Tips for Designing Your DND OC Based on Their Class!
D&D! Perhaps you’ve been playing for a while, or maybe you’re just getting into it! If you’re unfamiliar, D&D, also known as Dungeons and Dragons, is a popular table-top role playing game (also called a TTRPG)! It can be fun to come up with your Dungeons and Dragons character…but it can be equally fun to design them! Before we talk about designing your D&D character, if you’re looking for other types of characters to design, check out one of these other articles!
- Tips for Designing an Elf OC!
- Tips for Designing a Royal OC!
- Tips for Designing a Vampire OC!
- Tips for Designing a Villain OC!
Now, let’s get back to D&D! A fun way to design your D&D OC is by basing it off their class! There’s lots of different classes your character could be, and it could impact how you design them as well.
A bard might not look the same way a cleric would, so creating a look by utilizing their class can be an interesting way to find inspiration for their design! So how do you design your D&D OC based on their class? Roll for initiative, and let’s talk about it!
What kind of character is your D&D OC?
First off, what’s your D&D character like? The class your character is can influence several different aspects of their design, but that doesn’t have to be the only factor! Other things that could impact your OC’s design could be…
- Their personality
- Their alignment
- Their setting
- Their background or backstory
- Their status
- Their role
Taking into consideration the other aspects of your OC’s character can help create a fun and unique design for them!
Certain classes can share similarities, so using other aspects of them as well can make them stand out amongst other characters of their class!
Outfit
A big aspect of your D&D character’s design can be their outfit! Oftentimes, you can guess a character’s class just by their outfit. This isn’t always the case, and it doesn’t have to be, but it can be fun to design an OC’s outfit in a way that makes it easy to tell what class they are!
What kind of clothes would suit your character?
The clothes of your D&D OC can play a big part in their design! Since different classes have different strengths, you can give your character an outfit that will be practical for them!
Different classes might wear different outfits compared to other classes. A rogue might go for something more stealthy, while a bard might wear something more flashy or extravagant! If you need some ideas, you could try…
- A shining suit of armor for a paladin
- A dark cloak for a rogue or ranger
- A light-colored robe for a cleric
- A brightly-colored suit for a bard
- An outfit with flowing sashes for a monk
- A long flowing cape for a sorcerer or wizard
- A rugged animal skin outfit for a barbarian
- A dress with plant themed details for a druid
There’s a lot of different cool clothes you could give your D&D OC by using their class as inspiration! Their clothes don't always have to reflect their class either, as it could be fun to have an OC that wears a surprising outfit instead. If your OC is multiclass, their design could be a combination of different elements as well!
If you need more ideas for outfits to give your OCs, try checking out this article on the topic here!
Add a motif to your D&D OC’s design!
A motif can be a fun addition to a D&D character’s design too! It can help people guess what kind of class your OC might be, or even hint at their personality!
A design motif could be based on symbolism, or just be an element that you think would be a fun addition to their design! If you need some ideas for motifs you could give different classes, you could try…
- A music note motif for a bard
- An animal motif for a druid
- A celestial motif for a wizard
- A forest motif for a ranger
- A skull motif for a barbarian
- An insignia motif for a paladin
- An elemental motif for a sorcerer
- An elemental motif for a monk
The design motif you give your D&D character can help their design feel more coherent and interesting! You can add the motif to their clothes, accessories, and other aspects of their design too!
If you need more inspiration, try using things from your daily life!
Try adding accessories or your OC’s weapon to their design!
Accessories can be another fun thing to incorporate into your D&D OC’s design! Their weapon of choice can be a part too!
A few unique accessories can make the look of your character feel more unique and add interest to their design! If you need some ideas, you could try…
- A flower crown for a druid
- A decorated helmet for a paladin
- A long staff for a wizard or sorcerer
- A quiver for a ranger
- A spiked shoulder-piece for a barbarian
- A sash belt for a monk
- A face mask for a rogue
- A necklace with an important symbol for a cleric
The accessories your OC has could relate to their past as well! Perhaps a necklace was passed down through the character’s family, or that staff was given to them by their old mentor!
If you want to learn more about choosing accessories and weapons for OCs, (any OCs…not just D&D ones!) try this article on the topic!
Could you give your OC an appearance that fits their class?
The kind of class your D&D OC has could influence your design choices for their appearance too!
Consider the build of your D&D OC!
Some classes rely on agility, others rely on strength…you get the idea! The build your character has could be one that suits the type of class they have. A paladin might need to be strong enough to wear their armor, while a monk might need to be more swift!
You could also design their build around shape language! A chaotic rogue might have sharper shape language, while a steadfast cleric might have more square shape language! If you need some ideas for the build of your OC, you could consider…
- A more muscular build for a paladin or barbarian
- A more agile build for a rogue or ranger
- A fit build for a bard or fighter
- A thin build for a sorcerer or wizard
These are just some ideas you could try! There’s lots more options you can choose from, so mix and match and see what works best for your own character!
Pick a fun hairstyle for your D&D character!
There’s plenty of cool options for when it comes to hairdos for your OCs! Just like with their outfit, their hairstyle might depend on their class as well! If you need some ideas, you could try…
- A fancy updo for a bard
- A short ponytail for a barbarian or fighter
- Long, flowing hair for a sorcerer or wizard
- A messy half-up style for a druid
- A neat updo for a cleric or paladin
- Long, mysterious bangs for a rogue
The hairstyle you pick for your OC could depend on their unique personality as well. Some personalities might prefer a more neat look, while others might not care too much!
The look you choose for your D&D OC’s hairstyle could tell people what kind of character they might be! How a character keeps themselves can often say a lot about their personality!
If you need more ideas for choosing a hairstyle for your OCs, try this article about the topic here!
Are there any extra details you could add to enhance your D&D OC’s design?
Lastly, some unique details could really add the finishing touches to your Dungeon and Dragons character. Extra details could give your OC a more interesting design and enhance their look! If you need some ideas for what you could add, you could try…
- Glowing eyes for a warlock or sorcerer
- Glowing details for a cleric or wizard
- Lots of battle scars for a fighter or barbarian
- Animal-like features for a druid
- Tattoos for a rogue or bard
- Symbolic markings for a monk
The list above is just a few different ideas you could try for your OC! Try out different ideas and see what works best for your character!
Extra details could say more about them than just their class too. An elf might have pointy ears, tieflings might have horns, and dhampirs might have fangs!
If you want a few more ideas for choosing unique details for your OCs, check out this article about the topic!
D&D OCs from the users of Unvale!
Designing your D&D character can be lots of fun! Did you know there are a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons characters on Unvale? There’s plenty of cool D&D OCs you can find here!
If you’re looking for bard characters, check out…
Looking for paladin characters? Check out…
If you’re looking for druid characters, check out…
- CatsidheSilvie’s OC Zilvra!
- Rookie’s OC Nymiah!
Looking for cleric characters? Check out…
- Dori’s OC Eva
- Fay_Waltz’s OC Buggs!
If you’re looking for rogue characters, check out…
- Toast’s OC Cyrus!
- CrowsDraw’s OC Aack!
These are just a few of the cool D&D characters you can find. If you’re looking for more D&D OCs, try checking out the #DND or #D&D tags! If you decide to post your own D&D characters to Unvale, be sure to use the above tags so your fellow creatives can find them while looking for cool Dungeons and Dragons OCs!