Whats missing.... A interesting background and character personality. So my question is How to make my character interesting. He is a Level 1 Artful Dodger Human Rogue with a multiclass ranger.He is good in Dex 18, 16 Cha, and 11 wis. All the rest of his stats are well average (10). Our adventure takes place within the forgotten realms I think it was called Fauren or sumething. No, I don't own the official players handbook of forgotten realms with all the backgrounds and stuff and with that one swordmage class. So how does one make one character interesting?
For me an interesting character is why I play.
Give your character negative characteristics, and even a low ability!
My current character is very very strong... has a high constitution, and a high charisma... but a dexterity of 6! (Cleric)
Thobias is FAT FAT FAT. He is sweaty and snores. No matter how cold it is Thobias complains about sweating. He normally refuses to wear armour on his chest, and when forced to he winges continually, pitifully wiping down his forhead with a cloth. (Combined effect of low dex and light armour = AC 12)
Thobias has many positive personality characteristics. He is loyal, brave and lots of else... (he also packs a PUNCH).
BUT!!! he is a bit vain. He is racist (doesn't like halfbreeds). Through bad experiences in his past he thinks all followers of Pelor a spineless, inactive rules lawers. Thobias follows Kord. He often steps on NPC's toes by speaking his mind about his god. He also thinks he can sing... but really can't!
The basic result of all these characteristics is a REALLY FUN character to play!!! I am having a ball... and the other players seem entertained as well.
I thought the low AC would be big problem... but it turns out, taking a lot of damage can be FUN.
...bla bla bla...
Anyway, that's my suggestion... pick characteristics, especially negative things... particullarly negative things that annoy you in other people... you probably have a good understanding of those things in particular.
What do other people think?
Ben
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I look at role playing low scores in the opposite light- e.g. if fate gave you a low score.. come up with RP reasons why the score is low, as opposed to purposely taking them for the sake of RP. Fortunately, Method's I and II of ability score generation has all but killed the need for this.
Making an "interesting" character is highly dependent on what you deem as interesting and who you want your character to be. A way I would start.. is to ask your DM where your campaign is starting and if it's a viable option to you ask him if you can be from there. Then read up on information about the area and come up with a short but detailed backstory.
As for making him interesting, you'll need a personality and a history.
Since you're a rogue, ask yourself, what about roguishness do you find interesting? What particular capabilities does this character demonstrate? What are his special skills? How does he handle confrontation? Does he have a code of ethics, a sense of morals, or any belief system? What are his hobbies? Does he have any family? Friends? Love interest? Enemies? Casual acquaintances? Does he have any particular mannerisms, quirks, or defining traits? What does he want to do with his life?
You don't need an answer, not right away. Just think on these things, and on how your character relates to the world around him. Begin asking yourself WWMCD, what would my character do? And while thinking on these things, bring him into being in your mind, so that when you sit at the table, your character can truly come to life.
I played Dwovar Jarvarson (in 3E, but that hardly matters in terms of interesting characters) who had a 6 Wis and Cha. Now, although his friends liked him well enough, Dwovar was loud, blustery, and insufferably rude. One of those people where thoughts pass immediately from the brain to the mouth without a content check in between.
We had once been hired by a wizard's tower to find a gem. After a day or two of searching (and not finding out a lot) the wizard's returned and said the Thieve's Guild took it. Dwovar took off with that and ran.
"Thieve's guild! Oh, yer right bloody brilliant, aren't ya! Somethin's been stolen! Oh, Ay've got an idea, lets pay some wizard loads'o'money to figure out who went an' done it. What's that bag of jingly gold? It was the Thieve's Guild; the Guild of Thieves you stupid sot! Ay've got an idea, Ay'm goin' ta quit this adventurin' life an' become a wizard wot tells people who's stolen their things! It's bloody damn brilliant. Here now, and nex' time somethin' goes missin' you can hand me a sack half the size o' whatever ye paid an' I kin tell ya, it wos the Thieve's Guild. You stupid git.
Mind you, he was the head wizard of the wizard's tower, so invariably around 15th level or so. This was our first adventure, we were still level 1.
Of course, his mouth got us into trouble, but no trouble anyone minded getting in. A 'diplomat' delivered terms of surrender to us in our camp. Although our leader was crafting a well written response Dwovar, takin' his annual bath, flung his unwashed dwarven underwear at the 'diplomat', rolling a natural 20 and nailing him in his face. Sure, there was a fight right then and there, but the terms of surrender weren't that good anyways. So I figured a head would get the message across just as well. Being as how the team leader had spent so much time on the letter, we let him stuff it in the diplomat's mouth before we tossed the head off the ramparts.
sigh those were the days.
2. Come up with a hook, a look, and a shtick.
- Hook. Some kind of character defect, background info, or idea that you can summarize in a few words. "He's a fugitive from justice." "He's a misunderstood Robin Hood type." "He's a teen thief trying to make it big." "He's a tired veteran looking for one last big score."
- Look. Give him a visual hallmark. A scar that runs from his eye to his lip. Always tousled hair. Sneaky looking eyes. A grin that's ear to ear. Big, puppy-dog eyes.
- Shtick. Give him something that he DOES that makes his stand out. Maybe he flips a coin, scratches his head when he's thinking. Maybe he always says "I have an idea; it's crazy but it just might work!" before coming up with the most outrageous plan, or has a favorite curse word, or calls all of his comrades by nicknames.
Whatever you do, make it your own, and have fun with it.
You can either roll randomly or pick from the charts. It all meshes in a consistent manner.
Of course, these days I've seen so many attributes roleplayed the same ways that they've become sort of cliche for me. If I see another Low WIS/absent-minded character...
A) these guys you see on TV cop chase shows who still think they can outrun eleventy-billion cop cars with radios and one police chopper following their every move with night-vision, x-ray vision, and every type of "vision" you can think of
or
B) the numerous people who try to cross train tracks when a train is hurling toward them at breakneck speed, like a train can just jam on the brakes and slide to a stop. Toot-toot! Peanut Butter! (Idiots! How many times have cars and trains been mixing it up? How many times has the car won?)
I'd never play a low WIS PC as absent-minded. It'd be more like impulsive and short-sighted.
1: First things first, get a basic concept for your character. You have to fit your personality to your class, if you're a fighter you need something that fits, for example a fighter who surrenders everything in search of magical powers REALLY don't fit no? So decide upon class this is the first step.
2: Next up is basic personality. Do you want to be an introvert or an extrovert? To continue with the fighter example, are you going to be a reserved, refined noble fighter, or are you going to be a boastful, boisterous warrior!
3: Quirks, quirks, QUIRKS! This is what makes every character I create memorable. You NEED something about your personality that just makes you stand out. For example perhaps you are a fighter who is also a lover of knowledge and you have a small library in your backpack and spend your time in taverns with spectacles on your nose reading by the firelight. Or perhaps you sing songs to Tempus as you charge into battle, creating prayers inserting the identity of your foe into the song. Personal favorite quirks of my characters: I had a gnome warlock whom had a sweet tooth, he begged innkeepers to make batches of cookies for supper and constantly replenished on a supply of hard candies for travel. My party made a running joke out of it calling me the cookie monster, and any time there was a monster they REALLY wanted me to attack they pulled out a cookie and threw it at the monster telling me "He took your cookie!" Another favorite was an elvish wizard whom was aiming for initiate of the sevenfold veil(the prestige class with wards based off colors) I made him obsessed with colors, he had a quartz prism in his staff and would wander off the path to stare at different color patterns. My favorite incident with him was in a triumphant parade entry to town the DM made teh mistake of mentioning the sunlight glinting off the armor of the guards, so I detoured to stare at the sunlight and use my staff to make rainbows on the guards chest.
4:Cement it all together with a backstory that explains your quirks and personality combining with your class.
That is how I make my character personalities takes me all of like 5 minutes but then I enjoy doing it.
For a human rogue there are ALOT of quirks you could have. You are a more nimble guy, maybe you have a thing for rolling coins along your knuckles, maybe you flip a coin each morning praying to Tymora the goddess of luck in Faerun and depending on the outcome of the coin toss tell your friends it is going to be a good day or a bad day(could make for fun roleplaying, you toss the coin say it will be a good day, you get attacked and another players character dies in combat, yer friends say "what happened to it being a good day?" you respond "Well I am still alive and so are you, so apparently I was at least 2/3 right!") lots of things like that can make for interesting roleplaying moments.
1. Plagarize. It's ok. Everyone does it. Find a character that you really really thought was ool for whatever reason, and base your character on that one. It doesn't matter if it's not from fantasy. . . in fact it's better if it's not from fantasy, because your fellow players and DM's are less likely to recognize Han Solo dressed up in fantasy gear. Change the name, edit the background heavily, and voila!
Point of fact... plagiarism is not OK. It's theft and can be prosecuted. The good news is that Winterleaf's example is not plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking someone else's work and claiming it as your own.
2. Come up with a hook, a look, and a shtick.
- Hook. Some kind of character defect, background info, or idea that you can summarize in a few words. "He's a fugitive from justice." "He's a misunderstood Robin Hood type." "He's a teen thief trying to make it big." "He's a tired veteran looking for one last big score."
- Look. Give him a visual hallmark. A scar that runs from his eye to his lip. Always tousled hair. Sneaky looking eyes. A grin that's ear to ear. Big, puppy-dog eyes.
- Shtick. Give him something that he DOES that makes his stand out. Maybe he flips a coin, scratches his head when he's thinking. Maybe he always says "I have an idea; it's crazy but it just might work!" before coming up with the most outrageous plan, or has a favorite curse word, or calls all of his comrades by nicknames.
Whatever you do, make it your own, and have fun with it.
Great advice here!
1) Name. Remember, take a surname. I don't care if everyone else has only a first name, but unless your race actively discourages surnames (such as warforged), you should have one.
Surnames (based on profession): Bishop, Free(man), Miller, (Black)Smith, Tailor(Taylor).
2) Nationality. Unless you're in a generic setting where race and nationality are the same, you'll need to know which country you came from and a basic idea of what that nation is like. There's a good difference between coming from the democracy, the monarchy, the facistic, anarchic or the communistic country. Racial diversity of the country is also useful to know.
Allows you to: Have ready-to-go answers about the country. Let's you talk to other people about whether or not you agree about your country's policy on X. If you totally disagree with a country's policies, perhaps you were exiled (an idea, at least?). If you agree with every policy of your country, perhaps you're a patriot?
3) Re-flavour. Unless you're all first-timers, every snooty paladin, orphaned rogue living by his wits and absent-minded wizard will have been done before.
But how about the doctor, who uses knowledge of anatomy to defeat his opponents (rogue).
Examples:
1) The peasant who in times of stress unleashes powerful spells, but cannot actively control them (warlock works well here)?
2) The commoner who used to endure heavy lifting and ploughing, who suddenly finds himself thrust into adventure, picking up a sword on the way? (barbarian, fighter, paladin, warlord all fit well)
3) Or how about the gang-leader, who used to terrorise the streets with his trusty thugs? When his thugs deserted him/got killed, what did he do? Move up a scale and try leading more competent allies (Warlord)
4) The archaeologist (sp?) who studies old centres of magic, requiring some arcane knowledge (wizard, warlock, swordmage, artificer).
4) Have fun!
For instance, I took "The Mission" (1986) and "Tears of the Sun" (2003) to form Lachlan's background. I find Lachlan to be a satisfying person to play.
Lachlan Ceallach,
Human Follower of Lathander
As a child, Lachlan Ceallach was always jealous of his older brother.
While very talented in his own right, Lachlan could never step out of his brother’s shadow. He would win the local foot race at the spring celebration, but Naomhan would impress the village elders with his knowledge of history and philosophy. He would bring home a great buck to feed the hamlet, but Naomhan would be praised for mending the wing of a robin which happened to be hurt. Lachlan would tend to the neighbor’s fields when he fell sick, but Naomhan would receive renown for keeping the man alive through the summer.
Their father, the local priest of Lathander, was proud of his two boys. Lachlan’s birth had cost their mother her life, and it was difficult to care for two sons. Ceallach turned to his faith, and instilled a powerful belief of Lathander’s works to his sons. Naomhan, with his quick wit and intelligence, was groomed to be the village’s replacement once Old Ceallach died.
One night in Lachlan’s fifteenth summer, the headstrong boy had had enough. He fled the village, his jealously fueling his flight. Lachlan ran into a group of sell-swords on the road and joined their ranks. He would become a mercenary, his life traded for the value of coins. As the years passed, he distinguished himself on the battlefield, where his keen mind began to assert itself. He grew quite wealthy, as he never fell victim to the spending habits of his fellow comrades. He survived dozens of encounters, and felt alive for the first time.
It was at a keep during his 19th year when he first heard news of his brother. Naomhan had also left the village, but to bring praise to Lathander. He was convinced of a fool-hearty notion that the Orcs could be converted to Lathander’s path, and the church agreed. On the eve of Naomhan’s expedition to the Orc lands, one priest stole away from the camp, visions of glory driving him to press forward alone.
They found him the next day, hacked to pieces. After a proper funeral, the clergy debated on their next course of action. Distraught, Naomhan forbade anyone from following him and disappeared into Orc territory the next evening.
Enraged at his brother’s foolishness, Lachlan bought provisions and sent out to track his sibling, quitting his mercenary days. He would ride a mount to death then walk until he found a replacement. It took him weeks, but finally he collapsed within Orc territory, too tired to continue, in no shape to rescue anyone.
When the Orcs found him, he was drifting in and out of consciousness. They took him deep into a valley shrouded in eternal mists—a world of perpetual grey. There, he was reunited with Naomhan, who had been successful in his endeavor. The Church of Lathander was growing strong in one Orc tribe.
In four years the Church and tribe flourished. Both sons of Ceallach learned of the Orcs’ ways, their rituals and way of life. They learned the errors of many misconceptions of the humans concerning the Orcish people. Naomhan was the guiding Shepard of the tribe—Lachlan was the will. While the sky was never blue and the sun a small ball in the heavens, they created a paradise in the valley of mists.
It was during this time, Lachlan discovered he wasn’t jealous anymore. His brother was a man to be admired, his humble faith giving Naomhan a strength that Lachlan had mistaken for arrogance. The more time he spent in his brother’s presence, the more Lachlan felt at peace with himself. Through Naomhan, Lachlan understood Lathander’s greatness.
When the sickness came, they were totally unprepared. How the disease came about, no one to this day knows, but the fact it was artificial and arcane, of this there can be no doubt. Those infected would die one day and raise the next. They lusted after the living and attacked mercilessly. Initially, Lachlan and the tribe’s warriors could push back the horde of the undead, aided with Naomhan’s ability to turn these creatures. But as the siege continued, both brothers realized they had to abandon the valley. A quick council decided the tribe’s fate: they would have to rush to a stronghold of men and hope for mercy.
They left the next day. It would take the survivors half a week to exit the valley of mists. The infected hounded their every step, laying traps and ambushes along their path. One by one, the survivors fell to their pursuers. There was no time to rest, no time to stop. The mists, initially soothing to the senses, had become ominous.
That evening, Naomhan and Lachlan made a pledge to each other. They would not come back from death, no matter what the circumstances. A natural death would be the end of their physical existence; they would meet up in the fields of gold under Lathander’s watchful gaze. Naomhan pleaded with Lachlan that should he fall, his brother would ensure that there was no way he would come back as the infected. Lachlan swore.
Naomhan died the second day while saving a young Orc male from being surrounded. Lachlan kept his word, setting his brother and several of the infected on fire. The only thing which remained from the inferno was Naomhan’s charred mace. Tears were shed along the trail—there was no time for funerals.
Several days later, Lachlan and three Orcs left the valley of mists. The infected attempted to leave the valley, but the power of the sun stopped them. It mattered not to the survivors—they were set upon by a group of over-zealous adventurers who mistook Lachlan as a prisoner of the Orcs just outside the valley. The Orcs were slaughtered and Lachlan broke down in tears. He had lost his brother and the tribe. The great work of their mission was destroyed. The pointlessness of it all got to him and he swore he would never kill another living being.
Lachlan took up his brother’s mace and became a priest of Lathander. The modest means he took from the tribe quickly placed him as odds with his superiors, especially Father Connor. His message was as simple as he was—not everything was how it appeared; only through Lathander’s gaze could one know the world as it was. Lachlan would undertake “pilgrimages” anytime he heard of conflict between the Orcs and humans, to try to mediate between the two warring races. He actively sought out the Undead during his journeys, as they were an abomination on the land.
Back at the temple, Lachlan taught himself how to play the flute and to paint. His fellow brothers were fascinated as his ability in the kitchen—Naomhan had taught his brother well. He has clashed several times with Brother Connor and the entire temple feels soon it will come to a head. The temple is torn with whom to side with—the strict yet devote Brother Connor or the caring, compassionate Brother Lachlan.
PERSONALITY: Lachlan is a man with the wisdom of the ages. He has seen the horror of the battlefield and it has tainted him. He is haunted by the memory of his brother’s sacrifice and will never kill a living creature again. The Undead suffer his full wraith. He will defend his comrades to his own death while maintaining his vow.
IMAGE: Lachlan’s slight form conceals an endless amount of stamina and power. His eyes radiate both sorrow and compassion. He cleans up well, but currently lives in humble poverty with modest clothes and an un-kept beard.
I would start with a concept that you find central to the character and try to boil it down to one sentence, and you can make it a real simple sentence. Then once you have that idea, begin to flesh it out.
I had a rogue that I started out with the sentence.
She is an artifact hunter.
I then sat down and developed a two page background that incorporated her personality traits, her goals and dreams as well as pertinent information about her youth. Each of these elements began with one sentence descriptions and then evolved into paragraphs and then a couple of pages. Take inspirations from your favorite books or movies, combine elements and then play around with it all.
Good luck! :D
I'll try to keep on using a high pitched voice for him as well.
This, hopefully, will be funny.
For instance, in college, my roommate and I had characters with similar stats. Yet when his character picked up a bow, things felt it, big time. My character, well, my dice didn't agree with the bow. But mine loved the melee. Our characters developed in different ways as we took our characters in the direction the dice wanted us to go.
I've also found it fun to go sort of backwards. I start with something a minature or a character concept and then created a backstory from that. Did that once with a dark sun like figurine wearing a bone cloak and a big maul. Wound up with a lawful neutral cleric who absolutely loathed undead, whose civilization had practiced a scorched earth way (turning their lands to desert) to halt an undead invasion and was still working on reclaiming lost lands.
1) Ability Scores: They don't define you, but deciding why one is good or bad or how it manifests itself can add a little more dimention.
2) Alignment: its just a start. Come up with ways that your character doesn't fit the stereotype of your alignment.
3) What are you good at? Bad? What do you "think" you are good or bad at?
4) Suspicions, beliefs, contradictions, insecurities, hobbies, loves, hates, health, bad habits, good ones, eating, hygene, fashion, reliability, indepenance, trustworthy or not, trusting or not. A hundred others.
5) We can't help but be ourselves when we role-play. But the fun part is when you suspend that reality through belief. It takes practice, patience & self-consciousness (among other things). The results are worth it.
One of my tricks kind of ties into looking for characters in other sources, except mine is artwork. I'll browse through a collection of images until I see one that catches my eye, then build the character around that. The added bonus is it means I already have my character portrait.
Most of my favourite characters have come from playing with my friends. We've got a few of us who love and live to design characters and we'll typically share our ideas as we come up with them and riff and brainstorm. I have two examples to share.
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Playing WoW (ugh) one night a bunch of us got bored with our regular characters and having nothing to do, so we decided to switch over to another server and all roll up lvl 1 Horde to bomb around with. They all discussed who and what they would be over Vent as I was fishing out my mic, so I missed the chance to say what I was going to roll, which I took to be a chance to have some fun.
I logged on a few minutes after they had all grouped up and didn't tell them it was me. I don't think they even knew I was on Vent. A while later they're all complaining about this Orc rogue following them around, stealing their kills, and constantly shouting in the 3rd person about his various thoughts on any given subject.
Thus, ODDRIC IS STEALTHY! was born. Despite his quirky speech, he proved he was quite intelligent if perhaps not especially wise. He claimed a crab was mocking him and nearly drowned fighting it. We all enjoyed his exuberance so much that it was demanded I keep him around. When we started playing DnD again, it was only a matter of time before he made an appearance. He's been changed to a bugbear, but his heart is still the same. He also has found a motivation to quest. In a dungeon I brought up the question of how this gnome had survived down there and the DM said he had magic bread, or something. Oddric immediately aced his perception roll and the DM was forced to create a lvl 1 bag of bread that replenishes each day. Now Oddric searches for the source of endless jam.
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My other favourite character is eagerly awaiting his next session. The DM had this incredibly in depth campaign and was handpicking players to run it with. I was lucky and was picked second. Hearing that it was set in Gothic Arabia and that magic runes and mechanisms were going to feature heavily, I immediately asked if I could try out the Artificer playtest that had been released that week. He looked it over and said it fit perfectly. Not having had the chance to play a dwarf in a long time (my favourite race) it was pretty much a given I'd pick them, which ended up writing most of my backstory for me.
Because of my fascination with magic and machinery, I was always the oddball in the northern barbarian lands where dwarfs lived. The budding magical technologies of the Arabian lands, however, were exactly up my guy's alley, explaining why a dwarf would be in a completely human and elf population. He would, of course, not be a full citizen and would suffer some difficulties because of it. His alignment of Chaotic Good (we used 3E alignments) was also a little offputting for the predominantly lawful society. So we needed a reason why he would stay. I was chatting with the DM and one of the other players when it was joked that with his stubby legs he couldn't run away. This triggered an idea I've had for a long while that I've wanted to play a character with only one leg but never did because of the severe penalties. I questioned my DM if a magically mechanical prosthetic leg was possible, and he loved it. We soon worked out that I had been wounded on a patrol in the northern lands, lost the limb, and travelled to the arabian area for their free health care.
This also presented the DM witht he opportunity to make my leg explode if I botched a roll. I love Garradur and can't wait for my DM to have a weekend off from law school so I can play him again.
1. What's that really cool guy that I like in that movie/book/what-have-you?
2. What does that directly translate to in D&D rules?
3. How can I totally avoid doing that, yet still have the same qualities that make this character particularly interesting? And what qualities arise from changing the nature of his/her being?
Just look at those and you'll have yourself a character. Example:
1. Jack Sparrow.
2. Obviously, Swashbuckler or Rogue, but the crappy swordplay leans towards Rogue. Perhaps a Duelist or a Dread Pirate. Maybe Legendary Captain.
3. Well, I like his spineless attitude and his cunning ways that have little to do with swinging his sword. So I'm gonna take Marshal, the most normally-combatant class I can think of, and make him one. But to make it more authentic, I'm gonna invent a personality trait of determination to explain why he at least went to Marshal College before taking levels in Uncanny Trickster.
As you can see, I took a character we all know and tore me a new D&D character. I assure you that he is nothing like Jack on the inside, either; he's bitter, a little more good-hearted, and determined. He's a bit too much of a socialite sometimes, too. Trust me, just follow these steps and keep an eye on that line between copying and following the good ideas of a character.
???= Not sure yet
Name: Shean The Tinker
Height: 5'3"
Weight:???
alignment: Good: Shean simply wants to help people (and make some money while hes at it)
Picture
Please note I am more of a cartoonist then an epic fantasy artist. This is a quick drawing
Appearance: Shean appears to be a short even for human standards, some mistake him for a tall halfling. He appears to have wild brown hair that has not been taken care of for at least a week (or so he claims). He has Grey colored leather armor and wearing simple black boots. His body appears to be slender and pal. He always seems to be wearing green "Protection" goggles.
Background: Shean is an inventor or "Tinker" he always trys to invent new things, and so far every single song he seems to have been invented has been "Stolen" from him. He has taken up the life of adventure in hope of finding new ideas and invent useful things. Due to his nimble fingers he has found fighting with a small weapons and various "tricks" have guided him on life to be a "Rouge".
Inventions: Shean's inventions are practitucally useless from adventurer's view point. The cost about the same as "stolen ideas"
Sheika (shuriken): A strangely shape star with 23 edges very similar to the shuriken
Sheika Launcher:A normal black boat Shean seems to wear, If a kicking motion is made the boot suddenly launch a sheika
Glowstick(everlasting torch): Made up of "Magical Stones" trapped within a clear tube. Emits a green glow.
Mannerism: Due to Shean's head filled with "Awesome Ideas" Shean suffers from slight paranoia and an unhealthy fear of mind flayers and anything else that wants his brains.
More to come please comment share your thoughts on Shean
I recently retired as DM and let another player take over. Therefore I made a character who was a retired member of the former BBEG's army. He wanted to join the PCs and get rich off their success, but he never let them know of his former occupation. Had they inquired, sure, the character would have been of great interest to the whole party! However, they didn't give one bit of care to where he came from, just what he does while with them. So, I made him love children, but be deathly afraid of women. He may entertain some kids, but when their mother's come around, he just locks up and they get suspicious of him. That made for some awkward moments that other PCs had to dig him out of. Also, when he killed some enemies in combat, he decided to take their corpses (goblins in this case), gut them, tan the hides, and stitch them back together to make puppets. (For some reason every player thought that my character was a complete creep for this and that I have something really wrong with me. Do I?) Then he tries to make money by putting on goblin puppet shows for the children of the cities.
Now, you don't have to make your character a creep like mine supposedly was. I just hope mine can provide some healthy inspiration.
If one is really stuck for ideas, ask yourself this question "If the campaign were to be turned into a movie, who would I want to play my character?" Think of the different kinds of personality traits that one tends to see in roles done by that actor and you have the beginnings, at least, of an angle for the character. I find that if you do this as a beginning for your character's personality, you can still leave a lot of room to make the character your own.
Google up "Central Casting Heroes of Legend". I think you can still find it as a free download. It randomly generates a logical background. Sometimes it can be quite boring. For example, a summary of a background for one older PC was "You were born into a destitute family and you friends got you into criminal activities. You were never caught." Other times it can be more detailed, but still consistent and logical. "Born into a barbarian tribe, kicked away by mother but kept alive by father, have two older brothers, two older sisters (who are mommy's darlings). Kidnapped at age 5 by gypsies, the caravan was attacked by brigands. You escaped and wandered around lost for days before being found, half-frozen, by an elven dark pact warlock. Raised among his people. Got older and fell in love with a young hunter. One day the hunter was kidnapped and sold into slavery."
You can either roll randomly or pick from the charts. It all meshes in a consistent manner.
Well, sort of. If you roll "joined the military" there was a 25% chance that it was because you stood in the wrong line. There is also almost no chance (if you were in the military) of having been an officer. If you use Central Casting, don't convince your DM to give you benefits. I've seen characters in 3rd edition get two free feats and 12 skill points because of it, which is pretty silly.
The "Personality Traits" section, however, could get awkward. I ignore it as I see fit, or I'd have an inordinate number of sado-masochists in my PC stable. No particular odds at work here, it's just how the rolls came up for me... alot.
2) If everyone else has huge awesome stories, go for the average or "the usual." Be plain and it will stand out against the destined heroes that are so popular. Be the guy who just got bored and set out. Was entranced by the town guard or the local mercenary company and joined up.
3) Work with another player and start off together. Come up with a joint story that binds your characters and gives you a reason to more fervently stay together.
I think it works best with stats in the 8-14 range. They aren't your primary strengths or your one glaring weakness, just a little bit better or worse than the norm. If you leave it like that and play them as "average", noone will notice much.
However, that 12 in Stat X doesn't have to mean my char can do all related things equally and reasonably well. More likely s/he will have a slight talent/liking for some aspects and dislike others.
Dex for instance can be interpreted as the culmination of legerdemain, grace, running speed, body control, precision... An adventurer might be a fast runner but absolutely worthless at sleight of hand or might trod on her/his partner's toes while dancing - or vice versa! If s/he isn't a rogue-like type things like this won't make a difference in combat, but it can guide you in how to roleplay her/him, especially if you back it up with a few skill points. "Where/Why? did s/he learn that?" is always a good question and can lead to interesting backstories. Perhaps your character could have become the eqivalent of a world-class athlete, if X hadn't prevented it?
Wis & Cha work as great as Dex in my experience, because they can mean a lot of things - especially in combination! :P
Str & Con might be a bit more difficult, but if you know a bit about sports and athleticism and think about your skills, feats and weapon/fighting style of choice I think you can come up with something. Same thing with Int, but consider knowledge skills first and foremost. Yeah, it might mean a few points cross-classed, but if you don't have to optimize 100%, the added depth and options can make up for it. (My favourite Wizard cross-classed Heal and Sense Motve a bit. I never regretted it!)
Well, that might not be a new trick, but it's surprisingly effective and fun, because you're playing out facets of ALL 6 attributes. That should differenciate your character even from those with the same score in their auxiliary stats.