How can I make my DND character more interesting? Good question! In this article. I will discuss many ways to make your character more interesting. Some of the suggestions will involve the use of the race/class/level system, others will not. It’s up to you.
If you want to be a high-level fighter, who has lots of hit points, wears plate mail and a cloak of resistance, then by all means do that! You can come up with all sorts of reasons for why that character is that way.
I use the following guidelines in my own campaign to make sure that all characters are balanced within the games. With all that in mind, here’s my ten tips for making a D&D character more interesting. (Or check out my AI powered DND character creator…)
- TIP #1 – Use a detailed background.
- TIP #2 – Use a detailed personality.
- TIP #3 – Try to think up your own spell names.
- TIP #4 – Think About How Your Character Got His Stuff.
- TIP #5 – Think About How You Tell People About Your Character.
- TIP #6 – Think About What Your Character Does Outside Of The Table.
- TIP #7 – Think About What Your Character Is Going To Do Next.
- TIP #8 – Come Up with a Catch Phrase
- TIP #9 – Come Up with a Flaw
- TIP #10 – Come Up With a Secret
- Final Thoughts
TIP #1 – Use a detailed background.
I know this sounds funny, but a good background can be a great asset to a character. You can have a character who is a high-level wizard who has a few spells in his spell book that he uses frequently. Maybe he has a few spells that he rarely uses, but if the situation arises, he will pull out a copy of a spell and use it. Why did he have a copy of a spell in his spell book that he didn’t use that often? Because it was the only way that he could get that spell from a dead high-level wizard who he killed. Maybe the character had to go through a lot to get that spell. Maybe he made a bargain with an evil god, or maybe he had to kill his master or his master’s master to get that spell.
Use your imagination!
TIP #2 – Use a detailed personality.
This is almost directly related to Tip #1. You must have a detailed personality for your character. You can have a character who is a knight of the realm, who is good at heart. He hunts down evil doers, he protects the weak, he helps the downtrodden. But, he has a few dark secrets. He is a priest of a dark god. He secretly worships a dark god and is a member of a secret assassin guild and spends his time and effort and money (he has a lot of money) to help his dark god. Maybe he is a member of a secret assassin guild and goes out and kills people who have done his dark god wrong. He got into that guild by killing the guild master and taking over the guild.
TIP #3 – Try to think up your own spell names.
You know those spells that you use all the time? Well, how about coming up with your own names for them? My favorite is the spell “Wold-kin”. I came up with it when I decided that “wall of ice” was too generic. I wanted something that was more specific. I think that “Wold-kin” is a lot more fun to say than just “wall of ice”. I have actually had spells that I have made up become popular within the group. You’ll want to use the actual spell name when talking to the DM out of character, of course, but unique spell names can make your character a lot more interesting.
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TIP #4 – Think About How Your Character Got His Stuff.
How did you get your shield? Did you buy it? Did you win it in a tournament? Did your first level character win it by defeating a dragon who had it? Did you find it on the body of a dead fighter after a battle? Did it used to belong to your father or his father? It is always interesting to talk about how your character got his stuff. Also, if you are new to D&D, it is also a good idea to discuss how you acquired your starting equipment with your DM.
TIP #5 – Think About How You Tell People About Your Character.
Say you are sitting around the table, playing D&D. You are sitting there with your character sheet in front of you. The DM is describing to you the room you are in. You look at your character sheet and then you tell the DM that your character is looking around the room. You know that “looking around” is a pretty boring action to describe out loud to all the other players. So, what do you do? Well, you could say “looking around the room”, but that sounds like the same thing, doesn’t it? You can add a little bit more to it.
For example: “Sir Boring is looking around the room with his eyes wide open and his jaw hanging down”. Now, that’s a lot more interesting than just saying “looking around the room”. You can do this with anything. If you are moving, you can say “Sir Boring is moving around the room with his shield held up in front of him.” You can even do this with spell casting. You can say “Sir Boring is casting a spell on the door to the party room.”
TIP #6 – Think About What Your Character Does Outside Of The Table.
Not everything that your character gets to do will happen during the game. You may have to come up with things that your character does during the day between game sessions. Perhaps your character gets drunk every night at the local tavern. Perhaps your character goes to church every Sunday and prays to his deity for the safety of the town and the land. Perhaps your character is a member of a thieves guild and is trying to get promoted to the next level. Perhaps your character is an assassin and is out to kill one of the town’s leaders. Whatever the case, you can spend time outside of the D&D game thinking about your character and what your character’s life is like outside of the game.
TIP #7 – Think About What Your Character Is Going To Do Next.
This is not a specific suggestion, but I think it is important. You must go back to your character sheet before each game session. You must review your feats, skills, abilities, etc. You must look over your spells, magic items, etc. You have to really think about what your character is going to do. What is his motivation? What is your character going to do next? Will he try to kill the thieves guild leader? Will he try to kill the guild leader of the thieves guild? Will he try to get promoted? Will he try to steal something? This can make your character more interesting because you have a good idea of what your character is going to do.
TIP #8 – Come Up with a Catch Phrase
You don’t want to be annoying around the gaming table, but having a catch phrase your character uses all the time can be a lot of fun! We all have a catch phrase that we use a lot, even if we don’t think we do. For example, your character could say, “Them’s the peanuts!” every time a battle is over. Or, your character could say, “Or else!” every time he is about to get into a fight. Or, your character could whistle the theme to Gilligan’s Island whenever he is about to do something funny. Whatever your character says, everyone will get used to it and it will become your character’s catch phrase.
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TIP #9 – Come Up with a Flaw
Your character should have some sort of flaw. This will make your character more realistic. Everyone has flaws, and it’s a good way to make your D&D character more interesting. For example, maybe you don’t pay attention to what is going on around you. Maybe you are a tinker gnome who is more interested in making some new device than he is in the battle. Maybe you are a halfling who is not very strong or fast. Maybe you are a more intelligent character who is a bit of a coward. Maybe you are a fighter who is a bit of a brute. Maybe you are a character who gets easily distracted. The possibilities for character flaws are endless.
TIP #10 – Come Up With a Secret
There is always one secret that your character keeps from the other players. Maybe your character is actually a character from another campaign world. Maybe your character is actually an evil character who has infiltrated the good characters’ campaign world. Maybe your character is actually a good character who has infiltrated the evil characters’ campaign world. Maybe your character is actually dead, but he is still playing the game. You decide what your character’s secret is, but it is important to have some sort of secret that your DM is okay with!
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to make your D&D character more interesting. I have gone over just a few of them here. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my article about making a D&D character more interesting.
Happy gaming!
