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wadledo
2008-10-01, 08:58 PM
What characters do you find yourself playing, time and again, slapping on a new coat of paint ever game but still managing to get that same essence of (in my case) gruff, scruffy, slightly more than mildly awkward in the company of anyone not shorter than him?:smallamused:

My two are:

Crew
The Were-rat Whirling frenzy barbarian, with more drunken escapes from the jail-house than common sense and a battle-axe that could chop off his own head, if he hadn't tied it to his hands.
Number of Times Played: 4

Dain Ironwrought
Dwarven Transmuter, who crafts, shields, and worked in a traveling caravan with his hedgehog familiar, Boo(who's a cheeky little B@stard, if I do say so myself).
Number of Times Played: 3

So, who are you?:smallconfused:

Grynning
2008-10-01, 09:02 PM
As much as I hate to admit it...

MYSELF
Tactical and analytical, but still somewhat reckless, always up for a challenge. A natural leader or a bossy, arrogant S.O.B. depending on who you ask.
All my characters tend to end up acting like this, despite the personality traits I write down on their sheets :smallredface:

BizzaroStormy
2008-10-01, 09:06 PM
Stredexon "Mart" Intwisca

A very young, crippled sorcerer who dresses like Vivi from FFIX. Accepted into quite a few games but those with him in them seem die die fairly quickly.

Times Played: 8

AstralFire
2008-10-01, 09:26 PM
I have a fondness for smug, slender, intelligent and arrogant bastards who do what needs to be done.

That and personable, likable, boy scout but pragmatic Paladin-types. Which is ironic as I've never actually played a Paladin or Cleric in D&D.

Nerd-o-rama
2008-10-01, 09:31 PM
I try not to reuse characters, but I tend to default toward witty, charming, relatively laid-back Paladins or other warriors with social skills.

I'd say I've done three or four variations on this theme, including a DMPC. Although not every trait comes through in every character.

streakster
2008-10-01, 09:36 PM
The Warlock. The flashy, self-centered, arrogant, CN because it's a good party and the paladin won't let me get away with CE, Magnificent Bastard whenever I can get away with it, Warlock.

Most of my characters act like that, actually...

Siosilvar
2008-10-01, 09:37 PM
MYSELF
Tactical and analytical, but still somewhat reckless, always up for a challenge. A natural leader or a bossy, arrogant S.O.B. depending on who you ask.
All my characters tend to end up acting like this, despite the personality traits I write down on their sheets
'scuse me, are you me?

sonofzeal
2008-10-01, 09:37 PM
Nothing. Seriously, nothing.

Unless pressed for time or specifically asked, I'll almost always play something I've never played before, and something deliberately different. I've had characters continue from one game to a different one, and I have a few favorites, but really what's quintessentially me is a bit of everything. So... factotum maybe? Ignoring the fact that I've never actually played one, the whole concept of the factotum is uniquely appropriate to me and my playstyle.

thegurullamen
2008-10-01, 09:44 PM
Spoiled brat Sorc who aspires to archmagedom and kicking the crap out of towns holding people who oppressed him on his way up. And those ******bags in the Mage Academy who keep trying to kill him because he gives mages a bad name. And the kids of anyone who really ticked him off. And the church of St. Cuthbert, but that's just on principle.

Artanis
2008-10-01, 09:45 PM
An elvish archer. The character is an elf...who shoots things...

...yeah, I kinda suck at making characters.



When not playing an archer-type, I tend to play somebody with a lot of firepower who likes to use it a little too much. It's not that the character likes killing people, the character simply likes doing things he's good at...which coincidentally happens to include killing people.

Grynning
2008-10-01, 09:47 PM
'scuse me, are you me?

If so, one of us is an evil doppelganger of the other, and we must fight to the death!

Xallace
2008-10-01, 09:48 PM
Ezekiel Black

Necromancer-type arcane caster with a higher moral standard than anyone else in the party with an appreciation for all living things and an immense dislike of other necromancers. The last part can be explained via a quote of his: "I pay the best respect to living creatures because I know what terrible things happen to them when they die. I cause most of those things."

Number of times played: 2

But he also falls into my general character type, which tends to be morally upright if ethically questionable human males. I never feel comfortable giving my characters a "Good" alignment on paper, but some of them have ended up Exalted.

Kaihaku
2008-10-01, 09:49 PM
I rarely play the same character concept twice unless it wasn't didn't get the development I wanted the first time around.

SurlySeraph
2008-10-01, 10:01 PM
Marshall Nethren

A death-obsessed paladin. His philosophy is "We're all going to die eventually, but it is my responsibility to make sure that the evil ones die first." Whether he's doing this because he believes it will result in a paradise on earth, or because it's his duty, or for whatever other reason, varies. Not terribly merciful and sometimes angsty, but otherwise tends to be nice and benevolent. Often overlaps with...

Smitey McOrwellian

If you've spent much time on the SMBGs, this is basically my persona there. An old or middle-aged, bitter and cynical paladin. Often a Gray Guard. Tends to oppose pretty much all types of fun, responds to every threat with Smite Evil rather than negotiating or retreating, openly discriminates against half-orcs, tieflings, drow, and other usually evil races, and generally acts oppressively paranoid. But it's to make sure everyone stays safe, and it works. Will show a softer and friendlier side to those few he actually trusts, but his trust doesn't come easily. Much, much more effective (both mechanically and in RP terms) in GRIMDARK campaign settings.

Vain Smasher

A fighter-type who thinks very highly of himself, usually much more highly than he deserves. Tends to drastically overestimate his own toughness and get beat down, but no matter how many times it happens he bounces back. Fun-loving and has very little thought for consequences. Usually either CN (Wheee! I'm awesome! Let's go break things that aren't awesome!) or NE (My innate superiority to you means that I am justified in killing you for my amusement!)

Clemens the Necromancer

A fairly detached, scholarly necromancer. What class he is varies: he can be a wizard, sorceror, or archivist, or some kind of gish. His alignment also varies. What's constant is that he doesn't much care about undead but is very interested in life energy itself, and doesn't care that much about day-to-day life. Usually holds very strongly to a single principle or goal.

Glyde
2008-10-01, 10:04 PM
I try to keep it varied when I make a new character, but so far I seem to actually be playing the same character quite a bit. And I mean the same character. He's quite old, now, though still fightin' strong. He makes guest appearance almost everywhere possible.

Gamgee
2008-10-01, 10:07 PM
The no ****ing nonsense lets get this done and get it done proper character. Quite prone to saving everyone elses asses due to me just being like that :) That or my oh so lovely dwarf of whatever.

Deepblue706
2008-10-01, 10:40 PM
There is one character I've used more than once. The original followed this concept:

A troubled knight who is born of a noble house but falls from his high status because of war (his side lost), and is rather bitter about it. He is well-educated and intelligent, but also biased and judgmental. He would sometimes have bouts with depression, and often resorted to alcohol. While once a bastion of morality and the chivalric ideal, he had become dark, brooding and fairly apathetic to others. But, he would often struggle with himself; fighting between upholding his old beliefs, abandoning them for an easier life, or giving up on life altogether.

The main inspiration of this character came from the blending of two concepts; of the Tragic Hero - which involves a high-man-brought-low - and of the Villain - the low-man-brought-high. He was supposed to be a great person who sought to rebuild himself after the fall, and would walk the line between Hero and Villain due to what had influenced everything about him until this point.

One variation is purely the evil side, who "falls" only because his father leaves him meager inheritance (he is a fourth son). He has little internal struggle, and none of the redeeming qualities the original had. He is a strong man, who does as a strong man does - dominate the weak for his own gain. He has made a "fall" (again, quotes because it's nothing in comparison to an actual fall), but is rapidly rising due to his ruthlessness and animalistic cunning.

Another variation is purely Lawful - he upholds honor and law, but never had any truly good traits (even if his understanding of morality equals the original). He's not a bad guy, but his natural inclination has never been heroic. He helps who he can, and has no reservations for those he can't. He is significantly younger than the original, and essentially the same character prior to experiencing anything that made him great. He has made neither a rise or fall.

valadil
2008-10-01, 10:43 PM
I try to make all my characters unique, but I've got a few patterns that have emerged over the years.


My first character in any fantasy system is some sort of ranger
I often end up as the academic spellcaster, though I've been shying away from that lately
I idolize scoundrels

monty
2008-10-01, 10:45 PM
Almost always neutral or chaotic (varied on the other axis, but with a slight tendency toward evil) with high Charisma (I've never dumped it for a build I've used). No consistent class, but usually a caster of some kind.

ocato
2008-10-01, 10:56 PM
I've never really reused an exact story or build or character, but I have the best luck with melee types--ones who single out the biggest, baddest, scariest thing on the table and proceed to try to fight it all by himself.

The Barbarian that solo'd a Death Knight (from some Monster Manual, I just remember it was pretty epic) stands out as one.

The Dervish that almost solo'd a small army of demons (Marileth survived a full attack barely and telekinesis'd me into a bottomless pit that went straight into the 9 hells is the other. The ongoing theory is that he's still sawing through demons in hell, dancing the night away.

Of course characters like that tend to die, and my friends never remember the epic victories, only the ignoble defeats.

Jerks.

Eldariel
2008-10-01, 11:03 PM
Eh, the character I've played most often:
Elven Warrior/Arcane with both, melee and bow competency. That is, I've played it once per edition. Fighter/Mage multiclass in AD&D, Fighter (yea, my bad)/Wizard/AA/Eldritch Knight in 3.0 and 3.5, pending 4.0 play yet. Mind you, the name is always different along with personality and all that (the latest was sort of a Blood Knight striving to test his mettle against stronger and stronger magic users and warriors, defeating them in their own game), but what he can do is always the same.

There's really no other character I'd played multiple times across any number of rules sets/games. I relish in creating new personalities and trying to act like them to best of my ability, just as much as I relish in creating new mechanical shells. This leads to me loving the creation of new characters almost as much as the experience of actually playing them.

NEO|Phyte
2008-10-01, 11:44 PM
I've yet to really play the same character more than once, but I've got a few characters that HAVE been played (and some that haven't) that I wouldn't mind reusing, should a suitable game crop up.

Malous
Psiforged Psion (telepath)/Thrallherd
The original concept behind Malous was simple delusions of grandeur, which would be affirmed by his thralls and believers. The campaign was also using the Taint rules from Heroes of Horror, which prompted me to decide that his respect for the living would vary depending on how tainted he was. Even though becoming an NPC would have been certain, I would have so loved ending up a mechanical version of Xykon. Either way, the game ended up drifting out of the horror genre, and the taint rules were pretty much forgotten from session one. Malous ended up becoming a mostly silent observer, speaking only when he had something worth saying. In the early parts of the session, I was rather handy because as I didn't need to eat, I was safe from the rather not friendly plague that was in the area. We had the (infected) paladin tied to me for a while, so that if he succumbed to the plague and turned into a cannibalistic monster, he'd be rather hampered. Luckily, he held on long enough for us to find the plot device needed to cure him. This plot device was one of a set of 12 intelligent stones, which he refused to trust after the first contact with one 'broke' his thrall, an already insane dwarf wizard named Carl. (Carl later became a full PC, and ended up dying epically to a gold dragon's fire breath after benign transpositioning with an unconscious red dragon in order to save an NPC girl that the paladin adopted after rescuing her from the village of cannibals.) From those humble beginnings, he ended up opposing a mysterious group (Including most, if not all, of the stones) that sought to enter Heaven in order to rewrite Fate. He also had a bit of a personal sidequest in the form of freeing his people from the (manipulated by the bad guys) forces of Pelor, who were going genocidal on everything not human, using Warforged to bolster their forces. Aside from a few early encounters, most of the fights we got involved in ended up being against mindflayers, dragons, and/or deific beings, so I never got a chance to REALLY lay into any encounters with the good stuff. Oh how I yearned for a batch of mooks or at least something WITHOUT godly saves and/or SR to try out some of my powers on. Sadly, the campaign ended prematurely. The DM shared his plans though, and had we won, Malous would have been the ruler of the warforged. He was also apparently specially built (which included lacking a soul, something the stones were fond of) by a gnome that knew about the stones.

Agdor Loathestone
Dwarven Psychic warrior/Elocater
I've yet to actually play Agdor, but I've got him all figured out. He started out as a guardsdwarf. One freak landslide/cave in later, and he's a blacksmith with a crushed leg, a grudge against the earth, and a head full of untapped potential. He spends a few years banging out armor and weapons, working on both his powers and his grudge on the side, as well as a set of mithral fullplate. Once his armor was finished, he took it, his axe from his time as a guard, some basic supplies, and left, adopting the name Loathestone to replace his clan name. Assuming the game starts at a high enough level, his first step out of his home also serves as his last step, as he chooses that moment to forever sever his connection with the ground. He remains dwarfy, he just doesn't like the earth.

There's a third, but I feel like I've typed for far too long, so maybe in a later post.

Ravyn
2008-10-02, 12:06 AM
It varies for me. I had a while in which I favored overdramatic arcanists, then I switched into subtle combat-evaders and troubleshooters.

The usual similarities: most of my characters are intelligent and more than decent at wordplay. They tend to either have a snarky side or attempt to bring out the best in other people; some even do both.

I had two in one game group that started a bit of a running joke. If three of us were playing in the same game, I'd end up as leader of the free world by accident (one campaign I shouted down a couple armies, the next time I can-openered the BBEG around the time a major symbolic position in my organization was being filled), one of the others would be my partner in crime, and another would be my dark mirror. Still waiting to see what happens when one of the three of us is running and all three are playing...

ghost_warlock
2008-10-02, 12:57 AM
Gilbenstock Cy Attax

My first D&D character, ever. I've created a version of Gilben for just about every system I've ever played, whether fantasy, modern, or futuristic. He's a rogue with a pious streak, dedicated to whatever anti-undead deity the setting features. Several versions of him were lycanthropic (werepanther) - in the original game the resident anti-undead deity was a feline goddess who tended to bless her champions with true lycanthropy.

James Cyanblade

Another rogue, but an insane one. Cyanblade at one time possessed both the hand and eye of Vecna (2nd ed D&D), but his companions rid him of them (and he somehow managed to regenerate his then-missing hand and eye). Cyanblade has a taste for the flesh of outsiders, such as hellhounds. In the original game it was hinted that he was descended from the local god of Chaos so he tends to be a bit crazy and have odd features (such as his cyan eyes, which sometimes glow). He eventually married a drow and the couple raised a son together, who ended up getting bounced through time a lot.

Jalsgrim Redmother

Another insane character, Jalsgrim tends to get banned by DMs for crazy shenanigans - he doesn't railroad well. :smalltongue: Jalsgrim is a transmuter -> wild mage who does some plane-hopping and wields a dwarven waraxe. His backstory changes every time he tells it; including such things as a gnoll and a plate of spaghetti for parents. He's a fan of shape-shifting magic and has rather liberal erotic tastes (Jalsgrim Redmother: planar whore).

Jerthanis
2008-10-02, 01:19 AM
Matthew, A Sarcastic, much suffered and level headed protagonist who is unflappable even in the face of madness and stupidity fighting for a status quo he doesn't even really believe in. Will mock the percieved shortcomings of his foes, and will express his distaste for his companions, but will defend them from any outsider. While his exterior is jaded and cynical, he never shirks an opportunity to step forward and be a hero, though he rarely accepts credit for his actions, explaining it away as a whim or furthering his own goals or whatever excuse comes to mind.

Number of times played: 4 as a conservative estimate

Cheesegear
2008-10-02, 01:43 AM
I tend to find myself continually playing stealth-specialists (except for Monks, never monks) of varying specialties. I usually play 'less-than-modern' who prefer old ways over new. Not fixing what isn't broke.
My favorite class/es are Ranger/Scout, Barbarian and Druid (and I rarely ever even D-zilla). I'll take Spirit Shaman too.

My 2e character that I played for a long time was a Half-Elf Ranger who dual-wielded Morning Stars. I guess I never got over that...Until 3e when Half-Elves were crap.

Now my quintessential character is a Human Swift Hunter (Ranger/Scout).

The_Snark
2008-10-02, 02:02 AM
I don't have characters I re-use all that often, but I do have archetypes and personality traits that frequently show up, which I'll do my best to remember and list:

-Street rats. Oh, they might not have grown up on the streets, and they might not be poor, but for whatever reason, the character who knows their way around the city and has contacts scattered about is a favorite archetype of mine. Usually talkative, but they range from caustic and cynical to cheerful and easygoing. Class-wise, they tend to be skill monkeys for obvious reasons, but I've also played spellcasters and fighter-types who fit in well.

-Seers. I've done several variations on this, but I particularly like those who have visions in their dreams. Of course, this requires collaboration with the DM to pull off properly, and since DMs rarely want to give clear and detailed visions (which wouldn't fit most media anyway), the character can either end up as a mostly sensible person who doesn't quite understand what she sees, or (more often) is also...

-Neurotic or insane. Not necessarily violently insane, but definitely not right in the head either. My non-rational seers tend to understand what they see a lot better than the sane ones, but have a great deal of trouble expressing this in a way that makes sense. Any shapeshifter I make who's not a natural shapeshifter will usually be at least a little like this—if you could change your shape, wouldn't your mind have to change with it? May overlap with...

-Variations on evil characters. Usually not priests of evil gods; it's hard for me to get inside the head of somebody who thinks of him/herself as evil. Rather than defining them by alignment, though, I usually think of what pushes them over from neutral to evil, and define them by that. My usual variations are Amoral Evil, which is evil by virtue of not caring about most other people (to a particularly strong degree, as in not caring if strangers are murdered in front of them or working as an assassin to pay the bills); Sociopathic Evil, which generally considers everyone else inferior or irrelevant and exploits/harms them when annoyed, offended, or just when it's convenient amusing (I like this for fey in particular); Protective Evil and Paranoid Evil, who are overly aggressive when a friend/the character herself is threatened or inconvenienced; and Fanatical Evil, where I generally pick a cause or belief (often not evil) and have the character pursue it by any means necessary, generally to a degree that puts them under Insane as well. (I haven't had many of these last, since they only work in a few types of game, but they tend to be striking.) Many fall into multiple categories, of course.

Lastly, most of my characters tend to be social in some way, but that's because most of my games are play-by-post, and taciturn or reclusive characters often don't work well in that medium.

Drakefall
2008-10-02, 05:06 AM
Aradoss:
A usually elf/human evocation specialist wizard who holds two great loves in life, blowing stuff up and tea. Seriously his love for tea is so great he's become addicted to it to the point where if he goes without it for a day he will become a dishevelled, bags under the eyes, grumpy mess who bickers at anything and everything. Two days without tea and he goes into remission becoming slightly insane and mostly useless. What makes this fun is that he refuses to drink any kind of magically created tea, deigning it unworthy to not brew the great beverage himself, so no summoning to the rescue here. He's generally lazy but is prone to bursts of energy if excited about something. He usually doesn't care about others outside those he names his friends but he harbours an intense hatred for bullying of any kind and has stuck himself in the middle of many a peasant beating scene.

RebelRogue
2008-10-02, 05:20 AM
One of the few I have reused (bot as a PC and NPC) is:

Rurik Holderhek. Dwarven Fighter [Yes!!! Pure, freaking, no-multiclass, no-PrC Fighter, baby!] from clan Holderhek, otherwise renowned for their wizards. Fiercely intelligent like his wizard brother Veit, but using it for tactical superiority in combat rather than spellcasting. An expert with the Greataxe! In 4th ed I modelled him as a Fighter/Kensei, but rethinking it now, I think Warlord would probably be more his thing.

prufock
2008-10-02, 07:47 AM
Moreso than any particular class, my characters tend to have somewhat consistent character traits. In general, they are atheistic, non-superstitious, practical, analytical, tactical, and materialist. They generally have some sort of scientific craft or knowledge skill that isn't useful in game.

The three most recent characters I've played:

DECKER: Star Wars (dark side) hacker (tech expert/soldier/slicer/starship ace/inquisitor homebrew class). No use of the force at all, simply a technical prodigy. Computer use and crafting bonuses in the thirties. Originally kidnapped and forced into serving the Sith, he now does so because of the resource access he has, particularly in the holonet world. He doesn't care about the force, doesn't care about glory, doesn't care about adventure - he's in it because it allows him to flex his technical muscles.

Audric Ashmore: D&D wizard (specializing in conjuration). Again, atheistic, admits the "gods" exist, but that they were once simply mortals that gained enough power to assert godhood. Believes the world was formed through natural processes, not supernatural intervention. Prefers magic forms that deal with real physical effects - conjuration and transmutation particularly. Dislikes illusion and enchantment because they deal with "flighty" effects on the mind. He'll use illusion when practical (has at least one illusion spell in his book - invisibility - justifies it as a bending of light), but has completely banned enchantment and evocation (which he considers "raw, unformed energy). He's also a magical theorist, researching theories of how magic works. He's an investigator for the wizard's guild, and likes to analyze a situation before engaging.

Gavin Hutch: Barbarian/fighter with density phasing powers for a superhero game. Atheist, tactician, a commander for the superhero military organization The Watch. Dislikes magic, doesn't claim to understand it, often thinks that "magic" is actually a manifestation of some organic superpower. Likes guns.

Calinero
2008-10-02, 10:05 AM
Father Donald Callahan
Times played: 3, I believe

A concept taken from Stephen King's Salem's Lot (and I think the name might be taken as well,) Father Callahan is an alcoholic Catholic priest that I have used for several All Flesh Must Be Eaten games. The first time I put too many points into realistic priest skills, and had almost no combat skills. Realistic, sure, but no fun for a zombie game. Next time I played him, his skills were slightly different. Different DM's vary on how much I have to play up the alcoholism. He always makes for a good game, though, and usually ends up being the voice of reason for the party.

FatJose
2008-10-02, 10:40 AM
The avatar I have is my "quintessential" character. I make lots of different characters but this one is my favorite. Faerun Half-orc, though the character was my first D20 character ever. He was made for the Warcraft Campaign setting originally. He's smart but has little focus. He'd take levels in anything just to say he did.

I wanna be a Ranger! I wanna be a Barbarian! I wanna be a Wizard! I wanna be a Business Executive!

Never get to use him, sides sometimes as an NPC Guide since I'm the DM. Also, people who are actually willing to play the Warcraft campaign setting want to play the New Edition (Post WoW) not the one I have...the good one (Pre WoW)

NO! I'm not rewriting my ability names! It's stupid! Spirit instead of Wisdom? How does that give you a bonus to Sense Motive or any WISDOM based skills? It's stinks It stinks Its stinks!

Zuki
2008-10-02, 10:42 AM
Hmm....it's not my first choice of character 'type,' but it's a an excellent "I have no idea" default that works very well and is a heckton to play.

Yena Bonecruncher/Seven Iron Trenches/Shelly Clarkson

A large, muscular woman with a penchant for melee combat and smashing face in. Probably Taller Than You. Gruff, unconcerned with the proper norms of society and conversation, possibly rude. Possibly thinks a fight or a bar brawl is a good way to get to know someone. So far I've adapted the basic personality type to a gnollish fighter, a hobgoblin for a one-shot, and a werewolf in an urban fantasy campaign.

BadJuJu
2008-10-02, 11:46 AM
Samir

Cocky Psi Warrior/Warmind who, early in his adventuring career, fell in love with a vampire and made the big change. Later, after his g/f vamp was killed, made a deal with Velsharoon(sp) to become mortal again. When living once more, he was used as the gods personal assassin/enforcer. He hates undead with a firey passion, and hates Velsharoon even more.

Noah

Illusionist wizard of Shar. Is quiet but very confident. He wasnt too sure of hisself until he one shotted a Vrock. Had a twin sister and a dark family history. His uncle was a Lich, andwas tricked into becoming a Lich by his uncle in a dreamand left the party to forge his army of undead. His cohort was a Vampire Drider.

Leicontis
2008-10-02, 01:55 PM
Haven't replayed either of them yet, but I'm planning to replay the first pretty soon, and the second when i get the chance.

Alaerd Paressul:
Human, LG, last heir to a noble house of a long-dead country (and knows it). Grew up on a farm, then left to find fame and fortune. Along the way, ran into the Black Knight, who protects a particular trade road against banditry (part of an order where the squire takes over for his master a la Dread Pirate Roberts, but to give the impression that the Knight is centuries old and immortal), and became his squire. Then witnessed his mentor's murder but survived. Now is somewhat jaded and a little angsty, wants to recover his mentor's regalia (which is now his, per the rules of the order), take up the mantle of the Black Knight, and make up for not being strong enough to save his mentor, possibly by avenging him.

Heyu
Orphaned half-elf, alignment tends to vary (would probably just be Unaligned in 4E) Grew up on the street, very streetwise, very snarky, and a vicious but effective combat rogue. If/when I eventually rebuild him, it will be in a 4e game, he'll be a Rogue/Daggermaster/Deadly Trickster (that epic destiny might as well have been written especially for him). The name, btw, is just what he's usually called - even he doesn't know his name (though last time I played him he discovered his true name, yay near-death experiences).

In general, my characters tend to be snarky, at least somewhat lawful-leaning (per my personality), more oriented towards physical combat than magic, and very tactics-oriented in combat.

Talya
2008-10-02, 02:15 PM
I've never played a character twice.

Telonius
2008-10-02, 02:37 PM
I try not to repeat particular characters. I do find that sometimes I repeat general party roles - I usually end up playing the Party Face. Whether that's the wisecracking Rogue, the quietly intimidating Sorcerer, or the diplomatic Monk, seems like I'm always on the social end of the encounters.

Gralamin
2008-10-02, 08:00 PM
Out of all my characters, I've enjoyed playing Maraklor the most, and hope to get a chance to play him again.
Maraklor
Maraklor was a Dwarf Archivist of Pelor, focusing on learning knowledge. From the same campaign as Malous, Maraklor was the first to find one of the intelligent stones, and quickly became the expert on them. Through out the game, he delved into extremely risky situations for more knowledge, doing such things as reading a tainted prophecy, touching the mind of what was essentially a deity, allowing himself to be turned into the Crazy genocidal Pelorites by his own teammates in order to infiltrate them, and trusting the most untrustworthy of the stones. Had the campaign continued, Maraklor would of ultimately ascended to become the God of Knowledge.

Ricky S
2008-10-02, 08:09 PM
My character are always chaotic, preferably good and always halflings. They tend to be made with the most ridiculous stats ie really weak, which makes them a hell of a lot more fun to play as it is a struggle to do normal things generally. I have played a halfling cleric and am playing a Ranger currently. The cleric only ever achieved one kill, which was a CR 2 wolf (we're level 5). My ranger is slightly better but still pretty crap. Only doing d6+1 damage per shot or 2d6+1 if higher than 30ft (plunging shot). He has however already killed 2 CR 3 but only because they were in water unable to fight back...

Staven
2008-10-02, 08:23 PM
I've had one character that has become semi-iconic in our group. He's been used in a campaign that is no longer a campaign anymore, just a loose association of adventures with little in common other than a few characters and an antagonist. That's it.

Tobias Shadowsky
Tobias is more hate now than elf, twisted and of indeterminate alignment (most likely evil). His uncaring party turned him into a husk who's only goal seems to be...I can't finish that sentence. He has no goals. He has next to nothing to live for (a failure for a daughter and a bunch of elves that would be fine without him) and has ended his life on several occasions, but his god won't let him into the afterlife, and so he has no choice but to accept a resurrection. His solution to practically anything begins with a question he asks himself: will anyone miss it? He is quite similar to the main character of Falling Down, if anyone has seen it, in that he has a vendetta against most aspects of an adventurer's life, but takes no joy in this revenge. Although an arcane archer, his weapon of choice seems to be a brick, the symbol of his vengeance as it is a weapon that kills people painfully, but is practical to obtain and easy to use. He's killed many, many people with it. In conversation, his speech is mixed with veiled threats, passive aggression, and outright hostility. He's more sad than anything else, his anger fueled by his disillusion and feeling of despair. A personal favorite, although he would make a nice villain for a campaign.

open_sketchbook
2008-10-02, 08:24 PM
Sarah Green

My first and still best RPG character, she is basically a 'realistic' action girl-type whose not entirely mentally stable anymore. Made for the game System's Failure, she watched her parents, British commandos cross-training with American soldiers at the time, die in the bug invasion, and has sworn to avenge them, particularly to hunt down the bugs that did it. Pretty standard stuff. She's short-tempered, anti-social, extremely violent, clinically depressed, she smokes, drinks excessively and years of living on her wits and martial skills have left her with few personal skills and even less patience. She's thin, because she often can't find enough to eat, muscular (obviously) and her body is covered in scars and old wounds. She claims to have been slashed across the wrists by a bug whose poison has prevented the wounds fully sealing, which is why she keeps her wrists constantly bandaged, though the truth is she used to cut herself, and now covers the evidence in shame. She drives a beat-up old pick-up, wields a variety of family heirlooms (the Green family are famous soldiers, whose family name is derived from their eye colour) including a Sten gun, a wide-blade machete and, most iconically, a .60 caliber revolver, and wears a white shirt, a red beret and forest cameo pants because it's the only clothes she has. Her only friend is a seven-foot tall genetically modified bug/human hybrid psychopath named Jim.

Years later I was diagnosed with depression. And we didn't see this coming why?

EDIT : If she was an OOTS character, she'd look like this.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v673/open_sketchbook/SarahGreen.jpg

spamoo
2008-10-02, 09:57 PM
I have two:

Pyre T'Suun
The exact class varies, but this character always ends up as a spontaneous casting character who is too full of himself for his own good. He will forcefully take a commanding role in the party and is oblivious to the world around him. Often buts heads with the rogue of the party over just about everything. He also has a way of, unintentionally, pissing off every druid within a 100 mile radius, who all happen to know his exact location at any given moment. Also, only approx 78% of taverns that this character visits will survive the subsequent 24 hours.

The Enigmatic Cleric
This character goes back to my very first game of D&D. I had the bright idea of "Why not heal people?". Well, I soon had a very good answer to that question; because they don't deserve it. This character is often a worshiper of Pelor due to the fact that only devotion to the god of healing is enough to keep him healing the party. Favorite quote: "Don't worry, you're only at -7 HP. I'll heal check at -9".

Andras
2008-10-02, 11:10 PM
I often end up playing That Warlock.

That Warlock is usually a sarcastic, bitter, tactical type. He usually ends up being a backbone of the party (I'm the group powergamer, so I can actually pull it off), simply because he's the only one who doesn't just run headlong into battle. I usually flavor him as an ex-captain of the guard of some town (we usually play in settings where magic isn't a big deal).

NeoVid
2008-10-03, 03:33 AM
My first RPG character ever, created for old Mage, and played in it, new Mage, Werewolf and even Mutants and Masterminds for a while. His name changed in every revision, but he was the exact same person in a different world. I haven't played him since the Werewolf game, as it was so amazing that recycling him again would lose too much coolness.

Rev/R.K.N/Richard Roe: Played 4 times.

Probably won't be back, except as an NPC if I run a WoD game, where he'll be the mage engaged to the hot werewolf.

Paul H
2008-10-04, 05:28 PM
Hi

Spellcasters for me. Only ever had one non-caster that I can remember in any D&D 3.0/3.5/4.0 (My Dwarf Samurai/Ftr/Kensai)

Currently converting my Dwarf Clr3/Warmage4/MT5 from Living Greyhawk to Living Planar. That's over 70 scenarios (approx 5hrs each), in LG. My 2nd LP one tomorrow. (Sunday).

Cheers
Paul H

Tengu_temp
2008-10-04, 06:14 PM
I usually don't copy-paste characters, but there are rough sketches my characters often fit:

Obfuscating Stupidity
Enthusiastic, friendly, carefree and a bit naive, usually obsessed about some trivial hobby - that's the facet of this guy's personality that's easy to spot. What is not easy to spot is that, below this layer, lies a very skilled fighter with a cunning mind. Note that he is not pretending to be stupider than he really is - he just likes to have fun in his life, so his carefree side is most noticable. Usually male.
Number of times played: 5

Action Girl
She knows how to kick ass, and she's not afraid to do so! With a very strong, active personality, she usually ends up being the party leader or close. Very loyal to her friends, she puts their safety over hers, and faces danger bravely - one would say recklessly, but she actually knows when to run, she's just the last to do so. Very confident and usually in high spirit, though she often has tsundere-ish tendencies. Always female, if accompanied by a less combat-capable girl expect her being protective of her to the point of LesYay subtext.
Number of times played: 3

My characters are also almost universally good-aligned, tend to balance mental and physical capabilities (think ToB or gishes in DND), and due to my natural powergaming tendencies end up being very strong mechanically.

Doomsy
2008-10-04, 07:42 PM
That Goddamn Professor

You know him. You have seen him a dozen times on monster of the week movies. He is the one who reads the legend about releasing horrifying death monsters and then opens the door for SCIENCE! He'll read any book, open any door, and usually has a learning curve as small as his lifespan if he does not break his own mind like a brittle twig. So far, I've played or NPC'd this guy more times than I can count or variations on the theme in Call of Cthulhu. Usually they die within about two sessions. Or less. But they are fun to the end.

Amusingly enough, one player actually SHOT AND KILLED one of the NPC ones after three minutes of glancing between the professor cheerfully and determinedly refuting their warnings as hogwash and showing their determination to set up a shrine to a dark and terrible power in the museum as a display of aboriginal beliefs. Said (very low san character, to be fair) character then stared at the rest of the shocked party and said, "What? We all know how this ends."

Thank God the oblivious professor was well liked and his colleagues made the exhibit in honor of his terrible and senseless murder.

Chronos
2008-10-04, 11:40 PM
Anything with a Cloak or Armor of Etherealness :smalltongue:

Hey, what do you think "quintessential" means, anyway?

Khosan
2008-10-05, 12:28 AM
Goblin half-caster. Spellthief, Duskblade, Bard, blah, blah, blah.

I dunno why they keep popping up, but for some reason they're always Goblins and always have spellcasting ability in addition to some kind of melee/ranged capabilities.

horngeek
2008-10-05, 12:53 AM
I've never actually played an RPG (Warhammer Fantasy and 40K instead).
But if I did, I'd probably base my characters on The 10th Doctor, because he is so awesome. (Max out all knowledge skills and Bluff, max Int and Cha type characteristics, and casually Bluff until my party members can kick ass. Only to be used with good party members. )

wadledo
2008-10-05, 08:53 AM
Anything with a Cloak or Armor of Etherealness :smalltongue:

Hey, what do you think "quintessential" means, anyway?


2. the most perfect embodiment of something. filler of doom

Dhavaer
2008-10-05, 09:10 AM
Most of my characters fall into one of two categories: the Toblerone (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheToblerone) or the Lady of War (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LadyOfWar). The prime examplar of the former would be Morgan, the Khorne-worshipping barbarian who stabbity-chopped her way into the World's Largest Dungeon. Of the latter, it would probably be my current character Lady Ydresse Mournevale, a duskblade following her party through the Shackled City.
Characters who don't fit into either are usually somewhat motherly (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TeamMom) wizards.

Tengu_temp
2008-10-05, 09:29 AM
Remind me - have you ever played a male character?

Dhavaer
2008-10-05, 09:36 AM
Remind me - have you ever played a male character?

Uuh... twice. Once in a game when I played as myself, and another when I played as Dhavaer (he's a wizard, incidentally). I didn't enjoy it very much. Playing males is creepy.

The Rose Dragon
2008-10-05, 09:40 AM
Neelish Troick: The gnome rogue / wizard who won't shut up. Played him just once, but he is my favorite archetype.

Edge
2008-10-05, 09:42 AM
Edge, or later, The Bloodforged.
Warforged barbarian whose rage came entirely from battle-stress. Relatively calm outside of battle, but when faced with violence, he fought manically. Played 3 times.

XXXX d'Vos
A family of Magnificent Bastard warlocks and sorcerers. All arrogant, selfish barstools, too.
Played 3 times.

Korran Neversleep
Half-orc barbarian/frostrager. Relatively nice guy, but his rage is cold and unyielding.
Played 4 times.

Neon Knight
2008-10-05, 09:45 AM
The Hobgoblin

Defined almost entirely by hobgoblin culture, he is a LE/LN mercenary whose primary attributes are a survivalist attitude, honor, professionalism, efficiency driven, paranoia, and a racist belief in the innate superiority of the hobgoblin race. Almost always a skilled melee combatant, either a Fighter or a Warblade.

Times played: 2. Also, there was 1 subversion in a comic relief Jaeger style hobgoblin.

The Uncertain

Slightly cowardly/doubting type who isn't so sure about this whole adventuring/save the world bit. Inclined to advise non-engagement, retreats, and even surrender to life risking combat. Usually only sticks around because of a sense of loyalty slightly stronger than his reluctance to fight. Tends to get post-traumatic stress disorder. Class varies, but often a ranged Fighter. Usually CN/CG.

Times played: 3. Roughly. Elements of this type tend to pop up in any character that isn't gung-ho about combat.

The Madman

Likes Lovecraftian horrors. Often times is either a nihilist or thinks that even Things That Should Not Be can be used for the greater good. Usually ends up dying. Various incarnations. Favorite was a Binder.

Times played: 2. Once again, characters that have elements of this type tend to pop up more than full fledged examples of this type.

Sir-I-Don't-Have-A-Stick-Up-My-Bum

Brother to Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film. The Paladin that tries to avoid being a snotty jerk and has compassion as his defining trait. Often ends up being a jerk somehow anyway. Still has yet to be pulled off successfully to my satisfaction.

Times played: 2.

The Black Knight (aka the HK-47)

Essentially a leashed demon. Evil character that is absolutely bound to follow the will of Good party members. Often laments the altruism he is forced to perform, but would rather die than fail his oath. Is extremely martial, only the strong survive type guy. Only example was a Faxian HiSB Paladin.

Times played: Once, but he was my absolute favorite.

The Glyphstone
2008-10-05, 10:55 AM
Viktor Freakingstein
My all-time favorite character. Born crippled, he ended up learning wizardry/developing sorcery (it varied), and discovering the secrets of grafting to replace his 'imperfections'. Growing steadily more nuts as he added more grafted parts, it was his ultimate goal to replace everything left of his human body and become the perfect creature. An absolute blast to play, though the games never lasted long...I have really bad luck that way. He called himself an artist working in the best artistic medium (flesh) only talked about himself in the third person - actually RP-justified, it was a defense mechanism to keep him from going completely insane from what he was subjecting himself to. His familiar was always a weasel named Igor, with wings/scale/tentacles/jelly flesh from Fleshwarper. Always built as a Caster/Fighter/Fleshwarper gish.

Number of times player: 4 or so. He's impossible to render properly without starting with at least a few levels of Fleshwarper, so only usable in games of ECL12+...and you know how many of those come along.

The Heavy
This guy varied. He was always a big race, Goliath or Half-Giant or similar, who was exiled from his tribe because he had a birthmark that fortold doom to him and all around him. Usually ended up as an enforcer for thieves' guilds, where he practiced Obfuscating Stupidity. A failed assassination always left him injured with some big scar cutting through his birthmark, and he took it as a sign that he had escaped his destiny - cue adventuring.

Number of times Player: 3 or 4, was easier to play at low levels. My favorite variant was a really foul, evil brute who was smart and played dumb. Had ranks in Profession (Chef) because of a DM houserule on bonus skill point and carried around spices and herbs - unfortunately, the game imploded before our first fight, so he didn't get to cook and eat whoever we ended up killing.

Tar Palantir
2008-10-05, 11:36 AM
I tend to vary it up more often than nt, but one who deserves mention is Simon Redblade. Usually a Dashing Swordsman, but sometimes Swashbuckler, Duelist, or other finesse fighter, he has the distinct pleasure of never having gone through more than one encounter. Either he dies, the campaign dies, he doesn't get accepted in PbP (my sixth Simon was the first to be accepted, and I had to change the last name to break the curse), etc. He is also woefully ineffective and mildly amusing. Overall, a great character. :smallbiggrin: