Having trouble loving my characters for long... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Having trouble loving my characters for long... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Trolbri
03-13-07, 05:18 PM I am having trouble my character over a longer period of time, which have resulted in me playing a couple of different character in the same game.

I have not been playing for so long, so naturaly, I have not been playing all the different classes. I cannot find a way to keep loving my characters, and in my group we write a nice background story. It works in the beginning but over the time it fades out.
When I look in different books I get alot of cool ideas of what to play and then my current character becomes a little boring, which I offcause do not like.

So is it normal and/or how do I learn to love my character?
trapspringer
03-13-07, 07:14 PM When you say you write a backstory, what do you mean?

Usually this poblem stems from filling out character sheets rather than building a fully fleshed-out character.

If you arealready doing that, you might try a build which continues to evolve as you level. A build with a wider power band will generally be more powerful anyway.

Still, I think the problem is likely a failure to make an interesting character. THe character development board would be a good place to check for ideas.
danielinthewolvesden
03-13-07, 11:53 PM Sit down with your DM and discuss this like adults. Explain having new PCs all the time makes the game more fun to you. Work with him on a solution.

I did this with my DM in one game which has a high kill rate. I just do not accept resurrection, and he in fine with it. When my PC dies, he dies, and I do not whimper nor exualt- but I do not "kill off" my PC's either.

Just rolled a "nat 1" vs a Bodak, now I "get" to run a new class have never run before. Win some, lose some.
Trolbri
03-14-07, 04:27 AM When you say you write a backstory, what do you mean?

I mean that I write a story on my characters life trough up the years and how he has become what he is, I allways have been writing cool stories. But often some things from the story becomes difficult to play later on. I do not know if it my DM the problem lays with or not.
Manic Man
03-14-07, 06:22 AM The problem is not with the DM. the problem is with you.
This is not abnormal.

Both as a DM as as a player, i've seen people who do a total revamp of their character every session or few, precisely because of the same problem that you have. That is, cool ideas come up and it becomes more interesting to make such a character than continue with your existing one.

Personally for me, i have no problem with this with 2 conditions.

The character must not be optimised for the adventure (ie, immunity to fire in a desert adventure and immunity to cold in the next arctic adventure, both which are different characters)

Two if you die, you must suffer the same death penalties as the others, whether it be a level loss, etc. No new characters with the old PC's level will be accepted on a PC's death.

Talk with your DM if this is ok or not.

If not, you can try creating new characters out of game, make a folio of them but still use your old character. Queue them up so that if your PC bites the dust, you can bring out the current favoriate
Erato
03-14-07, 07:59 AM Is it the mechanical aspect or the roleplaying aspect of your characters that starts to bore you?

1 solution could be to try DMing instead of playing for a while. Another could be to acquire a cohort, thereby giving you the chance to play a new character without retiring the old

You could also start to develop more of your character’s personality during game time, instead of before. I usually start with a concept of someone rather naļve, travelling to see the world, or someone without any family or friends that are trying to find her place in the world.
This allows me to start with a blank canvas (TN or CN) and develop interesting quirks along the way, and I avoid feeling trapped by choices that seemed fine at character creation, but turned out not to work in the real game.

And finally, you should also remember that different people have different play styles. There’s nothing wrong with switching characters a lot, just as there’s nothing wrong with feeling very attached to 1 role.
As long as it isn’t taken too far (like playing your 12th character at level 11, or having your character resurrected 17 times, despite the fact that it doesn’t even fit into the group, merely because you cant part with it), both are viable options in D&D, and each can contribute to a party in their own way.

;)
ShadowDragon8685
03-14-07, 08:07 AM Step 1. Stop reading the new books. Crack books only when it's time to level up your current caracter.

Failing that, go to Step 2:

Step 2. Make a character that you can get emotionally vested in.

Failing that, go to step 3:

Step 3. Consult psychiatrist.
Trolbri
03-14-07, 08:21 AM Is it the mechanical aspect or the roleplaying aspect of your characters that starts to bore you?

I think it is both, sometimes i am a powergamer and then it bothers me, when I do not as much power as I think I should have at the current level. But often I just do not feel that my character has as much deept as the ones in my party, most of them are more experienced than me.
kelvinaw273
03-14-07, 01:11 PM In effect, you have the character in your head, and you know where he comes from, but you are having trouble evolving him. Remember characters do not remain static, they change over time. You feel your character should react one way and then reacts another? That's not an issue, you just have to roleplay their grappling with the problem and their character evolving.

You lose interest because your character isn't changing, I think. They change when you make them change ...

It helps if you get an idea of which way you would like them to evolve when you create them - see if you can see where they are going form there ...
Crash169
03-14-07, 02:56 PM I used to have this problem.. It lies within thinking about your next character before you ever play him.

Stick with the one you have now, get into the quests, get into the roleplaying. Create some Character quirks that are fun to play with. Develop a real, whole personality for your character.

For example, create a character with a quirk where he switches the colors of his bandannas depending on his moods. Make it happen subconsciously so that the other PC's are really interested. If they question you about it, act as if they are crazy, because you consciously don't know that your changing them.

Create odd, or fun personalities and quirks that make your character unique, you'll think about them more, and the rest of the PC's will give you more attention, because your character will seem more real to them. And when they die they will be easier to remember;
"Remember that character you had that suffered from short term memory loss? I remember how he used to forget what he was doing in battle all the time.. man that was hilarious."

Another good way to get into your character would be to start a little journal. Nothing big, just write down in the first person what your character has been through. Do it every one or two sessions, you'll be surprised how much it helps.
Write down your thoughts, in character. It'll help you get more attached to him/her/it.

The last thing is to always have a character Goal. Most of the time your playing the game your just wandering around, adventuring with no purpose. Give your character some goals and you'll find it a lot more fun to play with.

I hope this helps :P
bob_the_great
03-14-07, 07:29 PM I can relate to this as I love making characters. I get ideas all of the time though I have only once dropped a character for a new one.

I find that what works best for me is the opposite of what is commonly suggested: I minimally flesh out my character. I start with a general personality but grow the character throughout the game. Sometimes the character will take a turn I didn't expect, like the time the party unexpectedly went to hell and my wizard came back much more paranoid, ruthless, and violent then I had ever imagined him (he started his career casting mostly enchantments, and had a 16 Cha and 10 Con). My current character took it a step farther by not even having an alignment when the game started (I had envisioned him becoming NG but he is actually CN at the moment).

It's hard to get bored with a character that still feels very much in progress. Then again there's absolutely no reason to view a well fleshed out character any differently, as people grow and change and are always in progress. maybe next time I'll try fully fleshing the character out and giving him maximum freedom to grow.
danielinthewolvesden
03-15-07, 03:09 AM But, whatever you do, never EVER, suicide your PC. It can ruin the game for the other players.
JBW
03-15-07, 01:14 PM There's nothing particularly unnatural about any adventurer going suicidal. However, if suicide is just a way to break a 'metagame contract' that attaches player to character, then that's a different story. As a DM, I allow any PC to become 'divorced' from a player at any time the player wishes. The PC becomes an NPC and the player is free to make up a new PC at 1 level below the level of the 'divorced' character.
DarkNick
03-15-07, 05:45 PM My advise is to slow down, don't just dive in there. Make foreplay the main event and don't put pressure on yourself to be all Mr stamina everytime. Relax, take enjoyment in the little things. Trust me, you will end up loving your characters longer and better.

Failing that there is always viagra. ;)

I think you need to have both long and short term goals for your character. Goals can be both RP goals and mechnical. It gives you something to keep looking forward to. Internal conflicts work great. Try not to plan out all your progression from the start. If you already know how the character will turn out you rob yourself the fun of watching your character advance. Give your characters space to grow in directions you have not thought of based on the campaign events.

Oh, one thing to consider is that perhaps the game is boring, too challenging, or your character is not built to face the challenged presented. This can sap your enthusiasm for a character
JBW
03-15-07, 06:01 PM Try not to plan out all your progression from the start. If you already know how the character will turn out you rob yourself the fun of watching your character advance. Give your characters space to grow in directions you have not thought of based on the campaign events.
One of my main dislikes of D&D 3.X is that pre-planning a character is almost as necessity in many campaigns. Generally, there is nothing 'adaptive' about a character's progression - certain feats and skills are needed for certain other feats and prestige classes, etc. If you don't go directly for what you want, you may never get it.:(
J.Augustus Rose II
03-16-07, 06:34 PM Step 1. Stop reading the new books. Crack books only when it's time to level up your current caracter.

This is good advice. I swear, every time I crack open a book I end up with a new character idea I like better than my current character.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Trolbri 03-13-07, 05:18 PM	I am having trouble my character over a longer period of time, which have resulted in me playing a couple of different character in the same game. I have not been playing for so long, so naturaly, I have not been playing all the different classes. I cannot find a way to keep loving my characters, and in my group we write a nice background story. It works in the beginning but over the time it fades out. When I look in different books I get alot of cool ideas of what to play and then my current character becomes a little boring, which I offcause do not like. So is it normal and/or how do I learn to love my character?
trapspringer 03-13-07, 07:14 PM	When you say you write a backstory, what do you mean? Usually this poblem stems from filling out character sheets rather than building a fully fleshed-out character. If you arealready doing that, you might try a build which continues to evolve as you level. A build with a wider power band will generally be more powerful anyway. Still, I think the problem is likely a failure to make an interesting character. THe character development board would be a good place to check for ideas.
danielinthewolvesden 03-13-07, 11:53 PM	Sit down with your DM and discuss this like adults. Explain having new PCs all the time makes the game more fun to you. Work with him on a solution. I did this with my DM in one game which has a high kill rate. I just do not accept resurrection, and he in fine with it. When my PC dies, he dies, and I do not whimper nor exualt- but I do not "kill off" my PC's either. Just rolled a "nat 1" vs a Bodak, now I "get" to run a new class have never run before. Win some, lose some.
Trolbri 03-14-07, 04:27 AM	When you say you write a backstory, what do you mean? I mean that I write a story on my characters life trough up the years and how he has become what he is, I allways have been writing cool stories. But often some things from the story becomes difficult to play later on. I do not know if it my DM the problem lays with or not.
Manic Man 03-14-07, 06:22 AM	The problem is not with the DM. the problem is with you. This is not abnormal. Both as a DM as as a player, i've seen people who do a total revamp of their character every session or few, precisely because of the same problem that you have. That is, cool ideas come up and it becomes more interesting to make such a character than continue with your existing one. Personally for me, i have no problem with this with 2 conditions. The character must not be optimised for the adventure (ie, immunity to fire in a desert adventure and immunity to cold in the next arctic adventure, both which are different characters) Two if you die, you must suffer the same death penalties as the others, whether it be a level loss, etc. No new characters with the old PC's level will be accepted on a PC's death. Talk with your DM if this is ok or not. If not, you can try creating new characters out of game, make a folio of them but still use your old character. Queue them up so that if your PC bites the dust, you can bring out the current favoriate
Erato 03-14-07, 07:59 AM	Is it the mechanical aspect or the roleplaying aspect of your characters that starts to bore you? 1 solution could be to try DMing instead of playing for a while. Another could be to acquire a cohort, thereby giving you the chance to play a new character without retiring the old You could also start to develop more of your character’s personality during game time, instead of before. I usually start with a concept of someone rather naļve, travelling to see the world, or someone without any family or friends that are trying to find her place in the world. This allows me to start with a blank canvas (TN or CN) and develop interesting quirks along the way, and I avoid feeling trapped by choices that seemed fine at character creation, but turned out not to work in the real game. And finally, you should also remember that different people have different play styles. There’s nothing wrong with switching characters a lot, just as there’s nothing wrong with feeling very attached to 1 role. As long as it isn’t taken too far (like playing your 12th character at level 11, or having your character resurrected 17 times, despite the fact that it doesn’t even fit into the group, merely because you cant part with it), both are viable options in D&D, and each can contribute to a party in their own way. ;)
ShadowDragon8685 03-14-07, 08:07 AM	Step 1. Stop reading the new books. Crack books only when it's time to level up your current caracter. Failing that, go to Step 2: Step 2. Make a character that you can get emotionally vested in. Failing that, go to step 3: Step 3. Consult psychiatrist.
Trolbri 03-14-07, 08:21 AM	Is it the mechanical aspect or the roleplaying aspect of your characters that starts to bore you? I think it is both, sometimes i am a powergamer and then it bothers me, when I do not as much power as I think I should have at the current level. But often I just do not feel that my character has as much deept as the ones in my party, most of them are more experienced than me.
kelvinaw273 03-14-07, 01:11 PM	In effect, you have the character in your head, and you know where he comes from, but you are having trouble evolving him. Remember characters do not remain static, they change over time. You feel your character should react one way and then reacts another? That's not an issue, you just have to roleplay their grappling with the problem and their character evolving. You lose interest because your character isn't changing, I think. They change when you make them change ... It helps if you get an idea of which way you would like them to evolve when you create them - see if you can see where they are going form there ...
Crash169 03-14-07, 02:56 PM	I used to have this problem.. It lies within thinking about your next character before you ever play him. Stick with the one you have now, get into the quests, get into the roleplaying. Create some Character quirks that are fun to play with. Develop a real, whole personality for your character. For example, create a character with a quirk where he switches the colors of his bandannas depending on his moods. Make it happen subconsciously so that the other PC's are really interested. If they question you about it, act as if they are crazy, because you consciously don't know that your changing them. Create odd, or fun personalities and quirks that make your character unique, you'll think about them more, and the rest of the PC's will give you more attention, because your character will seem more real to them. And when they die they will be easier to remember; "Remember that character you had that suffered from short term memory loss? I remember how he used to forget what he was doing in battle all the time.. man that was hilarious." Another good way to get into your character would be to start a little journal. Nothing big, just write down in the first person what your character has been through. Do it every one or two sessions, you'll be surprised how much it helps. Write down your thoughts, in character. It'll help you get more attached to him/her/it. The last thing is to always have a character Goal. Most of the time your playing the game your just wandering around, adventuring with no purpose. Give your character some goals and you'll find it a lot more fun to play with. I hope this helps :P
bob_the_great 03-14-07, 07:29 PM	I can relate to this as I love making characters. I get ideas all of the time though I have only once dropped a character for a new one. I find that what works best for me is the opposite of what is commonly suggested: I minimally flesh out my character. I start with a general personality but grow the character throughout the game. Sometimes the character will take a turn I didn't expect, like the time the party unexpectedly went to hell and my wizard came back much more paranoid, ruthless, and violent then I had ever imagined him (he started his career casting mostly enchantments, and had a 16 Cha and 10 Con). My current character took it a step farther by not even having an alignment when the game started (I had envisioned him becoming NG but he is actually CN at the moment). It's hard to get bored with a character that still feels very much in progress. Then again there's absolutely no reason to view a well fleshed out character any differently, as people grow and change and are always in progress. maybe next time I'll try fully fleshing the character out and giving him maximum freedom to grow.
danielinthewolvesden 03-15-07, 03:09 AM	But, whatever you do, never EVER, suicide your PC. It can ruin the game for the other players.
JBW 03-15-07, 01:14 PM	There's nothing particularly unnatural about any adventurer going suicidal. However, if suicide is just a way to break a 'metagame contract' that attaches player to character, then that's a different story. As a DM, I allow any PC to become 'divorced' from a player at any time the player wishes. The PC becomes an NPC and the player is free to make up a new PC at 1 level below the level of the 'divorced' character.
DarkNick 03-15-07, 05:45 PM	My advise is to slow down, don't just dive in there. Make foreplay the main event and don't put pressure on yourself to be all Mr stamina everytime. Relax, take enjoyment in the little things. Trust me, you will end up loving your characters longer and better. Failing that there is always viagra. ;) I think you need to have both long and short term goals for your character. Goals can be both RP goals and mechnical. It gives you something to keep looking forward to. Internal conflicts work great. Try not to plan out all your progression from the start. If you already know how the character will turn out you rob yourself the fun of watching your character advance. Give your characters space to grow in directions you have not thought of based on the campaign events. Oh, one thing to consider is that perhaps the game is boring, too challenging, or your character is not built to face the challenged presented. This can sap your enthusiasm for a character
JBW 03-15-07, 06:01 PM	Try not to plan out all your progression from the start. If you already know how the character will turn out you rob yourself the fun of watching your character advance. Give your characters space to grow in directions you have not thought of based on the campaign events. One of my main dislikes of D&D 3.X is that pre-planning a character is almost as necessity in many campaigns. Generally, there is nothing 'adaptive' about a character's progression - certain feats and skills are needed for certain other feats and prestige classes, etc. If you don't go directly for what you want, you may never get it.:(
J.Augustus Rose II 03-16-07, 06:34 PM	Step 1. Stop reading the new books. Crack books only when it's time to level up your current caracter. This is good advice. I swear, every time I crack open a book I end up with a new character idea I like better than my current character.