Post/Author/DateTime	Post
edveal 04-21-05, 11:33 AM	OK, I am taking a bunch of grief from my group because I have not plotted my characters entire career out. We were starting a campaign and the DM told us our characters were to be 1st lvl and older adolescents (15-20). We were also told we had to dump at least a skill point or more into a craft. Trying to keep in line with this I created a young male fighter with skill points in weaponsmithing. I thought that was appropriate given that we were also told that our characters were to be from small poor villages with limited exposure to the world at large. We were then told that we were drafted into an army and the adventures begin. Given all that I didn’t think it was appropriate to plot out a whole course for my character to drudge through level by level. I am however, developing skills as they develop within the campaign. The character is confusion the other players because he is just beginning to adapt to his physical abilities and learn his place in the group. For example: because he was a kid and a weaponsmith’s son he had a long sword and ranks in weapon drill, after all how else would he be spending his childhood other than working with his father and working on swordsmanship? However, strength is not is strong suit dexterity is where his strength lies. He has picked up on this and is working to develop his bow ability, with great success. Now other players seem confused that I didn’t just start him that way. They all got their stats and built the best class and character they could come up with and then filled in all the backstory to suit their need. I find this backwards or am I the one doing it backward?
Need_A_Life 04-21-05, 12:56 PM	Depends on the DM... if you're going to be fighting 24/7 you can't use a weapon you can't hit with from the beginning. Personally, I find a concept (say: "Charismatic Backstabber" :rolleyes: ) and then try to arrange everything to fit the concept (that backstabber would either use a dagger or a shortsword, possibly a rapier. He'd have high dex and cha but low str etc.). You're using one of the methods possible, they're using another, neither of you are 'wrong', this is a ROLEplaying game; meaning that you're playing a Role.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 04-21-05, 02:34 PM	Depends on the campaign and what your doing. If you used a long sword and had a 10 strength, but you have an 18 dextarity, and then switch to the bow once your character discovers his natural talents. Thats fine and doesn't really hamper the game. But if you had something like an 8 in strength and an 18 in dextarity, used a sword and took weapon focus: longsword, then you've hampered your character. My suggestion is to take feats or skills that you would want to take, but act like you don't have that feat or the skills until your character learns it in game. That way it doesn't permantly hamper your character. For instance, at first level you use a sword, but you take weapon focus: long bow. When you finally get a long bow you may act like you don't have weapon focus and role-play gaining the ability. "My character pracitces pulling the bow string back until his fingers bleed" Or something like that, probably more in depth. And it's not bad what your doing, in fact it makes it more interesting. But again, I would plan a level or two ahead for feats and skills and role-play your way into learning them.
LiXinjian 04-22-05, 08:46 AM	Like YDS said. Your approach to the game is different from theirs. Yours is more deep, IMO, but you can't blame your friends for having a different view on this game. The main point is that you all have fun. However, it *is* a sad fact that feats are few and far between, and that a minimum of planning is necessary if you want to have a playable character in this version of the game. Fighters, especially, don't compare to the power level of some of the other classes. Before long, you might find yourself useless to do what you were meant to do: take hits, and give them.