"Why are you adventuring?"

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"What the devil were they doing on that galley!?" - Scapin the Schemer - Molière

Image :  The 'Luxborough Galley' on fire, 25 June 1727 ; John Cleveley, the Elder

A simple system to know what motivated a character to go adventuring:

- if your character is mainly a fighter (knight, barbarian ...):
Roll 1d6:
1-3: fame and glory
4-5: earning money
6: seeking knowledge

- If your character is mainly a rogue (thief, assassin ...):
Roll 1d6:
1-3: earning money
4-5: seeking knowledge
6: fame and glory

- if your character is mainly an erudite (wizard, explorer ...):
Roll 1d6:
1-3: seeking knowledge
4-5: fame and glory
6: earning money

- if your character is totally something else, or a mix of these backgrounds:
Roll 1d6:
1-2: seeking knowledge
3-4: fame and glory
5-6: earning money

NOTE: you can freely interpret and develop the result, especially about glory (Aknowledgement by the Wizard College? Make an impression on a rival?) or knowledge (Esoteric knowledges? Forgotten technique? Field-testing an experimental concoction?)

In a similar way, earning money can be just a mean to fulfill your real goal.