Hey readers,
I will preface this by saying that I started
playing Dungeons and Dragons in 2019. My husband introduced me. This game would quickly become a
family favorite and a regular date night early in our marriage. I have had so
many amazing moments and made some lifelong friends along the way.
Character building is the first step to playing
this wonderful game. It involves picking different attributes and building a
creature all your own. Unique motives, fears, ideals and goals. Just as unique
as each of us are. The same concept can be applied to real life and help you
grow as a person too.
My most recent table has been really great. We
have had our ups and downs but the DM has a secret mission to help us on a
personal level.
Last session we ended up falling down a hole and swapping bodies with a fellow
party member. Then we found ourselves sucked into a sort of game show in an
effort to regain our bodies. I have to say this took me by surprise and it was
very upsetting. I was not prepared to play my friends character and potentially
risk killing him or getting his item or something taken away. My anxiety hit
the roof but the DM said "Look just go with it". After some fussing I
said ok lets give this a try. My friend said he would help me with things if I
help him because neither of us has played the other's class before. I was a
Cleric and now playing a Monk and vise versa. He doesn't like playing spell
casters and was a little surprised by this turn of events too but we went with
it. Low and behold it was actually kind of fun. This was a major lesson in Role
Playing too. Something a new player in our group struggled with. He had to play
a different character than his own and he wasn't sure how to role play. There
was also a language barrier a little bit as he sometimes didn't understand
English. I helped when I could. Toward the end of the session a lot of hilarity
ensued and we laughed so hard.
I cherish those kinds of memories.
Afterwards the DM and I talked things over and I
apologized for exploding and he apologized for nearly cussing me out. To be
fair I can be hard to handle at times. I freely admit that and am trying to
work on it. He understands that and also said he was trying to get me to relax
and face some of my fears and insecurities. I admire that a lot. One too many DMs
have just dismissed me and said they didn't want to deal with conflicts and
made me leave the group. But not this guy. He insists on talking things through
until we all come to an understanding. This kind of action is excellent for
Therapy DnD because you learn something about yourself and go on to be better.
That is my goal all along; To be a better person than I was yesterday. I will
admit that's no easy task. Easier said than done as the saying goes. I still
strive for that but now I don't go so hard on myself about it when I fail. I am
human after all.
DnD has touched my life in ways that I would have never imagined. Somehow I can
apply it to all of life and teach my daughter the importance of character
building, both for the game and for your real life.
You character speaks volumes but so does your Elf Cleric that loves to heal
people but now has to be stuck in the body of a Kobold Monk that can
Shadowstep.
-Melody
