Matt Coville’s ‘What makes a good player character’
Video link: https://youtu.be/Sd3stb5fz8I though Matt is pretty ramble-y.
But my take away on this is:
Make a character you will enjoy playing Feels obvious, but something you will find interesting for an extended period of time. This mostly leads into…
Make a character for the game you are playing. If you have a pre-existing idea that does not match the game or setting you are playing, you will always be fighting the system. Make a character for dnd 5E 2024. Make it fit in a dark fantasy world. This isn’t a no to homebrew or expansion content, just keep “Does this fit?” in mind.
The character should be enjoyable for the other players. You are a party. You will be fighting, travelling and questing together. Inter-party conflict and moral disagreements are great, but the party having to ‘work around you’ is frustrating. Avoid main character syndrome. You’ll get your moment to shine, but also keep in mind other people will as well. You are not the protagonist, the party as a whole is.
Collaborate with the DM Communicate openly with the DM about your character and their motivations, and be prepared to discuss how your character concept fits into their vision for the campaign. The DM is not here to be surprised, save that for your party members.
This is overwhelming, What do I need to do?
I am not asking you to create a short book on the spot on your own. In fact I’d probably prefer it if you didn’t.
All you need to do is:
- Pick a race
- Pick a class
- Come up with a sentence to a small paragraph on who they are in session 1
See the Campaign Primer for a list of whats included race/class wise. Homebrew / expansion content is allowed but you must talk to me first!
It’s also worth having a subclass in mind for level 3.
Figure out what they’re like in the present, and how they got here. Whats there demeanour, moral compass? Fears? Quirks? Whats something in there past?
You do not need to plot out every little detail. Figure it out as you go but be working with the DM.
Finally, make more than one character in case its a no or someone else is playing basically the same thing. Would recommend at least two