Character creation and ideas

[ProjectLazarus]

I looked around a little -- though I didn't delve too deep into the depths of older threads -- but I couldn't find any discussion boards on the subject of character creation.

Personally I always find character creation to be one of the highlights of any RP game experience, whether that be tabletop or in video games. There's just something... special about coming up with an idea or concept for a personality or a background or even just some sort of min/max god tier combat multiclass combo. I've spent hours (read: days) in the past just coming up with binders full of potential characters who I then never actually got around to playing.

So, to the point. I was thinking about posting some characters that I've thought of in this thread. Then, I thought that other people might want to discuss those characters with me. What they think is good, or what they think is bad. If they've tried one like that before and if it went well or if it didn't. Maybe someone will get an idea that will help them create a character of their own!

If anyone else wants to post characters, either that they've used or that they want to, please do! I'm looking forward to lots of character creation, development and brainstorming!

[SpatulaOdoom]

Probably best put in the gaming advice or Roleplaying experience forums. Either way, I say sure, put that up. More discussion is always good.

Personally I have two methods of character generation. One for in person gaming groups, and one for PBP.

In play by post, I will generally start with an overall concept that can be summed up in a single sentence. Usually this is a trope with a twist. The fate system calls it a high concept, which is a term I quite like. After that I will start fleshing out the concepts in terms of background and how they became the way they are. The best tool for this portion is just asking why over and over again.Only after that will I start looking at game mechanics in order to realize that concept.

IRL I'll start with a role that I think will be useful to the group and maybe a class (assuming it's a class based game). After that I will generally go back to the system I mentioned for PBP, filling out mechanics last.

Sometimes in either system I will already have a mechanical quirk in mind.

In my developing old grognard days I have started to care about minmaxing less and less. Nothing against anyone who does like that kind of puzzle work, I'm just less interested than I used to be.

[BlackDragon0]

Hi I see you have had a similar exp as me. I have created many chs here and for other places that never got played. I really hate that my only goal when making a ch is to play it. I've actually had to delete 6 cha here to make room for new ones( after many attempts to get them into games) I have many right now that still after a year haven't gotten into a game. I'm way beyond burned out on making chs that I never get to play. The other thing I hate is I have never gotten to play a ch past lv 3 ever I've been gaming for at least 20 years you'd think you would have at least 1 long term ch that you get to enjoy but so far no.

Any ways I may post the basics of chs I created and not played here before deleting them.

[TADHG]

I'm currently playing a trope. Wood elf ranger with archery. I was initially going to continue with the trope, and give him a hunter path. However, since we're adventuring in a jungle world, I might want to make him swarmkeeper. Now, I've only got second level at this point.

Recently, another party member died, and that had me thinking that I should make a backup character. Because characters could die. Since I have no real capacity for imagination, I steal ideas that are already out there. We're in a jungle, so I'm making Tarzan/ Ka-Zar. Found a homebrew race, the Apefolk (also found apeling, but apefolk slightly edges them out). Developed a barbarian with a single level dip in nature domain cleric, so I get the two druidic spells--Speak with Animals and Animal Friendship. I don't really need to go higher.

The only thing I haven't been faithful with is weapons. He's got a sling, and a few boomerangs, for ranged attacks, and a club for melee. The apefolk also get a Slam attack, which does 1d6 (and doesn't scale by level).

[ultracheng]

This is a character sheet I created. The character is based on a JPRPG named Dragon Quest III. See if you understand the icons.

[MCCodeFour]

I like playing the loser of the party.

For example, the character concept I submitted today was a Cleric with an incurable and hideously disfiguring disease. So a Cleric who is bad at charisma and cannot be the party face.

Why play a loser? I'm bored of stereotypes and superman characters.

[zevonian]

Comeliness and Charisma can be two separate qualities in a character.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by zevonian

Comeliness and Charisma can be two separate qualities in a character.

And for a while in DnD, they were... I remember Co scores.


And honestly, I think the world is full of real life examples of "beautiful" people having horrible personalities, and some truly ugly (mentally and/or physically) people having high charisma.

DnD taught me early on, that a high charisma did not mean you were beautiful to the eye... and that all that glitters was not gold.

[zevonian]

1e with a 2e adaptation. Problematic mechanics because there were no saving throws against the Comeliness effects, yes?

3e had Charisma modifiers tied into a Cleric's Turn Undead ability, didn't it? Don't have to be pretty to transform skeletons to dust.

[Kayal]

Originally Posted by SpatulaOdoom

start with an overall concept that can be summed up in a single sentence. Usually this is a trope with a twist. The fate system calls it a high concept

I also like to start with a concept, but I am not consistent in what constitutes a "concept." My concepts are often descriptive, but sometime they're mechanical.

For example ...

• Woodsman on a quest of vengeance. This turned into a wood-elf ranger (1e)
• A peasant revolutionary looking to overthrow the aristrocacy. This turned into a human fighter with the peasant hero kit (2e)
• A character that always has something to do. This turned into a human fighter/rogue with skill points in every skill that benefitted from the synergy rules (3e)
• A wizard that focuses on utility magicks. This turned into the aptly named "Xanthrax the Useful" (3e)