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NightElf
Seeker
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United Kingdom
97 Posts |
 Posted - 12 May 2004 : 16:27:22
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Greetings all! Im about to join in a game with a bit of a difference from what I normally do. Recently my character, Lord Strongheart, was killed in a rather embarrassing way. Rather use the same character [I consider him a passed hero] Ive decided to start a new character and am thinking about giving an "Inverse Gender" character a try. Rather, Im going to use a character of the opposite gender to myself.
Just wondering if anyone has ever taken on a character not of their gender and how did it go... is it any different than a same gender character??? 
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"Those who watch their backs meet death from the front" |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2004 : 16:32:33
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Oh, lots of people have done that. In fact, I remember one scribe who was suggesting that you weren't a good roleplayer until you tried the other side.
 Which sounds like he was talking about something completely different. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2004 : 16:43:44
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I play quite a few-I seem to have a penchant for doing such. It goes fairly well, if you can roleplay well enough. My advice lies along the lines of stay away from stereotypes. You're going from male to female, right? Then don't be overtly feminine, and don't be the tough girl out to kick ass. Stay between the two-if you lay it on thick, it'll be annoying more than anything else. I'll try and think of some other points when I actually get home.
By the way, my user name and avatar choice were inspired by my longest running character(now retired, and turned into multiple plot hooks.). Just as the Sage is Rastromo Meradoc, I'm Arivia Elevor. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2004 : 17:43:05
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quote:
Originally posted by NightElf
Just wondering if anyone has ever taken on a character not of their gender and how did it go... is it any different than a same gender character???
Yes, I have played characters both female and male. To me a character is a character and the sex is not as important as other details such as fleshing the character out and making her/him three-dimensional. |
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Xullrae Zauviir
Acolyte
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2004 : 17:53:46
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I play males all the time, (usually as NPC's) Arivia gave sound advice. Good female character's that aren't out to kick butt or are too feminine would be like Catti-brie, or to see a wide range of women would be the Seven Sister's.
Women USUALLY (not all) who were not raised by mothers but by father's or just men in general, pick up masculine traits. In any case, it depends on how you want your character to be. Stereotypes might be necessary, there are woman who are prostitutes that seduction and fany or guady clothes are "second skin", where as a warrior typically has no need for such. Yet again, noble women can be very feminine, fine clothes, manners. As I said it depends on what type of background you choose for the character. You may choose a whiney spoiled brat, used to comforts and getting her way and have the character grow and harden up where she won't depend on these, and become more versed to men's clothing and hard work.
It can be very hard to play the oposite gender, specially if you do not how they think, hence when most folks do opposite gender's they end up making the stereotypes you were warned about. |
Live spelled backwards is evil. Doesn't that mean that there is a measure of evil in everyone? Perhaps it was the god's hidden joke, but why are you scoffing that I admit I'm evil? At least I'm not slaughtering innocents and saying it's good and right. No matter how you look at it, it's still murder and therefore evil. Deep down, you are no better than I am. The only difference is that I may lie to others, but not to myself! ~Xull'rae Zauviir |
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SoulLord
Seeker
Mexico
62 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2004 : 22:18:26
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My female characters seem to be always too feminine which sometimes cause troubles with the girls in our group who are more than happy to point out that no "real" girl would behave like that :)
but it was fun trying, for my part i guess ill stick to males |
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Wood Elf Ranger
Senior Scribe
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2004 : 14:59:59
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| I'm about to play a female character in one of my campaigns right now :) I think the trick is not to put yourself in their shoes genderwise but to do it like a normal character you create put yourself through their past to see where they are now. I hope that makes sense. Also stick to your alignment that should be the main thing as long as you do that then once you get comfortable you can add certain female traits. Which seem to vary widely even more than males but like it was said before don't go for the regular stereotypes and you'll be fine |
~Lee N.
"Breaktime yes?!.. Yes?.. Maybe?.. Noo, baaack to work.." -Grovel the Goblin from NWN: HotU |
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Sarelle
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
508 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2004 : 16:40:47
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Playing a female - I'm male and my favourite character is a female drow - shouldn't, as has been said, be any different than playing a male unless your campaign has any flirting/sexual themes. I mean sure - you probably arn't going to play a dwarf who rushes into orcs shouting curses and oaths to Moradin, then goes to an inn and drinks himself into a stupor... but other than stereotypes like that, adventurer men shouldn't be that different from adventuerer women.
Female drow are both easier in some respects, and harder in other - in one way you are playing someone who is used to being the dominant sex, but then again sexism such as practiced in drow culture isn;t really very big these days (most of the time... I hope! ) |
Chair of the The Rightful Return of Monster Deities to FR Society (RRMDFRS)
My character, drawn by Liodain: Sarelle / Sarelle (smaller) |
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labcoatmunkey124
Acolyte
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - 16 May 2004 : 22:07:49
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| I prefer to stick to my own gender (easier to understand and less confintation w/in the group) but i do understand the challenge to try the opposite gender. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 02:42:33
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| I've never had the urge to play a character of the opposite sex... It's just never occurred to me at character creation time. |
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Artalis
Senior Scribe
USA
444 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 02:50:21
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I feel I can respond to this topic with a reasonable amount of insight. I actively play somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 characters by pbem and roughly half of them are female.
I make it a point in the character creation process to make a character a whole person. I think it was Stan Lee who said "a great character almost writes himself." Or something like that.
Once you've crafted a character as a whole you should know certain things about them. How they see themselves how they look at the world, how they feel about sex, law, vegetables etc.
In short I think most people stop before they truly finish creating the character. THAT'S how you get stereotypes. In the lack of any real background to fall back on the stereotype becomes the norm.
I will freely admit to playing one or two seemingly overtly feminine characters. One was only barely raised by her father who compensated for his lack of knowledge about "girly-stuff" shipped his daughter off to every charm-school related activity he could afford. She spent a great deal of time being taught how to be a lady but occasionally rebels against it. She's spoiled but not too badly and lived a protected life until she got into a huge fight with her father and ran away.
That's just one example but you can see how there's a foundation for it. Let's face it people there's a couple of billion people in our world. We've all seen girly girls and girly guys and men's men and women who act like men. Anything is possible but in order for the character to make sense you MUST UNDERSTAND her/him. |
Artalis
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 04:42:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Artalis
That's just one example but you can see how there's a foundation for it.
And in that one example, you've just shown what I fear is a dying art at least as far as NPCs found in the majority of D20 products....actually fleshing out a character's personality/background/etc. over making sure all the prestige classes, feats are listed. |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 01:16:34
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I would agree totally that the most important art of establishing a character is having a total handle on what their personality is, some idea of the spark that's central to their being. That's not necessarily knowing all the specifics right away, but at least knowing how to respond in character to anything that comes up. Once you've got that, these sorts of characters can just write themselves. And if you've got it right you don't need tonnes of cliched mannerisms of one gender or another to establish what sex they are.
If you don't feel you can manage that for the opposite sex, that's fine. Men and women have failed to understand each other for hundreds of years, so its no surprise when you can't pin down that male to female (or female to male) character you're trying to get. 
On the other hand, look at the women in your life for inspiration... like at their mannerisms, opinions, morals and general outlook on life and see if any of that helps you imagine a new person. I'm very grateful to one of my early girlfriends, as her incredible sense of indepedence and spirit helped many a character (male or female) get some badly needed individuality. |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
Edited by - Gerath Hoan on 18 May 2004 01:18:39 |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 03:02:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Gerath Hoan
On the other hand, look at the women in your life for inspiration... like at their mannerisms, opinions, morals and general outlook on life and see if any of that helps you imagine a new person.
Or if you have in-laws like some of us...whenever you need a new villian. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 15:27:26
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In regards to this topic and on the Sirius thought he had heard it all front, I found the following post at the start of a thread on another board:
quote:
My dm says that girls can only play wizards and clerics and classes like that. I want to play a paladin, but he says that only guys can be paladins. Help is that true?
Incredible.  Time to find a new DM is what I think. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 16:55:39
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
In regards to this topic and on the Sirius thought he had heard it all front, I found the following post at the start of a thread on another board:
quote:
My dm says that girls can only play wizards and clerics and classes like that. I want to play a paladin, but he says that only guys can be paladins. Help is that true?
Incredible. Time to find a new DM is what I think.
That's simply preposterous. I agree with Sirius -- time to lose that DM. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 17:34:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
That's simply preposterous. I agree with Sirius -- time to lose that DM.
One thing to note, I think we are dealing with teen players and/or DM. But, even with that in mind, I still think it's time for the DM to gain some quick enlightenment or be discarded. The people I gamed with when I was a teen would have never agreed with such a sentiment. |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 17:36:22
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Am i right in thinking that the Paladin pictured next to the class description in the PHB is a woman?
That DM deserves to be... well, i can't think of anything appropriate right now, but you get the picture.  |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 17:41:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Gerath Hoan
Am i right in thinking that the Paladin pictured next to the class description in the PHB is a woman?
Yes, if I recall correctly, someone at the other board brought up this point.
I think it's a case of a DM with selective vision/memory wishing to exert his own control over the players. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 17:49:18
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
That's simply preposterous. I agree with Sirius -- time to lose that DM.
One thing to note, I think we are dealing with teen players and/or DM. But, even with that in mind, I still think it's time for the DM to gain some quick enlightenment or be discarded. The people I gamed with when I was a teen would have never agreed with such a sentiment.
I was thinking it was prolly a teen DM, as well. I can't see to many adult DMs trying to pull off that one. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Lina
Senior Scribe
Australia
469 Posts |
Posted - 24 May 2004 : 10:52:04
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| I've been known to play both. I don't really have a preference for either as in some games stats aren't affected by gender, however I tend to go as male if game rulz states that gender does affect stats. Males have greater strength so they can carry more loot. |
“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows! Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name. I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed…by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!!!”
"Thieves? Ah, such an ugly word... look upon them as the most honest sort of merchant."
-Oglar the Thieflord |
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Inverse Gender
