How do you make the Fighters role more interesting?

[LegionError121]

Hi peeps I'd like to ask as to how you make yourself stand out more as a Fighter

In my tuesday games, I play a 5e Fighter called "Human" who is a Human fighter with the Champion archetype
The other players for the most part use Magic and will spend a good 10 minutes talking about what a single one of them is going to do
When it comes to my turn, I roll a dice, if it hits, I roll the damage and then I wait another 40 minutes
So, I'd like to add a bit of Fluff/Description without trying to sound like an edgey edge lord

Please take into consideration that I've recently swapped over to being a 2 Hander with the Greatsword and that my character has a background as a Soldier who served in an Orc army Frankly, the DM says I should express my character a bit more but with every session consisting of almost 4 hour long combat sessions with small breaks, this is VERY hard to do

Edit:
To describe my character a bit more I'd say Human:
Is someone who cares almost patriotically about her Duty as a Soldier and the Mission
Is someone who is very serious and would kill deserters and try to keep things on track
Is Very Buff considering her 5'2 stature
isn't afraid to face death as she is a worshipper of One Eye

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

In a game so focused on combat, that does complicate things. There’s nothing wrong with adding descriptive flair to your character’s actions. Instead of just rolling to hit and to damage, you could say something like. “My character hefts her greatsword up to swing, singing an orcish battle song,” and then roll. Or if you have to make a check, say to open a gate, start relating an anecdote about this one time, in the army…

Another thing you could do is, if your other players are into roleplaying their characters, is just start talking to them in character. Role-playing opportunities don’t all need the DM to start them.

I wouldn’t worry about coming across as an edgelord. Getting your RP on requires a degree of obliviousness to embarrassment.

A distinctive speaking voice for the character could also help…my brother has a PC that speaks in a French accent, and people certainly remember that. Not that you necessarily have to go that far with your character voice. Even just speaking a little more brusquely, clipping your words just a hair, could help bring your character to life.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Hi peeps I'd like to ask as to how you make yourself stand out more as a Fighter

In my tuesday games, I play a 5e Fighter

Well, there's your problem, you're playing D&D! ;P
D&D fighters don't stand out. Except as targets: they're there to take damage instead of the characters who are important to the party's success (and aren't even very good at it, for the most part).

Normally, at this point, I'd shill 13th Age, but even 13A's fighter is a disappointing non-entity (though it is a little better at being a damage magnet).

called "Human" who is a Human fighter with the Champion archetype

...wow, glutton for punishment. The Champion archetyhpe is the least-interesting D&D Fighter this millennium. /By design/, as a feature. It's specifically for players who want to avoid any risk of being interesting, even in combat, as well as to avoid having anything to do outside of it.

The other players for the most part use Magic and will spend a good 10 minutes talking about what a single one of them is going to do
When it comes to my turn, I roll a dice, if it hits, I roll the damage and then I wait another 40 minutes

Of course, you already mentioned it was D&D, so that's prettymuch a given.

So, I'd like to add a bit of Fluff/Description without trying to sound like an edgey edge lord

Since this is the general RPG forum, I feel free to say 'just play a game that sucks differently from D&D,' one where interesting character concepts get to be interesting, even if they don't happen to include spellcasting.

 

[LegionError121]

Well, there's your problem, you're playing D&D! ;P
D&D fighters don't stand out. Except as targets: they're there to take damage instead of the characters who are important to the party's success (and aren't even very good at it, for the most part).

Normally, at this point, I'd shill 13th Age, but even 13A's fighter is a disappointing non-entity (though it is a little better at being a damage magnet).

...wow, glutton for punishment. The Champion archetyhpe is the least-interesting D&D Fighter this millennium. /By design/, as a feature. It's specifically for players who want to avoid any risk of being interesting, even in combat, as well as to avoid having anything to do outside of it.

Of course, you already mentioned it was D&D, so that's prettymuch a given.

Since this is the general RPG forum, I feel free to say 'just play a game that sucks differently from D&D,' one where interesting character concepts get to be interesting, even if they don't happen to include spellcasting.

Human is very much a Damage dealer and a Damage magnet Our DM decided to "personalize loot" and Human has quite a bit about her that makes her kind of like an Orc and maybe better She can Speak Orc, can Intimidate Orcs, she can ADD STRENGTH TO EVERY ROLL IF SHE CRITS and can REFUSE TO DIE by stopping at 1 hp per long rest So in a way, she's kind of like a less reliable Barberian who can deal potentially MORE DAMAGE so long as she uses a Greatsword for the extra dice rolls

So I guess all I need to do is make her more "Intense" and push her True Neutral alignment into the Chaotic Neutral line of things

As for changing games No My choices are "Magic the Gathering" or "D&D 5e" and I don't want to even touch the prior

 

[LegionError121]

In a game so focused on combat, that does complicate things. There’s nothing wrong with adding descriptive flair to your character’s actions. Instead of just rolling to hit and to damage, you could say something like. “My character hefts her greatsword up to swing, singing an orcish battle song,” and then roll. Or if you have to make a check, say to open a gate, start relating an anecdote about this one time, in the army…

Another thing you could do is, if your other players are into roleplaying their characters, is just start talking to them in character. Role-playing opportunities don’t all need the DM to start them.

I wouldn’t worry about coming across as an edgelord. Getting your RP on requires a degree of obliviousness to embarrassment.

A distinctive speaking voice for the character could also help…my brother has a PC that speaks in a French accent, and people certainly remember that. Not that you necessarily have to go that far with your character voice. Even just speaking a little more brusquely, clipping your words just a hair, could help bring your character to life.

I think I'll be going with "quiet to loud and clear" As to what descriptive things I could say . . . have you got any more suggestions? I'd like to sometimes go into detail whilst other times keeping it a bit more brief so that people don't find me as tedious

 

[Bill Reich]

Making a Fighter More Interesting

Did you just develop this desire or did you already have it when you named your character? I have some people in my campaigns who give their character awful names but "Human" stands out. Or are you called Human because everyone else around you was a non-human? If that is the case, you could talk to your companions about various issues you have with the non-humans you hang out with.
I haven't played D&D since first-edition but having an interesting and colorful character has very little to do with character class. My last fighter in the system was trying to marry a rich woman because his father had lost the family's money gambling.
My friend Andy runs a game where you can't have a conversation because "here comes ten ogres" so you couldn't do much in that kind of game. I don't play in his game but the people who do enjoy it. If your GM doesn't give you room to roleplay, find another game. It is not just the system, unless 5e is a lot more restrictive than 1e.

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https://sites.google.com/site/grreference/home/05-the-black-mountain/at-the-high-point-inn

 

[Tony Vargas]

As for changing games No My choices are "Magic the Gathering" or "D&D 5e" and I don't want to even touch the prior

You certainly wouldn't be able to have a very interesting character in M:tG, either, of course.

So, my condolences.

Maybe play a different class, or at least a BM, next time you roll up a D&D character?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Hrm…I think the best place to start is your character’s history, and how that informs their present day actions. A human soldier that served in an orc army is an interesting hook. Think about how this sort of character would approach a battle, or a challenge. Having trained with orcs, your attacks might be a bit more reckless and savage: “I roar a challenge and swing my greatsword with a wild haymaker strike.” You can also throw in some dialog now and then in response to what’s going on around you. Get attacked by a green dragon’s breath weapon? “Stand strong, team! This is nothing compared to the stink of a hundred orcs after a three day march.”

The whole not fearing death thing also gives plenty of opportunities to taunt opponents…of course, the DM might also take that as a challenge…

I wouldn’t worry too much about being tedious. Most players should be able to handle a sentence or two of someone else role-playing. And if you can involve their characters in what you're doing and your role-playing, all the better. Your soldier might totally try to make a shield wall with an ally, barking orders all around.

I think I'll be going with "quiet to loud and clear" As to what descriptive things I could say . . . have you got any more suggestions? I'd like to sometimes go into detail whilst other times keeping it a bit more brief so that people don't find me as tedious

 

[LegionError121]

Did you just develop this desire or did you already have it when you named your character? I have some people in my campaigns who give their character awful names but "Human" stands out. Or are you called Human because everyone else around you was a non-human? If that is the case, you could talk to your companions about various issues you have with the non-humans you hang out with.
I haven't played D&D since first-edition but having an interesting and colorful character has very little to do with character class. My last fighter in the system was trying to marry a rich woman because his father had lost the family's money gambling.
My friend Andy runs a game where you can't have a conversation because "here comes ten ogres" so you couldn't do much in that kind of game. I don't play in his game but the people who do enjoy it. If your GM doesn't give you room to roleplay, find another game. It is not just the system, unless 5e is a lot more restrictive than 1e.

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https://sites.google.com/site/grreference/home/05-the-black-mountain/at-the-high-point-inn

At first . . . Human seemed to be a safe name to play with.

I'd never played D&D before and this group I was going into is one of those "drop in" types were you don't know anyone and I wanted to play it safe.

I thought "I don't want to learn magic yet so I'll be the indestructable tanky type.

A generic Human" and I'll go chaotic so that I can maybe do some funny stuff.

So I guess you could say that Human started off as some kind of joke.

The thing is though, even though I originally labled her as Chaotic Neutral, another player who played the role of "Drunken Fool Gnome" essentually stepped on all of the non-funny landmines and got kicked out of the group for "letting the DMs original character die by deciding to drink beer and missing spells instead of using his healing magic when his character obviously needed help" and "straight up walking up to the bad guys, reavling our locations, telling them of our plans which we were instructed to keep secret or result going to jail and getting his arse kicked" and "Using his pet badger in combat without asking the DM for permission first" Honestly, whilst I did try to stick up for him, he was kind of an Ass.

Anyway, After my first 2 sessions, I decided that I should develop Human as a character. I tried thinking of other names but "Human" stuck with me so I worked about that. What I eventually came up with is that "Human" grew up in a boring fishing village from across the seas of the main Ebberon continent, as an orphaned child whoose dead parents had a sketchy background she got some help from the villigers but was never really welcome, as time went by, Dwarfs came from over the seas as well as Orcs who travelled in order to stop these invading dwarfs and "Human" got allied with the Orcs where she was trained by them, got the name "Human" (which Ironically gives an identy whilst also dehumanising her) and then they left and refused to take her along with them. Soon enough, she got invited by a noble house to come over seas and work with them and now she is having an internal identity crisis as shes working alongside wizards, barberians, clerics and warlocks who can do a hell of a lot more than her.

The one thing that is clear though and is clearly unfolding is that Human is very committed

I guess all I need are ways to express that

 

[LegionError121]

Hrm…I think the best place to start is your character’s history, and how that informs their present day actions. A human soldier that served in an orc army is an interesting hook. Think about how this sort of character would approach a battle, or a challenge. Having trained with orcs, your attacks might be a bit more reckless and savage: “I roar a challenge and swing my greatsword with a wild haymaker strike.” You can also throw in some dialog now and then in response to what’s going on around you. Get attacked by a green dragon’s breath weapon? “Stand strong, team! This is nothing compared to the stink of a hundred orcs after a three day march.”

The whole not fearing death thing also gives plenty of opportunities to taunt opponents…of course, the DM might also take that as a challenge…

I wouldn’t worry too much about being tedious. Most players should be able to handle a sentence or two of someone else role-playing. And if you can involve their characters in what you're doing and your role-playing, all the better. Your soldier might totally try to make a shield wall with an ally, barking orders all around.

Well I've got most of that figured out As for challenging the DM, I would like to since Human has not been able to use a reaction to strike a passing enemy for 5 weeks now