The 7 Types of D&D Players

here are the seven types of players in d the superhero everyone has at some point being this type of player you me your mum your pet dog your mum's lover if you play d d you've been a superhero d d is a game and the superhero looks at that fantasy premise and says if this really is a game where i can be anything then i'm gonna be a freaking badass superheroes want their characters to be cool smart funny and deal massive damage they want to look like chris hemsworth while having all the money fame wit and charm as chris hemsworth they see little value in character flaws i mean after all why have a flaw at all real life is full of problems d is a game and superhero players are gonna mary sue the hell out of it superheroes tend to enjoy combat as shoving an ancient red dragon's head between scaly buttocks is a straightforward and fun way to be extremely cool they're often drawn to classes that can go nova for incredible bursts of power sorcerers paladins and fighters are typical superhero choices most new players and younger players tend to be superheroes but that isn't a criticism in fact superheroes are wonderful players to have at the table optimistic fun-loving and often making stupid decisions a party of superheroes is basically always going to have a great time the thing about superheroes though is that thrill usually doesn't last forever the one punch man syndrome kicks in and players might start looking for a career beyond a freelance kobold spine remover could there be more to d d than just winning all the time as it happens yes and although most players will always have a bit of the superhero in them in time they can start looking at their characters with a little more nuance this could lead them to becoming the actor actors unlike superheroes aren't interested in their character being good at everything or even anything instead the actor relishes the opportunity to perform an argument with the town mayor seducing the city guard making a deal with an ancient blue dragon these are the challenges the actor loves you can take the dragons and even the dungeons out of d and d the axer is here for the role play they make for very fun players to watch all the core cast of critical role are actors both literally and in player archetype the actor also enjoys failure and success in equal measure unlike superheroes who view low dice rolls as the enemy actors are just as happy with a nap one as a nat 20 as they both give a fresh narrative to jump off the actor may not be very combat focused at all in fact they may even make bad combat decisions when taking into account their character however don't let that fool you the actor knows exactly what they're doing with their build they often actively seek spells or abilities that enhance their social experience or fit their vision for their character but that brings us on to another type of character one that is similar in some ways but in other ways completely different let's talk about the storyteller the storyteller shares the actors deep familiarity with their character they have a long backstory they know exactly what their character wants fears and hates and they're here to see that story through to the end this is where storytellers and actors split actors live for the moment they're eager to interact with bob in the goblin the new npc because it gives them the chance to play their character but as soon as the actor finishes talking they couldn't give a whether bobbling the goblin lives or dies that moment is over by the same token as soon as an actor gets bored with the character they're playing they're more than happy to fling themselves off a bridge and move on to the next character that excites them storytellers by contrast are more invested in the long term they want to know everything about bobbling the goblin his homeland his backstory his favorite food and his sexual preferences and they'll write it down and remember it too this can make them a little terrifying to a fresh dm who isn't used to pulling a full npc character history and list of preferred pronouns out of thin air the storyteller will actually remember the names of towns and npcs and pay attention to the wider narrative the dm is constructing they are the first to spot patterns hints and overarching mysteries taking place across an adventure however above all else the storyteller is about their character's story it's not uncommon to find a storyteller who's played the same character for 10 years is sick to the death of them but can't move on because they need to end that story in a satisfying way they are addicted to resolution they need to get their character to a happy ending or at least a satisfying one although storytellers challenge a dm with constant questions and take notes so zealously at borders on passive aggressive they are always close to the dm's heart but the next type of player is one that at least according to internet memes is the one that challenges dms the most people we finally need to talk about min max's before you stand three portals each leading to a different environmental bile i choose to go through the planes portal what do i see wait isn't this the element song the elements of inspiration song yes the elements of inspiration when you're gm'ing out there running pathfinder or d and d when trolls and goblins rocks and dragons are stealing your rpg when players push for story like the paying hounds of avenues but you run low on prepared exposition spewing travel but fred now don't you know the answer simple and so elegant just pull a single card right from the inspiration elements to give you some questions both into your adventure anywhere now watch me pull a full session with no prep out of the thin air wait wait you're claiming with one card from that deck you can build an entire setting encounter and quest i simply read the prop word at the apex of the card i drew it's battlefield now i hope all for prompt to put a story two turns out it's haunted by the ghosts who gather loot right at the feet and like that the encounter treasure and session preps all complete wow that is really cool but actually i think i want to go through the desert biome instead if that's okay fine here we go again grab the elements of inspiration cards to bring your rpg world to life by clicking the link below with 9 decks and 420 cards nice you can grab a deck save hours of prep time and elevate your game to the next level the min maxer if your only experience of dnd is reddit threads then you'd be forgiven for thinking that min maxes are tied for first place as the worst people in the world alongside hitler and people who spend fifty thousand dollars to set half of california on fire with their babies gender reveal however memes aside to me a min maxer is simply anyone who has a good time by analyzing any given situation and making what they feel to be the most optimal move d d is a game built upon a mathematical foundation the min maxer gets a kick out of understanding that foundation and using the knowledge to be the best that they can be this can be in the moment in a tactical sense in a fight or it can be in the character creation process they analyze the mathematical value of spells and weapons understand the importance of action economy and bounded accuracy and make their decisions accordingly this might sound a bit like the superhero but that really isn't the case the superhero thinks haste is the best spell in the game the minmaxa will never take haste the min maxer enjoys campaigns with a high difficulty campaigns where there's a 98 chance of getting your muscular buttocks splattered across eight tiles of dungeon wall means that optimal play is rewarded min max's love a real challenge because they know they have the tools and the knowledge to handle it but as much as the min maxer wants to plumb the depths of d d in pursuit of perfect play they pale in comparison to the knowledge that is coveted by the next type of player the scientist scientists and min maxes are definitely close in some regards scientists aren't motivated by playing optimally instead they seek to explore the very core of dungeons and dragons to find out what can happen scientists crave opportunities to get creative they love finding uses for bad spells or underrated subclasses and abilities the min maxer looks at flesh to stone and sees a garbage spell the scientist looks at flesh to stone and sees a way to fossilize a player cast stone shape give them an extra pair of arms cast dispel magic and make general grievous in d they seek out obscure spell combos they don't need to be powerful or even useful the scientist just wants to explore bards wizards warlocks and artificers are the scientists best friends because they're the classes that give the most room to investigate good scientists know that the best way to explore is with the dm they share their plans in advance talk through things with the group and work together the best science like the best d is collaborative scientists are also excitable always pushing for the next level or the next magic item to give them something new to play with however these traits really belong to the domain of the instigator aka the leroy jenkins the leroy jenkins cannot sit still d and d is an action game let's get stuff done worrying about the best course of action is boring let's battle down the door stick our heads through and see how many of us survive the instigator is excited when they play d d they love the game they want to play as much as possible be it a plot hook or a dragon's tail the instigator is going to grab hold and give it a solid tuck because they know something is going to happen they are the most likely player archetype to turn into murder holders but that doesn't mean that they're bad people or bad players it just means that if they feel nothing is happening they will make something happen and if that means kicking an arch lich in the bollocks that's the price that needs to be paid as a dm i love instigators too often players are afraid of failure the instigator is untroubled by piddling trifles such as staying alive this means the story keeps going and never gets dull of course sometimes games do slow down character moments can be just as exciting as big boss battles and the instigator understands this they're not out to ruin all the players fun or dominate the situation but oh boy do they keep things chugging along nicely but there is one final type of player who doesn't really mind if a game goes fast or slow a type of player who's very close to my heart the socialite the socialite is the player who is at the table to be at the table with friends d d is a game but to the socialite that game could equally be monopoly or ludo or twister dungeons and dragons is simply something to talk about and something to do with your hands while you kick back chat with friends and family and order pizza on a thursday evening they may go very long periods without talking in game they may never talk in character they may not take notes or really worry about what's going on they forget things make mistakes and laugh a lot they're playing d for the social experience the affairs of kings queens dragons and maidens hold little interest to them but just because they don't interact as much with the game doesn't mean they aren't happy or interested they're just vibing in the room playing when it's their turn and enjoying the atmosphere the socialite loves the actor he's impressed with the min maxer and cheers on the superhero they seek not the spotlights nor the spoils only to enjoy the rambling adventure of a group of friends through the forgotten realms this is their free time and they've made the excellent choice to spend it in the company of people that they like you might have noticed that i haven't spoken about any bad types of players today and that's because i don't really feel like a bad type of player exists but i know that's a hot take and i'll save it for another video remember to check out the patreon to get dozens of maps adventures and join in games that i run for the entire awesome community also remember to like and subscribe and check out other videos on the channel thanks for watching and i'll see you next time

Channel: DnD Shorts

Views: 547,530

Keywords: dungeons and dragons, critical role, most powerful, wizard, fighter, rogue, cleric, monk, sorcerer, druid, character creation, how to make, dnd character, 5e, spellcasters, artificer, tutorial, combo, dndshorts, optimised, fun, paladin, warlock, hexblade, how to, strongest, multiclassing, D&D, locathah, race, best race, best race for, strongest race for, cool races, character build, how to play in dnd, sidekicks, tasha's, dm, dungeon master, gm, feats, feat, what feat, what your favourite, says about you

Id: wkELuRx9wts

Length: 12min 3sec (723 seconds)

Published: Wed May 04 2022