Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ragix 09-18-07, 07:48 PM	I consider myself to be "bad at roleplaying." I've created a good background for many of my characters, but when it comes down to playtime, I feel like my PC has no personality, no special thing that makes him any different from my other characters. I can't improvise how to act, so I'm forced to write things down ahead of time. I posted before on this topic, and I got some decent feedback. However, many suggested that I try to think like my character, to really analyze how I suspect him to act, and to "get inside his head." My question is: How do I do that? Please try to be as clear, detailed, and specific as possible. I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to being "in-character."
CoarseDragon 09-18-07, 08:32 PM	I try to think of a character in a movie. Get a visual image. Then think what would ~he/she~ do? As an example I used the "Conan the Barbarian" film as a model of a fighter I was playing. Sort of the big sword master guy who is not afraid of anything or anyone and goes right after what he wants. Think about it, works for me sometimes.
Kouk 09-18-07, 09:54 PM	I try to think of a character in a movie. Get a visual image. Then think what would ~he/she~ do? As an example I used the "Conan the Barbarian" film as a model of a fighter I was playing. Sort of the big sword master guy who is not afraid of anything or anyone and goes right after what he wants. Think about it, works for me sometimes. Yeah, WWCD? If you really can't get inside the character's head, perhaps try thinking of different situations and then writing out what the character would do when presented with them. If you have a backstory and a character concept, then you should be able to at least write a little story about what your guy did when he found a lost wallet, or what happened when he was faced with the chance to kill his enemy even if it meant risking his friends' lives. Then, just apply those sorts of pre-scripted behaviors to what happens in-game. EDIT: You could also actively consider your actions when you are presented with a choice: first determine what you would do in that situation, then say, "OK, this is what I would do. But, what would Smashgore the Half-Orc Barbarian do? What about Sneaky-ears the Elf Rogue (who likes to sneak)? Would they do the same thing that I would?". This is pretty much what "experienced" roleplayers do, though it may be subconscious.
Fsi-Dib 09-19-07, 02:37 AM	This seems especially hard if the campaign is hard and requires a lot of tactical fighting and immense survival. Nevertheless there is a way. A friend of mine has had several characters with distinctive personalities; a dumb child, dumb philosoph, angry/intimidating... and show that personality as often as possible. Might it be paranoid, grumpy, pessimistic, they work. And imagining it in a cinematic fashion works too. Actually it works very well with the advice above.
Mejdrich 09-19-07, 04:15 AM	It may sound cheesy, but I enjoy having a few 'shticks' that my characters can fall back on. I was playing a child-character recently, and I always had him hungry (I found this funny). Pretty soon, the other players joined in and had a constant supply of sweats on hand. Other shticks I've seen work well: the cleric who always yelled "For Cuthbert!" while diving into battle, a monk who is outrageously humble, or a snooty druid who constantly is snippy to anyone with metal gear. Of course, this only works if everyone is playing along and RPing themselves. Some groups are really in it for the dungeon crawl. *shrug*
Archon of Light 09-19-07, 04:35 AM	It's a shame that more people don't take this much interest in actually roleplaying their characters. Most seem content to provide a basic background that fits his expectations for their character build, and then simply impose their own personality over every character that they play. In truth, however, the game does not require this level of roleplaying affluence. So it's no wonder that this aspect of the game itself is often overlooked or completely ignored. Kudos to you for wanting to go beyond that step. It's All About the Motive: When creating a character, the average player will fill out the relevant sections of the character sheet and come up with a background. This is usually enough for any campaign, but the key ingredient of any character is MOTIVE. If you can understand what truly motivates a character, then it becomes easier to fill in all the other pieces that you don't know yet. If the motives are well-defined, the rest will reveal themselves and fall into place. Developing Personality: It's very difficult for me to imagine every aspect of a character's personality without playing him for a bit. A lot of the time, I just have a general idea on his general demeanor and maybe some quirks. For example, I might play a Lawful Good monk/cleric of Ilmater who is soft-spoken and even-tempered, but fiercely protective of others. He has a high wisdom but only average Intelligence, which makes him uneducated but very philosophical and worldly. For the rest, I simply feel it out as the character is placed into different situations. Personalities are better developed over time, rather than designed fully from the start. Get a few basic ideas, and just go from there. Mimic Others: There's nothing wrong with borrowing ideas from other characters, even non-fictional ones. Even the ones with little or no personality of their own can be used for inspiration of similar character types with average or low charisma scores. You can even mix and match various aspects of different characters to create your own unique, yet familiar blend of personality traits. Imagine a cool, no-frills character like Han Solo with the low voice and hard stare of any Clint Eastwood's cowboy roles. Catch Phrases and Signature Moves: Take a lesson from wrestling. If you want something that easily identifies your character and sets them apart from the rest, come up with one of these things. A catch phrase is something that the character often says in a given situation. Some good fantasy-oriented examples might be a favorite battle cry ("For Glory!"), or a plea to a divine power ("By Ilmater's mercy"). Uttering curses and swears is also good ("Blood and shadows!"), but sometimes you can come up with something that just fits the character ("You don't expect me to do it? I'm just the rogue here!"). Write It Out: And finally, if you just want to work on having something ready for your next game session, just write it out. Create multiple scenarios that places your character in different situations, and then just write about what happens. What happens when he goes to the market and gets mistaken for a suspected pick-pocket? How does he react when the shopkeeper tries to cheat him out of a fair price? What is his reaction to the beggar asking for change when he steps into town with a bag full of treasures? You just don't know what your character is really like until you've seen him in action. Hope that helps a bit.
Zavia 09-19-07, 11:00 AM	get ur dm to remind you. "are u sure thats what your character would do?"
poopmouth187 09-19-07, 09:08 PM	look at the description of your characters alignment. like my one guy is C/N so he does what he wants. i think thats the easiest way to figure how your character acts.