Tell me about your character...

[Mordar]

With great fondness I remember the days of going to conventions (in the days WAY before the internet) and hearing about all the great games, great adventures and great characters from people who shared my hobby but lived hundreds or thousands of miles from my little circle of the world.

I remember with some disappointment how that joy faded as a group of designers, developers and hangers-on started to take that experience as somehow beneath them and "mature" gamers.

So, in remembrance of something I used to enjoy, I now invite you to...

Tell me about your character!

I ask the following simple rules:

• Flag the genre and system
• Don't focus too much (at all?) on the numbers or mechanics of the character unless they are *vital* to the description
• Put the description in spoiler tags
• Keep it under 500 words
• MOST IMPORTANT - Don't forget to tell me why you loved that character!

Here's my sample:

High Fantasy (Rolemaster)

Spoiler: Ral

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Ral was perhaps my favorite Rolemaster character ever. My group played RM for about a decade, with effectively the same campaign but some character changes. The story was set in Greyhawk, and we were at first unwittingly helping a deposed princess regain her kingdom. It took years before we understood that our friend and patron, with her painted wagon that always seemed to have just what we needed, was royalty on the run from her horrible uncle.

I was the only one of the group to go to college out of state. So I missed out on a lot and had the choice of maintaining my character (though without continuity) or creating a replacement that made more sense as a “recurring guest”. Thus our patron Alyssa introduced Ral, a traveling minstrel to the group. Though the other players would only learn this years later, Ral was in fact Alyssa’s cousin and childhood playmate. Utterly lacking any political ambition of his own, he was only interested in helping his cousin stay safe and recover what was taken from her.
Though an accomplished musician, Ral was in truth a Montebanc. In RM this was a combination of Rogue and Bard, described as one who “…combines minor magic with larceny to act as a “con man”…to create illusions, to disguise himself…”. Leaning heavily on the Bard side of the ledger for social skills, Ral was a spy who went boldly in the front door, made friends far and wide, distracted the guards while the rest of the party rescued the hostages…and bankrolled Alyssa’s plans to retake her kingdom.

Favorite memories include visiting the City of Brass and commissioning a magical harp and composing a series of songs to play for a might Efreet noble…which allowed the rest of the party the opportunity to infiltrate his palace and appropriate a previously stolen globe that belonged to an ally of Alyssa. Best of all, I convinced the harp crafter to provide it free of charge as it would be used to entertain the Amir himself. Enchanted to enhance musical skill and produce minor illusions, it help Ral earn the acclaim of a mighty Efreet while his home was being gently burgled!

The rest of the characters built themselves quite a reputation in Greyhawk as forces for (slightly chaotic) good, and that earned them the enmity of a lot of less-savory potentates. So many so, in fact, that bounty hunters would be set for life should they succeed in capturing the main players. So, in an alternate identity, Ral took it upon himself to both keep an eye on these bounty hunters *and* earn Alyssa some additional revenue…by establishing and operating a Bounty Hunter guild in the region. Investing in a proper estate, providing valuable goods and services to the overmatched bounty hunters, and having direct eyes-on to determine who might truly be a threat, all while collecting regular dues, service charges and a modest house fee helped everyone involved!

Now tell me yours!

- M

[KorvinStarmast]

Spoiler: Hayseed Lindensap

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Hayseed Lindensap was a hobbit thief (AD&D 1e, but we used hobbit, damnit!) who partnered with a Fighting Man (Eric the Golden) on a series of adventures that eventually included the Hill, Frost and Fire giant modules from that era. Various other characters came and went, but these two were the core.
Don't look at me like that: we didn't have MTV! The two of them ran a messenger service that "guaranteed delivery" - this pretext provided the DM with a variety of ways to get adventures started. "I need to get {this thing/person} from {here to there}" was a typical opening dialogue ... and we would discuss fees ... and then things would follow their own logic and madness.

That campaign is where I first got to enjoy his "give 'em enough rope" DM style that I still prefer to this day. (That such was also the title of a Clash album at the time is pure coincidence, I tell you!)

Why this character remains beloved:
If you have ever heard of Fairport Convention ... they have a song "Meet on the Ledge" which was playing in the background as we got involved in a furious battle with frost giants on a cliff by a glacier. Hayseed at one point pulled out his wand of wonder and things began to go horribly wrong at that point. The burst of butterflies was one of the stranger things that happened that day.

Forty years later, the DM and I still refer to that adventure when we talk on the Phone, and we sing that song...
Too many friends who tried, blown off this mountain with the wind ...

[Mordar]

Hayseed Lindensap was a hobbit thief (AD&D 1e, but we used hobbit, damnit!) who partnered with a Fighting Man (Eric the Golden) on a series of adventures that eventually included the Hill, Frost and Fire giant modules from that era. Various other characters came and went, but these two were the core.
Don't look at me like that: we didn't have MTV!
The two of them ran a messenger service that "guaranteed delivery" - this pretext provided the DM with a variety of ways to get adventures started.
That campaign is where I first got to enjoy his "give 'em enough rope" DM style that I still prefer to this day. (That such was also the title of a Clash album at the time is pure coincidence, I tell you!)

If you have ever heard of Fairport Convention ... they have a song "Meet on the Ledge" which was playing in the background as we got involved in a furious battle with frost giants on a cliff by a glacier. Hayseed at one point pulled out his wand of wonder and things began to go horribly wrong at that point. The burst of butterflies was one of the stranger things that happened that day.

Forty years later, the DM and I still refer to that adventure when we talk on the Phone, and we sing that song...
Too many friends who tried, blown off this mountain with the wind ...

Very nice - I love the name. Fantastic to have memories like that. Classic adventures too!

- M

[Catullus64]

My current character, and one of my all-time favorites.

Valahuir

System: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd Edition)
Genre: Low/Pulp Fantasy

Spoiler: Portrait

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Spoiler: Character, Backstory, and Adventures

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Valahuir is a low-down scoundrel, and he likes it that way. Wherever he goes, blood and coins must flow. His party members know that he is loyal and bold, but they also know he has a deep ruthless streak that can flare up at the worst possible moments. His most long-running companions are Jean, the wayward Bretonnian knight-turned-explorer, and Magnus Magnarsson, the contemplative Dwarf scholar and would-be runesmith. He has also adventured with Ludmilla the White Wizard, fellow elves Harrond of Nuln and Andinriol the Lewd, and Agy Greenapple, the world's unluckiest Halfling.

Valahuir's family, an Elven merchant house in the imperial capital of Altdorf, fell on hard times when they lost their trade charter from the Phoenix King. Valahuir, still young at 70 years old, was made to aid the family fortunes as an apprentice to a local criminal gang, where he learned the art of thieving. When he had finished his apprenticeship, he decided not to return to the family business, but instead struck out as an independent. At the beginning of the campaign, he was a pretty indifferent warrior, who would sooner run than fight; his skills mostly revolved around stealing, gambling, and fast-talking.

His first adventure saw him trapped in a district of Nuln put under quarantine by the Witch Hunters. He and his companions formed a bond of necessity: they survived looters, sewer mutants, necromancers, daemons, smugglers, two drinking-parties and a wedding. Valahuir fell in love with a fortune-teller and got his heart broken when she turned out to be a spy. He got dysentery. He killed a man for spitting on him.

After finally making it out of Nuln, he and some of his companions did mercenary work for some peasants, and found themselves defending a village against an onslaught of Skaven. They came out on top, though many villagers died and Valahuir may have robbed some of them when the pay wasn’t to his liking.

Next, they accompanied one of the villagers on a long quest to find an old friend of his in the Border Princes. Along the way they got accused of murder (Valahuir didn’t do it this time, though since he cut his way through several bailiffs on his way out of town it’s a little bit moot), defeated a wild griffon by starting an avalanche, fought a mummified cat, captured a live manticore, and destroyed a Slaanesh cult mostly by accident. Turns out the guy we were looking for was dead before we ever set out. Valahuir laughed for a solid minute when we found out.

At time of writing, we seek the tomb of Karitamen, an ancient Tomb King. Valahuir has by this time become an extremely deadly fighter on top of his thieving skills. This has drawn the attention of the Elven god of slaughter and war, Khaine, who has placed his mark upon Valahuir. Whether he and his companions triumph or fail, Valahuir knows he will not die of old age…

[LecternOfJasper]

5e (Fairy-Taleesque Fantasy):

Spoiler: Brylin the Not-as-Bleak-as-Before-but-Still-Pretty-Bleak

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A small and scraggly kobold taken in by the Church of Mischa (the resident ancient god of death, endings, and occasionally water), he was a somber and sober creature who spent most of his time in the temple's archives and libraries. Eventually (quite young in his career, all in all) after being put in charge of an outlying shrine for some time, he felt the need for a change, and took a holiday. The church was a little miffed, but accepted this, as it might do the creature they only called Brylin the Bleak some good.

Wandering through a border town, he happened upon a an overgrown garden with a wooden gate, and felt a warmth in his pocket. Fishing around, he found a note he'd never seen before, and all it said was "touch the wooden gate that you have never seen before."

And, struck by an irregular stroke of whimsy, that is how his adventure began.

In the year or so of his journey so far, he has failed to cast Inflict Wounds on a wide variety of enemies, become the Thalassa of his church (a title for one who wanders between their shrines investigating issues), met the seasons, brought christmas (cough, Candlenights) to an outlying town, and began to learn both some levity from a rather deranged clown that belongs to his faith and the meaning of life from a variety of interesting characters. His most recent adventure revolved around he and the party saving a town's doctor and a man cursed by both luck and fate from his own personal hell (a world made entirely of wood that was burnt to the ground every hour by a phoenix that was thoroughly enjoying itself).

A good time, hope that game continues.

[KorvinStarmast]

Dilligas Husty
(If you don't get the acronym, sorry)
She is renowned as The loveliest, pluckiest, bard in the North Country.
The name Dil Husty is tribute to Dusty Hill of ZZ Top: a great bass player and singer, then he died.

Lore bard from 1-19. At 20, she chose Fathomless warlock patron because her deity was the source of the oldest form of magic on that world: the magic of music and memory, Leviathan.
She needed a tentacle, damnit!
================================
Auburn Hair, Light olive skin (tans, doesn't burn). Eyes are hazel / green;
Height 5' 8" Weight 138 lbs.
Usual Dress | leather knee high boots; linen or cotton loose fitting pants; belt/sash; long sleeved shirt (pirate style); rapier at left hip, dagger at right hip; cittern slung by its strap over her shoulder; head band, or a wide brimmed floppy straw hat.
... grew up in the port town of Fuhino on the northern coast of the Serpent Sea. Spent her youth fishing and sailing - and getting into mischief. Uncle Mikham, a tavern keeper, nurtured her musical talent, and, taught her a few arcane secrets and some lore.

Hired on as a lookout / deckhand on the good ship Windbreaker, whose captain sometimes traded and sometimes raided. He styled himself a Gentleman of Fortune.
She hoped one day to be a Lady of Fortune, but her career was interrupted during her twenty second summer.

Spoiler: the story, as it began

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One night, after Windbreaker ended a raucous port visit to Tarad'am, a notorious pirate ship called The Scarlet Pearl overtook and boarded them - putting all to the sword. She was the last one standing, beset by saber and dagger at the starboard rail. Unleashing her final arcane reserves in a burst of thunder, she went over the side rather than be taken and sold into slavery – as they had threatened to do to her.

Two days later she washed ashore. A pair of triton scouts had found her - a Surfacer - swimming out to sea under the moonlight. They guided her landward.
Losing her shipmates – her second family – was devastating blow. Sitting on the focs'l of an evening, leading the rest of the crew in songs, was no longer possible. Afraid to bring trouble home to her family she traveled north, earning room and board by performing at the odd tavern, or, by persuading folks to share their food with her in exchange for a story or song.

She joined a caravan heading North. The caravan master wore a brooch on his cloak: the dragon-headed ouroboros, gold on black. He was recruiting for Forever and Beyond, a guild of adventurers.
Arriving in Sheplyn, she joined with Sargas of Tor-Elan, Tsun Azur, Crow, and Morgan to help Lord Sumter sort out his problems in Honedaxe, a seaside port town. It seemed like a good idea at the time. One day she’ll pay back the slavers who destroyed her ship and killed her shipmates.
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As it worked out, she got a cittern (bard instrument) and eventually came across the captain of the Scarlet Pearl. She killed him, and mutilated the body with the hilt of her rapier, crying out the names of each of her dead shipmates one after the other as each blow fell. She then set fire to the remains.

Later on, she fell in love with an ancient gold dragon and had a child by him. Her simulacrum helped with the breast feeding after birth. Her songs are now sung on the astral plane by various performers, and she collect royalties. She True Resurrected her first true love, and set him free.

He signed on as first mate on a merchant ship and hasn't been seen since ...

Mountain? What mountain?

[King of Nowhere]

Firem Gikwht, the adrenaline junkie monk
(the name was chosen by rolling a dice with letters on it, but I ended up liking it)

After losing his parents to an evil wizard, Firem reacted by deciding to be strong - so that no baddies could ever hurt him.
he also heard that misery builds character, what doesn't kill you make you stronger, and all that stuff. he took it literally. he devised training techniques centered on making him miserable. they include stapling sandpaper to the inside of his clothes - particularly in the undergarment area - and sleeping on rough stones even when a good bed is available. he is also quite vocal in advertising those techniques to others.
under his bravado, firem is quite insecure. he fights his insecurity by constantly putting himself in danger. surviving makes him feel strong, makes him feel safe, makes him feel that no baddies can hurt him like they hurt his parents. he is no masochist, but he thinks getting hurt will make him stronger, so he cherishes any such opportunity. firem will jump into a trap just to feel good about dodging it. he will catch the poisoned dart in mid-air. then he'll lick the poison from it, because it will make him stronger. by now, he's somewhat of a poison sommelier.
firem survives only by having a very defence-focused build. he's very good at avoiding damage, which makes him a good party tank. despite his crazy looking-for-trouble attitude, he's generally smart enough to pick trouble he can survive, while staying away from that he cannot survive. he generally lets the rest of the party talk him away from the most suicidal stunts. most of the times.

firem started as a flexible concept for an open world with a new group. i didn't knew the tone of the campaign or what it would entail, so I made a character that would be very motivated to chase adventure, in any form. I wanted to be sure I had a guy compatible with most parties who would not turn down adventure hooks. he got more depths with time.
firem is a very funny character to play. he can do all manners of things that would normally get your pc killed, counting on his defensive and escaping capabilities to get away with it. jumping amid groups of mooks, drawing fire from casters, and reaching the end of turn unschated is exhilarating. out of combat, i mostly play the comedy relief. I like characters that straddle the line between serious and ridiculous, and firem got the mixture just right.

[togapika]

Sniffler
5e D&D
"Lizardfolk" "Paladin"

Spoiler: Sniffler

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Sniffler was a... baby shark person thing? Like if you crossed a toddler with a shark. His mother was a famous were-shark gladiator tragically killed by poachers, whereupon he somehow ended up with a dragon living in his hoard (And annoying him to no end). Luckily for the dragon, he was the patron of a low level warlock and thus when the warlock did a service for him, he was able to "reward" them with the pirate treasure chest that was Sniffler's bed, with him inside, and a hasty "No takebacks"
Most of his "spells" were things that he'd harvested from the bottom of the ocean such as gross plants that made you feel better or a homemade energy drink. You might not enjoy them, but they did the trick. He was a bit of a chaotic toddler, and his only goal in life was to make his mommy proud, though being so young, he had no idea how to do that.

[Xihirli]

Aryaman Farohar
An Aasimar Nagaji in a post-apocalypse, she is 240 years old. She is in a religion that has recently had a massive shift in the balance of power, incorporating the Night and Sun Serpents in a very Tashlan style way.
One of my favorite quotes from her is "the world's changed so much, and now I am a stranger because I remained the same."
Her great great granddaughter is heading up the church of the Unified Serpent and she's slowly gathering the resources, fame, and power she'd need to overthrow it and restore the correct faith.

The other people in the party have asked me, "wait, is she a Puritan?" And basically she is. I like playing her because she is so different from me in her intense piety. She has an intense idea of right and wrong, a motivation, and a path forward and that's what I most like in characters.

[Gondolin01]

I've had a lot of characters, but my absolute favorite was Ras the Changeling (D&D 5e).

Spoiler

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Ras gained notoriety as an understudy in a theater. Whenever the leading man was sick, he would go out instead and everyone would pretend he was the real deal. In the game I got to play him in, the goal was to infiltrate a high-society ball and make off with a rare diamond. The best part of his acting career was when he assumed the form of a nobleman to distract our mark, so that the other party members could cheat the mark's guards out of their hard-earned wages; shape-shifted into a rat-like con man to convince the guards that they could make a little extra cash by betraying the noble; and then became a muscle-bound bandit for the "incident" where the noble was waylaid on the road and his identity was stolen. Getting to set up the dominos and watch them fall was the greatest thing I got to do in a game of D&D.

[KorvinStarmast]

Blades in the Dark, Leech

Spoiler: Sven Helles aka Scalpel

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Sven is a Skovlander veteran who, like many others, migrated to Doskvol once the war was over and Skovland was defeated. He was a combat medic and a sapper (both) in a light infantry unit.

His origin (before meeting the Crew) is that he tended to hang out in Charhollow where he spent most of his days as medic / doc to the poor and desperate. He's also part of the Skovland Irredenta movement, but he's careful where and when he goes to meetings. He plays the long game. That said, his first kill in Doskvol was a masked, anti-Skovlander vigilante who tried to torch Kellen's pub after hours. Nobody ever found the body.

He's lean and wiry, with sandy brown hair, gray eyes, fair skin. He is usually attired in Tall boots, Work Trousers, a Knit Sweater and a Knit Cap.

Sven goes by the war name "Scalpel" when he's engaged in the kind of skullduggery that BitD is built for.
He's very good with a rapier or dagger (he keeps one at either hip, and a dagger in his boot). The carriage of personal arms is common in Doskvol, in most quarters of the city.

When out doing a Score he always has a bandolier with a smoke grenade, and usually a small bomb and trance powder - but it changes depending on what the objective is.

Sven tends not to talk much. He usually lets the others do the talking, and he does the menacing, silent type act with his hand on his rapier hilt. This style of intimidation has worked for the Crew sometimes.

How he met the Crew:
Sven was a frequent visitor to Veleris' soup shop. She makes the best soup in town. She's an immigrant / refugee from the Dagger Isles who used to have a thing with Gunnar - the Crew's Hound. Gunnar got badly hurt (darn near died) during a Score at the Asylum. She asked Sven to go and help Gunnar heal. While so engaged Sven was made an offer he could not refuse: here was a chance to make more Coin. This would further his aims of bringing basic medicine to the poor and also fund some clandestine ops for the Skovlander Irredentist movement.

He's been involved in jewel heists, a raid on a magically protected vault, and the destruction of a vampire. Gunnar is nearly healed up, and the Heat is increasing. Sven may soon go to ground; he's worried that too many people have seen him in the nice parts of town...

[Mordar]

Dilligas Husty
(If you don't get the acronym, sorry)
She is renowned as The loveliest, pluckiest, bard in the North Country.
The name Dil Husty is tribute to Dusty Hill of ZZ Top: a great bass player and singer, then he died.

I've had a lot of characters, but my absolute favorite was Ras the Changeling (D&D 5e).

Ah, Bards and con[people], clearly an early favorite in the thread! And yes, Dil, it does look like you do.

Blades in the Dark, Leech (I'll flesh this out when I get home)

Extremely limited familiarity with BitD...should learn more about it.

- M

[KorvinStarmast]

And yes, Dil, it does look like you do.

I updated Sven's bio now that I am home with the book.

Extremely limited familiarity with BitD...should learn more about it.

A fun game, but I have found that you need experienced RPGers to make it work. YMMV.

[Jay R]

Dr. MacAbre

Mystic Superhero (Champions)

Spoiler

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Dr. John MacAubrey put himself through graduate school as a stage magician, under the stage name “Dr. MacAbre,” which is now his hero name.

He is one of the world’s most well-known authorities on legends and the occult, and his mystical abilities developed as he studied. He admits of real magic, real psychic powers, real metahuman abilities, and real charlatanry in the world. Generally, he won’t say of a given topic which he thinks it is.

He will neither confirm nor deny his own powers. “If you can’t prove my methods are magic, what good would it do for me to say so? Besides, what difference does the method make if the results are good?”

His most famous stunt is to produce two separate “magic” tricks. Then he says, “One of them was sleight-of-hand. It’s flim-flam, neither magic nor psychic. Until you can tell which one, and how it was produced, you can’t evaluate allegedly supernatural effects.”

When asked if he believes in magic, he replies, “If you brought a metahuman with X-ray vision, a well-trained detective, and a true mystic to the scene of a crime, they could all tell you that the murder weapon was hidden under the bed. So could the murderer, or a witness. How could you tell the difference? And why would it matter?

“If the detective had psychic powers, would he necessarily know it? Would the self-styled psychic necessarily be aware of his own detective skills? Or even his X-ray vision? To say ‘magic’ instead of ‘I don’t know” solves nothing.’”

Recently, Dr. MacAbre was walking alone under a full moon, late at night. Some mugger decided to attack him. Dr. MacAbre found himself accidentally turninto into a wolf. The mugger fled, and is now telling anyone who will listen about “the time I was attacked by the Wolfman.”

Three months later, also under a full moon, Dr. MacAbre was nearly hit by a drunk driver, and flew away as a bat. The drunk never saw the man, the bat, or the lamppost he totaled his car on three blocks later.

He has learned that that he can take on the forms of a wolf, bat, or mist. He has never lost control of it except under stress and a full moon.

He is, of course, deeply concerned. He has several theories, but one of them is true vampirism – bitten but not drained, he is slowly becoming a vampire.

He does not believe he has the right not to use these abilities. (His magic powers have long been at the police’s disposal.) Nonetheless, he is nervous of this development. He joined a super-group for two reasons. First, he would like to find someone intelligent enough and with both metahuman and mystical experience to be able to help him. (His previous experience rules out trusting any academic, psychic or religious types.) Secondly, if he ever does lose control or become a monster, he wants to be around people with the power to stop him.

[TheHalfAasimar]

Jazeo, Tiefling Monk

The campaign started with a bunch of level 20's fighting each other to the death, until we all kind of got blooped from reality and were kinda reincarnated as level 1s. He used to be a Moon Elf Eldritch Knight, but he doesn't remember. What he (thinks he) remembers is that he was a soldier who, after seeing the horrors of war, went to a monastery. Currently level 9, and missing a hand after it got fused with a hammer that we thought would not do that. He basically stuck his hand in raw lava (because he's the only character with fire resistance) and got a hammer fused to his hand. He cut it off with a shortsword. He also dropped the same shortsword off a flying boat. Meta Knight used to hate his guts, but now Meta Knight's dead. Not because of him. He also (at level 7) took two fireballs to the face (successful save+failed save) because the Dragonborn Sorcerer (red) twinned Fireball (I know it's illegal by RAW, but I guess the DM let it slide) on a bunch of rats, deleting them all, as well as a fellow PC. Yeah, our current campaign (5e) is kinda crazy.

[TeChameleon]

D&D 4e/5e

Spoiler: Paik, Assassin Rogue

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Paik (pronounced both 'Pike' and 'Payk', depending on my mood, with the running gag that even he isn't actually sure how it's pronounced) is a nine-foot-tall albino dragonborn who somehow got the idea in his head that it was a good idea for him to take up a career that relies on stealth. He got by on low cunning and high crazy, mostly, and one of my proudest moments with him was, when told that there was an enemy army closing in on the party's position as they frantically searched an abandoned temple for a relic, he decided he would go 'delay' them. Paik successfully assassinated the entirety of the opposing army with a little stealth, one killing, two magic items, and a bluff check. It was glorious, hilarious, and kind of sucked the tension right out of the hurried search, especially when he reappeared with the party a short while later and offhandedly mentioned that the army was 'a bit distracted.' The other players had some fun heading out to loot the now-empty encampment and roleplaying the reactions of their characters, heh.

[Jay R]

American West setting (Referee-written rules)

Spoiler

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I grew up in the 1960s watching Westerns on TV. So when my GM announced he was doing a game set in the American west, I told the group that I was planning to pattern my PC after the hero of a TV western. So I showed up with Cali Yang, a Chinese martial artist obviously based on Kwai-Chang Cain in Kung Fu. I had great fun inventing fake Oriental wisdom for him. But he wasn't really based on Kwai-Chang Cain. In the fourth session, he needed to take off his disguise, and revealed that he was really Cal Young, a disguise-artist federal agent based on Artemus Gordon of The Wild, Wild West.

[Witty Username]

Alistair Flashblade
Lead actor and highlight of the Cult of Rakdos
The system is D&D 5e, the place is the world/city Ravnica.
Notably they are a good natured and mostly Law abiding character, their role in theater is playing heroes, and he believes he is destined to embody such, possibly in opposition to Rakdos himself if it would make more of a spectacle to do so.

Hot headed and self absorbed, but lacking mostly in ill will.

What I wanted to explore with the character is a perception that Lawful and Lawful good are anti-fun. This character was meant to be peak hedonism and Lawful Good and how that works. It helps that Ravnica has a demon cult that is mostly about kickass parties.

[Jay R]

Gwystyl, gnome illusionist

Fantasy (D&D 3.5e)

Spoiler

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He is a gnome illusionist, and eventually Shadowcraft Mage.

He was named Grabnol, a clan-name that will never be used outside the caves of his birth. The dwarves called him Doli; the elves Tildring (“pointed hammer”). And one orc called him Grek’khan (“little brown dinner”), but that name died when the orc did, moments later.

He has other names, which I will invent when I need them, and abandon at whim, as gnomes do. [In the game, when they needed aliases, one of the other PCs called him “Frank”. He assumed that was a new name, and has called himself “Frank” ever since.]

But when his adventures began, he was among humans, who expect a single name. So he is Gwystyl. He will answer to it, but he does not consider it his own, as his tools are.

The Grabediodd clan are machinists. So of course Grabnol (Gwystyl) was trained in mechanics. Building his own toolkit is his first major work, and he must keep trying until they are perfect. After that, he would not willingly part with them. So Gwystyl carries a set of masterwork machinist’s tools.

He has an Ancestral Relic, whose history he does not know. It functions in his hands as a staff, but in form, it is a gnome’s hooked hammer (a hammer on one end and a plothook on the other). It was owned by his ancestor Grabthar, who used in in a great battle in support of King Warvan and his sons.

Once, Gwystyl picked up the hammer. He heard a voice in his head. It told him to seek out the truth of the hammer. Magic from the hammer? A prophecy of the gods? A delusion? He does not know, but he wants to believe it.

his mind still holds was the final line: “If you do not discover the secrets of this hammer, they will be lost to the Grabediodd forever.”

So, Gwystyl Grabnol Dimble Grek’khan Doli Bolten Tildring is on a quest to do something, given him by he knows not whom, to learn about the hammer, with no idea how. A human, elf, or dwarf might be discouraged by this. To a gnome’s way of thinking, it’s just a great practical joke, and one he’s willing to play out. It’s an excuse to wander, and avoid having to make more cogs and spokes.

He considered turning away from his quest, but realized that it would be impossible to turn away from it until he found out where the quest was supposed to take him. This seems like the greatest joke of all – a quest he cannot undertake, and cannot avoid.

This whole story was invented so if he ever learned its history, he would have an opportunity to say, “By Grabthar’s hammer, by the sons of Warvan, you shall be avenged.” [I was designing the character when I heard about Alan Rickman’s death. This was my tribute to him.] Unfortunately, the game didn’t last long enough.

[Mordar]

American West setting (Referee-written rules)

Spoiler

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I grew up in the 1960s watching Westerns on TV. So when my GM announced he was doing a game set in the American west, I told the group that I was planning to pattern my PC after the hero of a TV western. So I showed up with Cali Yang, a Chinese martial artist obviously based on Kwai-Chang Cain in Kung Fu. I had great fun inventing fake Oriental wisdom for him. But he wasn't really based on Kwai-Chang Cain. In the fourth session, he needed to take off his disguise, and revealed that he was really Cal Young, a disguise-artist federal agent based on Artemus Gordon of The Wild, Wild West.

Brilliant! Double-homage...I would have been hard pressed not to get some Maverick or Paladin in there too, even if a little out of the timeframe.

- M

[Jay R]

Brilliant! Double-homage...I would have been hard pressed not to get some Maverick or Paladin in there too, even if a little out of the timeframe.

- M

Thank you! The Maverick homage was included in the moral code for this guy:

Jean-Louis
Musketeer-era Rogue (Flashing Blades)

Spoiler

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Jean-Louis was a foundling, left at Notre Dame in a basket. Nothing is known about him except that he was left with a satin blanket with the monogram "JL". Is it a clue to his parentage? Is he the bastard son of a noble with those initials? Or was he born to a servant girl who stole the blanket?

A Flashing Blades character has at least one Secret – and his was Secret Origin. I left it as something for the GM to use, or not, and pointed out that it could be turned into a Secret Identity, Sworn Vengeance, or something else.

The GM handled it magnificently. He eventually discovered that he was the illegitimate son of the grand-niece of a Count and a Huguenot commoner, which left him in an intriguing and uncomfortable situation. That’s fair; intriguing and uncomfortable situations are a GM’s stock in trade.

[Yes, he was patterned after an animated Disney movie, but not the one you’re thinking. *Hunchback* hadn’t come out yet, and he was really based on Aladdin.]

He was raised by the nuns of Notre Dame, until he fled at age eight, upon hearing that he was to be taught Latin. Since then he lived by his wits, developing the skills of a cutpurse and thief.

Jean-Louis particularly enjoys climbing, feeling happiest and most secure when climbing buildings. (He has discovered that most Parisians never look up.)

He eventually discovered his family, for whom his existence was a constant embarrassment, and started forming his first crude code of ethics. His life up to then had not provided a consistent base for one. He was an orphan raised by the nuns at Notre-Dame, so he was subjected to the child's version of Catholic teaching. While he remembers it, what he remembers is a jumble of "thou shalt nots", confusing, inconsistent, and incomplete. So he produced this:

1. Never steal from the poor; they have no money.
2. Never betray your comrades; they know where you sleep.
3. There is rarely a good reason to kill somebody. But there is never a good reason to merely wound somebody who attacked you.
4. Your honor is not necessarily more important than your life, but it is certainly more important than your enemy’s life.
5. Never forget an insult, but you can afford to be very patient.
6. There is nothing wrong with respectable work. There's just nothing particularly right with it, either.
7. Do not rob dead bodies (when anyone's looking). [When he kills somebody in public, he will immediately go check to see if his enemy is alive or dead. People tend to watch the hand he’s checking the pulse with, not the one cutting his purse.]

There were a lot more, and it was mainly a combination of practical tactics and tools for feigning respectability, prettied up in the language of ethics, and inspired by Maverick’s Pappyisms.

[Quertus]

Where to start? Well, I guess…

Spoiler: “Quertus, my signature academia mage for whom this account is named (usually fantasy, originally D&D)”

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Quertus wears bright red, gold-trimmed robes, and carries a forked metal staff arcing lightning (try getting that through airport security). He has numerous pouches hanging off his belt (but incongruously smells like sugar cookies rather than sulfur and bat poop) alongside a golden hourglass with red sand and a mahogany wand case. He enjoys wine, seafood, cheese, and long walks through Dream.

When protecting (via custom spell; think “Astral Projection”) into the physical world, usually stopping time first, he is accompanied by an invisible Dark Naga Simulacrum, as well as several less obvious constructs secreted on his person.

Why do I like Quertus? Well, like most of my characters that I like, I’ve played him enough that he fits like a glove - that’s one of the most important criteria here, that I can just play the character. He’s the most requested of my characters. He has the most history of any of my characters. He has the most knowledge, the most custom spells (he’s invented more custom sights than there are spells in core), the most allies, the most tools, the most toys. He has visited the most realms of any of my characters, and likely has the most perspective on the multiverse of anything short of a SI (and even then…).

I can enjoy playing him in most any party in most any setting. Despite his phenomenal power, he is held back by his tactical ineptitude, and an overly cautious desire to conserve mana, to keep the Tier 1 Wizard from overshadowing others. He has so many goals and is so open to Exploration of new things, he’s likely to be able to find something to do most anywhere. Except… he scarcely interacts with “the real world” anymore, outside brief appearances while Time is stopped to fund his multiversal Spell Component shops or converse with the rare few who get his attention, preferring to Explore alternate dimensions through the safer medium of Dream.

I think he’s finally hearing the end of his Story, as the logical consequences of power X desire for exploration X desire for safety removes him from most “standard” adventures.

Now to read through the other entries more carefully, for enjoyment and ideas.

[Satinavian]

@ Quertus : Nice to see you back. Already feared something had happened.


Splittermond : Huang Rong

Spoiler

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Rong is from Zhoujiang the China inspired region (with some twists like being matriarchal) of the main setting. Original made for a theme group working for the ministry of spirits, whe was one of two members who was a full member and actually had gone through the whole imperial examination process and held a proper position. Her abilities were mostly focused academics, bureaucracy and proper etiquette as well as some spirit and divination magic. She also had contracts with 2 helpful spirits she could summon, one for menial tasks and one for healing. She had some crafting abilities and came from an upper class gnomish family which also made her the oldest person in the group.
Despite having a relatively high status, she very much was not a peoples person and would try to offload necessary interactions to other group members. Unfortunately she was also the one with the best etiquette, understanding of power structures and generally the straight man of the group so that didn't work too well.

In the beginning most adventures revolved about ghosts and spirits, haunted places, the strange interplay between ancestor veneration and the fear of vengeful dead ones but other stuff was sprinkled in. But later the campaign morphed and was more about the civil war, old prophecies and dirty secrets of the current dynasty. While that eventually meant having influence on the fate of the country, she hated every moment of it and always wanted back to her proper, ordered work and life in a functioning state without all the recent infighting (her age meant that she saw the civil war more as an abberation)

Personally i like playing characters who are not primarily adventurers but have responsibilities, loyalties and a life beyond that. I also quite enjoyed the straight man position in the group and also how she has so many specific strengths but also weaknesses, making it relevant to the story that she is part of the group not just any other random adventurer. I also liked the setting.

[Quertus]

@ Quertus : Nice to see you back. Already feared something had happened.

Thanks. My meds messed me up for a bit, and I got out of the habit of checking the site, but I'm back now.

As for another entry, how about...

Spoiler: Arma, "High" Priestess of D&D (Fantasy, D&D 2e)

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Arma was created for the "Magical MacGyver" thought experiment thread, and never played outside there (yet... she's a candidate for of all things a superheros game). She's a spoof of my character Armus, as well as being part of an insane, 4th-wall-breaking religion that believes they're all inside a game.

Reverse-engineering a history from the thought experiment, Arma was generally mistrusted and abused for her demonic heritage (which included some rather obvious bat wings), including being "asked" to sacrifice herself to singlehandedly hold off an enemy army (which she did by meeting them at a bridge with her own undead army, and, ultimately, destroying the bridge). However, when an extradimensional entity offered Arma a chance at acceptance (as a Countess no less!), she leapt at the offer, and was transported to another world, where the entity had apparently mass Mindraped an entire community into believing she was in charge. Arma further established herself as the "High" Priestess by using her wings to fly to the highest point of the church (Puns are sacred to the Church of D&D).

Arma dealt with numerous problems, including global warming and retroactive disappearances, usually utilizing her authority, magic, and her undead army, treating the citizens as disposable resources, and succeeding by accident as often as through actual reasoned intent. Along the way, she collected several reality-warping Artifacts, and began her investigation of this strange power the new world held - an investigation which ultimately led to the end of the world.

For you see, there was a prophesy of the greatest of the reality warping artifacts, which told that only the great McGuffin possessed the power to cast the Daemon Lord from the world, but warned that the sky gods would rain beautiful death down upon any who dared attempt to wield it. Or something like that. Arma researched, prayed, performed divinations, and eventually understood just enough about the trio of technological death satellites in orbit around the planet - specifically, that the were not actually deities - to formulate a plan.

Arma created a xenophobic following of the "sky gods" in an out-of-the-way settlement, slowly growing the religion until the sky gods actually ascended to divine status. Then she had her undead army murder all their followers, putting the new deities to sleep, thus ending the threat they posed to any who would retrieve the McGuffin.

Having collected all the infinity stones added the greatest reality-warping artifact to her collection, Arma proceeded to utilize their great power... and broke the world. Literally, into little shard realms, individual bubbles of (in)sanity. Arma now travels from shard to shard, attempting to help the citizens, cull the dissidents, and, ultimately, put HumptyDumpty and the band back together again.

One day, she will develop the magics to turn the dead "sky gods" into an exoskeleton, sparking legends of how she wears the skins of her dead children to keep alive the flames of her wrath against the vile undead who slew them in their crib. And Time Travel. She hasn't figured out yet that she's the Daemon Lord of the prophesy yet.

[Zyzzyva]

From 7th Sea (a sort of 17th-century Three Musketeers/Golden Age of Piracy swashbuckling setting):

Spoiler: 7th Sea setting details if you're unfamiliar

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It's based on an extremely turned-to-11 late 17th century, with ersatz-Isaac Newton swordfighting evil obscurantist Inquisitors on rooftops and cool pirates blowing up the not-East India Company and everything else you could want to cram into that sort of setting. 2e rules are a wee bit clunky sometimes but the setting is very fun. For our purposes, the important bit is Vestenmennavenjar (everyone, even in universe, calls it Vesten), which used to be Norse Vikingdom and is now Golden Age Holland. A lot of the 7th Sea countries have bits and pieces of paganism-equivalents lingering around, more than real 17th C Europe, because it makes the setting more interesting and also just more rule-of-cool; in Vesten, that's also the local magic branch, which is rune-magic and skald poetry. You won't get burned at the stake for it (well, Inquisitors will try, but the Inquisition are Bad Guys and PCs have pretty much always done something wrong in the Inquisition's eyes), but it definitely marks you as weird. Vesten tends to frown on their local magic branch more than most of the other countries just because their thing is very much Commerce and Science and Being Golden Age Holland, which is a fun tension to run with for Vesten skalds.

Spoiler: Katja Sigurdsdottir, Skald

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From a family of jarls way back, traditionally raiders and sailors, now in the Vesten middle class but still with a military tradition. Basically the 7th Sea version of Dutch Reformed Calvinists. She became a guard for the Vesten Miners' Guild, spent a few years travelling the continent, protecting Guild traders and factors all over. Good solid work.

Last year, she was home in Thorshofn, visiting her family and spending her pay, and she went up into the mountains above the fjord for a walk. She found a cave, and went in, and in the cave there was a huge tree root, bigger around than an oak tree trunk, and a spring coming from it. A voice said drink and she did, and the voice said the old bargain is open to you, and without hesitation and, for that matter, without difficulty or pain, she pulled her right eye out and threw it into the water.

Her family said she came down the mountainside bleeding and raving incoherently, then slept for two days. When she woke up, her eye socket was healed over, she knew how to read the runes and the offerings and the true names of the stones and streams and people around her, and she knew the Old Gods had given her this.

She quit her job with the Miners' Guild - no one gave her trouble over it, because of the eye - and is now trying to figure out what the heck she is supposed to do with this, and with herself, now.

So yeah, Katja is a fairly generic stolid Dutch burgher who got force-converted to Not-Norse paganism and is now extremely metaphysically lost, hence why she's now a PC. My medium-term plan was for her to fully embrace the Old Faith and eventually, not exactly become an evangelist for it, since the 7th Sea setting is pleasantly ecumenical, but try to make it more of a visible thing again in Vesten. Or at least figure out what Probably Odin wanted her to do when he offered her wisdom for an eye. The campaign died before she got very far with this but I really like the character idea and I definitely would love to try and run with her or something similar again.

[Mordar]

From 7th Sea (a sort of 17th-century Three Musketeers/Golden Age of Piracy swashbuckling setting):

Spoiler: Katja Sigurdsdottir, Skald

Show

From a family of jarls way back, traditionally raiders and sailors, now in the Vesten middle class but still with a military tradition. Basically the 7th Sea version of Dutch Reformed Calvinists. She became a guard for the Vesten Miners' Guild, spent a few years travelling the continent, protecting Guild traders and factors all over. Good solid work.

Last year, she was home in Thorshofn, visiting her family and spending her pay, and she went up into the mountains above the fjord for a walk. She found a cave, and went in, and in the cave there was a huge tree root, bigger around than an oak tree trunk, and a spring coming from it. A voice said drink and she did, and the voice said the old bargain is open to you, and without hesitation and, for that matter, without difficulty or pain, she pulled her right eye out and threw it into the water.

Her family said she came down the mountainside bleeding and raving incoherently, then slept for two days. When she woke up, her eye socket was healed over, she knew how to read the runes and the offerings and the true names of the stones and streams and people around her, and she knew the Old Gods had given her this.

She quit her job with the Miners' Guild - no one gave her trouble over it, because of the eye - and is now trying to figure out what the heck she is supposed to do with this, and with herself, now.

So yeah, Katja is a fairly generic stolid Dutch burgher who got force-converted to Not-Norse paganism and is now extremely metaphysically lost, hence why she's now a PC. My medium-term plan was for her to fully embrace the Old Faith and eventually, not exactly become an evangelist for it, since the 7th Sea setting is pleasantly ecumenical, but try to make it more of a visible thing again in Vesten. Or at least figure out what Probably Odin wanted her to do when he offered her wisdom for an eye. The campaign died before she got very far with this but I really like the character idea and I definitely would love to try and run with her or something similar again.

A lovely game...too bad so many stories (including my own) for 7th Sea seem to end before they get very far down the path. <sigh> So many good ideas, so few games...

- M

[Wombat42]

I think the character I had the most fun with as a person was Knurl Copperhead, a dwarven locksmith, trap designer and escape artist.

He was a high level lawful good rogue that regularly broke into treasure vaults, private properties and restricted military complexes, disarmed their traps, opened their saves... and left his business card saying:

"Having the feeling yer valuables/secrets/loved ones are not as safe as you thought? Contact the Copperhead Security Firm at [local pub] today! Our design and installment prices are fair, and the consultation and inspection fee has already been paid!"

He joined the party at first to help break into an ancient vault and stayed with them after they saved him from the retaliation of a corrupt noblewoman who's mansion he broke into before (who was actually the leader of a powerful evil cult).

[King of Nowhere]

I think the character I had the most fun with as a person was Knurl Copperhead, a dwarven locksmith, trap designer and escape artist.

He was a high level lawful good rogue that regularly broke into treasure vaults, private properties and restricted military complexes, disarmed their traps, opened their saves... and left his business card saying:

"Having the feeling yer valuables/secrets/loved ones are not as safe as you thought? Contact the Copperhead Security Firm at [local pub] today! Our design and installment prices are fair, and the consultation and inspection fee has already been paid!"

best. advertising. ever!

[Pauly]

Traveller
Dr John Smithman.

Stats were very good intelligence, education and social but average to poor physical abilities.
On rolling for terms of service.
Term 1. Achieved a significant breakthrough in xenobiology. Promoted.
Term 2. Stole someone else's research and won a major prize, but gained an enemy in the process. Promoted.
Term 3. Got involved in shady dealings selling contraband to organised crime, but wasn't caught. Promoted
Term 4. Got framed for a crime he didn't commit and got kicked out of the medical career. I put this down to his enemy from term 2 getting the organised crime gang from term 3 to set him up.
Term 5. Joined the scout service. Got kicked out for causing a major diplomatic incident with a minor xeno-power. I put this down to his enemy hacking his data regarding xeno-biology.

I leaned very heavily into Dr Smith from Lost in Space and Harry Flashman and played a coward who put on a brave face in front of others whilst looking for the safest way out of danger. Due to the relentless and merciless nature of his enemy he had to stay with the crew and keep moving to try to stay one step ahead.

[KorvinStarmast]

"I am Celeste of Denberg"

She often introduces herself so, to people who care about titles and lineage.
Character:
Warlock 12, Celestial, Tome, Sailor Background.
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Spoiler: Celeste of Denberg, short version

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Celeste, as she blossomed into a woman from a girl in that awkward stage of life, encountered - during one of her quiet moments talking to the stars while sitting on the docks of her home city - a voice that replied to her frustrated question of
"What is happening to me?"
with
"You are becoming my worthy disciple, if you'll accept that burden."
Lagarael, the patron of beer, wine, and spirits, had heard her pleas and prayers for clarity more than once.

Celeste, after a brief conversation that happened only in her head, accepted the offer and the burden.

This had a few unfortunate side effects.

At her Debutante ball / Coming out party / Quinceañera (pick one) (her family were wealthy merchants and ship owners in Denberg) a few of the escorts got a little "handsy" during the formal dances. She finally had enough and slapped one, which slap included a bit of magical "oomph" {shocking grasp} that left him (to all outward signs) dead on the floor.
She quickly used her Celestial blessing (Healing Light) to revive him, realizing that she'd reacted a bit more strongly than she'd intended: they'd been school chums since about kindergarten.

Result? Scandal.
As the fifth of five children, and the daughter of a third wife (previously a mistress) her standing in the family was already precarious. She was apprenticed to her uncle (who had always doted on her, as had his wife her aunt) as a navigator on one of his trading ships. She had this thing about the stars ... and proved an apt apprentice!

She loved the life of being at sea. Unfortunately (see standard PHB Sailor background) pirates took over her ship and killed all on board (there was a betrayal/mutiny involved) but spared her - the basic intent was that she become the plaything of the pirate / buccaneer crew.

She escaped (lots of back story edited out) and washed up on the eastern coast near a swamp. Falling in with Rum smugglers she eventually made her way to a major city, up river, and encountered the Rightful King, and his court, who were slowly plotting how they'd get back at the Usurper. At this point, she was over a thousand miles from home.

After a high energy affair with the Rightful King's chancellor, she headed further up river to Traxen's Ferry. There she met an adventuring party (the Beervengers) and joined them; their Cleric (Life) had retired to raise her newborn child.

She has a tendency to get overly zealous once combat begins. Outside of combat, she minds her manners and comports herself as the high class heiress of a merchant family (which she is, but, she's also been kicked to the curb by that same family).
Her schtick is as a support caster: make her allies and comrades better at what they do. Her wand of web is quite useful in this regard.

She drinks only the finest rum; nothing else will do. When drunk, she can be dangerous.

She's spent the last year, in game, campaigning from town to town to raise hopes for the return of The Rightful King and a casting down of the Usurper. (In the process the party handled various local problems, from crop failures, beer going bad, ogres, golems, cloud giants, phase spiders, red dragons...)

Recently, she took the initiative to lead a small palace revolt (in the capital!) which took down the Vizier of the Usurper, who was consorting with demons. She is positioned to either start, or prevent, a Civil War. The Beervengers, while doughty, are a rough and tumble bunch who are not gifted at social skills/interactions, so she fills that need when dealing with the middle class and ruling classes.

She speaks with the dead, frequently, to gather information to further the goals of the Beervengers: these are (1) to promote excellence in bear, wine, and spirits, and (2) restore the Rightful King to his throne...In that Priority Order.

One of the more fun experiences she had was rolling the Vizier's agent, who was attending the annual trade fair in Traxen's Ferry. During their drunken revelry she found out that he was reporting back to the Vizier via sending stones...as regards the movements of the Beervengers, who had caused his other proxies in Traxen's Ferry much trouble.

She got him drunk, took him up to his own bed in the tavern, and as he passed out opened the door for the party rogue. She went out the window, the rogue robbed the agent blind to include the sending stones. The party wizard spent the next month or so using the sending stones to mislead the Vizier as to the Beervengers' movements ... but we eventually figured out that the jig was up so the sending stone was given to a random drunk. He was sent West on a caravan ... with instructions to advise that they were going West...

She has also used the occasional Skywrite spell to cast aspersions on various of the mayors and henchmen of the Usurper in the towns and cities of the realm. She also uses it to advertise for the party Bard when he wants to make some coin performing at a tavern ...