Adeventure help with a new character joining

[roguesquad]

A;lright, i have a science exploration team going into an unexplored area of space. They come across a savage, why does the savage join the crew?

Simple, but i need some good reasons, and not just because he wants to see more things. It needs to be for a reason.
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[Jamfke]

Is his race an established part of the world? Maybe they're going south, so to speak. They've fallen into a death spiral and have tried everything they can find on their own world to cure themselves, so they vote to send said character off-world to seek a cure among the stars.
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[Argamoth]

That would depend on the nature of the savage and what interaction he's had with the team.

[Sabre]

If the savage is a player, this should be a question the player is answering to you. If the player can't find their objective or motive for being in the game, chances are they'll follow along somewhat aimlessly. The players need to know 'what am I doing here?' and 'what does my character want? what am I going for in this scene' in order to roleplay.

If it's an NPC, maybe the savage knows of legends that actually have some bearing on what the science team is exploring. Perhaps his race wasn't always primitive, but came to be that way because of a disaster or simply because they thought that the way their technology was progressing would eventually lead to their own destruction.

Another idea might be, perhaps the reason the race is savage is because they were conquered long ago by a now extinct race of beings who enslaved and supressed other races in the region. The savage might know how to operate pieces of their technology that were left behind, or might know how to read their particularly difficult written language, making him a valuable addition to the science team for any remaining artifacts the conqueror's might have left which could hold some clue to what they're actually studying (or astrogation charts of the region, etc. Scouting unknown regions for save hyperspace routes can be very time consuming and treacherous).

Then again, maybe while they're on the planet, the players made some sort of cultural blunder and now the savage has something similar to a wookiee life-debt to the players due to some obscure legal or ceremonial rite. The savage must now accompany the players or he risks losing his honor and possibly his life.

[roguesquad]

I like the ideas. To answer a few questions, the savage is a PC, and the interaction is zero so far. I'm running all "groups" seperately at the moment. (actually, it's four groups, but the three groups have similar goals, it's just the fourth group which contains the savage that I would like to have a reason to leave the planet that I want to be sure is a solid link.)


As to the nature of the beast, there is lots of technology already on the planet, it's just that there are various groups that view the technology as getting away from nature. Think sort of a Hudderite type colony where the tech is less than other cities.

The ideas are making me think of the player being needed to hlp get a cure for his people. But combining it with a bit of a twist since the savages could have developed on another planet, and the ruins of that planet contain secrets needed for the cure.

A bit of a twist, but an applicable reason to travel.
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[Hellcat]

What about the idea of their not having a choice. Something happens to the savage to put him on the ship or what not and no one knows he's there until it's too late and their already too far away from where he lives and the places he knows. This might mean that the savage may have to join against his will if it means possibly getting back home.
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[roguesquad]

That's good too. Like the crew is forced to take off with the savage on board, and no time to turn around and drop the savage off.
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Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:3

[Jamfke]

Or perhaps he simply befriends one of them, or like Chewie and Han, has a life debt to another character. Maybe one of the other characters saves his life in an attack by an opposing tribe or during a flood or an earthquake, or....

Sorry, I gets excited when thinking up ideas!
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[Boomer]

"Look, I know this area better than you guys, so if you want some help, you need me to go along with you."

"Ok, what do you want in return?"

"I want to see the stars, explore just like you have had, and to bring my people cures and tools to make their lives easier... also, I could really use that holographic chess thingy, I get bored easily."
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[Volar the Healer]

The savage is their guide. He trades how to survive the hundred fanged beast for a ride. The savage has met other spacers and he wants to fly among the stars. The savage needs to find his sister who was taken offworld by slavers. The PCs need a mook who doesn't have any Imperial ID. The PCs can get 500 credits per show of the "wild man". A noble on Corellia offers 1,000 credits to anyone who can identify a male hundred fanged beast from a female one. A Balmorran genetics research laboratory offers 500 credits for "primitive" blood samples as they search for a way to correct their planet's pollution induced effects. The savage speaks Twilekki, the PCs don't. Well, you get the idea...
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[Jamfke]

Ooh! I like the find the sister one! That sounds perfect!
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[Jedi Skyler]

[KageRyu]

Ok, I know I am late to the party, but here's my ideas.
You say you don't want the "To see the stars" answer, which is the most common. Many of the other answers all have good ideas, and by combining elements, their could be an excellant story oportunity.

The savage, being on his own quest to find X (his sister, a cure for some disease, someone to help fight off a party of raiders attacking his technologically inferrior people, etc...) runs into the rest of the PCs. The PCs need some help (they've blundered into the nest of some local beast, are about to eat some poisonous plant, etc...and the savage knows a way to help). So the savage, not being a bad person, helps them out. In return, the PCs attempt to help the savage out. Well, this angers the village leaders, as seeing the savage with these evil users of forbidden technology fear he will undermine their community, so he is banished. Now the savage is sadened and has no where to go. He could team up with the PCs (up to player) or it will be a short lived character in the campaign.

Just a few thoughts.
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[Jedi Skyler]

That's a really good idea, Kage! Give the savage an IRONCLAD reason to be jumping on the first ship leaving. Hopefully he won't turn into a Jar Jar kind of character...

[Argamoth]

Maybe the savage is a outcast and needs political asylum.