Creating Characters with D&D's Mike Mearls
Character building in Dungeons & Dragons can be the foundation of any campaign. Who and what you chose to play determines the direction of the story. Every choice you make can also affect the chemistry of the entire group from roleplaying to combat. I spoke to D&D's senior manager Mike Mearls about the things you should consider when you first make your character.
Mike: A lot of games ask you to make optimal choices, and the point of the game is to solve the puzzle, the game, and say, "What's the most efficient thing to do? What is going to give you the most victory points with the fewest resources?" But that's not what a role-playing game is. A role-playing game much more about, how can you go into this fictional world and do interesting and fun things that advance your character, and that advance the story?
Mike: The advice I would give anyone making a character is, what's your character's flaw, and how are you going to bring it into play in a way that's not obnoxious to the other players. 'Cause, to my mind, the most interesting characters are the ones that don't just serve as playing pieces for the player. What's the most optimal way to spend my resources to get the most experience points, or to whatever? They're the ones that feel like characters you're playing from a story.
Mike: I think that is what makes role-playing games distinct because the game isn't an algebraic equation. You can't solve it. It's not quite a story in the sense of, it's a script and you know exactly where it's going to end. So to me, those two things combine where you have a lot of room to do interesting things, unexpected things, and funny things, dramatic things. That, to me, is what makes a fun character.
Mike: I'd say, start with your flaw, and then think about, how are you going to portray that flaw without being obnoxious and distracting to the other players. 'Cause that's the pitfall. Oh, my character just loves violence, and that's my flaw, so whenever we meet someone, I just attack them.’ That's just ... You're stepping on everyone else's space. So, how can you manage that while also working within the confines of a group?
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Posted Aug 19, 2017Great advice. Thanks to shows like Critical Role the modern day new comers might heed this advice. Sadly all the people I have ever known for 30 years playing DnD do what is discouraged. Min/Max power gaming killing anything and verything they think they can for money and exp. I would love to play DnD again with a Critical Role like minded group.
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Posted Aug 21, 2017Good advice, especially the part about playing the flaw in a way that's not obnoxious to other players. A lot of first-timers seem to forget that tabletop is a social experience that everyone's supposed to have fun with together. Even a very interesting flaw or character trait is no good if it just puts off everyone else and ruins the group's fun. What I've noticed is that when other people aren't having fun, I'm not either, and when they have fun, I do too.
Another thing I want to say is that although I'm totally the type of person who loves to make interesting "concept" characters that aren't necessarily min-maxed, that in a roll-heavy game (with lots of combat and ability and skill checks) that I think it's still important to make your character strong enough to contribute to party in whatever role they're supposed to fill. That is to say, that having at least a 14 and a +2 in primary stats, along with proficiencies in the skills that are important is a good idea, along with the right kind of gear.
Lastly, it's good to realize that there are multiple ways that a character can help out a team, even in ways that aren't necessarily their specialty, but something they can still do well. My great weapon fighter carries around a shield just in case he has to "tank" at the front for example (even though his specialties are in two handed weapon damage), and a bard can use a few healing spells to help out or fill in for a Cleric, as another example.
Basically, I feel like the best characters to start with are fun, interesting people, but also ones that can do the job they need to in order to keep the adventure rolling. This is just a general guideline though. In a story-heavy comedy game for instance, a clumsy, incompetent thief that messes things up in the craziest ways at the worst possible time might be EXACTLY what you'd want to play.
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Posted Aug 28, 2017Short, sweet, and to-the-point. Well said!
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Posted Aug 31, 2017I've been encouraging my players to think outside the box like this. A friend is running a different system, and in that game I play a type of cleric/sorcerer who is partially blind. He was originally studying to be mage and went against the family tradition of being in the church. When a neighboring potion exploded in class one day, it took his eyesight. He blamed the gods and hates the Devine powers. After a few years, his vision a returned a little and with it he discovered he was now sometimes acting as a channel of the Devine. My GM and I worked out a reluctance system where if I make like a heal check on someone and pass, he rolls a percentage dice and tell me if i used a cure spell instead. Or if make a charisma check to inspire friends during battle, he might replace it with bless. Then I get moody and drink the night away at some tavern. Luckily the other players love it. Though things did get tense when I was doing CPR on a dead character and no one knew if my raise dead was going to go off.