Quotes you can build a character off of

[Ansem]

I made a Warhulk after the following quote:

"You really think you can just easily walk into a throne room fighting off the entire royal guard and kill the king?!"
"I DON'T CARE HOW EASY IT IS!"

He did exactly that in every situation.....

[The Oni]

@ Alex12: How about a rogue based off "Defeat You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQudbtS7oo

[Loxagn]

"Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."

"I solve practical problems. Like for instance, 'how do I stop some big, mean, mother-hubbard from tearin' me a structurally superfluous new behind?' The answer? Use a gun. And if that don't work, use more gun."

[Raimun]

...I'm actually sort of imagining a fantasy Naked Snake with a crossbow and tactical knife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boss_(Metal_Gear)

Fantasy equivalent of Big Boss? That would be cool.

However, Big Boss never really cared for a life outside of war. While he was talented in all kinds of skills that could be used for fighting wars (including leadership), he didn't know much outside of it, didn't care about it and certainly wasn't insecure that he couldn't play in a band. I guess he just couldn't adapt to a peaceful life*.

If you haven't, you should see his views on existentialism.

*

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Until at the very end of his life.

[Garimeth]

Messenger Boy: Are the stories true? They say your mother was an immortal godess. They say you can't be killed.

Achilles: I wouldn't be bothering with the shield then, would I?

Messenger Boy: The Thesselonian you're fighting... he's the biggest man i've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.

Achilles: Thats why no-one will remember your name.

[Hyena]

"I solve practical problems. Like for instance, 'how do I stop some big, mean, mother-hubbard from tearin' me a structurally superfluous new behind?' The answer? Use a gun. And if that don't work, use more gun."

Star Wars Saga Edition has an entire PrC that revolves around having a turret. It's awesome.

[Zavoniki]

Your mind is software. Program It.
Your body is a shell. Change It.
Death is a disease. Cure It.
Extinction is approaching. Fight It.

[Loxagn]

Another one I am fond of:

"You have not died until I consent." - Reya Dawnbringer

[hymer]

"You have not died until I consent." - Reya Dawnbringer

Or as Colonel Potter puts it: "Noone dies around here without my say-so."

[Red Fel]

I made a funny!

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The quote is from the original live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. (It is echoed in the sequel, "I made another funny!") It is the final line spoken in the film, by Splinter.

Why does it make a great character concept? Think about how the line is spoken. You have the aging, wise figure, whose every line in the story is meant to be profound, heavy, and full of meaning and insight. In the final scene, he says something completely silly, but with his usual gravitas, and follows it up with childlike amusement at his own antics. If you can't make a dozen character concepts off of that, you're hardly even trying!

No, Mr. Bond; I expect you to die!

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Spoken by Auric Goldfinger in the 007 movie that shares his surname.

This is one of the classic villain lines, and is a great building block for fiendishness. What really sells the line is the concept - the speaker isn't trying to get information, or cooperation, or even the satisfaction of torture; he simply intends to kill his victim, pragmatically. (Admittedly, the chosen method - death by slow laser - isn't the most pragmatic. But points for style.)

Nothing terrifies me, because nothing is beyond my ability to change.

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Spoken by David Xanatos in Disney's Gargoyles animated series, in response to the accusation that he's afraid of growing old and dying.

This is the perfect quote to form the core of the archetypically over-prepared Wizard; the character who is ultra-confident because of all the preparations, the schemes within schemes and Xanatos Speed Chess he's playing.

Look at you, Hacker. A pathetic creature of meat and bone. Panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?

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Spoken by SHODAN in the original System Shock. SHODAN, a murderous AI, taunts and mocks the protagonist, a hacker, as he attempts to stop her from, well, the usual. SHODAN was GLaDOS before GLaDOS was GLaDOS, and her glory is infinite.

Sorry, I'm back now.

This is the perfect quote to form the core of a character with absolute contempt for lifeforms. It needn't be a robot or AI, however; it could be a construct, golem, skeleton, even a form of energy being; or even someone aspiring to become one of these things. Imagine a character whose goal is to transcend the frailties of his own flesh; this is a perfect illustration of the sheer arrogance that could produce.

Anything said by Mako, ever.

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Mako was one of the most awesome actors (and voice actors) to ever live. Seriously. Pick anything he has said in anything he has ever done. Conan. Samurai Jack. Avatar. Go nuts. It's all perfect.

[Kane0]

Mass effect has some fantastic ones too. Thane and Samara's religious kill-lines are good, as is Jack's list of crimes/accomplishments. Shepard is obviously loaded with them, Garrus and Joker have great one liners, hell Legion has awesome lines too. Also dont forget virtually anything wrex or grunt say.
And thats only ME2. Not counting extras like Zaeed, Kasumi and Javik, all three games have a metric ****-ton of lines you can poach and make characters from.

[hymer]

Pick anything he [Mako] said in anything he has ever done.

Challenge accepted!

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MASH Season 8, episode 3 "Guerilla my dreams", he plays Lt. Hung Lee Park (and he is indeed as good as you claim). I'd be having problems building a character over the following quotes, though:
"She's awake. I wish to ask but a few simple questions. Where is the harm?"
"I shall be pleased to play, Major. My stay is indefinite."
"Doctor, how is our patient?"
"Major, I must say you play with a most aggressive style."
"Drumming fingers. Bellowing for tea. Squeaking chair. The idle humming."

Admittedly, any of the things he say following or preceding those I chose would indeed be good for building a character over.

[Red Fel]

I'd be having problems building a character over the following quotes, though:

Challenge accepted.

"She's awake. I wish to ask but a few simple questions. Where is the harm?"

Inquisitor/ torturer. Too easy.

"I shall be pleased to play, Major. My stay is indefinite."

Robot/vulcan/alien-among-us. Alternatively, the social chameleon, having infiltrated the group, who endears himself to those around him.

"Doctor, how is our patient?"

Medic. Alternatively, torturer, as above.

"Major, I must say you play with a most aggressive style."

Just to be different: Fencer, or any other "artistic" or "stylish" melee-type.

"Drumming fingers. Bellowing for tea. Squeaking chair. The idle humming."

Itchy-fingered rogue-type who can't stay still for long. Alternatively, anybody strongly associated with the wind or lightning element, for the same reason. Alternatively, The Master.

But we're only getting started! Have some more!

Omae wa mou shindeiru. ("You are already dead.")

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Spoken by Kenshiro, the protagonist of the post-apocalyptic action anime and manga Hokutou no Ken (Fist of the North Star), upon using one of his deadly pressure point techniques. This line gives the enemy a moment to scoff, or beg, or simply look shocked, before their bodies explode in gore.

This is an exceptional line to form the core of any character with sublime confidence in his abilities, but particularly a martial artist. Martial artists tend to be closely associated with the boastful and outspoken trope, after all. In Ken's case, the line is appropriate because he speaks it after having performed a lethal technique; the only thing keeping the enemy alive is time. But not every character needs to embody that level of certainty; it can simply be a certain degree of earned confidence, or arrogance.

I am, from beginning to end, at a climax!

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Spoken by Momotaros, one of the Imagin powering the tokusatsu hero Den-O in the series Kamen Rider Den-O, whenever he leaps into action.

It's perfect for any character who is not only an action hero, but a flamboyant action hero. He doesn't beat enemies, he demolishes them; he doesn't win, he dominates; he doesn't fight, he destroys. This is the action hero who never acts by half-measures, who is constantly the loudest, the most destructive, and the most comical, but also the most loyal.

Watashi wa akumade sh*tsuji desukara. ("For I am, until the end, a butler." OR "For I am a demon, and a butler.")

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Spoken by Sebastian Michaelis, one of the protagonists of the dark anime and manga Kurosh*tsuji (Black Butler), a demon posing as a butler to a wealthy young lord seeking revenge. The language is a play on the Japanese phrases "aku made," meaning idiomatically "until the end," and "akuma de," meaning essentially "and a demon." It has been translated in some sources as "I am simply one hell of a butler."

This is the perfect quote for a character who is manipulative, witty, and - of course - demonic. Someone who warps words, who misleads and twists people and ideas. Somebody impeccably polite and impossibly wicked. Somebody who operates both in plain sight and invisibly, a master of the backhanded compliment, the power behind the power, etc. The evil vizier loves this line, as does the plotting servant and, of course, the diabolical attorney.

As an aside, I had to replace the "i" in the Japanese word for butler with an asterisk, due to how the censor picks up certain words.

[hymer]

Inquisitor/ torturer. [...] Robot/vulcan/alien-among-us. Alternatively, the social chameleon, having infiltrated the group, who endears himself to those around him. [...] Medic. [...] Fencer, or any other "artistic" or "stylish" melee-type.
[...] Itchy-fingered rogue-type who can't stay still for long. Alternatively, anybody strongly associated with the wind or lightning element, for the same reason. Alternatively, The Master.

Good ones! But these are all quotes from the same character, and you get something like ten different character types from it. Obviously, you're the one doing the work, not the quotes. Obviously, you could make a character from anything. Which means that your initial statement, about anything Mako saying being useful, means very little - since so is everything else.

[Jay R]

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"Go ahead, make my day."

"That's not a knoife... THAT's a knoife."

[GPuzzle]

"What's in there?"
"It's my hand. I want you to take it."

"SPACESHIP!"

Note: I'm still trying to figure out a good Sabaton song to grab a quote from.

[Doorhandle]

On that note:
"Rule one of the sea. Never put your arse on a pirate's face."

I have a good one for a BBEG.

"In the eternal battle of supreme beneficence versus absolute evil, The beast always triumphs! My name is legion for WE! ARE! MANY!"

...to be honest I could use like, 90% of that song.

[Slipperychicken]

I have a good one for a BBEG.

"In the eternal battle of supreme beneficence versus absolute evil, The beast always triumphs! My name is legion for WE! ARE! MANY!"

Why bother with the BBEG? You could easily slap that on an early-game miniboss, and continue the theme through later opponents too.

[GPuzzle]

Screw it being a mini-boss, make it so all villains follow that.

That'd be badass.

[Teapot Salty]

Here's a couple cool ones from magic:

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"I run the maze alone, but I fight with the full might of the legion"-Tajic, Blade of the Legion

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"I would fear this fight, bloodsucker, were I alone"-Hamlet Captain

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"I stand for every tanner, cobbler, and fool in this town. And they stand for me."-Champion of the Parish.

[rlc]

"With this ring, I thee behead."

[Doorhandle]

Screw it being a mini-boss, make it so all villains follow that.

That'd be badass.

....Campaign fuel.

[veti]

I like the classic "What am I doing here again?". Applies to many of my characters.

Then there's Buffy:
"We saved the world. I say we party."
"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty."
"Demons after money. Whatever happened to the still-beating heart of a virgin? No one has any standards anymore."
"Just because this is never going to work, there's no need to be negative."

What is best in life?

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

I prefer "Hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper."

Or from the same source: "Never get into an arse-kicking contest with a porcupine."

[2E Phoinex]

Hymer beat me to Invictus which would have topped my list, but these also make me want to roll Characters, especially Villains:

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…

"We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us
…
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother…"

- Shakespeare's Henry V


"Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war."
-Mark Antony(??), Shakespeare's Julius Caesar


Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.
- Sovereign, Mass Effect.

"Dear Brother, I do not spread rumors. I create them."
- Lucien Lachance, TES IV Oblivion

"What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:..."
- Tybalt, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

"I speak for all mediocrities in the world. I am their champion. I am their patron saint."
-Salieri, Amadeus

"If you must mount the gallows, give a jest to the crowd, a coin to the hangman, and make the drop with a smile on your lips"
-Birgitte Silverbow, The Wheel of Time

"I would not mind you in my head, if you were not so clearly mad."
- Lews Therin, The Wheel of Time

"Death Smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back"
-Marcus Aralias, Gladiator

"Death is light as a feather; duty, heavy as a mountain"
- Wheel of time (Borrowed from a Japanese Emperor)

"I’m no lord. I’ve more respect for myself than that"
- Matt Cauthon, Wheel of Time.

"If the absolutely pure, uncalculating, unpractical spirit of adventure had ever ruled a human being, it ruled this bespacthced youth"
- Charlie Marlowe, Heart of Darkness

"I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me; and, finding myself unsympathised with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin."
-The Monster, Frankenstein

"I have no pity! I have no pity! The more the worms writhe th more I yearn to Crush out their entrails!"
-Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights.

" To live in order to exist? Why, he had been ready a thousand times before to give up existence for the sake of an idea, for a hope, even for a fancy. Mere existence had always been too little for him; he had always wanted more."
- Crime and Punishment.

[Coidzor]

There are a lot of quotes about or by Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's series The Dresden Files that can form the nucleus of a character. They really drive the point home in the section about character generation in the RPG. xD

[Doorhandle]

"People do not fear God. Fear itself IS GOD!"

"If only the people of rome had but one neck, so I could wring it."

"We became nature itself, as benevolent, giving, ruthless and indifferent as that can mean."

[Arbane]

"I solve practical problems. Like for instance, 'how do I stop some big, mean, mother-hubbard from tearin' me a structurally superfluous new behind?' The answer? Use a gun. And if that don't work, use more gun."

On that note...

"Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet."

"Doctor! Are you sure this will work?"
"(laugh) I have NO IDEA!"

"Grass grows, sun shines, birds fly... and brudda, I hurt people."

[Erik Vale]

Two.
"Pity for the guilty is treason against the innocent."

"I've brushed with death so many times, I should start giving him high fives as I pass."

The later could apply to any adventurer though... Reincarnation Druid works best though.

[GPuzzle]

On that note...

"Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet."

"Doctor! Are you sure this will work?"
"(laugh) I have NO IDEA!"

"Grass grows, sun shines, birds fly... and brudda, I hurt people."

"I've done nothing in the last three days but teleport bread."

"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE... EYE!"

"Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe. Maybe. I've yet to met someone able to outsmart a bullet."

"Do you believe in magic?"

[Man on Fire]

"Sorceres have little patience for the laws of nature. Even less for the laws of man."