Try World Anvil for free, and when you fall in love with it, use the code GINNY for 51% off any annual membership. worldanvil.com/ginny #sponsored (and yes, this WILL be on the exam!)
Do not try World Anvil, terrible interface and functionality that gets in your way and distracts from writing, and they refused to refund me a yearly subscription they auto-billed without any reminders.
I found that wizards only work well when ignoring most rules about spell components needed, yet: I made a D&D 5e wandering wizard, not totally useless outdoors, and found it more fun to play than expected. 🤔
My high elf wizard, Daramie, spent over 200 years as a librarian and archivist at the temple of Oghma, where she learned magic as part of her librarian training. She was forced out due to office politics and went adventuring out of pure spite while she waits for the human who got the promotion she was due to die of old age.
Yes well elves certainly have the luxury of time on their side. I mean if you use tolkiens elves they're immortal, if you use wotc elves they live for like 500+ years depending on subrace(drow live over 1000). If you use homebrew the limit is people's imagination.
@@GinnyDi As someone who also writes fiction, there's a lot of cross over. Totally agree. Here's is what I ask my players to answer: What do you want? Why is this so important for you? What is the consequence of failure? What lengths will you go to to achieve it? What boundaries will you not cross, if any, if it means failure? Are there any secrets you are harboring? And what one thing would make you instantly make you fight someone? This is usually enough to ground anyone into a character.
Same here. This overlap is what makes tabletop RPGs so special, and I think that knowing a thing or two about telling stories affects everything in our lives. All is communication. To be human is to tell stories.
You know, I always thought it was weird how Krumbridge changed the name of the quad to "Appledackle Student Centre" in my sophomore year...and then a couple semesters later it blew up in an unresolved magic experiment gone awry.
I think it's a good idea to do this same kind of video for Cleric, Paladin, and maybe a few other classes like Barbarian or Fighter. Especially when you have a Lawful Good Cleric it can be kinda hard to think of personality traits that go much further than "is lawful good" and "god comes before everything else" to the point that while my cleric had good stats, he often struggled in the roleplay aspect to be anything more than a generic cleric.
For something like a cleric or other class that has a strong thematic x personality pillar (paladin - oaths, monk - inner will, barbarian - rage), I would say that you can still generalize that aspect as Ginny noted in order to get outside the box. For instance, while the actual word 'cleric' does come from IRL religions, that's just an archetype as far as a game like D&D is concerned. Really, the important aspect is not 'clerics are representatives of their faith' so much as 'clerics are those whose faith is so strong and firm that their faith can have worldly effect'. So a cleric may not actually be a member of their faith's clergy; they could be a folk healer who, in a time of crisis, found literal healing and power in their faith. A monk doesn't have to be a literal robe-wearing zen-like monk; they could be from a 'barbarian' tribe who found strength not through rage but through calm intensity. For more wild takes, you could re-frame a monk's chi as ancestral magic similar to a sorcerer only channeled through martial skill rather than magic effects. In this way too, you can also encourage your DM to break away from a generalization of, say, your cleric's faith and organization. A folk healer and a ordained representative of the same faith may both attentive to laws and desiring to help others, but they may interpret how to approach those tenets in different ways. They may give secondary aspects very different weights - the folk healer may be more focused on outcome and less on following ritual steps (especially as folklore and experience changes and integrates other ideas) exactly whereas an ordained cleric may be far more aware of and less comfortable with that (as they come from a much more structured background). A paladin that's very young may be far more idealistic than an older more experienced one who may see value in gathering more information and listening before making a final judgment call. On small parts, as Ginny noted, take stock of HOW they gained the skills of their class. Using Wisteria as the example, maybe your cleric is indeed a legitimate member of the faith... but gained their spot through nepotism. Maybe coming from a wealth family affects where and how they use their magic; if their family was a heavy donor to the faith and had ready access to faith-magic, well... maybe the idea of injury and sickness just wasn't really a major 'thing' for them... so when they're out adventuring for the first time, there's the slow lessons that wounds and injury aren't trivial matters; that magic can run out; etc.
Do a Burning Wheel, and drill down on those base characteristics with "why"s - and then explore and branch off on those whys with "therefore"s: Lawful and upright (why?) Raised by an upright and lawful family (why?) A noble house has to appear respectable (therefore) character turned away from wealth and high society to pursue religion. Probably lives very frugally as a matter of belief, or wants to prove themselves without their family's (wealth's) aid. Character! God comes before everything else (why?) Dedicated their life to the faith (why?) Had a profound religious experience (why?) Was brought to their lowest point through a trial or misadventure (why?) and so on.. If you treat a character trait as something that developed, instead of popping into existence without cause, they can feel far more real.
My kid has a Wizard that comes from a family of adventuring Grungs that live in a tree stump in the middle of the woods. They have a lot of kids and all of them go out on adventures, and some of those kids come back home to train up the younger ones. Her character was taught magic by one of her elder brothers and because of this, she has custom silly names for all of her spells when she casts them. ♥
That is basically my current Rogue character. Taking a lot of the flavour from a Wizard (Scholar, intelligent, archeology, worked at a university) and combining it with a rogue to make an Indiana Jones/Lara Croft style character. Due to some multi-classing and very specific background/race options, she knows 7 languages, and is on her adventure to find a lost scholar and earn her way back to the university after trusting the wrong person.
Can we have a short interaction, showing *all* the character points you gave Wisteria Ginny : Do you need a note or something to excuse your absence Wisteria : No I'll just give the professor 10 gold, ... by the way can I borrow 10 gold ... That'll do nicely ...
Wisteria reminds me of a "Wizard" I once played in a game revolving around a Magic School. He was really a Arcane Trickster that had false identify allowing him to attend school.
fun video :) I still think Liam's portrayal of Caleb Widowgast's detailed casting style, using the Material components was one of the things that inspired me to want to try a wizard but personality like this is also golden :) I also made a gnome but having access to a mine and making her own signature line of crystal figurines was how I left my mark on our game, a friend of mine focused on food and using spells to have unseen servant help them make as many as they can to give as gifts like pulling a Pie out from her bag of holding for every NPC we stop and talk to :P
I think Liam's focus on the casting components is very much a character choice, though! Every Wizard uses components, technically, but not everyone uses them as part of the roleplay flavor. Caleb is a precise, meticulous character, and that is reflected so artfully in the specificity that Liam uses in his descriptions. A master class in flavoring mechanical descriptions, honestly!!
Oh this is a fun video! Would love to see one for druids, just 'cause I've seen a lot of people find the Druid class to be "restrictive" flavor-wise, which I get but I think that's a lot of self-imposed restrictions. Had one of my players once be an evil druid that was just "improving" nature by adding extra eyes and limbs to beasts. I'm sure those rabbits really appreciated being able to literally watch their backs and strangle predators with their new tentacles.
You're right, even in 3.5 druids are not as restrictive as people believe by the text. They must be neutral on one axis(either on the good-evil axis OR the chaotic-lawful axis)(this limits their alignment choices to; lawful neutral, neutral good, true neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil so five alignments out of 9), they cannot use metal armor or metal weapons, .... Yep that's pretty much it. Literally everything else is either fluff or self-imposed, they don't even have to have/join/be part of a druid circle in 3.5
Love this video, my Wizard was a Dwarven guard at a magic academy, after some students was kidnapped during a field trip he used the spells he learned while on the job to rescue them.
I think one of my favorite wizard PC's backstories came from another player. His necromancer was a prince from a micronation, where the royal secrets between life and death had been passed down from parent to child. Adventuring is seen as a rite of passage in his family to prove themselves worthy to rule. While he was a very brutal opponent to our enemies, he was also quite cordial to the party and our allies.
"I'm not here to talk about the numbers." That's why I come here, Ginny. Leave the mechanical talk to everyone else. I come here to learn how to give my stories and characters, well, character.
Once again, you are probably the only creator that actually makes me enjoy watching sponsor shout outs! You do them so creatively and I feel I'm missing out if I skip them
Currently playing a gnome divination wizard in Eberron! She was heir of House Sivis, until she acquired an aberrant dragonmark. She wasn’t “exiled” but was politely told to leave and sent to attend Morgrave academy and told to never speak of her associated to House Sivis. She was accosted to luxury, and has not coped well being a broke college student. She hasn’t spoken to her family since she left, but is convinced that she can use the magic she’s learned to become one of the greatest writers of this generation, and be accepted back into House Sivis to make them proud. One year post grad, she is the head writer of an up and coming newspaper. Our dnd party owns and runs this paper, which we named “The Beholder’s Bulletin,” our tagline is “Behold the truth for a better tomorrow,” and our mascot is a little beholder with a magnifying glass.
I have a sea elf wizard whom I love to pieces. She always wanted to be a pirate because she read books about pirates as a child. She read and read and read and became absolutely enamored with the idea of living on a ship. Then... She became a pirate. She met a man who was devoted to Sekolah, the Shark God, and she realized that living on a ship all of the time was actually a ton of hard work. (I gave her high CON to represent her life on a ship, hauling and so on.) The shine kind of came off being a pirate, but when she found a magical book in a wreck at sea, she realized that reading was really her primary passion and she began to teach herself magic. Now she's in her middle age, has a daughter and a husband, and they live on a boat 100% of the time, ferrying around rich people to make their living. She's toughened by life on the sea, but reading is still her passion, so she always trades for books whenever she can.
OH. MY. GOD. You have no idea how badly I needed this video! Thank you so much! I've been working on a wizard character since I started with DnD, but his backstory always felt so bland, and off-the-shelf! I love your videos!!!
My favorite wizard character I’ve made-and sadly have yet to play-is Visenya. She’s a half-elf who was born to a human courtesan, her father being an Elven adventurer she’s never met, but that her mother still pines for. Visenya, who has the Urchin background, actually got her start when she snatched a wizard’s satchel that happened to contain his spellbook and some notes on basic cantrip reading. With those and a little trial and error, she managed to become something of a hedge wizard.
Don't show augury your miniatures of her, or her dice, or your pin-up calendar images of her... Or better yet do and do a short on her attempting to sue god...
here's a brief description of my Wizard blade singer: He was in his own realm in a cloud forest being an air genasi, learning his magic from the forest animals he was observing within it. Then one day he stumbled upon an odd ruin within the forest so due to his curiosity he started observing and exploring the ruin then he found an unruined door he opened it and then blacked out, then woke up somewhere unfamiliar surrounded by humanoids speaking an unfamiliar language and couldn't find a way back to his cloud forest.
My warforged wizard was actually an elderly scribe wizard who worked his life away for an experimental magic facility. He was at the end of life and felt he never got out and adventured. He stole a forbidden soul transfer scroll and completed a ritual to transfer his soul into a scribe bot. He is on the run from his old company and trying to get his body to cast the spells he once knew.
This is my favorite video on the subject of backstory I’ve seen! It’s the only one that I feel has the necessary components to push viewers all the way through the process, not just to start.
i have a halfling wizzard named Edwing Riverrun, and he is an entretainer, he peform magical tricks on stage, and he uses the "keen mind" feet to do card tricks, because he memorizes the position of every card on the deck, so even when he shuffles he knows where every card is.
I also have a fun story for another caster class, an evil goblin bard, Blurp Treblemaker, street urchin from Waterdeep/Skullport, and ousted former lead guitarist of the famed goblin band, Pink Fjord. 😂 He's looking for his long lost love, Stevie Nickleplate of Meatwad Snack, and he met up with fellow friends at the Yawning Portal Tavern where goals were found to not be mutually exclusive amongst the party members. This worked out well for whenever I had to explain what song I played (um... uh... "Wish you WERENT here", or "GRICK on the Wall", etc.), and I had a lot of fun with that guy ❤
I love making backstories for every class, not just wizards. But since we’re on the topic of wizards I once made a gnome Wizard who really wanted to study animals, but needed a way to protect himself to do so. He wasn’t a good fighter and he didn’t have any sort of faith, so he learned the ways of an abjuration Wizard so he could protect himself while out studying animals.
I had a rogue that "left" med school under suspicious circumstances and as a mastermind rogue, he forged his diploma. It fools most people, but he is nervous around nobles and professionals. He decided he needed a change of venue, so he became a ship's physician and set sail. (Sailor background) yep, I loved Doc as a character.
I’m so appreciative for your channel! Your videos are so well thought out, well shot, and soooo helpful! You’re helping storytellers everywhere in an engaging and comfy way. Thank you!
I've never played a Wizard before, but if I did, I've already got a concept pretty locked in. Halfling just loves reading, loves learning about everything there is to know, and just sorta picked up magic along the way after finding a wizard's spellbook. She's completely self taught and decided to become an adventurer after reading all the books in her local library.
It’s also really fun to roll liars. One of my favorite PCs was a Swashbuckler rogue who constantly fabricated tales of his past achievements, Gilderoy Lockhart style. He had the stereotypical rogue backstory “grew up on the streets. Never knew his parents,” but depending on the time of day he was the son of rich merchant, or a runaway from a traveling circus where he ringmaster abused him.
This honestly helped me a lot. I'm personally SUPER tired of the Magic School trope and this gave me plenty of ideas for a wizard that doesn't need to include that particular trope. :)
I might have said it before. But i never get tired of Ginny's upbeat & "bubbly" portrayals in her videos. It always makes me smile. Also, excellent video overall.
My current wizard character grew up poor and apprenticed under the village healer/mortician, who turned out to be a necromancer. Despite necromancy being illegal, she saw learning magic as a way to learn an in-demand skill to improve her financial situation. So, she agreed to train as a necromancer. When the necromancer died after decades of extending her life well-beyond her natural lifespan, my wizard vowed off necromancy and is desperately trying to teach herself non-necromantic magic so she can move past it all.
World Anvil totally is a rare flying gopher and I refuse to acknowledge otherwise. Also, this way Wisteria is portrayed, she'd make an amazing Arcane Trickster Rogue, leaning deeper into the "cheat and bribe your way through school" shtick, while STILL being a highly intelligent flunkie.
i feel personally attacked. how dare you call out my tendency to just make stat blocks. you will be hearing from my rules lawyer :face_with_tears_of_joy:
The wizard I am playing right now is probably my favorite character I ever made (so much so I played her twice, now). I wanted to play an abjuration wizard and while flipping through the backgrounds for ideas I saw sailor and thought "oh, that is such an odd combo. How do I make this work?" Astraea is a human who was found by pirates at a young age and raised by them. She liked to read, they discovered, so they often stole books for her, some of which, it turned out, were about magic. They started looking for more with that fancy writing in it for her as she started to play around with it. Eventually she joined the crew, became a proper pirate, and then, when the boat was sunk, she moved to Waterdeep to work the docks and have access to magical libraries. She likes looking for magic related tomes and objects. She is dex based, and not int based, relying on her relatively high AC and abjuration abilities to keep her alive and her rapier to attack with green flame blade. She is smart, a bit of a drunk at times, and her charisma dump stat is a feature as she is very crude and rude, but in an entertaining way. Also, she doesn't think of herself as a wizard since she never went to a school (despite her keeping a spellbook). Her first spell learned was find familiar, since she was still a kid, and she still has her cat familiar Isabella. Second spell was firebolt, also because she was a kid. I could go on ...
This is so good! And apt as I was just working on making a wizard turned artificer. She is actually quite bad with spells but she's great at building and she's still smart just not...spell smart. It's my favorite thing. Love thinking about all the different types of wizards there can be! Great video, Ginny!
Here’s my characters backstory! It was kind of hard to come up with because I wanted to play an old man this time but he needed to be level 3: Aldor's youth was filled with the unwavering support of his parents, who recognized his insatiable curiosity and hunger for knowledge. From a young age, it became evident that he possessed a natural inclination towards learning and a sharp intellect. At one point he was a Jorman who would preach Jormanism to citizens and go to their doorsteps. As he embarked on his studies at Percívalo's Academy of Wizardry and the Occult, Aldor's potential was quickly noticed by Jorhanth the Spellweaver, a respected wizard and scholar. Under Jornhanth’s guidance, Aldor began to explore the intricacies of magic, although he had yet to fully grasp its vast complexities. Immersing himself in the study of ancient tomes and obscure rituals, Aldor expanded his understanding of the arcane arts. He dabbled in various magical languages, such as Draconic, Elvish, and Dwarvish, broadening his knowledge of different cultures and their mystical practices. Together, Aldor and Jornhath embarked on a series of modest adventures, facing minor challenges that tested their skills and fostered a deep bond between them. They encountered magical creatures, uncovered hidden artifacts, and unraveled ancient mysteries, all within the borders of the Kingdom of Calica. Their quests were often overshadowed by the ongoing conflicts that plagued the realm, but Aldor's limited experience meant that they rarely faced truly perilous situations. One pivotal moment in their journey came when they crossed paths with Orgessa, a sinister enchantress who sought to bring chaos to the kingdom. In a daring confrontation, Jornhath was killed, and Aldor, his magical abilities still in the early stages of development, was unable to defeat Orgessa. Overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy and longing for guidance, Aldor withdrew from his adventuring pursuits. He took solace in seclusion, dedicating himself to self-reflection and study. Gradually, he managed to overcome his grief and rekindle his determination to reclaim his magical potential, but on a path that diverged from traditional wizardry. Turning to education, Aldor became a respected mentor for aspiring wizards, sharing what knowledge he had acquired during his time with Jornhath. He also delved into organizing and preserving magical knowledge, taking charge of the ancient scrolls and artifacts housed within the Academy. Aldor's meticulousness and dedication proved invaluable in his role as the head organizer of Percívalo's Academy of Wizardry and the Occult, ensuring that the accumulated wisdom of the ages was properly cataloged and accessible to future generations. Residing in the peaceful village of Corona, Aldor seeks solace in the familiarity of his hometown. Amidst the serene surroundings, he is gradually exploring his magical powers, exploring the realms of nature magic and embracing the potential path of a druid. Aldor's affinity with the natural world is evident through his deep connection with his animal companions-Calyx, a phoenix heirloom passed down through his family, and Silverstrike, his loyal Cenrack Steed. Together, they roam the verdant landscapes, learning from the harmony of nature and forging a unique bond that reflects Aldor's evolving magical abilities.
me, holding an overflowing basket of OCs: I dont need to make any more. Ginny Di: *puts out this video* me, eye twitching: okay i can fit one more in here right? wizards don't take up too much room--
in colevilles book, there was a wizard apprentice character named Pena. as soon as one of my players read her bio, first thing he said was i want one. she was kind of dumb-blonde coded, bubbly and kind, and would use her powers to help people. had a funny note that if you were mean to her she would get upset and close the magic shop for a few days to recover. was def a memorable npc
I have several characters within a community that has quite a few dm's and dozens of players who constantly play one shots. But they have developed a system where you can have character leveling/progression within this system. It all revolves around the Metropolis, a giant city floating in Limbo filled with adventurers of all levels/races/classes etc. I just made a lvl 1 wizard character who's basically an anthro pangolin. She was found as a very young child by the son and daughter of a Tabaxi family who first used her as a ball before their parents intervened when they realized she was not a ball but a child. The family adopted her and raised her as one of their own. She loves her adoptive family and has used her limited magic abilities to aid them and the community she lived in, which I imagine to be a bunch of nomads in a savannah like environment. Her best friends are a Loxodon and a Giff. As happy as she has been, there always has been the nagging question where she came from? Why hasn't she ever seen anyone who even remotely looks like her? So as a young adult with her family's blessing she has set out to find answers and hopefully others of her kind. After traveling for a bit she heard about the Metropolis, a giant city filled with strange and bizarre creatures. Surely if there are others like her she can find them there? She just arrived, but coming from a world where the nomadic lifestyle is the norm, she was completely unprepared for the massive city that is the Metropolis. Completely overwhelmed, she is very timid and shy and seeing how powerful some of the other heroes are makes her feel very insignificant. But having just arrived and needing to settle in as well as provide for herself she reluctantly has just accepted and finished her first quest. At least her fellow adventurers seemed somewhat similar to her skillwise... (The DM started with a fire breath from a hellhound that did 30 damage... With 8 HP she barely survived her very first attack since character creation only because she made the dex save :P).
This is honestly one of my favorite videos of yours! I often spend so so much time coming up with a bunch of details about a character but have a hard time either making it be cohesive or I miss something obvious I should have decided on. Or I just don't know where to start because everything seems to rely on something else. This guide is amazing and I'd love to see this as a series for every class!
Great video. A lot of these tips are great for just writing characters in general, even outside of DnD. Having your character react to what you're saying about her also provided a lot of really funny moments.
I love giving wizards some kind of quirk when casting spells. Like they could open their books to read the spell or they could wave their wand in specific patterns. My favourite wizard character is lamar silverleaf - a wizard / artist who specialiced in weaving illusions into his paintings. His wand is shaped like a paintbrush and whenever he is casting a spell he is painting a corresponding image into air with that spell that then comes to live as the effect of the spell.
I’m working on a Wizard right now. These are all really great tips, and have realized I have answered a lot of the questions mentioned in this video! Would love to see more videos similar to this!
I wish some of my friends would agree and think the idea is the fun part. It would be nice to talk about story instead of numbers once in a while “So how did you learn your magic?” “By picking the wizard class.”
This is perfect because I just played a Homebrew Astral genasi Chronurgy wizard. They definitely have a cloistered scholar vibe living far to the north with their adopted dads. They definitely enjoy reading and learning more than interacting with other people. Their dads and their research on a different dimension went missing so my character, Aliter, left to go try and find them. They are an extreme introvert, but I’ve already had a ton of fun playing them.
My first wizard character (also my first D&D pc) struggled to be more than angry elf. My second one got to be inspired by my professors in college. I gave him the worst voice for my throat possible to convey his disdain for others slower than he, and the rest fell into place. The party got to crack him open over the course of 20 levels and find someone kinder inside.
Yet another of your videos that I have to watch twice. Once because it's interesting and funny. Second because I need to take notes on all the good ideas and suggestions. There's always way too many to remember.
A wizard who learned through apprenticeship has a very simple and obvious reason to become an adventurer: they have just finished their apprenticeship and become a journeyman, and so have set out on their journeyman years, travelling from place to place to learn from as many masters as possible.
I enjoy these. Be nice to see some on other classes. Especially martials like Barbarians or Fighters. My group far to often seems to think "I hit stuff hard" is a personality, even the ones who make intense backgrounds when playing other classes.
Hey Ginny, you asked recently what a lot of your viewers are really here for and I think this kinda nailed it. For me at least. I enjoy your content because I admire and adore your creativity. So everything from the artistic endeavors of your character sheet/notebook for Aisling, to pinup FCG, to your role play as character growth uhhh… questioneers…? Anyways, great content and I look forward to you expanding on this concept. :)
My Half-Elf Wizard has a family heirloom in the form of a mysterious Rubik's sphere-like toy, seemingly hollow with no way how to open it, and lets him prepare and cast spells by aligning the different runes covered throughout the sphere. As such, it serves as both his spellbook and focus. It was owned by a distant relative who was a master elementalist and was an alumnus at the college where my character's currently studying. Wanting to live up to his relative's legend and uncover the secrets of this seemingly mundane toy, he sets out on an adventure as part of his final year thesis project. Honestly, Invoker from DOTA was my main inspiration for this Wizard character of mine.
I wish I could describe my wizard in detail, but there's some major spoilers about her story that I don't want any of my fellow players to run across just yet. Suffice to say, she's a neutral evil school of enchantment subclass, which alone is terrifying. Then add to that the fact that most of the party jumped to conclusions about her species and motives, so they really have no clue what they're dealing with at all. xD She's currently playing along with them because they're useful as far as she's concerned, but who knows how long that will last? The DM is fully onboard and enabling all of my scheming, and it's so much fun to see how long I can keep up the whole smoke and mirrors thing. There's even an unexpected romance subplot with her and the rogue (we discussed it OOC when they seemed to hit it off, and both me and the rogue player find it very funny, so we decided to play it up), even though the rogue is also the one most suspicious of her.
I have a Bladesinger / Fighter who is a Soldier/ Merc veteran. Brook Learned Magic on the battle field. A servant to the god of war, who worships with both book and blade. He lost an arm, was left for dead, He is a shell of his former self. He fought in wars that didn’t concern him for kings who didn’t care for him, serving out of duty… now he fights for himself, for his team and for those who can fight for themselves. Raised on the battle field, I’ll die on the battle field but atleast this time it will be for a purpose.
My Wizard Yune Mee is the awakened cat of a sorceress who kinda is her mother, she taught magic to herself trough the books of this sorceress and learned divination, she believes everything in life is determined in the stares and ones own bones (which is why she has two levels in stars druid and owns a ton of random bones). She wants to believe everything has a reason because if it doesent, then the wild magic that awakened her was just a coincidence. Like her mom she tries to understand the workings of the gods, the cosmos and wild magic while learning social interaction and the ways of the warrior from the groups fighter.
My half elf wizard name Nora Wintle is my absolute favorite character to roleplay as they are such a socially awkward dork but she is also so powerful and passionate deep down I love her
Fantastic video. I'd like to add a vote for a series with other classes. Also would like to call out the absolute savagery around 9:05 poor Wysteria... 🤣🤣🤣
My favourite character ever has been an enchantment Wizard called Adriana. She was the 6th child of a royal family in a matriarchal System and exclusively had older brothers. She quickly became the princess of the family. Getting very spoilt in the process. In this setting every heir to the family home learns some basic magic because of how practical it is to have an unseen servant and a mage hand. But nothing too elaborate. (Un-)fortunately she and her private teacher found out that she has a knack for enchantment magic and, while practicing in secret, they fell in love. Skip a few years of practice and secret dates and a pregnancy happened. Adriana's parents were furious and lied to her that the private teacher would raise the child at their summer house and she would get to see them occasionally. Despite this, the father of her child ran away right after the baby had been born - taking it with him. Her parents, however, had actually forced this on him and afterwards tried to gaslight Adriana into obedience. The first time Adriana publicly defied her parents was when she ran away, trying to find her ex and their child. Thus, the campaign began.
Working on a knowledge domain cleric who wanted to be a wizard until his tragic backstory left him with cleric powers and crippling panic anxiety and a lot of this works with fleshing him out too! Thanks!
Don't forget: your stats can also help guide your character's personality as well, even potentially including it into why the character is out adventuring. Are they a weakling who often struggles to carry their heavy tomes because you dumped strength? Well, when they dropped it, the fighter was passing by, and offered to help them. They began talking and ended up becoming friends. Low strength tied into the backstory and helps give a reason to stick with an adventure. Perhaps they are more of a "Bumbling professor" or simply unaware, and have low wisdom. This may help inform what type of backstory you may want. A scholar who's been inside for most of their life studying the arcane, and having low wisdom for it? Sure. Or, perhaps you have decently high wisdom, being more of a field-researcher. Maybe they have low charisma because they're cooped up indoors and haven't talked much with people, or perhaps even are constantly unkempt and not caring much about their appearance. Or perhaps their being inside made them overly social as they want to talk and meet with people, for better or worse. Stats don't define a character, but certainly can play a part, so don't be afraid to lean into your worse or better stats to help create the character.
It's nice to see you joined my other favourite DnD content creators yesterday. I wanted to toot at you but only found an empty account. People reported more engagement on Mastodon than Twitter, so if you are hesitating about switching then I'd say you should go for it.
you just made me recreate my third substitute character for my campaign^^ thanks for all the ideas and input! also i really enjoyed the video, it was fun to watch, easy to follow and extremely helpful, keep on with that!
I think she should sell cds, they're already digital, she'd just have to copy them to a cd. Vinyls, well unfortunately not many people still have record players to play the vinyls. But as far as I know studios still record them that way so who knows.
I just started getting into DnD, and my first character build is a human wizard. Haven't thought of a name for her yet (or figured out her stats and spells), but I have come up with some of her backstory and personality: "She" and her parents were members of a nomadic clan with ancient ties to secret arcane magic, the exact origin of which is completely unknown. "She" was taught both magic and survival tactics by her parents since Age 5 and was told never to reveal her true power to outsiders. However, on the night of "her" 13th birthday, her clan was attacked and killed by a group of mysterious soldiers and assassins. By some sort of miracle, "she" survives the massacre, but is left without the only people she considered family. "She" soon spends the next eight years on the road, learning and adapting to the outside world while on a quest of revenge against her clan's killers. She is very introverted and reserved, rarely talks to others, and never fully trusts those doesn't know, showing no hesitation to leave them (or take them down) if they betray her in any way. She is also observant and analytical of her surroundings and is very cautious when she senses danger. She is willing to move forward and put her goals and priorities ahead of her own feelings and preferences, while occasionally taking joy in moments of quiet and solitude.
My last Wizard (PF, not D&D) was once a super powerful archmage, a la Elminster. He had been affected by a pseudo-feeblemind and couldn't remember his past. Gaining levels was the effect wearing off. He was in his seventies and I played him as completely senile. He would cast shield any time he was startled. He would be reminded of a story and begin to tell it only to either end it abruptly or go on many tangents. "That reminds me of what my father used to tell me." "What did he tell you?" "Who?" "Your father." "You knew my father?! Impossible! You are but a sprig on the Tree of Life!" Ahh... good times
I was trying to make a wizard focussing on bone magic. He is definitely on the outside of society, and often people find him unsettling, but he cares deeply for his moral compass and is actively striving to make the world a better place through medical advancements. I thought this community would be a great place to ask for (ideally French) names, since I'm kinda stumped. Any ideas?
Sure, I love collecting foreign names! Any of these tickle your fancy? Aloïs (famous warrior), Claude (crippled), Davian (beloved), Delroy (servant of the king), Dragomir (precious peace), Dorian (gift), Einar (one who fights alone), Fatin (charming), Gaultier (ruler of the army), Lonan (black bird), Odhran (little pale green one), Ophir (reduced to ashes), Sorin (sun)
Go on-line. type in, fantasy name generator, and it will take you to a site full of hundreds of name generators on so many types of names, from places, races, objects, groups, etc. Super usefull.
@GinnyDi Thanks, this is a really good summary (and reminder) of how to add character and depth to any character or class. Will think about how I can systematically embed the advice when the new group kicks off 😊
Great video! One thing I've started dabbling in is the use of AI to help generate my characters. If I am having trouble with backstory or personality traits, ChatGPT has done a fantastic job giving my characters colorful, detailed stories that make them unique and interesting. It does surprisingly well at generating coherent traits to match the backstory (as Ginny was pointing out) and gives me great content to either copy directly into my game or use as a jumping-off point to make the character I want instead.
I always enjoy your videos, but I honestly burst out laughing multiple times at this one. "I'm RIGHT HERE!" Always excellent writing, performance, and editing!
I’m building a wizard who learned all her spells thru trade school/real estate classes. She went to school to become a famous house flipper/real estate agent. All her spells are useful for remodeling, staging, selling houses/castles
I'm making a wizard for an upcoming game, decided to look up if ginnyDi has any videos about them and what so you know, this one uploaded a few hours ago! Amazing timing!
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Try World Anvil for free, and when you fall in love with it, use the code GINNY for 51% off any annual membership. worldanvil.com/ginny #sponsored (and yes, this WILL be on the exam!)
Wait 51% not 50%?
Yeah! 51%!
I'm glad you confirmed it, I didn't want to trust wisteria
Do not try World Anvil, terrible interface and functionality that gets in your way and distracts from writing, and they refused to refund me a yearly subscription they auto-billed without any reminders.
I found that wizards only work well when ignoring most rules about spell components needed, yet: I made a D&D 5e wandering wizard, not totally useless outdoors, and found it more fun to play than expected. 🤔
My high elf wizard, Daramie, spent over 200 years as a librarian and archivist at the temple of Oghma, where she learned magic as part of her librarian training. She was forced out due to office politics and went adventuring out of pure spite while she waits for the human who got the promotion she was due to die of old age.
Now that's the long game.
Yes well elves certainly have the luxury of time on their side. I mean if you use tolkiens elves they're immortal, if you use wotc elves they live for like 500+ years depending on subrace(drow live over 1000). If you use homebrew the limit is people's imagination.
Love it🎉
I respect that level of spite
Let me guess the dm said he is daisy chaining 6 clone spells who are all younger than him
I love how a lot of rp tips double as writing tips. This is some great character building.
I was a writer long before I was a D&D player, and I definitely think that colors how I think about the game, and what I tend to focus on!!
@@GinnyDi As someone who also writes fiction, there's a lot of cross over. Totally agree.
Here's is what I ask my players to answer:
What do you want? Why is this so important for you? What is the consequence of failure? What lengths will you go to to achieve it? What boundaries will you not cross, if any, if it means failure? Are there any secrets you are harboring? And what one thing would make you instantly make you fight someone? This is usually enough to ground anyone into a character.
@@andrewlustfield6079 this genuinely helped me a lot with my character, thank you so much :)
Same here. This overlap is what makes tabletop RPGs so special, and I think that knowing a thing or two about telling stories affects everything in our lives. All is communication. To be human is to tell stories.
@@GinnyDi How would you say that D&D has influenced your writing after becoming a player?
Ginny: Give your characters character
Also Ginny: (To Wisteria, after 5 seconds) Zip it, gabby!
😂😂😂
her character is that she's annoying 😌
@@GinnyDi"What have I made?! I am by my own creation annoyed!!"
I guess I'll have to hear the rest of Wisteria's dating profile another time.
You know, I always thought it was weird how Krumbridge changed the name of the quad to "Appledackle Student Centre" in my sophomore year...and then a couple semesters later it blew up in an unresolved magic experiment gone awry.
I think it's a good idea to do this same kind of video for Cleric, Paladin, and maybe a few other classes like Barbarian or Fighter. Especially when you have a Lawful Good Cleric it can be kinda hard to think of personality traits that go much further than "is lawful good" and "god comes before everything else" to the point that while my cleric had good stats, he often struggled in the roleplay aspect to be anything more than a generic cleric.
I have SO many thoughts about similar videos for other classes, specifically the ones that tend to have the most clichés, like Barbarian and Cleric!
For something like a cleric or other class that has a strong thematic x personality pillar (paladin - oaths, monk - inner will, barbarian - rage), I would say that you can still generalize that aspect as Ginny noted in order to get outside the box. For instance, while the actual word 'cleric' does come from IRL religions, that's just an archetype as far as a game like D&D is concerned. Really, the important aspect is not 'clerics are representatives of their faith' so much as 'clerics are those whose faith is so strong and firm that their faith can have worldly effect'. So a cleric may not actually be a member of their faith's clergy; they could be a folk healer who, in a time of crisis, found literal healing and power in their faith. A monk doesn't have to be a literal robe-wearing zen-like monk; they could be from a 'barbarian' tribe who found strength not through rage but through calm intensity. For more wild takes, you could re-frame a monk's chi as ancestral magic similar to a sorcerer only channeled through martial skill rather than magic effects.
In this way too, you can also encourage your DM to break away from a generalization of, say, your cleric's faith and organization. A folk healer and a ordained representative of the same faith may both attentive to laws and desiring to help others, but they may interpret how to approach those tenets in different ways. They may give secondary aspects very different weights - the folk healer may be more focused on outcome and less on following ritual steps (especially as folklore and experience changes and integrates other ideas) exactly whereas an ordained cleric may be far more aware of and less comfortable with that (as they come from a much more structured background). A paladin that's very young may be far more idealistic than an older more experienced one who may see value in gathering more information and listening before making a final judgment call.
On small parts, as Ginny noted, take stock of HOW they gained the skills of their class. Using Wisteria as the example, maybe your cleric is indeed a legitimate member of the faith... but gained their spot through nepotism. Maybe coming from a wealth family affects where and how they use their magic; if their family was a heavy donor to the faith and had ready access to faith-magic, well... maybe the idea of injury and sickness just wasn't really a major 'thing' for them... so when they're out adventuring for the first time, there's the slow lessons that wounds and injury aren't trivial matters; that magic can run out; etc.
Do a Burning Wheel, and drill down on those base characteristics with "why"s - and then explore and branch off on those whys with "therefore"s:
Lawful and upright (why?) Raised by an upright and lawful family (why?) A noble house has to appear respectable (therefore) character turned away from wealth and high society to pursue religion. Probably lives very frugally as a matter of belief, or wants to prove themselves without their family's (wealth's) aid. Character!
God comes before everything else (why?) Dedicated their life to the faith (why?) Had a profound religious experience (why?) Was brought to their lowest point through a trial or misadventure (why?) and so on..
If you treat a character trait as something that developed, instead of popping into existence without cause, they can feel far more real.
@@GinnyDiDad Energy Barbarians are my favorite!
I would love to see Ginny’s take on a Rogue or a Ranger
My kid has a Wizard that comes from a family of adventuring Grungs that live in a tree stump in the middle of the woods. They have a lot of kids and all of them go out on adventures, and some of those kids come back home to train up the younger ones. Her character was taught magic by one of her elder brothers and because of this, she has custom silly names for all of her spells when she casts them. ♥
I love this! So cute!
Adorable
My favourite wizard idea is still my archeologist one. Her actual training is in linguistics and learnt magic by translating it from ruins
that's such a fun idea!!!
As a translation and interpretatiate student, i'm happy being represented.
Hi I love this i'm stealing it i love uuuu byeeeee
That is basically my current Rogue character. Taking a lot of the flavour from a Wizard (Scholar, intelligent, archeology, worked at a university) and combining it with a rogue to make an Indiana Jones/Lara Croft style character. Due to some multi-classing and very specific background/race options, she knows 7 languages, and is on her adventure to find a lost scholar and earn her way back to the university after trusting the wrong person.
@@Camo1177that sounds like a lot of fun.
Can we have a short interaction, showing *all* the character points you gave Wisteria
Ginny : Do you need a note or something to excuse your absence
Wisteria : No I'll just give the professor 10 gold, ... by the way can I borrow 10 gold
... That'll do nicely ...
“Wisteria doesn’t exactly come across as a genius.”
“I’m right here!”
Classic Ginny Di. Love it!
I never thought I would enjoy a "you're the Smart Friend of an underachieving gnome wizard" POV skit before, but here i am
Wisteria reminds me of a "Wizard" I once played in a game revolving around a Magic School. He was really a Arcane Trickster that had false identify allowing him to attend school.
Ginny pushing her characters around is just so much fun to watch! "Yeah, quietly if possible."
fun video :) I still think Liam's portrayal of Caleb Widowgast's detailed casting style, using the Material components was one of the things that inspired me to want to try a wizard but personality like this is also golden :) I also made a gnome but having access to a mine and making her own signature line of crystal figurines was how I left my mark on our game, a friend of mine focused on food and using spells to have unseen servant help them make as many as they can to give as gifts like pulling a Pie out from her bag of holding for every NPC we stop and talk to :P
I think Liam's focus on the casting components is very much a character choice, though! Every Wizard uses components, technically, but not everyone uses them as part of the roleplay flavor. Caleb is a precise, meticulous character, and that is reflected so artfully in the specificity that Liam uses in his descriptions. A master class in flavoring mechanical descriptions, honestly!!
@@GinnyDi amen :)
Oh this is a fun video! Would love to see one for druids, just 'cause I've seen a lot of people find the Druid class to be "restrictive" flavor-wise, which I get but I think that's a lot of self-imposed restrictions. Had one of my players once be an evil druid that was just "improving" nature by adding extra eyes and limbs to beasts. I'm sure those rabbits really appreciated being able to literally watch their backs and strangle predators with their new tentacles.
You're right, even in 3.5 druids are not as restrictive as people believe by the text.
They must be neutral on one axis(either on the good-evil axis OR the chaotic-lawful axis)(this limits their alignment choices to; lawful neutral, neutral good, true neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil so five alignments out of 9),
they cannot use metal armor or metal weapons,
....
Yep that's pretty much it. Literally everything else is either fluff or self-imposed, they don't even have to have/join/be part of a druid circle in 3.5
Love this video, my Wizard was a Dwarven guard at a magic academy, after some students was kidnapped during a field trip he used the spells he learned while on the job to rescue them.
I think one of my favorite wizard PC's backstories came from another player. His necromancer was a prince from a micronation, where the royal secrets between life and death had been passed down from parent to child. Adventuring is seen as a rite of passage in his family to prove themselves worthy to rule. While he was a very brutal opponent to our enemies, he was also quite cordial to the party and our allies.
"I'm not here to talk about the numbers."
That's why I come here, Ginny. Leave the mechanical talk to everyone else. I come here to learn how to give my stories and characters, well, character.
Once again, you are probably the only creator that actually makes me enjoy watching sponsor shout outs! You do them so creatively and I feel I'm missing out if I skip them
Currently playing a gnome divination wizard in Eberron! She was heir of House Sivis, until she acquired an aberrant dragonmark. She wasn’t “exiled” but was politely told to leave and sent to attend Morgrave academy and told to never speak of her associated to House Sivis. She was accosted to luxury, and has not coped well being a broke college student. She hasn’t spoken to her family since she left, but is convinced that she can use the magic she’s learned to become one of the greatest writers of this generation, and be accepted back into House Sivis to make them proud.
One year post grad, she is the head writer of an up and coming newspaper. Our dnd party owns and runs this paper, which we named “The Beholder’s Bulletin,” our tagline is “Behold the truth for a better tomorrow,” and our mascot is a little beholder with a magnifying glass.
I have a sea elf wizard whom I love to pieces. She always wanted to be a pirate because she read books about pirates as a child. She read and read and read and became absolutely enamored with the idea of living on a ship. Then... She became a pirate. She met a man who was devoted to Sekolah, the Shark God, and she realized that living on a ship all of the time was actually a ton of hard work. (I gave her high CON to represent her life on a ship, hauling and so on.) The shine kind of came off being a pirate, but when she found a magical book in a wreck at sea, she realized that reading was really her primary passion and she began to teach herself magic. Now she's in her middle age, has a daughter and a husband, and they live on a boat 100% of the time, ferrying around rich people to make their living. She's toughened by life on the sea, but reading is still her passion, so she always trades for books whenever she can.
Uh, I really love that. I enjoy seeing unconventional RPG Heroes.
Thanks! Me too. As a mom and wife, I sometimes like to play someone who isn't a fresh faced youngster just out of school lol@@jonasholzer4422
OH. MY. GOD. You have no idea how badly I needed this video! Thank you so much! I've been working on a wizard character since I started with DnD, but his backstory always felt so bland, and off-the-shelf! I love your videos!!!
So happy to help!! 🥰
My favorite wizard character I’ve made-and sadly have yet to play-is Visenya.
She’s a half-elf who was born to a human courtesan, her father being an Elven adventurer she’s never met, but that her mother still pines for.
Visenya, who has the Urchin background, actually got her start when she snatched a wizard’s satchel that happened to contain his spellbook and some notes on basic cantrip reading. With those and a little trial and error, she managed to become something of a hedge wizard.
I'm surprised Wisteria didn't see her unlicensed likeness on your shirt and immediately litigate.
"attempting to sue god" feels like more of an Augury move than a Wisteria one, to be fair 😂
Don't show augury your miniatures of her, or her dice, or your pin-up calendar images of her...
Or better yet do and do a short on her attempting to sue god...
here's a brief description of my Wizard blade singer: He was in his own realm in a cloud forest being an air genasi, learning his magic from the forest animals he was observing within it. Then one day he stumbled upon an odd ruin within the forest so due to his curiosity he started observing and exploring the ruin then he found an unruined door he opened it and then blacked out, then woke up somewhere unfamiliar surrounded by humanoids speaking an unfamiliar language and couldn't find a way back to his cloud forest.
My warforged wizard was actually an elderly scribe wizard who worked his life away for an experimental magic facility. He was at the end of life and felt he never got out and adventured. He stole a forbidden soul transfer scroll and completed a ritual to transfer his soul into a scribe bot. He is on the run from his old company and trying to get his body to cast the spells he once knew.
This is my favorite video on the subject of backstory I’ve seen! It’s the only one that I feel has the necessary components to push viewers all the way through the process, not just to start.
i have a halfling wizzard named Edwing Riverrun, and he is an entretainer, he peform magical tricks on stage, and he uses the "keen mind" feet to do card tricks, because he memorizes the position of every card on the deck, so even when he shuffles he knows where every card is.
Could we get the other classes for this too? I feel like a series for this would be amazing
I also have a fun story for another caster class, an evil goblin bard, Blurp Treblemaker, street urchin from Waterdeep/Skullport, and ousted former lead guitarist of the famed goblin band, Pink Fjord. 😂 He's looking for his long lost love, Stevie Nickleplate of Meatwad Snack, and he met up with fellow friends at the Yawning Portal Tavern where goals were found to not be mutually exclusive amongst the party members.
This worked out well for whenever I had to explain what song I played (um... uh... "Wish you WERENT here", or "GRICK on the Wall", etc.), and I had a lot of fun with that guy ❤
@orokusaki1243
Oh totally, but we want to see this applied to all the colors of the character class rainbow is all we're saying lol
REALLY wanna see more from this series! It super duper fits the Ginny Di format and really gets the inspiration juices flowing!
I love making backstories for every class, not just wizards. But since we’re on the topic of wizards I once made a gnome Wizard who really wanted to study animals, but needed a way to protect himself to do so. He wasn’t a good fighter and he didn’t have any sort of faith, so he learned the ways of an abjuration Wizard so he could protect himself while out studying animals.
I am definitely not implying that only wizards should have backstories 😂 I’m hoping to make this into a series haha
I had a rogue that "left" med school under suspicious circumstances and as a mastermind rogue, he forged his diploma. It fools most people, but he is nervous around nobles and professionals. He decided he needed a change of venue, so he became a ship's physician and set sail. (Sailor background) yep, I loved Doc as a character.
I’m so appreciative for your channel! Your videos are so well thought out, well shot, and soooo helpful! You’re helping storytellers everywhere in an engaging and comfy way. Thank you!
I've never played a Wizard before, but if I did, I've already got a concept pretty locked in. Halfling just loves reading, loves learning about everything there is to know, and just sorta picked up magic along the way after finding a wizard's spellbook. She's completely self taught and decided to become an adventurer after reading all the books in her local library.
It’s also really fun to roll liars. One of my favorite PCs was a Swashbuckler rogue who constantly fabricated tales of his past achievements, Gilderoy Lockhart style. He had the stereotypical rogue backstory “grew up on the streets. Never knew his parents,” but depending on the time of day he was the son of rich merchant, or a runaway from a traveling circus where he ringmaster abused him.
This honestly helped me a lot. I'm personally SUPER tired of the Magic School trope and this gave me plenty of ideas for a wizard that doesn't need to include that particular trope. :)
I might have said it before. But i never get tired of Ginny's upbeat & "bubbly" portrayals in her videos.
It always makes me smile.
Also, excellent video overall.
My current wizard character grew up poor and apprenticed under the village healer/mortician, who turned out to be a necromancer. Despite necromancy being illegal, she saw learning magic as a way to learn an in-demand skill to improve her financial situation. So, she agreed to train as a necromancer. When the necromancer died after decades of extending her life well-beyond her natural lifespan, my wizard vowed off necromancy and is desperately trying to teach herself non-necromantic magic so she can move past it all.
"Wisteria usually appears in my videos as an NPC"
Or as unpaid labor when it's calendar-sending time :D
World Anvil totally is a rare flying gopher and I refuse to acknowledge otherwise.
Also, this way Wisteria is portrayed, she'd make an amazing Arcane Trickster Rogue, leaning deeper into the "cheat and bribe your way through school" shtick, while STILL being a highly intelligent flunkie.
Beyond the Stats letsgoooooo
i feel personally attacked. how dare you call out my tendency to just make stat blocks. you will be hearing from my rules lawyer :face_with_tears_of_joy:
we'd be a great team, I'm out here making nothing but stories with no stats 😂
The wizard I am playing right now is probably my favorite character I ever made (so much so I played her twice, now). I wanted to play an abjuration wizard and while flipping through the backgrounds for ideas I saw sailor and thought "oh, that is such an odd combo. How do I make this work?"
Astraea is a human who was found by pirates at a young age and raised by them. She liked to read, they discovered, so they often stole books for her, some of which, it turned out, were about magic. They started looking for more with that fancy writing in it for her as she started to play around with it. Eventually she joined the crew, became a proper pirate, and then, when the boat was sunk, she moved to Waterdeep to work the docks and have access to magical libraries. She likes looking for magic related tomes and objects. She is dex based, and not int based, relying on her relatively high AC and abjuration abilities to keep her alive and her rapier to attack with green flame blade. She is smart, a bit of a drunk at times, and her charisma dump stat is a feature as she is very crude and rude, but in an entertaining way.
Also, she doesn't think of herself as a wizard since she never went to a school (despite her keeping a spellbook). Her first spell learned was find familiar, since she was still a kid, and she still has her cat familiar Isabella. Second spell was firebolt, also because she was a kid. I could go on ...
This might be your best video yet! Top notch information, editing, and comedy. Brilliant ❤
This is so good! And apt as I was just working on making a wizard turned artificer. She is actually quite bad with spells but she's great at building and she's still smart just not...spell smart. It's my favorite thing. Love thinking about all the different types of wizards there can be! Great video, Ginny!
Here’s my characters backstory! It was kind of hard to come up with because I wanted to play an old man this time but he needed to be level 3:
Aldor's youth was filled with the unwavering support of his parents, who recognized his insatiable curiosity and hunger for knowledge. From a young age, it became evident that he possessed a natural inclination towards learning and a sharp intellect. At one point he was a Jorman who would preach Jormanism to citizens and go to their doorsteps. As he embarked on his studies at Percívalo's Academy of Wizardry and the Occult, Aldor's potential was quickly noticed by Jorhanth the Spellweaver, a respected wizard and scholar. Under Jornhanth’s guidance, Aldor began to explore the intricacies of magic, although he had yet to fully grasp its vast complexities.
Immersing himself in the study of ancient tomes and obscure rituals, Aldor expanded his understanding of the arcane arts. He dabbled in various magical languages, such as Draconic, Elvish, and Dwarvish, broadening his knowledge of different cultures and their mystical practices.
Together, Aldor and Jornhath embarked on a series of modest adventures, facing minor challenges that tested their skills and fostered a deep bond between them. They encountered magical creatures, uncovered hidden artifacts, and unraveled ancient mysteries, all within the borders of the Kingdom of Calica. Their quests were often overshadowed by the ongoing conflicts that plagued the realm, but Aldor's limited experience meant that they rarely faced truly perilous situations.
One pivotal moment in their journey came when they crossed paths with Orgessa, a sinister enchantress who sought to bring chaos to the kingdom. In a daring confrontation, Jornhath was killed, and Aldor, his magical abilities still in the early stages of development, was unable to defeat Orgessa.
Overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy and longing for guidance, Aldor withdrew from his adventuring pursuits. He took solace in seclusion, dedicating himself to self-reflection and study. Gradually, he managed to overcome his grief and rekindle his determination to reclaim his magical potential, but on a path that diverged from traditional wizardry.
Turning to education, Aldor became a respected mentor for aspiring wizards, sharing what knowledge he had acquired during his time with Jornhath. He also delved into organizing and preserving magical knowledge, taking charge of the ancient scrolls and artifacts housed within the Academy. Aldor's meticulousness and dedication proved invaluable in his role as the head organizer of Percívalo's Academy of Wizardry and the Occult, ensuring that the accumulated wisdom of the ages was properly cataloged and accessible to future generations.
Residing in the peaceful village of Corona, Aldor seeks solace in the familiarity of his hometown. Amidst the serene surroundings, he is gradually exploring his magical powers, exploring the realms of nature magic and embracing the potential path of a druid. Aldor's affinity with the natural world is evident through his deep connection with his animal companions-Calyx, a phoenix heirloom passed down through his family, and Silverstrike, his loyal Cenrack Steed. Together, they roam the verdant landscapes, learning from the harmony of nature and forging a unique bond that reflects Aldor's evolving magical abilities.
Great Video! I hope you make this a series!
100% This!
me, holding an overflowing basket of OCs: I dont need to make any more.
Ginny Di: *puts out this video*
me, eye twitching: okay i can fit one more in here right? wizards don't take up too much room--
in colevilles book, there was a wizard apprentice character named Pena. as soon as one of my players read her bio, first thing he said was i want one. she was kind of dumb-blonde coded, bubbly and kind, and would use her powers to help people. had a funny note that if you were mean to her she would get upset and close the magic shop for a few days to recover. was def a memorable npc
Wisteria is genuinely one of my favorite characters you've made and I always love to see the shenanigans she gets up to
I have several characters within a community that has quite a few dm's and dozens of players who constantly play one shots. But they have developed a system where you can have character leveling/progression within this system. It all revolves around the Metropolis, a giant city floating in Limbo filled with adventurers of all levels/races/classes etc. I just made a lvl 1 wizard character who's basically an anthro pangolin. She was found as a very young child by the son and daughter of a Tabaxi family who first used her as a ball before their parents intervened when they realized she was not a ball but a child. The family adopted her and raised her as one of their own. She loves her adoptive family and has used her limited magic abilities to aid them and the community she lived in, which I imagine to be a bunch of nomads in a savannah like environment. Her best friends are a Loxodon and a Giff.
As happy as she has been, there always has been the nagging question where she came from? Why hasn't she ever seen anyone who even remotely looks like her?
So as a young adult with her family's blessing she has set out to find answers and hopefully others of her kind. After traveling for a bit she heard about the Metropolis, a giant city filled with strange and bizarre creatures. Surely if there are others like her she can find them there?
She just arrived, but coming from a world where the nomadic lifestyle is the norm, she was completely unprepared for the massive city that is the Metropolis. Completely overwhelmed, she is very timid and shy and seeing how powerful some of the other heroes are makes her feel very insignificant. But having just arrived and needing to settle in as well as provide for herself she reluctantly has just accepted and finished her first quest. At least her fellow adventurers seemed somewhat similar to her skillwise...
(The DM started with a fire breath from a hellhound that did 30 damage... With 8 HP she barely survived her very first attack since character creation only because she made the dex save :P).
This is honestly one of my favorite videos of yours! I often spend so so much time coming up with a bunch of details about a character but have a hard time either making it be cohesive or I miss something obvious I should have decided on. Or I just don't know where to start because everything seems to rely on something else. This guide is amazing and I'd love to see this as a series for every class!
Can't wait for the Warlock version of this video. It'll be a nice tie-in to your great Warlock/Patron video.
Great video. A lot of these tips are great for just writing characters in general, even outside of DnD. Having your character react to what you're saying about her also provided a lot of really funny moments.
I love giving wizards some kind of quirk when casting spells. Like they could open their books to read the spell or they could wave their wand in specific patterns. My favourite wizard character is lamar silverleaf - a wizard / artist who specialiced in weaving illusions into his paintings. His wand is shaped like a paintbrush and whenever he is casting a spell he is painting a corresponding image into air with that spell that then comes to live as the effect of the spell.
It's a thing I enjoy with the Fabula Ultima system. Each class has 5 questions about the character to make the "origin" of the class unique
I’m working on a Wizard right now. These are all really great tips, and have realized I have answered a lot of the questions mentioned in this video!
Would love to see more videos similar to this!
I wish some of my friends would agree and think the idea is the fun part. It would be nice to talk about story instead of numbers once in a while
“So how did you learn your magic?”
“By picking the wizard class.”
This is perfect because I just played a Homebrew Astral genasi Chronurgy wizard. They definitely have a cloistered scholar vibe living far to the north with their adopted dads. They definitely enjoy reading and learning more than interacting with other people. Their dads and their research on a different dimension went missing so my character, Aliter, left to go try and find them. They are an extreme introvert, but I’ve already had a ton of fun playing them.
My first wizard character (also my first D&D pc) struggled to be more than angry elf. My second one got to be inspired by my professors in college. I gave him the worst voice for my throat possible to convey his disdain for others slower than he, and the rest fell into place. The party got to crack him open over the course of 20 levels and find someone kinder inside.
Love the insight, and the way you used Wisteria as an example! Thanks for another great video 😊
Planning a Strixhaven campaign where all players are wizards... Giving thanks for this help and contributing to the algorithm
Yet another of your videos that I have to watch twice.
Once because it's interesting and funny.
Second because I need to take notes on all the good ideas and suggestions. There's always way too many to remember.
A wizard who learned through apprenticeship has a very simple and obvious reason to become an adventurer: they have just finished their apprenticeship and become a journeyman, and so have set out on their journeyman years, travelling from place to place to learn from as many masters as possible.
I enjoy these. Be nice to see some on other classes. Especially martials like Barbarians or Fighters. My group far to often seems to think "I hit stuff hard" is a personality, even the ones who make intense backgrounds when playing other classes.
I’ve never commented on a RUclips video before, but this one deserves it. Great information, great presentation, and great insight. Well done.
Thanks for making an exception for me! 🥰 I'm so glad it was helpful!
Well I was building a wizard for a new campaign this week. Guess this is right on time!
Facts
Hey Ginny, you asked recently what a lot of your viewers are really here for and I think this kinda nailed it. For me at least. I enjoy your content because I admire and adore your creativity. So everything from the artistic endeavors of your character sheet/notebook for Aisling, to pinup FCG, to your role play as character growth uhhh… questioneers…? Anyways, great content and I look forward to you expanding on this concept. :)
My Half-Elf Wizard has a family heirloom in the form of a mysterious Rubik's sphere-like toy, seemingly hollow with no way how to open it, and lets him prepare and cast spells by aligning the different runes covered throughout the sphere. As such, it serves as both his spellbook and focus. It was owned by a distant relative who was a master elementalist and was an alumnus at the college where my character's currently studying. Wanting to live up to his relative's legend and uncover the secrets of this seemingly mundane toy, he sets out on an adventure as part of his final year thesis project.
Honestly, Invoker from DOTA was my main inspiration for this Wizard character of mine.
I wish I could describe my wizard in detail, but there's some major spoilers about her story that I don't want any of my fellow players to run across just yet. Suffice to say, she's a neutral evil school of enchantment subclass, which alone is terrifying. Then add to that the fact that most of the party jumped to conclusions about her species and motives, so they really have no clue what they're dealing with at all. xD
She's currently playing along with them because they're useful as far as she's concerned, but who knows how long that will last? The DM is fully onboard and enabling all of my scheming, and it's so much fun to see how long I can keep up the whole smoke and mirrors thing.
There's even an unexpected romance subplot with her and the rogue (we discussed it OOC when they seemed to hit it off, and both me and the rogue player find it very funny, so we decided to play it up), even though the rogue is also the one most suspicious of her.
That sounds intriguing...
I have a Bladesinger / Fighter who is a Soldier/ Merc veteran.
Brook Learned Magic on the battle field. A servant to the god of war, who worships with both book and blade. He lost an arm, was left for dead, He is a shell of his former self. He fought in wars that didn’t concern him for kings who didn’t care for him, serving out of duty… now he fights for himself, for his team and for those who can fight for themselves. Raised on the battle field, I’ll die on the battle field but atleast this time it will be for a purpose.
Thank u for your Videos. They are very helpful for new players and dungeonmasters❤
please do a whole series about this!!! i would love to see giving character to every class :D (though i understand thats a big undertaking lol)
Thank you SO MUCH! This is THE video I use with friends for character personality/backstory building!
My Wizard Yune Mee is the awakened cat of a sorceress who kinda is her mother, she taught magic to herself trough the books of this sorceress and learned divination, she believes everything in life is determined in the stares and ones own bones (which is why she has two levels in stars druid and owns a ton of random bones).
She wants to believe everything has a reason because if it doesent, then the wild magic that awakened her was just a coincidence. Like her mom she tries to understand the workings of the gods, the cosmos and wild magic while learning social interaction and the ways of the warrior from the groups fighter.
Always feel better after watching your videos, something calming about your cadence and wit 😌
This is a really good video. I like this style of character building guides.
My half elf wizard name Nora Wintle is my absolute favorite character to roleplay as they are such a socially awkward dork but she is also so powerful and passionate deep down I love her
Fantastic video. I'd like to add a vote for a series with other classes.
Also would like to call out the absolute savagery around 9:05 poor Wysteria... 🤣🤣🤣
My favourite character ever has been an enchantment Wizard called Adriana. She was the 6th child of a royal family in a matriarchal System and exclusively had older brothers. She quickly became the princess of the family. Getting very spoilt in the process. In this setting every heir to the family home learns some basic magic because of how practical it is to have an unseen servant and a mage hand. But nothing too elaborate.
(Un-)fortunately she and her private teacher found out that she has a knack for enchantment magic and, while practicing in secret, they fell in love. Skip a few years of practice and secret dates and a pregnancy happened. Adriana's parents were furious and lied to her that the private teacher would raise the child at their summer house and she would get to see them occasionally.
Despite this, the father of her child ran away right after the baby had been born - taking it with him. Her parents, however, had actually forced this on him and afterwards tried to gaslight Adriana into obedience.
The first time Adriana publicly defied her parents was when she ran away, trying to find her ex and their child. Thus, the campaign began.
Working on a knowledge domain cleric who wanted to be a wizard until his tragic backstory left him with cleric powers and crippling panic anxiety and a lot of this works with fleshing him out too! Thanks!
Don't forget: your stats can also help guide your character's personality as well, even potentially including it into why the character is out adventuring.
Are they a weakling who often struggles to carry their heavy tomes because you dumped strength? Well, when they dropped it, the fighter was passing by, and offered to help them. They began talking and ended up becoming friends. Low strength tied into the backstory and helps give a reason to stick with an adventure.
Perhaps they are more of a "Bumbling professor" or simply unaware, and have low wisdom. This may help inform what type of backstory you may want. A scholar who's been inside for most of their life studying the arcane, and having low wisdom for it? Sure. Or, perhaps you have decently high wisdom, being more of a field-researcher. Maybe they have low charisma because they're cooped up indoors and haven't talked much with people, or perhaps even are constantly unkempt and not caring much about their appearance. Or perhaps their being inside made them overly social as they want to talk and meet with people, for better or worse.
Stats don't define a character, but certainly can play a part, so don't be afraid to lean into your worse or better stats to help create the character.
It's nice to see you joined my other favourite DnD content creators yesterday. I wanted to toot at you but only found an empty account. People reported more engagement on Mastodon than Twitter, so if you are hesitating about switching then I'd say you should go for it.
you just made me recreate my third substitute character for my campaign^^
thanks for all the ideas and input!
also i really enjoyed the video, it was fun to watch, easy to follow and extremely helpful, keep on with that!
Love this video, so helpfull! Btw, the spotify wrapped came out today and Ginny is my number 1 artist!!!
THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY 😭 thank you so much for listening!!
I'm just so happy you manage to make great music and videos, have you ever thought about selling a vinyl or cd? I would love one!
I think she should sell cds, they're already digital, she'd just have to copy them to a cd.
Vinyls, well unfortunately not many people still have record players to play the vinyls.
But as far as I know studios still record them that way so who knows.
I just started getting into DnD, and my first character build is a human wizard.
Haven't thought of a name for her yet (or figured out her stats and spells), but I have come up with some of her backstory and personality:
"She" and her parents were members of a nomadic clan with ancient ties to secret arcane magic, the exact origin of which is completely unknown. "She" was taught both magic and survival tactics by her parents since Age 5 and was told never to reveal her true power to outsiders.
However, on the night of "her" 13th birthday, her clan was attacked and killed by a group of mysterious soldiers and assassins. By some sort of miracle, "she" survives the massacre, but is left without the only people she considered family. "She" soon spends the next eight years on the road, learning and adapting to the outside world while on a quest of revenge against her clan's killers.
She is very introverted and reserved, rarely talks to others, and never fully trusts those doesn't know, showing no hesitation to leave them (or take them down) if they betray her in any way. She is also observant and analytical of her surroundings and is very cautious when she senses danger.
She is willing to move forward and put her goals and priorities ahead of her own feelings and preferences, while occasionally taking joy in moments of quiet and solitude.
I have a wizard named Wisteria too! Sadly not a gnome, she’s half elf and half tiefling, but still throws gold around like there’s no tomorrow!
My last Wizard (PF, not D&D) was once a super powerful archmage, a la Elminster. He had been affected by a pseudo-feeblemind and couldn't remember his past. Gaining levels was the effect wearing off. He was in his seventies and I played him as completely senile. He would cast shield any time he was startled. He would be reminded of a story and begin to tell it only to either end it abruptly or go on many tangents.
"That reminds me of what my father used to tell me."
"What did he tell you?"
"Who?"
"Your father."
"You knew my father?! Impossible! You are but a sprig on the Tree of Life!"
Ahh... good times
This sounds super amusing. I think I would have enjoyed playing in that game...
@@nightfall89z62 I had a complete blast. I really enjoy characters with silly quirks without being over-the-top.
Gosh I needed this after today. New campaign and some extra ideas to help put my eldritch singer together was needed
Great exercise, I'll have to send this to some new players :D
ok that was so very fun -- the back and forth between you two -> Priceless :D and as usual - concise, clear and useful stuff al along!
Thank you. I've been considering a wizard character for a future campaign, and this advice is great.
I was trying to make a wizard focussing on bone magic. He is definitely on the outside of society, and often people find him unsettling, but he cares deeply for his moral compass and is actively striving to make the world a better place through medical advancements. I thought this community would be a great place to ask for (ideally French) names, since I'm kinda stumped. Any ideas?
Sure, I love collecting foreign names! Any of these tickle your fancy? Aloïs (famous warrior), Claude (crippled), Davian (beloved), Delroy (servant of the king), Dragomir (precious peace), Dorian (gift), Einar (one who fights alone), Fatin (charming), Gaultier (ruler of the army), Lonan (black bird), Odhran (little pale green one), Ophir (reduced to ashes), Sorin (sun)
Go on-line. type in, fantasy name generator, and it will take you to a site full of hundreds of name generators on so many types of names, from places, races, objects, groups, etc. Super usefull.
Would love to see the next video! I hope you make the other classes too :)
@GinnyDi Thanks, this is a really good summary (and reminder) of how to add character and depth to any character or class. Will think about how I can systematically embed the advice when the new group kicks off 😊
Great video! One thing I've started dabbling in is the use of AI to help generate my characters. If I am having trouble with backstory or personality traits, ChatGPT has done a fantastic job giving my characters colorful, detailed stories that make them unique and interesting. It does surprisingly well at generating coherent traits to match the backstory (as Ginny was pointing out) and gives me great content to either copy directly into my game or use as a jumping-off point to make the character I want instead.
I always enjoy your videos, but I honestly burst out laughing multiple times at this one.
"I'm RIGHT HERE!"
Always excellent writing, performance, and editing!
I’m building a wizard who learned all her spells thru trade school/real estate classes. She went to school to become a famous house flipper/real estate agent. All her spells are useful for remodeling, staging, selling houses/castles
I'm making a wizard for an upcoming game, decided to look up if ginnyDi has any videos about them and what so you know, this one uploaded a few hours ago! Amazing timing!