Turning Character Flaws into Flawless Player's Strength
So there I was, writing an answer to Quora, of what should be the most logical assignment of stats to a barbarian. And in the middle of it, I thought to myself, is playing the most optimal, min-max'y character that interesting? I mean, I get it. I loved playing a fined tuned character at the start of my first Dungeons and Dragons games, but over a couple of years, countless murder-hobo incidents I got over it, I changed. I, as a reformed murder-hobo found something special - I found Flaws. And I found great joy in playing up flaws at my DnD tables over time.
Yes, we all know that flaws make the characters Interesting. BUT, let's try to find some angles here on how to have FUN, playing up these flawed character roles for ourselves. So let's find some ways you could enjoy being a total shmuck while playing an unbalanced mess of a character, not suited for the best damage rolls, but in the long run, getting something more fabulous than that in return.
What do you want to play? - Turn That Upside Down.
Oh, I want to play an intelligent wizard, almost like Gandalf, charming bard like Dandelion, muscle-fantasy Conan the Barbarian...Okay...Let's twist these classical-power-hungry stereotype thoughts into something else. What if the Wizard you are trying to play is a total dunce, the bard is a repulsive performer or a weakling of a fighter character? Come on, It's going to be fun.
You would ask...Why would I do that? Well... I guess that if you want to play something of these archetypes, you wish to experience some of the pre-existing stories that you already saw in movies, games, etc. Maybe this is what you know already. And that is okay, nothing wrong with that. But DnD is about creating stories, and twisting these archetypes is one sure way to create stories, that the table hasn't seen.
For instance, if you want to play an intelligent character, it's because you're probably a smart person. Another great source of pleasure is to find ways of how to be dumb in an intelligent way. Now, this makes all the difference in means of playing the game. Now, you're thinking about your character. Now, by embracing that, you're not the same you, that has spells and wizards cloak on top of your personality. Now you have problems that you need to overcome or create a scenario that is opposed to your initial thoughts of what you know. And that is what makes you smart by playing in this sort of manner. Ladies and gents, believe me, you can be the smartest person in the room by making the most creative and ridiculous dumb decisions that align with kind of character. I think others at the table will value that way more than solving the puzzle as fast as possible, but finding a dumb way to explain the puzzle to other players will stick in other player's minds at the table for a very long time.
Creating Problems to Solve, For Yourself
Playing DnD through the lens of flaws gives your character to strive for something. The same goes for you. If you have a dumb, weak, uncharismatic character, how are YOU going to solve that, how you're going to overcome the challenge ahead of you. It makes your brain do what's not apparent, but to find new ways to approach the problem, which makes you do more brain jiu-jitsu to solve the problem than just casting an intelligently-optimized fireball for your wizardly problems. If you like solving puzzles, I can't find a better way for a player to play a character that is a puzzle that you need to crack it yourself.
Character Flaws Generate Stories
Flaws create problems, and not prioritizing your stats leads to shitty dice rolls, possibly, but failure at crucial moments is what builds drama at the table, which creates more conflict, and that is the fuels our stories at the table. So don't be afraid of making a character that is a bit off in his stats. Any character that has visible flaws will have more engaging and exciting stories in the long run, as opposed to the one that has none of them.
Super optimized characters after a couple of levels can feel as having "God Mode," cheat code and after a while, it just becomes not fun enough, because there is nothing to achieve for the character. Like in video games, after 5 minutes of playing with cheats, you will turn off the "God Mode" and play the game as it was intended. Having this kind of super well-oiled character in DnD will make you try to find another character to build, dancing circles around yourself that go nowhere. It doesn't mean that if you already play that kind of character, you should drop everything and grab a new character sheet. Maybe consider adding more spice to your character personality with growing into some flaws, like being Idealistic, Prideful, Wrathful... Ect.
I Got 99 Flaws But Dead-Parents-Aint-One
As I mentioned above, you should find some unique flaws to get for your character, and it shouldn't only be limited to miss-matching your stats. One of my players decided that he will never do physical labor and that brewed into some unusual RP situations, where I, as a DM, seek to challenge the character's beliefs. Giving your character more than one flaw is excellent, look at yourself right now, I could bet that you have more than one flaw that you posses. Maybe you a bit overbearing, can't stand small talk or don't agree to specific ideas. That's what makes you interesting, so find something that your character has in his personality similarly. Even better challenge your own beliefs through the things you don't accept, maybe you will get some perspective in that?
More Roleplaying, please.
Playing Dungeons and Dragons, we put ourselves in a role. It might be being a tiefling fighter or a rogue spy, but it shouldn't end just by choosing a class. Creating a great character with unique flavor allows you to roleplay more, think in a different way than being yourself. Having these various flaws that are not necessarily welcomed in the real world, but letting yourself explore these subjects in D&D will grant you significant moments for your role. Personally, I'm a risk-averse person, but character Warrek is a Risky rogue, Swashbuckling Tabaxi Pirate/Merchant. I'm thrifty, but Warrek enjoys spending the last coin for a gourmands piece. He is vain, and I don't enjoy vain people. I tend not to make stupid decisions with my life, but look at this - Warrek is buying a ship to get some coin and get wasted on the way on another wild goose chase. And I love it. I love that character. And having the opposite type of character to myself makes all the difference at the table. When I presented with a problem, I start to think about what would Warrek do instead of myself. And that creates more Roleplaying opportunities. Also, he hates water(I know it's cheap since he is a tabaxi). When I made this character, my though was finding the characters flaws first and talking with the people at my table after a while they said that it's my best character. So... Try to be more like Warrek in your own way.
The Juicy Redeeming Qualities
Even though I love Warrek stupid face and his personality, I'm not too fond of the traits individually. During the campaign, and some consequences later, I started to feel what this character is thinking. Warrek just wanted to become a captain of the ship, for shits and giggles. But, after getting that and learning about his men, having some losses on the way, Warrek started to feel a bit less irresponsible, instead of spending coin for fancy food, he began to see the brewing contempt from the crewmates. All these small things started to shape Warrek into a character I have not anticipated beforehand, and It wouldn't be possible if I would not think about the flaws first when I created a new character. After spending more time with a character that is ridden with flaws, after some time, you will see the redeeming qualities of your character's personality that will appear to you. And that long wait to finally see them will be worth even more than flaws in the beginning. Then I think your character becomes truly a heroic type of hero, that overcame his flaws through lessons and tribulations, rather just lucky rolls at the start of the character sheet. And that what makes some characters become flawless in their own right.
I hope you enjoyed this post, comment down what you think, will you try implementing more flaws in your characters or you also have some stories to share. Cheers!
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