Pretty much everyone I have ever interacted with who plays D&D starts off the character creation process by choosing a class first. From there, they start filling in the details and eventually end up with an image in mind of what the character looks like.
With the release of 5th Edition D&D, I have been using an alternative process for nearly every character I have created so far. So I thought that I would share the idea with others who may find it interesting to try or may be having problems deciding on what kind of character they want to create.
This process goes completely in reverse to the standard approach by starting with a single picture first and building an entire character with all the appropriate details from there.
If you have a nice collection of images on hand to look through, then that is great. Otherwise you can think of a general search term to use such as female warrior, male Elf, Gnome, etc. when doing an image search via Bing or Google.
Now comes the fun part of the process. Look at the images that the search brings up and set aside any that draw your interest or catch your attention. Once you have a nice selection of images you like picked out, look through them and choose the ones that call out to you the most.
Now that you have your chosen images picked out, what do you “see” and “feel” when you look at them? Some questions you might ask are:
- Who is this person?
- What is their personality like?
- What profession (class) are they a part of?
- What is their history and background like?
- What are their hopes and dreams?
Another question that is worth looking at is this:
- Why am I drawn to this individual’s picture?
What answers did you get to these questions when looking at a character’s image? Does the “concept” generated from those answers appeal to you or inspire an awesome character creation idea? Depending on the answers you got from these questions or your feelings about the character’s image, you might be surprised to find that you have just “discovered” an awesome new character that you would really enjoy playing!
As an example, consider the three pics shown below.
What do you see or think of when looking at them? Here are some quick thoughts that I had when glancing at them...
1.) The Shou Woman: A Paladin or Cleric who has just procured an important artefact or magical item (which means that an important quest will be a part of this character’s life), she was recruited at a young age and grew up in her order’s enclave, dedicated to her order, she is of good alignment, has an inner strength that carries her through adversity, very dependable, believes in keeping her word, etc.
2.) The Half-Orc Woman: A warrior at heart who has been a soldier for some time now, but is disillusioned and yearning for something more (especially now that the battle shown here is over). She tends to be quiet in nature but pays very close attention to all that is going on around her, she is very loyal to those she calls friend, her heart longs for something more (which is going to lead her into a life of adventuring), she is lucky in that she was treated well growing up and given a fair chance to prove herself, she is destined for greatness (even though she does not know it yet), etc.
3.) The Damaran Woman: Born to a noble house, privileged background, “calm, collected, regal, and elegant in nature”, some exposure to and a preference for Kara-Turan culture, good to neutral in alignment, a Wizard who is going to go far and be quite powerful in time, well-versed and able to easily hold her own in social affairs or when dealing with royalty, slow to make friends at first but a good friend to have once she knows and trusts you, etc.
I realise that this process is not for everyone, but if you are wanting to create a new character and having trouble coming up with ideas that appeal to you, then this process just might be what you need to get the old creative juices flowing once again!
Nice idea. Thanks for the write up.
thorbardin wrote:
I like any approach that elevates backstory & personality over mechanics. I sort of use this method already (see my thread on "Priest" build) but I have the picture in my head. In general I find the use of existing avatar's ("other peoples' imaginations") restrictive...they never quite align with what I'm imagining. Same with miniatures.
What I really like this idea for, though, is sort of like a writing prompt: not to create an actual character you intend to play, but just for an exercise in imagination. I.e., have everybody in your group write up a background for an image in between sessions, then the DM picks one and creates an NPC around it. (In general I like player participation in creating the story, rather than having the DM do all the creative work for everything other than the PCs.)
mellored wrote:
Cool idea! Usually when I introduce people and help build their character, I try to see if they want to start with choosing Race or Class first (but without using those exact words!). So if they pick their race, they may have an idea of their personality, and I can guide them towards what best fits their concept, but also what classes "fit" the race AND concept better. Similarly, if they choose class, they may have an idea of what they want their character to accomplish (or just get drawn to certain keywords like "Barbarian" or "wizard" in which case I make sure they actually want the 5th ed DnD version of those words!). From there I can get them to think about where they want their character to go/grow (with subclasses) and what races "best fit" those classes, and see if anything sticks!
They can always break the mold, of course, with a Tiefling Barbarian, but hey! It's all about getting them thinking about who there character is, and what they do. It doesn't matter which end you start with!
(there can sometimes be hiccups. A person from my group always insisted in 4E to play Assassin characters either as a multiclass or hybrid, usually being a clunky or underwhelming character. When asked she said she "just liked assassins." Which is the case of a name carrying more weight than a playstyle. But hey! That happens! As long as they have fun, right?)
I ordered some painted miniatures on eBay, and then tried to write them up, e.g. I made this guy a Sorcerer with an Entertainer background:
Nice idea. A while back, I asked Plaguescared if he found his images before creating his PCs (in the PC repository thread) or after. I kind of thought about this as well. (By the way, Plaguescared said that he made the character first, found the image and then modified the character's details to fit the image).
I really like this dwarf. Something about her eyes makes me wonder more about her. And the streaks of gray in her hair let me know that she knows several tales. Some taller than others...
like the idea!
mellored wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
Timborama wrote:
Rhenny wrote:
Miladoon wrote:
I think this is a fantastic way to go about character creation. It seems if you have a vision (literally/figuratively) before getting started it makes the process much smoother and ultimately a higher sense of satisfaction for the PC.
Here are some images I have saved that struck a nerve with me:
I do something similar
pick a character you like think of a super hero or movie or book character.
Think what the earliest version of that character would be like. What would superman be before he was the invulnerable flying god like guy he became. or harry dresden before he became the winter knight.
Think of a personality that you like from a character. It can be the same as the character you chose or you can pick a different one. Modify any flaws to that character away that you don't like. for example the wierd buger king love of harry dresden and his constant lack of common sense. Or supermans infatuation with the continual damsel in distress and his wimpy alter ego. the goal is to also make this version fit into a more primative setting or a setting that your DM indicates you will be part of.
What occupation fits with this character concept. Is he more of a noble or a pesant a pirate or a police officer. Select skills that fit this character and the background that applies.
Select the bonds flaws and other features that fit this character and play into the character and driving personality behind them.
Pick the class that fits with the way you want to focus on the characters aspect the most. For example harry dresden could be any class in the game given taken some aspect of him to an extreme.
Barbarian path of the totem warior to focus on his bonds with the genious locai and his feral furry that he brings to bear with physical violence.
Bard college of lore to focus on his ability to know just about everyithing and his musical talent gifted by lash.
Cleric knowledge domain for his use of information gathering via magic.
Druid circle of the land to concentrate more on the magic and his use of the genious locai.
Fighter eldrich knight to focus on the gritty warrior side of the character. Monk elemental temple to focus on his constant use of the punch to the face and love of fire based magic.
Paladin Oath of vengance to cater more twards his unbreakable will and dedication.
Ranger Beast master to include is use of Mouse and his relicance on the animal kingdom.
Rogue arcane trickster to focus on his use of stealth and subterfuge to land a critical attack at the perfect time.
sorcerer wild magic to show the random over powering use of spells in last ditch effort.
warlock pact of the chain to have the ever present bob and perhapst start his love? afair with mab.
Wizard school of evocaiton well he is in the phone book as a wizard for crying out loud.
You may find that a character concept is too broad to fit neatly into one class, so instead pick a starting point and later you can always multi class to add in more parts that help make up the character.
Pick a race that fits eithor because it is the race of the character or near to it or even just because you wonder what a version of this person would be like as a race that you particularly are drawn to.
Stats in this game are less required and more a building block and part that helps shape the character instead of flatly defining them.
thoughts complaints cookie?
MascisMan wrote:
Drycanth wrote:
Ok had to share a few more good ones. The Half-Orc one really screams personality.
MascisMan wrote: