While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2011. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.
A catchphrase can certainly add personality to an otherwise dull character. But it can work in reverse as well. If your catchphrase is weak or silly you can make an interesting character seem dull in a hurry.
I’ve heard my share of lame catchphrase at the gaming table. Some of the worst catchphrases I’ve ever heard are nothing more than really bad puns. I don’t think a con goes by where I don’t hear “It’s hammer time!” from the guy playing a Dwarf with a hammer, “Let me axe you a question,” from a PC with a axe, or “I’m giving him the shaft,” from an archer. If you’re going to go to the trouble of actually creating and using a catchphrase please try to be imaginative. I realize that puns or wordplay can get a quick chuckle from the table, but the ones like I’ve described here aren’t funny or original. They’re just lame.
There’s a reason that some of the coolest characters in D&D and fantasy fictions are the strong silent type: saying the wrong thing is often worse than saying nothing at all. So when you decide that your character is going to use a catchphrase, just make sure to it’s something interesting. It can be funny, especially if it’s derived from previous failure or an unexpected success, but don’t bore the table with nothing more than a bad pun. Now you know. “And knowing is half the battle!”