Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zom 01-31-05, 10:51 PM	I need help developing a human wizard who is....slightly insane, but can still function somewhat normally. He was raised as a fighter by a band of orcs, but they eventually got slaughtered and he perused a career as a wizard. So far I have that when he gets bored he paces in circles, and if he is undecided in something he asks his weapon. So, what would be some cool personality quirks and sayings of an insane wizard?
Zeke_was_taken 02-01-05, 12:36 AM	Well, what is he? Obsessive Compulsive? Schizo? Depressed? Hyper-ADD? Details, man. Basically, just have him repeat things over and over gain, and act very cryptically. "Yes yes yes yes yes yes this missile is magic, why do you ask?" "Indeed, let me spell it for you. Hahhahahahhahah!" Or just have him joke around. Pretend he's about to cast his most powerful spell on all his comrades, when in reality it's just Moving Lights.
Zom 02-01-05, 01:15 AM	Well, what is he? Obsessive Compulsive? Schizo? Depressed? Hyper-ADD? Well, I'm not quite sure. I want to avoid most of the common present day stereotypes like OCD, ADD, but still make it abvious that he isn't quite all there. Or just have him joke around. Pretend he's about to cast his most powerful spell on all his comrades, when in reality it's just Moving Lights. This is golden! Hope they don't roll initiative!
Saihtam 02-01-05, 11:23 AM	some ideas : 1) make him ramble on about details and try to let everybody think you know more then them : rogue : I'll take a peep through the keyhole to take a quick look wizard : quickly, what do you see rogue : just a table and some junk wizard : is it a wooden table rogue : yes ... wizard : is it about 2 meters long and is its head facing the north? rogue : ... no wizard : OH DEAR GOD NO!! GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!! 2) he always wants to touch halflings 3) He was raised by orcs he? Just imagine what he could have gone through in that time. -> When taking an aggresive action in combat (attack, damage spell, ...) roll a d% : on 1 to 10 he thinks he's attacking his 'foster parents' : 'take that you foul beasts', 'thats for making me eat raw kobold!', 'NO!! stay away!', ... 4) he collects weird stuff : helmets, toe nails, scalps, spiders, ...
Ivarrius 02-01-05, 03:49 PM	Find some odd concepts for him to continue on about at the worst and most in opportune times. In the middle of a fierce battle: Fighter:" Stay behind me! I've got this one!" Rogue:"I'm off into the shadows... see you on the 'other side' " <grins and chuckles as he moves into flank. Cleric:"Lathander gives us blessings.. and waits with healing energy!" Wizard:" INSIDE OUT!! OUTSIDE IN!! My gyroscope will spin spin spin!!!" Or bring up strange abstract ideas or theories at a camp fire at night. Talk about gravity, Different alchemical ideas etc... but only after someone else speaks about anything at all. Fighter:"You have any extra rations rogue?" Rogue:"Curb that appetite!" Tosses the fighter some extras. Wizard:"You can't just raise a ship to the sky!! It takes steam powered engines, magic workings, gears, cogs! And dont get me started on The Arcane Brotherhood! A dragon's scale is necessary for a spell... i cannot remember its name... but it most certainly does not solve the sphinxes riddle!" but my favorite.... Wizard: "Of all the times I have said anything at all, this is by far the most recent."
HypnoticMonk 02-02-05, 02:03 PM	One was used that still gives those of us who were there a chuckle. Wizard:" Yes that was a well fought challenge. We do work incredibly well as a team. But there is One Very Important Question I must pose to all of you ...." Party( looking around at each other and at him as we were all sitting around a campfire in the middle of the woods): "Go ahead and ask..." Wizard:( with a bugeyed, semi-scowling look on his face) " What ARE you people doing on my boat? " ( Ok I guess you had to be there...)
rbingham2000 02-03-05, 12:25 AM	Though unrelated to the first post, I thought that a paranoid wizard would be a particular challenge to play -- though not exactly fun for the other PCs for reasons I will outline below. Basically, this is a guy who believes that everyone is out to get him because of his magical powers. Usually he's been genuinely screwed in some way involving magic -- maybe he was the recipient of an accursed item or dealt with someone who was something really nasty in disguise. Basically, take the PC of someone who's played several years with an Evil DM and multiply the result by a hundred and you'll probably get someone like this guy. Anything that he doesn't already own is subjected to divination magic, such as food, clothing, weapons, and the like. Heck, when he wakes up, first thing he does is go over the stuff he does own with a fine-toothed comb to see if anyone's taken or messed with anything. And if something does turn up missing or messed with, may the gods help the party. Anyone the party deals with is checked out using divination magic because he doesn't trust anyone. He checks out party members in the same manner because this distrust extends to the party itself. Anyone that this wizard perceives to be "one of them" is often subjected to violence -- and since we're dealing with a wizard, the violence he employs is of the magical variety. Needless to say, the results are often very nasty and messy for the rest of the crew.
Hav0k 02-03-05, 12:37 AM	1) Must lick his fingers clean after the casting of EVERY spell. 2) Is constantly paranoid (and makes it constantly known) that each of his spells is going to explode during the casting. 3) Will not let his spellbook out of his sight, because he swears that his evil brother has casted a spell on it to eat him as soon as it is left to it's own devices (later in the campaign, ACTUALLY introduce an evil brother... but of course, the spell would have worn off years ago!) 4) Has a tendency to bury everybody that is killed. 5) Beleives he is divine, thus, prays before the casting of every arcane spell. 6) Only walks on tip-toes, the balls of his feet (he beleives) have been weakened by his evil brother to collapse the instant any weight is put upon them. 7) Carries the holy book of each religion (only one can be right, and when he dies, he ain't taking any chances). 8) Sometimes PRETENDS to cast huge spells in combat, just to see if the enemy will run away. 9) Terrified of any fresh fruits. 10) Whenever in a populated area, he moon-walks to his destination.
Ivarrius 02-03-05, 07:46 PM	10) Whenever in a populated area, he moon-walks to his destination. This one I like a lot!! here goes... Give him a really strange and exotic name, a long wizardly type... along the lines of Fistandantilus, Abaerangarathan, Omnordfillamdizus, or better yes... give him three long long names, and son of anotehr wizard with another litany of long names. And then have him introduce himself as all those names, and then say ' you can call me nibs'.
Hav0k 02-03-05, 08:30 PM	I think that's the first time anyone has ever quoted me on these boards. SWEET! 11) His head constantly moves up-down-back-and-forth, much like a bobble-head doll. *12) He finds Ogre women (especially fat ones) extremey sexy. 13) Beleives he must throroughly wash his underwear every 15-30 minutes. 14) Has a fear of Wrinkles in the skin (other peoples, or his...) 15) Sniffs people. A lot. In wierd places. 16) Chews with his mouth open. Wide open. When not eating. (heheh...) 17) Flatulence problems. Not the normal type. He is obsessed with accusing people of flatulence. 18) Whenever asked a simple question, he always gives a twenty-answer list. Letting someone else give their opinion between numbers 10 and 11. 19) Acts like he is colorblind, for no apparent reason. 19) Whenever making his list of 20... he magically never reaches twenty. No matter how many answers he gives. 19) Has a horrible habit of chewing on other peoples weapons and armor. * I had a Drunken Master character once (a Kender, no less),by the name of Dilimli Drunkensquirrel, White Wolf rider of Ergoth, that had this flaw. Quite funny actually, because by the end of the campaign, everyone had a level in Drunken Master and everyone had a fat Ogre lover. Went something like this. Dilimli: Oi oi, here meh out mateeeeys... ((slurred speech)). Now, the fact is, an OOOORCish FOT women is juzzabut the sexxiest thin'round'dese'parts. You gotstoooo take into accountesh thems there facts.. You getcherselfa skinny girly-pearly, and get drunkenn and stuff, and she turns aw ugly-er-en-hell on yas! But mateys, here be de trick! Getcherselfanice bigg0lfat orcish woman. The kind that KNOWS how to control a man... and get plasteredenstufflike... crazy you know how i am sumtimesandstuff?! Then shesallhot and that kindastuff you know what i mean? ((typos, fragments, linked words all intentional.))
msteelman 02-07-05, 02:16 PM	I would try to take a look at your orc mythology. His psychosis should reflect that. In your world, how do orcs act? What would your character's life be like among them? If all orcs are kind of stupid and he is a wizard which implies that his INT is his best stat. His superego would be primitive and brutish... his value system would have been created by the orcs. However he would be used to being the smartest one and his intellect would have been valuable to his "family" as he figured out how to do all kinds of things they just couldn't grasp. Most likely he became a leader among the tribe at a young age and may be a bit of a megalomaniac. He may have a soft spot for simpletons. He may think that smelling bad is a good thing and rub dead animal on himself (this goes back to how Orcs are portrayed in your world). Is he insane because he was raised by orcs or is he insane "and" he was raised by orcs? He may like to collect heads of his enemies and other maccob rituals.
Sir Lunchalot 02-07-05, 07:50 PM	running an insane character is a lot of fun. what I did is he lived in a seperate world inside his own head, one filled with soft bunnies, and nice trees. of course occasionally he would slip into teh real world and be able to act, btu for the most part, he's gone. he still responds to people, but with completely irrelevant (and often amusing) answers. (BTW this character is based off, and named after, the Bursar, from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels) Mage: We need to find an inn tonight Bursar: I beg your pardon!? Mage: I said we need to find an inn. Bursar: My mother was a saint! Mage: Err... Bursar: Now hurry up, I need a rubber chicken, a jar of mayonnaise, and a 10 foot pole, pronto! Mage: sigh.
Saihtam 02-08-05, 06:04 AM	Because he's raised by orcs, he uses his greatclub as primary attack instead of his spells. When he strikes at someone, no matter if it hits or not, he believes his enemy is dead. He start yelling at his party members how great he is for slaying the beast, even though the monster is still stand besides him. It will be even more fun if you let him use a large greatclub or something.
Dell Kallyan 02-08-05, 08:29 PM	You have him believe some of Zeno's (a Greek philospher). Assuimg calculus isn't around in the campaign world, you could have him believe movement is impossible (one of Zeno's Paradoxes is that in order to go from one spot to another, you must first move halfway there, and to get halfway you must make it halfway to the halfway mark, and halfway again, et cetera.) Maybe based off this he would come to believe that he doesn't really exist since movement is impossible (insane people with their crazy ideas!). Therefore, he could conclude he is really a figment and the whole world is some sort of imaginary world, or that his real body is in a stasis since it can't move and he is dreaming... That would lead to some interesting scenarios: Robber: "Your money, or your life... I'm taking one!" Insane Wizard: "You don't even exist, so why should I fear you?" Robber: "Huh?" *Wizard goes on to explain to robber why he doesn't exist*