InDungeons & Dragons, characters are the heart and soul of your games. This often means that as fun as it isto roleplay your characters, it’s also incredibly fun to see how they develop throughout the campaign. One of the great ways to flesh out the characters you play is to give them some shortcomings they’ll have to overcome.
Of course, there are plenty of general ones to choose from, such as a novice adventurer who is a coward and has to learn how to harness their courage. However, sometimes you want to try something more unique, so here are some more interesting flaws you can give your characters.
8Obsessive
Your Character Could Have A Hard Time Letting Go
Funnily enough, a lot of people are obsessed with things nowadays. You may not think it’s common, but ask your friends about their favorite characters or the shows they like, and you’ll see just how quickly someone can get obsessed with something, so why not make a character obsessed with adventuring or a certain item?
Perhaps they are obsessed with magic and often use spells that are more dangerous and explosive (like Fireball or Lightning Bolt) just to fuel this obsession and because they find it enthralling. They could also spend their time hoarding items related to this obsession, such as scrolls and magic items.
7Risktaker
Play A Risktaker Who Goes Too Far
Traveling around the world, risking your life every day,and battling monstersisn’t the most healthy lifestyle. So why not have your character be someone who adventures just for the thrill of it? They like the danger of defying death and getting into wild situations that other party members might be trying to avoid.
Now, as a player, you obviously don’t want your character to die, but you may still take some risks. For example, perhaps they’re less averse to healing themselves (via potions or spells) and get blood-lusted, wanting to take that extra attack against an enemy. They may also be more prone to run through combat and risk opportunity attacks.
6Believes In Something Grander
You Can Have Your Character Suffer From Delusions Of Grandeur
You could also have a character who takes confidence to a whole new level and believes that they’re a great hero like in a fairytale that they’ve read about. Or perhaps they think that they’re the reincarnation of a dead God that has walked the world again and will be absolutely just.
you may have your character continue to believe in such delusions and showcase how it will affect their judgment when it comes to the adventures they embark on. This includes the impact of their relationship with some of the other party members as well.
Be mindful not to be too disagreeable at the table. You want to make sure everyone is having fun.
5Misguided Loyalty
A Great Way To Develop Your Backstory
There’s delusion, and then there’s something about having a genuine belief that what you’re doing is right. This isgreat for a backstoryperspective, having a character going through life with a flawed dedication to a person or even an empire that is within the world. They may not realize its flaws until they begin adventuring and traveling outside of their comfort zone for the first time.
Of course, you may go a number of different paths when it comes to this flaw, whether the character is too far gone to understand that they are loyal to a fault or even change their loyalty to something else, being too loyal to something else or even the party itself.
4Fear Of Something Common
Have A Humorous Or Very Odd Fear
It’s common to have a character have a fear of something ordinary you also have a fear of, such as spiders or enclosed spaces. However, what about having a character with a fear so common it’s hard to believe? They could always have a fear of the sky, having stayed underground most of their life and believing they could fall into the sky at any moment, giving them a disadvantage on things similar to Sunlight Sensitivity.
Perhaps they could have a fear of something that’s common but still odd, like being deathly scared of merchants. It can be humorous but also give you an idea to flesh out your character’s backstory, perhaps focusing on the origin of such a fear.
3Inability To Lie
Whether It’s A Vow Or A Magical Curse, This Flaw Can Be Interesting
Whether it’s due to a vow or some magical curse, you may also have a character that is unable to lie. At first, this might seem like too much of a jump to have your character just unable to say anything but the truth, but there are actually clever ways you can get around this by looking at the Zone of Truth spell.
That spell lets you know that those affected don’t have to tell the whole truth but can equivocate or even just not respond (though that can raise suspicion over whatever line of questioning made you go silent). Maybe your character is adventuring to complete their vow of truth-telling or break the curse.
2Illiterate
A Great Option For Low INT Characters
If you want something that’ll come up way more often, then you can also have an illiterate character. It could come from a head injury that’s discombobulated them, or they’re just a low INT type of character that never got much of an education.
But considering how important written notes and books can be in Dungeons & Dragons, this is definitely something that could get in the way and force your character to come up with ways of gathering information only through visuals and word of mouth.
1Overprotective
Have A Character Who Is Afraid Of Losing People
Though it may not seem like much of a flaw, being overprotective could really get in the way of your party. A character who is so afraid of losing anybody that they will never let any of their fellow party members out of their sight can be a boon for roleplay. Maybe your character would even put themselves in harm’s way for others, which can be an interesting flaw to compound on.
It means your character may do risky actions to protect others, and it could result in them getting into deadly situations if they don’t overcome their fear and learn how to let go, which can open up a lot of roleplay drama.
