How... How do I roleplay?
This may seem very silly of me to ask, but as someone who has had 4,5 or 6 years of D&D experience under there belt and still know nothing, how have I not learned? (and possibly a continuation of another post I made, I think it was my first one on how to speak up.)
How do I roleplay and how do I have fun with it?
A DM of a Game I was and currently am in before it collapsed due to a time paradox (long story Short we killed the BBEG before he rose to power.) wanted me to speak and even gave me an Item so I would speak more (a ring with a weal and woe attribute) being I'm generally quiet and follow what the party asks of me being I Excel in combat but roleplay wise I'm really basic; uncomplex or even silent.
Attack whatever it is until its dead or have the smarter players figure out what to do, or follow some rudimentary flow chart for how to play the class I wrote in the extra character sheet pages being thinking about things like strategy or roleplaying usually takes me 10 minutes or more for me to formulate something, and even more if my Idea isn't sound.
Now what caused me to ask this question is me giving up playing a class I have never played before, A Kobold paladin, one that I was actually really wanting to play and actually started speaking a bit for once as, shouting challenges to demons, blessing fields being a paladin of the Ancients, burying the dead, Bringing what cheer I could (well was going to anyway but I chose to play a fighter after the second session after the DM pulled me to the side and asked if I was ok mentally, to which I replied "I think I can't handle playing a paladin" since I didn't know how to concretely answer, though my best answer probably wouldn't be good enough or understandable "As far as I know for the past year I haven't been thinking, consciously or sub consciously, just existing, I'm trying really hard to the best of my ability to roleplay even if I don't understand the mechanics.")
The reason I gave up and switched to a fighter is because it involved less thinking and I knew how to play them a bit better, since I didn't know the ins and outs of a paladin and wasn't giving out buffs and using my kobolds racial ability grovel cower and fear. (Though the reason "I" don't use it is due to roleplay reasons, maybe if my paladin was broken by the sight of something horrible and begging the BBEG or whoever to stop).
That and I stopped a session in its tracks because I didn't know how to use smite (like I said totally new to playing paladin, funny though being I've played cleric plenty of times so it should have been like playing one but beefier, though the small book of feats and traits bogged me down somewhat, maybe I had the same problem with playing as a cleric?).
The last thing I want to do is give up on something that I think is fun and interesting.
... I'm sorry if this post seems confused or disjointed, I may edit it as I reread it after I post it, its usually when I catch things from shotgunning Ideas.
Edit: added a slight bit of text to the end of the 4th scentence "well was going to anyway"
And Thank you for all the support, even if it seems like I'm Procrastinating.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
That is a huge question for sure.
It sounds to me like there are really 2 things at play here. First there is the mechanical side of the game, familiarity (or lack thereof) with specific rules on a class. The second is how you portray a character.
The first is something that will come with time and practice, though it sounds like you aren't in a group that is willing to give you the time to become comfortable with an unfamiliar class. For speeding up the process, you might search the internet for build advice for the type of character you want to play. A lot of them give good reasoning for making certain choices and how it affects the game and your group. That can give you some insights into how the rules work for a class that is new to you. As far as being able to learn/experience it in play, you may need to search out a group that is more welcoming to people who are still learning.
As far as the second bit goes, I tend to think of what social background my character has (what did my character's family do to make a living?) and how that would shape my character's outlook on the world. Then I allow things that happen in the game shape my character around that kernel of an idea I started with... But that is just me. While I don't generally push videos on people, I will recommend one that is mostly about the theory of roleplay and speaks about several different types. Like anything else, you may not agree with all of it, but I think there is a fair amount of value in it. If you do decide to watch it, have some time available since it is long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YCVHnItKuY&t=
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Start simply - pick an existing character (or person). Try to understand how they make decisions - then play them as a character and try to make decisions as they would. Expand outwards into specific speech.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Now what caused me to ask this question is me giving up playing a class I have never played before, A Kobold paladin, one that I was actually really wanting to play and actually started speaking a bit for once as, shouting challenges to demons, blessing fields being a paladin of the Ancients, burying the dead, Bringing what cheer I could (well was going to anyway but I chose to play a fighter after the second session after the DM pulled me to the side and asked if I was ok mentally, to which I replied "I think I can't handle playing a paladin" since I didn't know how to concretely answer).
Sounds like you were roleplaying to me....
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Asked you if you were ok...? Because you were...having fun in a new way...? Or...?
I think you were doing a good job! It might've been a bit jarring for everyone if you've never done that sort of thing before, but hey, don't let em' discourage you! Just say hey, I'm trying something new!
That said, if you're lost for ideas on what and how to roleplay, I recommend reading some of the fantasy greats, like Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicle), Salvatore (Icewind Dale Trilogy, Cleric Quintet, anything really), and George Lucas sorry I mean Paolini (Eragon). Try and savor the characters and the place they have in the world. Then, while your head is still whirling with ideas and stuff, try thinking of new characters, and how you'd make a build around them.
Don't be afraid of new horizons! You're on a good path:smallbiggrin:.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Sounds to me like you were roleplaying just fine.
I think the sudden, abrupt change in playstyle threw the folks you play with off a bit. Sudden behavioral changes can be signs of severe stress or drug use so it may be that your GM just horribly missread the situation and his "you okay, dude?" got you a bit gun-shy.
That's my take anyway.
Anyhow, if you ever pretended to be a favorite character from a book, movie, or videogame when you were young, that's roleplaying. The only difference in an RPG is that you (presumably) made up the character you're pretending to be rather than drawing from some media you've consumed.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
my recommendation: Play what you don't know. If you're a smart person, play a dumb person. If you're male, play a female. If you're fast but fragile, play slow but durable.
This (for me at least) kinda drives a wall between "you" and "your character". If you play something you know very well (For me, male characters as i'm a male myself) then you might run into situations where the line between you and your character becomes blurred, and you focus less on what your character would do, and more of what YOU would do. Your character just becomes an avatar for yourself, a self-insert into the game.
Playing a character with some major aspect you don't know though, forces your brain to think of them as a separate entity. This helps clear out the character's decisions from your own and eventually the character will begin to build on themselves, adding aspects you might not have even realized over time. At that point, all you need to do is focus not on what you want to do, but on what your CHARACTER wants to do. Let them lead the way, and the rest should just fall into place.
for not knowing things like smite, i recommend writing down the most basic, bare-bones explanation possible on your character sheet next to it. For example in pathfinder, Smite-evil reads like this:
Spoiler: long
Show
Quote:
Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.
In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect.
The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.
most of this is either just fluff or situational effects (extra damage vs undead or outsiders). So for the details of Smite, i just write dowsn "+ cha Atk, + lvl dmg" (Add charisma modifier to attack bonus, add paladin level to damage). And that's that. From there all i need to do is remember that all this only applies to the one target i'm specifically smiting.
Pretty sure i just straight up ignored adding my charisma to my AC against the target of my smite most of the times. That particular paladin had a decent AC anyways.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
A problem with paladins in particular is 'the code'. Because paladins have a code, people feel entitled to an opinion on how you should play your character. The DM even feels he should decide whether you fall or not. That's a massive design flaw. It's horrible.
Any player, before rolling a paladin, should sit down with their DM and explain to them, what the code means to this particular character. Never mind what the book says - just reach some agreement on what it is this paladin has to do and not do.
Anyways ...
Roleplaying - ironically - is not necessary. I've been playing for 30+ years, and I remain as crap at it as I was when I was 16. I can do in-character dialogue, but other than that, I've no nothing =)
However, I played with a guy once. It wasn't that he couldn't roleplay. He was just shy, and let the rest of us take the lead and do most of the talking. But he was a cool guy regardless, and I regret he's no longer at our table. I also really regret that we never ... you know, found the key to unlock him. I sometimes feel that if I would just have shut up once in a while, he might have had his chance to .. I dunno.
Just remember: There really aren't any good or bad ideas. Your DM should be an enabler - as long as what you're doing is something that's even remotely realistic (in game) and within the constraints of the rules.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
The basic form of roleplaying is as follows:
Decide what your character would do and why, and then describe how they do it (stick a couple of adjectives in).
You don't technically need to "do acting"* if you don't want to, just make sure that the things your character does and the way they do them form a consistent picture of a distinct person.
* This is the obstacle for some people, the shy quiet ones, they feel like they'll be bad at the acting that people think is part of roleplaying so they'll keep quiet so nobody makes them do it. But roleplaying in a game isn't really about acting, it's about presenting a consistent character through the medium of the game.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GrottoSteelKlaw
This may seem very silly of me to ask, but as someone who has had 4,5 or 6 years of D&D experience under there belt and still know nothing, how have I not learned? (and possibly a continuation of another post I made, I think it was my first one on how to speak up.)
How do I roleplay and how do I have fun with it?
Based on what you've said (and much of this has already been discussed by others), I see at least two and possibly three problems here.
1. You are not very familiar with the rules, and because of that unfamiliarity, you feel overwhelmed by anything that requires decision-making. This is a significant issue, as roleplaying is a constant rolling process of decision-making; it is an ongoing impromptu (or extemporaneous) improvisational acting exercise, where you "make it up as you go," within established limits.
2. You are generally a quieter, more listening-focused kind of person. This helps you in combat, where you have a solid grasp of what is going on and can identify strategic decisions quickly. However, out of combat, it sounds like you are somewhat overwhelmed by the speed and amount of information you have to process. Combat gets divided up into discrete rounds and turns, but roleplay is done "live," which sounds like it daunts you.
3. Possible extra problem: Your preferred kind of roleplay may not be in the same style or at the same pace as your fellow players. If this is the case, it'll be tricky to solve, but not necessarily impossible.
Obviously, for point 1, the best thing you can do is really try to familiarize yourself with the rules, and develop tricks and techniques to make it easier to play. Three things that help a lot of people, regardless of edition, are (1) carefully reading all of the official material about your class; (2) getting very, very familiar with your character sheet, so you know exactly where all the relevant numbers and information can be found, and can even use it from memory; (3) reading as many online/player-written guide info as you can stomach, so you can develop initial intuitions about what is and isn't valuable for that class to do. These three elements, plus some other tricks (like preparing commonly-used actions or spells on flashcards), can significantly reduce any overhead you may experience due to unfamiliarity, allowing you to play more "naturally," without apprehension or self-doubt that could interfere with roleplay.
For point 2, all I can say is that practice and comfort are the two most important things. You need to be comfortable with the character you're playing, and the people you're playing with. The former I usually dealt with early on by (for lack of a better term) "playing myself." That is, playing a character who was an intentionally idealized version of my own beliefs and personality. They aren't me--remembering the separation between self and character is extremely important for roleplaying, to avoid feeling insulted or personally attacked--but they're enough lke me that I can reliably just...react as I personally would react to a situation. This makes the acting natural, unforced; I need very little pretending to play this kind of Let's Pretend (or, rather, my pretending can be focused on the scene imagined in my head, rather than simulating an artificial person). Once you have that place of comfort you can start from, it's all about practicing. Keep at it. Throw yourself into situations you aren't comfortable with to see what happens. Be willing to risk looking like a fool; if you always play it safe, you'll almost always be stuck playing it silent too. That doesn't mean you have to be constantly speaking though! Interjecting only when needed with clever ploys, requesting more information as your character observes their surroundings, and absorbing and processing what's going on are perfectly valid ways to roleplay.
If the third point applies, you'll want to get some time away from the formal game table to just...talk things out with your DM and fellow players. Be open and forthright, while emphasizing the positive--not always easy, but always worth pursuing. Tell them you're feeling sad and frustrated and worried, and that you want to work with them to address this so everyone can have a ton of fun. I guarantee you that, if they're even slightly friendly, they'll respond positively--and if they don't, you NEED to get out of that group anyway. It sounds very much like your DM can pick up on your particular cues, even if they don't know precisely what those cues mean, so you're already in somewhat good shape there.
The keystone for all relationships of any sort (from gaming to love) is C4: clear, constant, candid communication. Speak up when you have a concern. Talk about how you feel, and if you have any guesses as to why, share them. Don't conceal the truth in general, and certainly do not do so solely to avoid hurting feelings or to avoid "rocking the boat." The boat is already rocking, speaking up is an attempt to stabilize it. But while dodging painful truth solely because it may be painful is not helpful, wielding the truth unwisely is almost as bad, as it creates problems in the attempt to solve them. Don't let your C4 turn into an actual explosion: focus on (a) the positive, and (b) places where you can see potential for improvement. The truth is not an excuse, nor a shield, nor a crutch; recognizing it and sharing it wisely are distinct but related skills.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Roleplaying is a skill. And like every other skill, you get better at it if you do it more, and like most other skills, there are exercises that can help you develop it.
Basic role-playing starts with thinking about a character, and what he or she would do. You're playing a wizard? OK, base the character (not necessarily the powers) on a wizard from a book or movie that you know well, and keep asking yourself, "What would this person say here?" You can play the same powers with the personality of Gandalf, Samantha Stevens, Endora, Melisandre, Miracle Max, Glinda the Good Witch of the North, the Wicked Witch of the West, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Harry Potter, Hermione, etc.
For that matter, what if Aragorn had these powers, or Agent Carter, or Sheldon Cooper?
This is not the end of role-playing. It is the beginning. Start by playing a character you know and love.
Later, you will ring in some changes. How about a Tarzan-based character, who lives alone in the woods, but is an elf? What about an Aladdin-based character in a musketeers game? I've had very successful characters based on each of these.
This will be awkward for awhile. Don't let that discourage you. The best football players in the world were awkward when they first started. They became the best by continuing to work on it. You can do the same.
The crucial notion is that you need to have a personality in mind, and keeping asking yourself:
"What would Bilbo do?"
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
What you describe sounds a lot like roleplaying. Doing things your character would probably do, talking as they would talk and so forth.
I suspect that you surprised them by coming out of your shell and roleplaying when previously you've been quiet and contributed in combat but mostly kept your head down.
Was there much roleplaying going on at the table? I don't understand why the GM asked if you were ok, you're getting more in to your character and the game, this should be celebrated and encouraged rather than shut down.
Based on your description you know exactly how to roleplay a paladin, the technical bits will come with time and practice. Have a look at the rules and abilities that you will be using frequently and try to remember them.
A bit of advice, you don't have to act but if you want to add a bit of personality to a character use the words they would use, have a couple of expressions handy for surprising situations ("By Grabthars Hammer!"), use gestures that you don't use when talking in character, use expressions that your character would use but you wouldn't (Killing 2 birds with one arrow rather than 2 birds with one stone for example).
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
The easiest way is to pick a couple of one sentence motivations likely to affect your decision making for the character, and make those motivations different from ones you personally have. Make decisions for your character in the fantasy (i.e. imagined) environment, keeping those motivations in mind when they're applicable.
As stuff happens in game, you can add or replace motivations based on that stuff. It'll get easier and more instinctual as you go.
A bunch of TRPGs have this system, with mechanical impact from heavy to effectively none. Included among them are Exalted, Torchbearer, Powered by the Apocalype, Mutant Zero/Forbiddan Lands, D&D 5e. It works well, because it gets to the core of what roleplaying is, making decisions for your character in the fantasy environment.
The important thing to remember is roleplaying is not just talks time / voice acting / emoting. Although those things can be great if Done Right TM*
Done Right TM may vary from table to table. No assumption that any given reader of this post is Doing it Wrong TM implicit in this statement.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Phhase
Asked you if you were ok...? Because you were...having fun in a new way...? Or...?
I think you were doing a good job! It might've been a bit jarring for everyone if you've never done that sort of thing before, but hey, don't let em' discourage you! Just say hey, I'm trying something new!
That said, if you're lost for ideas on what and how to roleplay, I recommend reading some of the fantasy greats, like Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicle), Salvatore (Icewind Dale Trilogy, Cleric Quintet, anything really), and George Lucas sorry I mean Paolini (Eragon). Try and savor the characters and the place they have in the world. Then, while your head is still whirling with ideas and stuff, try thinking of new characters, and how you'd make a build around them.
Don't be afraid of new horizons! You're on a good path:smallbiggrin:.
As in like not or can't understanding things, Getting overwhelmed.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Sounds like your DM (accidentally?) discouraged you when you were actually getting into roleplaying really well as that Paladin!
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GloatingSwine
You don't technically need to "do acting"* if you don't want to, just make sure that the things your character does and the way they do them form a consistent picture of a distinct person.
A hundred times this. A thousand times this! I cannot tell you how many people I've encountered who put on a silly voice/accent, sit in their chair in a distinct way, talk only 'in character'... but are ultimately still just playing as themselves with some class levels.
Thinking like your character should always come first. The prospect of acting out things can be discouraging, and in some groups not even appropriate.
It is always an option to role play and still maintain a third person view on the narrative. "Eldarin isn't so sure about all this." or even the first person descriptor "I'm not so sure about all this" are just as fine (and sometimes better than) "(In character) No, I will not partake until you d-well explain!!"
Find your style, find your flavor. There is an appropriate level of artifact for everyone.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Heya Grotto,
Before anything else can happen, you need to have a DM who will let you roleplay. From your description I can't really be sure if you already do or not. A lot of DMs are inexperienced; it's a tough job. Some inexperienced DMs run a game where there really isn't room for good roleplaying. In games like those, your efforts to speak figuratively or do something solely because "it's what your character would do" often aren't rewarded or acknowledged, and may result in a bad outcome for your character.
But you've given a helpful example: choosing not to use the grovel ability because it isn't what your character would do is an example of good roleplay. How did your group react? Did they agree with you? Were they annoyed that you didn't use it? Did they insist that you should use the ability because it's strong or because it would help them win the fight? If they didn't like that particular decision then that may be a sign that your table isn't supportive of heavy roleplaying. You can't roleplay well if other players are going to criticize or ridicule you for making the attempt.
But how do you get good at roleplaying? The first step is to completely ignore alignment and anything else the books tell you about how your character "should" behave (such as the grovel ability, which suggests all kobolds are cowardly. That's bad writing on WotC's part). If you ever ask "what would a character of my alignment do?" then you're almost on the right track, sort of, but there are only nine alignments. That means you'll be stuck playing one of the same nine cliched characters every time. instead you want to be asking "what would my character, specifically, do?"
The second step is to not play a character who is just a stand-in for yourself but with fantastic strength and/or magical powers. This is surprisingly easy to do by accident or without thinking about it.
Try to think of your character as being like one from a book you enjoy. You probably find them interesting, but you might not want to be them and personally go through every hardship, injury, and setback which they have. Like, say, Frodo. Poor guy doesn't seem like he was having a good time for most of those books. Yet those hardships are important to his character; he would be much less interesting without them.
If your D&D character is a stand-in for yourself then you make yourself biased. You don't want them to undergo hardship or become weaker or lose something important. Because you wouldn't want that for yourself. This is why it's a good thing to distance yourself from your character. When these bad things happen to your character, and then your character adjusts and grows as a result of them in an interesting and believable way, that's one of the most straightforward examples of good roleplaying.
So the third step is to create a character who is different enough from you to create that distance, yet similar enough to you that you have some point of reference for believably portraying them.
Good things to force yourself to avoid are: conveniently-dead-families, a character who is kind-hearted and trusting but also quick to anger in defense of their friends (if only because that's already pretty safe to assume for most people), or anyone who has undergone some sort of severe psychological trauma (torture, rape, watching family get brutally murdered in front of them, etc.) that you yourself have not undergone in real life and are not able to believably portray the consequences of.
Even very basic or minor character flaws can be very powerful. What's something that you did or thought as a child but grew out of, and which in hindsight you would consider a character flaw? Try imagining what you might be like if you'd never outgrown that flaw, or had a more severe version of that flaw, and then use that. That gets you both a point of reference from your own life experience as well as helping you distance yourself in that your character has that flaw while you no longer do. What caused you to grow out of that flaw? What might have happened to your character that would lead them to cling to it?
That's not the only way to do it, but that is the sort of thing that can let you have a clear and decisive answer to the question "what would my character do?".
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Every character is a stand in for yourself to one degree or another. The best you can do is decide where you're going to make conscientious decisions to be different from what you would probably do yourself. And you can't do that for everything.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
It's the minority way to do it but you might want to try role playing in third person. Rather than "I run at the goblins screaming at them 'Come fight me you cowards!'", you'd say "Weebles runs at the goblins, screaming at them...", etc. Some people find it easier and less self-conscious to have that layer of separation between them and their character. And it might seem less "weird" to other people if it's clear that you're not screaming at the table, but it's just your character's personality (not saying they should think it's weird but just offering suggestions).
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tanarii
Every character is a stand in for yourself to one degree or another. The best you can do is decide where you're going to make conscientious decisions to be different from what you would probably do yourself. And you can't do that for everything.
This is like saying that actors can only play themselves and authors only write themselves with a hundred faces...
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
weckar
This is like saying that actors can only play themselves and authors only write themselves with a hundred faces...
Indeed. It's something it helps to be aware of. There's a cliche about an actor technique that works pretty well in roleplaying to consciously decide where your PC will be different from yourself: "What's my (PC's) motivation?"
As pretentious a cliche as it has become, it works.
Re: How... How do I roleplay?
D&D is largely a game of numbers and mechanics, and it's easy to lose the roleplaying aspect when you get caught up in the rollplaying. There's a number of different things that I've found help for me.
First is playing a charisma based class and taking some social skills. Try using diplomacy to talk your way out of potential combat encounters. It won't necessarily get you into your character's head, but actively talking for the party is a good way to start getting into actual roleplaying.
Second is to play a pregenerated character. When you're creating your character you are likely to consider things like what races and classes work well together, what feats work well with your class features, and what skills you're likely to make the most use of. If all of these decisions are taken out of the equation, you may be more inclined to consider how the character should act rather than how they should work mechanically when playing. Your mileage may vary here, but I've personally found it easier roleplaying a character created for me rather than by me.
Finally, it looks like you're already playing 5th edition based on the thread's tags so I don't know how much help this one will be, but I find that character creation in 5e is generally a good start for roleplaying. Including backgrounds, character flaws, traits, goals, and bonds while creating your character can help you get into touch with your character's mindset and personality before you even begin play. You can consider all of these things regardless of what system you're playing with, but including them as an essential part of character creation is what makes me regard 5e as the best edition for actual roleplaying.
Having these things on your character sheet and constantly in front of you throughout the game can also help keep you on track and in character as you go.
Even if you're playing a different edition, it may still be helpful to recreate your character using a 5e character sheet just to help you delve a bit deeper into what you want out of your character beyond mechanical capabilities.
