Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Giantslayer 06-29-04, 10:00 AM	Im going to play a REALLY manipulative and selfish(on the inside) Bard/rogue/masterspy. with a new "personality" and identity for every part of the land we visit. I need a good personal "goal" for him, as I intend to play him as either LN, N or CN. He is really a people's person. EVERYBODY likes him, and he plays out people against eachother as though they were just bricks on a chesstable. Any good inspiration for that out there(here, anywhere?) Cya -me
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 06-29-04, 10:49 AM	Unless your O.K with losing your bardic music and magic then you should strike out the LN since a bard has an alignment restriction. What you need to figure out is why your person is disguising himself all the time. Is it because he works for a higher up and is going to everytown under the higher ups orders to do something and doesn't want their to be any connection. Has your character made a rather large organization an enemy during his travels. (Like a thief guild, or a country, a church) Or is your character paranoid about getting into trouble so when the heat gets on he sheds his disguise for a new one. Or prehaps he is just a prankster. The best reason to be like he is, is because some one has ordered him to do this. And your character doesn't want people to catch on with one particular guise so he switches them constantly. Using them to create diversions, while they chase after Tom the Tailor, you've become Paul the Painter. The goal could be nothing more than "Find out information about our enemies." Or it could be to "Gather funds for us" Just remember that it should be viable with the whole in a group, party thing.
Bluntpencil2001 06-29-04, 11:56 AM	Money and power are always good ones. Try " I wanna be the king, and rich too"
Ceoilte 06-29-04, 02:23 PM	You could always take the David Eddings route. Your guy kind of reminds of Silk the Drasnian intelligence agent from The Belgariad. He used to do this work to serve his country and also because it was fun. He called it 'The Game.'
Giantslayer 06-30-04, 04:54 PM	yeah.. that's one (darn good) route... problem is: when we start this campaign all the characters will suffer from pariall memory loss. and, having actually asked. Im no spy. I don't have an employer of any kind.... besides that, yes, he will resemble a more "ruthless" version of Silk. but, I have yet to find a good motivation for his behaviour.... suggestions?? cya -me
Airsucker 07-04-04, 09:43 PM	Well, it could be made a little more serious, but there was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. If you know the ending, you know who to emulate. Greed is often a strong motivator, whether its for money or power, or whatever it is that makes you 'happy'.
Theocracity 07-06-04, 02:41 PM	Good ideas for inspiration: Mr. Wednesday, from American Gods Stephen Maturin, from Patrick O'Brien's series (guy who wrote Master + Commander)
Formerly Wu 07-07-04, 02:58 PM	One thing that's helped me with my highly manipulative conman character: To lend authenticity to a persona, give each of them little tics that stick in people's minds. Have one persona smoke and another doesn't; one constantly gripes in a gravelly tone about the price of fish while another bows and kisses ladies' hands. Ask about friends or relations that don't exist; act nervous when a certain innocuous topic is brought up and relieved when it's dropped. If each has its own distinct personality, not only will people be more likely to engage you but when you're gone they'll remember the tic more than the face: "Of course that's not the same guy, the guy I talked to was a Southerner with a limp. That guy's from the West, and he's got an eyepatch!" Another key note for conmen is to pay attention to your mark. If you can play to the prejudices or sympathies of your audience, you have a better chance of getting through to them. It's fine and well to be a blowhard merchant in a hurry when trying to get through a guard post, but if you don't notice the guard has had a long day of it and doesn't mind roughing up some stuck-up foreigner who gives him a hard time, you could be in trouble. Remember: the point of the con is to get people to think they understand you and to leverage that feeling to get your own way. Make yourself open and available to all you meet... just not the same you that's tricking them. ;)
Rainos 07-08-04, 12:55 PM	memeory loss is interesting and if that does occur he will pretty much forget that he was a spy or most of his spy like trining. Imagine james bond not being able how to remember to work the gagets, definitly not a ggod thing. instead you could have him in search of a personality he likes. One day he'll decide that he was a painter in his former life and in the next town he'll decide that he was a squirrel named bob.
Giantslayer 07-27-04, 08:48 AM	To keep with the "conman" man of many diguises and personalities things: I need your help with creating a BUNCH of personalities and disguises for this bloke. I haven't decided yet if I should make him human or half-elf (that way, I could impersonate both elves AND humans without having to get "false ears"...) SO, following the guidelines laid up "by the man formerly known as WU"(he, I read thief of time too mate :D ), Ie, evere "disguise has certain "things" that makes them memorable, for example a limp, missing eye and so on.. prefferably, 2 personalities would be merchants in different trades, one succesfull and one less succesfull (ie one "high" and one "low" class guy). 1 wiz, sorc or druid (hey I could probably use some of my bard spells to "prove" im a mage ;) ) I also think that a "priest" might get in handy, some kind of "wandering healer" kinda guy.. So, y'all got any ideas?? cya -me
Impecunious_Mortal 07-27-04, 11:33 AM	truely manipulative: Don King the fight promoter Or the most evil of a manipulative bastards.....an Enron Executive or my european example ...a roman leader trying to get the germanic hordes to fight each other and the huns without killing rome off or try using big words that don't quite make sense in the conversation .....a Rev. jesse Jackson without the forethought Simple examples :a used car salesman , a mattress salesman , most politicians In Dnd :try a used potion dealer or a dealer of rare metals and alloys that are bogus Give him split personalities and roll every morning to see which one takes hold of the ol body, this way you can interprete things many ways depending on which mindset is in control
Rainos 07-27-04, 01:17 PM	Or you could base him off of the most manipulative bastard of all time..... The mighty and ultimately evil george W Bush ..... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV VVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However used car sales men are pretty evil too
Kitt-su 07-28-04, 12:34 AM	Personally I find that the idea that hes just insane in a more non-destructive kinda way. He thinks of everyone else as a piece on a chess board and he is the player moving black. His goal is to find someone to move white against him. Until then, he'll fortify by finding the pieces so he can play. :cool:
Rainos 07-29-04, 01:32 PM	Originally posted by Kitt-su Personally I find that the idea that hes just insane in a more non-destructive kinda way. He thinks of everyone else as a piece on a chess board and he is the player moving black. His goal is to find someone to move white against him. Until then, he'll fortify by finding the pieces so he can play. :cool: I'll play white i still just think hes more evil than he appears. The stupid thing is workin for him but his father or Cheny is probably the one pulling the strings