I thought it would be helpful to add a home for our Creative Dungeons and Dragons Characters since they have become a hit. Unless otherwise noted, I use a random character generator I built using Microsoft Excel (yes, really). I use primarily the 5th edition Player’s Handbook but I will occasionally use other resource materials. However, I do try to stick to official D&D products. I rarely, if ever, will use DMs Guild products. There is nothing wrong with using those products in your game. It just defeats my singular goal of the Creative D&D Characters column: to show that you don’t have to have a lot of obscure content to create a unique and interesting character.
The Characters
Click the text to read the article. Additionally, each post should have an attribution to the original artist. If you see one missing please let me know.
The Generator, Explained
As I have stated, everything is auto-generated within the parameters of the Player’s Handbook. What I mean by that is a dragonborn will have ability scores adjusted for racial bonuses and his/her height and weight will be somewhere within the parameters of the typical dragonborn. Personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws are dependent upon the randomly selected background. The character class has no influence on chosen background and I try to explain any incongruence via the character’s backstory. So you may find a fighter with a charlatan background or a paladin who spent his youth as an urchin. Alignment is independent from everything else as well. Some may argue against this since a lawful dwarf or good half-orc is improbable but I think it works. For me, that keeps things interesting and slightly more challenging.
Please note, I will sometimes make an adjustment if something seems too unlikely. A chaotic evil character is not likely to have “our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others” as an ideal.
You may use these as PCs, NPCs, or even if create fanart for them. Hit me up at patrick@nonzerosumgames.com if you have questions, feedback, or would like to offer a fanart submission for a potential feature for current or future Creative Dungeons and Dragons Characters. But most of all, have fun with them even if you only read their backstories.
