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Published on: 2021-05-09
In my long running D&D 5e campaign I'm playing a Dwarf barbarian named Dragec. I'd say my character sheet is relatively standard high strength, low intelligence, fare. But I really enjoy playing him, and here are a few of my takeaways!
I'll include this disclaimer here: role-playing is a matter of taste! My comments in the rest of this gemlog are my own experiences, they reflect what is interesting to me and what works at my table! I'm not suggesting my play choices are superior or in any way more correct that any others.
From the start I experimented with what it means to play a low intelligence charter. I landed on a couple of characteristics that are fun for me to play and bring amusement to entire table. While playing Dragec I look for opportunities to:
In both cases it's a fun meta-game I play with myself, parallel to the session. And yet it can be enjoyed by everyone. I need to be careful not to steal the limelight or disrupt other's conversations with interrupts that usually do not progress the story / party agenda.
With low intelligence and some corroborating backstory elements I decided to embrace stereotypes about Dwarfs. For instance I always exaggerate party's achievements when retelling them to NPCs (and I never skip an opportunity to do so).
In addition to funny and endearing quirks I also play Dragec as a bigot who is prejudiced against Elves and Orcs. This leads him to some awkward situations with either friendly NPCs or an actual Elf PC that joined us half way into the campaign. It's interesting to play through my character coming to terms with the fact that not all Elves are bad and actually becoming a friend with one. Role-play around this was light up until now, and I'm still looking for ways to explore this further. I'll probably avoid inter party conflict and try to maintain the light tone. It might be interesting to see my character get into trouble for his bad behavior though.
I may be wrong about this, but I think it was Critical Role that popularized the catchphrase "I would like to rage". I dislike this phrase. For me rage is not something my character likes to do. It's not an enjoyable experience for him. It's not something he chooses to do. It's a loss of control. It can lead to him putting himself or others in harm's way. It's also not something that happens automatically whenever we approach a combat encounter.
I usually try to trigger rage only after some provocation, for example enemies going after one of more squishy party members. I don't think just getting into a fight is provocation enough for Dragec to rage. I still need to balance this with my effectiveness in combat. It may take a round for a provocation to occur, and by that time I may have taken a lot of damage without resistance protection rage affords me. I'll see how this develops over time.
I try to describe effects of the rage, like mindless screaming or shouting profanities. Dwarfs are supposed to be foulmouthed, right? It's fun incorporating our homebrewed world's deities into my curses.
Two sessions ago the party was caught in a tight combat encounter and for a while I actually thought I may lose my character. It made me realize how much I enjoy roleplaying him. Stuff I listed here are just some of the things I like about that experience. In the end, for me at least, D&D is not about the rules, it's not about the combat or exploration or social interactions. The most enjoyment I get from our sessions is just embodying this flawed, awesome little dude.