Character help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
XaiFu
02-15-08, 12:32 AM I seem incapable of deciding on my character in this campaign. In past campaigns I have changed or wanted to change what I am playing as. Some of the old players are in current group.

I am currently in a group consisting of a Elan Elf Monk/Psionist, Gnome Ranger/Cleric, Orc Paragon (who will likely be removed due to player not showing to play), Gray Elf Swashbuckler and a Satyr Paragon/Bard. My original character in this group was a Tiefling Soulknife. I decided after a few games that I wanted a different character, so we killed him off.

The DM then conjured up a cool +2 LA Cat race with a Paragon. I decided and divided the 72 points he gave us to split between stats. I ended up with 12 str, 24 (+6 dex for race) dex, and 10s on rest. I was planning to maybe multiclass in psionics and now realized my mental stats affect ability to manifest powers, when I assumed it just added bonus power points. Even more annoying is this character is powerful enough to not rely on items, thus making the base character stuck being static in gameplay and making it too easy taking away need for strategy.

So, now I am stuck with another character I don't want. I've complained about it and keep debating about killing him off to the party. I can tell this is bothering people in party, me wanting to change so much and not sure what to do. We will be playing again next friday. I hope to figure this out somewhat before then. I always seem to end making rogueish characters and want something new (maybe Monk). My roleplaying personality seems to be lacking lately as well.

Any advice on winning over group again as well as getting into a character I want to actually play and gain some enthuiasm for the game back? Thanks ;)
MergedLoki
02-15-08, 01:56 AM I dont really know if i have any advice for you. I'm in the same boat, my party just knows me as 'the guy who continually makes characters if he's bored' lol.

Currently I have about or so of varying classes just sitting, fully completed but unused (i'm currently playing a cat-folk ranger and it's working well for me).

but i went through your issue a while back, i made a rogue, then a cleric, then a sorcerer (i always go back to rangers it seems i should learn by now!).

but I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they dont' nkow what they want to play, so just ask your group to have patience with you till you find something that fits your current RPing mood.
wizarddog
02-15-08, 01:59 AM I seem incapable of deciding on my character in this campaign. In past campaigns I have changed or wanted to change what I am playing as. Some of the old players are in current group.

I am currently in a group consisting of a Elan Elf Monk/Psionist, Gnome Ranger/Cleric, Orc Paragon (who will likely be removed due to player not showing to play), Gray Elf Swashbuckler and a Satyr Paragon/Bard. My original character in this group was a Tiefling Soulknife. I decided after a few games that I wanted a different character, so we killed him off.

The DM then conjured up a cool +2 LA Cat race with a Paragon. I decided and divided the 72 points he gave us to split between stats. I ended up with 12 str, 24 (+6 dex for race) dex, and 10s on rest. I was planning to maybe multiclass in psionics and now realized my mental stats affect ability to manifest powers, when I assumed it just added bonus power points. Even more annoying is this character is powerful enough to not rely on items, thus making the base character stuck being static in gameplay and making it too easy taking away need for strategy.

So, now I am stuck with another character I don't want. I've complained about it and keep debating about killing him off to the party. I can tell this is bothering people in party, me wanting to change so much and not sure what to do. We will be playing again next friday. I hope to figure this out somewhat before then. I always seem to end making rogueish characters and want something new (maybe Monk). My roleplaying personality seems to be lacking lately as well.

Any advice on winning over group again as well as getting into a character I want to actually play and gain some enthuiasm for the game back? Thanks ;)
Seems like a combat heavy group-I assume the psionist is taking the role of the spell caster. You don't have standard trap finder either. If it also is an optimized group it forces you to build certain characters and leave out others.
If you normally play sneaky characters either change up that dynamic or try a different character class. Other rogue types I like are beguilers and Ninja. You could try a another type of character like a Paladin multi-classed into rogue or monk and become a shadow Bane stalker or inquisitor.

I would choose a class and try to think up a backstory of who this PC is. ;)
vaderboy
02-15-08, 03:00 AM There is a character in my campaign that i dungeon master who acts just like this. He started as a human lurk (complete psion). But he wasn't any good there (his character wasn't good for anything but sucking up blows, and so he changed to a ranger for the next quest. The ranger died (he asked another party member to kill him), and is now planning on playing a cleric in the next quest. At the rate he's going he's going to be level 1 ten years from now. I really don't know what to tell you but to try and at least create something that can stick with the group. in your party a wizard or rouge would probably be a good bet as you are seeming to be lacking in these areas.
M-bark
02-15-08, 10:23 AM You received 72 points to spend on stats and you ended up with those stats? What were the starting stats there? Even if the starting stats would be all 0s (which I highly doubt), the points you've spent on your stats (minus the +6 Dex for the race) add up to 70. This is assuming a point-for-point basis. If you used a point-for-point basis and all stats started at 0, you still have 2 points to spend. If the stats started higher (when using point buy they usually start at 8) then you've got more points left (unless you did not used point-for-point). You could still use those unspent points to up a mental stat, if your DM is okay with it.
XaiFu
02-15-08, 11:16 AM I dont really know if i have any advice for you. I'm in the same boat, my party just knows me as 'the guy who continually makes characters if he's bored' lol.

Currently I have about or so of varying classes just sitting, fully completed but unused (i'm currently playing a cat-folk ranger and it's working well for me).

but i went through your issue a while back, i made a rogue, then a cleric, then a sorcerer (i always go back to rangers it seems i should learn by now!).

but I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they dont' nkow what they want to play, so just ask your group to have patience with you till you find something that fits your current RPing mood.

MergedLoki, I always seem to do same thing, except I end up going back to Ninja. I wanted to try something different, but maybe I need to go back to Ninja or multiclassing Ninja.

You received 72 points to spend on stats and you ended up with those stats? What were the starting stats there? Even if the starting stats would be all 0s (which I highly doubt), the points you've spent on your stats (minus the +6 Dex for the race) add up to 70. This is assuming a point-for-point basis. If you used a point-for-point basis and all stats started at 0, you still have 2 points to spend. If the stats started higher (when using point buy they usually start at 8) then you've got more points left (unless you did not used point-for-point). You could still use those unspent points to up a mental stat, if your DM is okay with it.

It was a point-for-point basis. The racial modifiers were -4 str, +6 dex, -4 con, -2 wis, +6 cha. I also got +2 dex from paragon. So add it up to 16+16+14+10+12+4=72.
toucanbuzz
02-15-08, 11:41 AM Perhaps the issue isn't a matter of race or class selection?

I've seen posts around here where folks reach the same impasse of having played "everything", so each new race soon becomes "boring", and they end up rolling up again and again.

My take is that if you have a great background story and a fleshed out character, it doesn't matter what race/class you are as you'll have fun playing the personality. Race is just a set of numbers, and if that's the only reason you roll up a character, it'll get boring. If you're a wizard who waves his hand over his pointy hat when casting a spell with somatics because that's how he did it when he was doing street tricks, folks won't forget. If you're the rogue with a 9 Dex who focuses heavily on skills instead, folks will remember ("the guy couldn't shoot a bow straight but damn, he was a master at changing folks minds. 'Member when he got that guard to abandon his post because he thought his wife was cheating on him? The guy practically invited us into the castle, even gave us the key!")

I'm a big believer in story > race selection. Hope we can sway ya back into getting motivated!
Tequila_Sunrise
02-15-08, 06:08 PM Perhaps the issue isn't a matter of race or class selection?

My thoughts exactly. XaiFu, you haven't mentioned anything about your character's personality or history which gives the impression that he doesn't have one, or doesn't have much of one. Maybe this is your problem; if you're just playing a set of stats there's nothing for you to get invested in (except for "winning" the game, which is just bad). Maybe try taking a walk outside, so you don't have access to your books, and just think about what kind of personality you'd like to try playing. You know, something that allows you to really step out of your own skin and experience a different life.

TS
Drag0nUL
02-16-08, 07:41 AM Having been through the same sort of situation a while ago, I tend to agree with the above posters.

A few years ago when I started D&D, I did so in a group of people completely new to the game(only the DM had played a couple of times before), so all I had for reference was books. This made me focus almost exclusively on the mechanical aspect of the game. I was trying to 'win', and was changing characters whenever i found something stronger(which was usually every 5-6 sessions).

Only later (about a year ago) I got into a group of much more experienced players and realized that there is more to a character than how much damage you do or how many spells per round you can cast. The main thing that makes me want to keep a character longer now is its background story and personalty. I still enjoy playing powerful characters (my most recent being dwarf cleric 8/dragonslayer 1) but now I see them like 'real' people, with their own story, personalty and goals, rather than just numbers on a char sheet.

So my advice to the OP is: try to develop your character beyond the numbers, and you might see there is more to him/her than what he/she can do in combat.
XaiFu
02-17-08, 12:07 PM Ironically when I first started playing I had great personalities, but over time I seem to have shifted focus. Now it seems more about creating the 'perfect' character and I never seem satisfied. Currently my cat character seems to powerful to have fun, but he has drawbacks as well for being tiny size. I'll try to focus a little more on just having fun with whatever and get into a personality.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
XaiFu 02-15-08, 12:32 AM	I seem incapable of deciding on my character in this campaign. In past campaigns I have changed or wanted to change what I am playing as. Some of the old players are in current group. I am currently in a group consisting of a Elan Elf Monk/Psionist, Gnome Ranger/Cleric, Orc Paragon (who will likely be removed due to player not showing to play), Gray Elf Swashbuckler and a Satyr Paragon/Bard. My original character in this group was a Tiefling Soulknife. I decided after a few games that I wanted a different character, so we killed him off. The DM then conjured up a cool +2 LA Cat race with a Paragon. I decided and divided the 72 points he gave us to split between stats. I ended up with 12 str, 24 (+6 dex for race) dex, and 10s on rest. I was planning to maybe multiclass in psionics and now realized my mental stats affect ability to manifest powers, when I assumed it just added bonus power points. Even more annoying is this character is powerful enough to not rely on items, thus making the base character stuck being static in gameplay and making it too easy taking away need for strategy. So, now I am stuck with another character I don't want. I've complained about it and keep debating about killing him off to the party. I can tell this is bothering people in party, me wanting to change so much and not sure what to do. We will be playing again next friday. I hope to figure this out somewhat before then. I always seem to end making rogueish characters and want something new (maybe Monk). My roleplaying personality seems to be lacking lately as well. Any advice on winning over group again as well as getting into a character I want to actually play and gain some enthuiasm for the game back? Thanks ;)
MergedLoki 02-15-08, 01:56 AM	I dont really know if i have any advice for you. I'm in the same boat, my party just knows me as 'the guy who continually makes characters if he's bored' lol. Currently I have about or so of varying classes just sitting, fully completed but unused (i'm currently playing a cat-folk ranger and it's working well for me). but i went through your issue a while back, i made a rogue, then a cleric, then a sorcerer (i always go back to rangers it seems i should learn by now!). but I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they dont' nkow what they want to play, so just ask your group to have patience with you till you find something that fits your current RPing mood.
wizarddog 02-15-08, 01:59 AM	I seem incapable of deciding on my character in this campaign. In past campaigns I have changed or wanted to change what I am playing as. Some of the old players are in current group. I am currently in a group consisting of a Elan Elf Monk/Psionist, Gnome Ranger/Cleric, Orc Paragon (who will likely be removed due to player not showing to play), Gray Elf Swashbuckler and a Satyr Paragon/Bard. My original character in this group was a Tiefling Soulknife. I decided after a few games that I wanted a different character, so we killed him off. The DM then conjured up a cool +2 LA Cat race with a Paragon. I decided and divided the 72 points he gave us to split between stats. I ended up with 12 str, 24 (+6 dex for race) dex, and 10s on rest. I was planning to maybe multiclass in psionics and now realized my mental stats affect ability to manifest powers, when I assumed it just added bonus power points. Even more annoying is this character is powerful enough to not rely on items, thus making the base character stuck being static in gameplay and making it too easy taking away need for strategy. So, now I am stuck with another character I don't want. I've complained about it and keep debating about killing him off to the party. I can tell this is bothering people in party, me wanting to change so much and not sure what to do. We will be playing again next friday. I hope to figure this out somewhat before then. I always seem to end making rogueish characters and want something new (maybe Monk). My roleplaying personality seems to be lacking lately as well. Any advice on winning over group again as well as getting into a character I want to actually play and gain some enthuiasm for the game back? Thanks ;) Seems like a combat heavy group-I assume the psionist is taking the role of the spell caster. You don't have standard trap finder either. If it also is an optimized group it forces you to build certain characters and leave out others. If you normally play sneaky characters either change up that dynamic or try a different character class. Other rogue types I like are beguilers and Ninja. You could try a another type of character like a Paladin multi-classed into rogue or monk and become a shadow Bane stalker or inquisitor. I would choose a class and try to think up a backstory of who this PC is. ;)
vaderboy 02-15-08, 03:00 AM	There is a character in my campaign that i dungeon master who acts just like this. He started as a human lurk (complete psion). But he wasn't any good there (his character wasn't good for anything but sucking up blows, and so he changed to a ranger for the next quest. The ranger died (he asked another party member to kill him), and is now planning on playing a cleric in the next quest. At the rate he's going he's going to be level 1 ten years from now. I really don't know what to tell you but to try and at least create something that can stick with the group. in your party a wizard or rouge would probably be a good bet as you are seeming to be lacking in these areas.
M-bark 02-15-08, 10:23 AM	You received 72 points to spend on stats and you ended up with those stats? What were the starting stats there? Even if the starting stats would be all 0s (which I highly doubt), the points you've spent on your stats (minus the +6 Dex for the race) add up to 70. This is assuming a point-for-point basis. If you used a point-for-point basis and all stats started at 0, you still have 2 points to spend. If the stats started higher (when using point buy they usually start at 8) then you've got more points left (unless you did not used point-for-point). You could still use those unspent points to up a mental stat, if your DM is okay with it.
XaiFu 02-15-08, 11:16 AM	I dont really know if i have any advice for you. I'm in the same boat, my party just knows me as 'the guy who continually makes characters if he's bored' lol. Currently I have about or so of varying classes just sitting, fully completed but unused (i'm currently playing a cat-folk ranger and it's working well for me). but i went through your issue a while back, i made a rogue, then a cleric, then a sorcerer (i always go back to rangers it seems i should learn by now!). but I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they dont' nkow what they want to play, so just ask your group to have patience with you till you find something that fits your current RPing mood. MergedLoki, I always seem to do same thing, except I end up going back to Ninja. I wanted to try something different, but maybe I need to go back to Ninja or multiclassing Ninja. You received 72 points to spend on stats and you ended up with those stats? What were the starting stats there? Even if the starting stats would be all 0s (which I highly doubt), the points you've spent on your stats (minus the +6 Dex for the race) add up to 70. This is assuming a point-for-point basis. If you used a point-for-point basis and all stats started at 0, you still have 2 points to spend. If the stats started higher (when using point buy they usually start at 8) then you've got more points left (unless you did not used point-for-point). You could still use those unspent points to up a mental stat, if your DM is okay with it. It was a point-for-point basis. The racial modifiers were -4 str, +6 dex, -4 con, -2 wis, +6 cha. I also got +2 dex from paragon. So add it up to 16+16+14+10+12+4=72.
toucanbuzz 02-15-08, 11:41 AM	Perhaps the issue isn't a matter of race or class selection? I've seen posts around here where folks reach the same impasse of having played "everything", so each new race soon becomes "boring", and they end up rolling up again and again. My take is that if you have a great background story and a fleshed out character, it doesn't matter what race/class you are as you'll have fun playing the personality. Race is just a set of numbers, and if that's the only reason you roll up a character, it'll get boring. If you're a wizard who waves his hand over his pointy hat when casting a spell with somatics because that's how he did it when he was doing street tricks, folks won't forget. If you're the rogue with a 9 Dex who focuses heavily on skills instead, folks will remember ("the guy couldn't shoot a bow straight but damn, he was a master at changing folks minds. 'Member when he got that guard to abandon his post because he thought his wife was cheating on him? The guy practically invited us into the castle, even gave us the key!") I'm a big believer in story > race selection. Hope we can sway ya back into getting motivated!
Tequila_Sunrise 02-15-08, 06:08 PM	Perhaps the issue isn't a matter of race or class selection? My thoughts exactly. XaiFu, you haven't mentioned anything about your character's personality or history which gives the impression that he doesn't have one, or doesn't have much of one. Maybe this is your problem; if you're just playing a set of stats there's nothing for you to get invested in (except for "winning" the game, which is just bad). Maybe try taking a walk outside, so you don't have access to your books, and just think about what kind of personality you'd like to try playing. You know, something that allows you to really step out of your own skin and experience a different life. TS
Drag0nUL 02-16-08, 07:41 AM	Having been through the same sort of situation a while ago, I tend to agree with the above posters. A few years ago when I started D&D, I did so in a group of people completely new to the game(only the DM had played a couple of times before), so all I had for reference was books. This made me focus almost exclusively on the mechanical aspect of the game. I was trying to 'win', and was changing characters whenever i found something stronger(which was usually every 5-6 sessions). Only later (about a year ago) I got into a group of much more experienced players and realized that there is more to a character than how much damage you do or how many spells per round you can cast. The main thing that makes me want to keep a character longer now is its background story and personalty. I still enjoy playing powerful characters (my most recent being dwarf cleric 8/dragonslayer 1) but now I see them like 'real' people, with their own story, personalty and goals, rather than just numbers on a char sheet. So my advice to the OP is: try to develop your character beyond the numbers, and you might see there is more to him/her than what he/she can do in combat.
XaiFu 02-17-08, 12:07 PM	Ironically when I first started playing I had great personalities, but over time I seem to have shifted focus. Now it seems more about creating the 'perfect' character and I never seem satisfied. Currently my cat character seems to powerful to have fun, but he has drawbacks as well for being tiny size. I'll try to focus a little more on just having fun with whatever and get into a personality.