When Your D&D Character Has an Opinion on Everything
If your character has an opinion on everything, you already have useful material for a portrait brief. The interesting part is deciding which habits and choices someone could see.
Jan
2 min read
If your character has an opinion on everything, you already have useful material for a portrait brief. The interesting part is deciding which habits and choices someone could see.
A full inner monologue will not fit on a canvas. A familiar expression, a well-used object or an awkwardly careful pose can suggest the person behind it.
Ask a question that produces a visible answer
Try answering these as the character rather than writing another paragraph of biography.
- What do they straighten before meeting someone important?
- Which possession do they check when they are nervous?
- What would an annoyed traveling companion say they always do?
- How do they look when someone praises them?
The answers can produce small, specific details. A character who cannot accept praise might look away with an embarrassed smile. Someone who checks a compass constantly might keep it close enough to touch.
Choose a face for one moment
A personality has more than one expression. Pick the moment you want to show: greeting a friend, waiting for a difficult answer or trying to look brave before setting off.
You do not have to ask for all of their feelings at once. “She is relieved to see someone she trusts” gives the artist a clearer direction than “capture her whole complicated personality.”
Let the props support the person
A favorite notebook or an ordinary mug can tell a story when you explain why the character keeps it. A dramatic magical weapon is optional.
A fictional character habit
“He writes every debt in a small green book, including favors. He acts like it is bookkeeping. He keeps the oldest page folded where no one can read it.”
For the portrait, the book and the protective grip may be enough. The hidden page belongs in the story you tell beside the image.
Keep some context outside the artwork
Write a short caption for the campaign notes. Explain the detail you most want your group to understand and leave room for them to ask about it.
You can also use the same notes when commissioning. Mark what must be visible and what is background context only.
Make a brief an artist can act on
Bring the expression, pose and key object together. Check the crop so the detail has room in the image.
Organize those details into a portrait brief when you want the character's familiar habits to become visible.
