Post/Author/DateTime	Post
UltimateReality 03-21-05, 08:38 PM	I know that seems like a really silly question. What I'm looking for is a way to really give my character...personality. Panache. Style. Memorability. In-game moments! I've played in combat-oriented groups since I started, and only recently has my DM found one half-decent roleplayer, and another who looks to be really awesome. (It's hard to judge on the basis of one session.) I am suffering from a dearth of good examples of roleplaying, and I don't have time to find a third group, although it'd be awesome. :) So, in general, how do you make your characters come alive? Do you pick characteristic traits and start with those, fleshing them out as you go? How do you stay in character? (Gack, that's hard, and the first time I saw someone do it for half an hour I was amazed.) How do you avoid metagaming? (I'm terrible with it!) Should I take up acting or theatre? I'm getting kinda scared that my character, below, is awfully Mary-Sueish, and my background cliche. I don't want a character that looks like wish-fulfillment fantasy, so any comments are appreciated! *** My character right now is a female CG drow who worships Elistraee. (Shut up. :P) Her name is Ai Kei Kin (yes, I stole Chinese names, see below for reasons why). Stats, for those who have suggestions on roleplaying them, are: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 18. She's a Bard3 planning on going into Sublime Chord. Feats consist of Daylight Adaptation and Extra Music -- maybe Leadership later on, definitely Disguise Spell. She's pretty much a social skill monkey, as you might expect. Anyway. On to backstory and the world. The world is a homebrew that uses a regional system, and I am from the equivalent of the Orient. Another PC, Crystal, is going to be either a Sun Elf from the Orient as well, or a human from the equivalent of Greece -- Wizard/Loremaster. Backstory: my character's family lived under the rule of basically a tyrant shogun, who outlandishly taxed his peasants/serfs/tennants/what-have-you to the point of poverty. He was, in fact, going to throw her parents into jail due to the amount of money they owed him. Now, my character would've been a fairly young child -- the Elven equivalent of, say, approximately 8 years old. Somehow, when she was out, she ran into a very wealthy gentleman. She would not have known how to "properly" behave around one of such high stature. She simply knew he was nice and had pretty clothes and lots of people around him. In any case, somehow she ended up telling this man about her parents and their landlord. The man, for reasons known only to him, decided to pay off her parents' debt to the tyrant shogun, and offered them a place in his household. They were, of course, deeply grateful, and insisted that while they may live on his grounds, they must work to earn their room and board, and became very accomplished servants -- not the lowly, scrubbing maid, kind, but the house-mistress, butler, personal-accountant kind. They still felt they could still never repay his kindness and insisted on repaying him somehow constantly. Eventually, he grew so vexed at their implorings that he told them they could repay him by sending their daughter to school. This was nearly unheard of for people of their station -- they had been poor all their lives, after all, and sending their baby girl to school would surely bend some ears unpleasantly, especially as Drow are a minority in the country. Even more so ones who live aboveground. Well, out of their generous salary they could indeed send her to school, and so the proud parents sent their daughter to Nyoko's School for Young Ladies. Ai proved an apt pupil, but understandably the other students picked on her. She was beautiful, smart, and graceful, yes, but she was also Drow and new student, and thus her charisma only made the other students dislike her more. She suffered many small insults (usually flung right back with her quick wit, until she learned not to get into fights she couldn't win), and was relieved when she was accepted for a foreign exchange program to Greece. There, she found her status transformed: she was no longer a lowly outsider, a poor kid from the wrong area of town who didn't belong. She was a mysterious, exotic being. Being viewed in this manner, she quickly learned to wring every advantage possible from it. She slacked off on schoolwork, partied constantly, said and did outrageous things, and generally had every boy wrapped around her little finger. She became the popular kid, and enjoyed every second of it. This, of course, did lead to trouble. For instance, once, a persistant local athlete was attempting to persuade her she should engage in intimite relations with him. She, having not the desire, continuously refused, and this man [a fire genasi, perhaps] took to following her around and beginning to verbally harass her. Things finally reached a crescendo one day in between class, when the two got into a heated argument. Threading the insults through her conversation, she didn't realize quite how much she had angered the jock until his hand was raised and ready to punch her. At that moment, Crystal intervened. A plain looking girl, and fellow student, Ai recognized her vaguely from Astrology class. As the man's fist began to come down, Ai heard a soft expulsion of words from the girl's mouth as she pointed at him. He, for his part, instantly fell asleep. After that moment, Ai and Crystal became fast friends. They shared a love of history and the stars, and although Crystal was very much a hermit, she found herself constantly dragged to Ai's parties (and usually dragged back semi-conscious after she'd had too much to drink). [Crystal has a Con of 8...] Ai, chastened by Crystal's many admonishments, smartened up a little and began to pull her grades back to something to be proud of. Eventually, they moved into the same dorm, and Ai would practise strumming her lute and etiquette while Crystal buried her nose in books and began crafting small scrolls and writing essays for exams. It was during the midterm break before the return to her own school that something at first disastrous, then wonderful, happened. There were, as usual, many, many revels and celebrations amongst the students. During one such night, Crystal and Ai got, as usual, completely loaded. Neither was ever quite sure how they made it back to their room, but Ai certainly remembered waking up the next morning to not yet another nameless, good-looking male, but her best friend in the nude. [Yes, she's a CG drow lesbian. Oh, the cliche! But! Is it any different because I'm a female IRL and don't intend to play this aspect up any, as most of my gaming group will never let up if I do? :P] After much embarassment, uncertainty, and soul-searching, the two figured things out between themselves and parted as friends and lovers when Ai went back home to graduate. Their time apart was punctuated by frequent letters. Ai's parents and patron, for their part, were overjoyed to see how she had grown into an elegant and sophisticated young woman (when she wanted to be), and the students at Nyoko's School for Young Ladies barely recognized the returned outcast. She graduated in short order and quickly arranged for Crystal to come visit after her own studies were over. Her parents were very nice, but completely clueless as to the true nature of the relationship between the two. Proud of their daughter, they thought she should find a good match and settle down. Her patron, however, kenned the look of restlessness in her eye, and realized she would be fulfilled only by seeing the world, be it as wandering minstrel or wanton adventurer. Many quiet conversations with her parents over the topic convinced them to give their agreement to the plan that Crystal and Ai would pack up and go travelling for a few years, in search of worldly experience and stories and wealth of their own. [Then, a bunch of stuff happened which I need to figure out.] Eventually, they ended up buying a tower in Celtic lands, in a wood not far from a town, and that not far from a city. The place being too large for them, they rented out the main floor to a cleric of Demeter, and his parishioners mixed well with Ai, both being fond of grain in various forms of ripeness and fermentation. [The cleric is another PC.] They sublet two more floors [to the other two PCs], and lived a cozy life for a few months, working as fortune-tellers for the nearby townsfolk. [At this point, our first adventure begins -- it's actually a pre-made module the DM got, but I don't particularly care as it's fun anyway.] *** So. Too cliche? What would you change or emphasize? What kind of personality traits or quirks seem outstanding to you? The whole Crystal-Ai thing is going to be completely underdone: for all anyone else knows, the two are simply fast friends, practically like sisters -- hell, they even share the same room! ;) They are completely committed and loyal to each other now, and nothing untoward or graphic will be roleplayed out. Looking back on her story, I feel like I just did a really bad job of making a unique character. She doesn't have any striking flaws that I can think of, nor any defining characteristics. I don't count "being too witty for her own good" as a real flaw, at least not with the equivalent of geisha training to smooth things over afterward. Any suggestions for making this into something workable? If this was a fan-fiction, I'd scream "MARY-SUE!" (For those who don't know, a Mary-Sue is a character who is obviously representative of the author, and is a perfected form of herself who is beautiful, graceful, can do no wrong, is flawless etc. etc. and gets the hot guy, who Truely Loves Her Eternally, and so on. Basically, it's some middle-school girl's Lord of the Rings/Pirates of the Carribean/Angel or Buffy fantasy written out and posted on the world wide web for all to see.) :help:
psionichamster 03-21-05, 09:07 PM	well, your character seems a bit idealized for right now... think about these ideas: how are you going to react the first time you're covered in slime/sewer water/zombie parts? what's your reaction to aberrations, undead, and other commonly encountered (for adventurers, at least) baddies? how do you feel about larceny or tomb robbing? what's your attitude on evil and good, or law and chaos? so, right now, you've got a "college-age" Drow-Elf Bardess, just recently out of school, and adventuring for fun and profit? does she want to return to the carefree partying? is she ready to "settle down" into a life of constant peril and danger (ie, skulking around tombs and the like) take a minute or two before each game session, and really try to feel her character...think through past RP moments, perhaps affect an accent (slight is better...simply "crisping up" or deepening, or slightly changing your voice can really make it stand out in contrast to your normal speaking voice) since she's such a socialite, she'd probably be the first to speak up in any particular situation, too...very outgoing, social-butterfly type all in all, not Mary-Sue, but she does need a bit to flesh her out...perhaps she tries to remain fastidiously clean, or has a huge wardrobe, with things like matching cloaks/chain shirts... bard=bardic music...make that memorable, as in, actually use your battle round actions with brief verbal "tirades", rather than say "i use inspire courage" and she'll stand out. not to mention, you're much less likely to break character... namaste, the hamster
UltimateReality 03-21-05, 09:31 PM	well, your character seems a bit idealized for right now...Yeah, that was my concern. :P how are you going to react the first time you're covered in slime/sewer water/zombie parts?Yeeeeuck! But then, having been a big partier, I'm probably used to trying to get unknown stains out of my clothing and questionable substances out of my hair (although I'd love to think I have more grace than that, the truth is I probably drink a little too much to maintain it). By now it'd probably be a bother, although the actual killing of things? THAT is going to be interesting. (We've had one session so far: took on two trolls, avoided a wyvern that came down to eat their bodies, and found a cave entrance to a goblin city. Ran into two adventurers. This sphinx died and his ghost got us to solve a riddle and is sending us to go find a sword in his lair that was used to fight mighty battles, etc. etc.) I have not done anything in battle more than inspire courage and use my wand of Summon Mon I. what's your reaction to aberrations, undead, and other commonly encountered (for adventurers, at least) baddies?Being considered somewhat of a freak herself, I think she'd be a little less put-off from outward appearances. Crystal is playing every inch the inquisitive wizard (took her notebook out when the wyvern landed and began taking notes), so I do have that influence. Being a socially-oriented character, I think I'd probably try and talk to things first anyway. [Sudden realization: talking in first person feels weird, but it's a great way to get inside her head! *scribbles note to self* I know it's incredibly obvious, but some things you just have to find out for yourself...] how do you feel about larceny or tomb robbing?Um. Tomb robbing is....upsetting to the dead. Larceny, as in theft? Well, if I beat them fair and square, I suppose. I'm not going to leave them anything dangerous, but neither am I going to intentionally give them no hope of surviving. (If I want to do that, I should just kill them.) Edit: Just realized that with Oriental-flavoured background, she'd probably be very superstitious and reverential where the dead are concerned. Quite bent on respect and ancestors. what's your attitude on evil and good, or law and chaos?Pretty much anything goes, although perhaps a bit of a soft heart with the whole CG thing. I'm playing her as a fairly practical character, and perhaps a bit more neutral/tolerant than she should be? She's not overly fond of evil due to that pesky backstabbing and betrayal thing (had enough of that in school thanks!), but is very much a free-spirited artist. I just realized I'm missing a character goal for her. My last character had a goal, even if it was only "to become the most powerful wizard ever known" (later got modified, but it's what I started with). I think Ai's goal right now probably consists of "go out, see the world, have fun, live life, settle down to write songs about it later". so, right now, you've got a "college-age" Drow-Elf Bardess, just recently out of school, and adventuring for fun and profit? does she want to return to the carefree partying?The partying is provided by the cleric of Demeter who holds his Annual Feast weekly in our field. (But it can't get too wild or the druids complain. *sigh* At least, until I invite them to partake.... :shifty: ) I think now, she'd start to be a little more interested in big-city shmoozing. Unless she found it all terribly pretentious and boring, which she might. She could definitely do it if it was to her advantage, though. is she ready to "settle down" into a life of constant peril and danger (ie, skulking around tombs and the like)Not overly fond of physical danger -- bad memories and sucky combat abilities bely (sp?) this. Likes intrigue and excitement though! Very much a people person, enjoys figuring people out. Probably constantly discussing people's motives and reasoning for their actions or words.... take a minute or two before each game session, and really try to feel her character...think through past RP moments, perhaps affect an accent (slight is better...simply "crisping up" or deepening, or slightly changing your voice can really make it stand out in contrast to your normal speaking voice)Ooh...I like. I'll have to try this. since she's such a socialite, she'd probably be the first to speak up in any particular situation, too...very outgoing, social-butterfly typeYep. :) Still fairly optimistic, having learned how to use her charm, but sometimes maybe a bit guilty for being so...manipulative? or has a huge wardrobe, with things like matching cloaks/chain shirts...Duh, she's a young elf! :P DM ruled we get one outfit free, I chose courtier's outfit with accompanying jewelry... bard=bardic music...make that memorable, as in, actually use your battle round actions with brief verbal "tirades", rather than say "i use inspire courage" and she'll stand out. not to mention, you're much less likely to break character...Oh, I love that. I've been doing short one-liners. I can't sing IRL, but bardic music doesn't require that, so I may just find some sort of insult generator site and brush up my skills. I probably want to find unusual or elegant compliments to dole out, too... Hm, remind me to take Versatile Performer and make use of comedy, singing, and oratory....
Callista 03-21-05, 09:33 PM	Suggestion with the background: Remove the references to modern-day things like "midterms" or "grades"... et cetera. Try something a bit more medieval--being sent to finishing school, for example; and pleasing or displeasing the mistresses. That's at least closer to Victorian than modern-day.
UltimateReality 03-21-05, 09:35 PM	Suggestion with the background: Remove the references to modern-day things like "midterms" or "grades"... et cetera. Try something a bit more medieval--being sent to finishing school, for example; and pleasing or displeasing the mistresses. That's at least closer to Victorian than modern-day.Thanks; I couldn't think of a good comparison and I, unlike my character, am not a big history buff. The exchange student stuff I want to still left in -- she was sent abroad to widen her horizons and study another culture for awhile.
psionichamster 03-21-05, 10:04 PM	for a little off-the-cuff Elf story, check out www.errantstory.com <a webcomic revolving around a young half-elven girl and her school project> for a "what to do now..." kind of story, check out http://go-girly.com <very bizarre, but quite good original webcomic...deals with some of the issues you brought up> as far as goals, those typically become more important as your character grows and develops, in character and in game... namaste, the hamster
Nytmare 03-21-05, 10:54 PM	I always suggest reading "Truth in Comedy" by Del Close. Although the book is primarily about improvisational comedy, the things it teaches can be applied to anything from playing roleplaying games, to public speaking, to business meetings.
Dartanel 03-22-05, 01:12 AM	Another thing to think about: Your other party members. What are they to you? We obviously know what Crystal is, but what about these nameless mooks that you two are following around? Are they freelancers the lord hired to give you a tour of the countryside? Are they old school friends you're hooking back up with? Are they a bunch of cool looking characters you decided to follow around so you could write songs about their exploits later? Do you see them as co-workers? Friends? Strangers? And what about back in town? You say your PC is all about socializing and partying, but what do you do when you pass a family who was down and out like you used to be? Do you hang out in the commoner part of town? The expert part of town? Or do you like to pretend you belong in the Aristocrat part of town? What about when you realize the noble you're performing for is just like the shogun who almost locked your parents away?
TheBard 03-22-05, 04:19 AM	I cannot go into detail what style you should play, based on your char history. This is for you to decide and to find out :) But maybe you'd like to hear how I play my current char. The rest of the group says he's got a cool style, so I guess I'm doing something right: He's a lvl 17 Swashbuckler character (SWA/ROG/DUE) who I've been playing several years now, he was updated from 2.5 rules. He grew up in the streets and is perfectly at home in any rundown, sleazy bar there may be. But over time, he got wealthy, has a nice selection of gear and even his own barony. And he's a tough sob, nearly impossible to hit if the defends himself. But the first rule is style: If it ain't cool, don't do it. Nearly everything depends on it. When he was in a dungeon armory underneath the tower of a insanely high level mage, he was to select one of many weapons. There were very potent rapiers there, but he selected his weapon purely by its looks. When we (in our current group) faced a vampire mage who nearly wiped his buttocks with my char, he stood up, remained in the poison cloud the mage casted, only to show him where the hammer is hanging (scnr). If anybody ... -anybody- insults him in a way that it hurts (like making him look stupid), he is fanatical. Which may very well lead to problems, like facing the bbeg alone, instead of running away when he had the chance. He doesn't run. Nearly died a few times because of this... Oh, and he love haphazard situation. Last weeks session there were four blade barriers after another, the bad guy was on the other side, rammaging through my chars stuff. So he jumps and tumbles through these blade barriers (thankful for his evasion feat from rogue), attacking the bad guy (sadly, alone again). When out of combat, he tends to be so self sufficient that its almost arrogant and he loves to order people around. He lives in style, and wealth. This may make him look soft, but he's still the street crawling smartass he's ever been, who shouldn't be underestimated. Nobody really sees this gritty side of him, though, not even his group.
UltimateReality 03-22-05, 10:55 AM	http://go-girly.com <very bizarre, but quite good original webcomic...deals with some of the issues you brought up>Hee, I love that comic. I read it almost religiously. Dartanel - thanks for those questions. I realize I gave this character a story but not many plot hooks/NPCs...and little personality, to start with. I redid her backstory last night from first person point of view and it made a real difference. Your questions are noted and will be taken into consideration. She'd probably stick herself in the middle to low class area and would definitely help out the destitute -- she can afford to spare a few gold coins now, and she still remembers what it's like. Had she realized the noble was like the shogun, she would finish her performance and leave, or if it hadn't happened yet she would cancel. The other PCs, so far, are simply people who share the tower with us. (The DM is running One Last Riddle with some twists, and our ranger was sent for to help as a pallbearer. They ran into the ghost and had no idea what the riddle was, but knew we'd gone to school and came back to ask us. So the adventure began...) TheBard - sounds exactly like my swashbuckler. She was allll about being cool. The only thing that provoked her anger? Making her look un-cool. :cool:
Ricky 03-22-05, 11:36 AM	[Sudden realization: talking in first person feels weird, but it's a great way to get inside her head! *scribbles note to self* I know it's incredibly obvious, but some things you just have to find out for yourself...] This is essential to good role-playing. First-person speech is the best way to get into your character and start thinking from her perspective, rather than your own. Another suggestion: Change your voice. When you are talking as your character, use a different voice from your own. Maybe you speak a bit higher (or lower), or adopt an accent, or change the way you pronounce certain words ("to-mah-to" instead of "to-may-to"?). This immediately distinguishes when you are playing the character vs. when you are speaking as yourself. The voice can even be a bit outrageous or over-the-top, and it's ok. You're not Robert DeNiro or Dame Judi Dench. For example, every dwarf I've ever played as a player or DM has had a Texan accent. My half-orc speaks with a gruff voice, like I had a bit of mucus in the back of my throat. My human rogue spoke with a New York accent straight out of the Sopranos (the TV show). Based on what you've written, I would try a higher-pitched voice. If you wanted to be outrageous, you could use a Valley Girl accent. Also, select your words carefully. Suppose the party all got in trouble. Would she say, "Dudes, like, what the hell do we do now?", or would she say, "My fellows, we have a serious problem. What is our best course of action?" I hope that helps. :)
UltimateReality 03-22-05, 12:39 PM	First-person speech is the best way to get into your character and start thinking from her perspective, rather than your own. Another suggestion: Change your voice. When you are talking as your character, use a different voice from your own. Also, select your words carefully. Suppose the party all got in trouble. Would she say, "Dudes, like, what the hell do we do now?", or would she say, "My fellows, we have a serious problem. What is our best course of action?"Re-writing her backstory gave me the opportunity to think of all those things. Much of the vocabulary came quite naturally, and she has a slightly long-winded way of speaking. (In her defense, she is a bard, and in mine, I just finished reading "wuthering Heights" so I'm used to a mess of complex sentences.) Voice....voice is a hard thing to visualize, or hear in my head. It won't be something outrageous, but she'd certainly know how to project, and I'm envisioning something slightly higher pitched and more mellifluous than my normal speech. First person: I really like the suggestion that I spend a few minutes before each game session to get into the zen of the character. Also, throwing hypothetical situations at her helps too...for instance, see, there's probably going to be a problem later on because she believes in honouring the dead. Which pretty much means you leave them their suit of armor and their weapon (primary one, mind you). Anything else on them is fair game, but let them have their dignity, at least... My fellow loot-happy players will not be pleased about this, but luckily we've not encountered bodies with gear yet so no problem has arisen. I may dig out that "questionnaire to give your players" or whatever it was from way back when, and maybe 101 things to know about your character (tucked in my DnD binder somewhere) to flesh out her personality a bit more. I have a feeling I may be jotting down catchphrases and sentences to use at opportune times, as well. The character's naturally quite diplomatic; I'm not. :P
Mirikon 03-22-05, 12:54 PM	So, in general, how do you make your characters come alive? Do you pick characteristic traits and start with those, fleshing them out as you go? How do you stay in character? (Gack, that's hard, and the first time I saw someone do it for half an hour I was amazed.) How do you avoid metagaming? (I'm terrible with it!) Should I take up acting or theatre? First off, unless you've played the character for a while, don't expect to just turn on the switch, and become the character. There's a reason why plays are rehearsed for months before they are performed to the public. It takes a bit of time to get into the 'groove'. As for myself, I start with two things. A concept, and a background. Sometimes I start with the concept, and sometimes I start with the background. I'll use a couple examples from my characters, to give a bit of referrence. Mirikon Averndale is a character I started with concept first. He was a CG Human Male Wizard from Waterdeep, who trained under another wizardess there. The concept was 'Human male wizard'. I filled in bits of background and personality as I went along. Right off the bat, I decided that he would be a bit prideful (afterall, he's an evoker) but nervous when it comes to things not dealing with magic, being on his first adventure out in the big wide world. This is a simple way to get started, because it leaves a lot of things open, to be shifted at a later date. The thing you gotta work on here, though, is improvisation and consistency. There are times when you'll literally have to come up with large portions of background off the top of your head while the other players wait, and you wanna have it gel with what's gone before. Melinda Eriksdaughter, however, was a character born of a BG, and moving on from there. She was a CE Human Female Warlock who'd grown up with barbarians in the frozen northlands. The BG actually starts 20 years before she was born, when her father's hunting party was set upon by a remorhaz. Her father managed to kill the beast, but was mortally wounded in the process. As he lay dying, a denizen of the lower planes came to him, and offered to spare him, though there would be a price to pay later on. Her father accepted. 20 years later, Melinda was born. She seemed like a normal woman, until around her fifteenth birthday, when one of the men of the tribe tried to take advantage of her. She fought him off, firing blasts of magical energy at him. Fearing her new power, the tribe exiled her. As she wandered the wastes of the frozen north, she began to worship the frostmaiden, Auril, and vowed to avenge herself upon the tribe when she was stronger. She wandered until she came to a city. Having no money, and no appreciable professional skills, she turned to being a dancer and a courtesan to make enough money to survive, until she met up with an adventuring group, and went along with them. The benefits of the second style is that I have a really solid base to work from, when it comes to RP. Melinda is a *****, but she's also manipulative. Think Emma Frost from the X-men comics, and you've got a good start. She is prideful, but knows her limits. And she could care less for the rest of the party, but will stay with them as long as they are 'useful' to her. I'm getting kinda scared that my character, below, is awfully Mary-Sueish, and my background cliche. I don't want a character that looks like wish-fulfillment fantasy, so any comments are appreciated! *** My character right now is a female CG drow who worships Elistraee. (Shut up. :P) Her name is Ai Kei Kin (yes, I stole Chinese names, see below for reasons why). Stats, for those who have suggestions on roleplaying them, are: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 18. She's a Bard3 planning on going into Sublime Chord. Feats consist of Daylight Adaptation and Extra Music -- maybe Leadership later on, definitely Disguise Spell. She's pretty much a social skill monkey, as you might expect. Good base here. And, just so you know, there's a difference between like a wish-fulfillment fantasy, and [I]being one. See the above example I gave. She is a courtesan, yes. But she uses her 'charms' to get men (and some women) to do all sorts of things for her. Times when the party would otherwise not be able to get information from a NPC, she's managed to get it, and quite easily, too. Things to think about: Your character is obviously agile, intelligent, and personable. Play up those three things. Also make sure to play with the Str bit. Think how it'd affect things in non-combat situations. Backstory: my character's family lived under the rule of basically a tyrant shogun, who outlandishly taxed his peasants/serfs/tennants/what-have-you to the point of poverty. He was, in fact, going to throw her parents into jail due to the amount of money they owed him. Now, my character would've been a fairly young child -- the Elven equivalent of, say, approximately 8 years old. Somehow, when she was out, she ran into a very wealthy gentleman. She would not have known how to "properly" behave around one of such high stature. She simply knew he was nice and had pretty clothes and lots of people around him. In any case, somehow she ended up telling this man about her parents and their landlord. The man, for reasons known only to him, decided to pay off her parents' debt to the tyrant shogun, and offered them a place in his household. They were, of course, deeply grateful, and insisted that while they may live on his grounds, they must work to earn their room and board, and became very accomplished servants -- not the lowly, scrubbing maid, kind, but the house-mistress, butler, personal-accountant kind. They still felt they could still never repay his kindness and insisted on repaying him somehow constantly. Eventually, he grew so vexed at their implorings that he told them they could repay him by sending their daughter to school. This was nearly unheard of for people of their station -- they had been poor all their lives, after all, and sending their baby girl to school would surely bend some ears unpleasantly, especially as Drow are a minority in the country. Even more so ones who live aboveground. Well, out of their generous salary they could indeed send her to school, and so the proud parents sent their daughter to Nyoko's School for Young Ladies. Ai proved an apt pupil, but understandably the other students picked on her. She was beautiful, smart, and graceful, yes, but she was also Drow and new student, and thus her charisma only made the other students dislike her more. She suffered many small insults (usually flung right back with her quick wit, until she learned not to get into fights she couldn't win), and was relieved when she was accepted for a foreign exchange program to Greece. There, she found her status transformed: she was no longer a lowly outsider, a poor kid from the wrong area of town who didn't belong. She was a mysterious, exotic being. Being viewed in this manner, she quickly learned to wring every advantage possible from it. She slacked off on schoolwork, partied constantly, said and did outrageous things, and generally had every boy wrapped around her little finger. She became the popular kid, and enjoyed every second of it. This, of course, did lead to trouble. For instance, once, a persistant local athlete was attempting to persuade her she should engage in intimite relations with him. She, having not the desire, continuously refused, and this man [a fire genasi, perhaps] took to following her around and beginning to verbally harass her. Things finally reached a crescendo one day in between class, when the two got into a heated argument. Threading the insults through her conversation, she didn't realize quite how much she had angered the jock until his hand was raised and ready to punch her. At that moment, Crystal intervened. A plain looking girl, and fellow student, Ai recognized her vaguely from Astrology class. As the man's fist began to come down, Ai heard a soft expulsion of words from the girl's mouth as she pointed at him. He, for his part, instantly fell asleep. After that moment, Ai and Crystal became fast friends. They shared a love of history and the stars, and although Crystal was very much a hermit, she found herself constantly dragged to Ai's parties (and usually dragged back semi-conscious after she'd had too much to drink). [Crystal has a Con of 8...] Ai, chastened by Crystal's many admonishments, smartened up a little and began to pull her grades back to something to be proud of. Eventually, they moved into the same dorm, and Ai would practise strumming her lute and etiquette while Crystal buried her nose in books and began crafting small scrolls and writing essays for exams. It was during the midterm break before the return to her own school that something at first disastrous, then wonderful, happened. There were, as usual, many, many revels and celebrations amongst the students. During one such night, Crystal and Ai got, as usual, completely loaded. Neither was ever quite sure how they made it back to their room, but Ai certainly remembered waking up the next morning to not yet another nameless, good-looking male, but her best friend in the nude. [Yes, she's a CG drow lesbian. Oh, the cliche! But! Is it any different because I'm a female IRL and don't intend to play this aspect up any, as most of my gaming group will never let up if I do? :P] After much embarassment, uncertainty, and soul-searching, the two figured things out between themselves and parted as friends and lovers when Ai went back home to graduate. Their time apart was punctuated by frequent letters. Ai's parents and patron, for their part, were overjoyed to see how she had grown into an elegant and sophisticated young woman (when she wanted to be), and the students at Nyoko's School for Young Ladies barely recognized the returned outcast. She graduated in short order and quickly arranged for Crystal to come visit after her own studies were over. Her parents were very nice, but completely clueless as to the true nature of the relationship between the two. Proud of their daughter, they thought she should find a good match and settle down. Her patron, however, kenned the look of restlessness in her eye, and realized she would be fulfilled only by seeing the world, be it as wandering minstrel or wanton adventurer. Many quiet conversations with her parents over the topic convinced them to give their agreement to the plan that Crystal and Ai would pack up and go travelling for a few years, in search of worldly experience and stories and wealth of their own. [Then, a bunch of stuff happened which I need to figure out.] Eventually, they ended up buying a tower in Celtic lands, in a wood not far from a town, and that not far from a city. The place being too large for them, they rented out the main floor to a cleric of Demeter, and his parishioners mixed well with Ai, both being fond of grain in various forms of ripeness and fermentation. [The cleric is another PC.] They sublet two more floors [to the other two PCs], and lived a cozy life for a few months, working as fortune-tellers for the nearby townsfolk. [At this point, our first adventure begins -- it's actually a pre-made module the DM got, but I don't particularly care as it's fun anyway.] I like it. However, I would like to point out that if your IC lover is in the group, you ought to play it as such. While I'm not saying you two should roll in the hay every chance you get, you shouldn't be treating her as just another member of the party. Certain things like holding hands, or perhaps sharing a room when you go to the inn, etc. Work on trying to get inside your character's head. Its like riding a bike, honestly. Tough to get the hang of at first, but once you've got it, you never really forget it. One trick you might consider is to try and keep an IC journal for Ai. This helps focus you on the character, and will help you flesh out the character more, between games, which will help you during the game. So. Too cliche? What would you change or emphasize? What kind of personality traits or quirks seem outstanding to you? The whole Crystal-Ai thing is going to be completely underdone: for all anyone else knows, the two are simply fast friends, practically like sisters -- hell, they even share the same room! ;) They are completely committed and loyal to each other now, and nothing untoward or graphic will be roleplayed out. Sounds good. And no, it is not too cliche. There are a few cliches in there, but as it stands, I like it. Just make sure not to overdo the cliche parts. Looking back on her story, I feel like I just did a really bad job of making a unique character. She doesn't have any striking flaws that I can think of, nor any defining characteristics. I don't count "being too witty for her own good" as a real flaw, at least not with the equivalent of geisha training to smooth things over afterward. Any suggestions for making this into something workable? Flaws are tricky things. I'd try to give her a few subtle flaws. For instance, make her a bit overprotective of Crystal? Perhaps she has an intense dislike for all things <insert race of dumb jock here>? And perhaps you could toss in more sarchasm with her wit? Is there anything she's afraid of? If not, being fearless can be a flaw in and of itself. This is one area where an IC journal can help you a lot, since you'll be able to focus on the 'little things' without the distractions of other players and a DM watching you. If this was a fan-fiction, I'd scream "MARY-SUE!" (For those who don't know, a Mary-Sue is a character who is obviously representative of the author, and is a perfected form of herself who is beautiful, graceful, can do no wrong, is flawless etc. etc. and gets the hot guy, who Truely Loves Her Eternally, and so on. Basically, it's some middle-school girl's Lord of the Rings/Pirates of the Carribean/Angel or Buffy fantasy written out and posted on the world wide web for all to see.) :help: Most of my characters have parts of myself 'projected' upon them, to some extent. There are a couple characters I've played, both in D&D and on a few MUSHes I've been on, that are blatant 'this is what i'd be if...'. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you keep a barrier between IC and OOC. There are others who, while completely different from me, are like that for a reason. They allow me to explore things I'd usually never be able to do. For instance, Melinda is the complete opposite of me. But she is one of my favorite characters to play, because of that. Other characters are mostly different, but have elements of my personality. One thing to note, though, is that your character shouldn't stay one way. As things progress, so should they. Some of the best RP I've done has come when the character who started out as I wanted just grew in a direction I was not expecting, at all. You may hear about characters sometimes taking on a life of their own, and they are right.
Ricky 03-22-05, 01:18 PM	I had to google "mellifluous". :P Sounds like you're coming along splendidly. When is your next game?
UltimateReality 03-22-05, 02:58 PM	First off, unless you've played the character for a while, don't expect to just turn on the switch, and become the character. There's a reason why plays are rehearsed for months before they are performed to the public. It takes a bit of time to get into the 'groove'.True. She's had a grand total of...one session so far. :P I think right now she'd probably be pondering over the recent, actual killing they've had to do. Might make her a little quieter than usual. As for myself, I start with two things. A concept, and a background. Sometimes I start with the concept, and sometimes I start with the background. I'll use a couple examples from my characters, to give a bit of referrence.I usually like to try and put in "outstanding personality traits" and "character's Ultimate Goal", but sometimes the former just doesn't present itself too obviously. Good base here. And, just so you know, there's a difference between like a wish-fulfillment fantasy, and [I]being one.True. But I don't want to get flack in a group full of guys. ;) Also make sure to play with the Str bit. Think how it'd affect things in non-combat situations.Oh Mr. Ranger, could you help me reach the top shelf? *bats eyelashes* Could you undo the lid from this jar for me? ... *giggle* I have a feeling she'd have a bit of a short temper due to frustration at her own lack of strength, and probably tends to kick and curse inanimate objects when she thinks no one's listening. I like it. However, I would like to point out that if your IC lover is in the group, you ought to play it as such. While I'm not saying you two should roll in the hay every chance you get, you shouldn't be treating her as just another member of the party. Certain things like holding hands, or perhaps sharing a room when you go to the inn, etc.Oh no, it's not going to be too extreme either way. Members of the same gender sharing an inn room is actually the norm in our group (we're cheap bastards :P), but I think the deep bond should be fairly evident to the rest of our party. Just in the way they finish each other's sentences and move together...let alone the occasional "dear" or "honey" let slip. One trick you might consider is to try and keep an IC journal for Ai. This helps focus you on the character, and will help you flesh out the character more, between games, which will help you during the game.I like this idea. Time might be an issue, but I'd love to try this. *ponders* Maybe I could get the DM to give me bonus xp. ;) Flaws are tricky things. I'd try to give her a few subtle flaws. For instance, make her a bit overprotective of Crystal?Always. :) Perhaps she has an intense dislike for all things <insert race of dumb jock here>?I decided he'd be Genasi (fire to be exact). And perhaps you could toss in more sarchasm with her wit?Oho, this is what got her into trouble lots. That wit was often turned the wrong way....I think the way I worded it in her backstory was, "The Headmistress often showed up just before the blows were about to fall upon me, but mercifully after the words that prompted them had left my tongue. Sometimes she caught those, too, and then I was sent to her quarters for scolding, where I learned even more interesting phrases..." Is there anything she's afraid of?Losing her parents. Dying. Shogun Kewa, still. Being an outsider (although she's learned to manipulate it to her advantage in order to hide her insecurity). Most of my characters have parts of myself 'projected' upon them, to some extent. I like to try different concepts and different personalities, but the rest of our group so far really doesn't roleplay, so it's hard to differentiate my characters when they keep getting stuck in the same role by the players, if that makes sense. One thing to note, though, is that your character shouldn't stay one way. As things progress, so should they. Some of the best RP I've done has come when the character who started out as I wanted just grew in a direction I was not expecting, at all. You may hear about characters sometimes taking on a life of their own, and they are right.Oh, I know about this. And I love it when it happens. Midnight progressed quite differently than intended, and it was a joy. P.S. to Ricky: woot, happy word of the day! ;) We game next on Sunday evening.
Ricky 03-22-05, 03:30 PM	Then make sure you fill us in on what happened and how you feel the RP is progressing. :)
The_Caitiff 03-22-05, 05:46 PM	I know that seems like a really silly question. What I'm looking for is a way to really give my character...personality. Panache. Style. Memorability. In-game moments! I've played in combat-oriented groups since I started, and only recently has my DM found one half-decent roleplayer, and another who looks to be really awesome. (It's hard to judge on the basis of one session.) I am suffering from a dearth of good examples of roleplaying, and I don't have time to find a third group, although it'd be awesome. :) So, in general, how do you make your characters come alive? Do you pick characteristic traits and start with those, fleshing them out as you go? How do you stay in character? (Gack, that's hard, and the first time I saw someone do it for half an hour I was amazed.) How do you avoid metagaming? (I'm terrible with it!) Should I take up acting or theatre? :help: You really need to FEEL the character to make it work. Ive played many different game systems (WW, Gurps, D20, Shadorun etc.) and I always create one character that I intend to die first. It lets me get to know the systems and such, then I play a character that I feel. From your post, you understand D&D and how to play, you've even got a nice backstory (a key for memorable stories), but is this a character that you know and feel, or is it a character that just seems interesting? When I make a new character (a rare occurence unless I just want a change), I play something that I know and feel so intimately it takes on a life of its own. Besides D&D, I LARP religously. I'm far from an actor, heck I'm an engineer so its darn near the opposite, but that doesnt stop me and everyone else from having a great time. Part of why I love larp is that we stay in character all night long. Five to six hours of in character roleplay at a time, and plenty of IC email during "downtime." Thats another part to being part of stories that you can brag about, staying in character. Its funny to joke about how badly you just cheated the mayor OOC, but its even better when its IC and everyone plays their parts. Another thing that helps is to play with people who enjoy the same style you do. This helps minimize incidents like when someone runs up and kills the NPC you have been working hard to bribe for 3 sessions. 1. Play a character that you feel. Play something that you cant help playing, it just plays itself. 2. Stay in character. This is easier if you are playing a character that you just know inside and out. 3. Play with people who enjoy the same style of play you do.
UltimateReality 03-22-05, 07:49 PM	You really need to FEEL the character to make it work. <snip> is this a character that you know and feel, or is it a character that just seems interesting?Good question. I actually know exactly the feeling you're talking about...it's where they practically come alive in your head before anything's put down on a character sheet, yes? Ai Kei Kin is, well, she's definitely an interesting concept. I'm hopelessly in love with her concept, actually. Her personality is proving to be a bit of an issue, if only because I think she'll wind up being quite different from me in a lot of important ways. You have to be able to relate to a character to really make it work, ya know? Part of why I love larp is that we stay in character all night long. Five to six hours of in character roleplay at a time, and plenty of IC email during "downtime." Thats another part to being part of stories that you can brag about, staying in character. Its funny to joke about how badly you just cheated the mayor OOC, but its even better when its IC and everyone plays their parts.Our group up til this point has been bad about staying in character, or even having much of one to start with. I blame this on ignorance rather than playstyle, as none of them knew how to play before we all got together, and all of them are picking up roleplaying subconsciously now that we have two others in the group who do it. Another thing that helps is to play with people who enjoy the same style you do. This helps minimize incidents like when someone runs up and kills the NPC you have been working hard to bribe for 3 sessions.Hee. I can think of two people in our old group like that. Frustrated a player no end, because his teammate wanted to turn around and kill all the allies he'd worked hard to make! (He was seriously considering turning the kill-happy guy in for the offered reward.) 2. Stay in character. This is easier if you are playing a character that you just know inside and out.Basically I need to spend time getting to know her outside the session, so that when the DM looks at me and says, "what do you do?", Ai knows exactly what she will do and does it. I'm going to try the character journal idea. It even makes sense, because she's a bard. So, a tangential question: For those of you who keep character journals, what's your preferred format? Do you use paper and pen? Have a special "real" notebook for it? A Word document you print occasionally? LiveJournal or associated services?
Shurijo 03-22-05, 08:11 PM	For those of you who keep character journals, what's your preferred format? Do you use paper and pen? Have a special "real" notebook for it? A Word document you print occasionally? LiveJournal or associated services? I started using Blogger. Its nice, free, not too cumbersome, and easy to add, edit, no advertisements or banners or anything. (http://www.blogger.com) The only thing that I really dislike is the absense of categories, but I may do like a bunch of others and make 1 blog per character/category and have a "home" blog that links to the others and edit the templates of all to make it look like 1 blog.
Thoronmir 03-23-05, 10:34 AM	For those of you who keep character journals, what's your preferred format? Do you use paper and pen? Have a special "real" notebook for it? A Word document you print occasionally? LiveJournal or associated services?I keep my PCs’ journals as Word documents. I lack the technological prowess to do much of anything online. Also, I occasionally like to insert pictures, maps, and sketches in my journals, and I have no clue how to do that in any other format (for example, when scribing a PC’s first ever encounter with an Owlbear, I found a good sketch of an Owlbear on some website and pasted it amid the journal’s text). One thing you’ll need to decide is the voice of your journal. Will it be first-person or third-person narrative? Will it be contemporaneous or reflective? I’ve authored journals in just about every possible voice. When writing in contemporaneous first-person (i.e., the PC is keeping his journal as the events happen), I always made sure to include the journal and some writing supplies among my PC’s equipment. The downside to this method is that the BBEG can steal your journal and find out secrets about you and your party … but that’s just another plot twist that can be fun to play. I most often use reflective first-person (i.e., the PC is writing his journal long after the events happened). It’s easier for me to keep the story flowing using this method since it allows for clarifications and editorializing. The downside is that is assumes that the PC lives long enough to actually write the thing. I’ve used third-person voice only sparingly. It has the advantages of reflective first-person in that the narrator can intersperse tidbits of knowledge unknown to the PC at the time the events occurred. Also, it matters not whether the PC lives to tell his tale … his “chronicler” handles the job. The downside here is that it’s more difficult to include the PC’s thoughts, hopes, fears, etc., that may never have been expressed. Unless you resort to the omniscient narrator, how does the storyteller know that my PC left the party because he felt he was endangering them? Another literary device I’ve used as the basis for a journal is the “flashback.” I actually got this idea from watching a Babylon 5 rerun (the one in which a now geriatric Londo [was that his name … the Centauri Ambassador?] recounts the episode’s plot through a series of flashbacks, bracketed by brief vignettes of “current” events). My PC was an aristocratic Rogue. The opening scene of his journal was an old nobleman sitting in a dark room watching the dying embers in the fireplace. A pair of children (the son and daughter of a powerful noble family) burst in on him, much to the chagrin of their governess. The children immediately noticed the large portrait of a dashing young nobleman and asked who he was. The old man, who thought he sought solitude, decided to recount the adventures of the nobleman in the painting. It was never really made clear whether the old man was, in fact, the adventurer in the portrait (the old man kept referring to the adventurer as “someone I knew long ago”). At appropriate transitions in the story, I added some dialogue between the old man, the children, and the governess (it helped smooth out the segues). Even my DM never knew if the narrator of the journal was my PC’s “future self.” So, my advice is to give some thought to how you want to tell your PC’s story.
striderII 03-23-05, 10:50 AM	UltimateReality, I think you mentioned something similar in one of your posts, but if you are interested, I can send you a copy of "The 100 Questions"...it's a wonderful resource that can really get you inside a character's head. It was written with the old World of Darkness in mind, but you can quite easily ignore the vampire and werewolf-specific questions at the end. If you're interested, either PM me here or email me at strider1276 at hotmail dot com. It sounds, however, that you have quite a good grasp on the character. A journal is a good idea, and I'll second Thoronmir's opinion that you need to find a "voice" for your character's chosen medium. I've never kept an in-character journal myself (more because I've never felt I've played a character that would have kept a journal, although I have one currently who might), but I've known people who have, and they seem to be helped a great deal by doing so. Experience, however, will probably be the best teacher...the more you get into the character, the easier it will be to roleplay her out. Good luck in this endeavor! strider
psionichamster 03-23-05, 11:26 AM	i know electronics are the easiest means to retrieving and storing your info/creative work. i know this is the deepest part of my heart, and am glad to be able to pull stuff out of digital resources i forgot i had. for DnD, though, i prefer paper. get down to a school/art supply store, pick up a really cheap sketch journal, write your "memoirs" as if you ARE Ai... the level of disassasociation between online/physical writing is enormous, and since we're all so ready to type everything out, it's subconcious, after a while... currently, i have a wiz/alienist who is chronicling the party's activities...i am starting to keep a 1st person journal, as well (well, you see, he just hit lvl 4 of alienist, and anyone who routinely converses with the dark powers of the Far Realm should probably start recording things down...you never know when you might get eaten, disintegrated, turned into an undead/aberration/etc)... um...what's Ai's stance on slavery, monstrous human rights, goblinoids in general, and drudic magic? what's her grand specialty in performing? lute/voice, storytelling w/ presti'd visual aids, a grand orchestral performance? sounds to me like you're really getting in her head, and starting to see through her eyes...and that's when the best events'll happen, since you're reacting to things as SHE would, relying on HER thought processes (sp?) and the like namaste, the hamster
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 01:29 PM	for DnD, though, i prefer paper. get down to a school/art supply store, pick up a really cheap sketch journal, write your "memoirs" as if you ARE Ai...Ooh...I like this idea. I already went and created a livejournal (I like Blogger, but am more familiar with the customization options in LJ), but I was pondering this idea too. There's something about having an actual, paper artifact that belongs to the character. Man, you have me going now. I'm going to have to go shopping for a cheap journal today.... um...what's Ai's stance on slavery, monstrous human rights, goblinoids in general, and drudic magic?Slavery is bad. She'd be all for monstrous human rights. We just encountered goblins, and they are fascinating. As far as racial tolerance goes, she likes to take individuals on a case by case basis. (This will probably make her a sucker for "reformed" demons later on...) As for druidic magic? Well, she's a bard and magic user herself, but she knows next to nothing about druids. The most she may have seen was a few cantrips/orisons (or Druid equivalent) at one of the weekly Annual Feasts. what's her grand specialty in performing? lute/voice, storytelling w/ presti'd visual aids, a grand orchestral performance?Right now it's a lute, although I'm planning on picking up Versatile Performer to get singing and orating/storytelling, at least. I think you mentioned something similar in one of your posts, but if you are interested, I can send you a copy of "The 100 Questions"...it's a wonderful resource that can really get you inside a character's head. It was written with the old World of Darkness in mind, but you can quite easily ignore the vampire and werewolf-specific questions at the end.I actually have it printed out in my DnD binder, but thanks for offering. :) It was at some gaming chick's website. (Wish I had it with me right now -- I'd plug the site.) Oh, and as for not keeping an in-character journal because the character wouldn't: I know that feeling too! It's frustrating because writing comes fairly easily to me, and trying to find another way to express my character or make her as memorable is much more time and energy consuming. (My drawing skills are atrocious; we won't discuss character sketches. :P) Thoronmir - My journal is first-person contemporaneous, but I want to do reflective after each adventure is complete. That will probably get tacked onto her backstory and printed out every so often: each adventure is likely a different chapter. The DM seems to be going for episodic storylines, so I think I'll be okay. If not, I can always break it down into parts with their own chapters...
Thoronmir 03-23-05, 01:48 PM	Oh, and as for not keeping an in-character journal because the character wouldn't: I know that feeling too! It's frustrating because writing comes fairly easily to me, and trying to find another way to express my character or make her as memorable is much more time and energy consuming. (My drawing skills are atrocious; we won't discuss character sketches. :P)My characters who lacked any literary aspirations are the ones for whom I authored journals in third-person narrative format. Just because a particular PC would not keep a journal (Throb the Barbarian, for example) doesn't mean that someone else won't choose to keep a record of the PC's adventures (Nerdmore, the Chronicler of Throb the Barbarian, for example).Thoronmir - My journal is first-person contemporaneous, but I want to do reflective after each adventure is complete. That will probably get tacked onto her backstory and printed out every so often: each adventure is likely a different chapter. The DM seems to be going for episodic storylines, so I think I'll be okay. If not, I can always break it down into parts with their own chapters...That's how most of my journals shape up ... each adventure constitutes its own chapter. I sometimes give the chapters grandiose titles, such as "Escape to Bondage" (in which my PC escaped from Skullport only to find himself enlsaved in Calimshan) and "Last Dance at Scatterblades" (in which the party fought a gloriously fun, swashbucklingesque battle at a tavern called "Scatterblades") ... but then, the PC in those adventures was a Bard and, thus, susceptible to making events sound more important than they were.
striderII 03-23-05, 02:14 PM	I actually have it printed out in my DnD binder, but thanks for offering. It was at some gaming chick's website. (Wish I had it with me right now -- I'd plug the site.) Ah, cool...yeah, I wish I had the website, too, as I realized about half an hour ago that I actually *don't* have the file on this computer...although it wouldn't take me long to re-hook-up my computer, and get the file off of there. It would just be easier to not have to do all that. I've done the 100 Questions for two different characters of mine (both LARP characters)....it's wonderful. The first character I used it with turned out to be one of the most memorable characters I've ever played (who says Lasombra Antitribu can't be cool?) :) My characters who lacked any literary aspirations are the ones for whom I authored journals in third-person narrative format. Just because a particular PC would not keep a journal (Throb the Barbarian, for example) doesn't mean that someone else won't choose to keep a record of the PC's adventures (Nerdmore, the Chronicler of Throb the Barbarian, for example). Excellent point...I suppose that, for me, it just doesn't quite work unless the character would have some reason to do it...although, to be honest, I suppose that a change could be in order. I hate falling into a rut. *goes to think about that one* strider
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 02:58 PM	Ah, cool...yeah, I wish I had the website, too, as I realized about half an hour ago that I actually *don't* have the file on this computer...although it wouldn't take me long to re-hook-up my computer, and get the file off of there. It would just be easier to not have to do all that.Aha. Found it underneath all my campaigns and stuff in my "resources and aids" section...URL when I got it was http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html. It was also revised. The thing I've found with it is that it's so long I either start giving rote answers to multiple questions, or filling it out exhausts me so much that I don't get around to writing a backstory. :P I will go through it again for Ai, though. (I hadn't thought of the chronicler thing, either, btw. But as Ai's a bard, she will have a tough standard to live up to. ;))
psionichamster 03-23-05, 03:01 PM	you said you had a LJ thing going for Ai... are you planning on making that public viewable? if no, i understand but if yes, i'd like to take a look at url would be MOST appreciated!!! :thumbsup: namaste, the hamster
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 03:15 PM	you said you had a LJ thing going for Ai... are you planning on making that public viewable?Yep. I'm pretty sure the DM doesn't have LJ (not that it's difficult to get). I warn you, what I have right now is a preliminary draft of Sunday's escapades -- really more like "jot notes to self". It will be revised/editted before next session. (Need to make it flow better and insert a small philosophical night-time scene for the first night.) http://www.livejournal.com/users/drowbard. Edit: I'd like to apologize for the journal layout right now too. :P I'm messing around with the style system to get something not gawd-awful ugly... Crystal (who's name has changed to Effie, btw), will shortly be at http://www.livejournal.com/users/effiewizard. (She has nothing there yet.)
striderII 03-23-05, 03:29 PM	Aha. Found it underneath all my campaigns and stuff in my "resources and aids" section...URL when I got it was http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html. It was also revised. The thing I've found with it is that it's so long I either start giving rote answers to multiple questions, or filling it out exhausts me so much that I don't get around to writing a backstory. :P I will go through it again for Ai, though. (I hadn't thought of the chronicler thing, either, btw. But as Ai's a bard, she will have a tough standard to live up to. ;)) I went and looked at that...it's not the same list I have. If you want, I can get you the version that I have for you to look at as well. strider
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 03:39 PM	I went and looked at that...it's not the same list I have. If you want, I can get you the version that I have for you to look at as well.Sure! :) (The more questionnaires the better. *cough* You'd think I was a meme-***** or something, but I'm actually not.)
psionichamster 03-23-05, 03:44 PM	well, you gave me the final inspiration to start blogging... there goes my free time! namaste, the hamster
snowlynx 03-23-05, 03:44 PM	One thing that might help you: draw your character, or carefully think up a description. Some of your character's appearence might help you think about why it's that way (with your concept, scars are unlikely, but a certain way of wearing hair? or a particular color of clothing?) Usually, to get into character, it helps me to have a vision in my mind of what the character looks like right before I start playing them. I have a lot more trouble playing them when I can't get an image in my mind of the stuff they're doing. This also tells me when there's something wrong about them (why does my character have X? No, that can't be right...time to tweak the character)
Mirikon 03-23-05, 03:55 PM	One thing that might help you: draw your character, or carefully think up a description. Some of your character's appearence might help you think about why it's that way (with your concept, scars are unlikely, but a certain way of wearing hair? or a particular color of clothing?) Usually, to get into character, it helps me to have a vision in my mind of what the character looks like right before I start playing them. I have a lot more trouble playing them when I can't get an image in my mind of the stuff they're doing. This also tells me when there's something wrong about them (why does my character have X? No, that can't be right...time to tweak the character) Along that line, I usually try and work up a basic portrait of my characters on HeroMachine. You can find the basic version here (http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heromachine/classic.asp). While it is a little limiting, it works for most humanoid characters. The paid version has more options, though.
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 04:29 PM	well, you gave me the final inspiration to start blogging... there goes my free time! :evillaugh Another convert... It's tons of fun (I finished redoing the entry and am tweaking out her background right now -- expanding on that time she and Effie spent travelling. So far I have one of three encoutners fleshed out.) One thing that might help you: draw your character, or carefully think up a description. Some of your character's appearence might help you think about why it's that way (with your concept, scars are unlikely, but a certain way of wearing hair? or a particular color of clothing?) Usually, to get into character, it helps me to have a vision in my mind of what the character looks like right before I start playing them. I have a lot more trouble playing them when I can't get an image in my mind of the stuff they're doing. This also tells me when there's something wrong about them (why does my character have X? No, that can't be right...time to tweak the character)Yep, I never used to write out char descriptions, even though I had them in my head. I used to go on MUDs and MOOs a lot more, though, so I've had practise with it. For Ai, I decided she really needed one. I don't have much artistic talent, however my RL sister does, and she has Paintshop Pro too. ;) So I've been bugging her to show me how to modify photos so only the pose remains, and then go nuts with...filters and colours and fills and whatever else that entails. Along that line, I usually try and work up a basic portrait of my characters on HeroMachine.Interesting URL. I find the art style inconsistent for the feel I want, but I'll have to keep that site in mind for other purposes. I think I saw this once awhile ago, but completely forgot about it. Thanks for all the helpful replies, everyone. I was a bit apprehensive, figuring we'd all be analytical/critical as usual (especially for such a basic question), but I'm flattered by all the replies and interest in my character. :w00t:
Mirikon 03-23-05, 04:35 PM	Thanks for all the helpful replies, everyone. I was a bit apprehensive, figuring we'd all be analytical/critical as usual (especially for such a basic question), but I'm flattered by all the replies and interest in my character. De nada. Always glad to help out someone wanting to learn the ropes. Afterall, we all started somewhere, right?
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 04:58 PM	De nada. Always glad to help out someone wanting to learn the ropes. Afterall, we all started somewhere, right?Yes, I know, but I felt really embarrassed having to ask such a question after over 2 years of gaming, uninterrupted, at least once a week. It was really heartening to read all the supportive replies, though, and the suggestions have all been awesome. I'm working with Effie's player as well, who is surprised by the depths of roleplaying this is all bringing out. *impish grin* I think this may prove infectious. You guys may have just helped me start a revolution! I think I'm done tweaking Ai's journal entries for now. I'll pass the URL onto the DM and get cracking on my essay for English, and my Logic homework now... Oh yeah, and I have that character in that other campaign I need to work on. *sigh* Doing all this work with Ai is consuming enough, I think I'll save Mina/Atara the spymaster for later...Her concept is kinda muddled, although I do have a backstory. I think I want to take Leadership away from her, though, and give her something else instead (maybe one of those +2/+2 social skill feats). She's a post unto herself, and I'll refrain for now to give my brain a break.
psionichamster 03-23-05, 06:11 PM	to be honest...i've been playing and DMing for slightly more than 10 years... in all that time, despite my literary bent, i've not really gotten into the heads of my char's until about 6-12 months ago like you said, i started thinking in the first person, referring to actions IG as I, and staying away from the OOG comments as much as possible it's also the first time, in a while, that i've played a char for any length of time...convention games are great, but they're usually so short and "gotta go" oriented trust me, these posts have helped lock down some of my own personal thoughts regarding Char. Dev, as well as getting me off the caboose to start writing more... yay thread! namaste, the hamster
UltimateReality 03-23-05, 10:28 PM	to be honest...i've been playing and DMing for slightly more than 10 years... in all that time, despite my literary bent, i've not really gotten into the heads of my char's until about 6-12 months agoI've only been trying really hard to do this in the past 3 or 4 months. Unfortunately, I've never gamed with a heavy-RP group, so I had no ideas where to even start. Thankfully, TPK brought a fellow workmate to one campaign and wow did he knock the socks off our roleplaying! Got me and TPK all excited, anyway, and I'm glad my enthusiasm caught with him. :) Roleplaying in an as-yet un-RPing group goes a lot easier if you have multiple players in collusions with each other, I think. ;) like you said, i started thinking in the first person, referring to actions IG as I, and staying away from the OOG comments as much as possibleWhat I really dislike is how the DM (both of them) when they want to get our attention or ask us what we're doing, use our real names instead of our character names. When I had my short stint behind the screen, I always tried to refer to PCs by the PC's name, not the player. I'm really bad for not staying IC. At least I usually stay game related. Some opportunities are too good to pass up, but I can also rest in the comfortable knowledge that others are worse at this than I am. :P Doesn't mean I shouldn't try and do better, though... Someone once mentioned they had some sort of card system, which I think is a bit harsh, but gets the point across. I'll have to start watching myself much more closely. We have three and a half roleplayers in the group(s) now, in various combinations, so I think this problem may start to self-correct. it's also the first time, in a while, that i've played a char for any length of time...convention games are great, but they're usually so short and "gotta go" orientedMy chars tend to last awhile -- mostly because my primary characters were usually wizards, who hung out in back until they were powerful enough to unleash, well, fiery black raining death of DOOM upon their enemies. I recall how that one wizard Sakura, from Kara-Tur, got the party killed multiple times by going up Yggdrasil, running into drow, survivng and going back to town, getting a new party, etc. etc. It was pretty bad, until the time she returned to find a small army regiment. THAT was a nice TPK, and a real big "duh!" for a character with an Int of...24 or 26 by that point. She was level 13. these posts have helped lock down some of my own personal thoughts regarding Char. Dev, as well as getting me off the caboose to start writing more...Glad I provided some service to you. :) A lot of these things were really stuff I kind of semi-consciously knew I should do anyway, but hadn't quite formulated them in my mind, and so hadn't done them. I feel a lot more confident about Ai's personality now, and am turning to work on Natara Bellari, my character for the campaign that TPK is running. (I briefly debated posting her here when I'm done, but I think that comes a bit too close to vanity for my tastes. :embarrass I blame it on the fact that you've all helped me give life to my characters, so I want you all to see the final result.) Thanks a ton, guys. Your insights have all been invaluable, and for those of you who want to know what happens next Sunday, there's always the LJ. Feel free to friend it, if you like, just be aware I probably will only add our players' IC journals back. In any case, no posts will be friends-only, so you won't be missing out on anything.
Alluvian 03-24-05, 05:26 PM	I didn't have time to read the whole thread, so I apologize if this has been stated already: [edit DOH!, started reading from back to front after writing this and it has definately been said before. oops!] Write your background (or at least parts of your background) in first person. First person prose will naturally find you putting your character's thoughts and motivations on the page instead of just their actions. Plus you will find yourself actually writing out some conversations that might help you form a vocabulary that works right for the character. My latest character was pretty generic, seemed still generic after writing a background synopsis. When I decided to put it in first person the 3 paragraphs became 4 pages and the story changed because my character's motivations became more clear to me. I started to think "This makes no sense, he wouldn't do that, instead he would..." In the end I am pretty happy with my character. He has a way of speaking and thinking that is not my own. I am not sure how this will manifest in all ingame situations and it will require a little bit of metagaming hooks for him to stay in the party, but nothing I can't figure out as I go on. This first person background does not have to be anything you even present to others, and you certainly don't have to do it for the whole story, but I think it will help you get inside your character. My biggest problem is I do NOT do voices. All my characters sound just like me.
Thoronmir 03-24-05, 06:50 PM	My biggest problem is I do NOT do voices. All my characters sound just like me.I’m in the same boat, which is very frustrating since oral communication is my bread and butter. But try as I might, all my accents sound the same … like excrement. Oh, I can speak fluent Latin (and I do when casting spells), but ask me to adopt a Scottish brogue, an Irish lilt, or any other voice and it always comes out wrong … oh so wrong. :noway: The only accent I can pull off is a good, down-home Southern drawl (being raised in the South may have helped), but who wants to always play the Ranger from Southern Middle Earth? “Y’all see them Orcs down by the crick?” is not what I had in mind. :gah: However, I do endeavor to enrich my PCs with various phrases, colloquialisms, idioms, etc., that help to preserve the illusion of fantasy as Thoronmir, Legendary Ranger of Kalandor, speaks in his otherwise plain, unadorned, American accent. For one thing, we don’t really allow profanity at the table (the DM has young kids) so you’ll hear a lot of “Blood and ashes!” oaths slip from my lips. In lieu of the standard “GD” and “SOB” slang, I usually resort to something like “You thrice-cursed, ill-begotten stump!” Yeah, it doesn’t always make sense, but it gets the point across. Relying on such dialogue helps me stay in character, even when I’m losing my temper.