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Gimmicks For Every D&D Character (NPC and PC)

by Marius on October 29, 2022
Art generated by the DALL-E AI using the prompt, "Expressionist oil painting of a friendly orc"

If you would like to see a generator to quickly generate NPCs (with gimmicks) check out the Illusory Script NPC Generator!

What makes a D&D character unique?

Everyone in D&D wants to play unique characters. We want our characters to be remembered, to make an impression, to bring joy to the group and ourselves. This goes for both players and DMs. In the case of the DM, it’s unique NPCs that we want to create. But what makes a character, player or non-player, unique?

In my experience, it’s rarely an elaborate back story that I remember of a character. Instead, it’s the little things: often the “gimmicks” are what make a character memorable.

What are character gimmicks

Oxford English dictionary defines a gimmick as, “a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or trade.” That’s perfect. A gimmick can be any aspect of a character that is clearly noticeable for the other players at the table. It is intended to grab the table’s attention. There are different categories of possible gimmicks:

  1. A physical or verbal mannerism used in roleplaying the character.
  2. An item or trinket that the character is never seen without.
  3. A personality quirk.
  4. A visual quirk (this can be tricky because we never actually see the character).

Here are lists with random quirks for each of these categories. You can roll randomly on these or pick a gimmick you like. To determine the category randomly, roll a d4 to pick a random category first.

d20 Physical or Verbal Character Gimmicks

The entries 1-10 on this list are verbal gimmicks, while entries 11-20 are physical gimmicks. You can roll a d10 twice (once for entries 1-10 and once for entries 11-20) to generate both, a verbal and a physical gimmick.

The character…

  1. speaks in a low growl
  2. speaks in a German/French accent
  3. speaks in a high pitched voice
  4. whispers or speaks with a lot of breath
  5. starts every sentence with a lot of “um” and “er”
  6. stutters
  7. calls everyone “darling”
  8. speaks melodically with a rising and falling intonation
  9. speaks of themselves in the third person
  10. speaks in a relaxed manner, and says “right on” and “alright” a lot
  11. laughs nervously at inappropriate moments
  12. hunches their shoulders
  13. puffs out their chest
  14. cracks their knuckles
  15. rubs their chin
  16. pulls their right/left earlobe
  17. fizzles with their hair
  18. leans forward when speaking
  19. nervously looks from side to side
  20. draws their eyebrows together

d20 Character Item Gimmicks

The character is never seen without their…

  1. rainbow-colored weapon
  2. gold necklace which they inherited
  3. signet ring (of their own noble house, or one they acquired “elsewhere”)
  4. walking cane with a wood-carved animal head on top
  5. wide-brimmed hat they pull over their eyes
  6. pocket book in which they record even miniscule events of the day
  7. lucky coin
  8. mysterious perfectly spherical stone
  9. stuffed animal which they consider to be their best friend
  10. deck of tarot cards
  11. onion that never rots
  12. spectacles which they constantly adjust
  13. metal six-sided die carved with demonic faces
  14. brass bell which doesn’t ring
  15. document of identification which they obsessively show to everyone to prove their identity
  16. seemingly bottomless bag of dried berries
  17. flask with a mysterious liquid
  18. blanket they have had since they were an infant
  19. ring of iron keys
  20. vial of scented oil which they constantly scent the room with

d20 Character Personality Gimmicks

The character…

  1. collects buttons or other mundane items
  2. avoids any physical contact
  3. switches common idioms around, like, “The bag is out of the cat”
  4. is a vegan who secretly eats meat
  5. always follows daily routines such as a strong drink at sunrise
  6. is afraid of pets (wild animals are not a problem)
  7. asks everyone about their grandparents
  8. is a know-it-all who constantly delivers “fun facts”
  9. tries too hard to be ominous and mysterious
  10. can never remember anyone’s name
  11. immediately falls in love with anyone they meet
  12. starts every battle with “For the Queen!” but no one knows which queen they mean
  13. is the only one that sees a ghost that haunts them for a misdeed of their ancestors
  14. worries about everything
  15. pledges loyalty to anyone with a smidge of authority
  16. invites strangers to drink the “tea of enlightenment” which they brew themselves
  17. loudly offers assistance to anyone who seems even vaguely in need of it
  18. has a pet snake which constantly bites them
  19. is convinced everything bad that happens to them is because of an ancient curse
  20. introduces themselves with a lengthy title to everyone

d20 Visual Character Gimmicks

The character…

  1. has two different eye colors
  2. has some beastly aspect such as a furry face
  3. always looks like a faint breeze is blowing their hair and clothing back
  4. can change the color of their hair at will
  5. has metal plates visibly embedded in their skull and face
  6. has a noticeable scar or eyepatch
  7. wears a cloak made from dragon scales
  8. is bald with head tattoos
  9. has pieces of skin and flesh falling off of them painlessly
  10. always wears a mask
  11. has black liquid dripping from their fingers
  12. keeps a toothpick in their mouth
  13. has blazing blue eyes
  14. is extremely overweight
  15. wears only rags
  16. cakes their otherwise exceptionally beautiful face in dirt
  17. has smoke coming out of their nose and ears when they are angry
  18. has teeth that are sharpened to a point
  19. has impeccable makeup
  20. has a silver halo around their head that they have never seen themselves

Don’t overload a character with gimmicks

Having too many gimmicky defeats the purpose. If a character has too many idiosyncrasies, no one will remember them, and it will be hard to pin down what the character is about. Keep it simple. One or two gimmicks are enough.

Once we’ve chosen a gimmick or two for our character, we can make an effort to bring them up every session. We don’t have to be subtle here. Everyone else at the table is busy with their own characters, so we have to reinforce our own character’s gimmick over and over again to make it stick.

Related Illusory Script Articles

  • Take a D&D Character Build and Make it Sing!
  • Using Body Language to Run Exciting D&D Games
  • Bloodsport as a D&D Character (The Suicide Squad D&D Party Part 1)

Links & Resources

  • Johnn Four: “RPT #693: How to Roleplay NPC Mannerisms” – https://www.roleplayingtips.com/rptn/rpt693-roleplay-npc-mannerisms/
  • u/-Bonus_Action: “d100 Voice Acting References” – https://www.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/ff1u1u/bonus_action_d100_voice_acting_references/
  • D&D Basic Rules: “Trinkets” – https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/equipment#Trinkets

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