Candlekeep Forum
Candlekeep Forum
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Active Polls | Members | Private Messages | Search | FAQ
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

 All Forums
 Forgotten Realms Journals
 Adventuring
 Every one of my characters...

Note: You must be registered in order to post a reply.
To register, click here. Registration is FREE!

Screensize:
UserName:
Password:
Format Mode:
Format: BoldItalicizedUnderlineStrikethrough Align LeftCenteredAlign Right Horizontal Rule Insert HyperlinkInsert Email Insert CodeInsert QuoteInsert List
   
Message:

* HTML is OFF
* Forum Code is ON
Smilies
Smile [:)] Big Smile [:D] Cool [8D] Blush [:I]
Tongue [:P] Evil [):] Wink [;)] Clown [:o)]
Black Eye [B)] Eight Ball [8] Frown [:(] Shy [8)]
Shocked [:0] Angry [:(!] Dead [xx(] Sleepy [|)]
Kisses [:X] Approve [^] Disapprove [V] Question [?]
Rolling Eyes [8|] Confused [?!:] Help [?:] King [3|:]
Laughing [:OD] What [W] Oooohh [:H] Down [:E]

  Check here to include your profile signature.
Check here to subscribe to this topic.
    

T O P I C    R E V I E W
Wooly Rupert Posted - 29 Jul 2016 : 03:57:35
So tonight, we were doing characters for a new Pathfinder campaign. I decided to do a human monk. (I wanted to play a nkosi, from the Southlands book, but the DM nixed that idea)

Then I realized that I've made four Pathfinder characters, two of which were meant to be front-line combatants -- and none of them has had anything heavier than leather armor.

On the way home, I was musing on this, and then realized that no character that I've played for more than one or two sessions has worn any kind of heavy armor. Few of them have had even medium armor...

It's not a deliberate thing. I've made more armored characters, but those campaign attempts always fizzled out after a session or two.

And my biggest, strongest front-line fighter -- my 2E minotaur -- didn't have heavy armor for a couple of reasons. When I first created him, he couldn't afford armor that was better than the AC he naturally had. By the time he could afford better armor, he was rocking the bracers of defense, and armor was thus moot.

So it's not been intentional, but my characters are always relatively unprotected by armor.

And so I put forth the question: what is it, either intentional or unintentional, that has been common for all or most of your characters?
30   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
cpthero2 Posted - 07 Dec 2020 : 04:43:16
Master Rupert,

Whew... 2e stats, that belt is a bruiser of epic proportions! I bet he was regretting it! lol

Best regards,




Wooly Rupert Posted - 07 Dec 2020 : 04:37:01
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I'm playing in a 2E campaign, now, and I'm doing a simple dwarven fighter. So I'm finally playing that armored character!



My dwarf is now well-armored (AC -3), and in a recent session, got a belt of fire giant strength (STR 22), which the DM almost immediately regretted -- my guy's only 8th level, but he can hit damn near anything, and hit it hard, thanks to a combination of being strong, specialized in the battle-axe, and having a +3 battle-axe.
GRYPHON Posted - 07 Dec 2020 : 03:04:23
I've only played 1 character since 1990. The thought of creating a new character under the newer rules is terrifying. I'll just stick with 2E...
cpthero2 Posted - 07 Nov 2020 : 19:49:59
Master Rupert,

The most consistent thing I've done for character creation (though, bear in mind, I play about 1, maybe 2 character a decade: I DM almost 100%) is to have a very thorough background and psyche profile development that fleshes out the very real nature of the person. Their foibles, flaws, benefits, and strengths, are all fleshed out alongside having a job, some sort of family, and regular function. I haven't since I was a kid played with a character that was just sort of "out of the box" slapped together and go.

In terms of the characters, they are consistently something like a solicitor/lawyer, economist, philosopher, or something academic. I've never played a meat stick character. haha

Best regards,



The Arcanamach Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 19:26:15
Yeah over half my PCs are probably half-elves with elves, dwarves and humans in fairly equal numbers behind that. I do want to play a warforged and I've played other races (gnomes, halflings, tieflings etc) but only rarely. I generally don't like exotic races but prefer demihumans to humans myself.
Zeromaru X Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 17:40:58
As the default DM of my friends circle, I have played a very few PCs in my 12 years of playing D&D. What they have in common is that none of they are human. At least three elves (when the DM doesn't allow anything too "exotic"), a pair of dragonborn and a warforged.

I don't like play a human because I'm already one, and there are other options I find more interesting.
The Arcanamach Posted - 28 Aug 2020 : 16:22:42
Almost all of my characters, whether by design or happenstance, have ended up being gish and/or skill monkey types. Not all of them, but most of them. I just really like having a wide array of options both in and out of combat. So I naturally gravitate towards rogues and to those who can mix it up in melee and cast at least a few spells. I don't normally care about doing the most damage or landing the killing blows, so long as I can do many things with my character.
Icelander Posted - 08 Aug 2020 : 15:10:06
Well, let me preface this by saying that in thirty years of gaming, I've probably only played around ten PCs. I'm nearly always the GM/DM.

That being said, I usually consciously try to make my characters distinct from one another. And I try to avoid having my characters share too many characteristics, tastes or goals with myself. I view roleplaying as an exercise in pretending to be someone else, so I guess I feel that creating a character that is in any way an idealized version of myself or someone I wish to be is somehow 'cheating'.

But I suppose there are some trends, both deliberate and unconscious. One thing I deliberately do, especially as I've gained more experience and done more thinking on roleplaying, is make sure that all my characters come with inbuilt 'grommets' to attach adventure hooks. They have relationships, goals, personality quirks, flaws or all of the above that justify their association with the other PCs and make it easy for the GM to pull them into adventurous situations.

Lately, I've also begun to pre-plan dramatic arcs. Not that I decide how things will turn out, but I design the character to have a weakness of some sort that their personal story will revolve around. And when I think about it, I very rarely set things up so that my PCs are at all likely to have a happy ending.

One of my favourite characters is hopelessly in love with an NPC who was specifically designed to torment him, being psychologically damaged and herself obsessed with a major villain. The tension between the PC's selfless love for someone more likely to end up as a psychotic supervillain than anything else and my PC's strong moral compass would provide drama and motivation for various objectively insane escapades, while also ensuring that simple, boring solutions like killing villains were usually off the table. Also, while it hasn't happened yet, at least not in a final and irrevocable fashion, at some point, the PC will probably be faced with choosing between love and honour.

I guess, now that I think about it, that a commonality for all my PCs is that something generally stands in the way of them being happy, or, at least having successful romantic relationships. Maybe it's practicality, to a degree (think about how many plots would be short-circuited if fictional protagonists could avoid all the drama and 'will they, won't they' surrounding their romance), but I also suspect that while I like intelligent, sensible, competent protagonists, I don't want them to feel like Mary Sue / Marty Stu, and an easy way to avoid that is to not make them romantically successful.

Now, there are some unconscious trends as well, clearly because I have strong preferences in fictional protagonists. So, unless I consciously decide to play against type, my characters will be idealists tempered by harsh experience. They'll usually still have strong ethical principles and feel a responsibility to protect others, but they'll have enough experience of war and violence to angrily reject naive misconceptions.

Honour, to most of my PCs, means the strong protecting the weak and never using power for personal gain, it doesn't mean refusing to recognise tactical realities, perform effective scouting, value situational awareness and fight effectively. War isn't a game, 'fair' fights don't exist and ending the violence decisively is more important than glory or pageantry. A commander who doesn't understand ambushes, stealth, misdirection and striking at his opponent's weaknesses is simply engaging in killing without purpose. Command means responsility for the lives of your men and anything that risks more deaths among them needs a damn good justification.

I think over a half of my PCs have had a background as professional soldiers. Professional competence is definitely my preference and when appropriate to the campaign and setting, my PCs tend to be trained as special operations forces operators. Three of them have had a background in sniping and scouting. Despite that, my characters usually dislike killing. Not that they are pacifists, indeed, they are usually capable of ruthless and decisive action. But only to prevent worse harm. Not for pride, glory, reputation or money, nor from anger or even righteous vengeance.

Some of my characters couldn't articulate their beliefs like this, others will philosophically discuss the ethics of violence. And, of course, I played amoral and even despicable characters to deliberately play against my biases. I've even played characters who might have agreed with much of the above, but fail to live up to it. But the characters whom I find it easist to empathise with all tend to approach violence in this way.
Ashe Ravenheart Posted - 08 Aug 2020 : 13:37:06
quote:
Originally posted by King Libertine

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I'm playing in a 2E campaign, now, and I'm doing a simple dwarven fighter. So I'm finally playing that armored character!

I love dwarves. Are you a fighter? a rogue? a cleric?

Sounds like he's playing a fighter.
King Libertine Posted - 08 Aug 2020 : 10:36:25
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I'm playing in a 2E campaign, now, and I'm doing a simple dwarven fighter. So I'm finally playing that armored character!

I love dwarves. Are you a fighter? a rogue? a cleric?
TheIriaeban Posted - 08 Aug 2020 : 02:43:34
I tend to play casters but one of the more fun characters I ran was a halfling thief. I remember one time we were in this temple that had a bunch of different colored velvet curtains so he decided to make some underwear from them. Whomever came back after we left was probably pretty mad seeing all their curtains with underwear shaped holes in 'em.
Wooly Rupert Posted - 08 Aug 2020 : 00:36:44
I'm playing in a 2E campaign, now, and I'm doing a simple dwarven fighter. So I'm finally playing that armored character!
King Libertine Posted - 07 Aug 2020 : 22:36:42
Everyone of my Pc's have died except for 1. That was the WoTsQ adventure. I had 4 hp left when the DM exclaimed it was over. The first game that a pc of mine lived. That pc died later the next year when we entered the Temple of elemental evil re-boot. My air genasi lived until the very end, until he died against Zuggtmoy herself. Only 1 pc lived from that entire epic game. A skinny, mutton-chopped rock gnome named Brehg Blackclay. I was pretty powerful at 16th level air genasi elemental savant sorcerer. We had a elf bladesinger, a dwarf defender of marthammor duin, a halfling rogue of brandobaris and a human druid of silvanus. We all died. lol. The only one to walk away was the dang gnome of garl glittergold. Zuggtmoy escaped unharmed and walked away with what we initially went looking for. I miss my air genasi character. R.I.P.

Irennan Posted - 02 Sep 2019 : 21:18:09
Every one of my hypothetical characters has high DEX and CHA (even if their class doesn't require those stats--well, CHA; DEX is required for pretty much everything), often at the price of low STR and CON, and is skilled at some kind of art. Too bad I never get to play any of them, since I'm pretty much an eternal DM.
VikingLegion Posted - 02 Sep 2019 : 19:52:44
I play almost exclusively humans, for some reason. In the rare instances I have created a non-human character, I tend to range WAY out there and make something really exotic, like a hengeyokai, kobold, minotaur, or my personal favorite - a fremlin. I've always wanted to play a wemic druic or shaman, I just can't get the character concept out of my head, but have never gotten the right chance to do it. I very rarely play one of the "standard" demi-human races like elf, dwarf, halfling, gnome, etc.
Sunderstone Posted - 02 Sep 2019 : 01:50:59
I've always played strongman characters. Almost always a good aligned character who typifies the "gentle giant" persona. I loved Ferdinad the Bull as a little kid and it stuck. Mostly as fighters, paladins, or barbarians but occasionally a cleric who venerates a deity with strength in their godly portfolio. If they have a commoner background, they usually were a butcher, miller, stonemason or blacksmith before adventuring.
Diffan Posted - 31 Aug 2019 : 10:21:23
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn

In all editions, I never dumped Constitution, no matter the class or race. From ed 3.X onward, I always got feats Improved Initiative, Great Fortitude and Iron Will no matter the class.



The only time I've done so was in 4e where there was the backgrounds Born Under a Bad Sign which allows you to use your highest stat in place of Con for starting HP. And HP is fixed in 4e so really you were just hurting the amount of healing surges you had per day.
Drustan Dwnhaedan Posted - 31 Aug 2019 : 08:09:12
I never really play arcane casters. They just don’t appeal to me much, and there’s usually someone else in the party that’s decided to play one. I usually wind up playing a front line meatshield of one sort or another, a healer/tank, or a rogue. My character’s are also usually the token human in the party.
Delnyn Posted - 25 Mar 2019 : 05:55:01
In all editions, I never dumped Constitution, no matter the class or race. From ed 3.X onward, I always got feats Improved Initiative, Great Fortitude and Iron Will no matter the class.
Cosmar Posted - 22 Mar 2019 : 00:57:35
Answering the original question, I would say: intelligence. All of my characters have always been smart, at least somewhat. An intelligence score of 10 is as low as I am willing to go. Not just because I don't really enjoy RP'ing "dumb" characters, I really like them to be well-rounded in their skills and knowledge. Even a barbarian or fighter I'll have at 10 or 12 INT at least so I can give them a few cross-class skill ranks in some random knowledge or other thing.
Dalor Darden Posted - 14 Feb 2019 : 16:01:28
The common theme it seems for my characters seems to be that they start out with, or can later have, the ability to use magical spells.

Whether it is a Ranger, a Thief or a Wizard...arcane magic seems to be something I really enjoy using.

The usual exception to this is at low level I obviously don't have arcane magic for the ranger or thief character I may be playing and so it seems like I don't have a thing for the arcane...but it is apparently always in the back of my mind.

I never got there with a Dwarf thief; but I always dreamed of having a dwarven Fighter/Thief who had the ability to use spell scrolls (in 1e/2e). 3.x made it much easier to use scrolls as a thief. I haven't played 4e more than a handful of times and 5e the same...
Delnyn Posted - 12 Jan 2019 : 22:36:26
The fighter I played preferred lighter armor. He even successfully appropriated drow mail...with a pilfered recipe for non-magical oil that shielded drow items from direct sunlight. Ah yes, you must love +5 gear that does not register as magical, nor penalized stealth checks.
Thraskir Skimper Posted - 27 Aug 2018 : 03:32:18
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan

Something I've always wanted to do was do a partner tandem. So if you're going to play in the Realms one player picks say....a Red Wizard and another one plays a Thayan Knight (protector) that's "with" the other character. Same concepts for say a Hathran from Rasheman and her Berserker protector (I actually have an AWESOME character concept from 4E that works well as they're a Berserker Heroes of the Feywild that can turn into a Bear and is from the Bear Warrior tribe). Things like that which delve into the setting's history and lore just make me all giddy!!



I do play Red Wizard and Cleric of Beshaba combo's.
Archmage of Nowhere Posted - 16 Jul 2018 : 03:09:35
Towards the original question posed I have never played a blue-collar character. Around my table that is a character with mostly simple goals, nothing extravagant and no need to over-think the situation they are in.
Not that they are bad, a lot of my favorite players have had characters like that. But when its time for me to put pencil to paper and make a character it just never crosses my mind.

@Wooly Rupert I just recently got the privilege to do this and was allowed by the DM to play to the strengths of the as written, demi-humans. Ended up using a goblin for it. A little get-rich-quick scheming goblin grenadier with a heavy crossbow. I highly recommend it

Wooly Rupert Posted - 14 Jul 2018 : 15:30:07
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan

Something I've always wanted to do was do a partner tandem. So if you're going to play in the Realms one player picks say....a Red Wizard and another one plays a Thayan Knight (protector) that's "with" the other character. Same concepts for say a Hathran from Rasheman and her Berserker protector (I actually have an AWESOME character concept from 4E that works well as they're a Berserker Heroes of the Feywild that can turn into a Bear and is from the Bear Warrior tribe). Things like that which delve into the setting's history and lore just make me all giddy!!



One thing I've always wanted to do is play a Neutral Evil character in an otherwise good-aligned group. He'd share their goals for whatever reason, and obviously wouldn't be the Chaotic Stupid type that randomly murders people and would betray his companions in a heartbeat... He would basically just be a little more self-centered than the rest and have a lot more "moral flexibility."

And I figure that the best way to pull this off is that the NE character would partners with one of the others. Maybe it's a debt of honor, or maybe they were childhood friends, maybe something else -- but it's that bond that is the reason the NE character is hanging with good guys, and it would conversely be that bond that would make them (at least grudgingly) accept him.

Kind of a Caramon and Raistlin thing, minus Raistlin's inevitable betrayal: the rest of the Companions didn't like or trust Raistlin, but it was accept him into the group along with their buddy Caramon, or not have either of them.
Diffan Posted - 14 Jul 2018 : 13:17:55
Something I've always wanted to do was do a partner tandem. So if you're going to play in the Realms one player picks say....a Red Wizard and another one plays a Thayan Knight (protector) that's "with" the other character. Same concepts for say a Hathran from Rasheman and her Berserker protector (I actually have an AWESOME character concept from 4E that works well as they're a Berserker Heroes of the Feywild that can turn into a Bear and is from the Bear Warrior tribe). Things like that which delve into the setting's history and lore just make me all giddy!!
Thraskir Skimper Posted - 13 Jul 2018 : 03:15:27
For Clerics or Druids Full Plate Tower Shield and Full Helm. Large Mace or Flail and the option to assume a Nasty Spider Form, Elemental or Dragon, or Summon such. Who needs a Fighter.
Thraskir Skimper Posted - 13 Jul 2018 : 03:08:35
We do use Animal Companions and familiars at lower levels, summoned Shadows, Undead and Elementals. Plus Transformation spells Dancing Sword or Mordenkainen's.

Staves if we have to, Wands when we want to or Crossbows when we don't need spells.

Heavy Crossbow with Adamanite Bolts of Fire Ice Lightning etc... Poison helps too.

Even in an Anti Magic shell a Heavy Crossbow with Mind Cackle Poison is a nasty weapon.
Thraskir Skimper Posted - 13 Jul 2018 : 01:08:24
Thayan portable Mage walls to the rescue.


A Red Wizard can do anything any other character class can do save perhaps a Cleric or Druid. Three Red Wizards and a druid or cleric will clean up just about any situation.

Sure we have Black Knights, Thieves, Assassins and Pirate Slavers amoung others but not as player characters.
Darkmeer Posted - 28 Dec 2016 : 06:08:39
Many of my characters tend to be rogues. They are typically paranoid individuals (Grim Greycastle is the best example on these forums).

My characters are typically:
Cleric (Healing and Protection domains are priority for me)
Rogue (paranoid folk).
Paladin (Heavy on the mercy)
Fighter (Dwarven Tin Can)

If given the opportunity within a good group, I like to play with those. I wanted to play in a City of the Spider Queen as a Zhentarim spy WITH the party, specifically to ensure that the Zhents knew what was going on, and knowing that the party needed to survive to maintain my cover. The other was a Dwarven Cleric (Necromancer) who used the feats to stay 2 steps away and he was a "devoted" follower of Moradin... who said "the Dead Shall Rise and Defend the Dwarven Hosts!" Horrible, but true.

Candlekeep Forum © 1999-2024 Candlekeep.com Go To Top Of Page
Snitz Forums 2000