Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 rico_huerta Sep 16, 2009 1:42:17	Hi, We recently had our first session of a game the other day, where I am playing a Goliath Warden from a barbarian tribe, and the other 3 characters that were there are from more civilized lands.  Immediately it felt as though me roleplaying a barbaric person was grating on their nerves. During battles we were more than fine together, but while adventuring they seemed to dislike my roleplaying.  I'll give a few examples: We started out with no equipment, but came across a few dead bodies and nothing else, so I figured as someone from the wilderness survival had always been more important than respecting the dead, so I ripped off a dead body's leg for an improvised weapon.  The group seemed to thing that was unnecessary (In hindsight it was, but how was  I supposed to know?).  Another incident had us in a room with a mirror with a supposed mystery man's name in blood whom we assumed had killed all the people and caused our current problems.  So I had my character yell in outrage and smash the mirror the name was on.  Again, the other players thought this was unnecessary and admonished me in character.  The final example I'll give is when we went to an abandoned village, found it was empty and found signs a struggle and hurried leaving.  We left the village and soon found one that seemed inhabited, but we couldn't tell with what. So I suggested staying back and maybe continuing on, but they called me a dumb wild man and went on in.  Again, nothing harmful, but as a tribesman I thought I should be distrustful of established places, especially when we had seen an abandoned village so close, but the other players (who had chastised me earlier for recklessness) just rushed in...   SO I guess after this long post I'm wondering what you think: Am I RP'ing wrong, are they just in character being derisive(They seem condescending in RL too though, but I might just be paranoid), or am I RP'ing fine and so are they and I should just live with it?   PS. I'm having fun, I just don't want it to come to a full fledged inner party conflict with PC deaths...
#2 ignis_fatuus Sep 16, 2009 1:52:03	If I were you I would make adjusting to their 'civilized ways' part of your character's personal growth. If they see that your character is willing to learn they will probably be a lot less annoyed. To keep your character feeling like someone from the wild, just keep some of your primitive habits that don't seem to upset the group as much.
#3 Sherman Sep 16, 2009 2:00:56	Hmm...  I actually appreciate your last two examples, but I think you might have put people off with the first one.  You ripped a leg off someone?  Seems odd.  What sort of void are you in?  No trees, rocks, bones, nothing?  Removing someone's leg is nigh impossible without tools.  I appreciate your character is likely very strong, but people just don't come to bits like Lego-men.  Someone trying that in game would irritate me because it simply removes suspension of disbelief.  No one is so paranoid about getting into a fight that they think they might need to go through the effort and gore of removing someone's leg so they might beat someone else with it.  It just doesn't make sense. Inter party conflict is a lot of fun when appropriate, but try to make sure you're not just being difficult.  Try being a little more reserved and promote your character concept without forcing everyone to deal with the consequences of you having a personality for him all the time.  Instead of refusing to enter a haunted village, insist on extra precautions for example.  That's the difference between grinding the story to a halt and contributing in a meaningful in character way. Just my take, wasn't there, could be all wrong!
#4 rico_huerta Sep 16, 2009 9:52:42	Well we were in a laboratory complex in a hallway with a lot of dead bodies and a blood trail, I couldn't be sure what would happen...I looked for other things but the DM said there was nothing, and so I asked about taking a body part and he ruled that I could with a high enough roll, which I made...I mean looking back I can see that as grotesque and unnecessary, but at the time it seemed like a good idea...but thanks for the advice, I'll see if that works...
#5 emperorgruumm Sep 16, 2009 10:15:40	I agree with maybe a body part being a bit much, however I don't think you should worry. The other players are probably just roleplaying as well. They saw you rip a leg off a corpse and break a mirror in rage. If I was them I'd think you were a bit off too. It only really becomes a problem when your roleplaying hurts the other characters. Doing "wild-man" type thing in the town will likely get the whole party kicked out. They really wouldn't like that. My suggestion is keep it up, but mildly, maybe slowly become less of a spaz as you travel more with them, that's realistic. If your roleplaying is bothering them OOC though, then you might want to tone it down before they declare you chaotic stupid. I play a goliath barbarian in my game and I do similar things.  I've never bothered the team until we game to the feywild, first I ate my downed enemies (we were lost in a swamp for like two weeks), second I got mad the eladrin guards that wouldn't let me climb the tree, lastly (and worstly) my barbarian was amazed by the lift they used to get us up the trees and tried to shake it, this really bothered the team. Before they had to roll balance checks the ranger pushed me off. I fell 100ft and barely survived but accepted my fate. That I shouldn't have done, making the team roll balance checks put them in danger and would have made the game worse for them because of it. However, I decided that falling would make everyone happy, I still got to fool around and the team was safe (plus we all had a laugh).
#6 Stuntman Sep 16, 2009 12:45:24	It sounds like you were just role playing and wasn't doing anything that would actually harm the party or any particular PC in any way.  If you are in doubt, I would suggest you just ask the other players if they felt your role playing was inappropriate or made them uncomfortable.  Let them know you were just role playing your character and had no intent to cause the party harm.
#7 sueil Sep 16, 2009 14:01:56	Ripping the leg off was ...bit... much. That may have tainted their perspective of you. However the second two examples seemed perfectly reasonable on your part. They may however may of still been remembering the leg ripping.
#8 makrothumeo Sep 16, 2009 16:08:36	I say rip legs off if you want to...what is the big deal?  I can't believe anybody thinks this "removes suspension of disbelief"...Seriously?  You are playing a game in which you are casting "magic missile" and your characters can turn into beast form or summon a spirit companion, and ripping off a leg ruins it for you? My only problem with role-playing comes if you are seriously interfering with party progress...I had a guy in one of my groups who played a Goliath Barb or something along those lines, and while the rest of us are trying to keep an important NPC alive for questioning, he insists on killing the NPC because its "fun."  Well, it's not fun if that NPC is the way you get to the next part of the quest... I wouldn't go too "wild", but you're there to have fun, so have fun!
#9 williamtanner Sep 16, 2009 17:34:46	I am still waiting for the part where this became a problem.  It sounds like they were rolling with your punches, though they considered your character a dumb oaf and potential liability. My advice is to avoid becoming a hindrance to the party in the name of roleplaying.  For example, if it had been made clear that the mirror was needed intact and then you proceed to smash it, you are just being a Kayne West.
#10 chaosturtle Sep 17, 2009 1:15:06	Might not hurt to just ask oocly if they mind, or if they're just responding in the way they believe their civilized characters would in response to seeing a wild tribesman.  That being said from what you presented if you were in my group I would not oocly mind the rp.
#11 tombowings Sep 17, 2009 21:45:53	Sounds like you were just having fun. In the group I DM for, my girlfriend often plays barbaric characters. One time she even decided she was going to "decorate" the parties carriage with the faces of her downed opponents. In character they attempted to thwart her ideas, often removing the faces when she was asleep. Out of character, however, the entire party was having a laughing fit (maybe we had just had a little too much to drink). Regardless, it was all fun a games. If you're worried about it. Just casually mention you worries it to the other players and see what they have to say. Maybe you can come up with some sort of compromise.
#12 Tony_Vargas Sep 20, 2009 22:49:43	There's a line between RP and screwing with your fellow players.  I'm not saying you crossed it - I wasn't there, and you probably know full well whether you did or not - I'm just pointing out that it exists, and you should be aware of it, and try not to cross it. Remember that your character is supposed to be a contributing member of the party, and you should choose a personality that can get along with the others, share (or at least not work at cross purposes to) thier goals, and not derail the adventure.  If you do think your character would do something very foolish or disruptive - don't.  It's OK to compromise on character concept just a bit to fascilitate the game for everyone else.
#13 chanter_hound Sep 21, 2009 1:07:56	Removing someone's leg is nigh impossible without tools.  I appreciate your character is likely very strong, but people just don't come to bits like Lego-men.  Someone trying that in game would irritate me because it simply removes suspension of disbelief.  No one is so paranoid about getting into a fight that they think they might need to go through the effort and gore of removing someone's leg so they might beat someone else with it.  It just doesn't make sense. His barbarian isn't just strong. Strong in the real world is in 12 STR in DnD. If he is a barbarian, its very much possible he was 18-20 which approaches herculases.. Possibly even surpasses it. Hell, If i was with him, I'd have him rip the other leg off for me, and the head so i could use it like a puppet. My revenant after all does have a bit of a habbit of playing with the dead corpeses of kobolds. And really, it doesn't make sense to you because you are never in those situations, nor do you have the shear strength, uncivilizaed, and/or the dark nature required to really even begin to think you should be using whatever you find as a weapon.   However i stopped playing my rev, to pick up a more "nobal" pursuit. A gnoll bard, who uses disgueses for much laughter. Imagine scoobie doo running around in baulders gate, and thats what you get. I find it funny someone said "was there no bones you could have used?" There are plenty in the leg.
#14 alexander_draven Sep 28, 2009 1:06:06	Well judging from some of the Groups I played with, they might have annoyed with the last part where you suggested to not go into the village, since, well it is part of the adventure and yields XP+Loot. However beside that, I see nothing wrong. However I do not know your setting. if there all people act lie the butlers at the 17:02 Tea time at the queens place, yes, ripping off the leg would have been considered "rude" and "inappropriate". However, if such social standards really would apply to your world, it would have been a sin of bad manners to mentioned you misdoing infront of others. Generally spoken, just do what is fun for you and the others, we once had our Barbarian throw our Donkey down a cliff to see if the fall would kill him (the Barbarian) after we told him he looks tough like a donkey. It was kinda strange though we had a laugh... not when we were starving of course, since most of our food was with the donkey...
#15 pyro_azer Sep 28, 2009 9:41:15	Removing someone's leg is nigh impossible without tools.  I appreciate your character is likely very strong, but people just don't come to bits like Lego-men.  Someone trying that in game would irritate me because it simply removes suspension of disbelief.  No one is so paranoid about getting into a fight that they think they might need to go through the effort and gore of removing someone's leg so they might beat someone else with it.  It just doesn't make sense. His barbarian isn't just strong. Strong in the real world is in 12 STR in DnD. If he is a barbarian, its very much possible he was 18-20 which approaches herculases.. Possibly even surpasses it. Hell, If i was with him, I'd have him rip the other leg off for me, and the head so i could use it like a puppet. My revenant after all does have a bit of a habbit of playing with the dead corpeses of kobolds. And really, it doesn't make sense to you because you are never in those situations, nor do you have the shear strength, uncivilizaed, and/or the dark nature required to really even begin to think you should be using whatever you find as a weapon. Yes but there is a difference between strong and ripping a leg off strong. According to mythbusters the amount of force required to rip a leg off is 1200lbs or so.