One of the most exciting parts of any newDungeons & Dragonscampaign is character creation. But it can be easy to run out of new ideas on your fifth or sixth campaign, let alone come up with characters that feel subversive and fresh. It can also be tricky to know where to start if you’re brand new to the game.
How do you best optimize your new character? What narrative paths are there left to explore? Whether you’re a first-time player or a seasoned veteran, we’ve got some tips on how to better make new and exciting characters for your next grand adventure.
10Give Your DM Questions To Answer
Everyone Loves A Good Mystery
It’s not uncommon for players and DMs to form an adversarial relationship. Some people tend to consider Dungeons & Dragons a ‘DM vs. Players’ competition. But that can very often be counterintuitive to good character creation.
When establishing a backstory, leave a mystery or tantalizing thread open for your DM to solve. There’s no need for you, as the player, to have the answer to everything! This will give your DM something juicy to work with in the long-run, and give you something fun to respond to when the mystery of your character’s backstory is at long last revealed.
9Connect To A Previous Character
The Journey Doesn’t End Here!
If you’re mourning the death of a previous character, or even just the end of your last campaign, there’s no need to despair! One of the most inventive ways to create a new character is to connect them directly to your previous one. You can have your new character be a long-lost descendant, or just a distant admirer of your previous character’s exploits.
For an extra twist, consider making your new character an adversary of your previous one. For example, perhaps your last character was an archmage whose experimental exploits inadvertently destroyed a small neighborhood. Your new character can be a resident of that neighborhood, and can seek revenge for your previous wizard’s fumbling.
8Use Point Cost System
Less Math Involved!
The thrill of the roll is always enticing, but the Point Cost system for assigning stat blocks is not to be overlooked. When working out your initial stats, you can elect to start with a 27-point pool to work off of. This doesn’t mean that you can give yourself a 20 Strength right out of the gate, however. Instead, the Point Cost system works like this.
8
9
1
10
2
11
3
12
4
13
5
14
7
15
With a max of 15, your first-level character won’t be overpowered from the start. But, by using this system, you can be more intentional about where you want to focus your energy. And, in this way, you can guarantee at least a 16 or 17 in one of your key stats depending on which background you select for yourself, as most backgrounds come with buffs to your stat blocks.
7Subvert Character Archetypes
Expect The Unexpected
There’s always a time and a place for the tried and true. This is not to suggest that you should ignore archetypes altogether. On the contrary, using a character archetype (like a shadowy, cunning drow rogue, for example) can be a great place to start.
However, once you’ve got an archetype in mind, it’s a good idea narratively to subvert expectations. For example, if you start with a drow rogue as your archetype, consider giving them the artisan background and making them a fabulous pastry chef. This will give you plenty of opportunities to surprise and subvert your fellow players and even your DM.
6Plan Your Subclass Early
Best Laid Plans
This piece of advice is especially useful for first-time players, but shouldn’t be ignored by hardened vets either. When selecting your class, work with your DM to plan aheadwhat subclass you will takewhen the time comes. Subclasses are just one of the many ways that individual characters with shared classes can differentiate themselves.
While selecting your subclass early can be immensely beneficial when it comes to choosing spells, weapons, fighting styles and other class features early on, it’s also incredibly helpful from a narrative perspective as well. Consider working with your DM on a ‘Subclass Story Moment.’ In other words, a moment in the narrative that informs your subclass selection. For example, if you plan to become a Warrior of Mercy monk, consider having your monk meet a cleric NPC that informs this decision to study medicine and heal the world.
Some classes select their subclass at Level One. If this is the case, it’s still worth considering implementing a story moment with your DM that helps inform this decision. Work with your DM to figure out what this moment might look like.
5Make Use Of Clothing
Dress To Impress
Appearances can often be deceiving. But, it’s a good idea to think carefully about your character’s appearance, particularly their clothing when it comes to character development and creation. Consider writing out the details of a couple of different outfits that your character might wear, from their sleepwear to their Sunday best.
you may also use clothing to subvert expectations. For example, consider a character with a charlatan background dressed in fine noble clothing for the party to admire. Then, later on, you can carefully reveal that the monogram inside your character’s suit jacket doesn’t match their name, implying that perhaps the outfit was stolen or haggled for.
4Use Nerfs Or Unexpected Combinations
Play On Hard Mode!
It can be very easy to fall for the temptation of optimization above all else. But nerfs or unexpected combinations of species, backgrounds, and classes can make for extremely unique characters. Giving your character something to improve upon, for example, can make for a wonderful sense of progression across a campaign.
For example, creating a goliath fighter with a soldier background makes a lot of sense for stat improvement. But, consider the narrative opportunities afforded to that same goliath soldier if the character longs to be a lyric bard instead. Not only does this make for fun narrative subversion, but it can also create fun multiclass combinations, which in turn can lead to some better stat blocks in the end.
3Homebrew Something Unique
Rules Are Just Rules
There’s lots of options in the Player’s Handbook to help flavor your character. Trinkets are a good example. These are small tokens that your character can have on their person from the outset of a campaign. Plus, many feats that you receive at the start of a campaign can help in this regard as well.
But consider working with your DM to homebrew at least one unique aspect of your character from the outset. This is likely to be something small. Perhaps you can homebrew asentient magic itemthat ties into your character’s backstory, or even a small cantrip, something innate that only your character can conjure in the world.
When it comes to homebrew, every DM is different. Make sure you and your DM are on the same page about what types of homebrews you’re able to bring to the table. Ultimately, it’s up to the DM’s discretion.
2Ingrain Yourself In The World
Take Your Coat Off, Stay A While
Laying down roots in the world of the campaign ties back to collaborating with your DM. At one time or another, many players want to create a shadowy, standoffish character that’s out for their own interest. But ingraining your character in the world, and giving them connections and things to care about can actually make for better roleplay down the line.
At the start of the campaign, work with your DM to establish where in the world your character is from. Do they have family still alive? Do they have friends that they’ve left behind to pursue a life of adventure? What people and places in this world are they connected to, and how will those characters fit into the fold of the campaign as a whole?
1Narrative-Based Multiclassing
Multiclass With Purpose
It’s no secret that multiclassing is a great way to optimize your build, and to make truly unique characters. But multiclassing just for the sake of stats or interesting builds is only half of the journey. When consideringthe best multiclass, it’s best to plan ahead and to plan narratively.
If your druid wants to take some cleric levels, what event in the campaign has triggered this idea? Did an encounter with a nature-loving deity call your character to a life of the divine? And while it’s always great to plan ahead, it’s important to remain open to the twists and turns of an improvisational story. It’s always possible a multiclass option will present itself to you organically, even if that multiclass wasn’t your original intent.
