One of the best ways to improve your roleplaying skills in D…D is by creating a better character background. Creating a better D…D character background will give you, and your Dungeon Master, more opportunities and character hooks for roleplaying. Here are a few tips on how to create a better D…D character background by using easy to create plots hooks and personality traits.

Choose one thing that your character will die for. This is a focal point to the character. It could be any attack on a religious member of his church causes him to go into a blind rage against the attacker. Or maybe he is fighting to save his people from an evil overlord. Anything that will help his people or hurt the evil overlord is good enough for him to die for.

Choose three things that your character will always fight for. He may not fight to the death over them, but he will definitely throw blows under almost any circumstance when the opportunity presents itself under one of the three listed circumstances. Maybe he hates it when people insult his family members. Or, maybe he cannot walk by an orc without attacking it.

Decide on one thing that your character fears the most. Perhaps your character has an intense fear of flying and resists any flight or levitation spells that are cast on him. Your character may have an intense fear of snakes, no matter how big or small. Or maybe your character has an intense fear of a specific creature, like werewolves, vampires, liches, or ghosts.

Decide on one characteristic, or trait, that defines how other people see your character. Maybe your character is always calm no matter what the situation is. Or perhaps your character is the comedian. He is always cracking jokes, even while in the court of a king or the lair of a dragon. You can take this character trait and write it at the top of your character sheet, so you will always be subtly reminded to play your character in that way.

Pick one additional character that is important to your character. This character could be another person in the party, or it could be an NPC. Then you need to define the relationship between your character and the other character. This could be a good connection, someone who has always been there to help you in your time of need. Or, it could be someone that always has a negative influence in your life. Maybe when you’re at your worst, this person seems to always show up and makes things even more miserable.

These seven characteristics don’t take too long to figure out when you’re creating a character. Decide on one thing you would die over, three things that you would fight for, one thing that your character is intensely scared of, one personality characteristic and one supplementary character that is somehow connected to yours. By answering each of these questions listed above, you can easily develop a more fleshed out character. This gives you more roleplaying opportunities and hooks for roleplaying due to the fact that you’ve developed a better D…D character background.

Espen writes articles about Role-Playing and DnD Character information.