Post/Author/DateTime	Post
grasharm 03-26-07, 10:51 PM	I need and want a quick way to give someone else a feel for what a given character (mine in this case) would do in different situations. Social, moral, combat whatever. One way that was suggested to me in another thread was to make up diffent situations and explain how my character would act in these cases. I've hit writers block, or character development block or whatever you want to call it but I can't seem to come up with any. So I put it to everyone here as a challenge. Come up with 3 to 5 situations that when the aswer of how a certain character acts in this situation gives some clue as to that charecters base personality. You may notice I'm sparce on detail for my particular character. The reason for this is I'm hoping to develop this into something I can use on all of my characters to aid me in making more robust and interesting personalities and use as a DM to get in idea of how the PCs React. If nessisary I'll go ahead and give up info on my character later but right now let us see what we get this way first. Thanks all and good luck. Winner of this Challenge (or really anyone who posts) will get my very coveted gratitude. :cool:
Terjon of the Blue Rose 03-27-07, 03:53 AM	I think first I'd go with a non-threatening but dangerous encounter (ogre on road who shows no interest in you or troll in forest who hasn't spotted you). Next I like asked to hunt for known good-guys using evil tactics (Harpers are acting as terrorists in Thay). Last I'll go with discovered you have been cheated (wizard just made your sword look enchanted.) There are plenty of others but I like it when there are two sides to the story to weigh in on such as with the first two.
grasharm 03-30-07, 11:01 AM	Bump! Just trying to get a few more responces by giving it better visibility
grasharm 08-03-07, 06:26 PM	Bump
FponkDamn 08-03-07, 09:43 PM	Your character is confronted with his deepest fear. How does he/she react? (Very generic. The answer will vary greatly depending on what that fear is - but that, in and of itself, is an added bit of character info you get.) In your character's home location, royal/government officials approach your character with a legal warrant for his arrest. The guards are armed, but perhaps not unbeatable. Your character is innocent. What is his/her reaction? (This question answers many things about your character - does he/she respect law? If not, is he/she more likely to fight or run? How cocky/arrogant/tactically minded is your character? Many questions answered here.) Your character's most important loved one/ally (friend or family) is in dire straights, but in no way asks for help. You find out about the circumstances from a third party - how does your character react? (This also tells a lot, while being very vague; what kind of person does your character consider to be their most important loved one/ally? Reveals a lot about the moral compass of the character, as well.) After saving the kingdom/country from certain doom, the king/president/what have you rewards your character with the ability to change any one thing about the kingdom in which he/she lives, which shall be carried out completely - what is the change? (This will show a lot about what matters to the character on large scale; as well as possibly showing how selfish or altruistic the character is.) Lastly - your character has been blessed by all gods and martyrs with a single day in which he/she has no other responsibilities. What does your character do with a well-earned day off? (Nothing fleshes out a character like leisure activities!) Hope this helps, - Johnny
Nivalldier 08-03-07, 10:41 PM	But we can't make bricks without straw!! ...said one of the followers of a famous magician in the court of Ramses. I think we need a little bit more to work with, Grasham, in order to come up with something useful. Otherwise, we're just shooting in the dark. As for Terjon's suggestions, I agree, except for this: when you make an event personal, especially when it involves you being attacked or robbed, your response is likely to be equally personal. A judge is less likely to be impartial to a teenager's first-time vandalism, if the car that got vandalized was his own. Likewise, the ability to meet out mercy is strained when we are personally affected by the initial loss. I recall Richard Gaririott's excellent computer series Ultima (that dates me, I'll wager). In order to determine your character's initial abilities, you were given simple A or B choices for a range of situations, such as: You are given a heavy bag of gold coins, uncounted. You are tasked by your master, wealthy beyond comprehension, to deliver the bag to the local bank, where they will count it and give you a receipt. On the way to the bank, you pass a starving, sickly child, turned away from the local healer for the lack of a few silvers for a healing spell. Do you: A) Continue on with your task, secure in the knowledge that you are fulfilling your mission to your master, and trusting to Fate to see after the child; or B) You reach in and withdraw a single gold coin, handing it to the child, knowing his life may be spared, and that your master will never know the difference. There's also a book of short stories collected by Idries Shah entitled "Sufi Teaching Stories." They are fascinating in their ability to demonstrate, in a quick, open-ended tales, the complexities in ordinary life. For example: A lord was leaving his estate for a lengthy pilgrimage to Mecca. Before he got too far, one of his servants came riding up in haste. "My lord! Your wife is seeing another man, and surely she is planning on meeting with him this very day!" The lord returned hurriedly to his estate. He went quickly to the building where his wife and her waiting women stayed. He burst into the lady's inner quarters, only to find her sitting with her back to the door, but breathing heavily. The room was as it normally was, nothing out of the ordinary -- except for the presence of a large, locked trunk, big enough to hold a hundred rugs...or one large man. "Give me the key to that trunk, wife," the lord ordered. "Do you trust me?" the wife asked. "Of course," the lord said, after a moment. "Then believe me when I tell you there is nothing in there that you would want to see." "Then you'll have no problem when I remove it from this room?" the lord replied. "No, my lord, as long as you do not open it." So the lord called for four of his servants. They carried the trunk out side, then dug a deep pit, placed the trunk within, and covered it up again. Like the one above, the stories are short and full of mysterious endings designed to make you think. Just ask yourself, 'If your character were that lord, what would he do?" -- Nivalldier
cog_n_taz 08-05-07, 07:31 AM	Okay, I'm going to fill out this excellent list for my character, Bill the paladin, who's backstory is currently on page 2 of these boards. I suggest you read it if you want to make any sense of this. Your character is confronted with his deepest fear. How does he/she react? (Very generic. The answer will vary greatly depending on what that fear is - but that, in and of itself, is an added bit of character info you get.) his deepest fear would likely be his village coming to harm. If he hasn't prevented it from happening, than he will do all he can to deal with/delay the problem, and is willing to die for it if it is the best way he can help. Meanwhile, he will try to evacuate everyone there. In your character's home location, royal/government officials approach your character with a legal warrant for his arrest. The guards are armed, but perhaps not unbeatable. Your character is innocent. What is his/her reaction? (This question answers many things about your character - does he/she respect law? If not, is he/she more likely to fight or run? How cocky/arrogant/tactically minded is your character? Many questions answered here.) he would recycle a little trick of his here. he'd smile amiably, and talk to the leader of the (presumably 1st~2nd level) officials in a respectful tone. "Well, I suppose there's nothing for it, than. Tell me one thing, though... surely, the law wouldn't choose any old fool for a task like this. No, they would choose someone wise and competent, with clear judgment, such as yourself. A wise man like you must have heard what they say around here. You can tell a lot from a man's face, they say... And I believe you may want to reconsider...tell me sir, what do you see in my face?" At this point, he abruptly takes off his hat of disguise, and may or may not activate his fear aura. (probably not) Your character's most important loved one/ally (friend or family) is in dire straights, but in no way asks for help. You find out about the circumstances from a third party - how does your character react? (This also tells a lot, while being very vague; what kind of person does your character consider to be their most important loved one/ally? Reveals a lot about the moral compass of the character, as well.) he's almost always at the village (those that matter most to him), so he would know, but supposing he doesn't, he would rush back immediately, and do whatever he can to help. however, he may well be somewhat (only somewhat, still 24 wis) less rational than normal, considering the situation. After saving the kingdom/country from certain doom, the king/president/what have you rewards your character with the ability to change any one thing about the kingdom in which he/she lives, which shall be carried out completely - what is the change? (This will show a lot about what matters to the character on large scale; as well as possibly showing how selfish or altruistic the character is.) he'd ask for the king to stop overtaxing his village, as he has been doing so far, but that's about it. That, and he might ask for a new fishing pole. Lastly - your character has been blessed by all gods and martyrs with a single day in which he/she has no other responsibilities. What does your character do with a well-earned day off? (Nothing fleshes out a character like leisure activities!) What he would normally do - fishing, tending to the sheep, maybe play on the bagpipe a little, tell the local kids a story or two. Later in the day, he'd watch the sunset from a hilltop while smoking his pipe, and if he's getting really worked up about his day off, he'd have a campfire dinner, roasting potatoes over a little fire and stuff. Yeah, he's that kind of guy:) .
Nivalldier 08-08-07, 01:51 AM	...his deepest fear would likely be his village coming to harm. If he hasn't prevented it from happening, than he will do all he can to deal with/delay the problem, and is willing to die for it if it is the best way he can help. Meanwhile, he will try to evacuate everyone there... Well, the desire to help others, and the dedication to see it through to the very end, shows a generally "good" alignment. ...he would recycle a little trick of his here. he'd smile amiably, and talk to the leader of the (presumably 1st~2nd level) officials in a respectful tone... But deciding to "trick" the local constabulary shows a rather chaotic tendency, definitely not lawful. At this point, he abruptly takes off his hat of disguise, and may or may not activate his fear aura. (probably not) And choosing to activate an aura of fear could be considered decidedly evil, even if no real harm came to an opponent. In fact, simply using a disguise of ANY kind, without a need of it to complete a crucial mission, would be considered evil by many DMs. That might be OK for lots of character types, but a Paladin? I kinda doubt it. ...he'd ask for the king to stop overtaxing his village, as he has been doing so far, but that's about it. That, and he might ask for a new fishing pole... Waitaminute! That's all you'd do? What about that part about risking your life for the village? How about going on a mission to gather enough treasure to pay the taxes, or to help the people improve their lives? How about working out a deal with the king: he drops the taxes, and you lead his troops in combat for a third of the year? Or even leading a revolt to make the area independent, while you volunteer to lead the protection force? "A new fishing pole"? If I was your Deity, your Paladin-hood status would be severely in jeopardy. Keep in mind, your abilities as a Paladin are dependent on your Deity needing you to perform certain missions for Him or Her. You have to be dedicated to seeking out the best place to make use of those abilities, or said Deity would likely look to a more motivated soul. You can't wait for an email from your Deity; you must be their eyes and ears, searching for ways to use their divine powers for the betterment of others, whether it interferes with your normal routine or not. It's a tough job, which is why so few are chosen, and why such extraordinary powers are given to those rare individuals. At least, that's been my experience with such characters and their benefactors. What he would normally do - fishing, tending to the sheep, maybe play on the bagpipe a little, tell the local kids a story or two. Later in the day, he'd watch the sunset from a hilltop while smoking his pipe...Yeah, he's that kind of guy:) . If this is what's scribbled in your character's Dayplanner, then no Paladin he. You might seriously consider switching to a Bard, someone with less desire to stick their necks out, and more dedicated to sharing in the benefits of peace, rather than doing the difficult things needed to insure it. Paladin-hood is not an easy road under any circumstances, but to take such an obligation so lightly shows that your character is not sufficiently inspired to truly benefit from such status. That's not a problem, nor am I denigrating your roleplaying. Rather, I'm humbly suggesting that being a Paladin, and the intricacies of balancing "lawful"-ness and "good"-ness with the neccessity of acting with swiftness and strength, are not high on your character's priority list. In reality, he sounds to me more like a grounded, well-rounded character, perhaps a chaotic-good Bard, who might entertain hopes of becoming a Paladin -- not today of course, but someday, while he watches the sheep grazing on the hillside, and takes another pull on his pipe. My $0.02, of course. -- Nivalldier
cog_n_taz 08-08-07, 04:39 AM	I don't have time to give a detailed response now, much as I would like to, but maybe you should read the thread as I recommended, things will make more sense then. Ofcourse, if you expect paladins to be, well, more standard, than he's definitely a very bad paladin and character in general.
CrimsonWyvern 08-08-07, 07:22 PM	Okay, here's my situations for you. 1. Asked to rescue a standard NPC from an challenging enemy, with little guarantee of monetary compensation. 2. Being hassled with a party member that makes things difficult for you. (Attacked with nonlethal damage, trying to get you a slap on the wrist from the constable, etc.) 3. Having a person that you are close to (if any) die. 4. Having difficulty getting an item legally that would greatly help out in your adventuring. Here's the answers of these for my character, Gorgi: 1. Rush to save said NPC as soon as possible, without caring about a reward. 2. Attack back only if pushed to the breaking point, try to nonviolently correct first. 3. Try to make a proper memorial for them, become a little less tolerant for a bit. 4. Try to get it legally, if it takes too long or is impossible, use not-quite legal channels to get it, but never resort to theft, murder, or doing something evil. As for Gorgi's greatest fear, it would likely nearly paralyze him, but it would likely only happen from a Phantasmal Killer, as he's afraid of being the kind of person who would destroy a town. If confronted about breaking a law he didn't break, he'd submit himself to be punished so long as he didn't have a most pressing quest. If a very important ally was in dire straits, Gorgi would rush to help said ally. If granted the allowance to change one thing about a kingdom, Gorgi would have the ruler, be it king, mayor, or other, be kinder to civilians. If given a day off, Gorgi would spend it flying and training his body.
Saurus33 08-10-07, 08:13 AM	My Hellbred Dread Necromancer's answers: 1.Your character is confronted with his deepest fear. How does he/she react? His greatest fear is returning to Cania. Should he find himself there, he would leave immediately unless he badly needed to stay. If anyone directly serving Mephistopheles was there, he'd leave even if he needed to do something. 2.In your character's home location, royal/government officials approach your character with a legal warrant for his arrest. The guards are armed, but perhaps not unbeatable. Your character is innocent. What is his/her reaction? He runs. If he can, he takes vengeance later, but unless he is guaranteed of victory, he runs. 3.Your character's most important loved one/ally (friend or family) is in dire straights, but in no way asks for help. You find out about the circumstances from a third party - how does your character react? He has no "real" friends, and no family. Not yet, anyway. 4. After saving the kingdom/country from certain doom, the king/president/what have you rewards your character with the ability to change any one thing about the kingdom in which he/she lives, which shall be carried out completely - what is the change? Removal of the "Kill on Sight" order on the undead. All undead are to be treated as citizens. 5. Lastly - your character has been blessed by all gods and martyrs with a single day in which he/she has no other responsibilities. What does your character do with a well-earned day off? He does whatever he would do in a regular day. To him, a day in leisure is a day wasted! (Should said leisure be compulsory, he might visit a library or something of that nature).