How fun would Dungeons & Dragons be with just one party member?
Life is more dynamic when we approach it as a party of adventurers, not just a party of one or a solo act.
At Coaches & Dragons, we recommend that everyone “assembles a party.” In many roleplaying games, the ideal party is a mix of different skills, backgrounds, and specialties where each character has a unique role to play. While they may feel typecast at times, their strength comes from their specialization. These specializations form an entity greater than the sum of their parts. As individuals, we can “assemble a party” of our own by recognizing either the different roles we play or the different attitudes we have about aspects of life.
Each of us has an abundance of perspectives within us and we can intentionally shift our mindset by creating a character or ally that embodies that perspective.
If you’re looking to create a party member, consider these questions:
What problem or challenge will they help you with?
What is their attitude or catchphrase you want to follow?
When do you need them to show up?
How do they hold you accountable without judgment?
What is their name?
Another way to think about it is what characters you’d choose to show up when…
You want to be confident or persuasive (#Charisma)
You need to make a tough decision (#Wisdom)
You want to dig deep and tough out a challenge (#Strength)
You want to move quickly and avoid trouble (#Dexterity)
You want to focus on your health and wellness (#Constitution)
You want to learn from others or find new discoveries (#Intelligence)
Depending on what you want to accomplish, you can create a character that reflects a different, empowering perspective rather than your current default point-of-view.
Let’s take finances for example. For those of us that struggle with a budget, we can get stuck in a shame cycle about our money management. We might look at self-help books, finance gurus, or the advice of friends and family to see how they manage their money.
As we shop around, we become more informed on the subject matter, but we have yet to define our own desired attitude about finances. That attitude can become a member of our party - a personification of what we believe and who we want to become.
Here are some examples of a party member who might help us with budgeting:
Vendebtta: An elven ranger whose priority is survival, who is diligent about building a savings account in case it is needed and wants to be free of debt.
Pedro Fiscal: A human cleric who treats budgeting as an act of devotion, to ensure themselves and their community are prosperous in the long run.
Winnie Whinwhin: A gnome rogue who is a resourceful negotiator, able to make trade-offs across budgeting priorities to try to find a win-win solution.
While these are a starting point, we can start to infuse them when challenges around finances come up. To shift into the role of the cleric, for example, we might spend a few moments looking at photos of our family that will benefit from good financial management. We might reserve a dedicated time on the calendar to our finances and remind ourselves that this is about improvement over the long haul, not a quick fix today. Dedication over time will help us meet our goals.
For different facets or challenges in life, you can create new party members that reflect your values, attitudes, and beliefs – or even use the character in your current campaign to help you out!
You’ll be surprised by how much can change when you choose with intention what parts of yourself to give voice to. A wider range of possibilities can open new doors and options than you had before.
After all, it’s dangerous to travel alone. Why be a party of one when you can bring along an entire group of adventurers for the challenges ahead?
Party, assemble!
Sincerely,
Autumn & Jerod
Download the Session 10 Notes Here! What's Inside:
Build your personal adventuring party
Gain proficiency where & when you want it
Change your perspective with a custom character for your situation
Want help assembling your party?
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Empower your hero within (who you are & what you want)
Own your adventure (goals & quests)
Build your guidebook (challenge yourself & take action)
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