Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Arthur_Pendragon 12-12-03, 02:23 AM	I figured, unless there is a post like this already and I haven't seen it, that I'd suggest creating a post for generally suggesting how to create (roleplaying oriented) and roleplay those characters. I don't mean so much the "how do I play these stats" or "How do I roleplay this specific character" (those kinds of posts still need their own special treatment). Rather I mean more broad general terms. Let me give an example. One suggestion is, during the character creation process, create a specific quirk to roleplay. i. e. : a love of poetry (especially if he/she is ANY class but a Bard.) The image of the brawny fighter, or scholarly wizard, who has a passion for poetry and has even memorized certian favored poems adds real interesting depth to a character and aids roleplaying. For example, in my case, an wizard, after finishing a parley with a foe in the forested wilderness in the winter, quote Robert Frost, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep/But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep." before vanishing/teleporting away. So any other suggestions for: Quirks, Loves, Hates, and Phobias (or other things) that add depth to a character and aid in roleplaying? [Edited and added later:] So Far on the list: - Quirks - Loves - Hates - Phobias - Habits - Mania
Lady_Firehawk 12-12-03, 06:17 PM	Giving them something like Arachnophobia is highly interesting... or any everyday phobia, hehe. :) One of my characters absolutely HATES water travel of any kind and hates teleportation even worse, a major case of claustrophobia (with some serious stat penalties imposed). She's also a perfectionist and gets really ticked off when things don't go right (ie, crappy dice roll). She also loves heights and storms and is quite fearful of fire, and she likes strong drinks. Of course, to her race (which I'm still tweaking out, using my current campaign as a testing ground with the DM's permission), even some of the Dwarven stuff is flavored water! :D Finally, she's dyslexic and can't read Common to save her life. Stuff like that's pretty interesting. :D It would suck to be a dyslexic Wizard, though! ;) And then there's my Dwarven Cleric of Pelor, who seems to be half Gnome by virtue of her personality... hey, she was raised by humans! :D She also has no qualms with freeloading when it comes to beer... hehehe. She likes experimenting with stuff and is slightly annoyed by Paladins. Tweaking cliches is always fun!
avatarolt 12-12-03, 06:29 PM	Characters who have motivation to present something to other people other than their own true character. Motivations are multiple and varied: running from the law, uncomfortable around other people, feels people are tools and should be treated as such, hiding apparent weaknesses or character flaws, disguising alignment, etc. Just make sure you let your DM know somehow of your intentions so he doesn't give you an alignment shift for acting out of character. It is, IMHO, the easiest way to add a second layer to the character. Also, add "mysoginistic" to the list of quirks, even if I can't spell "hates women" correctly. :)
LiXinjian 12-13-03, 07:03 AM	Originally posted by avatarolt Also, add "mysoginistic" to the list of quirks, even if I can't spell "hates women" correctly. He doesn't have to hate women. He can simply be boorish and feel women should stick to the kitchen labour. He might feel women are not cut for the adventuring life. I'm guessing it's probably the form of mysoginy encountered the most in men. Pendragon, how about adding Habits to your short list? Habits usually derive from quirks (in your example, your wizard's quirk would be the love of poetry, but his quoting of Frost before teleporting away would be a habit), hence they help further define a character, but they are the visualization of those quirks. A character with a marked distaste for dirt (hardly befitting an adventurer, huh?) could cast Prestidigitation - Clean once or twice a day, to clean up his clothes and his friends' too. Every day, after learning his spells and while his companions are still sleeping around the campfire, he'd go about cleaning their gear, so that they would wake clean and clear and under control (TM), ready to take on whatever challenges the day will present them. The same character could extend the courtesy to his companions' hair and teeth, too, never being able to stand the fighter's notoriously bad breath, or the cleric's messy tangle of hair. Such a character would always double-check for fleas when staying at an inn. If he inadvertantly found himself sleeping under flea-infested sheets, I can imagine him tracing the previous occupant of the bed accross town to give him heck for having low hygiene standards. He would also let management know how strongly he feels about cleanliness. A DM could require a Search roll every time he went to bed, slipping in the occasional fleas every once in a while on a failed check. But I digress, so I'll cut this short. A habit taken too far is a mania. A quirk might lead to an interesting habit. 'nuff said.
Arthur_Pendragon 12-13-03, 02:07 PM	Good idea. Habit added to the list.
Pongolyn 12-13-03, 03:56 PM	Actually, it's because HE THINKS (I sure the hell don't...seeing as my gf is the DM, she'd kill me in more ways than one) women are flighty creatures that aren't rational whatsoever and have a tendency to stab you in the back. It would be too *easy* to simply be a boor. :)
avatarolt 12-13-03, 03:58 PM	D'oh, forgot to log her out.