zincbot asked:

Hey. Um. So I know you play DND, or some version of it, and, um. I was wondering if you have any advice for creating a character? I've never played before and want to start getting in to it! It seems like a lot and is kind of overwhelming. It's alright if you don't want to. Cool. Thanks!

artcanary answered:

(i cant believe im an authority on dnd now! this is kinda cool tbh) 

I’ve talked about tips for finding/starting a group before, but specifically character creation… well, some of my favorite guidelines I’ve seen are from the RPG Open Legend: 

[…] Two exceptional physical traits. Think of the first two features that other characters notice when they see you. Do your eyes glow red when you are angry? Are you seven feet tall? Is your hair a rainbow hue?

Two defining social traits. Maybe you stutter when you’re nervous. Maybe you don’t trust anyone until they’ve proven themselves to you. Or, perhaps, you are a winsome bard who almost always talks in sing-song. Your two social traits should be characteristics that others will learn shortly after getting to know you.

A secret. Your secret is something that other characters probably won’t find out about until they’ve gotten to know you quite well. It’s also a seed for great adventure that the GM can weave into his campaign.

- http://www.openlegendrpg.com/core-rules/01-character-creation

It’s difficult to create a character in the context of wanting to play them, so a good place to start is basing them off of a preexisting character from a series that you know well. This should make their mannerisms much easier to play. 

Something that isn’t considered as often is how well your character would interact with other characters. Antisocial jerk characters are fun, but not so much when you’re at odds with your own party. Similarly, characters who are disrespectful can be difficult to work with for a first time roleplayer. It’s best to see what the rest of your group looks like, and try to create something that will work with them! 

Communicate with your GM! If your character has a secret, make sure you share it with them, because otherwise it will not come up. And you want it to come up! 

And most of all, do not shy away from making your characters flawed! A chance of failure is what makes tabletop rpgs fun. 

… And if you were asking about how to make stats, as in a character sheet, that varies wildly from system to system. You’d have to be a little more specific for me to help with that, but even if you weren’t looking for these kinds of tips, I hope it helped! 

zincbot

Thank you so much! :D