Hm.... how to stay in Character?

[Desteplo]

I like video games. Monster hunter/dark souls etc I have a problems with too much bursts of story. Just give me a challenge to overcome in an interesting way

That said: DND, DMs making a political campaign. So it’s mostly talking. I’ve mostly been a DM with single serve adventures and I have opportunity to play

I haven’t had to act as a character for long bursts of time. I had a cat growing up and I’m going to be playing a tabaxi barbarian/bard... so I know a general attitude.

I know a little how she reacts to the world but how do you keep from breaking character? Any tricks to keep focus in a long term game?

[patchyman]

One trick I use as a character is to designate an item or an article of clothing that I always wear to the session. It helps me focus on the character and disassociate from my normal personality.

For my spider-themed bard, I would wear socks with a spider design, and for my rogue assassin, I made a point to wear black to the sessions.

[Waterdeep Merch]

I like to practice my character's voice. Not just accent, but tone, reactions, sayings, different emotions, and absolutely your expressions and body language. Try writing down a few different situations and questions they might get asked, then stand in front of a mirror and act out their response. Really sell it to yourself.

Do this a little every day leading up to a session, and roleplaying is as easy as slipping into an old glove. You might want to look into other improv techniques, too. Roleplaying is essentially improvisational theater, after all.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Something that I find helpful is to really get to know the character I'm playing, such that there is a part of my brain where they're living 24/7. Ask them questions; have a dialogue with them inside your head. Fill out personality quizzes with them. When you're watching a TV show, stop and ask the character in your head what they would do if they were in the protagonist's shoes. The more you know about your character, the more real they'll seem, and the easier it'll be to tap into their perspective when playing.

It also helps if you sprinkle some of your own personality into the character. Not in a 'self-insert' way, but just a couple of shared traits or ways of seeing things. That makes it much easier to produce natural dialogue and genuine heat-of-the-moment reactions.

[jaappleton]

Something I've struggled with quite a bit myself.

I find what helps is to focus on the Flaws / Bonds / Traits section of the character sheet. As people are talking, I glance at that section and see if the subject related to the flaws / bonds / etc, and formulate what I say around that.

In a scenario even when your character doesn't have anything to say, if they don't have anything to add, you can still come up with some sort of quirk. I don't know how humor-injected your game is, but as a Tabaxi, when your turn comes to interject, if you've nothing to add, you can still do something like "My tail knocks a near-empty tankard of ale off the bar top, and I act like I'm not even aware that it happened." Maybe not the best example, but I'm saying you can still help frame a scene without any actual dialogue. "My eyes are fixated on the pendant of Bahamut that the high priest is wearing." is another example, as Tabaxi are often smitten with shiny baubles.

Something to keep yourself engaged while not in combat. I'm not saying be mischievous, but try to latch on to details being said and how they'd interact with your characters traits. Always look at the flaws / quirks / etc before interacting.

[SpanielBear]

This is all solid advice.

One thing my group have been doing, especially since lockdown, is having a group chat on a forum for rp outside of the game, so like the party around the campfire or something. People post on and off, no time constraints so you can think about how the character would behave. It also means the actual gameplay involving dice over Zoom/discord/media of your choice can be more focused on the game and combat, and not have to try to manage camera etiquette and big rp moments at the same time.

[Mastikator]

For me it helps to ask "how would my character react in this situation" and make sure it's something different than what I would do. I also really helps to come up with their mannerisms and personality and stick to that, for example: does the character make jokes, is he serious, is he honest, is he considerate or is he impulsive, etc?

[VonKaiserstein]

Don't stress if it doesn't click at first- I find most characters need a few sessions before that critical moment when they come to life. I like to start with an accent or dialect, which is often terrible, and write out a few lines I intend to overuse in early sessions. If it's an unusual accent- sing in it! My first DM taught me that trick, and it really solidifies the accent in your mind.

Do the basics, are you polite or rude, violent or dismissive when offended, heck you know the drill, you DM. Write out those notes, and keep it on the table in front of you. If you need to, study the character beforehand, write about them, or as them. And once the session starts- let the strange alchemy of dnd convert them into a living breathing mental construct.

[jaappleton]

I can make character builds all day long.

I really struggle with truly PLAYING the character. What's their personality, their mannerisms, their quirks, goals, etc.

Easiest solution I've found to answer all those questions: Rip off another character.

My first 5E PC ever was a half orc barbarian. Nothing crazy, pretty basic. It was 20 minutes before game time and that's all I had. My first 5E game and I had nothing but a level one character sheet, I'd barely brushed through the PHB. I didn't even have a name for the character!

I dove back into the PHB for a minute, hoping some lore would inspire me. "So, their god is Gruumsh, and he's a real jerk..." And suddenly it clicked in my head.

"Half Orc barbarian, with a greataxe. I've seen that before. That's Grom Hellscream from Warcraft 3!"
And I wrote his motivations as blaming Gruumsh for the bloodlust he suffers from, as Grom suffered from Mannoroth, and journeyed as an adventurer in hope of becoming strong enough to kill Gruumsh himself. That was it, I just completely ripped off a character from another medium. And it was an absolute blast to play, as I was playing a character and not a build.

When its a character you're very familiar with, you can formulate their reactions to things very quickly because you know the character so well.

When in doubt, roll sleight of hand and steal.

My current PC is an archer rogue with the personality of Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec. I have a 7 Charisma and I got rid of a 'BEWARE DO NOT ENTER' sign placed by the local government simply because I believe local government is fundamentally useless, therefore the sign is as well.

[stoutstien]

I like video games. Monster hunter/dark souls etc I have a problems with too much bursts of story. Just give me a challenge to overcome in an interesting way

That said: DND, DMs making a political campaign. So it’s mostly talking. I’ve mostly been a DM with single serve adventures and I have opportunity to play

I haven’t had to act as a character for long bursts of time. I had a cat growing up and I’m going to be playing a tabaxi barbarian/bard... so I know a general attitude.

I know a little how she reacts to the world but how do you keep from breaking character? Any tricks to keep focus in a long term game?

Don't worry about it too much. How much and to what extent each individual person decides to role play is up to them and kind of naturally forms as the game progresses. the idea of breaking character doesn't really exist because the character is an extension of yourself. you can't sever that connection.

[Hellpyre]

One trick I use as a character is to designate an item or an article of clothing that I always wear to the session. It helps me focus on the character and disassociate from my normal personality.

For my spider-themed bard, I would wear socks with a spider design, and for my rogue assassin, I made a point to wear black to the sessions.

I do something similar, but with music. I put together little snatches of music that fit my feel for the character, and I play them ahead of going to a game. Sometimes if I need to refocus during a session I hum a few bars to myself quietly.

[SpanielBear]

Don't worry about it too much. How much and to what extent each individual person decides to role play is up to them and kind of naturally forms as the game progresses. the idea of breaking character doesn't really exist because the character is an extension of yourself. you can't sever that connection.

I agree with this only to an extent. It’s true the character is only ever you, or you acting the role you choose. There isn’t a script you must follow under pain of pain. That said, there are times I’ve made a choice (or more often avoided a choice) I’ve later thought about and felt as though it wasn’t what the character *as I see them* should have done in that scenario. It’s mostly a hindsight thing, I find. There isn’t any consequence though, no penalty, and it does help thinking about how your character might act in the future.

[zinycor]

A few things that help me:

- Come up with a voice, it can be an accent, or maybe slightly lowering or upping your tone, or make an skeletor voice. It really helps a lot.
- Play your character on completely irrelevant situations, such as ordering food from a restaurant, taking the bus or whatever.
- Don't be arraid to copy from real life or entertaiment. Originality is dead! Look for something to copy and give it your own spin.
-Be a team player. If your character concept is antagonistic to others, it isn't a good concept.

[stoutstien]

I agree with this only to an extent. It’s true the character is only ever you, or you acting the role you choose. There isn’t a script you must follow under pain of pain. That said, there are times I’ve made a choice (or more often avoided a choice) I’ve later thought about and felt as though it wasn’t what the character *as I see them* should have done in that scenario. It’s mostly a hindsight thing, I find. There isn’t any consequence though, no penalty, and it does help thinking about how your character might act in the future.

Aye. This pointing out there's no difference in a player approaching role playing from a first or third person perspective. What would player X do if they where on PC Ys shoes? and what would PC Y do I if they were in the player's place? are both valid.

What's really fun is you can take just about everybody's suggestions that are on here, which are all valid, and place them under one of these two questions.

[Tanarii]

Write down 5-6 motivations. These can be PHB style (Alignment typical behavior, Personality, Ideal, Bond, Flaw), or your own. Jot down racial stereotype traits where the character significantly differs from you as a human as well.

Then play and make decisions are you go. Just review those traits before a game and periodically during the game. A good time is any time you're tuning out and find yourself wishing your DM allowed you phones at the table.

That's really the basis of all roleplaying. Doesn't matter if it's talky-time or fighty-time or scouty-time or puzzle-time or whatever. You plus as many places where your character is not-you as you can remember, making decisions in the fantasy environment.

[Samayu]

A few people mentioned having an accent. That's huge for helping you to stay in character. It doesn't have to be strong accent. Just a, you know, accent. To... accentuate the way you say things.

Mannerisms too. Physical and voice mannerisms - maybe you don't speak with a regional accent, but you use a certain cadence. And how do you gesture?

Base this on a person - fictional or real, famous or someone you know. When you speak and act and emote, try to behave like that person. I do that with NPCs. Pin someone I know on the character, and talk like them. The drunk in the pub can be like that annoying guy at work. The kindly priest can be like your yoga instructor. It's a little more involved with your full-time PC, but you get the idea.

A big part of keeping your character in mind, and making it noticeable to others, is to figure out how your character differs from you. All of the above applies to that, but also, keep an eye on your alignment. This informs your choices about the actions you take. Always be thinking about what your character would do in any given situation.

[Tanarii]

The problem with an accent is it only helps with decision making involving you talking, and only decisions made when you talk as the character. That makes it pretty low impact for affecting roleplaying.

It does words for making others see you as the character though.

For example Critical Role. Being voice actors doesn't really enhance their Roleplaying. But if Mercer understood pacing in the slightest, it would totally be watchable as entertainment. Unfortunately he doesn't, and it isn't.

[zinycor]

The problem with an accent is it only helps with decision making involving you talking, and only decisions made when you talk as the character. That makes it pretty low impact for affecting roleplaying.

It does words for making others see you as the character though.

For example Critical Role. Being voice actors doesn't really enhance their Roleplaying. But if Mercer understood pacing in the slightest, it would totally be watchable as entertainment. Unfortunately he doesn't, and it isn't.

I disagree, when it comes to staying in character, making a voice is pretty great, it helps on making a difference in the psyke knowing that this character has its own voice. different to yours.

[Samayu]

I wouldn't call it a problem. I find an accent is the single most important thing to help me stay in character. But there are other things you can and should do.

[Tanarii]

I wouldn't call it a problem. I find an accent is the single most important thing to help me stay in character. But there are other things you can and should do.I guess I see it as a problem mainly in it's commonly associated with the thinking that roleplaying is (only) talky-time, basically acting. Whereas the (also stereotypical acting) "what's my motivation here?" is useful in most roleplaying, since it often comes into play when making decisions.

But if it helps you cool.

[KorvinStarmast]

How to stay in Character.
Ask your self, on game night, a little while before everyone is in their places and ready to play (as though you are asking this character that you are playing)

1. "Why am I here"
2. "Who am I?"
3. "Why am I risking death with this unlikely crew? What's my motive?"

Then answer those questions, on game night, before play begins.

Has been working for me for a long time.

[zinycor]

Since we are talking about questions, here is a video that you might like (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS2LROYk230).

Not really my style, but it is well done.

[Tanarii]

How to stay in Character.
Ask your self, on game night, a little while before everyone is in their places and ready to play (as though you are asking this character that you are playing)

1. "Why am I here"
2. "Who am I?"
3. "Why am I risking death with this unlikely crew? What's my motive?"

Then answer those questions, on game night, before play begins.

Has been working for me for a long time.
Thats nice and simple, i like it a lot.

[RSP]

I’m a big fan of using a voice for your character: it kind of makes your brain trained to perform in that character.

My current character uses my (awful) rendition of Antonio Banderas’ accent. Over time (been 3 years of playing him), it’s become my own.

I also try to pick one or two stand out features that I can always fall back on. Current PC is “curiosity killed the cat”, so if something is remotely interesting, and no one else in the group is taking the hook, he dives in head first.

And stealing from something you know works as well: this PC is based off the character of Banderas’ Puss N Boots (hence my choice of voice and the curiosity).

So if your tabaxi is based off your cat, you should be fine (I mean, you do know your cat’s voice and mannerisms, right?).

[Arcturus]

I would say that word “accent” often gives slightly the wrong impression. A “manner of speaking” is how I like to think about it.

Does the character speak more quickly or slowly than you? More excitedly or seriously? More earnestly or sarcastically? I find these sorts of outlook-based changes to speech both more helpful and less self-consciousness-inducing than trying to emulate a local dialect or accent.

Embracing a posture and attitude that ties into this manner of speaking helps too.

Finally, don’t try to be *too* cool or competent. Flawed characters are both more enjoyable and easier to play because decisions based on attitudes and flaws are much easier to justify than optimal “logical” decisions (though sometimes the two align.)

[Arcturus]

Also check out this great list of question to help you think more deeply about your character: http://dndspeak.com/2019/03/100-warm-up-roleplaying-questions-for-players/

[stoutstien]

An interesting little trick that I've used is turn your character sheet upside down so none of the mechanical information is being displayed. you can take it a step further and write your character information in bulletins on the back as well.
Humans are compulsive readers we can't help ourselves and the character sheets by default are designed to emphasize certain information on the page.

[fbelanger]

Make a inCharacter sheet,
With personality, bond, flaw and other useful information.
Put it over your usual character sheet.

[Forechosen]

I gotta say I really struggle with this too.

I have no problem writing a background, having a properly in depth character, etc etc. but *playing* them is a whole other story.

At our table we don't really 'act' - we don't speak with our character's voices unless it's specifically necessary. For example, our DM won't let us just go "I'm going to persuade this person" - they will ask us what our character would actually say to persuade the npc.

And I find it REALLY hard! No matter how much I've thought about a character, they're always so different to 'me' that I find it incredibly hard making up realistic dialogue on the spot. Not even just dialogue - so many times in a session I'm like "oh why didn't I act like that! It's so obvious!" - two minutes *after* an event.

I can't really offer any advice, as I do find it so difficult. Just thought I'd chip in that you're not alone in the struggle!

[Hellpyre]

Not even just dialogue - so many times in a session I'm like "oh why didn't I act like that! It's so obvious!" - two minutes *after* an event.


This is one of those things that really is helped by keeping in character, at least partially, the whole time you're at the session. It can be a hard habit to get into, but eventually you can get into the groove of asking yourself a question and getting back an in-character response. Then you just let the character evolve organically over time to fit the actions you take with them.

[Aussiehams]

The other way to look at it is don't worry about it. Be yourself and do what you think you would do. In depth characters aren't for everyone, and aren't always necessary.
Be the PC you want to be with some goals, and just react in a way that makes sense to you.

And I will be a bit contradictory and say DON'T do a voice. I have never had a game where someone having a voice and "but that's what my character would do" attitude has worked well.

Remember it's a team game and people being deep into character can have an adverse effect on everyone else.

[Tawmis]

Sometimes it takes time - to find the hook I need to find my character's "voice."

For example, for Out of the Abyss, I made a Blue Dragonborn who was fighting his inner evil (as a backstory) and became a Paladin to try and keep his soul pure. Wrote up a fun backstory for him - but in the six or seven session we played - I never "latched" onto a "voice" (not literal, but in my head) - even with the traits, flaws, etc. He ended up recaptured, and the others escaped, so I rolled a new character - a Kobold Rogue.

There was two sessions (I think) where I hadn't found his voice - then I came across these gems in the wall - broke it off - and it created this huge light. Well, I pocketed the gem - and came across some dark gnomes and offered to trade for food and threw them the gem - which they ran from. So right then - I decided my Kobold would believe this gem was all powerful and it would help him make important decisions (like spinning it at forks in the road, and which ever way it leans, I would go that way) - and I began speaking as a Kobold with my voice pitched up slightly and talk in the third person, "Krell'kar think we go this way!" And I've been in love with the character since.

[Chugger]

The deeper you feel your character - and know it - the longer you can sustain. If you can find the place where the character is, inside you, you will know exactly what to say, how to joke, how react - how to make this character come alive at the table and then be able to do it for some time.

I have a voice or accent for most of my characters. The ones that don't have a voice are really just extensions of me. The ones that have a voice and an attitude - I'm being someone else when I play them.

You also need to take a break from it. It's okay to ask in your own voice, your player voice, "what do I see when I look over here? And I'm looking through this debris, too, with the idea of finding non-rotten wood or building material." Or you can ask the same question in your character's voice. But it helps me to take breaks and not be fully in character the whole session, that is draining and hard to do. So I take a break from it, then dive back into the character, especially if he's talking to an NPC or in combat.

If you can't do voices, that's okay - many players can't. If that's the case, still try to find how your character feels - you can still go deep into this, even without a voice - but for me having the char's voice (and accent) really helps me. It's important not to just "have an accent" but no core, no personality, no substance to your character. You need that much more than you need an accent/voice. Try to let your emotions and intuition guide you here.

[kazaryu]

I like video games. Monster hunter/dark souls etc I have a problems with too much bursts of story. Just give me a challenge to overcome in an interesting way

That said: DND, DMs making a political campaign. So it’s mostly talking. I’ve mostly been a DM with single serve adventures and I have opportunity to play

I haven’t had to act as a character for long bursts of time. I had a cat growing up and I’m going to be playing a tabaxi barbarian/bard... so I know a general attitude.

I know a little how she reacts to the world but how do you keep from breaking character? Any tricks to keep focus in a long term game?

tbh i tend to just wing-it. nobody is actually as consistent in their personality as fictional characters are. so i do stuff, not randomly, i do try to consider my characters perspective. but when i do something that might be seen as out of character...which is impossible, how can Felehir the Kemlon act in a way besides who he is? clearly there's something influencing that action. what is it? why? he just spoke with an uncharacteristic amount of wisdom, why did he do that? oh..turns out he actually has a 14 wisdom...that makes sense. but if thats the case why does he usually appear not all that wise? ahhhh, he's impulsive, he's capable of acting wisely, its just not any fun. he usually chooses not to. makes sense to me.

just in case im not being clear, im going to try to explain in a different way. i treat my characters as autonomous being that i created/am creating. this means that generally things occur in 2 distinct ways with them.
1. i discover something about that them that i didn't previously know. so like, i know a few things about my character, but i can't have a comprehensive explanation of their personality. so occasionally i'll come across a situation thats not one i've thought of before but my characters response is obvious. its 'oh...well obviously because i know this thing about them, they'd react in that way'. for example, in my current campaign im playing what is basically a goblin sorlock. raised as an orphan. he's returning to his childhood home for a visit, and the party decided to hunt up a couple fo deer so as to not add extra strain on the orphanages already tight resources. as we're carrying the deer into town we come across a couple of people on horseback that start to make fun of us. without even thinking i knew that Felehirs reaction would be to sleep them out of spite. its harmless, but funny, exactly matches his mischevious personality. and because he can subtle spell, he's not worried about them catching onto what happened. (they may have anyway, but he didn't think so). boom ,discovery right there.

2. i decide something new about them, and then need to justify that with what i already know. this is built on the premise nearly anyone *could* turn out any way had they experienced the right (or wrong) circumstances growing up which, ironically is why i think its dumb when people say that 'luke would never do what he did in TLJ'...of course he might have, anything can happen in large gaps of time...but thats neither here nor there so i place very few negative constraints on my characters personalities. especially when you consider realistic people consistently hold contradictory ideals or even personality traits....hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance are real things after all. so i don't tend to worry about if its *possible* for the character to think a certain way, sometimes i just decide that i want them to think that way, or act that way, because it makes for an interesting situation. and then work backwords from there in order to ascertain *why* and *how* it meshes with what i already know about them.

generally the two things above are enough to keep me engaged, the discovery aspect is like...reading a book for the first time, and is interesting as a result. where as the latter is like doing a puzzle 'is this actually interesting, or will it just ruin the moment' 'how does this make sense with the character'.

TLDR: don't worry too much about following a pre-designed blueprint for your character imo. everything your character does, has to be in character, by definition. therefore, its not a question of 'is it in character?' its a question of '*why* is this in character?'

[TigerT20]

tbh i tend to just wing-it. nobody is actually as consistent in their personality as fictional characters are. so i do stuff, not randomly, i do try to consider my characters perspective. but when i do something that might be seen as out of character...which is impossible, how can Felehir the Kemlon act in a way besides who he is? clearly there's something influencing that action. what is it? why? he just spoke with an uncharacteristic amount of wisdom, why did he do that? oh..turns out he actually has a 14 wisdom...that makes sense. but if thats the case why does he usually appear not all that wise? ahhhh, he's impulsive, he's capable of acting wisely, its just not any fun. he usually chooses not to. makes sense to me.

Nit-pick: Wisdom isn't really being wise in 5e, it's more to do with your senses and your intuition/gut feelings.

[kazaryu]

Nit-pick: Wisdom isn't really being wise in 5e, it's more to do with your senses and your intuition/gut feelings.

but it also governs things like insight which is typically used in situations like 'would i know what to say here'. its also the primary stat for all 3 of the archtypical 'wise' character (druids, clerics, monks). so while you're correct that it does govern those things, but it also is seen as 'true' wisdom using this imperfect system we have for simulating people.

obviously if we wanted to be more realistic there would probably be closer to 10 different ability scores, which would have a minimal impact on 300-400 different skills....but thats a bit excessive.

[TigerT20]

but it also governs things like insight which is typically used in situations like 'would i know what to say here'. its also the primary stat for all 3 of the archtypical 'wise' character (druids, clerics, monks). so while you're correct that it does govern those things, but it also is seen as 'true' wisdom using this imperfect system we have for simulating people.

Insight could still be based off your gut and your senses. I'm not sure what you mean by that point - as far as I know, it's used to detect lies and try to sense motives. So noticing the little cues someone gives or listening to what your instints have to say about them. For the classes, well tradition plays a part.

[kazaryu]

Insight could still be based off your gut and your senses. I'm not sure what you mean by that point - as far as I know, it's used to detect lies and try to sense motives. So noticing the little cues someone gives or listening to what your instints have to say about them. For the classes, well tradition plays a part.

i explained what i meant, insight skill checks are typically used in situations that would fall under traditional wisdom. it *is* also used for detecting lies and sensing motives. but there's not really a stat that explicitly covers traditional wisdom, and so the namesake ability score is whats most commonly used.

and yes, as for the classes tradition...doesn't counter my argument. my argument has nothing to do with the classes specifically, my argument was about the archetype that those classes are based on. clerics (priests), druids, and monks all typically fill the same 'wise old man' archetype, which is why the ability score 'wisdom' is used as their primary casting stat...or more specifically its why their primary casting stat is called 'wisdom'.

of course, like you said it was a minor nitpick, and regardless, even if you disagree with how i interpret ability scores, the example itself doesn't suffer for it. its still fairly clear what i mean (i hope)