D&D General Do Your Human Characters Match Your Ethnicity (etc)?

[the Jester]

I am just curious about this one- obviously also inspired by the current conversations. Do your human pcs tend to look like you? Do they usually match your ethnicity, sex, gender, and sexual preference? How often do you play characters who don't? Feel free to include non-D&D human characters in your discussion.

This question is specifically about human pcs, since non-humans are a different ball of wax entirely.

Speaking for myself, I strive to have about half of my pcs be male and about half be female. I've also had one Mage character who was a transman and one D&D character who used magic to flip between male and female constantly (I guess you'd call that one genderfluid). While most of my pcs are heterosexual, I've definitely had a few that aren't, but not too many.

My only current pc (I'm almost always a DM) is a black human female (I'm a white male). The other (human) characters I have played in the last few years are the following:

From a supers game- the Human Frack, a black male
From a Savage Worlds Deadlands game- a white male and a white female
From Call of Cthulhu- a white male
From Mage- the aforementioned white transman and a white male
From 3e D&D- a black female alienist (arguably not really human anymore), a swarthy human male (southern Italian/Mediterranean level of brown)

What about you guys?

 

[Krachek]

Being white male, I have done
humam male Haitian type,
also Italian accent,
and I try Russian accent, but not sure it was human, maybe dwarf.

I have seen from my partners an arabic type.
i have seen playing the opposite gender but more often with another race.

 

[DND_Reborn]

About 50/50. Sometimes they match, about half the time something is different.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I’ve rarely played humans, but my most current PC is a white 16 year old femme mechanic, and my older human PC was a white dude.

 

[billd91]

They're generally relatively close - which is why I've never really had a problem understanding how inclusive and positive representation in art and other content has long been an issue for women and other minority groups whether racial, ethnic, or gender/orientation.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Almost never as an Asian male, and I rarely play Humans either.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Most of the settings I play in don't have an ethnicity that matches mine, or most people's really... so the question that serves as the title of the thread is a bit inaccurate.

Do your human pcs tend to look like you? I was going to say that I had one character that the look of was meant to be similar to me, but I remembered last second that character was actually a dwarf so it doesn't count.

Do they usually match your ethnicity... Only when the setting of the game is "Earth, but different." And even then, not with a frequency worth noting.

...sex, gender, and sexual preference? My character's genitalia has never been a significant part of how I envision the character. Usually will assume the character is male because I haven't said anything to contradict that belief, and that's fine with me because my own identity doesn't factor gender so I just go with however people perceive me - and that works for my character too.

Sexual preference is another thing which isn't a significant part of how I envision a character, and basically is never relevant to game play. Generally speaking, though, my characters match my proclivities should such an event that it's relevant come up . Which are wide-open romantically, but rather particular when it comes to physical acts.

How often do you play characters who don't? I GM way more than I play, so I am so much more frequently playing out the role of a person nothing at all like myself - even among human characters - that to respond to this question with a simple "Always" wouldn't be statistically inaccurate.

 

[jayoungr]

I try to mix it up. When I'm at a con, though, I usually pick a character that matches my own gender, because otherwise people at the table are going to get it wrong.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Do your human pcs tend to look like you? I was going to say that I had one character that the look of was meant to be similar to me, but I remembered last second that character was actually a dwarf so it doesn't count.

To be clear, you're saying that you're NOT a dwarf?

 

[Flamestrike]

• Elof Tanthul - Shadowvar (Half elf) of Netherese descent, Shadow Sorcerer/ Hexblade
• Malifice Flamestrike - Tethyrian human Vengeance Paladin of Bane
• Valas D'Viir - Half Drow (Sun Elf great grandparent, on my Illuskan human fathers side, Drow on my mother Vicona D'viir's side) Ancients Paladin/ Swords Bard of Eistraee
• Melegaunt - Halruuan human Wizard
• Tie-Jian - Shou human Monk
• G'lwiv Oncedark - Tiefling (Grazzt blood - black skin and 6 fingered hands) (Fiend) Warlock (Blade)

All males though and all heterosexual (barring the G'razzt Warlock; he sexually identifies as 'hedonist'). Ages are all in (or appearing to be in for the half elves and tiefling) their early 20's.

I only ever play humans (mainly) and elves and half-elves. Other races are a total rarity.

For reference, I'm a male, 'white', Australian, hetero, and in my mid 40's.