#DnD Players: If you had to come up with a character right now, what would you make?#writerscommunityForest gnome Circle of Spores druid.
— Dan Dillon 👥 (@Dan_Dillon_1) January 26, 2020
Depends a lot on the dice. (rolls 3D6, 6 times, in order) (8, 14, 13, 10, 14, 12) – High Int, Wis & Con… Probably a Cleric (human) or I would reduce Wis by 4 to increase Int by 2 and make an Elf.
My two favourite classes – let's go with a worshiper of weird lost gods (Cleric).
— Dʏsᴏɴ Lᴏɢᴏs (@DysonLogos) January 26, 2020
If I had to make a character RIGHT NOW, I think I’d have to resort to rolling on the random tables and improvising my ass off.
My problem is I like to flesh out my characters really well before I play them, so I tend to put a lot of thought and time into making them. I typically start with a specific overarching concept, and then work through the different mechanical ways to represent that concept, and weigh my options.
Instead of thinking, “I want to play a Rogue!” or whatever, I think in terms of “I want to play a diplomat / doctor / acrobat / spellsword!” , et cetera, and then I figure out what possibilities exist in the different classes.
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For example, if I decide on playing an acrobat, different classes work for that, but they each provide a different sort of experience, and it can be really worthwhile to think outside the box and really dig into what options you actually have.
Some class choices would obvious make good acrobats, like Rogues and Monks – but there are other options worth considering too!
At first glance, a Barbarian might not seem like it would fit, but the theme and the class mechanics actually synergize really well – you’ve got Unarmored Defense allowing you to be protected even in ordinary clothes, Danger Sense greatly improves your Dexterity saves, Fast Movement lets you move quicker, and Feral Instinct improves your Initiative score. All very acrobat-ish things!
Additionally, Totem Warriors also have access to a bonus action Dash, the ability to give advantage to allies attacking targets within five feet of you (acrobatic distraction!) a bonus action knockdown without a save (sweep the leg!), and even the ability to “leap” around the battlefield with a limited flying speed.
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Of course, you might be thinking, “Hang on! What about Rage? That’s what Barbarians are all about! How does that fit into being an acrobat?”
Well, the solution is to know the greatest secret of D&D – there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with taking the mechanics you like and “reskinning” them to suit your character’s needs! You can play a “Barbarian” who is entirely civilized and cultured! It’s not cheating, or breaking the game, or betraying the lore of the universe, or anything like that! You use the stats of a Barbarian, but you put a different paint of coat on top of it and make it look like something else.
So a Barbarians’ Rage? Yeah, it doesn’t have to be actual rage. You can think of it as something else, and portray it differently.
Let’s look at what “Rage” actually does – it improves your feats of strength, it lets you deal extra melee damage, it helps you resist damage, and it activates certain subclass abilities. That’s it.
The thing is, none of those things HAVE to be the product of getting super angry. They could instead be the product of getting super -focused- and entering a sort of trance state, where your reflexes are honed and your instincts / training / etc take over while you’re in it.
Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws? Your acrobatic training has taught you superior techniques, allowing you to make precise maneuvers that make you “stronger” than you actually are. Grappling an orc? You know how to get them off balance and use their size and weight against them. Lifting a boulder? You have an intuitive understanding of its center of gravity, and know how best to shift or leverage it to do the work for you. Breaking down a door? You know how to throw your entire body against it without hurting yourself, maximizing the force you can bring to bear.
The same sort of thinking works for the rest as well. Extra damage on melee attacks? You know how to time your strikes to land as the enemy steps into them, increasing the force of the blow. Resisting damage? You know how to “roll with the punches”, making blows land more softly by partly twisting away as they hit.
The key is, as long as you can think of a plausible way that your acrobatic skills allow you to “Do The Thing” that a given class mechanic lets you do… then congratulations, you can totally do it, and you should feel great about that!