This is one of those scenarios where it feels like the devs are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Because the more you define a background for Tav, the more you take away from what the player might have in mind as a background. You ultimately can't cover every possible permutation and at some point have to make a concession one way or another. I've already seen some complaints that the more 'common' races currently available have the Baldurian tag, and that's a fairly broad strokes tag that can mean a lot of different things.
For me, it does help that I tended to play drow in most of my run throughs. Drow have a lot of unique reactions and dialogue that help separate them from the Origin characters. I never really felt like my character was lacking a specific niche comparatively. And there's something to be said for roleplaying a more 'normal' character to balance out the surrounding melodrama, lol.
The writers are aware of this issue, though, and have stated they want to try and find ways to circumvent it. Whether or not they'll succeed is another matter entirely.
I said this in another thread but I’d love if they’d implement some kind of personal quest in character creation, similar to what Guild Wars 2 did. It could be something as simple as “Why were you in Baldur’s Gate” with a few options like:
* I was searching for the parents I never met
* I was looking for a powerful artifact
* I was seeking revenge
* I was running from the law
* I was visiting a friend
I think they could make these general enough that they fit most character types. Think about how much it would add at camp if the companions actually asked you about your quest/what you were doing when you were abducted, and you could divulge as little or as much as you want. And it would be so exciting if a random NPC mentioned “I met your father once” and gave you a clue to further your personal quest. Maybe you even start the game with some kind of letter in your inventory that provides your first clue.
Of course each quest would need at least 4 outcomes/paths in case you are playing co-op and everyone picks the same one. So for instance in one scenario, it’s a happy reunion with your parents, in another you find out they’re dead, in a third they are evil and maybe worshipping the Absolute, and in a fourth they are some kind of royalty or powerful beings.
Essentially it would just require some additional NPC dialogue and maybe one or two exclusive battles, but would add a lot of flavor to the PC and make them feel more like real characters.
