On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From April 19, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Quirks and Memorable Character Traits.
D&D characters are often described by their race, class and weapon selection. This is certainly a good start but without further details it paints a very bland picture. Throw in a theme and a background and now your character is really starting to separate himself from the pack. But is this enough?
In my experience the only reason player choose a background and theme for their character is to gain the mechanical benefits they provide. The fact that they’ve chosen to be from a certain place in the campaign world or that they had a previous occupation before becoming an adventurer rarely come into the role playing. These details that could make the character more interesting only serve to make them better when it comes to rolling the dice.
Rather than choose a background that won’t make a difference to the way the character is played, why not look for a simpler way to make your character unique and memorable. I’m referring to character quirks. These are little details that help your character stand out at the gaming table. They provide absolutely no mechanical benefits or penalties; they’re merely flavour for your character.
The DMG suggests that DMs give each NPC some kind of quirk; a personality trait or something visually unique that will make them more memorable. Some suggested ideas include things like a limp, a funny hat, a tattoo, or bad breath. This is not necessarily something that defines the character in the way that their race and occupation (or class) might, it’s just a detail to make them different from the next NPC you’ll meet. It’s good advice for the DM and it’s good advice for players.
Visual quirks are the easiest to come up with. Examples include battle wounds (battle scars or missing digits, limbs, eyes, ears), distinctive clothing (lavish style, unorthodox colours, inappropriate attire for the situation), extreme beauty or ugliness, or unusual physical features (skin colour, hair colour, large nose, long hair, bald).
Personality quirks or an unusual attitude can also be memorable but may not be readily apparent, especially if you only have a brief interaction with an NPC. Examples include arrogant, lazy, suspicious, brave, liar, pessimist, or curious.
The quirks that I like to have fun with are mannerisms. These are the things that people do; their habits or compulsions. Unusually they have no conscious realization that they’re even doing it which makes it even more memorable. Examples include pacing, nail biting, chews tobacco, taps fingers, hums, whistles, speaking really loudly or softly, nervous twitch, or stuttering.
By giving your character a quirk it gives you a starting point during non-combat situations. It also gives the other players and the DM something to latch on to if they need a way to start a conversation or shift a troublesome conversation towards a new subject. Character quirks like a fear or hatred of something can make for some very interesting role-playing and can spur on in-party teasing and rivalries.
For example, in a recent adventure one of the PCs hated Halflings. It took a few sessions before we learned that his hatred sprouted from an incident in his past where he was swindled by some mischievous little people. He didn’t have a bloodthirsty rage towards them, he just didn’t like them. The DM knew he could make an otherwise straight forward encounter a lot more interesting by making an NPC a Halfling. Likewise if the Halfling in the party could easily manipulate this PC by taking the opposite stand on any issue knowing the hater would automatically disagree.
When giving your character a quirk be mindful of how annoying it might be to the other players. After all, if it’s something the PCs is doing subconsciously he should be doing it regularly. One that is overused and often done poorly is to give the PC a strange accent. When the DM does it to make an NPC memorable or funny, it works mainly because in five minutes you’ll never see or hear from that NPC again. When you do it the group has to listen to your awful attempt at an accent for hours on end.
Others can be annoying if overused, but appropriate if done with moderation. Thinks like a character catchphrase or a stutter when the PC is talking to women he finds attractive certainly have their place. Just don’t overdo it.
If you’re looking for some ideas the 4e DMG has a list of 20 mannerisms and 20 quirks on page 186. The 3.5e DMG has 100 traits on page 128. A great online resource is the thread on the Wizards Forums called 1001 Character Quirks. At last check there were over 1,700 listed.
What are some memorable quirks you’ve give your characters? What are some of the worst you’ve seen or heard?
Related reading:
- Give Your Character Personality
- Your Character’s Psychological Profile
- How a Blind Player Improved Our Game
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2 replies on “Friday Favourite: Quirks and Memorable Character Traits”
Our campaign is full of characters with quirks/flaws. The halfling rogue/monk is wandering off and getting herself or the party in trouble. The neurotic elf fighter rolls percentile dice to determine if something is “cute” and therefore needs to die. The young half-gnoll paladin is naive and easily distracted. The Tiefling wizard is impulsive and an awesome cook. The human monk is aloof, and the human cleric serves Heironeous but is more chaotic himself.
It makes things fun for all of these to pop up in the game. We have accents too. I took Chris Perkins idea of drow having French accents and ran with it. Our half-gnoll paladin player is Mexican and puts Spansih slang in, so Gnolls have a Mexican accent. The Tiefling wizard called his character Razputtin and uses a Russian accent. So when they encounterd some NPC Tieflings, they were Boris, Natasha and Mikhail. They were complaining about the quality of food in the area at the time and how nobody could make chicken stew like their mothers. The party avoided combat and gained some allies by the wizard promising to make them the chicken stew.
I always try to include some character quirks for roleplay purposes. One of my favorites is a forest gnome with a Napoleon complex. I first played him during murder in baulders gate, and during any important interaction he would use minor illusion to make himself seem taller. It also became a running gag that he would use minor illusion like a sketch artist and ask random people “have you seen this man?”
Another example is my current character for encounters: a wild sorcerer. Dissatisfied with the amount of chaos inherant in the wild sorcerer, I decided that any time he is startled, he casts either fire bolt or prestidigitation as a fight or flight mechanism. I actually am working on making a chart to roll on any time it happens. I also enjoy the traits and bonds and the like, and selected that he has a habit of fiddling with and often breaking things, his primary reason for knowing mending.