Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MattD121 01-10-06, 09:18 PM	I have a character for a new campaign. The general idea is that he was born in a tough situation so even though hes well meaning and kind he also gambles and steals for a living. He has a tiny bit of the Robin Hood mentality but hes a lot more modest and a deal less generous (keeps at least half the profit for himself). The problem is the group is composed of very interesting characters. One is a habitual liar who has made up a grand past where he did all sorts of epic quests he didn't really do. He can recount them on command though, and hilarity often ensues. Another is a nordic bard who has poems tatooed on his skin, they are written backwards and he has to use a mirror to read them. The other two group memebers are equally flamboyant in their own way and my plain looking character feels left out. So my natural tendency was to exagerate the "Rogue" aspect. Acting like a sexual predator, etc. The problem with that is my character dosen't seem so "good" any more. So my question is, can anyone think of some fairly wacky traits that a good aligned rogue would have? And not just "insane" or "twitchy" I mean specific things like those mentioned for the bard and the fake past guy above.
Sluagh 01-10-06, 09:56 PM	Rather than playing up the negative aspects of the literal translation of the word "rogue", you can work with the game role of the class rogue. Be an expert on locking mechanisms, traps, secret doors, etc. Don't pass up an opportunity to point out the intricate beauty of a well crafted lock/trap/secret compartment, etc. Perhaps be a solid and proud scout; take pride in your stealth, climbing, ability to sense even the smallest things that are amiss. That sort of thing. Of course, that's only if you want to maintain a Good alignment.
Tristan 01-10-06, 10:33 PM	on the second D&D movie, the rogue did something that I think might work. He asked the party to look away, because he didnt want to reveal the ancient theiving secrets of his theive's guild. but the task at hand was simply pulling a lever he found.
erbmjw 01-11-06, 01:12 PM	Practical jokes - stealth, hide and practical jokes ;) Imagine disappearing and re-appearing on your friends for no good reason. Imagine 'stealing' their shoes at night when they go to sleep. If you have a good bluff imagine convincing them that it was the habitual liar who messed with their shoes :) Pick one or two skills that are not normally used by characters and become very good at it/them {5+} I have played a gnomish rogue that was an excellent, highly creative, and flamboyant cook and brewmaster - the party used to carry around nearly 100 lbs in gear and supplies just so he could prepare meals, etc. In most other situations the rogue was very calm, thoughful and quiet - when he was preparing a meal, a brew, or a party he became very talkative.
Pandaemoni 01-12-06, 02:19 AM	Rogue is a very general term. While the traditional rogue was a cad or scoundrel, there is also the concept of the "loveable Rogue" in literature. Think of Han Solo (who was himself called a "scoundrel" in The Empire Strikes back, if I recall). Solo is the classic loveable rogue. The literary loveable rogue (like Solo) tends to be an anti-hero. Good deep down but with a strong self-interested side that he reluctantly overcomes because pangs of conscioence eventually force him to do the "right" thing. On the more combat oriented side, Robin Hood was also a roguish character who was nonetheless good. Unlike Han Solo, Robin Hood was an outright thief and brigand, though he stole from those of means and used the funds to improve the lives of the unfortunate. (In other words, he was some sort of communist. :D) Other "good" rogues who come to mind are: the Grey Mouser (from Fritz Leiber's fiction); Capt. Mal Reynolds (from the Firefly T.V. show...though as a mere Han Solo rip-off he may not count); Phillipe "the Mouse" Gaston (the thief played by Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke); Batman, though certainly on the darker side, the vigilante anti-hero is a "rogue" character in the literary sense; Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit, the quinessential fantasy model of the "good rogue"; Tasslehoff Burrfoot, though I hate him with a passion; James Bond, beyond question the stereotypical literary "loveable rogue"; virtually every character ever played by Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks; virtually every swashbuckler in movie history come to think of it, right up to Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow; and even Calico Jack Rackham, an actual 18th-century swashbuckling pirate and thief. If you have a chance, read Robert Lynn Aspirin's excellent Thieves' World novels (from the 1970's and '80's), and you'll find a number of good-natured rogue characters developed by many very good fantasy authors...in a series which I believe had some impact in shaping the fantasy conception of rogue (likely the greatest impact since Fritz Leiber)
Grizzled Gryphon 01-12-06, 02:34 AM	on the second D&D movie, the rogue did something that I think might work. He asked the party to look away, because he didnt want to reveal the ancient theiving secrets of his theive's guild. but the task at hand was simply pulling a lever he found. they made a second movie? :uh-huh: I would have thought they would have just given up, as bad as the first was.
Skyrocket 01-12-06, 11:05 PM	they made a second movie? :uh-huh: I would have thought they would have just given up, as bad as the first was. It was on the Sci-Fi Channel. I heard it was fairly good.
Pyth HandSlieght 01-14-06, 02:33 PM	Drop the wisdom alot. And in the middle of battle, start mapping the area out. Preferably on something not yours and valuable. Speak with an object in your possesion. Apparently it is intelligent only to you =)!
redragonx 01-15-06, 08:05 PM	Good rouges aren't hard ive found. But, are you LG, NG, or CG? It really makes a difference. (ie. lg have to follow laws, respect authority, yadaydada, cg can do anything they want as long as its good, ng fall in the middle)
Rhaile_Gunn 01-16-06, 07:17 AM	A thief-catcher is a rogue class type character. They would need to be to elude the traps set to deter persuit and would need to be sneaky to sneak up on a thief.
Daniel _the_Zodiac 01-16-06, 01:58 PM	You could be a dashing rogue, always looking for a rope to swing into action or a window to dive through or you could be the loveable rogue that's always quick to get into trouble and even quicker to get out of it. Just think of having a knife between your teeth and getting into barfights while swinging through a stained glass window while laughing like a pirate. ARRRGGGGH!
interpretivechaos 01-16-06, 02:42 PM	Or you can just emphasize the avoidance of combat in a good way. Half a dozen orcs, sneak around them. Burn skill points in social skills and talk your way through things. Continuosly distain the "waste" of killing and always point to your trusty sap. Then fiddle around with reasons a bit. Maybe your character's parents were thoroughly evil, but although they mistreated him his life went down the drain when they were killed by some knight errants. Perhaps he can only just tolerate the sight of blood or the thought of snuffing out someone elses life.... etc. A prankster always works well on the Chaotic standpoint. No harm comes from a bit of skunk musk in the wizards robes, or painting a giant smiley face on the fighters shield or armour. You could do a detective of some sort, focusing on intelligence for prodigous skill points and take the education feat to put them all in knowledges. Then, whenever anything happens you can pull everything you need to learn. Work with the bard and split things if you want. Perhaps make him a touch arrogant and caught up in himself, constantly demanding quiet while he works (Think Sherlock Holmes) Any sort of Urban backround disposes you to Rogue. In a crowded city, fighting, no matter the cause, often gets you thrown in jail. Wizards are steroetypically not truly involved in city life, while most of the other classes are outdoor oriented. That leads the nimble and the charismatic to survive. Perhaps he was a spy for his king, a creative defender of the downtrodden (Theodore the Baker beat up Urthed the half-orc for standing outside his store trying to keep warm, the next day he found all of his milk and flour dyed red, a hue that colored all of his works for the day and made him the laughing stock of his profesion. And some of his previous wares were given to a couple starving half-orc children.) Perhaps he was a flamboyant, stuck up aristocrat with a good heart and a hobby for all things mechanical and a joy of hunting. A locksmith who troubleshoots the security of all his own vaults. Or perhaps a former complete scoundrel who was converted, and now runs around proclaiming the glory of Lathander or Pelor etc, though he still uses his skills for the cause of good. Good luck playing the
Krelios 01-26-06, 03:00 PM	Rogue is a very general term. While the traditional rogue was a cad or scoundrel, there is also the concept of the "loveable Rogue" in literature. Think of Han Solo (who was himself called a "scoundrel" in The Empire Strikes back, if I recall). Solo is the classic loveable rogue. The literary loveable rogue (like Solo) tends to be an anti-hero. Good deep down but with a strong self-interested side that he reluctantly overcomes because pangs of conscioence eventually force him to do the "right" thing. On the more combat oriented side, Robin Hood was also a roguish character who was nonetheless good. Unlike Han Solo, Robin Hood was an outright thief and brigand, though he stole from those of means and used the funds to improve the lives of the unfortunate. (In other words, he was some sort of communist. :D) Other "good" rogues who come to mind are: the Grey Mouser (from Fritz Leiber's fiction); Capt. Mal Reynolds (from the Firefly T.V. show...though as a mere Han Solo rip-off he may not count); Phillipe "the Mouse" Gaston (the thief played by Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke); Batman, though certainly on the darker side, the vigilante anti-hero is a "rogue" character in the literary sense; Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit, the quinessential fantasy model of the "good rogue"; Tasslehoff Burrfoot, though I hate him with a passion; James Bond, beyond question the stereotypical literary "loveable rogue"; virtually every character ever played by Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks; virtually every swashbuckler in movie history come to think of it, right up to Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow; and even Calico Jack Rackham, an actual 18th-century swashbuckling pirate and thief. If you have a chance, read Robert Lynn Aspirin's excellent Thieves' World novels (from the 1970's and '80's), and you'll find a number of good-natured rogue characters developed by many very good fantasy authors...in a series which I believe had some impact in shaping the fantasy conception of rogue (likely the greatest impact since Fritz Leiber) Blasphemer!
Pandaemoni 01-26-06, 05:01 PM	Blasphemer! He even looked like a young Harrison Ford. Any notion that Mal Reynolds wasn't a mere imitation Han Solo strain credulity. Excommunicate me if you must, but the truth cannot be denied. :D
DBoot 01-26-06, 05:51 PM	The trick with making 'flashy' characters is being wary of gimmicks. A quick and dirty rule of thumb: Whatever you decide to go with, your character should do it because it makes sense to him or her. Even a prankster has reasons for pulling the wool over someone's eyes (It's funny). If there is no reason for the character to do something, you're venturing into gimmick territory.
Jon of the North 01-26-06, 05:51 PM	1st off, Mal character does owe a debt to Han Solo. On the other hand, Mal has and will always shoot first; Han, depends on which version you're watching :weep: . As for the real question, heck yeah you can be good. You can be a half orge, half mind flayer druid 2/ fighter 1/ rogue 3 if you're high enough level and the GM doesn't rule 0. I recommend NG or CG, LG might be a little tough.
Sluagh 01-26-06, 06:45 PM	1st off, Mal character does owe a debt to Han Solo. On the other hand, Mal has and will always shoot first; Han, depends on which version you're watching :weep: . No matter what version you watch, in the beginning, Han is the sort who would shoot first. Lucas may have tried to mask it up, but the legacy lives on, despite the blasphemy! Of course, Han changes in outlook/action through the series; by the end, he wouldn't shoot first.