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Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. - WingsOfStardust - 02-04-2014
DISCLAIMER: This is not the official rule set of Thay, nor is anything written below enforced in any way.
What makes a good Role-Player?
I think a good way to start is by asking yourself:
- What do I think makes a good Role-Player?
Is it:
- Emotes.
- Character Descriptions.
- Character Progression.
- Binding build and Role-Play.
I would say it's all that and another very critical bit; Fun.
Whom I've personally found to be the most amazing roleplayers, are those who have fun with their characters.
Because if you as a player don't like your own character or do not enjoy them: it will show. Having a rich character leaves you with a lot of hooks and possibilities.
TL;DR: Start by asking yourself what makes a good role-player, continue by creating a character you enjoy.
Character:
Naming: this is something I personally do last.
I always use source sites that provide names appropriate for the ethnicity of the character, a favourite is "Angelfire.com".
But usually I just google whatever is appropriate. For me, it can take everything from thirty minutes to two hours to find a suitable name.
I would stress that names should be ethnically or race appropriate, depending on the character.
While comic relief characters (and with that names) are appropriate once in a while, all aren't.
In my case I try to find something that suits the character, of my character.
Something that is unique enough to be easily remembered, but not so simple that it would appear bland.
Character Descriptions: I don't know about how others do. But after seeing your in-game avatar, this is the second place I will go to take a look at your character.
This an amazing tool that can provide hooks for your characters, but also tell of such that is impossible to see on the in-game avatar.
- Are you clergy of a believer of a faith?
- Do you have a spell-tome and scrolls on you?
- Are you 5'0" or 6'0"?
- Do you have scars or otherwise other things of note?
All of this can be viewed in advance and then role-played upon.
I might have walked past you on the street, but seeing that you are a follower of the same faith as mine, I might instead speak with you.
Things like that. I would personally love to see description, on every character I come across. It's such potential otherwise wasted.
Here you set the finer lines of your concept and how people may perceive you.
Descriptions and metagaming: I think that a description should consist of such that can be seen instantly, or easily noticeable on a character.
That can be some quirk your characters has, for example:
- "Often her face would be adorned with a friendly smile"
- "He walks with a constant limp, supporting himself more with his right leg than his left"
- "Eyes that speak of a certain coldness, those familiar with such would likely understand; he is a killer"
Avoid writing things that could be metagamed, don't post your life story or things that you would not want others to know.
First of all, you character description is not a biography (we have a section for that on the forums).
Secondly, there is simply not enough room to reach such in a comfortable manner.
God-emotes: avoid at all cost, instead try to be ambiguous; be abstract in how you describe others COULD perceive you.
By God-emotes I mean:
- "His flawless features would attract any woman that looked in his direction; a male nymph in the flesh"
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that would scare all of those around her at a mere glance"
Instead, be abstract, be suggestive but never declaring others reactions.
Use words like: Could, may, perhaps, to some.
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that could scare (all of) those of cowardly minds at a mere glance"
Or change it to something like: "... could be intimidating for the likes of cowards"
Ability scores:
This is a big part of what defines out characters. If they are strong, weak, meagre, social or intelligent.
It all comes down to the range of ability scores that your character possesses.
Let's then begin by breaking down what each ability can mean, in role-playing terms:
Strength: this is the measurement of how strong you are; how much you can carry, how well and hard you can hit - mechanically speaking.
From a role-playing perspective, this can determine the size of your character, the bulkiness and muscle-control.
Personally, I would not say that all high-strength characters are supposed to look as Conan (I mean of course, Arnie).
After all, strength is a lot more than pure muscle-mass.
Constitution: determines the Hit-points of your character and fortitude saves; your resistance to things like poison and diseases.
Not to mention the resistance to spells that would otherwise tear you to pieces; Implosion, Destruction, etc.
This is the healthiness, hardiness and endurance of your character.
Dexterity: affects a great many skills that require nimble or careful hands, a lithe and flexible body, or fast reflexes.
The latter supported by the fact, the multiplier of Dexterity adds to the Reflex Save of your character.
Intelligence: is something similar to IQ; the processing power and capability of your brain.
Mechanically, it determines your skill points and skills like; set/disable trap, Lore and Spellcraft.
A character of high intelligence does not necessarily have to be Knowledgeable,
instead they are perhaps analytic and astute and have an easy time understanding more complex things.
Wisdom: can be your spiritual capacity, empathy and sense towards others motives, but also your clarity of mind.
Mechanically, this affects your perception skills and Will saves.
Charisma: comes down to what kind of appeal your character has, motivations and confidence.
For sorcerers this is what determines their spell-casting ability, it's their determination mixed with the fact of their heritage.
Charisma is the mental Strength of your character, the measure of your willpower and your capacity to influence others.
While it's nebulously defined - the game system lumps in "physical attractiveness" into the picture -
it is not the kind of physical attractiveness you would conclude from strictly physical notions of beauty we may have, i.e. handsome face, tall, muscular, athletic, gorgeous curves.
Rather, it's that personal magnetism, that certain je ne sais quois, that makes people almost irresistibly interesting, be they physical paragons of beauty or stunningly grotesque pictures of horror.
Confidence, self-assurance, capacity for assertion, being able to take charge and sway things to their favour regardless of personal competence - those are usual characteristics of the charismatic.
Emotes:
This is a big one. With emotes we convey what our characters express, feel, think, how they react and what they intend.
- Be descriptive: doing mundane tasks with people around and everything seems a bit quiet?
Emote the little things, think into how your character would manipulate whatever device he/she might be using:
how do they count coins, are they adjusting their armor/clothing, glasses, identifying items?
The more you describe the more can possibly be acted upon by others and it brings a lot to the "feel" of the roleplay.
- Short vs. long emotes: don't be afraid to do both. Experiment with how fluent and artistic you can be in describing exactly what your character expresses in those moment(s).
Often it can provide for a lot of flavour and feel in the current situation and will have a much bigger impact than a few short emotes ever could.
- Google: As a popular saying, google is your friend. If books aren't your thing when it comes to finding new words, google will go a long way.
Try finding those unusual or simply descriptive words that provide a different shade.
For instance, what's the difference between *Chuckles* and *Snickers*?
Try googling it even if you know, you might be surprised. TheFreeDictionary.com works splendidly for this search.
IC vs. OOC:
I'd like to start by saying; this is a game and we're here to have fun.
That aside, it does not mean it's alright to break rules or character.
But then again, some situations might be borderline when it comes to character.
For instance: Elira would normally never hire people to do simple tasks for her.
But in the cause of making it fun for others, she can occasionally hire low-level characters in a similar fashion a random NPC would.
But I'm not breaking character, if anything I'm bending.
Some things would simply be inappropriate to do against you own character concept.
A Cyricist should not be walking around and with good intentions healing hurt people ... just to be nice (or help lowbies).
In that case one should at least have some ulterior motive with it, or make it in a very scary way.
It's a thin line, if anything. One should never compromise their own character if it's avoidable.
Tells: this is a matter of opinion, but I think it's alright to sometimes arrange meetings between characters.
After all, we're playing on a pretty big map and simply "bumping" into others can sometimes be hard when the playercount is low.
It's a tool like any other and sometimes it's the best way to plot with (or against) each other.
Whenever relying on Tells, ask yourself this: "Could what I'm asking/doing OOC, be done IC?".
Character progression:
On Thay, it's possible to sacrifice a character in order to gain half of the levels for your next.
With that, the highest level possible to start at is 10, but most start at lvl 1 through 5.
But almost never does anybody start with renown and or infamy, such things are built through character progression and role-play.
I think it's good to start by having an end-goal, it does not have to be something set in stone and something amazingly epic.
As a Wizard, you might want to become Red Wizard. As Cleric a "Respected Clergy" within a temple. As a warrior, a Tribune at a legion.
Because here you have a chance to have a set goal for your character and yourself.
Having studied psychology I can say, most people are more likely to stick to something if there's an end-goal with it rather than ... "just do it".
Don't predetermine everything: while I think it's great to flesh out your character, I think some parts should be left flexible and changeable.
You never know who you'll meet that will influence your character, what event, what happening or learning of something you did not previously know.
The important bit is to find yourself comfortable with your character, and stay true to the concept while not being inflexible as stone.
Which brings me to the next bit as an example ...
Alignments: likely most of us can agree: the original descriptions of the alignment-system is shallow compared to what CAN and is most often PLAYED.
Not all Chaotic Evil characters are serial-killers and Lawful Good; paladins.
No character is nor should be perfect and so two-dimensional, that there is no leeway for actions that would oppose their alignment.
Alignments are a support for role-play, not the other way around. It is one of the many tools with which we define our characters.
Flexibility: I think one should not be afraid to sometimes (when appropriate) stray from their concepts.
You are a Chaotic Evil Sorcerer that likes to burn everything around yourself, but for a moment, perhaps you found something worth protecting?
You are a Lawful Good Cleric, that experienced something that shakes the very core of your belief and sets you on a darker path ... but you don't have to end up there.
I think, things like that will really give opportunity to define your character as true and living.
They aren't just Chaotic evil, neutral good or true neutral. They aren't just a cleric, a rogue or a warrior.
The level of flexibility is up to you.
The character can be so much more if you only give them that opportunity.
Persistent worlds:
I often forget that we are playing in one of the most sandbox persistent worlds out there.
On ThayPW, the players can make an impact on the setting and change how the world looks, given the right effort of course.
We have the opportunity to bring new things to the server, given enough reason and effort.
It's a sensitive topic which I won't elaborate much further on, since I am not part of the staff and can not vouch for all possibilities...
I'd like this to serve as a simple reminder to whoever reads it; Think outside the (sand)box!
Thayan Wrote:... I would be ecstatic (and I think the DMs would embrace this as well in our talks together) if people would actually use the in-game devices we have (player merchants, houses, forges to create faction items, etc) to start their own factions, stick with them it, and build them up. We had a recent situation where this was highly encouraged but apparently the players involved decided not to pursue it for whatever reason. But if someone(s) were, I am more than willing to commit design resources to making permanent faction areas/items/NPCs if they take off. Sadly, this has yet to occur.[Link to the original post]
Mechanics of ThayPW: I will not be touching on this at all, since there is somebody who has already done so fully.
My kudos go to Jafin, the creator of the thread: Tips for Adventuring in Thay
He touches the subject of: Basic commands, Skills and feats, Clothing/armor customization, Experience and noteriety and much more!
Be sure to check it out.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Under continuous construction] - MilesBeyond - 02-05-2014
Very helpful post. Thank you.
EDIT: D'oh. Just read "closed for discussion."
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Under continuous construction] - WingsOfStardust - 02-05-2014
(02-05-2014, 12:28 AM)MilesBeyond Wrote: Very helpful post. Thank you.
EDIT: D'oh. Just read "closed for discussion."
Thank you for the praise!
Update:
- Character description renamed to Character.
- Added Descriptions and metagaming section.
- Added Naming section.
- Added God-emotes section.
- Added Mechanics of ThayPW section.
- Minor tweaks to structure and grammar/spelling.
Next is:
- Ability-scores and Role-play.
- Opening thread for discussion, suggestion and critique.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Under continuous construction] - WingsOfStardust - 02-06-2014
Update:
- Created Abilty scores section.
- Minor tweaks to structure and grammar/spelling.
With the goal of making this more universally accepted:
I'd like to open the thread for discussion, suggestion and critique.
Please bear that in mind when posting anything of the three.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - Animayhem - 02-06-2014
Some very good points. When I reply I wil try to do it in groupings. :D
WingsOfStardust]Descriptions and metagaming: I think that a description should consist of such that can be seen instantly, or easily noticeable on a character.
That can be some quirk your characters has, for example:
- Often her face would be adorned with a friendly smile"
- "He walks with a constant limp, supporting himself more with his right leg than his left"
- "Eyes that speak of a certain coldness, those familiar with such would likely understand; he is a killer"
Avoid writing things that could be metagamed, don't post your life story or things that you would not want others to know.
First of all, you character description is not a biography (we have a section for that on the forums).
Secondly, there is simply not enough room to reach such in a comfortable manner. [/quote Wrote:I think the character discription that people use should be basically physical discription as appearances are generic. If when you look at the discription and it goes beyond the physical appearance, treat that as OOC. Not everyone uses that to get an idea of what someone looks like. So usually when I have Cara take off her helm and there are people about I usually say something like " As she removes her helm you can see an elven slant to her eyes and elven ears. Her face is a blend of Eleven and Mulhondari features."
[quote="WingsofStardust]
God-emotes: avoid at all cost, instead try to be ambiguous; be abstract in how you describe others COULD perceive you.
By God-emotes I mean:
- "His flawless features would attract any woman that looked in his direction; a male nymph in the flesh"
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that would scare all of those around her at a mere glance"
Instead, be abstract, be suggestive but never declaring others reactions.
Use words like: Could, may, perhaps, to some.
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that could scare (all of) those of cowardly minds at a mere glance"
Or change it to something like: "... could be intimidating for the likes of cowards"
This is kind of a tricky area as maybe their character has actually "experienced" these things or maybe has an ego and assumes such.
WingsOfStardust Wrote:Naming: this is something I personally do last.
I always use source sites that provide names appropriate for the ethnicity of the character, a favourite is "Angelfire.com".
But usually I just google whatever is appropriate. For me, it can take everything from thirty minutes to two hours to find a suitable name.
I would stress that names should be ethnically or race appropriate, depending on the character.
While comic relief characters (and with that names) are appropriate once in a while, all aren't.
In my case I try to find something that suits the character, of my character.
Something that is unique enough to be easily remembered, but not so simple that it would appear bland.
Actually I do this after I have written a basic outline of the character's past as it guides me into how I roleplay and support my character's background. I do not tell people what it means unless they ask as when they do and I tell them it raises eyebrows.
(02-06-2014, 11:41 AM)Animayhem Wrote: Some very good points. When I reply I wil try to do it in groupings.
[quote="WingsOfStardust]Descriptions and metagaming: I think that a description should consist of such that can be seen instantly, or easily noticeable on a character.
That can be some quirk your characters has, for example:
- "Often her face would be adorned with a friendly smile"
- "He walks with a constant limp, supporting himself more with his right leg than his left"
- "Eyes that speak of a certain coldness, those familiar with such would likely understand; he is a killer"
Avoid writing things that could be metagamed, don't post your life story or things that you would not want others to know.
First of all, you character description is not a biography (we have a section for that on the forums).
Secondly, there is simply not enough room to reach such in a comfortable manner.
I think the character discription that people use should be basically physical discription as appearances are generic. If when you look at the discription and it goes beyond the physical appearance, treat that as OOC. Not everyone uses that to get an idea of what someone looks like. So usually when I have Cara take off her helm and there are people about I usually say something like " As she removes her helm you can see an elven slant to her eyes and elven ears. Her face is a blend of Eleven and Mulhondari features."
WingsofStardust]
God-emotes: avoid at all cost, instead try to be ambiguous; be abstract in how you describe others COULD perceive you.
By God-emotes I mean:
- His flawless features would attract any woman that looked in his direction; a male nymph in the flesh"
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that would scare all of those around her at a mere glance"
Instead, be abstract, be suggestive but never declaring others reactions.
Use words like: Could, may, perhaps, to some.
- "Eyes of crimson red, spoke of a sinister intention that could scare (all of) those of cowardly minds at a mere glance"
Or change it to something like: "... could be intimidating for the likes of cowards"
[/quote Wrote:This is kind of a tricky area as maybe their character has actually "experienced" these things or maybe has an ego and assumes such.
[quote="WingsOfStardust"]
Naming: this is something I personally do last.
I always use source sites that provide names appropriate for the ethnicity of the character, a favourite is "Angelfire.com".
But usually I just google whatever is appropriate. For me, it can take everything from thirty minutes to two hours to find a suitable name.
I would stress that names should be ethnically or race appropriate, depending on the character.
While comic relief characters (and with that names) are appropriate once in a while, all aren't.
In my case I try to find something that suits the character, of my character.
Something that is unique enough to be easily remembered, but not so simple that it would appear bland.
Actually I do this after I have written a basic outline of the character's past as it guides me into how I roleplay and support my character's background. I do not tell people what it means unless they ask as when they do and I tell them it raises eyebrows.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - The Philosopher - 02-06-2014
I've heard it described, once, that the mental stats reflect their physical counterparts quite well.
Charisma is the mental Strength of your character, the measure of your willpower and your capacity to influence others. While it's nebulously defined - the game system lumps in "physical attractiveness" into the picture - it is not the kind of physical attractiveness you would conclude from strictly physical notions of beauty we may have, i.e. handsome face, tall, muscular, athletic, gorgeous curves. Rather, it's that personal magnetism, that certain je ne sais quois, that makes people almost irresistibly interesting, be they physical paragons of beauty or stunningly grotesque pictures of horror. Confidence, self-assurance, capacity for assertion, being able to take charge and sway things to their favour regardless of personal competence - those are usual characteristics of the charismatic.
Wisdom is the mental Constitution of your character, the measure of how resilient you are and how much mental trauma you can take and diget. It's also a measure of how empathetic you can be, how well you can understand others and intuit their manner of being.
Intelligence is the mental Dexterity of your character, the measure of how deftly and quickly you process the information you absorb, and how well you can react to new data and stimuli from your surroundings. It's what allows you to learn, analyze, inspect and memorize ever-increasingly complex
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - dremora - 02-06-2014
Stamps "Approved" on Philosopher's head.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - WingsOfStardust - 02-07-2014
(02-06-2014, 07:05 PM)The Philosopher Wrote: Charisma is the mental Strength of your character, the measure of your willpower and your capacity to influence others. While it's nebulously defined - the game system lumps in "physical attractiveness" into the picture - it is not the kind of physical attractiveness you would conclude from strictly physical notions of beauty we may have, i.e. handsome face, tall, muscular, athletic, gorgeous curves. Rather, it's that personal magnetism, that certain je ne sais quois, that makes people almost irresistibly interesting, be they physical paragons of beauty or stunningly grotesque pictures of horror. Confidence, self-assurance, capacity for assertion, being able to take charge and sway things to their favour regardless of personal competence - those are usual characteristics of the charismatic.
Mind if I paste that into the charisma part then?
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - Muse - 02-07-2014
I could've used all this when I first came here on Rinith (Lol), but I found it all out.
Anyways, I really appreciate that you put this up, Wings, to help a lot of new people out.
RE: Role-Playing and Character Guide to PWs. [Open] - WingsOfStardust - 02-07-2014
(02-07-2014, 08:04 AM)RinithMistake Wrote: I could've used all this when I first came here on Rinith (Lol), but I found it all out.
Anyways, I really appreciate that you put this up, Wings, to help a lot of new people out.
Thank you.
Perhaps it's timely considering all the new players on the server,
then again I don't know their background and how long they've been playing PWs! :P