You've probably seen it in just about every video game you've ever played: customizable appearances. Some games' entire reward systems are new pieces of fashion or armor and weapons. Just because they do it doesn't mean you have to, but customizing appearances is an immensely satisfying thing for players to do, which is why so many games include it. You can allow for and even encourage players to express themselves and their characters by customizing their appearances, and all it takes is a bit of creativity and a willingness to let the players guide the process.
The easiest way to let players express their appearance is through their clothing. It's something that we can take for granted that at least most of a character's clothing match their sense of style, so have your players describe their clothing and appearance otherwise when they introduce themselves and continue to describe outfits so that other players get a sense of their characters. You can create opportunities for players to get even more invested by providing clothing shops in the towns they visit and allowing them to add new items to their wardrobe. Act like a salesperson: give information about anything they ask about, but guide them to a few specific items you think they'll like. Unless the players are asking for something that couldn't exist in your setting, have it be in stock. Anything special (like a tuxedo in a fantasy setting, for instance) will take a custom commission.
Another element of appearance customization that you can easily implement is tattoo artists. I'll admit I'm biased (I have full sleeves, knuckle tattoos, and a few other pieces), but I think tattoos are rad. And when the player themselves doesn't have to endure being needled repeatedly for hours, tattoos are an even more attractive prospect. I will simply introduce to a scene a traveling tattoo artist who offers reasonable rates and seems quite talented. If the tattoo idea proves popular, the artist can become a recurring part of your campaign. Tattoos can be a great way for players to personalize their characters, and they can affect the story as well; a character who rolls a 15 on an Intimidate check might be a little more impressive when the character is covered in tough-looking tattoos. Players should be encouraged to design their own tattoos, but the artist is willing to suggest classics, like a snake, a wolf, a heart, the name of a loved one, sun-and-moon, or a dagger. [Details on tattoos in my world can be found here.]
Players may want to alter their physical appearance for a variety of reasons. When I ran Listen Check, one of the characters ran afoul of the law and wanted to create a non-magical alter ego. In cases like that, why not provide a scene in which the player goes under the knife? In the show, I created the Patchwork Man, a monstrous figure who had experimented on himself to learn surgery. The scene was tense, the Patchwork Man was creepy, and the players were on the edge of their seats. It was a good digression from the story that contributed to the story in big ways, as that character now needed to collect his "old" affairs as his "new" self.
Then you have the matter of actual gear. Most TRPGs attribute statistics to various types of gear, but you can still get imaginative with different styles. I think about it this way: Dungeons & Dragons, at least, exists in a world of artisans. Unlike in Skyrim, no two pieces of leather armor would ever look exactly alike. In fact, artisans can make more money by selling more specialized pieces than just industrially turned-out products. So your description of gear should match; provide customized descriptions for pieces of armor. I like to offer 2 or 3 of the same item, but each with a different design. It would sound like so: "You're looking for light armor, eh? I've got this padded armor that triple wrapped in burlap, and this other beige padded armor that comes with a matched padded helm. Then I've got leather: this one is shaped like a cascade of leaves, in the elven style; this one is made or stacked layers that would absorb a punch like nothing; this one in the dwarven style, with squared off edges. And I've got two studded leathers: this dark-stained gnomish build with double the normal amount of studs, and this craftsman cut that looks like a tortoise's shell." That's a lot more information than you would normally provide during a shopping trip, but the players will appreciate it--and may even custom commission a piece with a design of their own choosing. [Check out detailed descriptions of common items here.]
Just as armor is treated in this way, so are weapons. For the same artisan reason, weapons should generally have more to them than just the type of weapon. Weapon descriptions should again offer 2-3 options for players and describe both unique traits about it and its general appearance. If you want to get more detailed, please do! But the bare minimum is what I've outlined here. In practice: "Ahh, it's a dagger you want? I have three fine daggers are a handful of average blades I wouldn't sell such a discerning customer. Here's this one, a stiletto with a blood groove favored by halfling assassins. Then we have an orcish hunting blade, long and curved with a topaz set into the grip. And finally, a short, wide blade, meant more for chopping than stabbing. Great grip; impossible to drop." Now if the character decides to buy one of these blades, they'll be picturing it this way every time they use it in combat. That's worth taking the time to extend shopping trips.
Magic items likewise deserve time and attention for description. In fact, magic items are supposed to be fantastical. In my homebrew world, even non-magic users can tell when a spell has been cast in some cases just from the feeling in the air. You don't have to go that far, but your description of magic items should suggest that they're more than meets the eye. Let's use a classic example: a wand of magic missile. Maybe a wizard looking to conceal the fact that they're using a wand would want a simple stick that could be mistaken for nothing useful, but for vendors selling the wands, it's beneficial that the wand itself look powerful and enticing. Let's say a character in your campaign walks in to buy a wand of magic missile. Is that the end of the transaction? I hope not. Offer some designs for that wand: one with lightning bolts carved into the wand, one with fingerbone-like segments, and one with a symbol of Boccob burned into its handle. That's a much more interesting deal than simply buying a wand.
I'm sure that there are some GMs who scoff at this advice. "We can't even see the characters anyway. Why do these detail we can't see matter?" But the players can and do take these details to heart. Part of roleplaying is experiencing the full range of the character's reality, and appearances are an important part of that. Part of what makes the game fun is agency, and allowing your players the agency to design every aspect of their appearance is an expression that will get them invested.
Once you've gotten your players used to the idea that they can affect the details of their character's life through small actions like deciding cosmetic differences for them, they'll start to realize that they can assert that same agency elsewhere in the game. Shopping trips are an easy way to open the door for players to really express themselves.
That's all for now. Coming soon: TRPGs as a therapeutic tool, how to write good riddles for your party, and a list of homebrew magic items. Until next time, happy gaming!
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