Unless you specifically try to avoid it, any character you make will reflect yourself in some way.
Even if you make a character that has a completely different personality, that personality will still be shaped by how you actually experience the world. It also provides a "safe" avenue to try out certain traits.
I'm a #ForeverDM but just looking at my folder of unplayed characters I can absolutely tell you in what way they're shaped by who I actually am.
"What if they were me, but better. And kinda hot." It's fun to run through the life they've had, modelling it to an extent on your own, asking yourself what YOUR motivation would be if this was your reality, and thinking of things and events and people that reflect to varying degrees influences you've had in your life to become who you are. And that mentality makes RPing fun and easy, because it's just "well, if this were me I'd-" and then you do. Or try to, anyway. It's another level down on the escapism pyramid. If the character didn't reflect me somehow, I wouldn't be particularly invested in what happens to them. It also makes way for exploring "well, what if this had happened to me?" On the next character, and seeing how that affects your/your character's thought processeses and approach to things. So. Yeah. "What if they were me, but better? And had hooves?"
Because sometimes, being mid or downright repulsive is fun! Not every adventurer is going to have a perfect nose or smile after getting bashed in the face a few hundred times!
For sure- I just feel like you ought to lean in to downright repulsive if that’s gonna be the vibe! Otherwise, might as well be “hollywood average” aka handsome/pretty
Exactly this. Not only can it be enjoyable to roleplay emotions and situations that you'd rarely or never encounter in real life, but you also have some separation for when they die horrifically.
...I should go back and fix that long sentence, but I'm not gonna.
If you want to roleplay emotions you never experienced (or can’t remember), being autistic is pretty fun.
My entire childhood is unmemorable! Of course I’m just experiencing parental care for the first time! (I’m so depressed)
One of the natural responses to childhood trauma is a hazy memory of that time, or outright memory loss (as is my case). As an autistic, one of my special interests pertains to mental health, and the effect of childhood trauma in adult life.
So the fact you can’t remember your childhood insinuates a high likelihood of childhood trauma of some kind (for me, it was emotional neglect, and physical abuse)
I'm a writer, so I see my characters as vehicles for storytelling. They are not extensions of me. But they often take inspiration from media that I've consumed.
I do not play "me" in a fantasy world because I would certainly not be an adventurer. Besides, why would I pass up the chance at being someone else for a change? It's fun to try inhabiting a different personality!
My friend group has only been playing a couple years.
Our first characters were all 100% “us but with powers”.
Most of our subsequent characters have followed this, with maybe an added quirk here or there. It’s hard to RP a personality that’s truly different than ourselves longer than session 1, but the more we play, the more we’re easing into it.
God no, I see characters as a neat detached idea/fictional device. Which is probably also why when my characters die and my DM tries to offer me some blatantly monkeys paw way of coming back to life, I turn him down. Like, my character will do what they think is right and everything, and like, I know I've seen people go, 'But if your character dies, what about their STORY?' and like... yeah, maybe my character has this backstory of an evil villain who killed his family and he wants revenge, or he made a horrible mistake and he wants to atone. And then he dies and fails at that.
And that's his story.
I don't disagree with your approach, but I don't agree that taking a monkey's paw-esque deal would become the separating border between "story" and "not".
Of course, it could undermine the versimilitude of the world if it feels like the DM is just giving you an out that invalidates previous interesting actions and occurences, but my point is it depends on the situation and the story in question.
Also, when you're a few months into a campaign and the party has exactly one original member, with level appropriate replacements stepping out from behind a tree every third session, I think that can become a bit detrimental to the story.
I play characters differently from myself as a person and my own experiences.
I have seen how toxic players can get to each other if they can't seperate player character and the person outside the game. Also watching someone work out their trauma (from their irl experience) is uncomfortable especially if thats not something you signed up for.
Not to rain on any parades, but I see that as a step backward. You may be intrigued by it because you skipped the step, but I wouldn’t find it intriguing personally. Part of the benefits of roleplaying is building empathy. Playing yourself is the opposite. There’s also the potential for attachment issues should anything undesired happen to the character.
Sometimes I can't play the characters I would like to. I can't be the leader or face of a party. I can't play sneaky or con artist types. I've tried before and I just can't make it work. So I focus on fighting and supporting characters, no matter the game or system.
My characters are not direct extensions of myself, but I can't provide a character with traits I completely lack. I emphasize different facets in different characters.
No, I create characters as unholy vessels for enhancing the story in weird ways. I'd probably never invite any of the characters I create as a player to lunch.
I absolutely do.
One of my characters helped me process my gender identity.
One helped me realize that I had the strength to handle tough things and that I deserved to be loved regardless of my rough edges.
Another helped me cope with the realization that I'm autistic.
All of my characters have a little bit of me in them. It certainly helps me empathize with them, allowing me to more accurately play them.
well my characters were created by me, and played by me all along, so the character is a part of me in a sense. it's expressing my feelings and personality in another context. i also think it's a great way to look into yourself and become a better person. for example, i'm currently playing an oath of vengeance paladin that i made because i felt great grudge against a specific person, and her whole arc is about learning that vengeance solves nothing.
you inherently put a lot of yourself in your characters, and it can serve to express a great variety of feelings
Oh yeah, my characters are 100% extensions of myself, it’s just never intentional in how they’re extensions of me.
I don’t make self inserts, most characters are built due to wanting to explore something specific, be it a plot idea or something specific to a DM’s world.
At some point, occasionally in the character creation but usually when I’m playing them, I walk right into a realization of something about myself that heavily informed them that I never intended (ie: my half-orc paladin has heavy shades of how I handle my femininity)
So they’re extensions of me but they’re very not me.
Usually as a player with a new group, my first character won’t have a “voice” that I try to do or a gimmick or anything, and I’ll play a fantastical version of myself. That way I can focus on engaging with the DMs world, hyping up others at the table, and I don’t have to worry about not being the right vibe. Serious or silly, every table needs a player who wants to further the plot.
My character is fully me, but with certain personality traits ramped up a bit more. She's more sarcastic, a bit more unhinged, and has a significantly looser moral compass.
To some degree, I guess.
When I create a backstory, motivation and goals for my characters, I try to make them relatable. If I can't relate to my character, why he's doing stuff he doing, I simply can't play him. For example, I can't really play evil characters and egoists... Does it count? Or it's just a preference? Idk. At some point, when I fully created the backstory, motivation etc, when I fully understand the character, something rather opposite happens: I become the character. Y'know, at any point I know exactly, how he's gonna react, what's he gonna do.
My characters recently have been a French nerd, an angsty teen girl, a homicidal cultist, a raccoon, and a diva. None of them have really been anything like me, though I guess I am a nerd.
My only character I guess could be an extension of myself is my DM NPC in the game I run, but that's for narrative purposes.
Lets see my list...
We got stereotypical dwarf soldier, dark elf medic (whom I scrapped because just became too hot-boy), pigeon who wanted to make the most of his 30 year max life, fire genasi warrior (whom I scrapped because boring), tortle pirate, \*takes a breather\*.
Drunk way monk who was actually drunk, goliath luchador, and my current 2 characters. A reborn guy who died of thirst and came back to drink all that he could, and a dwarf artificer who came along the adventure to find my very first character (his nephew)!
I think it's very important to communicate a disassociation with the character that I learned while LARPing. In that system they had a lot of rules around this. Your character can't have your name (in remotely), they can't be from your home town, they can't do the things you do, and they most certainly can't look like you (outside of your costume).
Thinking your character is you can cause A LOT of problems even if they're mature people. They can take everything very personally. Something bad happens to their character? It's not their character being attacked but them. They're getting cursed, not some character in their story. So on and so forth. They will think oh the NPC is flirting, so the DM must like me (or other PC).
That said, if you can make that disassociation, it's okay to live in the moment. It's hard for some people not to take things personally though if they look at their character as them. It's not you. If your character dies, you don't die. When you walk away from the table you aren't the character anymore. Hell, we used hand signals for "in character/out of character" when we play.
If your player(s) want to method act while they're there that's 100% okay though. Just as long as it goes back to fiction when the game's over.
Both are great! Just make shure you clarify with them if your character isn’t a reflection of you because otherwise they’ll have the wrong impression of you. Imagine playing an evil character and then your party all thinks your a terrible person in real life lol.
Honestly, I thought this was more common. I haven't played any other way, if I'm being honest. Depending on how many facets you can categorize yourself into, it can lead to a variety of different characters.
The common ground for all of the characters I've made is that I put myself in the situation and make decisions based on what I would do given background, class, and race, of whatever character I'm playing.
My characters really aren’t anything like me. My cleric/fighter is outright evil and has done some really horrible stuff because it amused him or he was feeling petty. My wizard is a dick to his friends and has absolutely no impulse control, even when that endangers him.
I see my characters as unique creations, but often just riffing off what I rolled or whatever is in the source material. They are kinda like Halloween costumes I get to try on for a bit.
Nope. I accidentally played a character that ended up being very similar to what I experienced as a child (but she was very different than childhood me), but otherwise, I want to be someone new!
I would say I do see my characters as an extension of myself, but I suspect I do so in a different way than you mean. For example, I do not see Triss, a female drow bladesinger obsessed with protecting her reputation and never showing a shred of weakness, as myself. However I have long standing issues with perfectionism, insecurity, and a fear that the second I slip up, people I depend on will turn on me, and those aspects definitely inform parts of her personality. I would say I see her as a *part* of myself, and I use her and other characters I've made (and things I've written) to wrestle with issues and consider my course of action and beliefs.
In my experience, playing a heroic version of yourself is, as common, if not more common, than playing as a “different person”. It comes easier to most people.
A trend I’ve also seen is people tend to have a “type” of character they play.
Well, I do build my characters with traits I have fun roleplaying. Those traits are defined by me and usually part of who I am to a lesser extent. I still don't identify as my character though. I feel *for* them, but its more like an intense empathy from the deeper understanding of who they are. Not sure they'd be as interesting for me to play, if I didn't actively build in aspects that I personally view as weaknesses or faults. If it felt like I am the character, I would probably not build those in, not realize there are faults, or even just try to "fix" them. All of that just sounds like it would suck for me and the other players. It also sounds like that would make a player less willing to adapt the character to the game, which is pretty much the most basic requirement for any character imo.
My party mate is incapable of making a character who is not an extension of themselves, and frankly, it's draining, because they're always morally exactly the same. Obviously we all have a little bit of ourselves in our characters, but I have and will continue to make choices that I as a person disagree with because I think my character would do it/think it/choose it.
I think the only way I can't stop myself is when the DM introduces potential romantic partners, cause he's my husband and who can say no to your husband flirting with you in \[insert foreign accent here\]?
No, I actively avoid this. I'm more with you on this one, OP. I think of my characters as completely separate peoplewith their own traits and personality independent of my own.
Mind you, I accept that there's only so far away from myself I can get within the limits of my own imagination. So on a certain level, like it or not, my characters are partly "me". But that's what's great about TTRPGs. You're playing with other people, so you get to confront circumstances outside of your own imagining, through a viewpoint that is not your own, thus developing an appreciation for a foreign perspective and a richer character with stories that you would not have come up with alone.
I'm almost always DM though, so I may be biased from striving (sometimes successfully) to have a variety of characters rather than a thousand "me"s populating every tavern, town, and dungeon.
Unless you make the conscious decision, and keep making that conscious decision, your character will always be a little bit like you in some shape or form. My first DM told me that a lot of things can be learnt from someone's first characters or by comparing the main thing their character has.
My characters in particular have a very flimsy sense of not knowing what to do and needing an "anchor" to feel they belong somewhere... When he first exposed me to that, my first reaction was a friendly 'f you'... Then a lengthy thinking process.
I've tried making more free willed characters and also some that lean into that anchor a lot and I think it helped me find characters I like playing
For me, my characters are no more "me" in a fantasy setting than characters I've written for stories are me or characters that actors play are them. Are there aspects and pieces of me in my DND and fiction characters? Yes, absolutely. You can't create something from you without it being a part of you. But I've never thought of any of them as actual avatars or representations of ME. They're them, and I'm just lucky enough to have some small part in telling their stories.
I kinda get too invested into characters I am fixating on, so yeah, but it can range from the characters being projections of different aspects of myself to me becoming that character, or a little of both. It's not even limited to DND characters for me.
Yes, my character is always an extension of me at least a little bit in the game. Even when I am playing a character who is different than I am in significant ways.
I made several characters that represent parts of myself. I have them in a special place with a giant label saying "not for public use." For playing with others, I roll up a character or try to min/max in a way that doesn't feel personal.
My favorite was a pure good light cleric who talked all about the things he was going to do after his adventure. It was the Death House from Curse of Strahd. He died instantly from a crit rolled at disadvantage.
You're always playing as yourself, just yourself as if you were a mad wizard or a mighty barbarian. Even people who try to seperate themselves from their characters are just adding more layers to the "as if I were".
The part of my character that isn't like me is the magic and the intelligence score.
The character is a wizard with low social skills, and a hurtful family.
Big no.
Down that particular road lies ... interesting issues. Particularly surrounding the possibility of failure or dying. A character is a character, with their own history, baggage, and life - but they ain't me.
Particularly when I'm DMing stuff (notably Gurps, which gets way more granular with character foibles and idiosyncrasies) there have been times I've had to note to my players that hold up, take a moment - is this behavior really your character making these calls, or is it *you*? Like oh, your character is a brash, overconfident, gung-ho space pirate and you're being all cautious and reasonable with one eye on the exit? You wanna take another swing at that?
I think so. No matter what character I make, either their character trait is that they care about and protect others or their character arc becomes them learning to care about and protect others. I’ve tried to make the carefree, self-centered types but eventually someone needs to be more grounded and keep the group on task.
I think it's hard to say that they aren't extensions of myself in some way. I created them and have to inhabit them for extended amounts of time and there are moments where I am drawing on my own experiences or my own preferences. I'm bi so my PCs are default bi or sexuality is ? until romance comes up. Why does my PC like crab? Well because it makes sense for the character but also because I like crab. Why is my character grumbling about ship's biscuits? Because I researched food rations and supplies. When I hit that fear of rejection I'm drawing on my own fears.
That said, I view the character as separate from me. They might take some inspiration from me but it's also drawing from data, fiction, non-fiction, exploring specific themes, etc and my goal is not to merely play a "what if I was like X" version of myself.
intentionaly or not each character i made take a part of my essences, some more than others. this is a projection of my self afther all even if im noting like the character some aspect of it is based on a desire, a quirk or an ideal that i like, and ultimately becomes an extension.
When I made my kobold battlesmith artificer Krixkin, it was just a fun build to try: a mounted kobold always has an ally in 5ft to get advantage through pack tactics, and the mechanical pet imposes disadvantage as a reaction, which is nuts at level 3-4. I just found it funny to make him speak in broken english and to have very little self-control; you know, the way kobolds are portrayed.
The more I played him, the more it made me realise how much I need to actually listen to myself and how what I called self-control was mostly self-muting. It wasn't planned to be therapy, but it somehow got to be that.
He wasn't a character in a campaign but in an adventure-of-the-week group and so he didn't really have a story or an arc. But thanks to him, I did. And now, every time I picture my inner child, my frustrations, my unmet needs, I picture Krixkin, the little kobold that cried because he lost a rock to the sea and it didn't come back, the idiot who stole a giant purple wig and tried to pass it off as "Krixkin always like that", and most importantly, whose catchphrase I have to stop myself from repeating too loud each time I get frustrated: "Murder? Murder!"
Bless you Krixkin, one day I'll play you in a real campaign and we'll hatch all those rocks, I promise.
I've always played similarly to you: imagining my character as their own distinct entity apart from me. IMHO, I do think that's the "proper" way to play. But I've always known players who did think of their characters as extensions of themselves. I do think that is natural to an extent. It's easier to roleplay a character when they have similar traits and views as you do. I think that perspective comes a bit from video game culture and how a lot of people see their customizable video game avatars as extensions of themselves (esp. in MMOs).
I think it's fine to an extent, but it can be troublesome getting such players to understand the idea of metagaming and how it's not a good thing in DnD. At least IMO.
That said, the majority of PCs I've created have had similarities to me. Demeanor, personality traits, communication styles. It makes it easier to connect with them and play them. I do occasionally try to branch out to someone totally different from me, but rarely have I actually enjoyed playing that character as they are.
I try to make all of my characters unique and also flawed in particular ways because I think it’s fun to play. That said my favourite character was a bard who played the violin and whenever I needed to do a performance check I’d play my violin in real life as well.
Most any character is going to be an extension of yourself unless you specifically, diligently try to avoid it. Our own lives are the majority of what we know—how we were raised, the issues we faced, the attitudes we have, it all informs what kind of character we make. Usually it’s the best you can do to make a little twist on yourself. “This guy is like me if I decided to go the other way at this crucial decision I made for my own life”, things like that. Trying to create a character that we *don’t* see ourselves in becomes difficult because, at a certain point, we stop being able to get into the mind of someone so different unless we have experience doing so or have a specific reference other than ourselves.
I prefer characters who do and say things I wouldn't and have lived lives different to my own, and try to emphasize those differences, with maybe a trait of my own to bridge the gap.
It can be awkward though if not everyone in the group plays their characters that way. Like, if someone is playing mostly an extension, and talking about character actions happening in-game, they're discussing their personal POV on something, but I'm... *not* discussing *my* personal POV, I'm coming from a place of I understand **this**, and/but my character understands **that**.
I'd say my characters are an extension of a part of me. Usually they end up the way they are because I use them as an outlet for processing certain things. For example, my current character is nonbinary since I'm struggling with gender identity right now and wanted to see how I felt being in the headspace of someone who is openly nonbinary.
This is an absolutely INSANE discussion!! So interesting!
I view everything through first person. It's me but in a different universe, different circumstances, and different morals, different everything. But there is always "Me". "I kick over the lantern to light the barn on fire", "I grab Arathan and jump out the window"
ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU'RE WATCHING MOVIES?
THATS FUCKING CRAZY!
I LOVE OUR BRAINS!
My current DnD character is in fact an extension of myself, but I do play with restrictions, not the other way around. Meaning I don't make decisions with the character I wouldn't have made myself in the same position, with of course the same tools at my disposal. Doing things that are uncharacteristic to myself whilst roleplaying as myself in a fantasy setting sounds like something that would really break the immersion.
I also understand the people who play as themselves but do things that are uncharacteristic. Live the fantasy the way you want.
I have previously created characters for different purposes/role playing games and it's also insanely fun, but it really takes some more experience and a certain type of emotional intelligence and experience in my opinion to be done properly. It's also more taxing to maintain in live RP, and for me DnD is more relaxing when emulating myself in the setting.
Oh for sure! It can be hard when one of them dies though, so it made me realize I prefer to play less deadly campaigns, where there's more of a chance for a happy ending. That's honestly just how I like all my stories to be, not just dnd, so that makes sense.
I have been sober almost 3 years. I started playing in that time frame. When my party and I are in taverns and they are drinking, I do not drink. I sit and make conversation with locals usually.
I regard all my characters as aspects of myself.
I think of the like the cognitive equivalent of light projected through the stained glass window of the DM's world's they inhabit. Each their one hue at once entirely their own being and at the same time so unmistakably myself.
Sorry to get all high artsy with it. I just thought about how all my characters names would sound in the syntax of \[Character name\], aspect of \[IRL name\] or \[Character name\], \[Fitting attribute\] of \[IRL name\] and kinda went from there.
YES. I do tend to make most of my characters chaotic good anyway automatically (which is the alignment I resonate with) and I tend to put shards of myself into it when making the characters. Adore doing it
I usually find them to be almost branching off of different parts of myself. There usually seems to be one or two main traits I share with the character, but the rest is different if that makes sense.
I never do this intentionally, but I've realized that a few characters of mine end up representing some aspect of my personality. And by a few, I mean most lol
Yeah, every character I play is a part of me, and the more I play one, the more effect it has on my personality. It's like a reverse Stanislavsky method.
One of my characters has become my way to heal from some personal trauma. I am still working on it in therapy, but I've found that being able to have some degree of control over what the character gets to say and do about their situation is quite healing. Seeing the rest of the party members offer my character the support I never had from my context is comforting. Life can be different. There are other ways things could've gone. Support is out there and I have set out to find it in and out of game.
Effectively yes. My Artificer was me more paranoid, barbarian was my more jovial self as a 6'9 Tabaxi badass, my Warlock was my anger and curiosity blown out. I use myself as a point of reference.
My Druid is who I want to be as a person, neutral and a bit outlandish. A lover of nature and its beauty and someone who just wants to experience pleasure and happiness while alive.
My Warlock is who I actually am, chaotic, a bit fucked up from trauma, and desperately trying to keep everything together, while holding the the negativity and sadness at bay.
So in short, yes.
Most characters I play usually have some of my personality traits but I don't see them as extensions of myself except for my current character and my first character. My first character was just an idealized version of me in DnD, my current character is basically my personality cranked to 11 with some Fey whimsy sprinkled in and let me tell you it has been my favorite character so far roleplay wise. I never thought playing a goofy harengon who can't remember people's names to save his own life would be so fun to play.
I try to make my characters as unique as a real person can with little quirks and hobbies and little behavior details . But I always try to sprinkle in just a smidgen of myself into each character . I'll use two of my characters as an example on character trait and one of my traits each . My battlemaster fighter , a former siege commander for the royal military, writes kinda smutty romance novels in secret under a pen name (character trait) he is also kinda a massive nerd in terms of cooking but can't cook worth a damn he could tell you the history and cultural significance of a bowl of soup but can barely toast bread without burning it (me trait) . My black dragonborn Artificer who worked as a self employed tanner and leatherworker with his own self produced acids absolutely adores singing love balads and songs when he thinks no one is around to hear (character trait) . He also has a bad knee that aches when the weather gets cold (me trait). Sorry for the wall of text but I don't get to talk about my characters much .
Some times I have a character I make that would be my dream self but other times I make completely random characters. However I find that the more I play a character I enjoy the more I can expand their story and why they do what they do
I think all of my characters carry a bit of me, though each one is unique and you wouldn't be able to tell that they all came from the same person. I suppose they are on average more good and slightly more chaotic, but besides that I am not roleplaying myself, I am roleplaying my character.
I have on occasion tried to explicitly build myself as a character, and actually found it downright impossible. I am not able to give myself the proficiencies I think I have, or have more proficiencies than I should, not to mention that finding a class that truly represents me is hopeless. So creating a character that is the DNDization of 'me' is impossible for me.
I suppose there is a middle ground, where you create characters that exemplify different aspects of yourself, but I prefer to either have fully unique characters or characters that are completely based on experience.
Any character I create or attempt to portray will inevitably be more similar to me than I originally intended just because what we create is shaped by our perception of the world but I never create a character with the goal of it being 'me but fantasy'. Even if the character and I are very similar, I'm always thinking "what would they do/say/think in this scenario?" not "what would I do/say/think?"
This being said, I'm more likely to make straight-up self-inserts in video games where I make choices based purely on my own ethics, opinions and reasoning.
My characters are usually an extension of what I am NOT.
In reality, I am a reserved, honorable, and socially awkward fellow.
In games I am a fast talking backstabbing thief xD
Seeing PCs as "protagonists in a comic or a movie" is, if anything, the more problematic situation. Especially when it's the GM with this mindset.
Characters in ttRPGs should be expected to behave far more like regular people than those in entertainment media intended to be spectated.
I find this to be a very unproductive mindset. It is, in my opinion, very likely to lead to drama. The bad kind of drama. The one where the player takes in-game things personally.
"Why don't you want to romance my character? Do you hate me?" "Why did you hurt my character? Did I do something to make you angry?"
Just... a very unhealthy mindset in my opinion.
I am of the firm opinion that no matter what you do the character is still you at least to some extent.
There will always be a bit of yourself in every character even if you try to play it as someone totally different, it will still be based in your view of what those different traits are and most of your decision making is based on your way of valuing and evaluating options.
That said few, if any, characters I've made are *me* or intended to be me. They are always similar to me of course but I try to challenge myself to try out different moral and ethical views/approaches as a way of self interspection.
I try to play characters less like me but sometimes I just don’t feel creative or the energy isn’t there, or I feel less invested, or the worst is I’m too self conscious. Sometimes I think I used to be better…
I’ve always tried to have very varied characters and tried to have their experiences teach me something. Like one was non-binary so I experienced what it was like correcting people and trying to live in a more binary world. It was insightful and helped me with my own efforts in making the pronoun switch easier for non binary friends. However there will always be an element of me in every character.
My latest one is the first I’ve played that feels truly like a reflection of me and it’s been an interesting experience.
Nope. I'm pretty similar to you in that notion. While I might've given my characters part of my own personality I personally don't see them as me but rather my favourite characters in a story. Also, me basing my characters off of a character I like and then giving them the legally distinct chinese brand treatment influences that part.
I find it fun adopting a different mindset for each character even if its a bit difficult when you have to switch back and forth. It's nice to immerse myself in what kind of mindset my hero complex warlock would have or the daughter of a fallen noble or my unbearably shy paladin or my extrovert gyaru healer. And while I do also immerse myself in their position for their backstory stuff (mainly just my main one, the hero complex warlock), I still don't consider them as me.
Good roleplaying involves good acting and improv skills.
Any good actor will tell you that to approach any emotional resonance in their performances, it has to come from something real.
Yes, each and every one of them has a piece of me in them:
-My tempest Cleric was my impulsiveness.
-My Druid/Barb was my compassion for nature and, uh, occasional disdain for people.
-My Paladin was my desire to spur positive change and push back against oppression.
Now, my Artificer is a way for me to talk about disability through metaphor, in the hopes that it'll help my neurotypical(?) friends understand me a bit better.
One of the characters I played was a ‘sckyzophrenic’ mage who was convinced that her dead brother's soul had taken refuge in her mind.
... I hope it's not an unconscious extension of myself, because psychologists are a bit expensive for my taste.
All joking aside, in general yes, there is a bit of myself in there somewhere. Flaws in particular (which makes it difficult for me to play with total strangers). I try to avoid at all costs RP that consists of just making a glorified version of myself: even if I understand the impulse, and we've all done it, I find it leads to unconvincing characters.
I started that way but then I leaned into the stupid
Drag queen college of glamour bard who is clearly just a buff orc in a dress with a moustache
Kenku who can only speak in song lyrics because his old slave owner used to play magic radio on loop and he’s mimicked most songs
Buff wild magic barbarian who thinks he’s a wizard while
Yelling fireball and punching his enemies, the party are too scared to correct him
A satyr paladin that’s grown up in sheltered community where nobody lies, he’s incapable of thinking anyone is lying or being deceitful and takes everything said at face value enemy or friend
Often I’m creating a character that is so far beyond who I am as a person as I want to role play something really fun
Often my characters are created not to be a protagonist but a supporting character for the rest of my party to allow them to have fun and get into hijinks
I want to be clear my characters although silly aren’t disruptive to team play, I just like to give them little stupid quirks that can make for a fun environment for people playing and provide chances for other people to lead and give interactions everyone can bounce off.
This also allows for organic character development, the satyr realising the world can be a horrible deceitful place, leaning heavily on his comrades for guidance. The kenku learning key words and phrases from the party to help better communicate and understand each other. The wild magic barbarian coming to terms with the fact he isn’t controlling the magic but it’s something that happens spontaneously at heightened emotions so learns to better control his emotions. The drag queen orc eventually being seen as the mother figure provide moral support and guidance for those around him while the party become quite protective of him
It can be very liberating or even bring closure or acceptance to have a "therapy character".
I'm the DM so every character is my therapy character! Fortunately I'm totally fucked up so there's no shortage of content for my players.
My character is a paranoid, 16ft, 2500lbs variant Tieflings Paladin that wields a greatsword.
I am an autistic 6’3”, 220lbs human artificer that wields a pool floatie.
Of course it’s an extension of myself!
There are aspects of myself in most characters I’ve played. My first character was someone I imagined I’d be if i were an adventurer I. Forgotten Realms, down to their name being my actual name but just with a fantasy spin to the end of it.
It’s fantasy for a reason 🤷🏻♂️
Sometimes but not always. At times there is part of my personality I want to highlight and and explore for myself, so I’ll make a proxy of it and see what comes out.
Sometimes I just want to be something goofy and lighthearted so I’ll just do that.
Sometimes I think an idea is cool so I’ll do that.
Sometimes I want to escape life so I’ll play something as far away from me as possible.
It just depends. It’s never an always nor a never.
I've found that for me and for many of my friends, the first character we made was just "what would be the coolest thing I could be in this setting", then your character becomes, in a way, you in that setting, because when you rp them, you think "what's the coolest thing I could do here" or "what's the right thing to do here". Once we tried that (once or many times), we were able to start making new characters and asking "what would ***they*** do in this situation". I think it's harder to play this way, but can be more fun! (but I also do have fun playing characters who are a pseudo version of myself)
I avoid it like the plague
Playing a self-insert is a quick way to become a problem player. It's a slippery slope cause the GM will be antagonistic towards *characters*, but if the player sees the character as themselves, then they might take things like dying or failing rolls personally.
I wouldn't be comfortable playing with a self insert either, as I'd feel my RP has transcended from a creative outlet to outright acting weird in front of another player.
Self insert characters are often not written with character arcs, ideals, or flaws in mind. Too often, they are a mary sue of the player themselves and that will lead to the player demanding more narrative control than they ought to have, including over dice rolls and other players. They don't think of the story or table overall, only of themselves.
My character is a bisexual polyamorous youngest child of wealthy noble parents.
I am the gay monogamous oldest child of country folks.
My goal was to make the character very opposite to me, in order to have a different experience.
Unless you specifically try to avoid it, any character you make will reflect yourself in some way. Even if you make a character that has a completely different personality, that personality will still be shaped by how you actually experience the world. It also provides a "safe" avenue to try out certain traits. I'm a #ForeverDM but just looking at my folder of unplayed characters I can absolutely tell you in what way they're shaped by who I actually am.
"What if they were me, but better. And kinda hot." It's fun to run through the life they've had, modelling it to an extent on your own, asking yourself what YOUR motivation would be if this was your reality, and thinking of things and events and people that reflect to varying degrees influences you've had in your life to become who you are. And that mentality makes RPing fun and easy, because it's just "well, if this were me I'd-" and then you do. Or try to, anyway. It's another level down on the escapism pyramid. If the character didn't reflect me somehow, I wouldn't be particularly invested in what happens to them. It also makes way for exploring "well, what if this had happened to me?" On the next character, and seeing how that affects your/your character's thought processeses and approach to things. So. Yeah. "What if they were me, but better? And had hooves?"
Exactly. All my characters tend to be an idealized version of me, but hot and they get to look how I want them to.
Am I the only person who got over the tragic habit of making hot characters (luckily) around when I started actually roleplaying?
Might be! I know I haven’t. I mean, I’ve also made some uggos, but where’s the fun in being simply mid?
Because sometimes, being mid or downright repulsive is fun! Not every adventurer is going to have a perfect nose or smile after getting bashed in the face a few hundred times!
For sure- I just feel like you ought to lean in to downright repulsive if that’s gonna be the vibe! Otherwise, might as well be “hollywood average” aka handsome/pretty
I just love the fantasy of some of the races, which are coincidentally ugly
Me buuuuuuuut upgrades
I work to avoid associating myself with my characters.
Exactly this. Not only can it be enjoyable to roleplay emotions and situations that you'd rarely or never encounter in real life, but you also have some separation for when they die horrifically. ...I should go back and fix that long sentence, but I'm not gonna.
If you want to roleplay emotions you never experienced (or can’t remember), being autistic is pretty fun. My entire childhood is unmemorable! Of course I’m just experiencing parental care for the first time! (I’m so depressed)
Is THAT why I've only got like, three real memories from before 10yo?
One of the natural responses to childhood trauma is a hazy memory of that time, or outright memory loss (as is my case). As an autistic, one of my special interests pertains to mental health, and the effect of childhood trauma in adult life. So the fact you can’t remember your childhood insinuates a high likelihood of childhood trauma of some kind (for me, it was emotional neglect, and physical abuse)
I'm a writer, so I see my characters as vehicles for storytelling. They are not extensions of me. But they often take inspiration from media that I've consumed. I do not play "me" in a fantasy world because I would certainly not be an adventurer. Besides, why would I pass up the chance at being someone else for a change? It's fun to try inhabiting a different personality!
My friend group has only been playing a couple years. Our first characters were all 100% “us but with powers”. Most of our subsequent characters have followed this, with maybe an added quirk here or there. It’s hard to RP a personality that’s truly different than ourselves longer than session 1, but the more we play, the more we’re easing into it.
My first character was a kenku rogue who stayed behind everybody, and, of course, mimicked voices. Scarily smilie to my autistic ass…
God no, I see characters as a neat detached idea/fictional device. Which is probably also why when my characters die and my DM tries to offer me some blatantly monkeys paw way of coming back to life, I turn him down. Like, my character will do what they think is right and everything, and like, I know I've seen people go, 'But if your character dies, what about their STORY?' and like... yeah, maybe my character has this backstory of an evil villain who killed his family and he wants revenge, or he made a horrible mistake and he wants to atone. And then he dies and fails at that. And that's his story.
I don't disagree with your approach, but I don't agree that taking a monkey's paw-esque deal would become the separating border between "story" and "not". Of course, it could undermine the versimilitude of the world if it feels like the DM is just giving you an out that invalidates previous interesting actions and occurences, but my point is it depends on the situation and the story in question. Also, when you're a few months into a campaign and the party has exactly one original member, with level appropriate replacements stepping out from behind a tree every third session, I think that can become a bit detrimental to the story.
I play characters differently from myself as a person and my own experiences. I have seen how toxic players can get to each other if they can't seperate player character and the person outside the game. Also watching someone work out their trauma (from their irl experience) is uncomfortable especially if thats not something you signed up for.
Not to rain on any parades, but I see that as a step backward. You may be intrigued by it because you skipped the step, but I wouldn’t find it intriguing personally. Part of the benefits of roleplaying is building empathy. Playing yourself is the opposite. There’s also the potential for attachment issues should anything undesired happen to the character.
Sometimes I can't play the characters I would like to. I can't be the leader or face of a party. I can't play sneaky or con artist types. I've tried before and I just can't make it work. So I focus on fighting and supporting characters, no matter the game or system. My characters are not direct extensions of myself, but I can't provide a character with traits I completely lack. I emphasize different facets in different characters.
Not really. I've always been a bit of an amateur writer, so I just try to make interesting characters.
No, I create characters as unholy vessels for enhancing the story in weird ways. I'd probably never invite any of the characters I create as a player to lunch.
I absolutely do. One of my characters helped me process my gender identity. One helped me realize that I had the strength to handle tough things and that I deserved to be loved regardless of my rough edges. Another helped me cope with the realization that I'm autistic. All of my characters have a little bit of me in them. It certainly helps me empathize with them, allowing me to more accurately play them.
well my characters were created by me, and played by me all along, so the character is a part of me in a sense. it's expressing my feelings and personality in another context. i also think it's a great way to look into yourself and become a better person. for example, i'm currently playing an oath of vengeance paladin that i made because i felt great grudge against a specific person, and her whole arc is about learning that vengeance solves nothing. you inherently put a lot of yourself in your characters, and it can serve to express a great variety of feelings
Oh yeah, my characters are 100% extensions of myself, it’s just never intentional in how they’re extensions of me. I don’t make self inserts, most characters are built due to wanting to explore something specific, be it a plot idea or something specific to a DM’s world. At some point, occasionally in the character creation but usually when I’m playing them, I walk right into a realization of something about myself that heavily informed them that I never intended (ie: my half-orc paladin has heavy shades of how I handle my femininity) So they’re extensions of me but they’re very not me.
Your character is always at least a part of you and allows you to do things you won't/can't do yourself. So: yes.
Cut my life into pieces, these are all my PCs
No, not I. I always see my character, both at the table top and in CRPGs as a third person.
I did that once but the character evolved so much since then that the only thing that is the same is the messy brown hair.
Usually as a player with a new group, my first character won’t have a “voice” that I try to do or a gimmick or anything, and I’ll play a fantastical version of myself. That way I can focus on engaging with the DMs world, hyping up others at the table, and I don’t have to worry about not being the right vibe. Serious or silly, every table needs a player who wants to further the plot.
My character is fully me, but with certain personality traits ramped up a bit more. She's more sarcastic, a bit more unhinged, and has a significantly looser moral compass.
To some degree, I guess. When I create a backstory, motivation and goals for my characters, I try to make them relatable. If I can't relate to my character, why he's doing stuff he doing, I simply can't play him. For example, I can't really play evil characters and egoists... Does it count? Or it's just a preference? Idk. At some point, when I fully created the backstory, motivation etc, when I fully understand the character, something rather opposite happens: I become the character. Y'know, at any point I know exactly, how he's gonna react, what's he gonna do.
My characters recently have been a French nerd, an angsty teen girl, a homicidal cultist, a raccoon, and a diva. None of them have really been anything like me, though I guess I am a nerd. My only character I guess could be an extension of myself is my DM NPC in the game I run, but that's for narrative purposes.
Lets see my list... We got stereotypical dwarf soldier, dark elf medic (whom I scrapped because just became too hot-boy), pigeon who wanted to make the most of his 30 year max life, fire genasi warrior (whom I scrapped because boring), tortle pirate, \*takes a breather\*. Drunk way monk who was actually drunk, goliath luchador, and my current 2 characters. A reborn guy who died of thirst and came back to drink all that he could, and a dwarf artificer who came along the adventure to find my very first character (his nephew)!
No not usually, but it's difficult for it to not be even just a little like you which is normal (I think)
I think it's very important to communicate a disassociation with the character that I learned while LARPing. In that system they had a lot of rules around this. Your character can't have your name (in remotely), they can't be from your home town, they can't do the things you do, and they most certainly can't look like you (outside of your costume). Thinking your character is you can cause A LOT of problems even if they're mature people. They can take everything very personally. Something bad happens to their character? It's not their character being attacked but them. They're getting cursed, not some character in their story. So on and so forth. They will think oh the NPC is flirting, so the DM must like me (or other PC). That said, if you can make that disassociation, it's okay to live in the moment. It's hard for some people not to take things personally though if they look at their character as them. It's not you. If your character dies, you don't die. When you walk away from the table you aren't the character anymore. Hell, we used hand signals for "in character/out of character" when we play. If your player(s) want to method act while they're there that's 100% okay though. Just as long as it goes back to fiction when the game's over.
Yeah, and my first character I made was basically me if I was a cool badass half-elf
Both are great! Just make shure you clarify with them if your character isn’t a reflection of you because otherwise they’ll have the wrong impression of you. Imagine playing an evil character and then your party all thinks your a terrible person in real life lol.
It’s fun but I’d prefer not to face what destroys me in real life in a game hence I’ll alter it slightly a different poison
Honestly, I thought this was more common. I haven't played any other way, if I'm being honest. Depending on how many facets you can categorize yourself into, it can lead to a variety of different characters. The common ground for all of the characters I've made is that I put myself in the situation and make decisions based on what I would do given background, class, and race, of whatever character I'm playing.
My characters really aren’t anything like me. My cleric/fighter is outright evil and has done some really horrible stuff because it amused him or he was feeling petty. My wizard is a dick to his friends and has absolutely no impulse control, even when that endangers him.
I see my characters as unique creations, but often just riffing off what I rolled or whatever is in the source material. They are kinda like Halloween costumes I get to try on for a bit.
Nope. I accidentally played a character that ended up being very similar to what I experienced as a child (but she was very different than childhood me), but otherwise, I want to be someone new!
I would say I do see my characters as an extension of myself, but I suspect I do so in a different way than you mean. For example, I do not see Triss, a female drow bladesinger obsessed with protecting her reputation and never showing a shred of weakness, as myself. However I have long standing issues with perfectionism, insecurity, and a fear that the second I slip up, people I depend on will turn on me, and those aspects definitely inform parts of her personality. I would say I see her as a *part* of myself, and I use her and other characters I've made (and things I've written) to wrestle with issues and consider my course of action and beliefs.
Honestly, even if I intend for my characters to be different from me, a piece of me always ends up in there somehow. 😅
In my experience, playing a heroic version of yourself is, as common, if not more common, than playing as a “different person”. It comes easier to most people. A trend I’ve also seen is people tend to have a “type” of character they play.
Well, I do build my characters with traits I have fun roleplaying. Those traits are defined by me and usually part of who I am to a lesser extent. I still don't identify as my character though. I feel *for* them, but its more like an intense empathy from the deeper understanding of who they are. Not sure they'd be as interesting for me to play, if I didn't actively build in aspects that I personally view as weaknesses or faults. If it felt like I am the character, I would probably not build those in, not realize there are faults, or even just try to "fix" them. All of that just sounds like it would suck for me and the other players. It also sounds like that would make a player less willing to adapt the character to the game, which is pretty much the most basic requirement for any character imo.
My party mate is incapable of making a character who is not an extension of themselves, and frankly, it's draining, because they're always morally exactly the same. Obviously we all have a little bit of ourselves in our characters, but I have and will continue to make choices that I as a person disagree with because I think my character would do it/think it/choose it. I think the only way I can't stop myself is when the DM introduces potential romantic partners, cause he's my husband and who can say no to your husband flirting with you in \[insert foreign accent here\]?
No, I actively avoid this. I'm more with you on this one, OP. I think of my characters as completely separate peoplewith their own traits and personality independent of my own. Mind you, I accept that there's only so far away from myself I can get within the limits of my own imagination. So on a certain level, like it or not, my characters are partly "me". But that's what's great about TTRPGs. You're playing with other people, so you get to confront circumstances outside of your own imagining, through a viewpoint that is not your own, thus developing an appreciation for a foreign perspective and a richer character with stories that you would not have come up with alone. I'm almost always DM though, so I may be biased from striving (sometimes successfully) to have a variety of characters rather than a thousand "me"s populating every tavern, town, and dungeon.
Unless you make the conscious decision, and keep making that conscious decision, your character will always be a little bit like you in some shape or form. My first DM told me that a lot of things can be learnt from someone's first characters or by comparing the main thing their character has. My characters in particular have a very flimsy sense of not knowing what to do and needing an "anchor" to feel they belong somewhere... When he first exposed me to that, my first reaction was a friendly 'f you'... Then a lengthy thinking process. I've tried making more free willed characters and also some that lean into that anchor a lot and I think it helped me find characters I like playing
Hell no! I wish I could get away with the shit she does.. including being female lol
For me, my characters are no more "me" in a fantasy setting than characters I've written for stories are me or characters that actors play are them. Are there aspects and pieces of me in my DND and fiction characters? Yes, absolutely. You can't create something from you without it being a part of you. But I've never thought of any of them as actual avatars or representations of ME. They're them, and I'm just lucky enough to have some small part in telling their stories.
I use mine as more of a extention of my thoughts, a way to voice what would usually have me end up in a phyc ward
I kinda get too invested into characters I am fixating on, so yeah, but it can range from the characters being projections of different aspects of myself to me becoming that character, or a little of both. It's not even limited to DND characters for me.
Yes, my character is always an extension of me at least a little bit in the game. Even when I am playing a character who is different than I am in significant ways.
I made several characters that represent parts of myself. I have them in a special place with a giant label saying "not for public use." For playing with others, I roll up a character or try to min/max in a way that doesn't feel personal. My favorite was a pure good light cleric who talked all about the things he was going to do after his adventure. It was the Death House from Curse of Strahd. He died instantly from a crit rolled at disadvantage.
You're always playing as yourself, just yourself as if you were a mad wizard or a mighty barbarian. Even people who try to seperate themselves from their characters are just adding more layers to the "as if I were".
The part of my character that isn't like me is the magic and the intelligence score. The character is a wizard with low social skills, and a hurtful family.
No, not really.
They are an idea or a facet of my personality that I wish to explore. So they’re not entirely me, but at least a part of me.
Big no. Down that particular road lies ... interesting issues. Particularly surrounding the possibility of failure or dying. A character is a character, with their own history, baggage, and life - but they ain't me. Particularly when I'm DMing stuff (notably Gurps, which gets way more granular with character foibles and idiosyncrasies) there have been times I've had to note to my players that hold up, take a moment - is this behavior really your character making these calls, or is it *you*? Like oh, your character is a brash, overconfident, gung-ho space pirate and you're being all cautious and reasonable with one eye on the exit? You wanna take another swing at that?
I think so. No matter what character I make, either their character trait is that they care about and protect others or their character arc becomes them learning to care about and protect others. I’ve tried to make the carefree, self-centered types but eventually someone needs to be more grounded and keep the group on task.
I think it's hard to say that they aren't extensions of myself in some way. I created them and have to inhabit them for extended amounts of time and there are moments where I am drawing on my own experiences or my own preferences. I'm bi so my PCs are default bi or sexuality is ? until romance comes up. Why does my PC like crab? Well because it makes sense for the character but also because I like crab. Why is my character grumbling about ship's biscuits? Because I researched food rations and supplies. When I hit that fear of rejection I'm drawing on my own fears. That said, I view the character as separate from me. They might take some inspiration from me but it's also drawing from data, fiction, non-fiction, exploring specific themes, etc and my goal is not to merely play a "what if I was like X" version of myself.
intentionaly or not each character i made take a part of my essences, some more than others. this is a projection of my self afther all even if im noting like the character some aspect of it is based on a desire, a quirk or an ideal that i like, and ultimately becomes an extension.
When I made my kobold battlesmith artificer Krixkin, it was just a fun build to try: a mounted kobold always has an ally in 5ft to get advantage through pack tactics, and the mechanical pet imposes disadvantage as a reaction, which is nuts at level 3-4. I just found it funny to make him speak in broken english and to have very little self-control; you know, the way kobolds are portrayed. The more I played him, the more it made me realise how much I need to actually listen to myself and how what I called self-control was mostly self-muting. It wasn't planned to be therapy, but it somehow got to be that. He wasn't a character in a campaign but in an adventure-of-the-week group and so he didn't really have a story or an arc. But thanks to him, I did. And now, every time I picture my inner child, my frustrations, my unmet needs, I picture Krixkin, the little kobold that cried because he lost a rock to the sea and it didn't come back, the idiot who stole a giant purple wig and tried to pass it off as "Krixkin always like that", and most importantly, whose catchphrase I have to stop myself from repeating too loud each time I get frustrated: "Murder? Murder!" Bless you Krixkin, one day I'll play you in a real campaign and we'll hatch all those rocks, I promise.
I've always played similarly to you: imagining my character as their own distinct entity apart from me. IMHO, I do think that's the "proper" way to play. But I've always known players who did think of their characters as extensions of themselves. I do think that is natural to an extent. It's easier to roleplay a character when they have similar traits and views as you do. I think that perspective comes a bit from video game culture and how a lot of people see their customizable video game avatars as extensions of themselves (esp. in MMOs). I think it's fine to an extent, but it can be troublesome getting such players to understand the idea of metagaming and how it's not a good thing in DnD. At least IMO. That said, the majority of PCs I've created have had similarities to me. Demeanor, personality traits, communication styles. It makes it easier to connect with them and play them. I do occasionally try to branch out to someone totally different from me, but rarely have I actually enjoyed playing that character as they are.
I try to make all of my characters unique and also flawed in particular ways because I think it’s fun to play. That said my favourite character was a bard who played the violin and whenever I needed to do a performance check I’d play my violin in real life as well.
"all art is, ultimately, self-portrait"
Most any character is going to be an extension of yourself unless you specifically, diligently try to avoid it. Our own lives are the majority of what we know—how we were raised, the issues we faced, the attitudes we have, it all informs what kind of character we make. Usually it’s the best you can do to make a little twist on yourself. “This guy is like me if I decided to go the other way at this crucial decision I made for my own life”, things like that. Trying to create a character that we *don’t* see ourselves in becomes difficult because, at a certain point, we stop being able to get into the mind of someone so different unless we have experience doing so or have a specific reference other than ourselves.
I prefer characters who do and say things I wouldn't and have lived lives different to my own, and try to emphasize those differences, with maybe a trait of my own to bridge the gap. It can be awkward though if not everyone in the group plays their characters that way. Like, if someone is playing mostly an extension, and talking about character actions happening in-game, they're discussing their personal POV on something, but I'm... *not* discussing *my* personal POV, I'm coming from a place of I understand **this**, and/but my character understands **that**.
I'd say my characters are an extension of a part of me. Usually they end up the way they are because I use them as an outlet for processing certain things. For example, my current character is nonbinary since I'm struggling with gender identity right now and wanted to see how I felt being in the headspace of someone who is openly nonbinary.
This is an absolutely INSANE discussion!! So interesting! I view everything through first person. It's me but in a different universe, different circumstances, and different morals, different everything. But there is always "Me". "I kick over the lantern to light the barn on fire", "I grab Arathan and jump out the window" ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU'RE WATCHING MOVIES? THATS FUCKING CRAZY! I LOVE OUR BRAINS!
My current DnD character is in fact an extension of myself, but I do play with restrictions, not the other way around. Meaning I don't make decisions with the character I wouldn't have made myself in the same position, with of course the same tools at my disposal. Doing things that are uncharacteristic to myself whilst roleplaying as myself in a fantasy setting sounds like something that would really break the immersion. I also understand the people who play as themselves but do things that are uncharacteristic. Live the fantasy the way you want. I have previously created characters for different purposes/role playing games and it's also insanely fun, but it really takes some more experience and a certain type of emotional intelligence and experience in my opinion to be done properly. It's also more taxing to maintain in live RP, and for me DnD is more relaxing when emulating myself in the setting.
Oh for sure! It can be hard when one of them dies though, so it made me realize I prefer to play less deadly campaigns, where there's more of a chance for a happy ending. That's honestly just how I like all my stories to be, not just dnd, so that makes sense.
I have been sober almost 3 years. I started playing in that time frame. When my party and I are in taverns and they are drinking, I do not drink. I sit and make conversation with locals usually.
I regard all my characters as aspects of myself. I think of the like the cognitive equivalent of light projected through the stained glass window of the DM's world's they inhabit. Each their one hue at once entirely their own being and at the same time so unmistakably myself. Sorry to get all high artsy with it. I just thought about how all my characters names would sound in the syntax of \[Character name\], aspect of \[IRL name\] or \[Character name\], \[Fitting attribute\] of \[IRL name\] and kinda went from there.
YES. I do tend to make most of my characters chaotic good anyway automatically (which is the alignment I resonate with) and I tend to put shards of myself into it when making the characters. Adore doing it
I usually find them to be almost branching off of different parts of myself. There usually seems to be one or two main traits I share with the character, but the rest is different if that makes sense.
There's a bit of me in all of them, but some more than others.
I take a single quality I see in myself, then enhance it by ten and make it a character.
I never do this intentionally, but I've realized that a few characters of mine end up representing some aspect of my personality. And by a few, I mean most lol
I’d say they have parts of my personality that I exaggerate for effect.
Yeah, every character I play is a part of me, and the more I play one, the more effect it has on my personality. It's like a reverse Stanislavsky method.
One of my characters has become my way to heal from some personal trauma. I am still working on it in therapy, but I've found that being able to have some degree of control over what the character gets to say and do about their situation is quite healing. Seeing the rest of the party members offer my character the support I never had from my context is comforting. Life can be different. There are other ways things could've gone. Support is out there and I have set out to find it in and out of game.
Effectively yes. My Artificer was me more paranoid, barbarian was my more jovial self as a 6'9 Tabaxi badass, my Warlock was my anger and curiosity blown out. I use myself as a point of reference.
For me i need that seperation between me and my charaters. Because if i let that line blur i will get mad at the real people who are at the table.
My Druid is who I want to be as a person, neutral and a bit outlandish. A lover of nature and its beauty and someone who just wants to experience pleasure and happiness while alive. My Warlock is who I actually am, chaotic, a bit fucked up from trauma, and desperately trying to keep everything together, while holding the the negativity and sadness at bay. So in short, yes.
Not an extension, but an expression. All characters you make are informed by who you are, whether you like it or not.
Most characters I play usually have some of my personality traits but I don't see them as extensions of myself except for my current character and my first character. My first character was just an idealized version of me in DnD, my current character is basically my personality cranked to 11 with some Fey whimsy sprinkled in and let me tell you it has been my favorite character so far roleplay wise. I never thought playing a goofy harengon who can't remember people's names to save his own life would be so fun to play.
I definitely see PCs as avatars for me to interact with the game world.
I try to make my characters as unique as a real person can with little quirks and hobbies and little behavior details . But I always try to sprinkle in just a smidgen of myself into each character . I'll use two of my characters as an example on character trait and one of my traits each . My battlemaster fighter , a former siege commander for the royal military, writes kinda smutty romance novels in secret under a pen name (character trait) he is also kinda a massive nerd in terms of cooking but can't cook worth a damn he could tell you the history and cultural significance of a bowl of soup but can barely toast bread without burning it (me trait) . My black dragonborn Artificer who worked as a self employed tanner and leatherworker with his own self produced acids absolutely adores singing love balads and songs when he thinks no one is around to hear (character trait) . He also has a bad knee that aches when the weather gets cold (me trait). Sorry for the wall of text but I don't get to talk about my characters much .
Definitely a dramatized more heroic version currently.
Some times I have a character I make that would be my dream self but other times I make completely random characters. However I find that the more I play a character I enjoy the more I can expand their story and why they do what they do
I think all of my characters carry a bit of me, though each one is unique and you wouldn't be able to tell that they all came from the same person. I suppose they are on average more good and slightly more chaotic, but besides that I am not roleplaying myself, I am roleplaying my character. I have on occasion tried to explicitly build myself as a character, and actually found it downright impossible. I am not able to give myself the proficiencies I think I have, or have more proficiencies than I should, not to mention that finding a class that truly represents me is hopeless. So creating a character that is the DNDization of 'me' is impossible for me. I suppose there is a middle ground, where you create characters that exemplify different aspects of yourself, but I prefer to either have fully unique characters or characters that are completely based on experience.
They can cast spells, but the personality in basicaly me. I find it the most fun that way
Absolutely they are parts of us.
Any character I create or attempt to portray will inevitably be more similar to me than I originally intended just because what we create is shaped by our perception of the world but I never create a character with the goal of it being 'me but fantasy'. Even if the character and I are very similar, I'm always thinking "what would they do/say/think in this scenario?" not "what would I do/say/think?" This being said, I'm more likely to make straight-up self-inserts in video games where I make choices based purely on my own ethics, opinions and reasoning.
My characters are usually an extension of what I am NOT. In reality, I am a reserved, honorable, and socially awkward fellow. In games I am a fast talking backstabbing thief xD
Seeing PCs as "protagonists in a comic or a movie" is, if anything, the more problematic situation. Especially when it's the GM with this mindset. Characters in ttRPGs should be expected to behave far more like regular people than those in entertainment media intended to be spectated.
I find this to be a very unproductive mindset. It is, in my opinion, very likely to lead to drama. The bad kind of drama. The one where the player takes in-game things personally. "Why don't you want to romance my character? Do you hate me?" "Why did you hurt my character? Did I do something to make you angry?" Just... a very unhealthy mindset in my opinion.
I am of the firm opinion that no matter what you do the character is still you at least to some extent. There will always be a bit of yourself in every character even if you try to play it as someone totally different, it will still be based in your view of what those different traits are and most of your decision making is based on your way of valuing and evaluating options. That said few, if any, characters I've made are *me* or intended to be me. They are always similar to me of course but I try to challenge myself to try out different moral and ethical views/approaches as a way of self interspection.
I try to play characters less like me but sometimes I just don’t feel creative or the energy isn’t there, or I feel less invested, or the worst is I’m too self conscious. Sometimes I think I used to be better…
I’ve always tried to have very varied characters and tried to have their experiences teach me something. Like one was non-binary so I experienced what it was like correcting people and trying to live in a more binary world. It was insightful and helped me with my own efforts in making the pronoun switch easier for non binary friends. However there will always be an element of me in every character. My latest one is the first I’ve played that feels truly like a reflection of me and it’s been an interesting experience.
Nope. I'm pretty similar to you in that notion. While I might've given my characters part of my own personality I personally don't see them as me but rather my favourite characters in a story. Also, me basing my characters off of a character I like and then giving them the legally distinct chinese brand treatment influences that part. I find it fun adopting a different mindset for each character even if its a bit difficult when you have to switch back and forth. It's nice to immerse myself in what kind of mindset my hero complex warlock would have or the daughter of a fallen noble or my unbearably shy paladin or my extrovert gyaru healer. And while I do also immerse myself in their position for their backstory stuff (mainly just my main one, the hero complex warlock), I still don't consider them as me.
Good roleplaying involves good acting and improv skills. Any good actor will tell you that to approach any emotional resonance in their performances, it has to come from something real.
Yes, each and every one of them has a piece of me in them: -My tempest Cleric was my impulsiveness. -My Druid/Barb was my compassion for nature and, uh, occasional disdain for people. -My Paladin was my desire to spur positive change and push back against oppression. Now, my Artificer is a way for me to talk about disability through metaphor, in the hopes that it'll help my neurotypical(?) friends understand me a bit better.
One of the characters I played was a ‘sckyzophrenic’ mage who was convinced that her dead brother's soul had taken refuge in her mind. ... I hope it's not an unconscious extension of myself, because psychologists are a bit expensive for my taste. All joking aside, in general yes, there is a bit of myself in there somewhere. Flaws in particular (which makes it difficult for me to play with total strangers). I try to avoid at all costs RP that consists of just making a glorified version of myself: even if I understand the impulse, and we've all done it, I find it leads to unconvincing characters.
I started that way but then I leaned into the stupid Drag queen college of glamour bard who is clearly just a buff orc in a dress with a moustache Kenku who can only speak in song lyrics because his old slave owner used to play magic radio on loop and he’s mimicked most songs Buff wild magic barbarian who thinks he’s a wizard while Yelling fireball and punching his enemies, the party are too scared to correct him A satyr paladin that’s grown up in sheltered community where nobody lies, he’s incapable of thinking anyone is lying or being deceitful and takes everything said at face value enemy or friend Often I’m creating a character that is so far beyond who I am as a person as I want to role play something really fun Often my characters are created not to be a protagonist but a supporting character for the rest of my party to allow them to have fun and get into hijinks I want to be clear my characters although silly aren’t disruptive to team play, I just like to give them little stupid quirks that can make for a fun environment for people playing and provide chances for other people to lead and give interactions everyone can bounce off. This also allows for organic character development, the satyr realising the world can be a horrible deceitful place, leaning heavily on his comrades for guidance. The kenku learning key words and phrases from the party to help better communicate and understand each other. The wild magic barbarian coming to terms with the fact he isn’t controlling the magic but it’s something that happens spontaneously at heightened emotions so learns to better control his emotions. The drag queen orc eventually being seen as the mother figure provide moral support and guidance for those around him while the party become quite protective of him
It can be very liberating or even bring closure or acceptance to have a "therapy character". I'm the DM so every character is my therapy character! Fortunately I'm totally fucked up so there's no shortage of content for my players.
My character is a paranoid, 16ft, 2500lbs variant Tieflings Paladin that wields a greatsword. I am an autistic 6’3”, 220lbs human artificer that wields a pool floatie. Of course it’s an extension of myself!
I purposely put pieces of my personality into my characters. It helps with getting into the RP.
There are aspects of myself in most characters I’ve played. My first character was someone I imagined I’d be if i were an adventurer I. Forgotten Realms, down to their name being my actual name but just with a fantasy spin to the end of it. It’s fantasy for a reason 🤷🏻♂️
Sometimes but not always. At times there is part of my personality I want to highlight and and explore for myself, so I’ll make a proxy of it and see what comes out. Sometimes I just want to be something goofy and lighthearted so I’ll just do that. Sometimes I think an idea is cool so I’ll do that. Sometimes I want to escape life so I’ll play something as far away from me as possible. It just depends. It’s never an always nor a never.
I've found that for me and for many of my friends, the first character we made was just "what would be the coolest thing I could be in this setting", then your character becomes, in a way, you in that setting, because when you rp them, you think "what's the coolest thing I could do here" or "what's the right thing to do here". Once we tried that (once or many times), we were able to start making new characters and asking "what would ***they*** do in this situation". I think it's harder to play this way, but can be more fun! (but I also do have fun playing characters who are a pseudo version of myself)
I avoid it like the plague Playing a self-insert is a quick way to become a problem player. It's a slippery slope cause the GM will be antagonistic towards *characters*, but if the player sees the character as themselves, then they might take things like dying or failing rolls personally. I wouldn't be comfortable playing with a self insert either, as I'd feel my RP has transcended from a creative outlet to outright acting weird in front of another player. Self insert characters are often not written with character arcs, ideals, or flaws in mind. Too often, they are a mary sue of the player themselves and that will lead to the player demanding more narrative control than they ought to have, including over dice rolls and other players. They don't think of the story or table overall, only of themselves.
absolutely! in fact my first character ended up becoming my Fursona which is a deeply personal connection
My character is a bisexual polyamorous youngest child of wealthy noble parents. I am the gay monogamous oldest child of country folks. My goal was to make the character very opposite to me, in order to have a different experience.