The 2021 Goals Character Sheet
OK, first thing’s first. To the year 2020:
Now that that’s out of the way…
On to celebrate this arbitrary point in Earth’s orbit of Sol by setting some goals for this new year called 2021 by some.
For those either new to the process or who may need a refresher, the instructions are below, but first, credit where credit is due: I got this from Twitter user PhysicistLisa a few years ago and really liked it, so I started making the character sheets.
Instructions time:
SOME BACKGROUND FOR THOSE WHO KNOW NOT OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CHARACTER CREATION (SIMPLIFIED VERSION)
(If you already know about rolling up characters in D&D, go ahead and skip this section.)
In D&D, players use dice as one method of determining their characters’ stats (strength, dexterity, intelligence, etc), and those stats are then used when trying to determine the success or failure of an action their character takes. Dice are used to help randomize this some so that characters aren’t good at everything. This leads to better storytelling and problem solving.
That’s right. D&D teaches math and problem solving.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR 2021 CHARACTER SHEET
You will need 4 six-sided dice for this, or one six-sided die that you will roll 4 times. I will be using my awesome new Norse Foundry Doppelganger Norse-Themed Metal Dice Set that I bought at PAX Unplugged. (You don’t need anything like that, I just love any excuse to show the dice off, and I think that they are awesome people.)
And in today’s age of technology, you don’t even need to have the physical dice. You can download dice rolling apps on your phone, or use Google’s online dice roller.
Here’s how you get the numbers you need:
Roll all four dice (or roll your one die 4 times)
Drop the lowest number
Add up the result and write it down
Repeat the process 5 more times (you will have six numbers between 3 and 18 when you are done).
Now, what do these numbers mean? In D&D, the higher the number, the better the character is at feats and actions that involve that stat, and the number corresponds with a “modifier”. For this exercise, we’ll be using the modifiers in a different way.
Positive Modifiers are for things that you want to start doing; this could be “read 3 nonfiction books this year” or “join a club”.
SCOREMODIFIER
3 -4
4, 5 -3
6, 7 -2
8 ,9 -1
10, 11 0
12, 13 +1
14, 15 +2
16, 17 +3
18 +4
Negative Modifiers are for things you want to stop doing or to get rid of; this could be “stop shopping at stores that support causes I don’t believe in,” or “get rid of one thing I don’t need each week.”
A “zero” modifier means you will keep on doing something you already do.
The idea is to make small goals that are easily kept.
DUNGEON MASTER’S NOTE: If you hate your rolls, go ahead and fudge the numbers and build the character you want to be.
APPLY THE MODIFIERS TO YOUR STATS
Now take that modifier and slot it into one of your six stat blocks; this will determine the number of goals in each category.
STRENGTH: Social Justice Goals. Strength goals are goals related to your relationship with your communities
DEXTERITY: Physical Goals. Dexterity goals relate to fitness, preventative care, dietary changes, accepting your body the way it is, etc.
CONSTITUTION: Mental Health Goals. These are goals related to self-care and making your home and life a place where you feel safe and comfortable
INTELLIGENCE: Creative Goals. Things that you want to create in 2020.
WISDOM: Knowledge Goals. These goals are about learning new things and skills.
CHARISMA: Social Goals. These goals are centered around improving your relationships with others and adding fun experiences to your life.
So if you have a +3 that you add to Intelligence, you would give yourself three creative goals to accomplish this year.
HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART:
Do. Not. Judge. Your. Goals. Do not, for one second, think that they aren’t good enough, that they aren’t big enough, or significant enough. That is total and utter bullshit. Every goal, every thing you do an accomplish deserves to be recognized. The voice in your head that tells you that it isn’t is that of you inner bully. Tell it to fuck off.
(The inner bully is a real thing: Dr. Sidney Cohen, PhD wrote an entire book on the subject.)
Here’s my sheet for 2021 if you would like an example of how this can work:
The rolls:
6, 9, 11, 12, 12, and 17.
Using the modifiers above, that means I have:
-2, -1, 0, +1, +1, and +3
I decided to assign them as follows:
Strength: -2
Dexterity: +1
Constitution: 0
Intelligence: +3
Wisdom: +1
Charisma: +1
[RECORD SCRATCH] Wait, where did that extra +1 come from, and where did the -1 go
I decided to fudge one of the rolls, as with how I assigned things I couldn’t find something in the Charisma/Social Goals area that I wanted to stop doing, so I decided to add something instead.
Based on this, this is how I landed on each category in terms of either stopping/eliminating something, or adding/learning something.
Strength (-2)
- I want to stop shopping at Amazon unless absolutely necessary, as in if I need something and I cannot get it anywhere else.
- (still thinking of a second one for this category)
Dexterity (+1)
+ I want to go vegan/vegetarian once each week, just to balance out all of the crap I eat the other 6 days
Constitution (0)
I’ve been doing really well on this front since I started the ADHD meds and started listening to the Gary Vaynerchuk podcast. I figure keep on keepin’ on here.
Intelligence (+3)
+ I want to create, from start to finish, one video game in Unity this year, no matter how short or how “bad” it may be, just so I can see the entire process and see if I can’t do it myself.
+ I want to build a new coffee table (we need one) that can double as a gaming table for the eventuality that we are allowed to see real people again in 2021. It would be a fun challenge to bring my woodworking skills, such as they are, to bear on a project like this.
+ Write and create the “Lost Art of the Mix Tape” podcast, focusing on the nostalgia of toys, shows, and video games from the 80s and 90s. I’ve been toying around with this in my mind for a few months now, and I think it’s time to pull the trigger and see what I can come up with in the real world.
Wisdom (+1)
+ Learn the voiceover skillset for doing video games. I’m already just more than 50% saved up to afford the coaching and demo production, so I’m looking forward to learning this new skill and possibly getting a little work in the video game field.
Charisma (+1)
+ Play 1 game per week with friends. This is something that’s fallen off in recent weeks due to work, holidays, etc, and I’m finding that I miss it. With no PAX Unplugged this year, it feels a little more compounded, so I would love to be able to have that “play date” back as a much-needed mental respite and recharge.
—
Remember, the idea here is to simply set some goals for yourself that you could check off, rather than a “resolution” that if you falter it puts the whole thing in the trash. And DON’T JUDGE YOURSELF! This is not the point, and if you don’t achieve a goal, that’s OK.