For various reasons, here are five things that every D&D player should try, at least once. Otherwise, you might always wonder.
When it comes to playing D&D, you can try just about anything. That’s part of the joy of it, flexing your creative muscles. And yet, there are some things that just stick out as, well, not quite rites of passage. But things that every D&D player at least thinks about. I’m here to say, sometimes you gotta give that passing fancy a try.
At least once, so you know how it feels.
Play A Human Fighter
The humble Human Fighter is a meme in many D&D circles. And with good reason; the Fighter is one of the oldest classes in D&D, and it’s also in the current rules, designed to be the one with the lowest barrier to entry to a brand new player. Of course, many people look at the Fighter and the overall lack of cool magic powers and other flashy moves (especially now that more people are familiar with D&D and its fantasy-pastiche), and think, ‘well that’s not for me.’
But if you have never played one? You absolutely should. See why the Fighter has endured. Live the meme, be the dream. It can just feel good to have a nice AC, a big pile of hit points, and to have all the Fighting Styles and Feats you could want. Hit it with your sword for a change!
Play A Character Of A Different Gender
Listen, D&D is all about exploring your creativity. And a part of that is your understanding of who you are. This is something DMs are familiar with, as they have to be the entire world. The least you can do is make a character of a different gender from your own, just to see how that changes the way you play.
You might wonder if it changes anything about the way you play. Do you feel like you have more or less permission to do or be a certain way? Get in touch with that shared root of humanity we all have and see what it does for the next character you make.
Min/Max OR Don’t Min/Max, Depending On Your Normal Mode
D&D and min/maxing have gone hand in hand since the early days. As that old Civilization quote goes, ‘player will optimize the fun out of anything if given a chance.’ But also sometimes it’s fun to optimize. You probably know by now how you usually approach a character. You should seriously consider doing the opposuite for your next character, just to get a feel for it.
Do you agonize over the math, looking for abilities that have the greatest possible mechanical impact, because to choose otherwise is to deliberately hamstring yourself? Hey, consider taking a break from that with your next character. See what happens if you quiet the math part of your brain. And for those of you out there who just go by vibes, give yourself the challenge of seeing just how far you can push a character. Watch what happens when you start numerically piling on the bonuses and are the busted one in the group for once. It might not change your core identity, but it can help give some perspective to see how the other half lives.
Be An Edgelord
You’ve thought about it. Don’t worry. We all have. Everyone’s seen the list of Tiefling names that includes things like “Wrath” or “Sorrow.” We’ve all wondered what it would be like to be a Warlock who was forced into a dark bargain in order to escape an even more dire situation.
Sometimes, you gotta smear on the eyeliner a little thick and brood. Again, it’s all about getting perspective. The idea of being a little bit of a edgelord (without making your current group hate you) wouldn’t be appealing if there wasn’t something to be gleaned from it.
Play A Different RPG
You’d be surprised at what you can learn from playing a game that isn’t D&D. Kind of like how Ballet and Football have some surprising crossovers, playing a game other than D&D can often teach you something surprising. From better worldbuilding to being a better GM, or even just getting a taste of new ways to think about making a character, you can learn a lot from games outside of D&D’s particular idiom.
How many of these have YOU tried?
Don’t Miss:
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
