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One daunting facet of starting aDungeons & Dragonscampaign is the process of character creation. It can often seem like an impossible challenge for first-time players due to the multiple unfamiliar rules, and the thematic elements of a new campaign can intimidate even veteran players.
After all, a fresh setting asks them to familiarize themselves with new lore, new NPCs, and new places. As a Dungeon Master, it’s your job to help guide these players through the difficult terrain of creation. You’re not alone, nor are you the first to wonder how this works! Here are some tips you can use.
Discuss Setting And Tone
You may have perused a social media site and seen horror stories upon horror stories of players bringing their level twenty, dual-scimitar-wielding drow ranger named Brizzt Bro’Urden to a table and then becoming upset with the Dungeon Master for not allowing it. This can be completely avoided byestablishing what your tone is.
Unless you’ve all agreed on knowing nothing or your story relies on player unfamiliarity,your campaign setting shouldn’t be a surprise to your players.
Let them know what thetheme or aesthetic of the campaign will be, what the world is, and whether you want them to follow those guidelines or not. Establish this and get on the same page early!
You don’t necessarily have to flesh out the entire world, buthave a tone in mind when recruiting players and make it very clear what you want.This can help your playersdecide on basic concepts for their characters.
Providing your players with a brief outline can help. you’re able to write down a couple of themes or perhaps a quick example background of an NPC (or pre-made character) and send it to your players. Alternatively, you can speak with them individually to help go over any questions they may have for you about the setting.
Not only will this allow your players tobetter orient themselves with their character’s life(and further, care more about your story), but you’ll also prevent your party from bringing Flash McDash to your fully-serious gothic horror Curse of Strahd— or Ebony Darkness to the Muppet version of it.
Talk About Archetypes
Going overcharactersandarchetypesthat your players may enjoycan help them start to create backstories. For instance, if your player is tossing around the idea of a bounty hunter-type character, it could help toask upfrontif your player is interested in pursuing a redemption arc or is looking to engage more with possible corruption.
Having your players give you a listof archetypes they enjoy, from fictional characters to literary motifs, will give you sound groundwork to build on,especially for new players who may be shywhen it comes toroleplaying.
The better you understand what your player likes to engage with in a story, the better you can potentially cater events in the campaign to each player!
Ask Specific Questions
The Jenga-based horrorTTRPGDread has this great character creation process. Instead of asking “what are you doing here?” on a character sheet, Dread asks “What was it about your nightmares that compelled you to sell your house and come on this trip?” It gives you a specific scenario and demands a reaction.
This is a great device fordigging into the meat of who that character is.With Dungeons and Dragons, you typically have a longer-form campaign, but you can employ a similar tactic!
If your player brings you a character who is an orphan with no connections, ask your player where they’ve been living. Ask where their mother lived. Ask what it was about the thought of her that made their orphan decide to leave the alleyway they’d been staying in. Your player may tell you that nothing did, or they may tell you it was their father, instead.
Either way,the question gives you access toprecise detailsandlets you guide the character-creation processwhile stillgiving your player the freedom to decide.Angling questions in a way that draws characters out can be extraordinarily useful.
Don’t put words in your player’s mouths, butdoask questions that guide them to think harder about why their character is in the adventure and what sorts of bonds they have.
Provide Feedback
As you start to prepare to run your campaign, your players will undoubtedly start sending you their character ideas and drafts of their backstories.
Letting your players knowwhat you likeandwant to expand onwill let your players know you’re interested in their characters and that you want to see them have fun.Having that line of communicationalso lets you, as a Dungeon Master,maintain some creative control.At the end of the day,being a Dungeon Masteris as muchabout your fun as it is about your players'.
Your feedback gives your players guidelines to follow, andthey may feel better about reaching out to you with ideas.This doesn’t have to be a lengthy process, sometimes just a simple “I like it!” will do.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to a player and let them know if something they’ve added to their character doesn’t quite fit the campaign, whether mechanically or thematically. Saying ‘no’ is sometimes good for a campaign, but your players may also appreciate it if you could offer them alternative solutions. Have a discussion!
Establish Class, Species, And Background
The great thing about the mechanical aspects of building a character is thatthey can be done pretty much anywhere in the process.Some players may find it easier to craft after deciding all of these things, and some may find it easier to create a backstory before touching on what sort of fighter they want to play.
For new players, deciding onclasscan be a matter of recommendation. Does your player want to carry a weapon? Do they want to cast spells? Do they want to do both? Would they rather be taking a hit or protecting their fellow players?
Class
Narrow down what your player wants.If they want to play aspellcasterwhowields a weapon, you can recommend a class with a gish play style like the wizard’sBladesingeror warlock’sHexblade. If they like taking hits but want to be a healer,Forge Clericis right there.
Species
Species is now easier than ever to assign to a character, withCustom Origin becoming one of the standard ways to play a character.Still, if you want to use old rules or discuss what works for your campaign, ask your player aboutsome of the features the different species have, and narrow it down from there.
The level of work you put into the campaign is entirely based on what is feasible for you. If you trust your players to handle their sheets without you, then be sure to review them, so you’re familiar with the characters entering your campaign.
Background
Background can also be decided based on backstory.Don’t be afraid tostretch the definitions of backgrounds!A sage can just as easily be a young princess who studies extensively as they can be a wizard in a Mystran cloister.
Working on the character sheet with the player will also allow you todiscuss what level the players start at,as well as some rules for your table. It’s also an excellent way to introduce some of the rolling mechanics via the ability scores. Wherever you put the character sheet in the process, it solidifies the character’s existence.
Dungeons & Dragons is a gameaboutcollaboration.Whether it’s fighting a monster or sitting around a campfire, you and your players areconstantly building a collective story. Character creation is just another wonderful aspect of that mentality, and you and your players may have just as much fun making the characters together as you would have playing them.
