Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dakr 02-17-08, 08:12 PM	Hello there So, I'm building a character that, despite his tragic backstory, remains cheerful and such. I'm trying to drag him out of the Stern-Lawful cliché. However, my DM is quite picky when it comes to alignment... my character would actually be LG, but, since I plan to use evil magic for good purposes, I opted for bringing down to LN, though his behavior is mostly LG. I also wanted him to be quite emotional and passionate, both of which seem to be characteristics more related to Chaotic. As for the reasons for him to use [Evil] magic time and another, that's because he was a paladin of Pelor once, and saw corruption within the church. That said, he started to think that restraining himself would be just for show, like those paladins of Pelor did. He'd rather use all his firepower available when it comes to defeating evil. Fight fire with fire, capisce? How would you RP such a character? Any ideas are welcome. I know I'm not being too specific, but it's just that the backstory was mostly written in Portuguese and I'm too lazy to translate it right now. Will do it someday, though :P .
Kiioro 02-18-08, 05:34 PM	Well, dark humor works quite well. The fact that Wee Jas has a lot to do with death, it's kind of hard to be cheerful in a normal way... But he could always joke about grim situations, even when odds are completely against him/her. There can be passionate lawful characters, without the G/N/E axis mattering at all. You could always be the kind of guy who almost runs in circles while screaming if something doesn't go according to plan. He could be one of those people that like to have things going in a very organized fashion and he loses it if things don't go as forseen. (And you could always roleplay this in a fun manner, almost making others look forward to your character's breakdown). Besides, you could make him very business-like and serious when in a really dire situation, but laid back when not under pressure. Lawful doesn't mean boring, you could be lawful in the aspect of "spirit of the law" lawful, you don't do things as told literally, but look for the best way to do things according to interpretation of the rules to the specific case...
Dakr 02-18-08, 08:24 PM	Well, dark humor works quite well. The fact that Wee Jas has a lot to do with death, it's kind of hard to be cheerful in a normal way... But he could always joke about grim situations, even when odds are completely against him/her. There can be passionate lawful characters, without the G/N/E axis mattering at all. You could always be the kind of guy who almost runs in circles while screaming if something doesn't go according to plan. He could be one of those people that like to have things going in a very organized fashion and he loses it if things don't go as forseen. (And you could always roleplay this in a fun manner, almost making others look forward to your character's breakdown). Besides, you could make him very business-like and serious when in a really dire situation, but laid back when not under pressure. Lawful doesn't mean boring, you could be lawful in the aspect of "spirit of the law" lawful, you don't do things as told literally, but look for the best way to do things according to interpretation of the rules to the specific case... Those were awesome ideas! Thanks a lot! :tiphat:
NatanaX 02-25-08, 10:39 AM	There are a few interesting ways to avoid being "lawful good" one excellent way is to be disturbingly pragmatic when it comes to your treatment of evil and chaos. Your character, being Lawful Neutral, could approach everything from a rawly "logical" point of view, not really concerning yourself with emotional concerns and looking entirely at the "big picture" as well as keeping yourself distant and observational. A good example of how to play this type of character would be taking some of the "inflict wounds" spells and using them to horrifically torture a villain into giving up information and when the good characters respond unfavorably your character responds with simple, logical answer... "Of course I tortured him, he had information, we needed it, he is evil, hence his pain is irrelevant, had he not wanted pain inflicted on him he should not have inflicted pain on others." You could also treat all other party members as simply tools to get a job done, not seeing them so much as expendible but forming no emotional attatchments to any of them. ex. "Well why should I ressurect this one? He was only slowing us down. Oh very well, if it will placate the rest of you. (mutters under his breath about silly emotions)"
I_roll_ones 02-25-08, 07:31 PM	The player's handbook states that personality is not affected by alignment. Alignment is morality, not personality. And going back to the Dark Humor...He's playing with fire. Maybe he is worried about the state of his soul, and shrugs it off jokingly to others. It could be a coping mechanism not just for death, but for turning into what he hates. And maybe the (false) paladins of Pelor were stern, harsh and unforgiving, and he didn't quite fit in. Now that he knows what they truly are, he resolves to allow himself and others their moments of joy in a bleak world. If he's serious while on the job, so to speak, this fits perfectly. He wants others to be happy, and he indluges them and himself while he has no responsibilities. But once he does, he takes it very seriously. So he wouldn't raise a fuss to having a drink, but getting drunk and puking on the evil nobleman's boots by a party member would lead to conflict.
Dakr 03-20-08, 06:59 PM	Sorry for the long delay. Those were actually nice suggestions. There are a few interesting ways to avoid being "lawful good" one excellent way is to be disturbingly pragmatic when it comes to your treatment of evil and chaos. This is about the first thing I thought, but then I had trouble to combine this with his joyish demeanor. On the other hand, the contrast of him doing 'his job' in comparison to his usual behavior could be both shocking and interesting. The player's handbook states that personality is not affected by alignment. Alignment is morality, not personality. Well, morality *is* part of someone's personality... but I see what you mean. It doesn't necessarily interfere with other aspects of your character. ... I played this character (named Per) in two sessions already. I couldn't find room to fit in the dark humor, but I'm putting the "serious-while-doing-his-job" modus operandi into practice. Currently, the job is to do business with the dwarves without letting them know his patron deity. It's a homebred setting where Wee Jas clerics are hated. Per has a very tangible plan is his head to reach the goals set by his superiors. He'll always stick to that goal, but doesn't restrain himself from thriving on whatever he can while on his way. He also came to meet some paladins of Pelor. He raised a big argument with them when they spoke full of themselves for helping the dwarves in a battle against kobolds and orcs that was soon to happen. My character argued that they were there for the same reason he was - to make business with the dwarves and convince them to allow access to their Tower of Divine Magic (dwarves make the most prestigious clerics in this given homebred world). The paladins felt insulted by that and it ended on that. All the paladins died in battle, and Per never hid how he believes that they were killed by their own arrogance. So, what I'm developing with this character is the feeling that paladins are hypocrites: if they're not evil, they're not nearly as good as they claim to be. Thank you for your help so far :)
xcountry 03-20-08, 10:06 PM	You could kinda make him bypolor in sorts having uncontroulable fits of rage one minute and the next have a high optamision, and be verry funny.
Sakon22 03-21-08, 12:32 AM	...That's the same 'pole'. Bipolar would be more like laughing and joking then, for no reason, becoming incredibly stern or depressed. Generally the emotions are either extremely hyperactive or hypoactive with bipolar disorder. High energy to low energy and vice versa.
Dakr 03-21-08, 11:27 AM	...That's the same 'pole'. Bipolar would be more like laughing and joking then, for no reason, becoming incredibly stern or depressed. Generally the emotions are either extremely hyperactive or hypoactive with bipolar disorder. High energy to low energy and vice versa. Yeah, but my last character was bipolar already... I don't want to repeat that idea. Loads of fun, though :)
xcountry 03-21-08, 06:37 PM	he could have split persinalitys sry for spelling, when ever he need to do something bad/evil the other peraonality would takes contol and when everythings all over he'll be back to normal, "split personalitys are usaly a coping steragy so u could blame it on his dark past" thats what it said on hide and seak
Ell 03-21-08, 07:16 PM	He can be disturbingly honest. You know those people who say the truth so simply it seems to be a joke? For example, when someone questions his dislike for paladins, he could answer: "In time of my youth my tender idealistic heart was traumatized by the cold-heartedness of our great defenders of all things good and pure." Now that's the truth, but he says it in such a manner that it is easier for people to regard it as a joke, because, well, that guy just spilled his guts in front of you, what can you possibly do to feel less awkward?
Green_eyes 03-24-08, 09:03 AM	Dr House
elliott20 03-24-08, 10:04 AM	My suggestion is to make this guy emotionally distant from everyone. He wants to do the right thing but often he just can't be bothered to really take emotional stock in someone. perhaps people don't understand his brand of justice, or perhaps his tragic past has really rendered his view of the world cynical and jaded. The stress of it all is so intense that the only way he can deal with it all is through humor. While he believes in doing the right thing and trying to be good to people, his past just makes it very difficult for him to truly put faith in the good of mankind. His humor is also his tool of keeping people at arms length so he never gets hurt both physically and emotionally. If he never places his trust in anyone, they cannot hurt him. If he never turns his back to anyone, they can't stab him in the back. Sure, he knows he's SUPPOSED to trust his allies. But quite frankly, he's been burned (perhaps literally) too many times before. So how does this translate? When people try to confide in him (talk to your GM about his personality aspects so he gives you some opportunities to play with this) or tries to understand, simply wave the question away by using his biting wit and sarcasm and making everything into something that's tragically cynical but kinda funny. (ever read Something Positive (somethingpositive.com)? the humor there would fit pretty well) Whenever someone offers to help him, find ways to add extra precautions against such help while throwing in a snide but funny comment about your inability to trust/love. Or better yet, don't accept help from other people if you think it can leave you open. If there is any kind of insecurity you could think of, hint at it now and then, but keep it written down so that insecurity is consistent. (and keep it to maybe just one, else that gets annoying) Your character will put up this facade of humor 24/7, opening himself only in the most private and intimate moments in game. (Perhaps with your possibly only friend in the world: a pet, an item, or maybe your patron god.)
Paul_V 03-26-08, 06:34 PM	There's A LOT of humor when you combine "Lawful Neutral", "Wee Jas" and "Cleric". The key idea is to emphasize some definitely Lawful Evil behaviours and contrast them with the usual Lawful Good demeanour to create humorous situations. Some ideas: Make outrageous comments. For example: You: "You're the wizard, can't you kill them with lots of acid and fire?" Wiz: "But that's unnecessarily cruel!" You: "Wow, that's the first time I hear a wizard saying his spells are unnecessary..." You: "We should kill them before they kill us." Other: "They're children!" You: "They could be shapechangers in disguise." Other: "Wee Jas can't possibly approve this needless cruelty!" You: "I'm using magic to bring death. Trust me, she'll approve." Other: "You must be joking!" You: "I never joke. Well, except when someone's about to die. Always send them to the other side with a smile, that's what I say." You: "Few people know that Wee Jas is also the goddess of irony. Which is why I believe she'll appreciate the fact that I'm using your own phylactery to kill you, Lich." Other: "How can you trust a devil?!" You: "They're creatures of Law as well as Evil, they'll keep their word." Silence. You: "And just in case, I prepared Banishment this morning." You: "So I had to destroy the mummy I created yesterday. Too many people kept falling paralyzed in the middle of the street when I left for a stroll. I still can't see how that's my fault... damn people and their weak willpower..." *mumbles* Max Intimidate and Diplomacy, and don't even hesitate to switch to the other when one fails. Make subtle threats to enemies when they make promises, and then treat them like they're your best friends in the entire world. Have sharp contrasts between menacing and cheerful attitudes (like the example above).
The_Shaman 03-26-08, 09:18 PM	This is more Kelemvor style, but the character could simply not be bothered by death. It can lead by the kind of dark humor that might not be as pointed as most, but still rather... unsettling. I.E.: "In the long run, it won't be a good idea. Then again, in the long run, we're all dead." "Of course there is a cure for any disease or pain, and yes, it is accessible to everyone. It's called dying, you know. What, you still don't like it? Can't please some people." "Look, you won't live too long anyway... 20 years? 30? Why do you bother that much for a measly delay when you're going there anyway?" "You can outrun the leopard, you can outfight the bear, but you can't avoid the worm."
Dakr 03-29-08, 03:42 PM	Heh! Great ideas, people... thanks a lot :)