5 Lifehacks for Creating Exciting D&D/TTRPG Characters!

[@jawesomenw]

I think I was subconsciously doing some of these but now that it's been laid out like this, it'll be easier to focus on it. Thanks for the great advice!!

[@DianaOfTheRose]

I do my best to lay seemingly subconsciously obvious things out in steps/guides for folks to help make it easy, so I'm glad it helps!!

[@Hypershock93]

7:31 Me introducing my Bard: "How do you do fellow travelers, they call me Cuban Pete. In these parts, I'm known as the King of the Rumba beat"

[@nobodyinparticular5639]

My go-to method of creating a character is to pick an archetype, such as “the community-minded gangster,” “the bleeding heart religious man,” etc., and then take a super interesting plot point from three properties I think fit with the theme and string them together.

[@SgtBuffagor]

I once was in a Vampire the Masquerade campaign where the DM had us each submit a song for our character. He also added songs for different NPCs and gangs for a full soundtrack.

[@azuthyra5590]

I really enjoy how versatile your content is. It’s very outside the box thinking that is tangible for people to try easily. Thanks for the ideas!

[@CrowePerch]

I'm glad to see someone mentioning turning a song into a character because that's like my go-to right after inspirations from movies and TV shows. I played an Annie Oakley gunslinger in a Trophy Dark campaign I based on the songs "Bringing Home the Rain" and "Bottom of the Lake" by the Builder's and the Butchers. She was a good shot and a selfish prick of a bounty hunter who owed a lot of money and ruined every relationship she had. During the game she ended up mentoring a teenage boy and we basically played out a genderbent version of that movie True Grit where she ended up passing down her legacy as a bounty hunter to him. At the end we found our target and the money he stole, but in the fight she sacrificed herself to save the boy. He grabbed her hat and buried her in the coins so she could pay her toll to get into heaven (it was a setting thing).

[@digitaljanus]

I've turned songs and albums into adventures and campaigns in the past, and might do it again soon!

[@WooBunny]

Great video. Just joined a campaign as a wild magic sorcerer based off the Deck of Many things too.

[@DianaOfTheRose]

Oh that is SUCH a cool idea!!

[@LatecomerGames]

7:20 On long car rides with friends who play DnD and MTG, we've talked about how to convert a commander deck into a 5e campaign. We've come up with some pretty amazing ideas. I've never thought of doing that for a character before though!

[@rinnh8497]

I cannot express how useful this was instantly.

[@bojanrodic5406]

The coin/luck thing gave me a quick idea of a person who once had a gambling problem (both in games and out, like gambling on a one in a million chance with something), and one of their gambles lead to the death of friends/family, and now they a set of coins with holes punched through as a sort of self penance for their sin

[@richardmiller9883]

One of my players was interested in Deadlands, I wrote the intro adventure from Marty Robbins's "Big Iron".

[@demetrinight5924]

These are really fun ideas for character inspiration. The word of the day idea in particular appeals to me as GM for NPC's. Getting the word of the day for a whole week could easily start to fill out a small town of characters.

[@gentlemanjym]

As someone who submits the elven spellblade stereotype, this will help me make even better elven spellblades! In all seriousness, this video was such an inspiration.

[@brettmelnrick4854]

So holly-jolly, soooo Diana of the Rose ~ cheers!

[@Tutel0093]

Pro tip for making characters. Think of other people. At job, neighbours, other friends

[@DianaOfTheRose]

I've definitely been guilty of turning people's quirks into NPCs for my games, haha

[@talscorner3696]

Neat tips! Here's how I do it. Start from the where is your character from, thats going to influence their accent, main language and deities they may worship. From our own medieval world, a trader from Scandinavia is going to look different from a trader from Northern Africa or even the Russ of Kiev. Then, their profession before becoming an adventurer. A trader is going to look and behave differently from a pampered noble. This os going to give you two perpendicular axis of characterisation to which you can add religiously significant accessories (you can tell a southern European christian or a Catholic from an Orthodox by the shape of the crucifix they often wear, for example), personal preferences (I prefer belt bags to pockets,for example), tools of their trade and so on.

[@henryohenry1504]

My current character is a werewolf druid. That comes from a pack of other werepeople who made a deal with a demon to become stronger, but of course, it turned out to be a curse. Whenever I level up I get a visit from him and I have to fight a losing battle against him. (Essentially the flavor is to become more powerful he pays us a visit, slaughters us, tears us apart, then puts us back together and that makes us stronger ie leveling up)

[@InspiritShawol82]

This video comes at such a great time for me! I'm about to join a campaign mid-run and while I think I did an okay job with the connecting "lore", i feel like the character itself is falling flat in comparison (& also compared to my future party members) and i've been struggling to give it life and depth so to speak. So thanks a lot, this was so inspiring!

[@GeargianoXG]

I really love the first two options. They seem simple but evocative. I'll try them out later to come up with a few concepts :D

[@cwesley2005]

Keep crushing it Diana! Also a burrito is not sushi

[@DianaOfTheRose]

I BEG TO DIFFER-

[@kenzood5290]

Songs is always the way go go for me! I remember hearing Valentine by Snail Mail for the first time and getting hit with ‘Fuck being remembered, I think I was made for you So why'd you wanna erase me? Darling, valentine You'll always know where to find me when you change your mind’ and immediately inspiration just sparked for this vampire who was turned by an obsessive lover because she wanted them to be together forever but now he’s searching for a cure but also just purpose upon leaving that abusive relationship that is way more difficult to walk away from the more he realizes it. He’s been really fun to play!

[@gavina1395]

I literally came up with so many character ideas from this. I'll have to use some when dming lol

[@joxerthemighty9148]

method 1: My initial take on what you said was ( on the rose quarts koi ) make a character that is fishy ( does not seem reliable ), or rosy ( bubbly / sweet ).

[@benjaminfrost2780]

So the fish one. Made me think of a Spellcaster who's focus is a koi fish of that color.

[@theduketw]

You so nearly made it through the video without falsely accusing yourself of not being creative

[@edwardbirdsall6580]

Character concept: Background: Animist, Class: Necromancer, Tools: Spirit board and Planchette, Campaign: Ravenloft, Species: Reborn.

[@KefkeWren]

Honestly, when you pulled up the Rose Quartz Koi, my first thought was to have an Earth Genasi who specializes in water magic...or perhaps a warrior with a fighting style inspired by the flowing motions of water/fish. That said, musical inspiration is my favourite one.

[@yeeterdeleter4101]

Scryfall is such a good resource.

[@luckedout13]

Great ideas. Thanks Diana!

[@Fortirus]

For those who will look for inspiration in songs - I highly recommend the music albums of Guilty Gear Strive... Yes, I know that these are literally the musical themes of the characters from the game, but if you don’t know anything about them, the songs themselves can be a great source of ideas 💯

[@felipekopel5118]

Great content. Thanks.

[@berniethewordsmith]

Diana, not sure if you checked the new monster manual, but I'm sure the Medusas and the bone devil are going to make an appearance on your videos for sure. Call it a hunch 😂

[@rcschmidt668]

Nice! Another way to find a character or even a major NPC is to go to a site that makes minis such as Hero Forge and use the random features until you find something you like. Then think up why they wear this or carry that. Is it useful or sentimental? The backstory can write itself with this process.

[@oniminikui]

I've made 2 characters based on the same song, "Angry Johnny" by Poe. I made Jezebel and Johnny. Jezebel was a tiefling and Johnny was an aasimar.

[@DreamEngine707]

Thanks Diana.

[@bobo49504]

our latest game premise was a world that was mostly water so lots of boating and i had a tabaxi then i searched for tabaxiish photos and puss in boots from the movie so i have a 7ft tall puss in boots that is a rouge swashbuckler

[@williams5789]

I appreciate that you don't kink shame abstinence.

[@DrDeathslayer]

She saved it for me to do. Haha you are abstinent. Keep being abstinent lil bub.

[@bro_nobro]

I hope you are okay with compliments, if you are not please stop reading here. I just wanted to say that you are absolutely beautiful and you have such breathtaking eyes! PS: Thank you for this video I might adopt some of these hacks :)

[@danosaur4952]

So when I first started playing D&D, I played with someone that would scroll art on Pinterest to get inspiration for their characters.

[@ethanchristopher6709]

pulling inspiration from music is huge. my old group and I were all into metal, so I made an entire setting from all our favorite bands. had one noc who was a prophet cursed with visions of the end times. all lyrics from messugah. cryptic journal entries? lyrics from messugah. prophesy? lyrics from messugah. no alterations

[@AgentForest]

My character creation methodology is pretty much the exact opposite, lol. I start out by deciding what power fantasy I want to play, because at the end of the day I will be playing this character, possibly for a year or so, and knowing their mechanics will be exciting and dynamic is important to me. Essentially, I start with spitballing builds rapidfire until I find one that sounds really fun, then I work backwards from there. Why is this person good at this particular thing? What does that mean for how their life would play out in this world. Example: I wanted to play a healer in PF2e. I didn't much care for prepared casting (Druid/Cleric) and didn't feel like playing a Bard, so I decided Angelic Bloodline Sorcerer was more my style. I really like ancient Egyptian themes and decided to make him a Nagaji (snake-headed people) Nephilim (aasimar/tiefling lineage). Szath was the child of a snakefolk woman and a celestial who serves Isis. He grew up in a very corrupt city, and an ambitious warlord was looking to expand his rule through military conquest. In order to fulfill these goals the evil noble knew he'd need to employ healers to keep his army of loyal elites functioning, and few gods of healing would condone this and work with him. So hiring clerics was mostly not an option. However he got wind of a child who was born who could heal people and wasn't bound to any edicts or anathema of a patron god; someone whose healing is instinctive and completely amoral. He tried to buy Szath from his mother to serve in his army as a sort of healing battery for his forces. Despite her poverty, Szath's mother refused and bounty hunters were sent to kidnap him. To protect his mother, Szath fled and was moving city to city living on the streets, trying to escape this noble's clutches. Eventually he found refuge among a group of adventurers helping establish a new town, and he sought asylum of the young noble patron of that new town, offering to heal and protect the people there so long as he's never asked to use his magic for evil. I had just wanted to play a healer, but when I'd focused in on a class, I asked myself, "What makes this class different from the others I could have played to do the same thing?" and expanded on that in his lore. Sorcerers have magic completely unchained from oaths or morals, even detached from study. This is someone who can't lose his powers by using them in a horrible way or breaks rules. It's someone who may not even be smart enough or trained enough to understand the extent of what his power means. And the result was my wholesome little snake boy with golden scales who just wanted to make his mom proud by helping people, but has to wrestle with the implications and possibilities of having so much power given to a child. Not very smart or wise, but extremely charismatic and chaotic, and very food-motivated.

[@MacDork]

🔥

[@DavidMiOo]

Get Two ChatGPT sessions to collab and pit them against each other in a character creation battle. ChatGPT 2: Here’s a complete bio of Kaelith Stormwhisper that you can recite in 22 seconds: Kaelith Stormwhisper, an Aasimar Sorcerer born during a celestial storm, wields the power of the tempest. Raised by sailors, they command wind, lightning, and rain with chaotic freedom. Driven by guilt over an accidental massacre, Kaelith seeks redemption, protecting the innocent while struggling with their divine destiny. Their celestial wings glow with storm energy, and their Stormcaller’s Staff amplifies their magic. Loyal but impulsive, they fight for freedom and balance, haunted by the fear that their storm might one day destroy everything they love. ChatGPT 1 Create me an Exciting D&D TTRPG Character ChatGPT 2 one up this character into something amazing (copy paste from ChatGPT1) It's far too long to copy and paste it all but I feel like this character is oddly relatable. I could get behind that, even without the ponytail.

[@sword_of_light]

A lot of my characters start off with "wouldn't it be funny if..." and then I seriously consider what that would entail. My current Star Trek Adventures character started with "wouldn't it be funny if I played one of the ultra-aggressive, ultra-paranoid Andorians, but as a Star Fleet doctor?" (best Jeffrey Combs voice) Are you...sure...those are all your symptoms? I...don't believe you WHAT ARE YOU HIDING!? And once I had the idea, the rest came with a few simple questions. So why is he in medicine? He grew up on a world still dealing with unexploded ordinance. How was he raised? By aggressive, paranoid parents who still believe the Vulcans are going to invade any day now. What parts of his life prior to the campaign shaped his character? Transporter accident left him leery of transporters, and fascinated with disorders causes by transporter accidents.

[@bramderijcke]

maybe a dumb question. you said you can turn a song into my next dnd character what if you pick Bohemian Rhapsody from theme idk where to begin???!!

[@johnymey4034]

TFW She conflates "COMPLACENT" with "COMPLIANT" lmfao

[@silentswordsmen2274]

“Can I use this for my ocs lore” ahh video Jokes aside thanks for the ideas 💡

[@melissabradfield226]

Pinterest trickery domain

[@benjaminfrost2780]

Uh whats wrong with the lucky feat?

[@tehrealcoralsnek7044]

An offshoot of the idea of using a magic card is using pokedex entries! For example, Growlithe has a lot of entries saying "A Pokémon with a loyal nature. It will remain motionless until it is given an order by its Trainer" and "It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It fearlessly stands up to bigger and stronger foes." This could be interpreted into a character who is so intensely devoted to their cause, their friends, or their leader that they will fight even knowing they are vastly outmatched. Not the most unique as far as D&D characters go, but it's just an example.

[@Mazygolucky]

I’ve wanted to base a character of a song for a while.

[@Kira-osity]

A lore-brarian

[@sivain5846]

Lol it's a scholar who got a B! On a test! The horror!!

[@taterstickz4026]

you are adorable. Get some sleep.😁

[@Aech_Tee]

Forgot how many plants you have 😂

[@samfowler2073]

Wait when did you start doing serious dnd youtuber style videos? Don't you need a license for that?

[@DianaOfTheRose]

don't tell anyone, they gave me the checkmark without doing a background check first

[@Frankschtaldt]

*Start writing a character based of System of a Down lyrics*

[@That_1GayTheaterKid]

8:01 Artist recommendations for anyone looking for artists to get you in a fantasy writing mood: Fish in a Birdcage, Sparkbird, and Rabbitology. And I know this might not be what people want to hear, but musical theatre is an excellent source of music for story inspo.