I play a Half-Orc Fighter, far traveler. We are about 3 months into our campaign and I still haven't established a consistent voice that works well for my character. My party in general doesn't seem very comfortable with doing their own voices for their characters, so most often it's basically just me and the DM trying out different voices, while the rest of the team just uses their normal voices. While i don't particularly mind that, i do think that if i used a cool fitting voice all the time, they would be more encouraged to do the same, and feel more comfortable doing it. I'm trying to just take the lead with this thing.
So do any of you have any ideas or suggestions on place i can look to try to take inspiration for a cool half orc fighter voice?
Also, what do you guys think about parties that get into the role-playing immersion with voices and stuff and those that don't? How common is it that no one in a group even attempts to voice their character, and just defaults to explaining in a normal voice what their character is doing/saying, third person-like?
As a lover of voices, I am totally on-board with what you're doing. When I first started playing I was just a human character so my normal voice was what I went with, but they were not prepared when I became the DM. I did exactly what you're proposing. My use of different voice spurred them to at least do something if they had an in-world reason for it. Like I used a Scottish accent for dwarves (original, I know), so my dwarven player started using one too.
Do you practice ideas for his voice outside of the game? I find that stream-of-consciousness in-character monologues help lock them down.
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A professional engineer and amateur writer who has played D&D since 2015 (started with 5e) and has been a DM more than a player. When I'm not playing god I'm usually your friendly neighborhood rogue.
I used to play in a group where it was a nice mix of normal voices and character voices. Sometimes character voices would come from those who would typically use their normal voice when something exciting was happening or they were trying something difficult. Give them time, keep up the motivation, and if they are comfortable enough, character voices come as naturally as your own. You just have to ~feel it. :]
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"Anything is possible if you don't know what you're talking about." - My Granddad
So I'm a big fan of doing different voices for characters, especially in ways to highlight their personalities.
For myself, I've found it effective to think about the "attitude" of the character. Basically, who does the character believe themselves to be? At the table, because voice and facial expression are really all you get, it's really the only shades that you have to paint your character with outside of drastic actions. But I try to maintain this at all times, in a general sense.
I'm also a big proponent of going a bit over the top at the table, because it can really help you to sell things. What you're really going for is a "vibe" of the character you're portraying, and you need to go "all in" when you're portraying them. Think of yourself as playing a role on a movie or television show - Don't worry that you might be seen as silly. Commit!
If the character is meant to be sneaky, or stealthy, I lower tonality into a mid-whisper most of the time, forcing other players to listen to hear what I'm saying. I narrow my eyes as if I'm studying the other person when I'm talking to them, but try to keep my face as a mask.
If the character is meant to be brash or bold, then I make sure to smile a lot, and speak just a little too loud, proclaiming our victory sometimes even before we've started. If the party is up for it, I even do the whole "clap on the shoulder" bits.
For female voices (I'm a guy) I generally don't try to "imitate" as much as to soften the voice a little. Now of course, this can depend greatly on the personality of that female voice, too - The brash warrior woman is going to have a much different feel than a pampered princess, or a noble diplomat.
Now this can get even more intricate as you're looking at monsters. I've used an array of voices for goblins, trolls, orcs, devils, gith, and assorted other monsters. Usually I'll think through and practice (in the mirror) a voice for a "baseline" monster of whatever type. Then, I'll make slight variations for the different characters.
I highly recommend practicing voices (and faces) in the mirror. Don't be afraid to twist your expression to try new things, either. A smiling face will sound much different than a frowning one. You can try it and see. For orcs, by example, I often stick out my lower jaw a bit more to emulate the "lower fangs" kind of feel to the voice, which is rather distinctive.
Have fun with it, and you'll be doing all kinds of goofy voices in no time!
Good advice, Korbanjaro. I struggle a lot with trying to do female voices myself - I agree. Soften your voice or make it just a little higher in pitch. Too much and I think the average man will sound ridiculous, insulting, or both. (Although possibly hilarious)
I feel it's worth mentioning for those who don't do much in the way of their character's speaking that, as well as voice acting, there are also the contents of their speech to consider. It may be obvious but a low intelligence half-orc is going to have a completely different vocabulary to a high elf sage. Brief sentences, grunts and short words vs sophisticated, eloquent speech. Even if you dislike/feel uncomfortable voice acting, simply changing the words you speak can have a big difference on its own.
"Well hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you!" "Adohand STRONG!" "By my calculations the mass of arcane particles correlates directly to the Weave's polarity." "Psst.. 'Ey buddy... Ya wanna make a quick coin?"
There's no need to go overboard when thinking out their manner of speech, just keep the rough idea of it in the back of your mind and it'll likely develop on its own.
We actually have several voices for the different races! For example if you are speaking Draconic you have to do that with a Arnold accent! It's great because then while the characters don't know what's going on the Players still have an idea what's being said!!!
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PbP Character: Stribog Northson(Zendikar/Eberron) "Why chase them when a bolt of lightening goes so much faster"
PbP Character: Vilk Dusza (The Peak's of Winter's Hold)
For another perspective, most of the guys around my table seem to think that their characters all growl, with these deep gravely voices, be they human or half-orc or whatever. *sigh* I mean, we literally have a character that thinks that grunting one word answers is the solution to his roleplaying. (For what it's worth, he does awesome descriptions of his actions, his character just refuses to speak. lol) If that's your thing, then go for it, but it's a little frustrating when a dwarf and a half-orc sound like they grew up down the street from each other, so it's definitely worth it to find a voice/accent you love and just go for it, even if you're terrible at it.
I am a voice person, though. I l.o.v.e. it. Not only does it seem to make the interaction go faster, it really helps to get people into the mood and helps them react the way their characters would. My favorites are always the female baddies (because being a girl, I have a wider range of girl voices), but I try to switch it up for each character I'm voicing, male or female. I don't have any good places to look, though. I just watch a lot of foreign TV and movies and go around like a dork speaking in different accents and modifying my pitch in my daily life. (Seriously, I may have a problem!)
Even bad voices can be made awesome with some properly placed emphasis. We're a very mobile group, so there's a lot of getting up to act out dramatic battle swings and proselytizing, and a lot of emphasizing our conversations, whether shouting loudly across the keep or whispering emphatically when they're trying to be stealthy. Doing so makes it where even if the players aren't "voice acting" their characters, there's a clear difference between their narrative and their actual speaking. Enacting mannerisms, so there's a difference between "Josh" and "Sheogorath", even without any major changes to the voice, is a good option as well if you can't find a voice that seems to fit.
That's the thing, the being uncomfortable acting like anything other than yourself, that's a sign of some social anxiety to me. And i wouldn't ever want anyone to feel uncomfortable playing a game with me that's meant to be fun, but it does hinder game play to a degree imo. If a person doesn't truly commit to their character i would find it hard to believe they are really truly playing their character.
For example one member of my team plays his character with his normal speaking voice, but always seems to mold his character to fit any scenario in which he would stand to gain or benefit. Like if he is super mistrusting or standoffish because hes a shady street urchin, but when we have a series of missions he seems to just jump right into taking control and mapping out our routes and plans of attack and whatnot, which seems strikingly out of character for that character. But this guy is a power-gamer and that's what he would do irl. He's all about min-maxing and 'winning'. He see's every little thing as a competition, such as looting monsters and hiding away what he found from the group just so he can be the richest (this creates in-fighting among the party, not good). Or interjecting into other characters role playing with the dm or whoever is around and suggesting what they should do because he sees it as the most optimal thing. He's not taking into account the nature of his character when he does these things.
My point is that if he were to always use a voice for his character i think he might naturally move toward thinking like the character, rather than his power-gamer self. Because that's what D&D is all about.
edit: I should also point out that my group is still stuck very much in meta-gaming and has yet to fully dive into proper role playing in regards to our interactions with each other. There's still too much telling one another what we think they should do during combat and stuff.
So I'm a big fan of doing different voices for characters, especially in ways to highlight their personalities.
For myself, I've found it effective to think about the "attitude" of the character. Basically, who does the character believe themselves to be? At the table, because voice and facial expression are really all you get, it's really the only shades that you have to paint your character with outside of drastic actions. But I try to maintain this at all times, in a general sense.
I'm also a big proponent of going a bit over the top at the table, because it can really help you to sell things. What you're really going for is a "vibe" of the character you're portraying, and you need to go "all in" when you're portraying them. Think of yourself as playing a role on a movie or television show - Don't worry that you might be seen as silly. Commit!
If the character is meant to be sneaky, or stealthy, I lower tonality into a mid-whisper most of the time, forcing other players to listen to hear what I'm saying. I narrow my eyes as if I'm studying the other person when I'm talking to them, but try to keep my face as a mask.
If the character is meant to be brash or bold, then I make sure to smile a lot, and speak just a little too loud, proclaiming our victory sometimes even before we've started. If the party is up for it, I even do the whole "clap on the shoulder" bits.
For female voices (I'm a guy) I generally don't try to "imitate" as much as to soften the voice a little. Now of course, this can depend greatly on the personality of that female voice, too - The brash warrior woman is going to have a much different feel than a pampered princess, or a noble diplomat.
Now this can get even more intricate as you're looking at monsters. I've used an array of voices for goblins, trolls, orcs, devils, gith, and assorted other monsters. Usually I'll think through and practice (in the mirror) a voice for a "baseline" monster of whatever type. Then, I'll make slight variations for the different characters.
I highly recommend practicing voices (and faces) in the mirror. Don't be afraid to twist your expression to try new things, either. A smiling face will sound much different than a frowning one. You can try it and see. For orcs, by example, I often stick out my lower jaw a bit more to emulate the "lower fangs" kind of feel to the voice, which is rather distinctive.
Have fun with it, and you'll be doing all kinds of goofy voices in no time!
These are a lot of awesome tips The baseline voice for different types is something I do as well and I too found that using a softer voice as a man trying to do a woman's voice is definitely the way to go. It can sound surprisingly natural the more you practice.
Using your whole body, including your face, mouth, eyes, hand gestures, etc., will absolutely help you create unique character voice. I've done communication training for people in the past and one of the tips I gave people for when they were on the phone was to smile while they were talking because it brightens your voice a little bit and that comes through on the other end. Try contorting your face, puffing out your cheeks, sticking out your jaw, whatever seems different from how you normally talk. All of these things will add a little flavor to your just your standard speaking voice.
Another thing you can try is imitating someone famous, a character you like, or someone you know. Similar to the baseline creature type voice, I've found this gives me a jumping off point for making a unique voice.
Along with doing it in front of a mirror, you can talk to yourself in the car (if you drive) on the way to work or when you're out running errands. Thanks to how prevalent cell phones and bluetooth are now, you won't look completely insane. Also, if you have any younger kids in your life, they can be great to practice with. I have a 5-year-old son, so I do a bunch of different voices all the time when we're playing, reading books together, or just goofing off. It's the ultimate win-win - we both laugh, we spend some quality time together and make memories to look back on, and I get to work on some new voices to bring to the table. Wins all around!
Villian Theory also has good advice about altering the content of your speech. In addition to the excellent suggestions, you can also try switching up the speed of your speech too.
As an aside, I am of the mind that there is a difference between acting and role-playing. Just because someone is using a different voice, it doesn't mean they are role-playing (and vice versa). Role-playing is the act of making decisions as your character would - basically putting yourself in their shoes. That doesn't require acting, it requires empathy and objectivity. Acting is all of the other stuff.
I think acting helps some people (key emphasis on some) get into their character's mind and role-play better, but it isn't a requirement. We have a few people at our table who like to do voices and the whole nine yards; one who typically uses their normal voice, but will sometimes physically act things out; and some who like to just say what they are doing in their normal voice. Regardless, they are excellent role-players because they consistently make decisions as their character would and not how they, the player, would and their characters develop over time with little nuances and subtle shifts added as the campaign progresses. I learn from them every time we play.
Some of the best role-playing I've seen has been done by the people who do not do voices. So, I would encourage you to watch your fellow players the next time at your table and think about the decisions their characters make because you may just find that you've been sitting next to an incredible role-player this whole time and never realized it.
I tend to find voicing characters, both by other players and DMs, to be distracting. Primarily, it's because most people aren't very good at it. Voice acting is a profession, after all, and I've never played with a (successful) voice actor at the table.
That said... As a DM, I incorporate mannerisms when playing NPCs, particularly when playing more than one in a given scene. I select one thing to signify a given character, and do it whenever I'm speaking as that character - running my hands through my hair, scratching my nose, hunching forward, leaning back, so on and so forth. A more specific example: When speaking as a character that's known to have a facial scar, I rub the area the scar is located.
As somebody else mentioned, word choice is also a big distinguishing factor - less intelligent, or at least less educated, characters use smaller words. By way of example, I've got one NPC who is not stupid, but she is new to the language the other characters speak. When speaking as her, I frequently stop before using any complicated words - she spends a second of thought making sure she's using the right one. Other characters talk faster, slower, or use particular phrases to make them distinct.
But... attempting to alter the pitch of my voice? Never. Accents? Never.
As a DM, I incorporate mannerisms when playing NPCs, particularly when playing more than one in a given scene. I select one thing to signify a given character, and do it whenever I'm speaking as that character - running my hands through my hair, scratching my nose, hunching forward, leaning back, so on and so forth. A more specific example: When speaking as a character that's known to have a facial scar, I rub the area the scar is located.
This is what I was trying to articulate up above, you did it in a much clearer manner. Non-verbal acting can be just as effective as vocal acting in helping a person role-play.
But... attempting to alter the pitch of my voice? Never. Accents? Never.
It's all about what you're comfortable with and I'm sure there are other players and DMs who get distracted by it as well. On the flip side, I've tried using my speaking voice for a character and it felt weird - I struggled role-playing because I was getting distracted by the character sounding like me. As soon as I gave the voice a little change, it was much easier. I think what's most important is that we support our fellow players at the table and not pressure them into doing a voice or make them feel dumb because they are trying one. If everyone is having fun, that's really all that matters.
TJL, that's like saying if you aren't in the NHL why bother trying to play hockey at all. Don't be shy ;) it's just for fun, you aren't trying to go pro-MLG D&D lol.
TJL, that's like saying if you aren't in the NHL why bother trying to play hockey at all. Don't be shy ;) it's just for fun, you aren't trying to go pro-MLG D&D lol.
It's not even close to that - the point of playing hockey is playing hockey. Playing hockey requires well... playing hockey. The point of roleplaying is to tell a story. Telling a story does not require different voices. I clearly articulated that I find the attempt distracting, not engrossing or immersion-building. I find it a detriment to enjoyment, not an enhancement.
The point of roleplaying is playing a role. How boring if every role just looks and sounds like you. I agree with the storing telling point obviously, but if story is all that matters then read a book, or write one lol. Not arguing with you, you clearly have a negative outlook. Good day!
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I play a Half-Orc Fighter, far traveler. We are about 3 months into our campaign and I still haven't established a consistent voice that works well for my character. My party in general doesn't seem very comfortable with doing their own voices for their characters, so most often it's basically just me and the DM trying out different voices, while the rest of the team just uses their normal voices. While i don't particularly mind that, i do think that if i used a cool fitting voice all the time, they would be more encouraged to do the same, and feel more comfortable doing it. I'm trying to just take the lead with this thing.
So do any of you have any ideas or suggestions on place i can look to try to take inspiration for a cool half orc fighter voice?
Also, what do you guys think about parties that get into the role-playing immersion with voices and stuff and those that don't? How common is it that no one in a group even attempts to voice their character, and just defaults to explaining in a normal voice what their character is doing/saying, third person-like?
As a lover of voices, I am totally on-board with what you're doing. When I first started playing I was just a human character so my normal voice was what I went with, but they were not prepared when I became the DM. I did exactly what you're proposing. My use of different voice spurred them to at least do something if they had an in-world reason for it. Like I used a Scottish accent for dwarves (original, I know), so my dwarven player started using one too.
Do you practice ideas for his voice outside of the game? I find that stream-of-consciousness in-character monologues help lock them down.
A professional engineer and amateur writer who has played D&D since 2015 (started with 5e) and has been a DM more than a player. When I'm not playing god I'm usually your friendly neighborhood rogue.
I used to play in a group where it was a nice mix of normal voices and character voices. Sometimes character voices would come from those who would typically use their normal voice when something exciting was happening or they were trying something difficult. Give them time, keep up the motivation, and if they are comfortable enough, character voices come as naturally as your own. You just have to ~feel it. :]
"Anything is possible if you don't know what you're talking about." - My Granddad
http://paracosmpress.com/npc/
Try this. The link to the cards are below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Fzaldi8lTzNGp6TzMxN0VuSjQ/view
Rules are here below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Fzaldi8lTzM3JKeFFBT1VBM2M/view
This is cool, thanks! I'll try to find some friends who want to try this out with me
So I'm a big fan of doing different voices for characters, especially in ways to highlight their personalities.
For myself, I've found it effective to think about the "attitude" of the character. Basically, who does the character believe themselves to be? At the table, because voice and facial expression are really all you get, it's really the only shades that you have to paint your character with outside of drastic actions. But I try to maintain this at all times, in a general sense.
I'm also a big proponent of going a bit over the top at the table, because it can really help you to sell things. What you're really going for is a "vibe" of the character you're portraying, and you need to go "all in" when you're portraying them. Think of yourself as playing a role on a movie or television show - Don't worry that you might be seen as silly. Commit!
If the character is meant to be sneaky, or stealthy, I lower tonality into a mid-whisper most of the time, forcing other players to listen to hear what I'm saying. I narrow my eyes as if I'm studying the other person when I'm talking to them, but try to keep my face as a mask.
If the character is meant to be brash or bold, then I make sure to smile a lot, and speak just a little too loud, proclaiming our victory sometimes even before we've started. If the party is up for it, I even do the whole "clap on the shoulder" bits.
For female voices (I'm a guy) I generally don't try to "imitate" as much as to soften the voice a little. Now of course, this can depend greatly on the personality of that female voice, too - The brash warrior woman is going to have a much different feel than a pampered princess, or a noble diplomat.
Now this can get even more intricate as you're looking at monsters. I've used an array of voices for goblins, trolls, orcs, devils, gith, and assorted other monsters. Usually I'll think through and practice (in the mirror) a voice for a "baseline" monster of whatever type. Then, I'll make slight variations for the different characters.
I highly recommend practicing voices (and faces) in the mirror. Don't be afraid to twist your expression to try new things, either. A smiling face will sound much different than a frowning one. You can try it and see. For orcs, by example, I often stick out my lower jaw a bit more to emulate the "lower fangs" kind of feel to the voice, which is rather distinctive.
Have fun with it, and you'll be doing all kinds of goofy voices in no time!
Good advice, Korbanjaro. I struggle a lot with trying to do female voices myself - I agree. Soften your voice or make it just a little higher in pitch. Too much and I think the average man will sound ridiculous, insulting, or both. (Although possibly hilarious)
I feel it's worth mentioning for those who don't do much in the way of their character's speaking that, as well as voice acting, there are also the contents of their speech to consider. It may be obvious but a low intelligence half-orc is going to have a completely different vocabulary to a high elf sage. Brief sentences, grunts and short words vs sophisticated, eloquent speech. Even if you dislike/feel uncomfortable voice acting, simply changing the words you speak can have a big difference on its own.
"Well hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Adohand STRONG!"
"By my calculations the mass of arcane particles correlates directly to the Weave's polarity."
"Psst.. 'Ey buddy... Ya wanna make a quick coin?"
There's no need to go overboard when thinking out their manner of speech, just keep the rough idea of it in the back of your mind and it'll likely develop on its own.
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This is GLORIOUS !!! I have got to get together with my [INSERT ACQUAINTANCE HERE] and play this!
"When I finally find a pen I have nothing to say..." ~Some graffiti I found once.
We actually have several voices for the different races! For example if you are speaking Draconic you have to do that with a Arnold accent! It's great because then while the characters don't know what's going on the Players still have an idea what's being said!!!
For another perspective, most of the guys around my table seem to think that their characters all growl, with these deep gravely voices, be they human or half-orc or whatever. *sigh* I mean, we literally have a character that thinks that grunting one word answers is the solution to his roleplaying. (For what it's worth, he does awesome descriptions of his actions, his character just refuses to speak. lol) If that's your thing, then go for it, but it's a little frustrating when a dwarf and a half-orc sound like they grew up down the street from each other, so it's definitely worth it to find a voice/accent you love and just go for it, even if you're terrible at it.
I am a voice person, though. I l.o.v.e. it. Not only does it seem to make the interaction go faster, it really helps to get people into the mood and helps them react the way their characters would. My favorites are always the female baddies (because being a girl, I have a wider range of girl voices), but I try to switch it up for each character I'm voicing, male or female. I don't have any good places to look, though. I just watch a lot of foreign TV and movies and go around like a dork speaking in different accents and modifying my pitch in my daily life. (Seriously, I may have a problem!)
Even bad voices can be made awesome with some properly placed emphasis. We're a very mobile group, so there's a lot of getting up to act out dramatic battle swings and proselytizing, and a lot of emphasizing our conversations, whether shouting loudly across the keep or whispering emphatically when they're trying to be stealthy. Doing so makes it where even if the players aren't "voice acting" their characters, there's a clear difference between their narrative and their actual speaking. Enacting mannerisms, so there's a difference between "Josh" and "Sheogorath", even without any major changes to the voice, is a good option as well if you can't find a voice that seems to fit.
I love that lol
That's the thing, the being uncomfortable acting like anything other than yourself, that's a sign of some social anxiety to me. And i wouldn't ever want anyone to feel uncomfortable playing a game with me that's meant to be fun, but it does hinder game play to a degree imo. If a person doesn't truly commit to their character i would find it hard to believe they are really truly playing their character.
For example one member of my team plays his character with his normal speaking voice, but always seems to mold his character to fit any scenario in which he would stand to gain or benefit. Like if he is super mistrusting or standoffish because hes a shady street urchin, but when we have a series of missions he seems to just jump right into taking control and mapping out our routes and plans of attack and whatnot, which seems strikingly out of character for that character. But this guy is a power-gamer and that's what he would do irl. He's all about min-maxing and 'winning'. He see's every little thing as a competition, such as looting monsters and hiding away what he found from the group just so he can be the richest (this creates in-fighting among the party, not good). Or interjecting into other characters role playing with the dm or whoever is around and suggesting what they should do because he sees it as the most optimal thing. He's not taking into account the nature of his character when he does these things.
My point is that if he were to always use a voice for his character i think he might naturally move toward thinking like the character, rather than his power-gamer self. Because that's what D&D is all about.
edit: I should also point out that my group is still stuck very much in meta-gaming and has yet to fully dive into proper role playing in regards to our interactions with each other. There's still too much telling one another what we think they should do during combat and stuff.
Amazing tips. Sounds like you have some good practice at this. I'm eager to try them!
I tend to find voicing characters, both by other players and DMs, to be distracting. Primarily, it's because most people aren't very good at it. Voice acting is a profession, after all, and I've never played with a (successful) voice actor at the table.
That said... As a DM, I incorporate mannerisms when playing NPCs, particularly when playing more than one in a given scene. I select one thing to signify a given character, and do it whenever I'm speaking as that character - running my hands through my hair, scratching my nose, hunching forward, leaning back, so on and so forth. A more specific example: When speaking as a character that's known to have a facial scar, I rub the area the scar is located.
As somebody else mentioned, word choice is also a big distinguishing factor - less intelligent, or at least less educated, characters use smaller words. By way of example, I've got one NPC who is not stupid, but she is new to the language the other characters speak. When speaking as her, I frequently stop before using any complicated words - she spends a second of thought making sure she's using the right one. Other characters talk faster, slower, or use particular phrases to make them distinct.
But... attempting to alter the pitch of my voice? Never. Accents? Never.
TJL, that's like saying if you aren't in the NHL why bother trying to play hockey at all. Don't be shy ;) it's just for fun, you aren't trying to go pro-MLG D&D lol.
The point of roleplaying is playing a role. How boring if every role just looks and sounds like you. I agree with the storing telling point obviously, but if story is all that matters then read a book, or write one lol. Not arguing with you, you clearly have a negative outlook. Good day!