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Alright. Ready to sink your teeth into a good roleplaying topic? I think this is one of my favorite ones.

Inter-party discussions is one of the most interesting roleplaying opportunities in the game. In this post, you’ll find a few suggestions on how to instigate such discussions as well as prepare for them.

Before we get started, however, let’s quickly revisit the purpose of this whole series. Here’s a quote from the first post.

How do I take some actionable steps to prepare to roleplay?

Sharing the my answers to that question is the purpose of this four-part post series. I’m not suggesting this is the best course of action for everyone. All I know is that it worked for me. It gave me something actionable. It got me started. I’m having a blast playing these characters. So if that helps you or another reader, the purpose of these posts is fulfilled.

Caught up? Awesome. Here are the past posts if you want to catch up and future posts for a little preview.

• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Narrating Combat
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Preparing to Homebase
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Engaging Your Companions (this post)
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Character Backstory (will link when posted)

So, how do you engage your companions? Questions. It starts with questions. But what questions do you ask?

Who, What, When, Where and How

Starting a conversation when roleplaying starts the same way that it does in real life. You ask questions. Start with questions that reveal the historical background of the companion. Here are a few starters.

• Where are you from? What was it like there?
• What did you do before adventuring? How long ago was that? Who trained you?
• Did you have family there? Other close people? Are they still there?

Getting answers to these questions is great. It gives your character some insight into the factual background of other characters. But does it really help you get to know them? Really know them? Well. No.

Let me give you an example. During my first 12 years out of college, I moved from Lexington KY to Dallas TX to Houston TX to Detroit MI to Boston MA.

You now know something factual about me. But do you really have a glimpse into who I am? How I tick? What motivates me? No. Not really. You just know I moved around a bit.

Having the answers to these questions, however, enables your character to ask better questions. The Why questions.

Follow Up Why Questions

Why did I move from KY?

Well, I lived my whole life in KY, flying for the first time I went to interview for this awesome job in Dallas TX. Single, young and ambitious, I jumped at the opportunity to work for a small technology company. I drove my truck pulling a UHAUL trailer by myself for 16 hours for the move. I promised myself I would not fail in this job, working ridiculous hours, traveling the country and busting my tail while I did it. Looking back, that period of my life taught me I could do a lot. I gained confidence that was the foundation of my entire career. It was difficult, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Not for anything.

Now, you know something about me.

In a roleplaying game, how do you apply this idea? Just follow up your ‘who, what’, when, where and how’ questions with a ‘why’ question.

• Why did you leave your home? Don’t you miss it?
• Why did you leave your training? What happened to your master?
• Why did you not follow in your father’s footsteps professionally?

This will help you understand more about your character companions. It will reveal some of their core motivations. It will instigate deeper converations.

More Why Questions

When it comes to getting into this kind of conversation during a roleplaying game, there’s another super-easy way to get the ball rolling: ask questions about why the character made life choices. Let me go deeper with that.

During character creation, players make key decisions including:

• Class Selection
• Background Selection
• Equipment Selection

Most of this will be obvious to your character. So you can easily ask about it. These might be questions like:

• So why did you become a warrior? You seem a little slight for it. Thieving might have suited you better.
• Wizardy? It requires so much arcane study. How do you stand it… reading books constantly.
• Why did you choose to following Deneir (or any other deity)? Most priests are so uppity. Why are you different?
• Ah… the glaive. Personally, I would have picked a Great Axe. You know. A huge one. Why the glaive?
• A frog for familiar? Crows are great because they can fly. Cats sneak. But a frog? Really?
• Wait. You were a hermit? Alone. All the time. First, that’s kinda crazy. But why did you leave?
• A criminal! You stole stuff? Wow. Why did you choose that kind of life?
• OK. So you were a noble. Riches beyond measure. And you choose ADVENTURING? Seriously?
• Cartography. You like drawing maps. Ummm… why? Its all just trees.
• You play dice? *whispers* Are they loaded? Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?

Just think about character creation. There are lots of choices a player has to make. Each one of those choices is a great opportunity to reveal some insight into the psyche of the character.

Sharing: Connect over Common Experiences

What is left to do? Well, do what you do in the real world. If someone mentions something where there is some familiarity, share why that is familiar and your experience with it.

If a character has lost a family member and your character has as well, it is a great opportunity to share that. Explain the circumstance. Explain your character’s experience.

If a character explains why they have a frog familiar, maybe explain how your character had a pet boar on the farm. It was fierce but loyal. Explain your character’s experience.

If a character recites some of their deity’s dogma and believes, state if your character agree or disagree. That is an opportunity to express their worldview. Take advantage of it.

If a character has an unusual hobby, bring our your character’s hobby and share why it is a passion. Explain your character’s experience.

Actionable Takeaways

OK. So how do we make this actionable. Prepare to answer these questions for your character.

• Figure out the what, when, where and how of your character. This is likely tied up in their formal background and bonds.
• More importantly, write down or sentence or two about why your character made decisions in his past.
• For your character’s class, equipment and other choices, come up with a reason why the character made that choice.
• Be familiar with your character’s ideals, bonds and flaws.

Next, prepare to ask these questions of one or more player characters in your group.

• Write down 3-4 questions that are what, when, where and how related to another character.
• Be prepared to ask why for each one of those.
• For each other character in the party, write down two questions related to class, background, equipment or some other decision the player made about that character.

There you go. That’s my advice. It may not be the best, but it works for me.

Got some tips and tricks? Sound off with them here. Thanks!

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Alright folks. Ready for the second post in the series? Well, here it comes.

If you need a quick reminder about the series, here’s a recap from the first post.

How do I take some actionable steps to prepare to roleplay?

Sharing the my answers to that question is the purpose of this four-part post series. I’m not suggesting this is the best course of action for everyone. All I know is that it worked for me. It gave me something actionable. It got me started. I’m having a blast playing these characters. So if that helps you or another reader, the purpose of these posts is fulfilled.

Caught up? Awesome. Here are the past posts if you want to catch up and future posts for a little preview.

• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Narrating Combat
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Preparing to Homebase (this post)
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Engaging Your Companions
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Character Backstory (will link when posted)

Now, let’s get into specifics.

What do I mean by homebase-ing?

Yeah. I know. It’s not a word.

Anyway, a great way to start roleplaying is to do a little preparation for the activities when your group is back near your home base. The home base most likely is in some kind of village, town or city. But more specifically, it might eventually be a guildhall. Heck, it might one day be a stronghold, a bastion of hope in the wilderness. But I digress. Your home base is wherever you head once you are done adventuring, or least take a break.

While there, you will likely end up heading to some standard destinations. The tavern is a pretty popular spot. There, you’ll likely find a barkeep, a waitress maybe, likely some other patrons. The Inn is another popular spot. You’ll find the Innkeep there along with other folks like travelers and the like.

So if we know we’re likely to encounter these nonplayer characters and be in these environments, then we can prepare a few distinctive yet simple interactions in just a few minutes. Let’s do that.

Tavern-ing

Yes. I know. Another non-word. Sorry.

Regardless, let’s talk about taverns. Alcoholic drink is always a favorite adventuring pastime. But what specifically does your character order? Maybe your character snootily orders the finest aged wine? Maybe your character can’t order their clan’s famous ale, but they sure can boast nonstop about it. Maybe your character only hits the hard stuff? You could make up a crazy drink with unusual ingredients. These are typically high fantasy environments.
Next up, think of some evocative way to drink it. Maybe your character quaffs their drink quickly with foam all over their face. Maybe they smell it, sip it and gargle it in their mouth. Regardless, there are ways to do something distinctive here.

What else do you do in a tavern? Games perhaps? If your character has a gaming set, put it to use! Invite some of the locals to play or maybe join in an ongoing game. Know the game, like maybe Dragonchess, by doing a quick internet search. Take two minutes to read up on it. Maybe you have a unique piece? Compliment other player’s moves. Add flourishes to your own. Get some side bets in place.

Inn-ing

My apologies. This is becoming a bad habit.

Anyway, what’s the text thing up? The party will need a place to rest. You’ll be heading to an Inn or something similar soon enough. There you’ll find an Innkeep and other guests. This environment is usually pretty ripe for roleplaying opportunities. Plus, you can see them coming from a mile away.

So what do you do? Well, is there a distinctive way to enter the place? Remember, your group is likely decked out as adventurers, which can be unusual and sometimes unliked. If you’re a noble, make some kind of commentary on the state of the Inn. Were you a hermit? Then perhaps you make comments about civilization’s unnecessary excesses. Add a little flavored reaction. Remember, you know you’ll be there. Express some character.

What else? Engage the Innkeep. Ask some questions. Maybe you can glean some background information on your adventure. Maybe they’ll give you a hook. Who knows? The same goes for the other guests. Perhaps there will be travelers from a faraway place. Discover something about the fantasy world through them. Maybe even invite one of them along.

Routine-ing

OK. Yes. I am doing that on purpose. That one was completely avoidable.

What’s the last thing your character would like do at the base-of-homeness… er… homebase? Well, they likely will have some kind of normal routine. And that is a great opportunity to roleplay and engage some NPCs. Here are some ideas.

• If you have a martial character, don’t just go practice, but go find an NPC to spar.
• Have a learned character? Head to a library and talk up the local librarian or researcher about a topic of interest to you.
• Are you a pious character? Go to the local shrine and get philosophical, perhaps comparing and contrasting the dogma of your deity. Maybe the prosthelytize to the masses. Given the wide variety of Faerunian deities, the sermon isn’t likely to be innocent. Tymora favors bold action. Sune advocates for boisterous love. Azuth promotes the use of magic. Faiths and Pantheons is pretty exhaustive in terms of dogmas and rites.
• Got a bard? Have them perform in the street for a crowd. Just research a few limericks online and twist them to your own purposes.

There are lots of opportunities here. Just think what your character likely did on a day-to-day basis before they became an adventurer. They’d like continue those practices, right?

For clarity, here are a couple of examples.

Dimble’s Mischeviousness

Dimble ‘Badger’ Nyx is a Forest Gnome Wizard from the High Forest. He’s upbeat. He’s insatiably curious. He’s a prankster. He lacks social awareness, saying the first thing he thinks of. Yet, he is a dedicated friend to his companions.

So what does Dimble do while he’s homebase-ing? Well, some research into wizard spells goes a long way. Here’s what I prepared for my first few sessions.

• Use prestidigitation to remove the alcohol from my drink and challenge an NPC to a drinking contest.
• Pick out the most obnoxious drunk in the tavern. Use prestidigitation to turn his shadow pink.
• Use prestidigitation to make horn noises when the party enters an Inn, saying loudly “WE’RE HERE!”

Each of these preparations have instigated some unusual scenarios in our campaign. They took maybe 15 minutes to prepare.

Glaivemaster Ash’s Stories

Glaivemaster Ash is a longstanding veteran of a mercenary company. He’s an follower of the Red Knight, an exarch of military strategy that preaches wisdom in battle over brute force. He’s serious but acts as a fatherly figure to his companions.

So what does this old coot do while homebase-ing? Well, there’s quite a few things.

• He insists on taking his companion’s weapons and other arms to sharpen them, oil them and otherwise keep them in top shape. It’s an old habit from his mercenary days.
• Being a veteran, Glaivemaster Ash has more than enough stories to share. He’ll ramble on, telling them to anyone. These short stories include:
• There once was a loudmouthed noble knight who insisted on being the first into battle. If he died, our patron would have visited vengeance upon us. So, we gave him the battlefield map... only turned upside down. He was soon in the back ranks, safe and secure like we wanted. Everyone won, except that young knight.
• We once had a completely ineffective commander who loudly laid out his battle strategy for our entire company. It was quickly clear it was going to get us all killed. We may… or may not… have slipped a little sleeping potion in his drink that night. The next day, using different tactics, the battle raged all around his tent while he snored away inside. When he awoke, after we had won, we proudly proclaimed his brilliance at war, stating that he gave us the way to win. He beamed and returned to his tent. But at least we survived.

These stories took a little longer to develop, but I simply did an internet search on funny or crazy war stories. There is a lot of fodder out there you can take and turn into something relevant for your world.

Actionable Takeaways

Alright, so what can you do in about 15-20 minutes to get ready? Here are my thoughts.

• Go back to your character’s personality. Silly? Serious? Keep that as context.
• Figure out what they’d do in a tavern. What would they order to drink? How would they drink it? What are one or two other unusual things they might do? Pranks? Sing bawdy songs? Challenge NPCs to an armwrestling match?
• Figure out what they’d do in a inn. What are three interesting questions your character can ask the Innkeep? What are three more questions you would ask a stranger?
• Figure out what they’d do as their routine. What did your character do before becoming an adventurer? What habits would carry over? What would they miss from their prior lives? Write down three of these routines.

More Advice

Got some tips and tricks? Sound off with them here. Thanks!

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So there it was: I had just been accepted to a campaign on Fantasy Grounds.

At that time, I had DMed many games here on Fantasy Grounds. However, it had been some time since I had played. And if you have done both, then you know there is a difference. As a DM, you try to plan the nominal path the players will follow and plan for contingencies. Well, at least, that is how I do it. As a player, however, things are a little different. The group I was joining wanted to roleplay. They wanted to take on the personalities of the character. They want to be immersed in the world of fantasy, suspending their belief for just a little while.

Now, you may be a bit different, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I am no voice actor. I am no stage actor. I felt I knew how to create some interesting characters to play, but manifesting that in a game felt really nebulous to me. So I sat down and started to think…

How do I take some actionable steps to prepare to roleplay?

Sharing the my answers to that question is the purpose of this four-part post series. I’m not suggesting this is the best course of action for everyone. All I know is that it worked for me. It gave me something actionable. It got me started. I’m having a blast playing these characters. So if that helps you or another reader, the purpose of these posts is fulfilled. With all that out of the way, here’s the four part series.

• Actionable Roleplaying: Narrating Combat (this post)
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Preparing to Homebase
• Actionable Roleplaying Tips: Engaging Your Companions
• Actionable Roleplaying: Character Backstory (will link when posted)

Makes sense? Awesome. Let’s get started.

What do I mean by Narrating Combat?

I think almost every single RPG involves some kind of combat. That means your character will be making attacks, some kind of move or casting a spell at some point in combat. That’s an opportunity to roleplay.

Narrating that action just means you describe it. Of course, you can describe it in game mechanics. I attack with my longsword. I cast magic missile. I use my disarm maneuver. However, there’s a chance to exhibit some of your character’s personality along the way.

Will narrating your combat action materially affect your chance of success or failure? Well, no. I don’t expect it would, unless your DM is explicitly trying to foster this kind of behavior. But that’s not the point. The purpose here is to add some flavor that exposes your character’s identity along the way. It is a pretty easy first actionable step to roleplaying.

Confusing? Yep. I totally understand. Let me offer a couple examples that might clarify things.

The Spell Trigger Words for Dimble

Dimble ‘Badger’ Nyx is a Forest Gnome Wizard from the High Forest. He’s upbeat. He’s insatiably curious. He’s a prankster. He lacks social awareness, saying the first thing he thinks of. Yet, he is a dedicated friend to his companions.

Dimble is a character I'm playing in a Princes of the Apocalypse game. I like the concept here. But how do I narrate his combat actions?

Well, Wizards often have verbal components to their spells. As I developed Dimble, I wanted him to still seem silly, even in the middle of combat. So I wanted to have a few casting narrations combined with funny sounding words.

For work, I often reference thesaurus.com for synonyms and antonyms. However, were you aware that there is a blog there as well? They often share really inane and unusual words. There’s a post on 12 Insults We Should Bring Back. Frankly, I just stumbled across it one day. And there it was. I had a solid source of funky terms.

How did I use it? I wrote out the following in preparation and used them as appropriate in the game.

• I flourish my stick-wand, scream “Zooterkins!” and cast Magic Missile.
• I gyrate my hands, murmur “Fopdoodle” and cast Levitate.
• I flick my stick-wand, blurt “Snollygoster” and cast Mage Hand.

Alternatively, I could just use the spell attack button under actions instead of saying 'cast Magic Missile' out loud.

Preparing just three combat narrations have carried me through many sessions.

The Wise Words of Glaivemaster Ash

Glaivemaster Ash is a longstanding veteran of a mercenary company. He’s an follower of the Red Knight, an exarch of military strategy that preaches wisdom in battle over brute force. He’s serious but acts as a fatherly figure to his companions.

So what do we do here?

With this character, I wanted him to have a lot of hard earned wisdom from successes and failures from the battlefield. He’ll be a controller type in combat. While he fights, I wanted him to state insightful tenets of his battle-based faith, as much to himself as to anyone around him.

Where could I get war oriented wise words of wisdom? There are many famous generals in history. One of this is Sun Tzu, who wrote the Art of War many centuries ago. A quick internet search shows his quotes. Another is Carl von Clausewitz. Here's some of his quotes. Interestingly enough, there's no shortage of war generals saying interesting things.

Regardless, I wrote out a few attack narrations with a few of these sayings.

• I twirl my glaive and slash in front of me, saying “in the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
• I leap up and bring my glaive down in an overhand chop, stating “pursue one great decisive goal with force and determination.”
• I swing my glaive in a great circle, declaring “there is no greater weapon than a prepared mind.”

This is enough to get started with this character.

The Acrobatics of Elanelis

Elanelis is an elven wizard bladesinger. He can be chaotic at times, making decisions that are impulsive. He seems to be mostly concerned with his own well-being.

I have to be honest. This isn’t my character. Elanelis is played by one of the players in a campaign I run. And what he does in combat is pretty cool.

You see, on his turn, Elanelis often will incorporate acrobatics into his combat moves. He’ll wall-walk on his move. He’ll run up a stalagmite and do a flip onto an opponent’s back. He’ll leap onto the back of a chair, and as it tips over jump again into an attack.

Do any of these narrations offer an advantage in combat? Nope. In fact, I ask for an acrobatics check each time. Yet, there’s no denying one thing.

He’s. Got. Style.

And you know what? That's great. Everyone in the game has the feeling that this character isn't just a set of stats, but has a personality that comes out during combat. It lends credence to the fantastical nature of the campaign.

Actionable Takeaways

OK. So what’s the actionable advice? Hmmm. Well, here is what I do.

• Identify what personality traits you want your character to exhibit during combat? Silly? Serious? Pious? Brooding? Hyperactive? I figure that out first.
• Next, ask yourself how that personality trait would manifest in combat? Saying a funny word? Spouting ideology? Doing crazy acrobatics? I figure that out second.
• Search for references? Look up other examples of this kind of personality trait. It might be a word mashup tool. It might be quotes from famous generals. It might narrations of your famous comic book hero.
• Prepare 3-5 narrations. It should take maybe 10 minutes. Write it out. Now you can insert them as appropriate into your next game.

Those are the takeaways from this first post. Look for more posts in the future!

Got Advice?

I know you do.

Obviously, there is a broad range of roleplayers here at Fantasy Grounds. There are folks that have been playing campaigns together for years. So I know there is a wealth of knowledge about getting started with roleplaying, probably much more than I could contribute. So...

What advice do you have?

Do you have examples of how you narrate your character’s combat to illustrate some personality?

How do you make it unique? Or alternatively, what do you borrow from other sources?

Sound off. Let us know. Every little bit helps! Thanks!