Any tips for creating an interesting character? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Any tips for creating an interesting character? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DivineDragoonKain
06-06-06, 10:45 AM Right now, I've got a pretty dull Lawful Good Human Wizard named Bob. He's overly helpful to anyone in need (to the point of giving his last scaps of food in a desert town to a begger, and offering to get the other character's money back from an unauthorized guard toll, which could possibly put his life in danger since he's level 3), and at times acts a bit like a more chaotic Paladin, but he's Lawful since he respects legitimate authority, always keeps his word, keeps to a strict moral code, etc. I suppose he should be Neutral Good, but I'll have to run that over with my DM now that the game's started. He also has a large distaste for Necromancy.

Right now I have little backstory on him or why he wants to help others so much. He's got 4 ranks in Profession (Cook) and Craft (Alchemy), and the only thing the others know about him is that he was once an apprentice to a chef in a grand wizard's home before the wizard recognized something in him and took him on as his own apprentice.

He also has a gift in languages, and I plan on having him understand just about every language in the PHB besides Druidic by level 9.

Basically, I need some tips on how to flesh out more about him in an interesting way... maybe a few ideas, too. Any help would be appreciated, and thanks in advance! ^_^
club2bash
06-06-06, 01:13 PM As a child bob was a rich spoiled boy and his parent hired a wizard to teach bob wizardry and the wizard did his job. but bob, being spoiled, made the wizards job very hard, so when enugh was enough, he casta spell on bob :evillaugh that made bob be good nice and respectful. :angel: however, he made his parent pay extra for the spell, and they did'nt have enough money so bob valunteered to go adventure for the lost money. cause as far as he could see it was hi fault that the wizard cast the spell on him in the first place.

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!! :D
DivineDragoonKain
06-06-06, 02:09 PM ... o.o
FIREBLAST3DRAGONMASTER
06-06-06, 03:00 PM Basically what you just said is I have a wiz who is a panzy he's level three, talented with languages (let's say he got them from a merchant wiz whom he studied under and taught how to be a panzy) and cooks a great venison steak. He has no ambition and his magic will suffer because of this his fellow colleagues will always look down upon him as a disgusting wimp with the potential and intelligence to become one of the most powerful wizards in the land and hope tht some day a nother wizard (maybe a necromancer) will kill him out of mercy.

what I'm tring to say is KNOCK OFF THE SISSY BULL CRAPT and have him live up to his scholarly wit and intelligence.

P.S: when you beat on the thugs make ure to burn the crapt out of them with burning han and try some magic missile. oh and have the wiz take off is apron before the fight it is a bit embarrassing to a powerful wizard like me.

Don't take it to hard. :P
necrosnoop110
06-06-06, 09:43 PM 1) Can you change the name? Bob is very uninspiring. <sorry not trying to be mean :) >

2) What setting are you using

3) Check out these links:
How to create a role-playing character (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=105563)
Galahad's Guide to Holistic Heroes (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=176982)
The Easiest Way to Roleplay (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=359467)
The Character Concept Compilation (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=228342)
The Character Background Bank (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=545405) (a repository of "pre-made" character backgrounds)
Ten Tips (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=326012) (for helping flesh out a character)
Character Background Guide (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=398681)
Enhanced Role-playing: the Player's Perspective (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=344715)
How to Write an Interesting Background (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=370801)
DivineDragoonKain
06-07-06, 05:54 AM Bob is short for Bobabistrio, but he doesn't like to be called that... It was certainly MEANT to be a plain name when I chose it, though. I think it's more unique than many random character names these days...

But thanks! ^_^
FIREBLAST3DRAGONMASTER
06-07-06, 12:28 PM Sorry, about the insults ealier. Bobistrio is an interesting name but try to refrain from haveing a lvl 3 wiz run into stupid fights and make it seem like he strategizes every battle. At lvl 3 a wiz isn't strong enough to run in front of the battle lines and his magic barely phases most people. He does have great potential to make alot of money with his gift of tongues and his magic defines him as a educated scholar who doesn't run in front to use shocking grasp on a hobgoglin. (my first campaign don't even ask.)

by the way does he have a favored school of magic?
Ouranos Harpy
06-09-06, 01:30 AM Basically what you just said is I have a wiz who is a panzy

Excuse me? Exactly, pray tell...what's wrong with being a pansy? Although I couldn't pick up a trace of "wussiness" from the OP character write-up...I don't think there's anything wrong with playing a male character with slight diva tendencies. It adds to a more complex character who can break sterotypes...such as an intelligent and witty wizard. Ugh...how passe. Please if wizards; physically inept individuals who are given the finances, the time with an overbearing amount of intelligence...aren't arrogant, stuck up, prissy young men ...I don't know what they are. If that's a character he wants to play, then by all means he should play that. There's nothing wrong with being pansy ma'dear.

Anyway...now that I've finished that rant...

I think your character concept is refreshing and interesting. A wizard who cooks and *perhaps* excells at alchemy, how undyingly delicious. He doesn't need to come from a long and well established line of cooks or something so grandeiose. I'd usually recommend a strong birth (noble, high ranking merchant etc) to a dry character. But in your case, play up your Bob's more individual aspect. Give him a plain birth; maybe mother was an innkeper or maid. Maybe an absent Dad coupled with a strong willed single mother has created a slightly naive, over-caring young man. Bob was used to helping out around the inn at a young age, meaning he picked up snippets of various languages; Elvish, Dwarven, maybe a little bit of Draconic even with the multitude of customers. His passion for cooking gave him the necessary solid background for the presicion needed for alchemy.

Just some ideas to play around with. I like how simple yet flavourful your character is. Keep Bob just like that; light and fresh...without the traumatic, over emotional background. *shrugs* Just an idea...
Elemental
06-11-06, 08:29 PM Reading what you wrote, here's what springs to mind. Hope it helps.

Right now, I've got a pretty dull Lawful Good Human Wizard named Bob. He's overly helpful to anyone in need (to the point of giving his last scaps of food in a desert town to a begger,

He grew up in a very poor environment, and hates to see others suffering deprivation. Maybe he's the 'boy from the hood made good' archetype, who learnt wizardry through dogged persistance and scraped up the funds through holding down whatever work he could find.

and offering to get the other character's money back from an unauthorized guard toll, which could possibly put his life in danger since he's level 3), and at times acts a bit like a more chaotic Paladin, but he's Lawful since he respects legitimate authority, always keeps his word, keeps to a strict moral code, etc.

Maybe he has a great respect for good characters. Possibly a paladin or cleric of a good god helped him out at some point. He seeks to emulate their ideals.

Or maybe somebody important to him (his parents, his teacher) instilled a pious moral code in him.

Possibly, he used to be a much shadier sort of character, but then something jolted him out of that. Maybe a selfish or evil deed backfired and put him or somebody he cared about in danger. Maybe he was confronted with the consequences of his deeds. Maybe a good character in his background took a risk or made a sacrifice for him.

I suppose he should be Neutral Good, but I'll have to run that over with my DM now that the game's started. He also has a large distaste for Necromancy.

A tragic event in his background is related to necromancy or the undead. Maybe a friend of his was killed and turned into a wight. Maybe the place he comes from had a taboo against necromancy, and many things that warned of it's horrors--so he dislikes the school of magic without any personal reason to.

Right now I have little backstory on him or why he wants to help others so much. He's got 4 ranks in Profession (Cook) and Craft (Alchemy), and the only thing the others know about him is that he was once an apprentice to a chef in a grand wizard's home before the wizard recognized something in him and took him on as his own apprentice.

How did he get on with the teacher? Was it a close and sincere relationship, harsh-but-fair or brutal servitude? Did he have to undergo some sort of trial or ordeal of mind or spirit to prove his worthiness?

Maybe the wizard had other apprentices. How did the character get on with them? Friendship, friendly rivalry or a bitter competition? What are they doing now?

What circumstances did the character leave their mentor in? Was he slain by a covetous fellow student, who framed Bob? Was he dabbling in dark (necormanctic?) magic, which caused Bob to leave in revulsion when he found out about them?

He also has a gift in languages, and I plan on having him understand just about every language in the PHB besides Druidic by level 9.

Maybe he travelled a lot growing up? Alternatively, maybe he grew up in a very cosmopolitan city, where he was exposed to several different languages. Maybe his parents spoke different languages and he was raised bilingual--were they from different human nations or cultures? Maybe ones that are traditional enemies, which leaves him caught in the middle, unable to find a preset indentity as a native of either.
Reversefigure4
06-12-06, 12:41 AM Frankly, I like the character as it stands. An 'everyman' hero, as it were. It just needs a little more fleshing out, with a bit more personality and backstory. He doesn't need a tragic past or a powerful attitude.

"Wizards are mighty manipulators of the cosmos, summoners of demons and angels, constantly seeking enough power to make the earth shake at their whim!!!!

Well... some wizards. But not Bob.

Bob never had any great calling or dream to be a wizard. His parents scrimped and saved to send him off to wizard school, ignoring Bob's protests that it wasn't what he really wanted.

All Bob wanted to do was open Bobabistrio's Bistro, and make it the single greatest restaurant the world had ever known. Let other wizards tinker with reality - Bob was going to have a place so famous patrons would come from across the planes to eat there. He hopes to have everyone from Orcs to Air Elementals to Elves dropping by - and accordingly, he uses his gift for languages to make sure he can greet each and every one of them. He adventures for experience and gold, to learn new languages and new dishes - everything he'll need for his happy retirement.

Of course, Bob isn't a fool. He's seen inns robbed before... and anyone walking through the door of Bobabistrio's Bistro with trouble on their mind is going to find themselves on the wrong end of a Fireball."

(Ouranos Harpy's 'raised in an inn' fits in well with this concept, too).

In play:
- Bob is either NG or LG. He loves seeing people happy, and will help them wherever and however he can (even at cost to himself).
- Bob constantly seeks out new races and languages, and is very much at home in libraries. (RP learning the languages by tracking down speakers or books, not just 'Now I'm level 4 Bob can speak another language). He dreams of learning Druidic, knowing that it's forbidden, and will do anything short of evil deeds to learn it.
- Bob carrys cooking equipment.
- Bob creates new dishes out of whatever he finds on his journeys. Some are tasty, others explode. (Never point out whether you are making a Cooking or an Alchemy roll).
DivineDragoonKain
06-12-06, 09:02 AM Awesome. I absolutely love some of these ideas, and I think they'll fit well. Thanks, guys!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DivineDragoonKain 06-06-06, 10:45 AM	Right now, I've got a pretty dull Lawful Good Human Wizard named Bob. He's overly helpful to anyone in need (to the point of giving his last scaps of food in a desert town to a begger, and offering to get the other character's money back from an unauthorized guard toll, which could possibly put his life in danger since he's level 3), and at times acts a bit like a more chaotic Paladin, but he's Lawful since he respects legitimate authority, always keeps his word, keeps to a strict moral code, etc. I suppose he should be Neutral Good, but I'll have to run that over with my DM now that the game's started. He also has a large distaste for Necromancy. Right now I have little backstory on him or why he wants to help others so much. He's got 4 ranks in Profession (Cook) and Craft (Alchemy), and the only thing the others know about him is that he was once an apprentice to a chef in a grand wizard's home before the wizard recognized something in him and took him on as his own apprentice. He also has a gift in languages, and I plan on having him understand just about every language in the PHB besides Druidic by level 9. Basically, I need some tips on how to flesh out more about him in an interesting way... maybe a few ideas, too. Any help would be appreciated, and thanks in advance! ^_^
club2bash 06-06-06, 01:13 PM	As a child bob was a rich spoiled boy and his parent hired a wizard to teach bob wizardry and the wizard did his job. but bob, being spoiled, made the wizards job very hard, so when enugh was enough, he casta spell on bob :evillaugh that made bob be good nice and respectful. :angel: however, he made his parent pay extra for the spell, and they did'nt have enough money so bob valunteered to go adventure for the lost money. cause as far as he could see it was hi fault that the wizard cast the spell on him in the first place. Ta-daaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!! :D
DivineDragoonKain 06-06-06, 02:09 PM	... o.o
FIREBLAST3DRAGONMASTER 06-06-06, 03:00 PM	Basically what you just said is I have a wiz who is a panzy he's level three, talented with languages (let's say he got them from a merchant wiz whom he studied under and taught how to be a panzy) and cooks a great venison steak. He has no ambition and his magic will suffer because of this his fellow colleagues will always look down upon him as a disgusting wimp with the potential and intelligence to become one of the most powerful wizards in the land and hope tht some day a nother wizard (maybe a necromancer) will kill him out of mercy. what I'm tring to say is KNOCK OFF THE SISSY BULL CRAPT and have him live up to his scholarly wit and intelligence. P.S: when you beat on the thugs make ure to burn the crapt out of them with burning han and try some magic missile. oh and have the wiz take off is apron before the fight it is a bit embarrassing to a powerful wizard like me. Don't take it to hard. :P
necrosnoop110 06-06-06, 09:43 PM	1) Can you change the name? Bob is very uninspiring. <sorry not trying to be mean :) > 2) What setting are you using 3) Check out these links: How to create a role-playing character (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=105563) Galahad's Guide to Holistic Heroes (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=176982) The Easiest Way to Roleplay (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=359467) The Character Concept Compilation (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=228342) The Character Background Bank (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=545405) (a repository of "pre-made" character backgrounds) Ten Tips (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=326012) (for helping flesh out a character) Character Background Guide (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=398681) Enhanced Role-playing: the Player's Perspective (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=344715) How to Write an Interesting Background (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=370801)
DivineDragoonKain 06-07-06, 05:54 AM	Bob is short for Bobabistrio, but he doesn't like to be called that... It was certainly MEANT to be a plain name when I chose it, though. I think it's more unique than many random character names these days... But thanks! ^_^
FIREBLAST3DRAGONMASTER 06-07-06, 12:28 PM	Sorry, about the insults ealier. Bobistrio is an interesting name but try to refrain from haveing a lvl 3 wiz run into stupid fights and make it seem like he strategizes every battle. At lvl 3 a wiz isn't strong enough to run in front of the battle lines and his magic barely phases most people. He does have great potential to make alot of money with his gift of tongues and his magic defines him as a educated scholar who doesn't run in front to use shocking grasp on a hobgoglin. (my first campaign don't even ask.) by the way does he have a favored school of magic?
Ouranos Harpy 06-09-06, 01:30 AM	Basically what you just said is I have a wiz who is a panzy Excuse me? Exactly, pray tell...what's wrong with being a pansy? Although I couldn't pick up a trace of "wussiness" from the OP character write-up...I don't think there's anything wrong with playing a male character with slight diva tendencies. It adds to a more complex character who can break sterotypes...such as an intelligent and witty wizard. Ugh...how passe. Please if wizards; physically inept individuals who are given the finances, the time with an overbearing amount of intelligence...aren't arrogant, stuck up, prissy young men ...I don't know what they are. If that's a character he wants to play, then by all means he should play that. There's nothing wrong with being pansy ma'dear. Anyway...now that I've finished that rant... I think your character concept is refreshing and interesting. A wizard who cooks and perhaps excells at alchemy, how undyingly delicious. He doesn't need to come from a long and well established line of cooks or something so grandeiose. I'd usually recommend a strong birth (noble, high ranking merchant etc) to a dry character. But in your case, play up your Bob's more individual aspect. Give him a plain birth; maybe mother was an innkeper or maid. Maybe an absent Dad coupled with a strong willed single mother has created a slightly naive, over-caring young man. Bob was used to helping out around the inn at a young age, meaning he picked up snippets of various languages; Elvish, Dwarven, maybe a little bit of Draconic even with the multitude of customers. His passion for cooking gave him the necessary solid background for the presicion needed for alchemy. Just some ideas to play around with. I like how simple yet flavourful your character is. Keep Bob just like that; light and fresh...without the traumatic, over emotional background. shrugs Just an idea...
Elemental 06-11-06, 08:29 PM	Reading what you wrote, here's what springs to mind. Hope it helps. Right now, I've got a pretty dull Lawful Good Human Wizard named Bob. He's overly helpful to anyone in need (to the point of giving his last scaps of food in a desert town to a begger, He grew up in a very poor environment, and hates to see others suffering deprivation. Maybe he's the 'boy from the hood made good' archetype, who learnt wizardry through dogged persistance and scraped up the funds through holding down whatever work he could find. and offering to get the other character's money back from an unauthorized guard toll, which could possibly put his life in danger since he's level 3), and at times acts a bit like a more chaotic Paladin, but he's Lawful since he respects legitimate authority, always keeps his word, keeps to a strict moral code, etc. Maybe he has a great respect for good characters. Possibly a paladin or cleric of a good god helped him out at some point. He seeks to emulate their ideals. Or maybe somebody important to him (his parents, his teacher) instilled a pious moral code in him. Possibly, he used to be a much shadier sort of character, but then something jolted him out of that. Maybe a selfish or evil deed backfired and put him or somebody he cared about in danger. Maybe he was confronted with the consequences of his deeds. Maybe a good character in his background took a risk or made a sacrifice for him. I suppose he should be Neutral Good, but I'll have to run that over with my DM now that the game's started. He also has a large distaste for Necromancy. A tragic event in his background is related to necromancy or the undead. Maybe a friend of his was killed and turned into a wight. Maybe the place he comes from had a taboo against necromancy, and many things that warned of it's horrors--so he dislikes the school of magic without any personal reason to. Right now I have little backstory on him or why he wants to help others so much. He's got 4 ranks in Profession (Cook) and Craft (Alchemy), and the only thing the others know about him is that he was once an apprentice to a chef in a grand wizard's home before the wizard recognized something in him and took him on as his own apprentice. How did he get on with the teacher? Was it a close and sincere relationship, harsh-but-fair or brutal servitude? Did he have to undergo some sort of trial or ordeal of mind or spirit to prove his worthiness? Maybe the wizard had other apprentices. How did the character get on with them? Friendship, friendly rivalry or a bitter competition? What are they doing now? What circumstances did the character leave their mentor in? Was he slain by a covetous fellow student, who framed Bob? Was he dabbling in dark (necormanctic?) magic, which caused Bob to leave in revulsion when he found out about them? He also has a gift in languages, and I plan on having him understand just about every language in the PHB besides Druidic by level 9. Maybe he travelled a lot growing up? Alternatively, maybe he grew up in a very cosmopolitan city, where he was exposed to several different languages. Maybe his parents spoke different languages and he was raised bilingual--were they from different human nations or cultures? Maybe ones that are traditional enemies, which leaves him caught in the middle, unable to find a preset indentity as a native of either.
Reversefigure4 06-12-06, 12:41 AM	Frankly, I like the character as it stands. An 'everyman' hero, as it were. It just needs a little more fleshing out, with a bit more personality and backstory. He doesn't need a tragic past or a powerful attitude. "Wizards are mighty manipulators of the cosmos, summoners of demons and angels, constantly seeking enough power to make the earth shake at their whim!!!! Well... some wizards. But not Bob. Bob never had any great calling or dream to be a wizard. His parents scrimped and saved to send him off to wizard school, ignoring Bob's protests that it wasn't what he really wanted. All Bob wanted to do was open Bobabistrio's Bistro, and make it the single greatest restaurant the world had ever known. Let other wizards tinker with reality - Bob was going to have a place so famous patrons would come from across the planes to eat there. He hopes to have everyone from Orcs to Air Elementals to Elves dropping by - and accordingly, he uses his gift for languages to make sure he can greet each and every one of them. He adventures for experience and gold, to learn new languages and new dishes - everything he'll need for his happy retirement. Of course, Bob isn't a fool. He's seen inns robbed before... and anyone walking through the door of Bobabistrio's Bistro with trouble on their mind is going to find themselves on the wrong end of a Fireball." (Ouranos Harpy's 'raised in an inn' fits in well with this concept, too). In play: - Bob is either NG or LG. He loves seeing people happy, and will help them wherever and however he can (even at cost to himself). - Bob constantly seeks out new races and languages, and is very much at home in libraries. (RP learning the languages by tracking down speakers or books, not just 'Now I'm level 4 Bob can speak another language). He dreams of learning Druidic, knowing that it's forbidden, and will do anything short of evil deeds to learn it. - Bob carrys cooking equipment. - Bob creates new dishes out of whatever he finds on his journeys. Some are tasty, others explode. (Never point out whether you are making a Cooking or an Alchemy roll).
DivineDragoonKain 06-12-06, 09:02 AM	Awesome. I absolutely love some of these ideas, and I think they'll fit well. Thanks, guys!