How to Role Play a Half-Elf Character in a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign

Confer with your dungeon master to come up with a story of how your half-elf character came to be. Come up with detailed information about which parent was elven and which was human, how involved they were in the character's life and whether the character grew up primarily around elves or humans.

Decide whether your character will take on an elf-style name or a human-style name, and consider what prompted him to make that choice. Make up a back story for how the character views and interacts with both elves and humans, and figure out if he might have any prejudices or anger towards one of the races for how they have treated him in the past.

Come up with a general archetype for your half-elf that distinguishes them from all the other half-elves in the game world. Will you be a sullen outcast, a good but rebellious hero, a noble paragon of virtue who stands up for half-breeds everywhere or maybe some combination of all of them?

Pick one of the nine alignments available in the game to further define how your character will act. While half-elves generally lean towards the chaotic side of the alignment wheel, you can pick any of the alignments as long as your character has a good reason to act in any given way.

Choose a basic personality beyond just how the character reacts to other people. In general is your character motivated, inquisitive and brazen, or would he be better classified as reserved or introspective?

Select a reason for why your half-elf character chooses to go on adventures to better understand her motivations. Is she more motivated by the lure of wealth and prestige, a strong pull to wander the land, a desire to protect the weak or maybe a personal quest to restore honor to a sullied family name?