Huzzah Adventurers! Always lovely to have you in our Guild. Oh…. You have more questions after Mikaela’s post on creating unique and playable D&D characters? Well then, are you in for a treat today?! That is rhetorical since I already know that you are, in fact, in for a treat.

You have painstakingly created your character and backstory, are ready to play your first session, and BAM! You realize you aren’t sure if you can properly bring your character to life! What if they fall flat (like a 2D piece of paper- bum-dum-tss!)?! What if they are just a statistic (or at least a page of them)?! NEVER FEAR!!! Elder Taylor is here! Never call me that though… it’s rude to point out a woman’s age.

Let us talk about how to bring your character to life through roleplay. It’s in the name of the game. Literally. TTRPG is an acronym for Tabletop Roleplay Game. You can choose how roleplay heavy you want your sessions to be but A TTRPG without ANY roleplaying is basically a boardgame. Still fun, but not a TTRPG. And you can choose whether to just talk through what your character is doing OR you can really get the full TTRPG experience and ROLEPLAY what they are doing.

Notice I didn’t say D&D? That is because D&D is just one TTRPG. There are MANY TTRPG’s such as Lancer, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and homebrews. I firmly believe you can use any of the tips or ideas below to help you in any TTRPG.

Are you sick of me saying TTRPG yet? TTRPG. TTRPG. TTRPG.

For the sake of ease and because it is a very popular TTRPG, I will just reference DnD from here on. That being said, I am most familiar with DnD and homebrew campaigns so most of my examples are from those games BUT like I said before, applicable to any….

TTRPG. Just kidding! I promised I would stop saying that.

All kidding aside, there are 4 things that I personally find help me more effectively roleplay during a session and I am here to pass those on. You don’t have to do everything on this list (though I do recommend it if you want to elevate your game). You can do as little or as much of it as you want or even take it further. If you do something different, please share in the comments as we would love to expand on our list, and I love trying new things.

(1) Decide How to Make Decisions

Mikaela touched on this a bit when she talked about creating your character. Maybe it wasn’t worded the same but there is going to be a lot of overlap here. This first area to focus on is really about knowing your backstory and then taking that a step further. When different situations arise, you want to react to them not how you would, but instead as your character. Sometimes this means not playing in the most beneficial or strategic way and it can be tough to take meta (real life) you out of a decision. So, here are a couple of things I do to help me decide on my actions and what I will or won’t say in character.

How Does Your Origin Affect Your Personality/ Knowledge/ Reactions?  

Think about your character’s backstory. This may seem a bit obvious, but I want to dig a little deeper on this one. I get that you came from place X and were a poor thief with a drunk for a mom or that maybe you were the daughter of a noble who wanted freedom and to prove you were meant for more than an arranged marriage. But how does that actually affect how you act? Are you more likely to be comfortable with seedy taverns or are you going to maybe be scandalized because you were very sheltered? Do you tend to be good at negotiation because of your cunning and practice or maybe more frugal because you know what it is like to have nothing? Maybe because you came from a lot of money you are good with it as you were home tutored in economics OR maybe you are ‘out of touch’ with no street smarts because everything was provided, so you are easily scammed. Think about your characters day to day and what their family is/was like. How would that affect them today?

How Do NPCs View Your Character… From Your Characters Perspective?

This may sound weird but stick with me. How you act is often a reflection of how others treat us. This seems like a no brainer. But equally, how you act is, in some part, affected by how you believe others perceive you… whether or not it is accurate. I have met MANY people who act with a confidence that I applauded only because I respected how deluded they were. On the other end of the spectrum, I know a number of people that overthink every interaction they have because they think that they speak too much and annoy others OR they think that others judge their appearance, so they dress in a certain way to hide a perceived flaw. … even if that is untrue. In both situations, the people are reacting to how they THINK others view them, whether or not it is substantiated. How does your character think others see them? Additionally, you can play with a character that tries to put on a certain persona to control how others see them.  For example, I played a rogue for a couple years that was quite intelligent and thought things out but as a coping mechanism and to stay safe she acted like she had one foot in the looney bin on purpose. Everyone thought she acted erratically and didn’t take her seriously except those who stuck around long enough to see her occasional character slip into her true self.

How Does Your Character View/ Treat Others?

How does your character treat people of different castes? Are they social standing snobs? How about other races? They could be racist or maybe they have just never met another race, or they obsessively fangirl over another race. Think about how quickly they trust another. Maybe they are slow to trust others or maybe just distrustful of a certain sex. Think about whether they are outgoing or shy. Are there certain professions they see as below them?

What is Your Alignment?

This is another staple of what to consider when roleplaying. I will not go into too much depth here as Mikaela was pretty detailed in her last DnD article. Check it out HERE if you want a breakdown of what your options are and what they really mean with examples of pop culture characters.

What is Your Race?

Next, I like to consider my race and how that would affect how I play my character. How do they fit into the world in both a physical and social sense. Let’s look at a couple races for examples. Tieflings physically have dark vision, horns that hypothetically could be used creatively, etc and those could be factors that affect how you roleplay a situation. Socially, depending on the world setting you are playing, they often are discriminated against. In a different situation, as a dwarf, physically you may have to roleplay situations to cater to your height (or lack thereof) and socially maybe you have a dislike of dragons and elves that colors your interactions with them. I play a 1-foot-tall stoat (think tiny, angry, adorable weasel) in a campaign currently and it has led to some very interesting roleplay… like how to open a normal sized door and how I talk to others and get super pissed off when someone calls me small or cute or, heaven forbid… the party’s pet!

What Are Your Motivations & Goals?

In Mikaela’s last article she talks about the fact that these should also be considered during character creation. She also references a book, “The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide”, as having some great insight into what inspires your character. I would have to agree that this book is a fantastic tool for not only creating your character but determining how you will play it going forward. On page 45 there are some prompts that help you think about how your end goal or motivation can drive decisions. For example (not in the book), imagine you are a hostage. The bad guy offers you freedom from your restraints and power in exchange for your obedience and maybe a few choice pieces on information on your party from time to time. If power was your kink and all you cared about was getting stronger regardless of who you hurt on the way, you might take the deal. You could want this power for your own nefarious plans or for revenge on another evil.  On the other hand, you would probably refuse if you were more focused on true freedom and making your own decisions or if loyalty was one of your biggest motivators.  

What Are Your Weaknesses & Flaws?

Picking out some weaknesses and flaws for your character gives them more depth. Playing with them causes some of the most memorable moments. I love when something is triggered, I have to turn to my fellow players and say, “sorry in advance”, and I HAVE to act on a weakness or a flaw to stay in character. With one of my characters who has kleptomania (mostly drawn to shiny things) and a penchant for adopting animals in ally’s (rats, racoons, scavengers, etc)… it has led to a mule by the name of Barnabus living in our apartment, the start of a fantasy plant based drug ring, the springing of traps, goofy chase scenes and even (unpredictably) heart felt moments just to name a few. My stoat character with the issue of being called a pet? She is a doctor and was trying to be covert and sneak in somewhere by pretending to be a pet… and subsequently could not hold back her anger when it was successful so she went rogue, basically had a Godzilla level tantrum, burned down/exploded like 10 buildings, killed at least 10 people (final number of casualties never confirmed) in a couple minutes, scared both sides in a war and accidentally still completed the objective before running back into her party who has no idea why the locals look a bit scared of their adorable doctor.

Do A Personality Test as Your Character.

Here is where we get more into the presession prep. There are SOOOOO many free personality tests out there. I like to take a couple but answer everything as my character. I figure out what Hogwarts house they are, their aesthetic, what color suits them best, their IQ, zodiac…. Heck, what character from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. they are! Literally any tests at all. The point is that it not only gets you into the headspace of answering questions as them, but it also helps you narrow down their vibe to something more relatable. I always do Hogwarts houses because I am a huge fan, and it really talks to me about my character. But maybe you are a huge gear head and characterizing your character by the type of car they would be is more your speed.

Let the Dice Decide

Say you have gone through this whole list already, but a situation comes up that you are still torn on how to roleplay. Let the dice decide! If you have a couple options that you feel your character could believably choose, assign meanings to a dice at random. If it is between just 2 options, role a d6 and say that getting 1-3 means you will choose option A while 3-6 means option B. I also find that because I am chaotic neutral most often, I can throw some random options in there and see where the dice gods take me. Plus… as I have said in the past, I love a good reaction. When my teammates see me randomly role, I can visibly see them shore up their imagination because they know chaos is about to ensue.

Make up your own rules for interactions (don’t tell people what they are)

What I have really enjoyed doing in previous campaigns is making up social rules for myself. I never tell others what they are off the bat, and I wait to see how long they figure them out. Sometimes it is a rule like, if offered free food, my character immediately bonds to that “person” or that they will have a compulsion to lie about why they were in prison before. Those could be explained by the previous exercises. But here is an idea I am currently using in a campaign… you do not always bond with people in your party at the same rate or in the same way in real life. So, I have been arbitrarily giving or taking away points for each character every time we have an interaction. Some things (like giving me my favorite foods) have a set point amount. Some actions depend on the player and how meaningful it is given their current point or maybe my mood. Players with higher points I treat differently as we are closer and at a certain point, I start sneaking things into their packs. First, a way to track me when I disappear and then later, bits and baubles. The other players have figured out they have points assigned to them and know what they do to some extent (it has been over a year), but not the point system.

(2) Decide On Voices

So now we have talked about how we would act and what we would say. But how would you say it? This is something I have talked about recently in a video because I wish it was something I had played with more in previous campaigns and am looking forward to practicing more in my upcoming games. Having a different way of talking for your characters will help you separate them from yourself; both for yourself and for those interacting with you. Think about jokingly pretending to be someone you know or a different social group. Really quick, try this exercise. In your head, imagine you pretending to say these things as the different characters. You can totally do this out loud as well.

1. You are a Southern Belle and say, “bless your heart, darlin.”
2. You are a flamboyant fem boy and say “SLAY!”
3. You are in Braveheart giving his famous speech to hype up his warriors.
4. You are in 300 doing the iconic “FOR SPARTA!!!”
5. You are the Terminator and say “I’ll be back.”

Did you just say them straight faced, no accent, no inflection… or did you automatically put yourself into those roles? Was there extra sass in your slay and a questionable accent while you pictured yourself with blue face paint? If you just said bless your heart without any inflection, you wouldn’t get the context and the character behind it. You lose part of the impact.

I am here to say… do not be afraid to play with a different way to speak.

Equally, do not think that you need to be an amazing impersonator or always talk in an accent. In fact, I am horrible at accents, and they are not my preferred way to do voices. Yes, they can be iconic and an easily recognizable character builder BUT there are many more things you can play with in your voices that are a little less intimidating. These are some possibilities:

• An Accent: The obvious one but in my opinion, also the hardest for me to keep up.
• Pitch: You can pitch your voice higher or lower to denote age or gender. Think guys trying to do a female impression or vice versa.  
• Volume: Is your character shy or boisterous? Play with talking quietly all the time vs very loud.
• Emphasis: Changing how emphatically you speak or what words you emphasis completely changes your vibe.
• Syntax: Different people have different vocabularies due to their origins, nationality, education level etc.
• Sounds: Can you think of any characters that have a verbal tic they always use? It can just be a sound… maybe your character always smacks their lips or sniffs at the end of a sentence. Or you can take it a step further and it can be a word interjected randomly. Anyone watch Anime? Great examples are Naruto, towards the beginning always saying Da ttebayo! Or what about a rabbit character always saying pyon at the end of sentences? It is literally the sound for hop so if you take it literally, it is superfluous, but it adds flavor. Or Nyan for cats? You get the point.

I shared 2 videos when I talked about creating NPC’s in my article about DnD world building. I would also like to recommend you look at these to help with your character since it is still applicable. They are not super long, but they ARE very detailed and give a TON or ideas and a more inclusive list than I do.

• How To Create 100 Distinctly Different Voices by “Improve Your Voice”
• Laban’s Eight Efforts demonstration by “David Bareford”

(3) Practice Some Prompts

Like any other skill or hobby, roleplay takes practice. In my opinion, this is more about knowing the character without thinking and also being comfortable in your own performance. Get out of your own way! People are afraid of not doing well so they do not fully commit. What I recommend is that you practice on your own, so you feel more comfortable being your character in front of others. It will help you practice scenarios and your voice, mannerisms, etc. Here are a couple of ideas.

The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide

Check out the book that Mikaela and I keep talking about. The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide has a tone of prompts and scenarios and then guides you on how to address them and asks questions about the who, what, when, where, and WHY. It really makes you think outside the surface level and I will never stop recommending it.

Look At One Shots and Run Through Them in Your Theatre of The Mind

Similar to looking at the book, I will also look through free online one shot and as I read through the different scenarios, I picture in my mind how my character would respond.

Talk Out Loud About Your Back Story or Through a Situation as Them

Does anyone else give mini lectures, or rants, or have hypothetical arguments with their boss in the vehicle on the way home to absolutely no one? This can’t just be a Lasley thing. When you are by yourself in the vehicle, on a walk, cleaning, etc., try to talk like they would in a conversation. Explain your backstory in your voice. Or pretend you are in a tavern, who do you approach or what argument would you have? OR on your drive home, still rant about your boss but do it from your character’s perspective in their voice.

(4) Cosplay and Props

This is an extra and I feel like it is often overlooked. I talk about it a bit in our first DnD video as well. I love an excuse to dress up anyway but in the context of roleplaying your character, I feel like this does SO MUCH!!!! It helps set the ambience for yourself, your fellow characters, AND your DM. It is so much more fun interacting this way and even makes me feel less goofy about acting. It is also a great reminder in my case of the scale of things. Some of my props seem oversized because I tried to make them so they would be proportioned correctly compared to my 1 ft tall character. If I know I will need something in a future session, I will also make things like notes because it is such a fun touch to actually whip one out to pass to another player. I find that some of them (like the vivre tracking card in our One Piece campaign), other characters will hold onto and bring up later in our campaign and it helps ALL of us immerse ourselves deeper into the actual world.

So, What Now?

At the end of the day, I can give you lots of tips and tricks, but you just need to go out and do the dang thing! Roleplay is a learned skill, and nothing will help you believably play your character more than just learning as you go. And remember, you do not have to do all of these things at once. Start picking one or 2 things to integrate into your own games and see what works for you.

As always, we love hearing from the community. Leave us a message below. We want to hear about your experiences and if you have any other methods that work for you!

Until next session,

Taylor