How to give your D&D character a personality

How do you make sure your tabletop characters all have different personalities? Kobold Press sponsored this video so I could walk you through three methods I use to develop personalities for original characters! (Please forgive me the terrible green screen... there's only so much time I can rationally spend doing special effects on a 90-second ad spot 😅)
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▼ INDEX ▼
0:00 - Intro
1:04 - What is a personality?
3:22 - Method 1: Pull Threads
6:51 - Sponsored by Kobold Press!
8:25 - Method 2: Premade Personalities
11:14 - Method 3: Steal a Personality
13:47 - Outro
Logo animation by Rosie at Arcane Focus!
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Music from Epidemic Sound
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► FIND ME ONLINE:
ginnydi.com
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[@askmeagain43]

My dnd friends: Your character is so cool and unique Me: *gluing foghorn leghorn and doc brown together, haphazardly* yes i worked very hard on this

[@parkernathaniel2062]

I know this comment is from 2 weeks ago but tell us more about your character, I beg.

[@askmeagain43]

@@parkernathaniel2062 He is a fire genasi dwarf artificer, with very low charisma and a deep south accent. He gets by using way too many big words and long explanations, but boy does he love his inventions, including his steel defender powered by the soul of a fire elemental.

[@itzplant3196]

@@askmeagain43 It sounds like he stuck one of his parents into a pet lmao

[@zongi700]

ooooh sounds very cool!! I hope you have fun playing him :)

[@Lunar_DeBrie]

PLEASE THAT'S ME 😭

[@oh-no-its-clara7574]

"do you know your dnd character?" "of course I know him. hes me."

[@AF-tv6uf]

My three hobbies and the thinly-veiled version of a girl I like make a perfectly good spacecrew.

[@expensivemagic4754]

ooo

[@Lunar_DeBrie]

I often find that all my characters are a piece of me!

[@silverstar4505]

I feel that. So much.

[@cmdrrespawn1329]

Did...no one see the references....That's F****** Obi-Wan Kenobi

[@LeoxandarMagnus]

Me: Oh boy, I wonder how I can improve my characters? Ginny: The Secret Ingredient is crime.

[@not_the_useless_cake856]

Why Has No One Stollen This Comment Yet

[@tahunuva4254]

And the secret ingredient to character development is punishment. Dostoevsky had it down pat.

[@js_injection3978]

Me: Oh boy, I wonder how I can improve my characters? Ginny: The Secret Ingredient is crime

[@jocelynnielsen9154]

Why Has No One Stollen This Comm ah forget it the joke is done

[@remylebeau4699]

Please tell me your character is a bard called super hans.

[@ParadoxNerdHLM]

"Good artists copy, great artists steal" Attributed to various, but for comedy I'm gonna claim I said it first

[@Trumpeter42]

Heeeyyyyy, I see what you did there. 😂

[@scarlokeagrivian1690]

amazing, this is original, and I'm very proud of you!

[@christophersanders3252]

You are lucky if you have an original thought in your lifetime. My best friend's second cousin told me someone told him that.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I have been wholesale stealing from Discworld for all my DM career...none of my players really read much Terry Pratchet so it works well 🙂

[@Tobenatorr]

As an animator I remember my animation professor in college telling us "Don't be afraid to steal an idea. Nothing is original anymore."

[@flimsyfun4960]

Sock puppets. Yes. Singing sock puppets. Yes. Dancing and singing sock puppets with background and original outfit. YESSS!!!!

[@shakescan]

Good idea. I like making puppets with paper lunchbags. Ive never tried it for character development

[@lukedavis307]

someone here a fan of order of the stick?

[@NayrAnur]

Saw a review by Nostalgia Critic on that movie. Also the David Bowie's strong in this ad.

[@GinnyDi]

It's "Dance, Magic, Dance," actually 😅

[@frohog]

@@GinnyDi 9/10 Jareth cosplay. Could've been 10/10 but no codpiece for true authenticity. :P

[@evelynnsophia7631]

"You are playing. For fun. So, steal away." This has to be my new favorite Ginny Di quote

[@avidreader8521]

The manager at my LGS basically made my character sheet for me based on answers to a bunch of open ended questions (stuff like 'do you want to play another support-type character?' and 'I want to play some kind of 'knowledge seeker''), and I ended up with a lot of spells dealing with the undead. I took one look at the sheet and thought 'I'm pretty much playing Pisces from The Wandering Inn' (which he doesn't read, and so didn't know) and immediately felt both relieved (along the lines of: great, I know what the backstory and personality is!) and bad because it felt like my character should be more original than that. And honestly, this quote made me feel so much better about both. It doesn't really matter.

[@StarryxNight5]

​@@avidreader8521Honestly, the Horns are a great basis for D&D characters since they're basically a standard D&D party. You've got a rogue, a fighter, a couple spellcasters, don't really need much more. I wonder how well Ceria would do as a druid, though

[@JustToSaveYou]

It's a regular thing at our table where someone laments over the fact that they know the solution to the problem or a good approach, and their character absolutely wouldn't. It's always fun when even the person controling the character is trying to talk them out of poking the strange artifact. lol

[@crunchydragontreats6692]

I have played characters that aren’t exactly what anyone would call a “thinking man”. Whenever we come up with a idea or solution that I don’t know if my character would come up with, I set a DC in my head based on how difficult I think it would be for the character to come up with that idea. Then I roll an intelligence check. With a high roll, maybe they have a stroke of inspiration or the pieces just all fall in line. Usually, they just fail and I just end up rolling a random d20 and quietly say, “nope”.

[@Jenna_Talia]

Yeah, I had to hold myself back from making, or asking others to make skill checks because my character has a -2 in intelligence, she is dumb as bricks lmao. And it goes the other way too, a character with low dex, str and con shouldn't be so eager to drink some peculiar liquid or try swinging a heavy and dangerous weapon.

[@KaiserSoze679]

This is exactly why I try never to use both INT and WIS and low stats. Playing dumb once in a while can be fun, but sticking with it for a whole campaign can be really difficult for me, so at least if there's one area I can be reasonably smart in (be it more "book smart" or "street smart") then I can break up the monotony of it now and then, and honestly the intersections of a high int/low wis or low in/high wis can be a lot of fun to play out. *Note: Not saying the other needs to be particularly high, even a 12 or so can be more than enough. It's just nice to be able to know something once in a while. XD

[@JustToSaveYou]

@@KaiserSoze679 I tend to encounter the problem where my character would simply not know because they've never had a chance to encounter the situation, regardless of their int and wis. As a party-wide example our current problem is the entire party is from the equator and we're in the north...in winter. Even the wizard was worried when the leaves started turning. lol To quote myself, "I know what's happening, but my character thinks the forest is cursed." Fun times. :)

[@Kylora2112]

My rogue with highish INT and low WIS: basically me...I know things in the abstract, but when it comes to putting it to use..."Guys, can you break me out of this trap again?"

[@shutupnora]

you had my curiosity, **singing sock puppets** but now you have my attention.

[@lilebluecaboose]

All advertisements should involve singing puppets from now on.

[@GinnyDi]

I have to admit, I didn't have to put on makeup to film the puppet bits, and I liked that.

[@sharkdentures3247]

Yeah, I think the Government passed a Law to that effect recently? (If so, one of the FEW things they've done right.)

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

@@GinnyDi If you started a Kickstarter to do a one-woman show of Labyrinth--just all the songs but your own D&D versions of them--I think you'd be a millionaire fairly quickly!

[@WildfireMagni]

I don't make the laws, but I'll find this one fairly easy to obey.

[@malevolentthedragon]

Agreed.

[@sarahburton7556]

It took me far too long to remember that Sarah is a character in Labyrinth and that Ginny wasn't psychically telling me specifically to back this Kickstarter. Though I probably am legally required to now.

[@pops2517]

Same here

[@jocelynnielsen9154]

You're only required to if you want your baby brother back from the Goblin Queen.

[@TheEvanescence1996]

Me2 XD

[@bastionunitb7388]

You must hurry Sarah Before it's too late

[@baileyface54]

@@jocelynnielsen9154 Oh cool, so can leave it then

[@Chef_PC]

“Fictional characters can NEVER be a whole person.” *Thorgrunt the Barbarian sits heavily on the ground and shakes, weeping.

[@discsv]

Pan, the pyromaniac, eternally conflicted between creating and destroying, gnome druid joins Thorgrunt on the ground: "Don't cry big guy. Their imagination is just too small to fit us ;)"

[@caityreads8070]

I don't feel like the real me has a consistent personality, let alone a character I've made up

[@theFkey]

Well, the only real difference between reality and fiction is fiction has to make sense. So use that to your advantage, one decision leads to another and once the ball gets rolling it tends to write itself.

[@nokturnallex2160]

A good line I've heard from someone who took a bunch of acting classes. "It's just all about lying." Make up a persona, run with it. Lie your butt off. While roleplaying, it's just like improv "Yes.. and" and just let the lies fly. I mean that as in "Pretend to be someone else" not as in "Actually lie to your party members" but hey if that's the persona you want to run with, go for it lol.

[@melaniemint8075]

To be fair, no one's personality remains consistent in their life. Major events shape who we are and who we turn out to be. It's okay if your character's personality changes, actually, it's more realistic if it does. It's part of what makes roleplay so good if you believe in "Yes.. and". What other characters do around yours has the potential to seriously change your character if you roll with it.

[@the.rest.is.confetti]

It is worth remembering that even when you steal personalities you usually end up with a completely different personality after some time, just because characters develop and grow on their own without asking for your permission - It's What They Do. So I've found that "stealing" is great for this very reason! because maybe all you need is an initial base person to throw a bunch of different experiences and little details at until they become their own person

[@chicka-boom7540]

Kinda like Michael from The Office US... lol

[@Waitwhat469]

I've played the same barbarian in three different games, that became a very different person in each one. It's really kind of cool.

[@froglicker8277]

yeah! my character (haedes) was based off of the witcher (from looks to like personality) now he is a very sweet guy with a platonic husband and two kids

[@andtryagain]

It's What They Do.™

[@darkela5_]

basically what she said?

[@rehness2636]

the notification came at the exact time I was thinking for a character for my brother's campaign

[@GinnyDi]

I've been working on a character this week, too!! So this advice is very much floating around in my head right now, too!

[@bw2079]

@@GinnyDi I am making my first character later today!!!

[@mentallyunstable1926]

@@bw2079 how’s your character? i wish i had this video when i made my first character

[@Karak971]

One thing that really helped me was realizing that a character's personality doesn't just have to be based on their mental stats. For example, I made a wizard who as part of his backstory survived a plauge when he was very young. However this left him scarred and overall very frail. Because of this his parents largely kept him isolated from the rest of the world, bringing him books from the market when they could spare the coin. This led to him both becoming incredibly intelligent but it also left him bitter as he was forced to experience the world solely through these books while most everyone else his age was able to live a normal life. All that, backstory and then small personality seeds, came from me rolling a 6 and deliberately putting that in Con. Sadly I never got to explore this character as the campaign dissolved after two sessions.

[@alexdeville1110]

If possible, I’d love to dm for that character, if we could get a group together that is

[@MikeCBaker]

You can ALWAYS use the character in a different campaign (or at least all of the "good parts" of the backstory & personality that you invested in)...

[@archienoyce2453]

me: *struggling developing my new character* ginni *posts video* me: what kind of sorcery-

[@juliaf6364]

Same here

[@christophersanders3252]

That would be divination.

[@archienoyce2453]

@@christophersanders3252 lol nah that’s witchcraft, sorcery is fake

[@Baalek1]

Ginny-as-Jareth is the ad copy I never knew I always wanted.

[@jetvulcan2020]

the ad can stand by itself for a video I want to watch again

[@paulrawsonjr.2423]

Oh was that Jareth? I didn’t recognize it without the bulge...

[@evelyndill5688]

I wasn't ready but I was also ready???

[@Disavowedagent47]

Shame she is taken, I'm in love 😍 beauty, talent, brains and a sense of humor..... I'm helpless Perfect Jareth

[@earlgrey3519]

@@paulrawsonjr.2423 🤣Oy vey...

[@primeemperor9196]

"My character is completely unique!" *realizes it's just Kratos*

[@dissy1853]

Now I want to make Lloyd knock off thanks for giving me ideas XD

[@primeemperor9196]

@@dissy1853 Glad I could be of service, lol

[@invaderzam]

After Witcher came out on Netflix so many people started making Reralt of Givia on Dnd

[@brentage5000]

I feel that! Me: "My character is unique and was raised by halflings apart from and in ignorance of being a human!" My friend: "You character is the movie Elf." Me: "....oh, yeah."

[@primeemperor9196]

@@invaderzam I mean, if they wanna play The Watcher, that's up to them. Just remember to throw a gold at them.

[@authorkellylclark]

My characters are usually “Caricatures” of a facet of my own personality. My two clerics (both outcast from their homeland) are very different- one is based on my temper, and one is based on my forgiving side. My druid is based on my hopeless romantic flighty side- except extroverted. XD My rogue was based on my insecurities in relationships with people. My warlock is based on my tendency to hide behind a shell and/or mask to protect myself, while also not truly noticing that it exists, and my pettiness. All of them act differently than I would because of background and what part of me they’re based off- but they also still feel natural to slip into because they think things through in ways I understand.

[@_Irohacchi_]

I've done similar things. My 3 favorites that I've played are like that. My ranger is based on my cold, logical thinking. My druid is based on my emotional side, my empathy and kindness towards other people, she is probably the most like me for other reasons. And my wizard is based around my struggles with mental illness and how I would behave if I was off my medications and unstable. Wow, that was long.

[@nikooo1794]

All the characters I come up with have a piece of my real personality. The ones that don't simply don't feel like characters I can play and understand. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that ^-^

[@stephieann6541]

I like to take a personality trait of my own and build around it like in the first point of the video. My best ever character was a teenage girl that left her toxic home and was desperately looking for a new safe space for herself. She was searching for role models in other characters. She started like a clean slate, ended up being the center of the campaign.

[@StarrySkies]

I do this outside d&d too! It's so fun and helps make the characters easier to write!

[@Jenna_Talia]

Yeah, like every character takes a little piece from you. I do that too.

[@matthewjoy475]

As awful as the Meyers-Briggs is for describing actual people, its utility for describing characters is actually relatively effective.

[@colethecollector6742]

Honestly it describes me pretty well

[@matthewjoy475]

@@colethecollector6742 I'm glad you've found value in MB, which is the important part.

[@S_Tinguely]

In the "pulling the threads" category, I tend to work in the other direction than the one you mentioned, by asking why the character made the choices described in their backstory. In your example, why did Korwyn decide the military to relieve his family ? As opposed to enrolling in a monastery, or working to develop the family business for instance.

[@SupremeViola]

One of my more recent characters was a revamped NPC from another PC's backstory, their sibling who'd run away from home at a young age. Details were fairly sporadic because there was a huge age gap between the siblings and the first PC had dropped only bits and pieces of things they remembered. I had to do a backwards thread-pulling thing like so: 1. I know the character has made decisions X, Y, and Z. 2. Based on their INT and WIS scores, I know that those decisions should have been [reasonable/unreasonable] given the information the character had at the time. (this step is in there because I am a big fan of letting my characters make less-than-great choices if it's reasonable for them to do so) 3. These decisions tell me A, B, and C about how they like to live their life: their habits, their values, their preferences.

[@ettinakitten5047]

I use this strategy especially for my gimmicky builds. For example, I built a coffeelock (sorcerer/warlock who is built to get stronger the longer he avoids taking a long rest) and for his personality, I started by pulling on the threads of "why doesn't he sleep?" and "why would someone who already has innate divine powers want to also make a deal to get a totally unconnected set of powers"? Which led to my character being a yuan-ti orphaned by a celestial being stopping his cultist parents' ritual of doom, who has horrible nightmares and wants to repress his trauma by avoiding sleep. And then his personality turned into a loopy, hypercaffeinated jokester with angst lingering just beneath the surface.

[@disgustof-riley8338]

Develop both things and you'll have an even *more* 3D character

[@SusCalvin]

​@@ettinakitten5047Unknown Armies has a magical cult based on insomnia. They are a bit on the edge of burnout. Their founders have a trick to stay permanently awake. They have no way to keep the hallucinations away. Embrace them.

[@piecewisefunctioneer]

I like to build my characters from one singular idea. One of my memorable characters was a young elf monk with a wisdom of 18 and an intelligence of 9. I did this as I always came across monk builds and personalities where they had infinite wisdom and high intelligence and I felt like maybe there should be a child mentality monk who doesn't understand the world and its complexities but his unique take on 'wisdom' allowed for him to lead a honest and pure life. Essentially, this lead to what I can only describe as a dyslexic, adhd suffering monk. (that part I guess is because I also have adhd and dyslexia). But it lead to a really determined boy who, I recon, only reached enlightenment through pure determination and a slight bit of some deity feeling a little sorry for the young child. His personality trait was that he didn't allow others to suffer or die. He simply captured them into a bag of holding (which Frank thought was able to turn enemies into stuffed toys). Frank genuinely believed that they had a better life in that way as he cared for them and taught their spirit/soul the teachings of his monastery. In reality, the rest of the party had to remove them from the bag of holding and had to buy Frank another stuffed toy to swap them with. (think like santa or the tooth fairy). I think the rogue rolled stealth more for doing the switcharoo than any other reason XD

[@mimipare1696]

I’ve recently started using music to help develop my characters. I add songs that I think vaguely fit my concept to a playlist and then I assign personality traits and backstory based on that. Plus when I’m done I wind up with a playlist I can use to get closer to thinking in character

[@LeonBlackbird]

And, if your character is a bard, you have a playlist of songs this bard knows.

[@frigginsepone446]

That's actually a very interesting idea Bad to the Bone The Fight Song Beautiful Faithless ... I'm not sure this method works for me, might piss off the others at the table

[@aceofdiamonds2002]

I have done the same thing for a couple of years now. What's fun is going back and listening to some of the playlists from old characters and still immediately being able to jump into character for them.

[@peruru84]

I do this when coming up with backstories. I hear some music and it just Jumpstarts my imagination, then i find similar music to continue the thoughts.

[@SwaggerDolphin1]

I've done that before... The playlist is horrifying

[@thefollowingisatest4579]

Kobold Press People Watching Ginny's Ads: "Why didn't we just have her make our kickstarter videos?"

[@SabinleRose]

David Bowie Ginny has awoken something inside me. .-.

[@OniNoSweeney]

Stop! Enough! We're already gay!

[@foradain5211]

@@OniNoSweeney this wasn't the first Cary Grant movie I thought of because of this ad... kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2i3pmqvl7poask

[@OniNoSweeney]

@@foradain5211 A M A Z I N G !

[@thydra76]

"...or liking the movie Fight Club. None of those things are a personality" 17yr old me would disagree with you.

[@WolfHreda]

Ginny Di (On a Megaphone): YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL

[@nickgrout2502]

17 year old you would be wrong lol

[@thydra76]

@@nickgrout2502 17 yr old me was wrong about many things...

[@GnomeGninja]

@@thydra76 thats basicly what being 17 is all about :) my 17yo gaming self (im 42 btw) would disagree with a lot of what I now know as wisdom.

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@GnomeGninja Kudos to you both for growing and learning!

[@masonchapple7669]

One of my favorite ways to develop characters is to start off with something that goes against type. For example, a Warforged Druid who wants to understand and connect with nature. Despite their best efforts all of their wild shapes look like clockwork automatons, leaving them wondering even more about if they genuinely have a place in the world. They may know a lot intellectually about nature, but get overwhelmed/don't pick up on what is going on when confronted with new animals and plants. Curious, yet timid. Intelligent, but not the wisest. Overestimates themselves and underestimates nature.

[@socialistrepublicofvietnam1500]

Warforged Druids are something I have never thought of and I am going to immediately make a new Warforged Druid character

[@thepip3599]

I played a warforged druid. His name was “Gardener” because that was literally the purpose he was built for.

[@OpalEssenceOfficial]

My second D&D character was a Warforged Druid named Eve with a black mamba companion that she met when she was asked by the local townsfolk to chase it away so it would stop eating all the farmer's livestock. She ended up befriending it instead, mainly because the snake couldn't bite her 😅 She's always been one of my fave PCs haha

[@sam3nvb565]

Me: my characters are very diverse Also me: all my characters are edge lords brooding in the corner of the tavern

[@tatersalad76]

My favorite character introduction was when I was playing a rogue. The group noticed him in a dark corner, sitting alone and seemingly brooding. Then his hand slipped and his face smacked the table, waking him up from what turned out was a long nap. Then they found out he was a flamboyant swashbuckler

[@integralinsanity1641]

OOoF

[@christophersanders3252]

My characters are all to chipper.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

I like making edgy characters weirdos instead of brooding bad ass's. My current edge lord character is just sorta paranoid and strange so this can ranges from ominous to a sorce of comedy. He's also aggressively anti social but is stuck with the party and does care about them despite him refusing to ever tell them what he's planning (but I'm stuck with then because we're all on a boat)

[@thisstatementisfalsenothin5312]

@@an8strengthkobold360 I wanna make a comedy edge lord who’s an open hand monk So at max level he has a bunch of stupid names for quivering palm

[@talscorner3696]

Key thing here, is like Ginny said, is the relation between the outer and inner context ^^ Think about how the background of the person that you know best informs how they act today

[@serafinassong]

I always take the Meyers Briggs and Hogwarts house tests for my characters, usually after I have a concept, because I find them really helpful for getting into the right headspace. It makes me happy to hear you mention them as well!

[@willpi6413]

How the hog warts house help?

[@serafinassong]

@@willpi6413 taking the test is helpful because it requires thinking about the character's response to things that probably won't come up in game, and get you thinking in character mindset. Some of the questions are pretty interesting (at least on the off brand one I use so I don't give JK Rowling my money) The results are helpful because they are widely recognisable as personality shortcuts and can be a good starting point.

[@ChronicNewb]

April Luddgate in a D&D setting is hilarious. 10/10 would love to be in a party with April Luddgate as the wizard

[@4L14S]

Never before in my entire life have I even slightly enjoyed an ad... today all that changes. Today I rewatch Ginny's Vault of Magic ad just to feel something

[@MewMewDerez]

I remember watching Wonder Woman with my D&D group and having the thought: "gee, that seems like it would be fun to play for a D&D character" ...so I did. my next campaign I just *built* Wonder Woman, an Aasimar fighter with a whip enchanted with Zone of Truth. her Aasimar halo wrapped around her head for her diadem. and it was a lv 20 campaign so I could make her as much of a powerhouse as I wanted. it was a lot of fun!

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

Please tell me you played the WW theme in your head when you'd have a badass moment with her

[@MewMewDerez]

@@reptiliannoizezz.413 of *course* I did!

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

@@MewMewDerez Good 😌

[@mugrootbeer731]

I feel like I'm watching a tutorial on how to become human

[@HellsMirror]

Others: "You've got your character all figured out!" Me, putting away all those characters that I created for my writing, but never actually used: "Yeah, I just totally came up with that on the spot..." I'm actually gonna DM a game starting soon, and the whole world I use has been worldbuilding for a story I never wrote.

[@darkela5_]

the best way to dm is to be a failed writer (not bcus ur bad tho ofc or ud just fail)

[@legofanguyvid]

@@darkela5_ be me who is just bad "but he tried anyway"

[@kharnthebetrayer8251]

A fun thing with the attribute thing. You can always reverse it. I've had 2 characters with 4 Charisma. 1 was a Ranger, who couldn't deal with people, would stutter and barely be able to speak around new people, but was fine with animals. This lead to my favourite quote from that game 'I don't do good in... people" 1 was a Wizard, who was supremely confident, but was literally a Psychopath, so just couldn't decipher emotions in people and so was just completely unreacting to emotional stuff. And for some unknown reason, the party kept letting me take the lead in social interactions, despite one being a Sorcerer with 18 Charisma. my 4 Charisma wizard would always just walk in with suprememe confidence (thankfully he also had 20 Intelligence, so would make up for it by being insanely smart, and me Roleplaying well meant that the GM didn't ask me to roll much)

[@gleesonconor]

Was struggling with a character personality despite playing tabletop for years and suddenly this video is up and I'm already inspired! Method 1 was really helpful and just what I needed to hear, thank you! :)

[@jzzbabe08]

I literally LOVE personality tests, how have I never considered typing my DND characters?? Genius!!

[@bcj7064]

Love the fabric/thread metaphor. It feels like the ideal way to bring newer creators into the free form mindset.

[@Sara-sn5gd]

The mayers Briggs one is very useful if you're stumped on flaws. I made a character, but felt as if they lacked flaws and depth because I envisioned them in a very positive way. The test offered a 'dark side' to those positive traits. Honestly just taking the test with your character in mind can yield surprisingly accurate results.

[@FernLovebond]

The Labyrinth homage actually got me to watch the whole sponsorship instead of skipping forward. First time ever I've done that. You rock, Ginny.

[@allyramos9071]

My friend never played. She is completely clueless about D&D. This is perfect for her!

[@richardgodivala4680]

It can help to have an accent for a character - when you switch into that accent you can have a way of thinking that goes with it, and that can help to keep the character distinct and stable.

[@camrynsingsandreads8614]

Accents come sometimes turn into a stereotype, so be aware of that. But definitely having a different voice for your character helps get into the headspace. Plus it’s easier to tell when talking OOC

[@TheRusty]

Congratulations to Ginny Di for finally figuring out how to keep me from skipping ads!

[@lexyschuetze]

I like the idea of mixing 1 and 2 :) pick all the little threads apart and once you think you have a good understanding take a personality test to put those ideas to life!

[@Ryuhime12]

I like how the videos have specific chapters marked out, makes it easy to jump back and rewatch a specific part. I don't know if I've seen that before on youtube, it's a neat bit of extra effort and care.

[@carlosneri8086]

The labyrinth reference was wow brilliant 😮 🌟

[@carlosneri8086]

I enjoy that movie

[@n.m.dimmick194]

This shed a TON of light on why I've been struggling to bring my characters to life at the tabletop and I honestly can't thank you enough. It has been really frustrating for me, because in writing, I have no problem whatsoever creating well-developed characters, but it seems like every time I sit down at the table, none of the traits I have written down for them actually translate, and with the exception of my longest running character, all my characters wind up as vague, self-inserts without much variety. I keep just giving them general traits, like being manipulative or aloof or what have you without actually pulling apart the threads and figuring out what drives those traits or what their core tendencies driving their behavior is.

[@bjrnegillarsen1380]

Perfect timing, I were just about start creating a character for a one-shot. So guess I'll use method 3 for it as I don't want to spend too much time making a character I most likely won't be able to re-use at a later date since sci-fi settings isn't my favourite

[@mayratorrero3390]

😭 The stars were aligned!🌟🌟 This is exactly what I need since I've been struggling to find my elf a personality. Definetly will be using these methods! Today is a good day, thank you so much! 😊

[@Aviedya]

I usually do the “stealing” thing, but a bit in reverse. I’ll try to find my main concept, then pick 4-6 different characters to steal bits from, and use that to kind of map my character out. Then spend the rest of the time “pulling threads”. It might sometimes feel like a lot, but it helps me a lot in informing various character actions.

[@maffius5428]

So... In the part of Stealing a personality, I was thinking about giving a Rogue the personality of Rosa Diaz AND THEN GINNY MADE THE EXAMPLE WITH ROSA DIAZ... I FREAKED OUT-

[@rodney2134]

Love the Labyrinth-themed ad. I remember it too when I was a kid. At that time, I also liked Dark Crystal & Princess Bride. Plenty of possible inspiration for characters or sponsor promos.

[@thomasarmstrong3797]

i don't know how much they're paying you but the sponsor definitely isn't paying you enough!

[@Kahnanesgi]

All good ideas. I like doing 'letters to home' or 'character diaries' for writing up the recent play session from the characters perspective -- what they actually did with the inner voice giving reasons why. For me it's a way to examine and integrate external actions vis a vis inner motivations also, again for me, it's a good way to integrate the two aspects and helps keep things straight in later play sessions. :) It also helps me see how the character is changing over time that I might not be fully aware of. Perspective through distance.

[@sarahsstitch2491]

oh gods when you sad Sarah I got so freaked out until I realized it was an ad 😂

[@adami6187]

I never thought that I could fall in love more with the Goblin King, but now I do. Thanks, Ginni

[@parsleycrafts]

yes, i highly recommend using MBTI for character personalities!! I've recently taken to finding out the types of my characters and then reading up on those types and it's helped me so much to work on the little details of how they see the world

[@ceciliethorsen4966]

These are such good tips! And I just want to repeat (as a writer, storyteller, and 3+ years DM): characters WILL surprise you. They WILL become their own person, if you go into roleplaying in earnest. No character I've ever made has been the person I wanted them to be in the planning phase. Sometimes I even disregard a planning phase altogether, and just see what kind of person pops up. Oh. And fair warning: they WILL reflect parts of you. Sometimes parts you don't like. But hey, then you get free character development for them AND you!

[@mage2098]

I make spotify playlists for all my characters and I don't let myself use the same song twice. This gives me some really interesting insight trying to pick which of my characters fit a song better and has even helped me dig into personality or backstory further when a song that vibes well has interesting lyrics or tone!

[@wonder-woman4335]

I’m having my first real d&d game this Monday. The campaign is IceWind Dale.. i’m a Dragonborn bard🐉 as my first character ever. I had to trash my backstory because apparently the DM gave us secrets & now I have no ideal what to go off of haha.

[@corinnebloom7005]

Have a good first session!

[@wonder-woman4335]

@@corinnebloom7005 thank you!

[@wonder-woman4335]

@Steve Jakubowski I like that!

[@teaganpetersen9231]

Good luck! It may be a little awkward at first, but don’t let that turn you off from DND! I don’t doubt that you’ll be fine, you watch GinnyDi after all!😁

[@wonder-woman4335]

@Steve Jakubowski Actually I am on sure. I got invited to a campaign. They started for a new campaign call IceWind Dale. A lot of the people are using xanathar's & Tasha. I only have the basic rules so I’m using that.

[@ariaisnerd]

That was one of the best ads for a Kickstarter I've ever seen! Also, incredible video! This advice is super helpful no matter what level of experience you have!

[@GCWeber]

I'm in the process of replacing my character in a campaign (at least temporarily; I might bring him back), and I had developed most of my new character, but there was something... missing. That was the same problem with most of my characters, actually, they were less complex characters and more balls of insecurites with a couple personality traits thrown on top. So this was super helpful!

[@miracaaahalane]

Wait wait wait- Ginny’s only been playing for 2 years?! No way-

[@madisonm.4535]

This is really helpful! I am doing this cool homebrew thing where I play two characters. Context: One of my character's died but she wasn't ready to pass on and had a lot of unfimished business. Her soul fused with my new character because of this homebrew Outlander magic inspired by the barbarian path of the beast and barbarian path of the wild soul. In her outlander tribe some have the ability to take on a second spirit. It is has only ever been thought that they can forge with magical animal spirits that choose them. But my new character was the exception and instead of an animal she fused with a humanoid magical soul. My old character was a high elf sorcerer with a tragic past who is set on vengeance and knows how to survive. She has a lot of anger and has become very impulsive because she has almost died so many times and has now actually died and has already lost everything. Her name is Acantha. My new character is Brynne. Brynne is a barbarian but is more wise, calm, and level headed and has a lot of empathy and kindness. Channelling Acantha's magic and soul Brynne is able to effectively rage and her magical rages make things happen. I use path of the wild soul stats and everything just the reasoning behind it is a little different. Main Point: So I play these two characters and because I'm a bit more impulsive like Acantha I often want to follow those impulses when playing Brynne but that's not what she would do and for a while I feel like I haven't really made their personalities distinct and clear enough. I don't know Brynne as well yet but watching this video has really helped me better understand her and think about it. So thank you!

[@meelane]

When she hit ‘steal’ i laughed because i have a Barbarian who is Barbie and i’ve had a cleric who was elle woods and i always felt very unoriginal for doing that. (I have other characters who are entirely original but sometimes i just want to play without having to think too hard)

[@watermellon5169]

Do you like the musical for legally blond???

[@audreygilmore7408]

your sponsorships are amazing, you make them so exciting and are so creative! thank you for the advice for my character I'll definitely be doing some writing today!

[@jessicakavin4178]

Perfect timing! I will definitely give this a second listen later while I pick away at my new character for Saturday's session!

[@riareanne]

This video was made for me! This is always my biggest struggle with character building, so thanks for the advice ❤️

[@KnicKnac]

I've used my Psychology background for my Illusionist Wizard years ago who would talk to himself, but they were his mirror images as though they were real. He was cold yet uncertain about the world.

[@510amy5]

Ooh I like your Stealing Lite idea. It gives the opportunity to do some custom creation but still have a fallback for situations you're unsure in.

[@elskerminedyr]

your ad spots are legendary. yours are the only ads I'm really excited about! I'm excited to apply these tips to my character building!

[@elafimilo8199]

The sponsorship short was amazing 😍 That's how you plug a sponsor! Thank you for the personality-building guidance as well!

[@Sp4rt4nSl4ya]

Most of the characters I think of usually end up being very similar to me, I just find it hard pretending to be something I'm not even in a game, I can have different motivations or goals for them but behaving differently feels odd or even uncomfortable depending on how

[@jekyle1980]

Lol holy shit. As a 20-yr-army veteran myself, you did a really GOOD job of analyzing a soldier’s background. Well done! 👍🏻

[@AseGarcia]

I was loving the video content, the ideas and tips about personality and, suddenly, the sponsor ad came and I fell head over heels. We're not worthy!! Brava!!

[@crabbycosplay]

I pick my character's voice (like how i talk when playing them) as one of the first things, then ill say things in my character's voice like: "i think we should listen to them" or "I don't trust you" and then choose based on what sounds right for how I want to portray them. a voice can tell you a lot about a person. When making voices I also try different cadences out to hear which one i feel would most fit my character.

[@doing_aok]

ughhhh i’ve been trying to figure out my characters personality for forever! once again ginny di blesses me

[@BoKnowsDiddly]

I love your videos but sometimes the ads you do are EVEN more entertaining than the videos themselves!! You’re amazing!!

[@alexanderwizardjar9540]

2+ years later i keep coming back to this video from time to time. it has so many helpful details, there's always something new to use !

[@phoebep4635]

Maybe this is random, but do you have any tips for new/inexperienced DMs? My partner has always been my/the partys DM and I really would love to be able to DM a session or two for him, so he can have a break and play as a PC, but it all feels so daunting.

[@LuriTV]

there are allready lots of these on youtube, actually there are dedicated channels concerned to the topics of beeing a GM in RPGs

[@phoebep4635]

@@LuriTV Can you name a few? Most of the ones I've stumbled upon don't feel too newbie friendly but I'd love a recommendation!

[@zoltanwolfe1260]

@@phoebep4635 There's the "how to be a great gm" channel though that's probably aimed more at people already dming. I personally like "bob world builder" and "webdm." I don't know the videos specifically but they both have good videos on improv, session prep etc.

[@phoebep4635]

@@zoltanwolfe1260 Thank you! I'll go check them out

[@Patricwithnok]

@@phoebep4635 I highly reccommend GM Tips with Satine Phoenix and matthew Mercer

[@teami1star]

Haven’t even watched it yet but I know I’m gonna love it !

[@kinghim3]

I have seen a lot of youtube videos over almost 15 years. Your sponsorship add is by far the best i have ever seen. I instantly knew what was happening, and that it was for an add. But i watched the entire bit and enjoyed every second of it Im DM'ing and starting my first game here soon and your input has been invaluable. I, and hopefully my players here soon, thank you!

[@humanbeing-_-_-]

Your ad break blew me away. To hear a tribute remake of one of my favorite songs from my second favorite movie from my childhood was such a treat. I’ve never replayed an ad break before. In-you-almost-out-Bowie’s-Bowie-CREDIBLE! Also learning a ton from your advice since I have negligible experience in gameplay and when I finally get to play next I wanna make the most out of it! :)

[@astronaut_dude]

I haven’t even watched the video but I just project my issues onto my characters in ways that fit their classes :)

[@avagreenoak6402]

I have ADHD and my one character is based off my ADHD brain. Some days are good where she's on top of things paying attention....some days are bad and it's hard to get out of bed or she gets so overwhelmed she starts to disassociate. I really lean in to my ADHD cause it's a part of me.

[@giovannigennaro9732]

I do a similar thing with may autism.

[@bigdream_dreambig]

I'm creating a character who has recently experienced severe psychic trauma and am trying to figure out how best to implement that. How do you decide whether it's a "good" or "bad" day for your character? Do you just go with what you feel like doing, or do you roll a die? (I've been considering rolling a D20 on each in-game day: 20 [5%] = focused and effective; 7-19 [65%] = intense and slightly manic; 2-6 [25%] = irritable; and 1 [5%] = inattentive and distracted.) Are you part of a group that feels roleplaying is more important than being effective in combat, so they're happy to enjoy the ride? If not, how do you keep the other players from getting irritated when your character has one of their bad days?

[@avagreenoak6402]

@@bigdream_dreambig So my group consists of my closest friends and my dm is my cousin so evey one knows what's up. So out of game I have things to keep my hands busy (and so I don't look at my phone) Usually my day influences my character day, so if I had a good day she'll have a good day if I had a bad day she has a bad day. I also do alot of role-playing and everyone feeds off of it.

[@dylankling6313]

Wow thank you so much for this video! I really enjoyed this take on giving characters personality by using something you have already found out about them! Really good topic!!

[@charlesshoemake7946]

All these videos are super awesome! Been playing and running games for over a decade, so I love new perspectives and input on how to breathe life into my characters and games. Keep it up! You're doing great!

[@dubbingsync]

You know when I saw Jareth Ginny on Instagram... this is not how I expected that costume to be used... But it was certainly different.

[@teh201d]

I can't say how offended I am without breaking the first two rules of my favorite club.

[@GinnyDi]

frankly I wish more Fight Club fans followed the rules 😅

[@madisonm.4535]

The promotions are just getting better and better! I love the music video moment!

[@frenchfrymonkey8763]

LOVE LOVE LOVED the labyrinth bit you did! i didnt care that it was an ad!!

[@Trumpeter42]

For me, I base my characters in D&D on literary characters. I know these characters so much, so it's not hard for me to role play as that person. I tweak that character to better fit the world of D&D, or make it more believable. I might lose points for originality, but I really like this approach.

[@hufflepuffchef5013]

When you were talking about intelligence in different characters I immediately thought of Spud from American Dragon and Shikimaru from Naruto

[@inabacklistmood3124]

That was the most amazing ad I've ever seen. Love a good Labyrinth ref.

[@amandah.3630]

Your videos have been recommended to me for well over a year now, and I never did watch them... which was foolish of me. I've been binging your stuff all day today! I love exploring characters from deep angles, getting really into their heads, and your channel is full of fun and interesting ways to do exactly that. My point being, great work! Thanks for sharing your content!

[@joolsgrommers1466]

"It's better to steal well than invent poorly"

[@tamaraosborn1514]

This is actually such a useful video! I was becoming concerned that I was creating the same character in different skins every time I played. I tried making a brutish and blunt half orc fighter with a broken heart and struggled playing her so much. I ended up speaking with my DM about switching to a new character who was more in my comfort zone. If only I had had this video I could have worked at better understanding her and developing her personality into something I understood and could roleplay comfortably. Definitely returning to this video next time I make a new character!

[@gabibraga612]

Using your video of the 50 questions to answer about your D&D character really helped me create a character that i liked very much. I will definitively try those tips as well, thanks!

[@emberd-l795]

Thank you, this really helps. I wasn't even looking for D&D stuff, I was trying to figure out how to make characters for a book I'm writing and this advice really got my brain sparking.