How D&D Can Help You Create Great Characters

It’s hard to believe that Dungeons & Dragons was once the most controversial game in existence. What started as an exercise in creativity and team-building became fuel for the 1980’s Satanic Panic.

Today, D&D has a more mundane reputation. The name conjures images of bespectacled nerds dressed in wizard robes sitting around a table in a basement. But for me, D&D is the secret weapon in my creative arsenal.

Different writing skills are like muscles; the more you exercise them, the stronger they get. D&D is great for writers who have trouble connecting with their characters. In the game, you assume the identity of your character and consider what they would do, how they’d react, and what’d they say based on the foundations you’ve laid for them.

It’s essentially a lesson in improv. You’ll be surprised by all the funny – and, if you really get into it, emotionally deep – moments these characters will take you through.

As an example, in one game a player’s character was bitten by a zombie-like creature. Several bad dice rolls later, her character became infected with an always-fatal illness known as the Blight. Suddenly all of our characters were faced with a hard choice: do we give her a quick death, let her suffer, or try to cure it? Would they be upset, scared of being infected, or in denial?

This was a conflict that arose entirely from dice rolls, but it added a new facet to my character that I hadn’t even previously considered. I was forced to analyze my character’s personality and decide how she would react to such a dire situation. In the end, our group came up with a plan- cut off the character’s arm before the infection spread.

That’s just something writing just can’t give you. Adding in a bit of random chance can teach you a lot about your characters- and about yourself. I can’t recommend D&D enough. It’s a good creative exercise, but it’s also an amazing way to build lasting friendships.

As for the Blight-stricken character, she survived. The group compensated for her missing arm by building her a prosthetic- fitted with a crossbow.

Some Disclaimers

There are a few things I want to state before moving forward with this blog. The following are things to keep in mind as you go through my posts.

1. Writing is relative. I’ve read a lot of books and articles on how you’re supposed to write. Every author has a different take on how you should do things- I’m not exception. So be sure to take everything I say with a grain of salt. The things that work for me might not work for you, and vice versa.
2. I’m always learning. The thing about writing is you never perfect it. The more you write, the more you improve. But there is no such thing as a flawless manuscript. Again, I’m no exception to this. While I have been writing for a very long time, I’m by no means an expert!
3. My opinions may not line up with yours. Maybe the sight of a contraction at the beginning of a sentence makes you start frothing at the mouth. Maybe you think Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is about the importance of going against the grain rather than the illusion of choice. These aren’t opinions that I hold. But that doesn’t mean that either of us are wrong. The great thing about writing is two people can read the same text and get two completely different interpretations.