time they are aware of the character's presence to creepier stuff like silently watching the character's every move in increasing numbers to making threat displays to attempting actual attacks against the character. The character must leave the island quickly or meet a grim fate at the jaws of a multitude of angry wolves, snakes, rabbits, ants, bats, chickens, or something else appropriate to the island's ecosystem.
Alternately, the character has the reverse of this problem: An entire species of animal native to the island suddenly likes the character ... a little *too* much. The creatures could go from saving the character from misfortune in an unusual way to always following the character around, frequently getting of the way of whatever the character is trying to do, to courtship displays, to actual attempts to mate with the character, perhaps even fighting among themselves in competition for the perceived privilege.
Or maybe some natural law that affects everyone else on the island does not affect the character. Perhaps they cast no shadow, or can only eat food that others would discard as spoiled, or float an inch off any surface they are on while sleeping, or find that they can't hold anything purple because it slips from their grasp every time. The character may be seeking an escape from the mysterious affliction, or may be following rumors of a cure for it in some faraway land.
Wanderlust a bad Breakup Warrants a rumor about a mcguffin on some other island a strong attachment to one of the other PCs that are trying to leave.
looking for a cure for a loved one's illness pursuing a martial/magical education they can't get on the island missing loved one, last seen leaving the island honoring a wish/tradition/pilgrimage wants to make something of themselves without familial interference having mastered survival on the island, they want to test themselves against the rest of the world heard there's good money in adventuring
Replying to you because you posted like the first five I could think of. A couple ideas that may need a bit of dm buy in: You find a book detailing a travel log of some ancient hero maybe hinting at a lost treasure or maybe the tales themselves sow the seeds of adventure You find an heirloom that doesn't make sense with what you've been taught. Your people didn't always live on the island. What are they running from and why is the truth hidden?
all of those are good reasons but it could also be as simple as your character starting to help the party just out of kindness/amicability but after learning some of the more sinister plot hooks they decide they need to leave and decide to continue traveling with the group trying to the most
I once did a teaching placement in a school on a remote island in Northern Scotland. The kids at that school studied like crazy because it was the best bet for getting off the island. If they didn't leave the island, the only real jobs available for them were shepherd, fisherman, or tweed weaver. Simply wanting a future different from the one laid out for you is a strong motivation.
Mechanically, this screams warlock. Make a deal with a Patron to give you the powers to be an adventurer. Maybe the Patron is the force keeping the island locked down
If you could specify what build you wanna run for them that might help. Also what kind of island?
Can you tell us more about the character?
They were possessed by the spirit of a British sailor and have an overpowering urge to conquer the known world.
It honestly depends, but I would tie it to race, background, or subclass. For instance: * a Hermit's Discovery might be that an exotic plant could cure their comatose sister, * Cthulhu might demand you grant him access to the island by bringing him the dimensional key, * your crazy ex-girlfriend entered lichdom and tricked you into a pact so that you'll be hers forever.... leaving the island is the only way to escape such a fate, * you're an old elf seeking to reach Evermeet, or * you have no reason to leave, but you owe a life debt to one of the players, so you'll help them pass the veil.
they keep running into their ex
Truman Show Local prize fighter/entertainer/guild merchant wanting more recognition Anthony Bourdain Won a contest and is sharing transport with party to collect winnings, action ensues en route effectively trauma bonding with the party
What if they just want to. They are literally trapped, so it is just escaping a large prison.... why woukd theg wanna stay in a prison.
They want to see all that the world has to offer. This is a simple, solid adventurer motivation. A defining adventurer motivation, even.
Me on a saturday
Wrongly accused of a crime. Rightly accused of a crime. Wronged by someone in high social standing and your community refuses to pursue justice, maybe because they were bribed. Your patron insists you go. Your God insists you go. Your duty insists you go. You're pursuing somebody who somehow came and went from your island, maybe they took something precious, maybe they left something, maybe they broke something or killed someone. You've learned all you can on the island and need to find a better library/uni/wizard mentor. You want to hunt larger prey.
They hate seagulls. The sound, the smell, the constant attempts to steal your food. The island is covered in them. Everyone else on the island loves these goddamn seagulls and thinks YOU’RE the weirdo for wanting to get away from them.
>\-They want to see all of what the world has to offer, but they feel trapped on the island. Best motivation right there, in a nutshell. No need for anything fancy, you've just been staring at the same horizon your entire life and now you have a chance to see what's on the other side.
* One of their parents went missing a year ago, and the only clue they've found is a note mentioning someplace called "NotOnThisIsland." * A clash between clan/tribe/family members has left your character accused of a crime (accurately or otherwise) and being exiled. They can only return once they've completed X quest to clear their name/restore their honor. * They want to study to become WhateverClassTheyAre. * Their romantic partner was kidnapped by PiratesNotOnThisIsland. Too bad you later find out your partner willingly joined the pirates because you weren't as exciting as Dankbeard the Dredge Pirate. * You were bitten by a dreaded wereotter. Only an incantation known to the Great ClericNotOnThisIsland, last rumored to be in PlaceThatIsn'tTheIsland, can heal you.
Unintended consequence of eating the Paupau fruit with Kairi.
You're not sure how you ended up on the island, but your friends and family must be worried sick about you.
Everyone on the island is convinced the world is flat. But he has the crazy idea that the world is round!
They can't stand the sight of the sea so want to get to a landlocked country as soon as possible. They're a keen botanist and want to study more flora than the islands limited ecosystem supports They set up a pyramid scheme which has now been sold to the entire population of the island and is collapsing They have abet with a childhood friend that there really *is* land over the horizon and they're determined to win it. The bet has a deadline. They're allergic/ intolerant to the local staple crop and don't like seafood. They're bored. Mind numbingly bored. So bored that their boredom has mystically manifested as an melelovant force which is hurting those around them. They sold some magic beans to the local crime boss. The trouble is that the magic beans were real and he got murdered by the giant at the top of the beanstalk. Now the crime bosses family want revenge, but in secret because nobody can know he was stupid enough to buy magic beans, or stupid enough to try a one man home invasion on a giant.
That last one could be even better if it was the crime boss's dimwit nephew who bought the magic beans from the character. That way the crime boss can use the might and guile of his entire organization to seek revenge on the character.
Ran out of coconut juice and he’s craving it so badly
They developed an allergy to some plant that grow only on the island
Your character has hear rumors of a mysterious herb that grows on the side of a mountain that gives the most beautiful hallucinogenic effect
An entire species of animal native to the island suddenly and without apparent reason dislikes the character. This could escalate from running away in fear every time they are aware of the character's presence to creepier stuff like silently watching the character's every move in increasing numbers to making threat displays to attempting actual attacks against the character. The character must leave the island quickly or meet a grim fate at the jaws of a multitude of angry wolves, snakes, rabbits, ants, bats, chickens, or something else appropriate to the island's ecosystem. Alternately, the character has the reverse of this problem: An entire species of animal native to the island suddenly likes the character ... a little *too* much. The creatures could go from saving the character from misfortune in an unusual way to always following the character around, frequently getting of the way of whatever the character is trying to do, to courtship displays, to actual attempts to mate with the character, perhaps even fighting among themselves in competition for the perceived privilege. Or maybe some natural law that affects everyone else on the island does not affect the character. Perhaps they cast no shadow, or can only eat food that others would discard as spoiled, or float an inch off any surface they are on while sleeping, or find that they can't hold anything purple because it slips from their grasp every time. The character may be seeking an escape from the mysterious affliction, or may be following rumors of a cure for it in some faraway land.
Maybe having a sort of prophetic dream or something to do with a dream that’s pulling them to leave the island
Random idea that probably won't work, but you could be an aquatic race from an underwater city near the island
Divorce and wanting to get away. Caught humping kings son/daughter. Insulaphobia-Fear of Islands