"Now that you've figured out why your character is "cool and interesting", it's time to think about "why they suck". That's honestly such a great way of putting it.
Scott Whatever to be fair to Rey, there are a lot of reasons presented that would display suckage. But the devil’s advocate in me remembers that no cares about that stuff in universe so it makes sense why that wouldn’t be enough to not make Rey a Mary Sue
I feel like bringing up star wars removes all sense of clinical analysis when it comes to character flaws and replaces it with pure vitriol whether it's justified or not
Reserve trooper, only in the most recent campaign he has experienced did he see significant action. He never really grew throughout the decades because he has been part of a large unit, never really moving beyond a trained soldier in skill or prowess. Yes, he has faced countless foes and had decades of experience, but it is as a rank and file soldier, who will bring to the party a lot of knowledge on how enemies fight in groups.
@@seaborgium919 I think it's unfair to say that I fixed it, the idea is just one that people aren't used to being executed well. I'm sure an ancient warrior who lsot his memory and wasted away could be level 1 as well, or someone who gave up knowledge of warfare in exchange for a specific set of knowledge that let her know how to brew a specific antidote for a rare poison that a devil exchanged the knowledge for knowledge, or any number of ideas that can make the idea better. People just have a hard time imagining level 1 as someone who has experience and power.
Matrim Alviarin or he has had decades of experience followed by decades in retirement, now he's come out of retirement he has discovered that he has become unfit from years of inactivity and the sword now feels heavy in his hand. A blow that he used to laugh at now winds him and he cannot aim his bow properly any more. It will take some time to bring himself back to his prime. There are ways around it and frankly it pisses me off when people insist that level 1 characters can’t be older individuals. Level 1 doesn’t mean they have never adventured before, it just means you, for whatever reason, have never picked up the right skills to thrive before.
One of my characters (The other is if I want to be sillier) is a human fighter who travels dimensions due to a demonic curse, every time he dies he goes to a new dimension and it resets his strengths and skills to the day he first was sent away, so depending on how long he spent in a dimension he could be younger and stronger or older and wiser. After all, with age comes wisdom, and he's lived a few lifetimes.
I sometimes like giving my players a random seemingly questionnaire they have to answer in character, but almost always at the very least like them to answer the "Babylon 5 Questions"... Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here? Where are you going? Do you have anything worth living for? Whom do you serve, and whom do you trust? It is cool at just how much more it can focus, especially newer players, into thinking more about who and why their character is the way they are making it.
Amicable greeting: Hello. Introduction: My name is Inigo Montoya. Why am I here: You killed my father. What do I want/where am I going/what is worth living for: Prepare to die. Yup, that checks out.
I think one thing for people who want to have a super tragic backstory need to remember is that you don't need to be an "edgelord" just because of past trauma. My Rogue in Curse of Strahd has a super depressing backstory, but when he's with other people he's pretty much the happiest guy in the room
Yeah, that's a good point. I've got a Tiefling Rogue/Paladin who was disowned by awful parents, grew up the only non-human kid in an orphanage and has generally had a terrible time, but I try and play her as hopeful and upbeat. She's got her fair share of anxieties and issues, but that just makes her interesting to me. Emotional range is important, you guys!
True. My rogue has a sad backstory, where he lost everything and everyone he loved and was banished from his home. But it's made him determined to be happy. He spent a couple years wallowing in his misery, but eventually pulled himself out of it and sees the bright side of life. There'll always be sunny days to look forward to, people to meet, pockets to pick, ect.
I made the "doesn't talk about their past and has a mysterious goal" mistake with the character I currently play. If I could change the way I built that character, I would have given her another goal and motivation that she would convey instantly to the other players in some way, and have the secret goal and backstory be something that the DM can choose to dangle in front of the party rather than relying on the other players to prise it out of me.
Vampire the Masquerade had a system like this where your character has a Demeanor (how they choose to appear to others) and an innate Nature (what really drives them in life).
you're so polite, thank you i don't have alot of roleplaying experience but a nice character for me in World of Darkness and my current D&D campaign has been the rookie, someone who wants to prove themselves, but from two ends of the spectrum WOD, a brujah (strong and fast physical fighter) he was recently changed and wanted to see how cool and awesome he was making him take some dumb risks D&D, gnome bard, (college of lore, so more magic, scholar) he had a decent grasp on some of the bard aspects performance and some magic spells but lacked the courage (and playing into the story of the campaign sought out the long lost heroes, to learn and grow from their example) It's one thing to practice in a college setting another to face zombies and other creatures
@@darthmunck That's a good point. I think what I meant was that one could take the key features of a character they want to play (i.e. what makes them *them*) and implement them into an NPC that's vital to the story. Not necessarily building a fully fledged character with a character sheet, but rather someone you can play around with to make being the DM slightly more fun.
@@darthmunck How about more significant NPCs? Sure, Elrond was a visit once and done sort of character, but how about Saruman? Denathor? And sure, you're probably not presenting the entire backstory of even your major NPCs - Saruman's backstory is only really hinted at within the narrative of Lord of the Rings itself - but that backstory informs their actions. Why does Denathor decide to burn Faramir and himself alive in the tomb of his family? His reasoning there is entirely built on things that are hinted at or left entirely out of the story, but it's every bit as major a story point of Return of the King as the charge of the Rohirrim, or Sam's raid on Cirith Ungol to rescue Frodo and retrieve the Ring. And not just because the movie had him leap burning down the entire height of Minas Tirith into the army of orcs below. You'll have the Elronds who serve minor bits of the story, seem really mysterious and cool, and then kinda move on. But you've also got the villains and plot critical NPCs on which everything hinges, and to portray them, you have to know how to role play them just as well as the players need to know how to play their characters, if not better.
One thing I truly enjoy about all of these videos is your approach to creating. It's never a strict set of things you need to do or to avoid, it's about the right mindset and consequently, the right approach, which is much more open and much more fruitful. At least, I find. Tbh, this has helped me crystallise a character, for a book rather than a campaign, but the principles are the same, and I'd just like to thank you for that. :)
Having never played d&d but created numerous characters my favorite idea was a character with a major flaw. This character was possessed by an evil spirit that could only be free if the character died. As such critical hits would have resulted in a critical fail as the spirit would suddenly use all its energy to takeover the character in that moment. Just an interesting concept that I plan to use if I ever actually play a tabletop game
I want to say this as polite as possible. If there was powder packet of “Instant DM, Just Add Water/Mountian Dew,” in my minds eye I see you as that perfect specimen of that product.
You and outsidexbox started my love for D&D, im happily starting a campaign with a few friends, none of us have played before, but we are all aware of the fun we have been missing xo
What Johnny says here about not basing your character around a secret the other players might not be interested in learning was probably the most helpful advice in this video for me. With my current group I made that mistake and neglected to develop my Half-Orc Bard's personality quite as much because I was focusing on how much my edgy secret was going to blow my party members minds, so I defaulted to the standard magical musician archetype for a while. Since the last comment I left on here below that I've mostly repeated, I've since developed her into a component-based spellcaster who gives the party encouraging whispers, and focus on playing up her high INT and low WIS by having her be extremely selectively smart. For example, in our play of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist she spent a whole month creating a forgery of the macguffin and manage to throw off every faction in Waterdeep at once with it, but also she got nearly permakilled by an Intellect Devourer because she utterly failed at creating an on the fly bluff when she blundered into the room with no plan. She's great!
I really wanted to create a dark backstory but wanted to avoid the trappings mentioned here. The result was a mentally shattered Shifter (5e). He is supposed to act more like a lighthearted silly character but at times is faced by sadness or rage that he cannot understand or express. He has repressed the traumatic experience that led to this so if the DM won’t or can’t write in some backstory moments it isn’t the end of the world. However, I know the DM well and he tries to make sure that all characters have their time in the sun. I think the key is knowing that your backstory may not come up, but makes the role play more fun and interesting for you.
Something I enjoy about character creation is that it can be so different for each player. I loved the process of creating my character's backstory, motivations and shortcomings, but I was frequently frustrated by the mathematics and logistics of working out initial stats, gear, spells and so on. It was my first time navigating the 5th edition PHB - or any D&D, really - and at times it felt like a 'choose your own adventure' story where all the answers were more maths. Thankfully, I was surrounded by a group of very patient, helpful and experienced players who actually knew what they were doing.
When I was still actively playing 3rd edition Shadowrun on convention floors I usually flicked through all the source books until I found something that made me think: "Hmm, this is a strange piece of equipment / set of skills / side note to the rules I've never seen used in the wild before. I wonder if I can build a character around that." Which, then, I proceeded to do. They were usually the most memorable and fun characters to play.
I ran my first game last week. Used the DND starter set. The players got ambushed by the goblins and then went on to Phandalin, skipping several pages of adventure... They spent some time kicking about and captured a Redbrand who gave them some clues where to go next and then went somewhere else entirely. Guiding players to the actual adventure in the adventure is harder than i thought. But i'm forgetting the point of this post. Thanks to your videos here and on Oxboxtra, it all went off without a hitch and the players are keen to play more. So thanks for all the tips so far!
This is actually also a great starters guide to writing characters for anything in general by which I mean other forms of media.. Thank you kindly Dicebreaker team, Ive actually needed something like this for a while.. Bless
one of my favourite characters is my Simic Hybrid Bard Kythra, and my starting point was that I wanted to make a magic-user who didn't know he was a magic-user, the result was a rather naïve, optimistic, and idealistic character who just loved to travel and see new places, people, and things, and got caught up in the antics of an adventuring party. he has a tendency to do things that are extremely ill-advised, but with the best of intentions, like trying to untie a drow prisoner so they could have a cup of tea, because he just couldn't fathom the idea that they could possibly be dangerous
When I start making a character I like to have a VERY broad theme to start with. I find it gives me a direction to work in and something to come back to when I get stuck. Like "a character who shirks responsibility" was a concept I worked off of for my last campaign and it was easily one of my best. She would pass the buck, even when it made her unreliable to her comrades, out of a concern that she would mess it up. This made the other members of her party resent her, something she didn't know how to handle, and it made some pretty major beats for her as she grappled with her desire to be accepted and helpful while still working on her fear of failure. One stands out in my mind. She didn't really have a backstory to speak of, but that didn't really matter for this interaction. After one too many trouble spots one of the other characters, the guy that fancied himself the leader, confronted her about her not owning up to her mistakes and letting others do all the work. She tried to shrug it off but he persisted. Eventually, she just fled, leaving a trail of tears. This trail was followed by a more sympathetic character who was a more maternal figure, and the beans got spilled. The duo went back to the campfire, and the matron relayed everything that she had heard. Then the rogue pipes up. "If you stay out of the game for fear of losing, there's no way in hell to win. Buck up. We're all in this together and we all make it out alive or none of us do. And even if you do make a mistake, take pride in that it's you that made it."
Watching this has made me realise my most recent character is in fact a self-made psychopath in order to cope. Glib, charming, talented but totally detached from emotions, thinking others emotions are a weakness and only in it for themselves. Time for a major re-write. Thanks for making me realise before I played with her Johnny!
Next time they reach 0 hp have them realize it's only because the party cared about them that their Alive, then drive that kindness wedge straight though their heart.
2:44 Who is your character? 3:32 How is your character helpful? 7:02 What are your characters flaws/personality traits? 9:30 What are your character's goals? 10:30 What is your character's backstory?
This video is fantastic! Despite having made a bunch of characters for different games having a well articulated formula for it is always something I’ve lacked, I’ll definitely be using it from now on and recommending my new players watch this video before our session zero, thanks heaps Johnny!
I remember my first character. He was an Elf Rogue back in fourth edition and, unintentionally, a complete moron. One of our first missions was from a merchant, the DM made a point of saying that he had a pair of very fine looking daggers and may as well have been holding up a sign saying "STEAL THEM!" instead he/I asked how much they were and just upon finding out just went on the merry way. There was also the time he wanted to sneak into a house with a single gnome inside who was very clearly not a threat. And when he switched places with an enemy that left him surrounded because I looked at the giant pile characters wrong. Moral of the story is, don't be afraid to screw up, first character or not, because it can end up with some funny stories to tell down the line.
Such a great way to explain why shortcomings are important to a character. I will use this from now on when guiding new players through character creation! Great tip!
Current Character being built: Silas Emerson Aegean. Sailor.... turned pirate necromancer. (Very Davy Jones, didn't want to die at sea, made a deal with a god) As far as a party member, generalist/communicator (He was a merchant sailor. He knows how to talk to people) Perfectly fine childhood, sailed with his dad, learned book stuff with his mum. Until the storm, and basically what ends up a curse. Secret Goal is finding an Ancient Artifact of Unknown Properties (tasked by aforementioned god) And that is where I stopped because I needed game rules to continue building him lmao
Sounds like an interesting and awesome character you're building there! Can I borrow your ideas for an NPC and a future campaign I might write around him? :)
My favorite type of backstory "All this crazy terrible evil shit happened in my past. I don't give a shit i just started walking south now im a (insert class here) and if I solve my problems that will be nice."
I like to make a character that was doing very well until he/she screwed up (by their own fault of-course). Like a merchant who stole from adventurers until he got caught when his crime caused more damage than he thought. Or a powerful young wizard who got envious with the hero and is now punished with being a level 1 character for awhile. I think this gives the dm a lot to work with and it explains my characters behavior after a while.
I still enjoyed my warforged artificer and samurai team. (was in a world where we were playing 2 characters) Both were very straightforward, do-the-job types, the Samurai was a very stoic type, but the artificer, well, he was basically Tony. (even had a diplomatic Docent)
Best part was that once we got a bit of downtime (and the metamagic trigger class feat) I could effectively make iron man's repulsor gauntlets (wand bracer internal component plus fireball wand, maximised usually).
Have you seen the Oxventurers' games? Johnny, as DM, is "literally everyone else in the world", which could be a very interesting rogue-type impersonator who can pass as absolutely anyone when needed (or fun).
My character has been around for a good few years now and he's still my original that I have developed and let circumstance mould him. Also, I need that tshirt.
Good advice, par usual, Johnny. Two things I would like to add. Even for veterans there is nothing wrong with patterning your character after a famous character. It can help you cement your concept, and help your fellow players to know how to interact with you. Plus, with so much media out there, and the influence it has on us, there is a chance your totally original character will still bear a resemblance to someone, somewhere. The caveats being to make sure the source will fit into the game, and not to get so locked into the original inspiration that you don't grow, or worse fall into My Guy syndrome. Second, and related to the caveat, discuss your character with your DM/GM/etc. The sooner and more completely, the better. This can help them figure out how to fit you into the plot, give you hooks, and surprise your character. It also will let them (gently, if they are a good DM) pump the brakes if your character concept is not going to fit into the campaign; though hopefully that would have been avoided by Session 0.
Just returned to d&d after a long break - and by long I mean 25+ years. The DM is a fellow teacher and had been encouraging me to join his group for some time. To seal the deal he gave me a great deal of latitude with character creation and his place in the world. Fine - then I’m going to have 2 identities, my vanilla “day” identity, and my hidden “real” night identity. Day identity was a dull human rogue, but couldn’t decide on my other. First it was going to be a vampire, then a wraith. Finally in the monster manual I found what I was looking for, a Shadovar Shade assassin. This fitted the characteristics I was looking for in the character, the utter ruthlessness, lack of compassion, the selfish indifference to others - a real bastard. The thing is only the DM is aware of the “real” me, the other players think I’m this mild rogue character. Haven’t totally blindsided the other players, the DM has already said there is something about my character that does make them uneasy, and I’ve already said (in best creepy voice how my only loyalty is to myself and my god - who I have deliberately not named). The DM and me have already come up with a quest to where we will retrieve a “family” sword (one I’ve based on Stormbringer - able to devour souls), which if the mages in the party do investigate they should be able to discover - along with it’s name, the “betrayer of dreams.” Really we’ve not been subtle that I’m not to be trusted. The one problem backstory wise was how a character like this was level 1, and so weak. Finally came up with a backstory that I was a renegade Shadovar, that I had killed one of the princes of shade, and to escape I had to sacrifice nearly all my power and experience. As a renegade I am being hunted by the shades , anyone with me is in danger, something I have not mentioned to my companions. As another sign to my companions to investigate me, in the first town we entered the DM had me see that the beggar just inside the gate was marked by the shadow weave and ask me what I’m going to do about it (a possible spy). Shocked my companions by walking up to the beggar and twisting his head 180. My plan when true identity is discovered is to follow a scene from 1983’s “Sword and the Sorcerer”, skin will split, pull my head apart, and explode out of the human skin in a fountain of gore. Should be an interesting ride, as I haven’t yet decided if my companions will be fair game; the DM may well regret giving me so much freedom.
My first character had a grim backstory. It doesn't get much grimmer than your erstwhile neighbors turning on you, and then your homeland being invaded by eldritch abominations. But she didn't have "nothing to lose". Her homeland still existed, and she was determined to reclaim it. That was also, in a way, her flaw (from a roleplay standpoint, she had plenty of flaws from a mechanics standpoint). She was willing to work with, and even empower, an extremely evil character. Indeed she's partially responsible for his ascension to godhood. But she did achieve her goal. She has reclaimed her homeland, founded an order to protect it against the eldritch, and started to set up a new life for herself and those who chose to follow her. I guess that's what I would say to someone who wants to play a character with a grim backstory: your character must have something they value, otherwise they wouldn't be here. If you value nothing, then why live? What keeps your character going? why do they risk their neck frequently? Adventuring is dangerous, people need a compelling reason to do it.
I actually tried that whole dark backstory a second time around lol. But this time, it's all my characters fault. My first time round it was "oh my parents don't love me bc they're assholes, my sister hates me because she's an asshole" and "I have a pet wolf because I'm to nice to give up on them" this time it's "My parents don't love me because I stole a family heirloom, and my sister hates me because I pinned the crime on her" and "I have a pet cat because he won't give up on me" I also decided to give my character actually flaws, heavens forbid, so she's a massive liar. She doesn't want people to know she's a liar or that she's done some really horrible things to the people she loves... because well, they'd give up on her. I think pinning the blame on my character justifies their actions in a more proactive manner. If they're always the victim then they're always reacting, but if they're the bad guy then they have to actively keep that past hidden.
An other thing that is worth noting is that you don't start metagaming too hard. The player will know a number of things his character doesn't know and it is much more interesting to let them run into a wall than use knowledge you shouldn't have to avoid a sticky situation. :) Your advice is very valuable, because most people get wrapped up in numbers and sheets when they get into PnP, but it really is all about collective storytelling. So thinking about interesting hooks and flaws is a big deal. The DnD 5e PHB helps a little with recommendations for Backgrounds, bonds and flaws, so the rules themselves tell you to create a perfectly non-perfect character. :)
I've been seeing their stuff popping up in my feed without realizing what it was and thinking, "that's a clever name for the show," and "huh, that character art looks a lot like the Oxventurers'," but I always skipped past it because aside from the Oxventurers, I don't tend to care for D&D shows. Thanks to this video, I'm going to check them out tonight!
For DnD 5e I have created a moon elf monk who grew up in sort of a commune, made up of scientists and philosophers. This commune was near an ancient ruin the people explored and studied. My elf is very young (almost 100 years), goes by his child name and when the time comes he will make a full name for himself(an elf specific thing from the PHB). He was extracting texts and relics from the ruins, making him a nimble acrobat and swift fighter, though more in the hit and run style than a front soldier. He is very curious and might throw caution into the wind if there is possibly knowledge to be gained. He is not too experienced with society and maybe a little green. Also he believes strongly in the equality of all people and is in the process of writing something in the notion of the capital by marx, due to the way he was brought up. My campaign hasen't run long enough, but I intend to debate about society with different people, both NPC's and party members.
My current (and first) D&D character is an Aasimar bard, born to a jeweler & a businessman. She left home a while ago to explore the land, meet new people, and hone her craft etc. When she returns home, she finds that her parents were comissioned to craft a priceless necklace to be a wedding gift for a high-profile couple that included a certain rare jewel over the last year. However their home was broken into and the gem stolen soon afterwards, leading her parents to order in a similar one out of desparation, with plans to find the original and replace the fake when the piece is brought in for maintenance.She doesn't want revenge per se, but she has resolved to see the crook brought to justice, whether by her hand or by the law.
I had a character whose flaws made her more endearing. Her name was Nessira and she was a 17-year old Catfolk with a wisdom of 8(-1). As a result, she was sometimes naïve or temperamental (cats, right), but that's what made her fun and one of the team's favourite characters.
That's bogus, my Shadowrun character is also called Echo. He's a cat-shaman (we are playing 3d Ed.) and face elve from Tir Tangaire. He has pretty high charisma and came to his name because he always tells people what they wanna hear. Or because he's very resentful. It depends who you ask.
I'm currently playing a halfling barbarian with levels in fighter with the premise of, "Since I've played characters with a moral compass twice and they either died or left the campaign due to the other party members turning into neutral evil adventurers, I'm gonna give them a taste of their own medicine by becoming chaos incarnate". So my halfling is the last being of his tribe that was wiped out by another tribe and joins the party because he's very dependant on people. However, he finds it very difficult to navigate through civil society (with a very limited vocabulary) as he lived in a forest all his life. After slaying his foes, he would scalp and eat their brains as a token of respect to his ancestors who guided him through the battle, much to the other party members and NPCs disgust. I have to say, he's the most fun character I've played in any TTRPG.
13th Age has a spot on your character sheet for your "One Unique Thing" that separates you from every other individual in the established world, essentially what elevates you to heroic/protagonist level.
So...can I get some discussion on the backstory of a character I have in the making. (I only played one campaign before, and played as the Cleric who never shuts up about their god, pretty cliche) The first is an Aberrant Mind/Necromancer Halfling wrapped in bandages, covering everything but his face and neck. The idea is that the Halfling (I named Dubhe) came from a distanct country once stricken with a plaque (similar to the Black Death, but you get to bleed from...pretty much everywhere). The Government focused quite a bit of funding into research, and because of that, the scholars obtained quite a bit of power, becoming a sort of lord of their own county. Dubhe, came from a coastal county, and was the "son" of a small researcher attempting to make a half-breed race that can both use psionics, while keeping the appearance of a normal person. This sort of worked, making a batch of these half-breeds that look normal...to a certain point. Dubhe for instance, looms normal at the head and fingers, but everywhere else has a grey tint, glossy sheen, and in some places, a vile green eye on his right shoulder and left side of the hip. His "father" also kept up this weird relationship, showing genuine care for his creations, but also creating situations where he looks like the good guy. ...blah blah blah The researcher was eventually under investigation, and in response, sent his "children" into the world. To save them, to hide the evidence, and to conduct more experiments. Giving them all a type of spellbook of his own making. An object made of a black material, almost like glass, with runes shifting and moving across it, that can come together to give the names of spells. And only being easily legible by those attuned to it.
I would love to give it a go. But I don't have enough selfconfidence to ask people aside from my friends. And they don't play DnD :s Maybe you could also make a video on how to get into a group and actively search one / maybe how to advertise groups to make it twosided? An other big point for me is english not being my first language so I'm even more hesitent cuz I don't want to slow anyone down . Like if I miss a vocab and need it explained for something as silly as landscapes.
If you're not feeling super confident, maybe ask a couple of your friends if they wanted to try it? I was very hesitant at the start because I thought I was way too shy, and had a taster session with a very confident, well established group, which honestly put me off for a while. I later started my first proper campaign with a completely newbie group of pals and it was really fun! And we all didn't mind if something required a bit of research to check because we were all new to it as well. You could join an existing group, but this is certainly a route in as well.
Check out places like roll20. There're newbie-friendly games, and while English is the primary communicative language, there are games run in other languages as well, you might just get lucky and at least figure out how to get started!
im playing a character with my dnd group right now. Firbolg wizard and theres a bit of some darkness to his past he was selected as his tribes balancer. someone who goes out into the world and teaches towns cities kingdoms ways to live in harmony with our environment and not exactly to be a tree hugger but to recognize that by not killing all the boars in the area you will have meat for next year too. that if you plant two trees for every one you knock down your grand kids will have a better life. hes happily married has 2 kids and 3 grandkids and visits often. the dark bit is when in extreme cases someone fails to heed his advice. he once came upon a dwarven mine startup digging for coal way to quickly and dangerously he gave advice to slow down be more cautious and to pace themselves they didnt listen. a balancer can change nature bring great beasts in to get an environment back on track. kinda like people have tried to do with hawaii and failed. but firbolgs live in nature their entire lives and know how to make the correct changes when necessary. he didnt want to do that here didnt want to be responsible for some poor people death just because their boss wouldnt listen. the mine caught fire one day and still burns steadily years later. the forest was destroyed around it for miles and miles and miles. to him it was a harsh lesson he had to learn this is what happens when he fails his duty. so you have this kind man who loves his family is kids and grandkids who enjoys peoples company and whose willing to do some fairly lethal things to keep nature from going into a downward spiral. hasnt come up yet in game but its gonna be interesting to say the least.
I'm definitely guilty of the tragic backstory and I think there is an important reason for that. People rarely leave a good and happy life behind to go adventuring. Of course you can make a character who is just bored of a safe and happy life and goes out for the sake of it but that's a bit one dimensional as a motivation. I do try to shake it up though and make characters whose conflict is internal. I've made some soul searching characters lately who want to find out who they really are and what their role in life should be. Should they follow other's expectations and if so, how can they find joy in that? If not, what else can they do with their life? I don't think these questions need to be answered when you start the campaign. If you have a great DM, there will be plenty opportunity for very character defining moments.
As much as I love the content of this video, the ongoing switching between talking into the camera (helpful) and talking over a muted session (distracting) was challenging to follow. Thank you for the recap!
The way I see it is you need to be competent enough in certain area's a to help the party but also incompetent enough in certain area's to let the party help you.
Brandon Sanderson fans, we have an example of two charter possibilities with tragic backstories: one is Kaladin, who is just a depressed baby who no matter what still heated himself, and the other is the persistently optimistic and happy Shallan (and no i havent read rhythm of war or oathbreaker yet)
This reminded me of the brightest and kindest character I ever made. She is a shadow monk that was a street urchin who was picked up by a monistary and later in life failed to save a little girl from being executed for soiling a nobleman's cloak
One thing I've learned is to make sure I do not make a stoic character. I can't keep that going. My sarcasm gets the better of me and I'm making terrible jokes within the hour. Give yourself humor space.
notice that he is using clips from his channel but wearing a joyful damnation t-shirt (outside Xbox) showing who his real favorite group to play with is (the oxventurers guild) btw this video really helped I play a changeling rogue and I didn't feel right playing but I've made some adjustments and now I really enjoy playing as him now
I feel like I would have the opposite problem: getting too invested in building the character because character development is my favorite thing, and thus not knowing when to STOP. LOL However, as someone who has done freeform/forum roleplay but not tabletop, this sort of assuages my worries that I won't be able to translate those skills over to another medium.
Important additions - talk to your gamemaster and fellow players and riff with them to make your charactet a part of the group and world. Of course it means that your snowflake character will maybe not be that mimuch of a snowflake, but that is only a good thing... When you make a player character, remember that the game is collaborative and make a character a part of the game. If that means you have to make a concession or two, then that will probably help the game, rather than damage it.
The best advice I've ever been given on chracter creation is this. Figure out what lines your character wont cross figure out what it is they would never do. And then give them one thing that would force them to do that. Good example. You are a paladin of law. You have never willfully or knowingly broke the code of your order you have never murdered never stole never blaspheme never raised your hand to a superior. That is until you're commander brought in your younger sister of 8 who was found trying to perform black magic to bring you're parents back from the dead. She is a heretic she has conversed with demons and tried to make an unspeakable pack. Your duty is to purge her. But she is also the only family you have left she is the little girl you held at your parents grave as she sobbed uncontrollably the little girl you swore to your father you would protect no matter what. So you strike your commander unconscious grab her in your arms and you run. You renounce your oath and spend your life as a fugitive from the brotherhood you swore your life too.
funny...just started a group in ToA with a character named Ekothra...both in game and out my table gave up trying to pronounce it and just started calling her eko...my desire for her...desire to help people kind of made her onne of the leading people on the death curse research for her background...even though she is kind of a sheltered, oblivious ditz and invades peoples personal space all the time in the persuit of knowledge...or covers peoples bills on stuff and donates huge sums of money to local temples as she was raised as an acolyte and does everything she can to help people...even if she sucks at it right now
Please don't pick a concept before rolling your stats in Hackmaster 5E, arranging stats costs build points. Race is free, but character class costs build points. Roll the dice and work with what you have got.
Here's my process: Start with "What if". Read the setting of the game and look for the hook that interests you and makes you curious and find a niche in it for a character to begin. If the world has a religiously obedient faction, what would losing your faith be like if you're one of them. If you're game has a class of batty inventors, what if you were just pawning yourself off as one of them with stolen ideas and inventions? What if my character believes they're destined to be a hero but they're absolutely wrong. A character that starts with a question about the setting rather than an assumption about it creates the same interest you had in other characters in the game and makes a natural friction with the setting. Character is Contrast. Making a trope or an expected norm is useful and translatable but it minimizes what your footprint in the world. If you are always what others expect then they can move past you without effort. If your character is both what it should be and what it never should be you inherently create interest from others. Contrast doesn't have to cripple you it doesn't have to be the opposition of your role but it can be fun when it is. Make a fighter who isn't physically strong and refuses to admit it. Make a healer that is incredibly violent and sadistic. Make an engineer that is strongly theological and fears that the technology they create is a threat to the souls of others. Don't create contrast just to be contrary, build a reason into the character that they don't fit in. Don't feel you have to remain conflicted forever, part of your character arc could be abandoning the part of you that is creating friction and that growth can be awesome if you set the stage with that internal conflict. Nothing Defines character like flaws. Think of any time you sat in with a gaming group for a one-time game and you'll probably remember the flaws of the characters more than any other aspect of them, more so chances are you only remember the flaws of the players as well. We recognize flaws in others because they are defining. Many games incorporate flaws in the mechanics but that shouldn't be your focus when you think about what sets your character back. Flaws like contrast doesn't have to cripple your character but they should be a real problem. The trick is finding a flaw that makes things difficult for your character without making things difficult for other players. Be inventive, take examples from the realistic flaws of people you know. The Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible are a great source for natural character flaws but in a fantasy world the things your character struggles with can be infinitely more unique. If your flaw is reflective of how the world treats your character worth with the GM on it. If it is a problem between you and another character work it out with them. Build rather than carve. When we conceive of our background and how it shapes our character for so many people the instinct is to define the character in negative space, what they hate, who they're intolerant of, what they've lost. I think we're trained to see this grimdark edgelord stuff as compelling. And while it can make for a very cool tragic character motivation it gets to be a lot when everyone in the party is an orphan out for revenge on suicide mission from their dark god. Not long ago I started deliberately building characters base on positive space, defined by what they loved, who was important to them and the positive change they wanted to make. And I found when those traits were well-defined and grounded in my character those characters became people everyone wanted to work with and help because positive traits are hero traits, even in a non-heroic game. People want to be part of a mission that's attainable and does something redeeming. It is more easy and more fun to improve with someone who says "yes" and it gets much easier to say yes to play when your character isn't riddled with rules that hold them back. Play a character who is super proud of their Barbarian Tribe and wants to represent them well. Be a character who's determined to show their father their worth. Be a character who is providing for their family through adventures, trying to get enough money put away to start a life with their true love. Raft up! In session zero there are inherently walls built around each character separating them from the rest of the characters in the game. While it can be a lot of fun to slowly bring out your character for others it slows the chemistry around the table if everyone has to break thsoe walls between one another down. Listen to the background people talk about and look for an in where you can know them. You don't have to be shield brothers or from the same clone batch. You could have gone to school together. You could have dated when you were younger (Honestly so much cooler than you can imagine). They could be your cousin. Just knowing their name and having some reason to trust them at their word is a HUGE step towards that legendary adventure group you want. If nobody is putting forth character details just pick someone at the table (Ideally the player who engages the least) and ask them. Would you like to play brothers? Or maybe we were childhood friends? As an added benefit if nobody else is creating those links you become the lynchpin for the party and you get to be the creamy center of all the best roleplay. This also makes it much easier for the GM to bring everyone together and it reduces adventures that start with everyone in a bar waiting for the call-to-adventure to being. Have a vision. Think about where you want your character to grow, not just in class and level but how you envision them developing as people as adventure boosts their esteem and capability. Perhaps their flaws grow more severe before you hit rock bottom and break your habits. Perhaps your goal is to win the affection of another character (Best discussed with the other player). Think about what perceptions they'll start out with that you plan to alter, maybe they'll grow more compassionate, or more jaded? Maybe they'll find hope through comraderie or maybe they'll spiral out of control. You don't have to follow this plan like a map, you can deviate or change your direction entirely if it makes more sense to, but visualizing that trajectory helps you recognize moments where your character can grow as the game goes on.
I’m confused about the idea I have for a new character I’m making in a star wars rpg saga edition game. It’s set in the 4aby after the empire fell is what the gm said. The character is from the clone wars a Jedi padawan that was put into a stasis pod after sufferinga injury in a battle with her master. The master got them to safety but died at the cost. So she wakes up in the years after the war about 24 I think and I’m not sure how to play her I pictured her a Jedi who uses some force but not much of it prefers fighting even tho she never kills unless she has to. I’m confused on where to go from here I’m at a loss for how to flesh out the character any more
I find the “useful to the party” step not universal. In games like vampire the masquerade it’s not up to the person who they become all the time, vampirism being, usually, forced. In this sense it’s not being useful to a party but in life. Then it would be what kind of vampire would seek you out. I just find it very metagaming in a way that makes party makeup unnatural.
I would change it to what does the character bring to the party. In a game about storytelling and personal drama like vampire you don't need to have special skills but when I run the game I want every player to bring something to the game wether that be shining a spotlight on a particular part of the world or bringing in new elements to the story.
"Having a character with absolutely no weaknesses, flaws, short comings or personal judgments is, in my opinion, kind of dull. And worse, unrealistic." You listening, Di$ney/LucasFilm? Yeah, didn't think so. =)
Also don't write a massive backstory, nobody wants that. Leave yourself, and the other players, room to explore the character. Sometimes starting with questions for your character to explore can be fruitful.
Any player so inexperienced that they need a "how to make a character" video shouldn't be burdened with coming up with a fully realized character before the game begins in the first place. This video just sets an unnecessary barrier to entry on what should be a fun game.
...you're saying first time players should be given a character rather than making their own because they're too inexperienced to do it themselves and yet *I'm* the one gatekeeping? It's a guide on how to make a character if you want to make one, I'm hardly a chuffing drill sergeant. (Johnny)
While I agree that we need to keep the games accessible, any game that functions with a character that is just a block of stats isnt really a "Role Playing" game is it?
Without even watching the video, I would say creating a character is all part of the roleplaying. Even as a new player, you would sit down with the DM / GM and talk about the different character types before even playing. The DM / GM can also help suggest what would be an easier class to play to help out. Once you have created your own character you feel a connection as the story unfolds and you make the actions. Using a character that has been created is an easy way to get things going straight away but you as the play may not feel a connection, understand why this character is out for an adventure. At the end of the day it is up to both the players and DM / GM to decide what type of game this is. My personal thoughts are to create a base idea of the character, get some short bits of a backstory and then speak to the DM / GM to start expanding upon it. I did this with the group I am DMing for and we even had a roleplay session to help them feel the character, then that way if they wanted to change they could.
"Now that you've figured out why your character is "cool and interesting", it's time to think about "why they suck". That's honestly such a great way of putting it.
Scott Whatever to be fair to Rey, there are a lot of reasons presented that would display suckage. But the devil’s advocate in me remembers that no cares about that stuff in universe so it makes sense why that wouldn’t be enough to not make Rey a Mary Sue
I feel like bringing up star wars removes all sense of clinical analysis when it comes to character flaws and replaces it with pure vitriol whether it's justified or not
My character has seen hundreds of military campaigns, faced uncount enemys and decades of experience... Yet he's lvl 1...
Reserve trooper, only in the most recent campaign he has experienced did he see significant action. He never really grew throughout the decades because he has been part of a large unit, never really moving beyond a trained soldier in skill or prowess. Yes, he has faced countless foes and had decades of experience, but it is as a rank and file soldier, who will bring to the party a lot of knowledge on how enemies fight in groups.
@@matrimalviarin5043 holy shit you fixed it
@@seaborgium919 I think it's unfair to say that I fixed it, the idea is just one that people aren't used to being executed well. I'm sure an ancient warrior who lsot his memory and wasted away could be level 1 as well, or someone who gave up knowledge of warfare in exchange for a specific set of knowledge that let her know how to brew a specific antidote for a rare poison that a devil exchanged the knowledge for knowledge, or any number of ideas that can make the idea better. People just have a hard time imagining level 1 as someone who has experience and power.
Matrim Alviarin or he has had decades of experience followed by decades in retirement, now he's come out of retirement he has discovered that he has become unfit from years of inactivity and the sword now feels heavy in his hand. A blow that he used to laugh at now winds him and he cannot aim his bow properly any more. It will take some time to bring himself back to his prime.
There are ways around it and frankly it pisses me off when people insist that level 1 characters can’t be older individuals. Level 1 doesn’t mean they have never adventured before, it just means you, for whatever reason, have never picked up the right skills to thrive before.
One of my characters (The other is if I want to be sillier) is a human fighter who travels dimensions due to a demonic curse, every time he dies he goes to a new dimension and it resets his strengths and skills to the day he first was sent away, so depending on how long he spent in a dimension he could be younger and stronger or older and wiser. After all, with age comes wisdom, and he's lived a few lifetimes.
I sometimes like giving my players a random seemingly questionnaire they have to answer in character, but almost always at the very least like them to answer the "Babylon 5 Questions"...
Who are you?
What do you want?
Why are you here?
Where are you going?
Do you have anything worth living for?
Whom do you serve, and whom do you trust?
It is cool at just how much more it can focus, especially newer players, into thinking more about who and why their character is the way they are making it.
Amicable greeting: Hello.
Introduction: My name is Inigo Montoya.
Why am I here: You killed my father.
What do I want/where am I going/what is worth living for: Prepare to die.
Yup, that checks out.
"The perfect hero character does not exist."
Luke Westaway: Hold my lakes
Still flawed, a hero does not steal his friends money to throw it in a lake, but yes pretty damn close to perfect.
I think one thing for people who want to have a super tragic backstory need to remember is that you don't need to be an "edgelord" just because of past trauma. My Rogue in Curse of Strahd has a super depressing backstory, but when he's with other people he's pretty much the happiest guy in the room
Yeah, that's a good point. I've got a Tiefling Rogue/Paladin who was disowned by awful parents, grew up the only non-human kid in an orphanage and has generally had a terrible time, but I try and play her as hopeful and upbeat. She's got her fair share of anxieties and issues, but that just makes her interesting to me. Emotional range is important, you guys!
True. My rogue has a sad backstory, where he lost everything and everyone he loved and was banished from his home.
But it's made him determined to be happy. He spent a couple years wallowing in his misery, but eventually pulled himself out of it and sees the bright side of life. There'll always be sunny days to look forward to, people to meet, pockets to pick, ect.
I made the "doesn't talk about their past and has a mysterious goal" mistake with the character I currently play. If I could change the way I built that character, I would have given her another goal and motivation that she would convey instantly to the other players in some way, and have the secret goal and backstory be something that the DM can choose to dangle in front of the party rather than relying on the other players to prise it out of me.
Vampire the Masquerade had a system like this where your character has a Demeanor (how they choose to appear to others) and an innate Nature (what really drives them in life).
you're so polite, thank you
i don't have alot of roleplaying experience but a nice character for me in World of Darkness and my current D&D campaign has been the rookie, someone who wants to prove themselves, but from two ends of the spectrum
WOD, a brujah (strong and fast physical fighter) he was recently changed and wanted to see how cool and awesome he was making him take some dumb risks
D&D, gnome bard, (college of lore, so more magic, scholar) he had a decent grasp on some of the bard aspects performance and some magic spells but lacked the courage (and playing into the story of the campaign sought out the long lost heroes, to learn and grow from their example) It's one thing to practice in a college setting another to face zombies and other creatures
Johnny: “This time we’re talking about how to create a character!”
Me: * cries in dungeon master *
Good solution: take your cool character ideas and make them into cool NPCs
@@darthmunck That's a good point. I think what I meant was that one could take the key features of a character they want to play (i.e. what makes them *them*) and implement them into an NPC that's vital to the story. Not necessarily building a fully fledged character with a character sheet, but rather someone you can play around with to make being the DM slightly more fun.
@@darthmunck How about more significant NPCs? Sure, Elrond was a visit once and done sort of character, but how about Saruman? Denathor? And sure, you're probably not presenting the entire backstory of even your major NPCs - Saruman's backstory is only really hinted at within the narrative of Lord of the Rings itself - but that backstory informs their actions. Why does Denathor decide to burn Faramir and himself alive in the tomb of his family? His reasoning there is entirely built on things that are hinted at or left entirely out of the story, but it's every bit as major a story point of Return of the King as the charge of the Rohirrim, or Sam's raid on Cirith Ungol to rescue Frodo and retrieve the Ring. And not just because the movie had him leap burning down the entire height of Minas Tirith into the army of orcs below.
You'll have the Elronds who serve minor bits of the story, seem really mysterious and cool, and then kinda move on. But you've also got the villains and plot critical NPCs on which everything hinges, and to portray them, you have to know how to role play them just as well as the players need to know how to play their characters, if not better.
Shhh *pat pat* it’s okey, dm are important and awesome, and you might get to play eventually too
One thing I truly enjoy about all of these videos is your approach to creating. It's never a strict set of things you need to do or to avoid, it's about the right mindset and consequently, the right approach, which is much more open and much more fruitful. At least, I find.
Tbh, this has helped me crystallise a character, for a book rather than a campaign, but the principles are the same, and I'd just like to thank you for that. :)
Having never played d&d but created numerous characters my favorite idea was a character with a major flaw. This character was possessed by an evil spirit that could only be free if the character died. As such critical hits would have resulted in a critical fail as the spirit would suddenly use all its energy to takeover the character in that moment. Just an interesting concept that I plan to use if I ever actually play a tabletop game
I want to say this as polite as possible. If there was powder packet of “Instant DM, Just Add Water/Mountian Dew,” in my minds eye I see you as that perfect specimen of that product.
You and outsidexbox started my love for D&D, im happily starting a campaign with a few friends, none of us have played before, but we are all aware of the fun we have been missing xo
What Johnny says here about not basing your character around a secret the other players might not be interested in learning was probably the most helpful advice in this video for me. With my current group I made that mistake and neglected to develop my Half-Orc Bard's personality quite as much because I was focusing on how much my edgy secret was going to blow my party members minds, so I defaulted to the standard magical musician archetype for a while. Since the last comment I left on here below that I've mostly repeated, I've since developed her into a component-based spellcaster who gives the party encouraging whispers, and focus on playing up her high INT and low WIS by having her be extremely selectively smart. For example, in our play of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist she spent a whole month creating a forgery of the macguffin and manage to throw off every faction in Waterdeep at once with it, but also she got nearly permakilled by an Intellect Devourer because she utterly failed at creating an on the fly bluff when she blundered into the room with no plan. She's great!
I really wanted to create a dark backstory but wanted to avoid the trappings mentioned here. The result was a mentally shattered Shifter (5e). He is supposed to act more like a lighthearted silly character but at times is faced by sadness or rage that he cannot understand or express. He has repressed the traumatic experience that led to this so if the DM won’t or can’t write in some backstory moments it isn’t the end of the world. However, I know the DM well and he tries to make sure that all characters have their time in the sun. I think the key is knowing that your backstory may not come up, but makes the role play more fun and interesting for you.
Something I enjoy about character creation is that it can be so different for each player. I loved the process of creating my character's backstory, motivations and shortcomings, but I was frequently frustrated by the mathematics and logistics of working out initial stats, gear, spells and so on.
It was my first time navigating the 5th edition PHB - or any D&D, really - and at times it felt like a 'choose your own adventure' story where all the answers were more maths. Thankfully, I was surrounded by a group of very patient, helpful and experienced players who actually knew what they were doing.
When I was still actively playing 3rd edition Shadowrun on convention floors I usually flicked through all the source books until I found something that made me think: "Hmm, this is a strange piece of equipment / set of skills / side note to the rules I've never seen used in the wild before. I wonder if I can build a character around that." Which, then, I proceeded to do. They were usually the most memorable and fun characters to play.
I ran my first game last week. Used the DND starter set. The players got ambushed by the goblins and then went on to Phandalin, skipping several pages of adventure... They spent some time kicking about and captured a Redbrand who gave them some clues where to go next and then went somewhere else entirely. Guiding players to the actual adventure in the adventure is harder than i thought.
But i'm forgetting the point of this post. Thanks to your videos here and on Oxboxtra, it all went off without a hitch and the players are keen to play more. So thanks for all the tips so far!
This is actually also a great starters guide to writing characters for anything in general by which I mean other forms of media.. Thank you kindly Dicebreaker team, Ive actually needed something like this for a while.. Bless
one of my favourite characters is my Simic Hybrid Bard Kythra, and my starting point was that I wanted to make a magic-user who didn't know he was a magic-user, the result was a rather naïve, optimistic, and idealistic character who just loved to travel and see new places, people, and things, and got caught up in the antics of an adventuring party. he has a tendency to do things that are extremely ill-advised, but with the best of intentions, like trying to untie a drow prisoner so they could have a cup of tea, because he just couldn't fathom the idea that they could possibly be dangerous
Some great tips here. I'm someone still looking to get into a campaign and this is a nice thing to have in the back of my mind.
When I start making a character I like to have a VERY broad theme to start with. I find it gives me a direction to work in and something to come back to when I get stuck. Like "a character who shirks responsibility" was a concept I worked off of for my last campaign and it was easily one of my best. She would pass the buck, even when it made her unreliable to her comrades, out of a concern that she would mess it up. This made the other members of her party resent her, something she didn't know how to handle, and it made some pretty major beats for her as she grappled with her desire to be accepted and helpful while still working on her fear of failure. One stands out in my mind.
She didn't really have a backstory to speak of, but that didn't really matter for this interaction. After one too many trouble spots one of the other characters, the guy that fancied himself the leader, confronted her about her not owning up to her mistakes and letting others do all the work. She tried to shrug it off but he persisted. Eventually, she just fled, leaving a trail of tears. This trail was followed by a more sympathetic character who was a more maternal figure, and the beans got spilled. The duo went back to the campfire, and the matron relayed everything that she had heard. Then the rogue pipes up. "If you stay out of the game for fear of losing, there's no way in hell to win. Buck up. We're all in this together and we all make it out alive or none of us do. And even if you do make a mistake, take pride in that it's you that made it."
Watching this has made me realise my most recent character is in fact a self-made psychopath in order to cope. Glib, charming, talented but totally detached from emotions, thinking others emotions are a weakness and only in it for themselves. Time for a major re-write. Thanks for making me realise before I played with her Johnny!
Next time they reach 0 hp have them realize it's only because the party cared about them that their Alive, then drive that kindness wedge straight though their heart.
One of the best things about TTRPG's is the limitless creative freedom :) I find making my characters one of the most enjoyable parts
Going to forward this straight to my players! Thanks for the wisdom Johnny
2:44 Who is your character?
3:32 How is your character helpful?
7:02 What are your characters flaws/personality traits?
9:30 What are your character's goals?
10:30 What is your character's backstory?
5:50 ah, I believe Johnny is referring to a certain person's wisdom modifier...
This video is fantastic! Despite having made a bunch of characters for different games having a well articulated formula for it is always something I’ve lacked, I’ll definitely be using it from now on and recommending my new players watch this video before our session zero, thanks heaps Johnny!
I remember my first character. He was an Elf Rogue back in fourth edition and, unintentionally, a complete moron. One of our first missions was from a merchant, the DM made a point of saying that he had a pair of very fine looking daggers and may as well have been holding up a sign saying "STEAL THEM!" instead he/I asked how much they were and just upon finding out just went on the merry way.
There was also the time he wanted to sneak into a house with a single gnome inside who was very clearly not a threat. And when he switched places with an enemy that left him surrounded because I looked at the giant pile characters wrong.
Moral of the story is, don't be afraid to screw up, first character or not, because it can end up with some funny stories to tell down the line.
Now do one about how to make a good NPC on the spot, and use Christopher Englebert XVII from the Oxventurer's as an example
Such a great way to explain why shortcomings are important to a character. I will use this from now on when guiding new players through character creation! Great tip!
This is so helpful! The organization where I mentor middle and high schoolers has a DnD club, I'm definitely recommending this to the DM.
Current Character being built: Silas Emerson Aegean. Sailor.... turned pirate necromancer. (Very Davy Jones, didn't want to die at sea, made a deal with a god) As far as a party member, generalist/communicator (He was a merchant sailor. He knows how to talk to people) Perfectly fine childhood, sailed with his dad, learned book stuff with his mum. Until the storm, and basically what ends up a curse. Secret Goal is finding an Ancient Artifact of Unknown Properties (tasked by aforementioned god) And that is where I stopped because I needed game rules to continue building him lmao
Sounds like an interesting and awesome character you're building there! Can I borrow your ideas for an NPC and a future campaign I might write around him? :)
My favorite type of backstory
"All this crazy terrible evil shit happened in my past. I don't give a shit i just started walking south now im a (insert class here) and if I solve my problems that will be nice."
I like to make a character that was doing very well until he/she screwed up (by their own fault of-course).
Like a merchant who stole from adventurers until he got caught when his crime caused more damage than he thought. Or a powerful young wizard who got envious with the hero and is now punished with being a level 1 character for awhile. I think this gives the dm a lot to work with and it explains my characters behavior after a while.
I still enjoyed my warforged artificer and samurai team. (was in a world where we were playing 2 characters)
Both were very straightforward, do-the-job types, the Samurai was a very stoic type, but the artificer, well, he was basically Tony. (even had a diplomatic Docent)
Best part was that once we got a bit of downtime (and the metamagic trigger class feat) I could effectively make iron man's repulsor gauntlets (wand bracer internal component plus fireball wand, maximised usually).
"How to make a good table top rpg character"
Make him like johnny.
Have you seen the Oxventurers' games? Johnny, as DM, is "literally everyone else in the world", which could be a very interesting rogue-type impersonator who can pass as absolutely anyone when needed (or fun).
But also, just Johnny himself would be a great character.
weren't you listening? he said a good character has to have flaws.
My character has been around for a good few years now and he's still my original that I have developed and let circumstance mould him.
Also, I need that tshirt.
Ah, watching this it seems I have stepped into a couple of character creation pitfalls. Now to think on how to improve on that.
Good advice, par usual, Johnny. Two things I would like to add.
Even for veterans there is nothing wrong with patterning your character after a famous character. It can help you cement your concept, and help your fellow players to know how to interact with you. Plus, with so much media out there, and the influence it has on us, there is a chance your totally original character will still bear a resemblance to someone, somewhere. The caveats being to make sure the source will fit into the game, and not to get so locked into the original inspiration that you don't grow, or worse fall into My Guy syndrome.
Second, and related to the caveat, discuss your character with your DM/GM/etc. The sooner and more completely, the better. This can help them figure out how to fit you into the plot, give you hooks, and surprise your character. It also will let them (gently, if they are a good DM) pump the brakes if your character concept is not going to fit into the campaign; though hopefully that would have been avoided by Session 0.
Just returned to d&d after a long break - and by long I mean 25+ years. The DM is a fellow teacher and had been encouraging me to join his group for some time. To seal the deal he gave me a great deal of latitude with character creation and his place in the world. Fine - then I’m going to have 2 identities, my vanilla “day” identity, and my hidden “real” night identity. Day identity was a dull human rogue, but couldn’t decide on my other. First it was going to be a vampire, then a wraith. Finally in the monster manual I found what I was looking for, a Shadovar Shade assassin. This fitted the characteristics I was looking for in the character, the utter ruthlessness, lack of compassion, the selfish indifference to others - a real bastard. The thing is only the DM is aware of the “real” me, the other players think I’m this mild rogue character. Haven’t totally blindsided the other players, the DM has already said there is something about my character that does make them uneasy, and I’ve already said (in best creepy voice how my only loyalty is to myself and my god - who I have deliberately not named). The DM and me have already come up with a quest to where we will retrieve a “family” sword (one I’ve based on Stormbringer - able to devour souls), which if the mages in the party do investigate they should be able to discover - along with it’s name, the “betrayer of dreams.” Really we’ve not been subtle that I’m not to be trusted. The one problem backstory wise was how a character like this was level 1, and so weak. Finally came up with a backstory that I was a renegade Shadovar, that I had killed one of the princes of shade, and to escape I had to sacrifice nearly all my power and experience. As a renegade I am being hunted by the shades , anyone with me is in danger, something I have not mentioned to my companions. As another sign to my companions to investigate me, in the first town we entered the DM had me see that the beggar just inside the gate was marked by the shadow weave and ask me what I’m going to do about it (a possible spy). Shocked my companions by walking up to the beggar and twisting his head 180. My plan when true identity is discovered is to follow a scene from 1983’s “Sword and the Sorcerer”, skin will split, pull my head apart, and explode out of the human skin in a fountain of gore. Should be an interesting ride, as I haven’t yet decided if my companions will be fair game; the DM may well regret giving me so much freedom.
My first character had a grim backstory. It doesn't get much grimmer than your erstwhile neighbors turning on you, and then your homeland being invaded by eldritch abominations. But she didn't have "nothing to lose". Her homeland still existed, and she was determined to reclaim it. That was also, in a way, her flaw (from a roleplay standpoint, she had plenty of flaws from a mechanics standpoint). She was willing to work with, and even empower, an extremely evil character. Indeed she's partially responsible for his ascension to godhood. But she did achieve her goal. She has reclaimed her homeland, founded an order to protect it against the eldritch, and started to set up a new life for herself and those who chose to follow her. I guess that's what I would say to someone who wants to play a character with a grim backstory: your character must have something they value, otherwise they wouldn't be here. If you value nothing, then why live? What keeps your character going? why do they risk their neck frequently? Adventuring is dangerous, people need a compelling reason to do it.
some of this could be applied rather easily to a creative writing class on how to draft convincing fictional characters.
My god is the warforged named robocop? That's brilliant lmao
I actually tried that whole dark backstory a second time around lol. But this time, it's all my characters fault.
My first time round it was "oh my parents don't love me bc they're assholes, my sister hates me because she's an asshole" and "I have a pet wolf because I'm to nice to give up on them"
this time it's "My parents don't love me because I stole a family heirloom, and my sister hates me because I pinned the crime on her" and "I have a pet cat because he won't give up on me" I also decided to give my character actually flaws, heavens forbid, so she's a massive liar. She doesn't want people to know she's a liar or that she's done some really horrible things to the people she loves... because well, they'd give up on her. I think pinning the blame on my character justifies their actions in a more proactive manner. If they're always the victim then they're always reacting, but if they're the bad guy then they have to actively keep that past hidden.
An other thing that is worth noting is that you don't start metagaming too hard. The player will know a number of things his character doesn't know and it is much more interesting to let them run into a wall than use knowledge you shouldn't have to avoid a sticky situation. :)
Your advice is very valuable, because most people get wrapped up in numbers and sheets when they get into PnP, but it really is all about collective storytelling. So thinking about interesting hooks and flaws is a big deal. The DnD 5e PHB helps a little with recommendations for Backgrounds, bonds and flaws, so the rules themselves tell you to create a perfectly non-perfect character. :)
The Eurogamer team are in a DnD series!? How did I not find this sooner!?
I've been seeing their stuff popping up in my feed without realizing what it was and thinking, "that's a clever name for the show," and "huh, that character art looks a lot like the Oxventurers'," but I always skipped past it because aside from the Oxventurers, I don't tend to care for D&D shows.
Thanks to this video, I'm going to check them out tonight!
For DnD 5e I have created a moon elf monk who grew up in sort of a commune, made up of scientists and philosophers. This commune was near an ancient ruin the people explored and studied. My elf is very young (almost 100 years), goes by his child name and when the time comes he will make a full name for himself(an elf specific thing from the PHB). He was extracting texts and relics from the ruins, making him a nimble acrobat and swift fighter, though more in the hit and run style than a front soldier.
He is very curious and might throw caution into the wind if there is possibly knowledge to be gained. He is not too experienced with society and maybe a little green.
Also he believes strongly in the equality of all people and is in the process of writing something in the notion of the capital by marx, due to the way he was brought up. My campaign hasen't run long enough, but I intend to debate about society with different people, both NPC's and party members.
My current (and first) D&D character is an Aasimar bard, born to a jeweler & a businessman. She left home a while ago to explore the land, meet new people, and hone her craft etc. When she returns home, she finds that her parents were comissioned to craft a priceless necklace to be a wedding gift for a high-profile couple that included a certain rare jewel over the last year. However their home was broken into and the gem stolen soon afterwards, leading her parents to order in a similar one out of desparation, with plans to find the original and replace the fake when the piece is brought in for maintenance.She doesn't want revenge per se, but she has resolved to see the crook brought to justice, whether by her hand or by the law.
I had a character whose flaws made her more endearing. Her name was Nessira and she was a 17-year old Catfolk with a wisdom of 8(-1). As a result, she was sometimes naïve or temperamental (cats, right), but that's what made her fun and one of the team's favourite characters.
That's bogus, my Shadowrun character is also called Echo. He's a cat-shaman (we are playing 3d Ed.) and face elve from Tir Tangaire. He has pretty high charisma and came to his name because he always tells people what they wanna hear. Or because he's very resentful. It depends who you ask.
I'm currently playing a halfling barbarian with levels in fighter with the premise of, "Since I've played characters with a moral compass twice and they either died or left the campaign due to the other party members turning into neutral evil adventurers, I'm gonna give them a taste of their own medicine by becoming chaos incarnate". So my halfling is the last being of his tribe that was wiped out by another tribe and joins the party because he's very dependant on people. However, he finds it very difficult to navigate through civil society (with a very limited vocabulary) as he lived in a forest all his life. After slaying his foes, he would scalp and eat their brains as a token of respect to his ancestors who guided him through the battle, much to the other party members and NPCs disgust.
I have to say, he's the most fun character I've played in any TTRPG.
I'd be interested in hearing more about aspected magicians, because I remember a lot of debates online about it and its usefulness in 5th.
Another great episode Johnny!
13th Age has a spot on your character sheet for your "One Unique Thing" that separates you from every other individual in the established world, essentially what elevates you to heroic/protagonist level.
So...can I get some discussion on the backstory of a character I have in the making. (I only played one campaign before, and played as the Cleric who never shuts up about their god, pretty cliche)
The first is an Aberrant Mind/Necromancer Halfling wrapped in bandages, covering everything but his face and neck. The idea is that the Halfling (I named Dubhe) came from a distanct country once stricken with a plaque (similar to the Black Death, but you get to bleed from...pretty much everywhere). The Government focused quite a bit of funding into research, and because of that, the scholars obtained quite a bit of power, becoming a sort of lord of their own county. Dubhe, came from a coastal county, and was the "son" of a small researcher attempting to make a half-breed race that can both use psionics, while keeping the appearance of a normal person. This sort of worked, making a batch of these half-breeds that look normal...to a certain point. Dubhe for instance, looms normal at the head and fingers, but everywhere else has a grey tint, glossy sheen, and in some places, a vile green eye on his right shoulder and left side of the hip. His "father" also kept up this weird relationship, showing genuine care for his creations, but also creating situations where he looks like the good guy.
...blah blah blah
The researcher was eventually under investigation, and in response, sent his "children" into the world. To save them, to hide the evidence, and to conduct more experiments. Giving them all a type of spellbook of his own making. An object made of a black material, almost like glass, with runes shifting and moving across it, that can come together to give the names of spells. And only being easily legible by those attuned to it.
I would love to give it a go. But I don't have enough selfconfidence to ask people aside from my friends. And they don't play DnD :s
Maybe you could also make a video on how to get into a group and actively search one / maybe how to advertise groups to make it twosided?
An other big point for me is english not being my first language so I'm even more hesitent cuz I don't want to slow anyone down .
Like if I miss a vocab and need it explained for something as silly as landscapes.
If you're not feeling super confident, maybe ask a couple of your friends if they wanted to try it? I was very hesitant at the start because I thought I was way too shy, and had a taster session with a very confident, well established group, which honestly put me off for a while.
I later started my first proper campaign with a completely newbie group of pals and it was really fun! And we all didn't mind if something required a bit of research to check because we were all new to it as well. You could join an existing group, but this is certainly a route in as well.
Check out places like roll20. There're newbie-friendly games, and while English is the primary communicative language, there are games run in other languages as well, you might just get lucky and at least figure out how to get started!
Thank you both! I'll see if I can maybe convince some of the friends and then we could check out roll20 together.
im playing a character with my dnd group right now. Firbolg wizard and theres a bit of some darkness to his past he was selected as his tribes balancer. someone who goes out into the world and teaches towns cities kingdoms ways to live in harmony with our environment and not exactly to be a tree hugger but to recognize that by not killing all the boars in the area you will have meat for next year too. that if you plant two trees for every one you knock down your grand kids will have a better life. hes happily married has 2 kids and 3 grandkids and visits often. the dark bit is when in extreme cases someone fails to heed his advice. he once came upon a dwarven mine startup digging for coal way to quickly and dangerously he gave advice to slow down be more cautious and to pace themselves they didnt listen. a balancer can change nature bring great beasts in to get an environment back on track. kinda like people have tried to do with hawaii and failed. but firbolgs live in nature their entire lives and know how to make the correct changes when necessary. he didnt want to do that here didnt want to be responsible for some poor people death just because their boss wouldnt listen. the mine caught fire one day and still burns steadily years later. the forest was destroyed around it for miles and miles and miles. to him it was a harsh lesson he had to learn this is what happens when he fails his duty. so you have this kind man who loves his family is kids and grandkids who enjoys peoples company and whose willing to do some fairly lethal things to keep nature from going into a downward spiral. hasnt come up yet in game but its gonna be interesting to say the least.
I'm definitely guilty of the tragic backstory and I think there is an important reason for that. People rarely leave a good and happy life behind to go adventuring. Of course you can make a character who is just bored of a safe and happy life and goes out for the sake of it but that's a bit one dimensional as a motivation.
I do try to shake it up though and make characters whose conflict is internal. I've made some soul searching characters lately who want to find out who they really are and what their role in life should be. Should they follow other's expectations and if so, how can they find joy in that? If not, what else can they do with their life? I don't think these questions need to be answered when you start the campaign. If you have a great DM, there will be plenty opportunity for very character defining moments.
As much as I love the content of this video, the ongoing switching between talking into the camera (helpful) and talking over a muted session (distracting) was challenging to follow. Thank you for the recap!
Nice shirt, Johnny!
The way I see it is you need to be competent enough in certain area's a to help the party but also incompetent enough in certain area's to let the party help you.
Brandon Sanderson fans, we have an example of two charter possibilities with tragic backstories: one is Kaladin, who is just a depressed baby who no matter what still heated himself, and the other is the persistently optimistic and happy Shallan (and no i havent read rhythm of war or oathbreaker yet)
Where do I get a joyful damnation t-shirt... I need it
This reminded me of the brightest and kindest character I ever made. She is a shadow monk that was a street urchin who was picked up by a monistary and later in life failed to save a little girl from being executed for soiling a nobleman's cloak
I know the way I typed it makes it think like it was in quick succession but each pivotal part of her backstory happened 8 years apart from each other
I once had a party of players aiming to destroy world. One of best game i ever DMed
What is that music at the start of the video? This vid is super helpful btw, thank you!
Oh damn that desert people music gave me chills, what was that?
One thing I've learned is to make sure I do not make a stoic character. I can't keep that going. My sarcasm gets the better of me and I'm making terrible jokes within the hour. Give yourself humor space.
notice that he is using clips from his channel but wearing a joyful damnation t-shirt (outside Xbox) showing who his real favorite group to play with is (the oxventurers guild) btw this video really helped I play a changeling rogue and I didn't feel right playing but I've made some adjustments and now I really enjoy playing as him now
I feel like I would have the opposite problem: getting too invested in building the character because character development is my favorite thing, and thus not knowing when to STOP. LOL However, as someone who has done freeform/forum roleplay but not tabletop, this sort of assuages my worries that I won't be able to translate those skills over to another medium.
Important additions - talk to your gamemaster and fellow players and riff with them to make your charactet a part of the group and world. Of course it means that your snowflake character will maybe not be that mimuch of a snowflake, but that is only a good thing...
When you make a player character, remember that the game is collaborative and make a character a part of the game. If that means you have to make a concession or two, then that will probably help the game, rather than damage it.
Well put good if the character has an alignment 😁
The best advice I've ever been given on chracter creation is this. Figure out what lines your character wont cross figure out what it is they would never do. And then give them one thing that would force them to do that. Good example. You are a paladin of law. You have never willfully or knowingly broke the code of your order you have never murdered never stole never blaspheme never raised your hand to a superior. That is until you're commander brought in your younger sister of 8 who was found trying to perform black magic to bring you're parents back from the dead. She is a heretic she has conversed with demons and tried to make an unspeakable pack. Your duty is to purge her. But she is also the only family you have left she is the little girl you held at your parents grave as she sobbed uncontrollably the little girl you swore to your father you would protect no matter what. So you strike your commander unconscious grab her in your arms and you run. You renounce your oath and spend your life as a fugitive from the brotherhood you swore your life too.
funny...just started a group in ToA with a character named Ekothra...both in game and out my table gave up trying to pronounce it and just started calling her eko...my desire for her...desire to help people kind of made her onne of the leading people on the death curse research for her background...even though she is kind of a sheltered, oblivious ditz and invades peoples personal space all the time in the persuit of knowledge...or covers peoples bills on stuff and donates huge sums of money to local temples as she was raised as an acolyte and does everything she can to help people...even if she sucks at it right now
8:20 I roll stats and if there's a low roll I develop the flaw or drawback from that
I needed this video last week before I made my first d&d 5e character - how can I kill him off to start again...
. . . or take a nap in the basket of a trebuchet.
Please don't pick a concept before rolling your stats in Hackmaster 5E, arranging stats costs build points. Race is free, but character class costs build points. Roll the dice and work with what you have got.
1:30 I hate myself for creating something so unfamiliar for me that I couldn't roleplay it well.
Here's my process:
Start with "What if". Read the setting of the game and look for the hook that interests you and makes you curious and find a niche in it for a character to begin. If the world has a religiously obedient faction, what would losing your faith be like if you're one of them. If you're game has a class of batty inventors, what if you were just pawning yourself off as one of them with stolen ideas and inventions? What if my character believes they're destined to be a hero but they're absolutely wrong. A character that starts with a question about the setting rather than an assumption about it creates the same interest you had in other characters in the game and makes a natural friction with the setting.
Character is Contrast. Making a trope or an expected norm is useful and translatable but it minimizes what your footprint in the world. If you are always what others expect then they can move past you without effort. If your character is both what it should be and what it never should be you inherently create interest from others. Contrast doesn't have to cripple you it doesn't have to be the opposition of your role but it can be fun when it is. Make a fighter who isn't physically strong and refuses to admit it. Make a healer that is incredibly violent and sadistic. Make an engineer that is strongly theological and fears that the technology they create is a threat to the souls of others. Don't create contrast just to be contrary, build a reason into the character that they don't fit in. Don't feel you have to remain conflicted forever, part of your character arc could be abandoning the part of you that is creating friction and that growth can be awesome if you set the stage with that internal conflict.
Nothing Defines character like flaws. Think of any time you sat in with a gaming group for a one-time game and you'll probably remember the flaws of the characters more than any other aspect of them, more so chances are you only remember the flaws of the players as well. We recognize flaws in others because they are defining. Many games incorporate flaws in the mechanics but that shouldn't be your focus when you think about what sets your character back. Flaws like contrast doesn't have to cripple your character but they should be a real problem. The trick is finding a flaw that makes things difficult for your character without making things difficult for other players. Be inventive, take examples from the realistic flaws of people you know. The Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible are a great source for natural character flaws but in a fantasy world the things your character struggles with can be infinitely more unique. If your flaw is reflective of how the world treats your character worth with the GM on it. If it is a problem between you and another character work it out with them.
Build rather than carve. When we conceive of our background and how it shapes our character for so many people the instinct is to define the character in negative space, what they hate, who they're intolerant of, what they've lost. I think we're trained to see this grimdark edgelord stuff as compelling. And while it can make for a very cool tragic character motivation it gets to be a lot when everyone in the party is an orphan out for revenge on suicide mission from their dark god. Not long ago I started deliberately building characters base on positive space, defined by what they loved, who was important to them and the positive change they wanted to make. And I found when those traits were well-defined and grounded in my character those characters became people everyone wanted to work with and help because positive traits are hero traits, even in a non-heroic game. People want to be part of a mission that's attainable and does something redeeming. It is more easy and more fun to improve with someone who says "yes" and it gets much easier to say yes to play when your character isn't riddled with rules that hold them back. Play a character who is super proud of their Barbarian Tribe and wants to represent them well. Be a character who's determined to show their father their worth. Be a character who is providing for their family through adventures, trying to get enough money put away to start a life with their true love.
Raft up! In session zero there are inherently walls built around each character separating them from the rest of the characters in the game. While it can be a lot of fun to slowly bring out your character for others it slows the chemistry around the table if everyone has to break thsoe walls between one another down. Listen to the background people talk about and look for an in where you can know them. You don't have to be shield brothers or from the same clone batch. You could have gone to school together. You could have dated when you were younger (Honestly so much cooler than you can imagine). They could be your cousin. Just knowing their name and having some reason to trust them at their word is a HUGE step towards that legendary adventure group you want. If nobody is putting forth character details just pick someone at the table (Ideally the player who engages the least) and ask them. Would you like to play brothers? Or maybe we were childhood friends? As an added benefit if nobody else is creating those links you become the lynchpin for the party and you get to be the creamy center of all the best roleplay. This also makes it much easier for the GM to bring everyone together and it reduces adventures that start with everyone in a bar waiting for the call-to-adventure to being.
Have a vision. Think about where you want your character to grow, not just in class and level but how you envision them developing as people as adventure boosts their esteem and capability. Perhaps their flaws grow more severe before you hit rock bottom and break your habits. Perhaps your goal is to win the affection of another character (Best discussed with the other player). Think about what perceptions they'll start out with that you plan to alter, maybe they'll grow more compassionate, or more jaded? Maybe they'll find hope through comraderie or maybe they'll spiral out of control. You don't have to follow this plan like a map, you can deviate or change your direction entirely if it makes more sense to, but visualizing that trajectory helps you recognize moments where your character can grow as the game goes on.
Wish I had this video when making my 1st character.... his best skills are being drunk & making bad decisions.....
...Dad?!
I like Johnnys shirt
I’m confused about the idea I have for a new character I’m making in a star wars rpg saga edition game. It’s set in the 4aby after the empire fell is what the gm said. The character is from the clone wars a Jedi padawan that was put into a stasis pod after sufferinga injury in a battle with her master. The master got them to safety but died at the cost. So she wakes up in the years after the war about 24 I think and I’m not sure how to play her I pictured her a Jedi who uses some force but not much of it prefers fighting even tho she never kills unless she has to. I’m confused on where to go from here I’m at a loss for how to flesh out the character any more
Nice shirt. ;)
Hey? Can anyone hit me up with a link for that Joyful Damnation tee?
I find the “useful to the party” step not universal. In games like vampire the masquerade it’s not up to the person who they become all the time, vampirism being, usually, forced. In this sense it’s not being useful to a party but in life. Then it would be what kind of vampire would seek you out. I just find it very metagaming in a way that makes party makeup unnatural.
I would change it to what does the character bring to the party. In a game about storytelling and personal drama like vampire you don't need to have special skills but when I run the game I want every player to bring something to the game wether that be shining a spotlight on a particular part of the world or bringing in new elements to the story.
is it jsut me, or does johnny sound almost exactly like the WatchMojo UK guy
"Having a character with absolutely no weaknesses, flaws, short comings or personal judgments is, in my opinion, kind of dull. And worse, unrealistic."
You listening, Di$ney/LucasFilm? Yeah, didn't think so. =)
Goodbad the Badgood 😂😂
Usually my characters have too many flaws, a death wish, and one or no strengths. ._.
I wanna protecc echo
oh lol i thought this was a video on how to create a good tabletop RPG
Ranold Beefmaster
I just feel bad that your playing 6E. i did like the video though
"Your first character might be a rip off of popular fiction."
...And if all the rest are?
Also don't write a massive backstory, nobody wants that. Leave yourself, and the other players, room to explore the character. Sometimes starting with questions for your character to explore can be fruitful.
Click bait clicked.
How is this clickbait?
Any player so inexperienced that they need a "how to make a character" video shouldn't be burdened with coming up with a fully realized character before the game begins in the first place. This video just sets an unnecessary barrier to entry on what should be a fun game.
...you're saying first time players should be given a character rather than making their own because they're too inexperienced to do it themselves and yet *I'm* the one gatekeeping? It's a guide on how to make a character if you want to make one, I'm hardly a chuffing drill sergeant. (Johnny)
@@dicebreaker Or they come in with no character and need to stop every ten minutes to figure out what they're gonna do.
While I agree that we need to keep the games accessible, any game that functions with a character that is just a block of stats isnt really a "Role Playing" game is it?
Man, I bet you picked a premade character and acted true neutral just so you didn't rock the boat or show any form of creativity...
Without even watching the video, I would say creating a character is all part of the roleplaying. Even as a new player, you would sit down with the DM / GM and talk about the different character types before even playing. The DM / GM can also help suggest what would be an easier class to play to help out.
Once you have created your own character you feel a connection as the story unfolds and you make the actions. Using a character that has been created is an easy way to get things going straight away but you as the play may not feel a connection, understand why this character is out for an adventure.
At the end of the day it is up to both the players and DM / GM to decide what type of game this is.
My personal thoughts are to create a base idea of the character, get some short bits of a backstory and then speak to the DM / GM to start expanding upon it.
I did this with the group I am DMing for and we even had a roleplay session to help them feel the character, then that way if they wanted to change they could.