Worst Player Character Tropes

Hello Adventurer,

Welcome to Contact Other Player! Today, we will cover my least favorite Dungeons and Dragons player character (AKA PC) tropes. This is my personal opinion!!! We will cover three types of D&D characters that I believe often fall short in combat or role-playing situations due to their lack of backstory or specific mechanical choices. I will also recommend a few ways to make your character more narratively interesting and fun for those who want to try these types of characters out!

“Millicent, I don’t understand. What is a character trope?”

Why, dear Adventurer, I am so glad you asked. A character trope is when, during character creation, someone uses recognizable elements to create a character. Some elements can be the character’s personality, motivations, or their role in the story. Common character tropes in media are jerks with hearts of gold, the lone heroes, and the damsels in distress. These characters can be in different settings and stories while still having the same characteristics.  

The brainless barbarian is a strong warrior and can deal large amounts of damage and take it in turn. They live for the thrill of the fight and want to fight 24/7. Yet when the party is not in combat, these characters sometimes have a difficult time role-playing. Often, they lack likes, dislikes, and motivation outside of the battlefield.

A quick way to change your brainless barbarian from two-dimensional and give them depth is to give them likes and dislikes. Does your barbarian love to collect shark-themed items and trinkets? Does your barbarian have a favorite color and refuse to buy anything that does not match? Is your barbarian searching for someone to teach them weaving or jewelry smithing so they can create something for a loved one?

Give your Brainless Barbarian goals and things they want to accomplish, allowing the party and the players to see them in a different light outside of the battlefield. This can lead to stronger party bonds and a more interesting player character. 

Have you ever wanted to be in all dark corners, listening for secrets, and use stealth to avoid your enemies? That is fine, BUT that is not what this trope focuses on. The dark, mysterious character is welcomed, if not encouraged, in most D&D games (depending on setting and tone!). However, sometimes these characters are “Lone Wolves”. They act and believe that they do not need help from anyone ever, and that is their downfall. Dungeons and Dragons is a team-focused game that relies on groups of humanoids coming together to fight a common enemy. 

If you wanted to be a lone wolf, why are you traveling with people now? Why take the time to help others? To make friends? A character can have been a lone wolf in the past; however, to be a member of a party breaks all of those rules. Your character needs to build bonds and create lasting relationships.

Focus on having your Player Character work to build the bridges that make lasting relationships. Maybe they realize they need help completing a goal, or they want to make friends? Lean into roleplay and try to build meaningful connections with the other player’s characters at your table. It makes great character arcs and helps cement your player character in the story and the party. 

Last, but certainly not least, we have “The Chosen One.” This is, personally, one of my least favorite character tropes. This player character is convinced that everything revolves around them and that they are the answer to every problem. Superiority complexes are common in these characters because they often view their party members as their backup rather than their allies. They often push themselves to the front of role-playing citations and try to upstage their allies during pivotal role-play moments. 

Chosen Ones can be interesting characters if handled correctly. When creating your character, creating contradictions in your character and their quest can create fun conflict. Do you have a cleric who needs to get a religious artifact from a dungeon filled with zombies, but their god promotes non-violence? Or what about a young and sheltered Bard who has unheard of skill and is trying to write an epic song to become cemented in history, but has never seen true combat? Another example is a paladin who was raised to believe the world was a dangerous place, who falls in love with nature, and their party becomes a found family? Creating chances for tension and contradiction can make a “Chosen One” character more open to growth and change!

It is important to remember that Dungeons and Dragons, like a majority of all TTRPGs, are group activities that can not function with only one person (unless you are doing a session 0!) Your PC can believe that they have a set goal in life and a set path while also letting others step into the spotlight. Remember to be kind to your party because they are your allies, and you will not get far without them! 

Please share Contact Other Player with friends and table members, and see you next week!

May all your attacks hit and checks pass the DC!
Best,
Millicent