Playing an Emo Druid [Archive] - Wizards Community

Playing an Emo Druid [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sihaya
01-25-07, 11:27 PM Hi, I'm a noob to both this forum and D&D. It looks like the 2nd campaign I have played in will start in a week, and I need some advice to help my character out, since I am not the best at role-playing.

I've been studying around on this forum and reading the required material, and it's some helpful stuff. But I need some help

I'm playing a 1st level Elven Druid, who as you can guess by the title, is very attractive yet insanely shy, to the point where he is almost mute. He's got some odd quirks and an interesting personality, but not much of a backstory or motivation.

I could use a good plot hook or two, as my DM is pretty new as well, it's the first time he's DMed. A week ago he mentioned he doesn't have an idea of what to do after the first dungeon, so I'd love to help him out. I've got a couple ideas, but I'm curious to see what you guys can come up with.

A big problem will be giving him a reason to join up with the party. Right now I am thinking that he recognizes that there is safety in numbers, but the group looks like it will be a very interesting bunch, not the sort a treehugging emo would associate with. The other members are a cannibalistic barbarian, a Samurai, a conjurer, a rogue with a very odd name, and a wandering monk/healer. So anything that would give him motivation to enter a cave filled with zombies with a team of crazies is appreciated.

So here's the TL;DR explanation: How do you suggest I roleplay a sociophobe? Does anyone have any good ideas for a backstory? And how can I get him involved with the group and adventure?

Thanks in advance! :)
BlackZed
01-26-07, 04:44 AM It sounds like a sociophobe will be a challenge for both you and the DM, as the DM will have to help as far as scenarios that will get you involved and keep you involved with such an eclectic group.

Easiest way is to make it personal. A dark twisted past helps this along nicely. I had a character that was a justiciar, hunting down his sister because she had was a cold-blooded murdering criminal (my previous character that died). So bringing him into the group was simple: he discovered her corpse, tracked down her party, deemed them innocent of her ills, and escorted them to the next city like a Lawful dude would do. Low wisdom on the poor guy. Never realized he was traveling with a vampire. meh. Continuing from there didn't really become much of an issue, because he died a few sessions into the game, because of a combination of the vampire being stupid enough to start hostilities against about 20 elves of the same ECL (we were supposed to be diplomatic, but nooo...) and his alignment not allowing him to abandon the party. Live and learn, right? Er.. well I guess not in the characters case, but in my own as a player.

So something similar wouldn't be too bad. Perhaps your druid believes one of the party members to be something that they aren't, and wants to keep an eye on them to gather proof. But he never really gets very far because he's too shy to really ask any questions that might cause dissent.

If he feels he needs safety in numbers, perhaps he's running from something. A part of his past, and if you want to get really evil about it, a succubus that twisted his ability to relate to other people (or just a love affair gone wrong). He's afraid of others now, frightened of intimacy, and so he attempts to separate himself. A part of him longs to be able to trust again, and so he attempts to stay close to others to foster that feeling, but still can't manage to reach out on his own.

As for his past and plot hooks, family is a wonderful thing. Maybe his family wasn't exactly typical for elves, and cast him out when he began showing interest in the druidic ways. He could be hoping to eventually reconcile with them. His family could come under threat, or have lives that they're leading elsewhere and somehow come to need his help. A warmage brother that loves blowing things up, went off to seek his own fortune and got trapped by some BBEG.

From my experience, it becomes much more fun to play if there's an element of the personal in there. Characters have much more incentive to follow plothooks if they know a loved one is dangling from that hook.
nighttree
01-27-07, 12:33 AM The reason why I'm playing an emo is partially for pragmatic reasons because I am still pretty uncomfortable role-playing, and I want to get myself some confidence and experience without worrying about saying something totally retarded.
I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ????

I say something awkward or stupid at least once a day. A character with high Wis and Int would not say dumb crap.
Actually....that's not true.....as you get smarter...and wiser....you just realize that you say "dumb crap" more often than you thought.....and that it is just part of being "Human"...:D
Sihaya
01-27-07, 01:00 AM "I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ????"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emo

Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming! :)
nighttree
01-27-07, 01:25 AM "I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ????"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emo

Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming! :)

In otherwords....your typical insecure teenager....;)
Sihaya
01-28-07, 04:44 PM Mmmyep.
Emo is the new Goth.
DarthDave
01-30-07, 09:23 PM Emo is less stable than Goth. Emo (shortened from "emo"tional) should be played as quite chaotic, IMHO- not random coin-flipping personalities, but set triggers forming displays of happiness/sadness/panic/shyness/etc. Decide what these triggers are. Somebody wears red: they look bloody: you think they are murderers: you stay away from them or hide from view and don't look at them.

Colors will be a big help in deciding your triggers. If you DM is new too, it'll help the whole group by routinely asking the DM to thoughouly desribe the NPC or other characters. Obvisouly, you might not want to al;ways ask, "What colors are they wearing," else you look like a gang-member initiate. Having trouble decinding/remembering your colors? Pick a sport, whether or not you actually like sports. Look at the team colors. How do these colors/mascots make you feel? Love the L.A. Lakers? Drink lots of dandelion wine with steak and wear purple. Against someone from the same town as you are, grow intensely competative. Refuse to enter a shack or similar dwelling as some superstision, and lament the loss of your own, deteriorating shack back home. Someone wearing gold and black might appear "saintly" to you, and you want to be around them or want to ensure their protection and comforts are met, least you be accused of denying a saint their due patronage.

Again, even if you don't know about sports, just look at the colors of uniforms and decide how you might feel. Look at the mascot and try to tie it in when you can. The biggest thing about role-playing is trying to develop the character, and imagry is a huge part of this goal. It'll help make your DM better, too, at describing the situation. It's a lot more fun to have the action and details described rather than the DM yawning and telling you that 35 small kobolds appear out of the forest. Hearing a slight dry leaf crack as the winds die down, only to be surprised by two dozen or more yellow replitilan eyes slithering from the dry underbrush adds more flavor.

Oh- smells have a lot to do with things, too. I can't tell you how many times I introduced my mages by the smell of their spell component pouch. My necormancer was famously known by his symphony of lavendar and licorice spices. The character informed his team of the spells he was preparing by the smell of his components, too. For example, the character ritually rubbed his hands with rose petals (and sometimes ther unseen thorn) before casting a necromancy spell as a "cleansing" act. People smelled roses, they knew something character-defining was about to happen...

Hope this helps!
DarthDave
01-30-07, 09:34 PM ...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sihaya 01-25-07, 11:27 PM	Hi, I'm a noob to both this forum and D&D. It looks like the 2nd campaign I have played in will start in a week, and I need some advice to help my character out, since I am not the best at role-playing. I've been studying around on this forum and reading the required material, and it's some helpful stuff. But I need some help I'm playing a 1st level Elven Druid, who as you can guess by the title, is very attractive yet insanely shy, to the point where he is almost mute. He's got some odd quirks and an interesting personality, but not much of a backstory or motivation. I could use a good plot hook or two, as my DM is pretty new as well, it's the first time he's DMed. A week ago he mentioned he doesn't have an idea of what to do after the first dungeon, so I'd love to help him out. I've got a couple ideas, but I'm curious to see what you guys can come up with. A big problem will be giving him a reason to join up with the party. Right now I am thinking that he recognizes that there is safety in numbers, but the group looks like it will be a very interesting bunch, not the sort a treehugging emo would associate with. The other members are a cannibalistic barbarian, a Samurai, a conjurer, a rogue with a very odd name, and a wandering monk/healer. So anything that would give him motivation to enter a cave filled with zombies with a team of crazies is appreciated. So here's the TL;DR explanation: How do you suggest I roleplay a sociophobe? Does anyone have any good ideas for a backstory? And how can I get him involved with the group and adventure? Thanks in advance! :)
BlackZed 01-26-07, 04:44 AM	It sounds like a sociophobe will be a challenge for both you and the DM, as the DM will have to help as far as scenarios that will get you involved and keep you involved with such an eclectic group. Easiest way is to make it personal. A dark twisted past helps this along nicely. I had a character that was a justiciar, hunting down his sister because she had was a cold-blooded murdering criminal (my previous character that died). So bringing him into the group was simple: he discovered her corpse, tracked down her party, deemed them innocent of her ills, and escorted them to the next city like a Lawful dude would do. Low wisdom on the poor guy. Never realized he was traveling with a vampire. meh. Continuing from there didn't really become much of an issue, because he died a few sessions into the game, because of a combination of the vampire being stupid enough to start hostilities against about 20 elves of the same ECL (we were supposed to be diplomatic, but nooo...) and his alignment not allowing him to abandon the party. Live and learn, right? Er.. well I guess not in the characters case, but in my own as a player. So something similar wouldn't be too bad. Perhaps your druid believes one of the party members to be something that they aren't, and wants to keep an eye on them to gather proof. But he never really gets very far because he's too shy to really ask any questions that might cause dissent. If he feels he needs safety in numbers, perhaps he's running from something. A part of his past, and if you want to get really evil about it, a succubus that twisted his ability to relate to other people (or just a love affair gone wrong). He's afraid of others now, frightened of intimacy, and so he attempts to separate himself. A part of him longs to be able to trust again, and so he attempts to stay close to others to foster that feeling, but still can't manage to reach out on his own. As for his past and plot hooks, family is a wonderful thing. Maybe his family wasn't exactly typical for elves, and cast him out when he began showing interest in the druidic ways. He could be hoping to eventually reconcile with them. His family could come under threat, or have lives that they're leading elsewhere and somehow come to need his help. A warmage brother that loves blowing things up, went off to seek his own fortune and got trapped by some BBEG. From my experience, it becomes much more fun to play if there's an element of the personal in there. Characters have much more incentive to follow plothooks if they know a loved one is dangling from that hook.
nighttree 01-27-07, 12:33 AM	The reason why I'm playing an emo is partially for pragmatic reasons because I am still pretty uncomfortable role-playing, and I want to get myself some confidence and experience without worrying about saying something totally retarded. I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ???? I say something awkward or stupid at least once a day. A character with high Wis and Int would not say dumb crap. Actually....that's not true.....as you get smarter...and wiser....you just realize that you say "dumb crap" more often than you thought.....and that it is just part of being "Human"...:D
Sihaya 01-27-07, 01:00 AM	"I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ????" http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emo Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming! :)
nighttree 01-27-07, 01:25 AM	"I know I'm dating myself here.....but what is an EMO ????" http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emo Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming! :) In otherwords....your typical insecure teenager....;)
Sihaya 01-28-07, 04:44 PM	Mmmyep. Emo is the new Goth.
DarthDave 01-30-07, 09:23 PM	Emo is less stable than Goth. Emo (shortened from "emo"tional) should be played as quite chaotic, IMHO- not random coin-flipping personalities, but set triggers forming displays of happiness/sadness/panic/shyness/etc. Decide what these triggers are. Somebody wears red: they look bloody: you think they are murderers: you stay away from them or hide from view and don't look at them. Colors will be a big help in deciding your triggers. If you DM is new too, it'll help the whole group by routinely asking the DM to thoughouly desribe the NPC or other characters. Obvisouly, you might not want to al;ways ask, "What colors are they wearing," else you look like a gang-member initiate. Having trouble decinding/remembering your colors? Pick a sport, whether or not you actually like sports. Look at the team colors. How do these colors/mascots make you feel? Love the L.A. Lakers? Drink lots of dandelion wine with steak and wear purple. Against someone from the same town as you are, grow intensely competative. Refuse to enter a shack or similar dwelling as some superstision, and lament the loss of your own, deteriorating shack back home. Someone wearing gold and black might appear "saintly" to you, and you want to be around them or want to ensure their protection and comforts are met, least you be accused of denying a saint their due patronage. Again, even if you don't know about sports, just look at the colors of uniforms and decide how you might feel. Look at the mascot and try to tie it in when you can. The biggest thing about role-playing is trying to develop the character, and imagry is a huge part of this goal. It'll help make your DM better, too, at describing the situation. It's a lot more fun to have the action and details described rather than the DM yawning and telling you that 35 small kobolds appear out of the forest. Hearing a slight dry leaf crack as the winds die down, only to be surprised by two dozen or more yellow replitilan eyes slithering from the dry underbrush adds more flavor. Oh- smells have a lot to do with things, too. I can't tell you how many times I introduced my mages by the smell of their spell component pouch. My necormancer was famously known by his symphony of lavendar and licorice spices. The character informed his team of the spells he was preparing by the smell of his components, too. For example, the character ritually rubbed his hands with rose petals (and sometimes ther unseen thorn) before casting a necromancy spell as a "cleansing" act. People smelled roses, they knew something character-defining was about to happen... Hope this helps!
DarthDave 01-30-07, 09:34 PM	...