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Post by moulinous on Nov 9, 2006 12:53:39 GMT -5
Read this in the PHB and wanted to share it that sometimes good pcs do things that arnt...well, good. and sometimes evil pcs do something that aint...evil. Think Raistlin and Gully Dwarfs or Sturm and fathering the baby with Kit...
Decide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Race and alignments are good places to start when thinking about your characters personality, but they are bad places to stop. Make your lawful good dwarf (or whatever) diffrent from every other lawful good dwarf. A handy trick for making an intresting personality for your character is including some sort of conflict in her nature. For example, Tordek is lawful but he is a little greedy, too. He may be tempted to steal if he could get away with it. Your character's personailty can change over time. Just because you decide some basic facts about your character's personality when you created the character does not mean you need to abide by those facts as if they were holy writ. Let your characters grow and evolve the way real people do.
Just thought this would be good to share to everyone....
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Post by moulinous on Nov 9, 2006 16:42:53 GMT -5
do dms agree with this by chance?
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Skipius
New Member
Player of Gleayn O'Callen
Posts: 21
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Post by Skipius on Nov 9, 2006 17:57:55 GMT -5
I'm no DM, but I completely agree with you on this. A lot of time I try to compare the "minds" of characters to that of people in real-life (just with the added dragons and magic). People are contanstantly changing (in fact, many people believe change is the only constant). I can take myself for example and see how my outlook on the world has changed from when I was a teen, in my twenties, and now. I'm sure it will change again the future.
Characters are the same way. Someone may have no problem being lawful neutral when they live in a rice family, have things they need and the laws protect them. However, what about if they loose everything? Now they are hungry and their kids are hungry. Maybe they start breaking the law a lot, even if for a good reason?
Anyway, just my 2 cents in connection with your comment.
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Theo
New Member
I enjoy money
Posts: 84
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Post by Theo on Nov 9, 2006 18:14:21 GMT -5
As I said in the alignment topic, I doubt many characters would ever not make some sort of alignment violation during one time or another. But if you find yourself making more alignment violations than actually actions that fit into your alignment, I think it's time to consider having your character's alignment shifted.
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Post by Aodhan the Unusual on Nov 9, 2006 19:26:31 GMT -5
Yep. My character for example, Torian. She started out CG, and has been slipping ever since.
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Post by ChrilWavingdark on Nov 9, 2006 21:21:43 GMT -5
Chril on the other hand has stayed on the straight and narrow path!lol
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Post by Dachshund on Nov 10, 2006 1:13:33 GMT -5
Yep. My character for example, Torian. She started out CG, and has been slipping ever since. I've been meaning to ask you about that... what lies beyond CE?
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Post by Dachshund on Nov 10, 2006 5:03:22 GMT -5
Well... I've had my doubts about my character many times. He's an elf serving a CG god and has enlisted in the army of a LG nation ;D. That means he's VERY often at odds with either himself and his deity or the nation he has vowed to protect. I try to seperate the two things as "elven" and "human" affairs respectively, and I've often been in doubt with specific situations because one choice could land me in trouble with my deity and the other choice could land me in trouble with my superiors. So far all is good, but I know that I will have to choose between one or the other some day. My character has evolved in the manner that he doesn't strictly adhere to the elven principles he arrived in Cormyr with. My alignment has changed because of the above mentioned, but not enough that my deity has found it necessary to strip me off all my powers... yet! EDIT: I started out as CG but as DM Aodhan wrote... "he's been slipping ever since".
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Post by Grozer on Nov 10, 2006 6:05:38 GMT -5
Read this in the PHB and wanted to share it that sometimes good pcs do things that arnt...well, good. and sometimes evil pcs do something that aint...evil. Think Raistlin and Gully Dwarfs or Sturm and fathering the baby with Kit... Decide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Race and alignments are good places to start when thinking about your characters personality, but they are bad places to stop. Make your lawful good dwarf (or whatever) diffrent from every other lawful good dwarf. A handy trick for making an intresting personality for your character is including some sort of conflict in her nature. For example, Tordek is lawful but he is a little greedy, too. He may be tempted to steal if he could get away with it. Your character's personailty can change over time. Just because you decide some basic facts about your character's personality when you created the character does not mean you need to abide by those facts as if they were holy writ. Let your characters grow and evolve the way real people do. Just thought this would be good to share to everyone.... Well I for one want to pat you on the back. While I am not speaking for the FRC team officially I can tell you its always been my opinion that we shouldnt "play" alignments. I am of the opinion that alignment is a by product of one's actions. Well that begs the question, "if alignment is the by product of one's actions, what is the driver of action?" Good thing you asked!(though I would tell you even if you didnt) Again in my opinion, a character is driven by their background, personality, past experiences, etc. This is why it is so imperative to have some form of character background, as those previous events shaped the character's view on life and how they act.... not alignment. Alignment is a categorization of the character's overall actions. Now with all that being said we all pick an alignment upon character creation, so what you should be doing at that point is consider which alignment most closely resembles the type of actions your character would take in certain situations. Anyway its late... and I am mostly likely rambling...
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Post by Aodhan the Unusual on Nov 10, 2006 10:10:02 GMT -5
What I've found with alignments, is generally people start out with a good or neutral character because they haven't developed the character's personality, background, and so on before creating them. Some of them, as in the case of my character, Torian, actually were based on something that was considered a different alignment than what she turned out (Torian was based off of the kender of DragonLance). As people play their characters (and sometimes a person will go through quite a few to find one they like, are comfortable enough to play, and so on), that's when personality, ticks, quirks, and other little things start to develop, as well as alignment. I have seen people who started off good or neutral embrace their dark nature and turn evil, or do a complete turn around and become good, sometimes not even realizing what they were doing until someone points it out. And then you get us neutrals that play just enough on either side that it's hard for anyone to tell if we're more evil or good. "Hey, you just saved little Timmy from the well!" "What do you know? I did! It felt good!" *drops little Timmy back in* "You monster!" "It's okay. I'll save him, again. This time I want money in return for doing it." ;D
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Driderman
Old School
Off-topic conversationalist extraordinaire!
Posts: 357
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Post by Driderman on Nov 10, 2006 10:14:32 GMT -5
Some of them, as in the case of my character, Torian, actually were based on something that was considered a different alignment than what she turned out (Torian was based off of the kender of DragonLance). Which would explain the name 'Burrfoot'... I've always wondered what her precise relation to Tasselhoff Burrfoot is...
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Post by Aodhan the Unusual on Nov 10, 2006 10:37:30 GMT -5
Third cousin, twice removed on her aunt's uncle's father's mother's cousin's side. And yes, she DOES have an Uncle Trapspringer. ;D
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Post by vercingettorix on Nov 14, 2006 8:20:45 GMT -5
"Hey, you just saved little Timmy from the well!" "What do you know? I did! It felt good!" *drops little Timmy back in* "You monster!" "It's okay. I'll save him, again. This time I want money in return for doing it." ;D I find this insanely funny. ;D
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Post by ShadowCatJen on Nov 14, 2006 10:42:27 GMT -5
Pretty much agree with what's been said so far. The alignments basically are just a guideline to help players with what actions their characters will or will not do. The only time alignment is something that very much needs to be paid attention to by a DM or DM crew is when they are a paladin or a cleric of a particular diety (the whole "one step" rule). If we're using our characters as an example, Mynian started as Chaotic Good way back when then slipped to Chaotic Neutral after her husband died. Had to do with the whole deal of just trying to make herself happy and damn the rest of them. Right now she's on that boarder of Good/Neutral where she'll lean to the good more often then not, but still has it in her to be greedy and selfish. Marichelle was actually Lawful Evil until her husband betrayed her. Through her "how the mighty have fallen" situation she's gone a full two steps to True Neutral. Which ain't an easy alignment to go with, let me tell ya. For a level 1 Blind Vagabond she's the most challenging character I've ever played. Alignments are definitely not static. Even with a Lawful Good Paladin they could end up doing something that makes them slip up. Thus the reason why in the sourcebooks you have sections on fallen paladins, it can certainly happen.
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Post by moulinous on Nov 14, 2006 11:47:17 GMT -5
Pretty much agree with what's been said so far. The alignments basically are just a guideline to help players with what actions their characters will or will not do. The only time alignment is something that very much needs to be paid attention to by a DM or DM crew is when they are a paladin or a cleric of a particular diety (the whole "one step" rule). If we're using our characters as an example, Mynian started as Chaotic Good way back when then slipped to Chaotic Neutral after her husband died. Had to do with the whole deal of just trying to make herself happy and damn the rest of them. Right now she's on that boarder of Good/Neutral where she'll lean to the good more often then not, but still has it in her to be greedy and selfish. Marichelle was actually Lawful Evil until her husband betrayed her. Through her "how the mighty have fallen" situation she's gone a full two steps to True Neutral. Which ain't an easy alignment to go with, let me tell ya. For a level 1 Blind Vagabond she's the most challenging character I've ever played. Alignments are definitely not static. Even with a Lawful Good Paladin they could end up doing something that makes them slip up. Thus the reason why in the sourcebooks you have sections on fallen paladins, it can certainly happen. a husband death and a betrayal? watch out arcadiadragon...hope your name aint earl cause you know, he had to die....
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