Creating your character is one of the most exciting aspects of DND, from determining their race to developing their traits and personality to establishing their abilities.
Your character’s look is also something worth conceptualizing, allowing you to give them a concrete appearance to enhance the campaign. You may be more focused on decking them out in armor or finding the right weapons, but a simple yet impactful accessory can elevate the whole look: eyewear. In the real world, eyewear is everywhere; around 93% of adults in the US alone wear some form of eyewear. It only makes sense to incorporate them into your DND wordbuilding as a simple accessory or a quirk that can affect your character’s abilities.
Here’s how you can find inspiration for accessorizing your DND character:
Take inspiration from real-world eyewear designs
Your DND character’s glasses don’t have to look plain; the sky’s the limit when it comes to design. If you’re unsure where to start, you can look at real-world glasses to spark inspiration. Many modern frames go beyond typical black square models and can blend in nicely with the rest of your character’s look without looking out of place.
You can look at online eyewear retailers for an easier time browsing models. LensCrafters features some of the latest glasses on the market, including trendy transparent models that look stylish and eye-catching. The Versace VE3367U is a square-ish cat-eye shape with a clear frame, which can match a character with more serious characteristics or one with a more sleek style. For something more eccentric, the Oakley OX8139 HSTN, with a round geometric frame and jagged green arms, creates a dynamic look that can fit in with a bolder character outfit. Whether you want your character to wear a standard pair of specs or go all out with fantasy-inspired eyewear, there’s no shortage of frames to inspire you.
Play around with styles and character traits
Creating a character in DND is exciting, thanks to the various traits and features you can incorporate into their design. Eyewear can be a fun way to complement their look or provide a unique contrast. Simple glasses can stand out among your character’s other gear or design; imagine a brawny dwarf or barbarian character who wields massive weapons wearing a pair of wire-framed spectacles. They can also suit a wise elf character or humanize a dragonborn. You can also lean into a more avant-garde look that suits your campaign or world.
You can take cues from eyewear inspired by games, which lean into the more fantasy look that you may want to channel for your DND character. The Tekken 8 x Gentle Monster sunglasses collaboration is a great example of eyewear being a great fantasy accessory. The model features fiery orange lenses, a spiked metallic frame, and arms resembling devil horns. Intricate eyewear designs can suit races like tieflings and orcs or add a touch of boldness to human characters. These types of eyewear can blend in nicely with the rest of their outfit and gear for a cohesive appearance.
Try character creation tools
If you’re unsure how glasses fit into your DND character’s aesthetic, you can visualize them using character creation or customization tools. There’s no shortage of character generators that can help you develop their look and help you explore various outfit and accessory options, eyewear included. Hero Forge, which is known for its 3D character models, has a wide range of eyewear options, from eyepatches to scuba goggles. It also has various glasses models that aren’t unlike the frames you’d find in real life.
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You can choose thin round glasses, cat-eye specs, Aviator frames, wraparound sport glasses, and more. Their extensive selection of physical characteristics, outfits, and gear will make finding something that complements the frames easier. DM Heroes also generates bespectacled characters in their art alongside traits, features, and stories that can be helpful for beginners. ChatGPT can also be a viable option for helping you flesh out the look of your character and providing inspiration. The AI tool can help you determine your character’s race, abilities, personality, background, and more, which can all be building blocks for developing their look, eyewear included.
