Post/Author/DateTime	Post
calypso 05-18-05, 11:22 AM	Hey guys, I'm working on a character for a very Final Fantasy 6-ish game, and I want to make a flourishy swashbucking airship captain. "I am Edward Harte, world's greatest left-handed swordsman, gambler extraordinare, and captain of the King of Harte. At your service!" "Did I ever tell you about the time I saved the queen? Well, there I was...." For the game, I'm going to write up short little story synopsises that he tells, some of them true, most of the ridiculously false. I'm probably also going to have an airship with crew (and possibly the dread-pirate PrC, though I'm not sure I want him to be a pirate). I think another illustrative scenario would be... the group is in the middle of a mysterious land, working their way towards a forbidden citadel to slay x/retrieve x/whatever. Edward looks around and says "You know, I think I've been here before. It was back in my younger years, when I was working as a deck-hand on the Silver Hand. Did I ever tell you about the time...." A couple things I need help deciding for sure: He was: a) Born into money, and adventures for the sheer adventure of it. b) Claims he was born into money, lost it all in a very interesting story, and adventures to reclaim his name and fortune. c) Other and his stories: a) Are mostly true but too outlandish for most people to believe. b) Mostly false but too outlandish for most people to believe. c) Other So yeah, thoughts? Calypso
dorkknight23 05-18-05, 01:12 PM	No rhyme or reason to my thoughts, just some ideas: My first thought, thinking particularly of the influence of Setzer in this character design: this character's a gambler. Take some ranks in Profession (Gambler) (as many as you can afford). Take risks most normal people would balk at. Don't take every risk (not unless you plan on having a very short adventuring career,) but if you feel something is do-able, go for it, or at least consider it or offer it as a suggestion. If someone notes you're insane, make up an anecdote "Well, it's not that bad, I distinctly remember an instance where I had to..." Strive to do the impossible, or, barring that, the highly improbable. Then mix in stories of things you did ingame with your outlandish story: "It's like the time I killed that evil blackguard in a one-on-one duel, remember that?" or whatever. Perhaps he was kicked out of the house for excessive gambling in order to learn "responsibility." Although he might claim he lost his family fortune on a single roll of the dice and is remaking his fortune one gold piece at a time, just to avoid the idea that he was humiliated by his family that way. Play the part of the clown. Joke, prod, mock when you can, keep people at arm's distance that way until you feel you can totally trust them, then you reveal more of a compassionate nature to them. It's almost as though you'd be hiding behind this persona of the swashbuckler, hiding a slightly more serious and vulnerable person behind this mask. You'd keep most people away from the truth and the "real" you. Your stories should be an equal mix of truth and falsehood. I'd make up stories and not be sure or care if they're true or false. The DM can decide which of your stories are true by using them as adventure hooks. Maybe just exaggerate sometimes instead of outright lie, and be sheepish when you're caught in the exaggeration: "Well, it wasn't exactly a great wyrm...more like a wyrmling...and I did have some help..." Some other skills that'd fit the concept would be Balance, Bluff, Perform (Weapon Drill), Tumble, Jump, Climb, Swim, Sleight of Hand, and maybe Use Rope. Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, call your ship The King of Harte's.
DBoot 05-18-05, 07:06 PM	Personally, I like dorkknight's suggestion on background, but with a slight alteration. He was born into money (Maybe 10 gp worth), and he did lose it all on the roll of a single die. I think it would set the tenor for a great habit: There is a diffrence between truth and honesty. You tell the truth. You just let people fill in the blanks for you. It takes some practice, but it can be an extremely hilarious, and irritating roleplaying angle. Edit: some tips that I've picked up over time. Omission- Omitting facts can give the same story an entirely diffrent impression. 'I defeated the blackguard' is true. You're just not mentioning that you had help. Creative liscense- 'I rescued a fair maiden from certain peril' sounds alot more hero-worthy than 'I saved a cat that had climbed up a tree'. It's true, as long as it was a very pretty girl-cat. Ambiguity- 'I have traveled near and far' is better than 'I've been to a town about 3 miles west, and another one 10 miles east'. Narrow Truth- On the flip side, saying something specific can give the wrong impression. 'I have 10 gold in my pocket' is true. Even if you have 1000. (beware of modifiers such as 'only') Sidestep!- Always know how to get avoid answering specific questions. Try to make your answers just like your stories. 'How big was the dragon?' 'Suffice to say that twas like a man to an ant.' Is true. If the dragon was the size of a man.
calypso 05-18-05, 07:12 PM	Thanks for the suggestions, they will find a welcome home in Edward Harte. Oh, and thanks for the "King of Harte's", I was trying to figure out how to get an S on there :) I think I'm going to go with the "lost his family fortune". Not sure yet how much that fortune was, but since he's a compulsive fibber, it would be funny if his parents had been paupers. If I work in Holy Liberator levels, I'm going to focus a bit more on the "free spirit out to ride the world of tyranny". Which, funny enough, was what Setzer was doing. Calypso