D&D (2024) 2024 Players Handbook: Personality and Appearance is now part of the Abilities (not background or species) - NEW Alignment decriptions.

[MGibster]

Back in the early 1990s, there used to be a publication, almost a pamphlet, published quarterly called Interface that was all about Cyberpunk 2020. In the second issue, it had an article going over personality traits based on your attributes like Cool and Empathy. A character with a low Cool and Empathy is socially awkward, selfish, and doesn't even understand how to avoid embarrassing themselves. Low Empathy and high Cool was the most common Cyberpunk character, he's got the self-control necessary to get the job done but is selfish and has no problem killing in cold blood. Someone with a high Cool, Empathy, and Attractiveness probably has to beat their admirers away with a stick.

Anyway, I really dig that they're giving players some ideas for how attributes might influence the personalities of their character.

 

[Yaarel]

Sure, I just assumed, because there were lots of threads, that this was "important." I wasn't throwing shade. i was curious if it mattered in an important way. You know, at least as important as the soon to be 1000 post argument about stealth. Again.

My games are emphasize theater of the mind and narrative immersion. My DM style is "narrative adjudication", meaning players interact with the scene narratively, and whether an action "makes sense" or not is the first consideration, with a "Yes, No, or Maybe". Many efforts are autosuccesses because in context, they would obviously work. Dice only roll if the outcome is a "Maybe" that it could go either way.

The "narrative rules" for thinking about and roleplaying a character concept are central. The 2024 Players Handbook guides players thru the process of putting together a roleplay identity in a helpful way.

 

[MGibster]

A DM can grant Inspiration for roleplaying ones alignment in notable way.

I suppose that's true. Still, Alignment is a vestigal organ that pretty much has no mechanical effect these days. Like the personality traits based on attributes, I suppose someone might use it as a role playing aid, but otherwise Alignment is just a vestigial organ.

 

[Yaarel]

I suppose that's true. Still, Alignment is a vestigal organ that pretty much has no mechanical effect these days. Like the personality traits based on attributes, I suppose someone might use it as a role playing aid, but otherwise Alignment is just a vestigial organ.

For me alignment is useful − but I have a clear sense of what the alignments mean. Good and Evil are reasonably self-evident. Lawful means exactly group-oriented. Chaos means exactly individual-oriented. So a Lawful Good character tends to form groups that help groups. A Chaotic Good character tends to help individuals become the best version of oneself, one-on-one.

Heh, so in my eyes, the example of Robin Hood stealing from "the rich" and giving to "the poor" is, in fact, a Lawful Good ethic.

Back in the early 1990s, there used to be a publication, almost a pamphlet, published quarterly called Interface that was all about Cyberpunk 2020. In the second issue, it had an article going over personality traits based on your attributes like Cool and Empathy. A character with a low Cool and Empathy is socially awkward, selfish, and doesn't even understand how to avoid embarrassing themselves. Low Empathy and high Cool was the most common Cyberpunk character, he's got the self-control necessary to get the job done but is selfish and has no problem killing in cold blood. Someone with a high Cool, Empathy, and Attractiveness probably has to beat their admirers away with a stick.

Anyway, I really dig that they're giving players some ideas for how attributes might influence the personalities of their character.

D&D presents "Empathy" via the Insight skill, and "Cool" in the sense of keeping ones cool can be via a high willpower Wisdom save. These can inspire roleplay ideas.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

We could have also had something way better as an rp aide than D&D's weird moralizing vector.

Things you imagine in your head always will be better than things that exist, appeal to nebulous "something better" is a poor argument because it is too generalized and invokes loaded language to make everyone reading imagine their specific something, without you having to commit to what you in particular find to be a better alternative. Your list of general suggestions from previous post is similiarly too broad. So I have to ask - what exectly you in particular, do you think should be on this page?

 

[TiQuinn]

Personality and appearance is now part of your Abilities. The sequence for building a character concept is: class, background, species, and then abilities. Determining your abilities pulls the different sections together. This where the 2024 Players Handbook lightly suggests how to characterize the overall character concept. Personality and visual impression.

View attachment 375076
(Screenshot from @SlyFlourish)

I like the d4 chart for each ability to decide on a trait to help define your character. Nice for when you’re rolling up a character for a one shot or short campaign.