Roleplaying 101: How to embody your D&D character

"Do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part that cringes"

Bonus to giving a character Voice... your GM instantly knowing what is in and out of character.

12:21 “And if they’re dicks, screw them and find a table that deserves you” Ginny always has a way with words 😅

Came for better roleplaying tips, ended up with a Jean Valjean existential crisis of "who am I"

Instructions unclear. Am now noble rogue who has faked his own death in real life.

As a DM, I struggle with being consistent on a voice. It’ll start off one way and then slowly morph into something else. Or my accent goes away or something.

Also, HUGE LESSON: often when you doubt to do with your character, just think, your character has the same doubts and dilemmas. So put all your doubts, feelings lost, being confused in your role.

my voice actor housemate practices talking in character to himaself while he does chores, its a fun thing to witness

When the spirit of your character overtakes you, its a surreal but amazing experience.

Ginny is totally on the way to become one of the best youtubers on topic of D&D and roleplaying.

"The Spirit of Phil Collins possesses me..." Sounds like a Bard/Warlock build.

I have two main methods that help me "become" my characters. Similar to using the videos, try having a conversation between your character and yourself. Don't try to have conversations with you-as-your fellow party members, since that puts you in the mindset of railroading your conversations. If you are a bit more creative, try putting yourself in the DMs shoes and have conversations with your own NPCs. The other method I use is listening to a music playlist. The initial setup of the playlist can help you develop a character and allows you to put in a hint of yourself into it, since it is most likely music you have already heard. But listening to the partial or full playlist can set your mind to the general mood of the character.

Something that I've also found helpful, where possible adopting physical mannerisms while playing them. A furtive rogue either running his hand through his hair or, considering his misfortune, regularly rubbing recent injury sites when under stress is kind of helpful. In this specific case.

These are very good tips. I say this as someone who, although isn’t a “veteran player,” is the de facto roleplay expert of my circle that I regularly played. Ginny you are marvelous at giving character tips, but here’s a video topic idea: switching characters when you’re the DM, or really just getting into NPCs in general. Tips on not mixing up which of your NPCs you’re playing, making interesting characters that also aren’t an inordinate amount of work for a dnd game, etc

I'd kind of like to try using a voice, but when literally everyone else at the table including the DM is just using their regular voices it gets hard to stay in it.

10:02 "try to speak every sentence like there is an exclamation point at the end of it" That hit way too close to home, I just realized I do that IRL XD

I used to give my hummingbird aarakocra a cartoony, squeaky voice but realized it was hard to keep up and doesn't do well in serious situations. So, because he's bubbly, he talks giggly. Also since he was brought up by elven nobles (long story) he uses proper grammar/high vocabulary. The juxtaposition is great 😂

Just one thing, if you want to really immerse in a character, Start at the name. For example I have a character called “River”. When I think of river I think of the Mississippi, a terrifying yet beautiful river of hope. My character is a human green dragon ancestor that was raise by his eccentric mother who was filled with nothing but hope for the world. River wants to make his mother proud. But tends to lack control when he is upset letting the river overflow and run fast and furious. River feels an immense amount of guilt when he does and tend to spend his coin on giving it back to his mother and party. River is always broke, and never runs quite right, just like the Mississippi.

As a DM I make random voices for NPCs that aren't planned but somehow the players always want to go back to them and then I can't always remember the voice I gave them :D

“Sometimes the spirit of Phil Collins possesses me” Same Ginny, same 💜