Reveal Details About Your Character Through Flavor-Based Skill Checks

There's a struggle that comes with effectively bringing across a character with layers. Making one is hard enough, but peeling back those layers and letting the rest of the table see all the work you did can sometimes feel like grandstanding instead of sharing. And in the spirit of the old writing tip of show, don't tell I thought I'd offer one of my favorite tools to use at the table to pique my fellow players' interest.

Flavor skill checks.

Hey Steve, you've got Knowledge (Nobility) right? Roll me a quick check...

How Does A Flavor Check Work?

Typically the DM is the only one who asks people to roll dice, and even then only if it's something that actually matters. However, much like how a DM might ask for Perception checks to notice little details, or for certain Knowledge rolls to provide hints and tips, you can do the same thing as a player. And often it's a handy way to bring across clues about your character's history without just sitting there and reading everyone your nine-page backstory.

That flourish... I've seen it before. Just can't recall where.

As an example, say you're playing a sorceress who calls herself Elsmere Oaks. Tall and proud, she always dresses in flowing garments, and she's the first to step in to protect the weak. On the surface she seems to be just another adventurer with a good heart, and a unique talent... but there's more to her. A noble girl who was betrothed to a man she hated, she fled her name and her marriage when her powers exploded into being at the dedication feast in her and her spouse's honor... but how do you bring that across in an organic way?

Well, one way to do it is with a flavor skill check.

For example, if she shouts her family's battle cry, "Wine of Victory!" (found in 100 Fantasy Battle Cries (and Their Histories) for those who are curious), that might be a clue for those with a knowledge of history, or nobility, as to her true family name and origin. If a certain type of bloodline is associated with her noble house (and if she casts her spells in a way that suggests she had a tutor rather than figuring them out on her own), those with an appropriate arcana, history, or nobility check might get a clue. If someone catches sight of a signet ring buried in her wallet, or notices that she has rather refined tastes for a wandering adventurer, they might also start to suspect there's more to her than meets the eye.

Giving out your information in this way serves several purposes. First, it avoids telling your fellow players outright all of the behind-the-scenes information about your character, while still giving them clues. Also, by handing it out as a reward to players with certain skills, it makes the clue feel more special. It also turns it into a back-and-forth interaction; their PC noticed something, but what does the other player do with that clue? Do they look a little harder to make another check? Try to be subtle about it in conversation with your character? Ask the rest of the party if they noticed what they noticed? Or do they just walk up and ask point black about it?

These clues should be small things that give hints, which over time allow you to seed your details into your fellow players' hands, and help weave your stories together over time. And, generally speaking, you want to offer a few of them here and there, rather than dropping a big load of them all at once.

Subtlety is The Key, Here

Some details are... less subtle than others.

The whole point of flavor checks is they're meant to be smaller details that provide clues, rather than big baseball bats to hit someone over the head with. While big reveals are definitely cool (such as the Shadow Summoner not revealing her eidolon to her companions until after she's come to trust them because she worries they'll fear or reject her), flavor checks are more for planting seeds that get the rest of the table curious.

A few examples, for those looking for inspiration:

- Koren Fellhand is a broad-shouldered, long-haired man with a thick beard and a full laugh. Those who see him might discount him as a threat due to his wide smile and heavy belly, but the enchanted ring on the middle finger of his left hand marks him as a one-time member of the elite mercenary company the Acolytes of Arannis (found in 100 Random Mercenary Companies). The war wizards who fought beneath those glowing banners could destroy entire legions with a wave of their hands, and though he seems a gentle enough fellow, only those who completed their contract were allowed their rings as a keepsake.

- Therishan Bane: A mahogany-skinned warrior with deep frown lines and a shorn scalp, those who have met Therishan have found her curt, easily-riled, and unpleasant. Those who recognize the winged skull on her sword's guard may find it hard to believe she was ever a member of the Grave Wardens (found in 100 Knightly Orders), but her knowledge of the living dead and how to put them back in the ground speaks to a well of experience she keeps out of sight.

- Cedran Grande is a friendly man with a streak of white through his red hair. Often dressing simply, he always has a pair of iron-studded bracers around his wrists. Those who've caught him without them have seen the brand of the Firehands (found in 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns) that he still carries. Arcane arsonists and deadly enforcers, that doesn't sound like the man his companions have come to know... but the brand is old, the edges blurred from healing, and it's possible that at least some of his acts of charity are driven by a guilty conscience, and a heavy heart.

If you want to have your fellow players make flavor checks, think of specific things they'll notice about your character's word choices, their tattoos, their scars, their gear, their accessories, or even the way they fight, or how their powers work. One little clue can often be the spice that gets others invested in what you're doing, turning it from you telling everyone about your PC into a game where everyone finds out about one another.

Try it... you might like it!

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That's all for this week's Fluff post! If you've used this in your games, share a story down in the comments!

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