There are a near infinite number of character types players can choose from when playingDungeons & Dragons, and dungeon masters will always find a way to incorporate them into the campaign. However, sometimes it can end up being more trouble than it’s worth, as some character types can cause issues for the wider party.
These include characters with tragic flaws, not as an intended consequence of a backstory or for roleplaying reasons, but through poor decisions in the character creation process. It’s important to spot these characters as they will end up making the campaign just a little more difficult than it needs to be, and sometimes a few tweaks can make a campaign run more smoothly.
Often problematic characters are the result of players not considering or being unaware of the wider implications of their choices. Werecommend a session zero where potential problems can be discussed, and a compromise reached if required, before the campaign begins.
10The Min-Maxer
Optimizing a character build isn’t easy, as you have to find the ideal set of attributes and combine them with specific skills and features to ensure your character is as powerful as possible. While this isn’t a problem for the DM, as you can always just make something more powerful, it can actually become an issue for the party.
If only one or two players choose to maximize their character’s stats and abilities, then as they level up, they can end up leaving the rest of the party behind. Then it becomes difficult for DMs to balance encounters that give the powerful player a challenge without easily stomping on the rest of the party in response.
These players might alsodip into multiclasspurely for a mechanical benefit, such as a Wizard adding two levels of Fighter for Action Surge, with no concept of how it affects their character outside it. Keep communication open to help players understand the effects of their choices.
9The Over Prepared
While it is beneficial for players to pick different spells, abilities, and gear that can make them useful in more than one situation, it can become a problem when they begin to prepare for every possible encounter and obstacle. This includes healing, traversal, combat, roleplay, charm spells, and feats that make them feel indispensable.
This can be rewarding for the player who has access to all these unique character resources, but a player with too much utility can make the rest of the party feel like audience members. Encourage balance across the party to avoid your campaign feeling like a solo run.
8The Lone Wolf
Less of a mechanics issue and more of a role-playing one, sometimes you can spot the beginnings of a lone wolf character as soon as they pick a rogue with a tragic backstory and trust issues. Frustrating everyone at the table, this character can end up grinding the campaign to a halt to pepper in solo adventures constantly.
This can involve them sneaking off as soon as the party enters a new town to look for loot to steal or plot hooks to engage on their own. Not only does this force a spotlight on them for an annoying amount of time, but can end up making it difficult for the party to justify keeping this party member around if they can’t be a team player. Make sure they canplay a lone wolf as part of a team.
7The Ten-Page Backstory
DMs love it when players engage faithfully in their world and lore, making a character they will cherish. However, this can be taken too far by a player who has a very specific idea for their character that they detail into the ground before even rolling their first die.
What’s important for players to understand is that most of what happens in D&D comes during play, instead of backstory, as campaign events, unique magic items, and roleplaying can influence a character over time. Players who place too much importance on who their characters are already supposed to be will become frustrated far more often in actual play.
6The Homebrew
Players tend to come up with their own rules when they have an idea for their character that isn’t explicit in the book and would make for an interesting or unique experience. This is fine when replacing specific elements of their character, especially with DM oversight, but can be a problem when their entire character sheet becomes homebrewed.
This is often done by players who don’t bother to read the Player’s Handbook or supplements that might already contain what they are looking for, instead assuming gameplay mechanics based on vibes. Not only are these characters prone to being wildly unbalanced, but they interact poorly with the world and the party. Tread carefully if using homebrewed mechanics to avoid issues.
5The Exploiter
Rules for spells and features are often written vaguely in D&D, with the assumption that players and DMs will interpret them in good faith and use them as intended. Sometimes, players will go out of their way to pick these spells and features, citing the rules as an excuse for being allowedto break the game.
This includes using Create or Destroy water to remove the water from someone’s body, or using Minor Illusion to recreate the effects of Invisibility. This is the easiest to combat against, simply saying “no” when it comes up, but it helps to know and understand what spells and feats your party has access to.
4The Under Prepared
Players who are new to the game or don’t understand how to get the most out of their character can make decisions that unknowingly hurt them in the long run. This is why you should always check your player’s character sheets before the first session and continue to offer help as the campaign progresses.
A Fighter might take the Archery fighting style feat but not have any ranged weapons, or an Evoker Wizard never adds additional evocation spells to their spellbook. This player will likely end up woefully behind the other members of the party, frustrated at their inability to match their skill or potential while constantly dropping to zero.
3Two Kobolds In A Trench Coat
A popular meme character that can transform a campaign if done correctly, two kobolds in a trench coat can break the game in most other cases. Beyond this specific design, anytime a player wants to control multiple characters simultaneously, you instantly hit balancing issues.
This gives them access to two actions, bonus actions, combat turns, and extra attunement slots. While a fun idea for an NPC, this type of character gives one player much more power and can easily be exploited. As such, this is best avoided unless you know for sure it can be done correctly.
This is different from characters with access to sidekicks, such as through Find Familiar or a Beast Master Ranger, which have explicit rules that balance controlling multiple characters.
2The Murderhobo
Purposefully picking spells that can start fires, wipe minds, or make easy escapes, some players want a consequence-free world where they can live out their violent fantasies. This character usually peeks their head out as soon as a shopkeeper doesn’t offer them a hefty discount, deciding to just murder and steal everything they can.
These kinds of players are the quickest at being able to kill a campaign, pun intended. Not taking anything seriously other than acquiring as much gold and loot as possible, murderhobo characters with no regard for others can also be the first to learn the DM’s magic powers of, “rocks fall, you die.”
1The DMPC
One type of character that rarely tends to belong in the party, the Dungeon Master Player Character can easily become the unwitting star of a campaign, much to the party’s irritation. Able to metagame without notice, fudge every roll, have access to any ability the DM decides, they should rarely, if ever, be a permanent party member.
If there must be an NPC traveling with the party, they should always be weaker than the group, require their aid in some way, and not be a way for the DM to insert their own power fantasy into the game. Not only does this make them the unwanted protagonist of the campaign, but it steals the spotlight from all the other players.
