What Makes DnD Fun For You?

[JA_Reave]

Mechanically, its imagining a character, and then building that character within the system to be able to do exactly what I think he should be able to do. (Sometimes, advancement can get in the way of that.)

This is a little vague. Could you guys post what you mean by that?

I am keen to hear how you look at this.

JAR

 

[SlagMortar]

This is a little vague. Could you guys post what you mean by that?

I'm not them, so they'll probably have more input, but I like doing things along similar lines.

For one darker campaign, I started with wanting a warrior-type. Decided he would be the kind of guy to say, "Stay back. Nobody get in my way" so he would use a reach weapon. I wanted him to be tough as nails and a brawler. His role was essentially mafia body guard. He was the muscle while the gnome bard was the face and the brains. So I started looking around and went with Monk 2 / Fighter 6 / Dwarven Defender 2.

He had lots of different options. He was a tactical fighter with expertise and improved trip, had a little ranged capability with point blank shot and rapid shot and shurikens for anyone that refused to bring the fight time him, improved unarmed strike and improved grapple for the brawling, combat reflexes so in a brawl he could hit you before you hit him even if you thought you were punching first.

 

[Dragon Snack]

That's pretty close to what I meant by it...

It's tough to give a quick example of what I mean, but it's usually wanting to do something a little out of the ordinary. Sometimes it's a re-imagining of an archtype (a "holy warrior" who is a Rogue, not a Paladin or Cleric), other times it's a specific niche I want to fill (a Sorcerer who relies more on alchemical items than his/her spells). Then I have to figure out how to use the rules to accomplish that effectively.

 

[Kestrel]

Agree with Phindar.

In gameplay however, my favorite part is scouring my character sheet between actions and trying to find some original way to fight the bad guy. Either by spell, wierd action, or gear used in an interesting way. Standing still and whacking a bad guy with a super combo makes me want to snore.

 

[phindar]

This is a little vague. Could you guys post what you mean by that?

Well, I can try. For me, its not about coming up with the most efficient ability combo. These can be fun to make and play once, but they're not as much fun for me to play over the course of a campaign.

What I like to do is start out with a concept, and then build that concept mechanically so that in the system, it can do all the things I think it should be able to do, building the character as true to the concept as possible. Because on the one hand, you build your character thematically like a character in a book or a movie, and on the other hand, you have to build the character mechanically in the system. What I'm going for is a perfect as possible marriage of thematics and mechanics.

Whether its a film noir pulp detective type built as a paladin, or my old AE magister who was a fantasy version of a Wild West gunslinger, I want my characters to mechanically embody the concept that inspired them.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Making characters, most definitely. I've always been most fascinated in characters and character development, whether it be in books, movies (Hannibal Lecter from Silence Of The Lambs is my favorite character of all time; I even have a character that was inspired by him - I can spend hours ranting on how Anthony Hopkins nailed the role), or D&D. Every character has a different story to tell, and a different role to fill.

And let me tell you, NOTHING feels better than knowing that your character is an invaluable part of the party. I love it when the barbarian can't break the door, the wizard can't blast it away, the cleric isn't doing a thing, and my little rogue walks up and calmly picks the lock. High fives ensue.

But I hate it when other people's characters end up like this - he has long, flowing hair; he's handsome, strong, and heroic; AND he has a DARK AND MYSTERIOUS PAST!!! Wow, I have NOT heard that before. Is it just me, or do way too many characters seem to look like Fabio with a DARK AND MYSTERIOUS PAST? Wow, can you say archetypal? Every character should have an RPD - Required Personal Defect. Don't be afraid to make an ugly, greedy, or cowardly character - they can be fun to play!

 

[silentspace]

For me, it's crushing my enemies, seeing them driven before me, and hearing the lamentations of their women.