How do people choose which DnD class and race they will become in the vast mental exercise that is role-playing? Naturally, it has to come from somewhere within ourselves – there is some hidden desire in most of us to express something we are unable to in everyday life.
Someone’s blood quickens at the thought of raising fearful undead armies, while others fancy charming innocent barmaids (or a not-so-innocent succubus) and singing their heroic tales of chivalry and conquest. Maybe you want to wield an axe, a scythe, a wand, or a flagon of ale, but you’ll definitely want to wield the flavor of your character, with all his/her insights (pun intended) and quirks. Once the blood of your fallen enemies is wiped away from your metaphorical blade, of course.
“Bartender! Your strongest drink, on the double!”
So, you enter the tavern. “We’ve just escaped from a dungeon by the skin of our teeth, and damn if I don’t want to forget it as soon as ogrely possible! A round of ale for everyone!” – your hulking barbarian friend offers heartily. A roar of merry voices fills the hazy air of the cottage, and the evening delves deep into night, fueled by drunken camaraderie and lively tunes from the fiddle…
…but, where are you in the middle of all this? Are you the thrill-seeking barbarian? Or are you the silently brooding rogue in the corner? Maybe you are the bard cheating at cards? Or are you the scholarly wizard with no time for all this debauchery, already gone to sleep?
Of course, you don’t have to fall into these stereotypical categories. Go hog-wild! Create an unhinged dragonborn monk who kicks and punches anything that threatens him/her! A tortle paladin cast off from another dimension! A delusional goliath rogue who thinks he’s really good at hiding…but isn’t. An orcish fighter who… well, you get it.
Here is a fun little quiz you can take to see which DnD character would suit you: https://brainfall.com/quizzes/what-dd-character-are-you/
Blowing Your Own Mind
Vicariously living through your character’s eyes, ears and skin is awesome, but this is not where the story should end, though… We can get this in any video game – plus the visuals, the sound, the gameplay and all. So, how could our imagination ever compete with that?
Well, the answer is simple: because it has no limits. There is literally no end to the things you can (try to) do in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Your imagination is the only limit. But I don’t have such a wild and flamboyant imagination, some of you might be thinking. Well, herein lies the most beautiful part: being a social game, DnD campaigns really force you to listen to others, cooperate and explore your inner voice. Maybe you won’t shine in the first few sessions, but if you invest some thought into your character, you will be pleasantly surprised at the new ideas opening up before you.
Try Walking In Halfling Shoes
When I started playing my first character, a halfling rogue named Finnan Greenbottle, I thought of him only as a shady, long-fingered character who slings arrows by day and chugs ale by night. I chose him because he was pretty much my opposite. In real life, I’m big, loud and probably couldn’t hide from a blind man in the night. This guy was everything I never was! He was so small that he could fit through almost anything – chimneys, holes in walls, ogre intestines, you name it. Being acrobatic and nimble with feet light as a feather almost made him a dancer on the battlefield, skidding between foes like a devilish little spinning top.
Alas, aside from combat and brothels, I was pretty much out of my element. So, I just improvised what my character would say or do, without any conviction or depth. But, as time went on, I began to see his place in the Forgotten Realms, the connections he built, the marks he left…and the beasts he slew. This initial lack of immersion was happening because it was my party’s first DnD campaign, and we didn’t pay attention to our characters’ backstories.
Your backstory…your backbone
Developing a backstory is the biggest favor you can give to yourself and your character. Trust me, when the time comes for the DM to tie it in the campaign, you’ll feel more special than a princess on her wedding day. If you’re too lazy to read the abundant lore, peoples and histories of Faerun, you can use the awesome Heroic Chronicle rolling tables from the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount.
Now, I’m not saying you should always go for the opposite. Certain people have some defining character traits which can hardly be extricated from their person. Some people are jokers, so they could hardly play a paladin, while others are pretty quiet, so maybe not a natural fit for a bard. See which emotional drive you want to pursue and use that as a starting point for your character.
Or go completely the other way around: think of something you would never dare to say or do and see where that takes you. Our best characters end up being the ones which open up a new side of ourselves and release us out of our shells a bit.
Knock-knock! Who’s there? Your inner child.
This is how we enrich our inner worlds – we take something known and we turn it on its head. We create impossible situations – and then try to resolve them. We occasionally bend the laws just for the hell of it and see if we can get away with it.
In real life, we all play various roles. Children learn this from a very early age. This is how they literally build up their own persona, and start identifying themselves apart from the grown-ups. But what about the grown-ups? How many of the roles we play fulfill us? And how many bog us down? Which roles can you really play with abandon? Not many, naturally. This is the reason why we role-play: we get to forget about our daily, mundane roles and assume the ones we ones we can only dream of. We get to breathe life into another creature.
There is a peculiar duality in all of this – we are acting as this other character, but still remain in our own mental space. So, what’s happening here? Who are we and who is speaking through our mouths? I will leave that up to you to decide.
In the meantime, use this DnD character creator to easily build your badass new hero, or get inspired by existing ones: https://fastcharacter.com/
After you’ve got all the stats, it’s time to choose a name! This name generator offers many choices for all the DnD classes and races: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/dungeons-and-dragons.php