How to roleplay a womanizer without rping a perv

[Geddoe]

The only difference between a womanizer and a perv is success. If you are successful, you are a womanizer. If you fail, you are a perv.

Now, part of that success is due to delivery.

The perv will say "Are you a cantaloupe farmer, because those are some major melons." And be slapped in the face. The womanizer might say the same thing, but she thinks he is just being cheeky.

[Jay R]

Originally Posted by Togath

As the tital indicates, I'm trying to figure out how to play a womanizer npc(he's a male nymph, so it seems appropriate), without coming across as a pervert.

You are confused because you are trying to find the precise difference between two terms for which you have no definition.

The solution is straightforward, but not quick.

1. List all the actions that you associate with a womanizer. Be specific and explicit.

2. List all the actions that you associate with a womanizer. Be specific and explicit.

(Spend at least an hour on the first two steps.)

3. Have the character perform actions that are on the first list but not on the second.

I won't help you make the lists, because this has to be what you consider a womanizer and what you consider a perv.

[Ravens_cry]

Nothing succeeds like success.
High Diplomacy, high Charisma, both are excellent ways to reflect this mechanically. I had a half-orc (Pathfinder) Sorcerer* like this.
He never used his magic to compel women; that'd be crass. Instead, he'd just walk into town, and act like he was king of everything.
I balanced him out a little by making him absolutely devoted to the woman who raised him like he was her child. If he saw something he knew she would like, he'd get it for her, no matter the cost.

*With a trait to give Diplomacy as a class skill

[navar100]

Think to yourself, "What would Captain Kirk do?".

[Amphetryon]

Originally Posted by navar100

Think to yourself, "WhatWho would Captain Kirk do?".

FTFY?

[Ravens_cry]

Originally Posted by navar100

Think to yourself, "WhatWho would wouldn't Captain Kirk do?".

Originally Posted by Amphetryon

FTFY?

I have rectified your rectification.

[Sith_Happens]

Originally Posted by Togath

I may actually go with a human. It also give me an idea for a possibly humorous plot if the succubus pc ends up seducing him, where she finds out she might end up with only a "half-hellspawn" child.

If this is 3.5, then half-fiend is the template you're looking for.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Originally Posted by Jay R

You are confused because you are trying to find the precise difference between two terms for which you have no definition.

The solution is straightforward, but not quick.

1. List all the actions that you associate with a womanizer. Be specific and explicit.

2. List all the actions that you associate with a womanizer. Be specific and explicit.

(Spend at least an hour on the first two steps.)

3. Have the character perform actions that are on the first list but not on the second.

I won't help you make the lists, because this has to be what you consider a womanizer and what you consider a perv.

I'm betting one of those steps is supposed to say perv instead of womanizer. Just sayin'.

[willpell]

Originally Posted by Megaduck

A perv just wants to have sex. The woman are just fleshy toys as far as he is concerned. The womanizer genuinely cares about the woman he's with.

This is not how I understand the terms. To me "womanizer" implies a man who sees women as conquests, one who's only interested in scoring, one who'll lie, flatter, subtly 'neg', and otherwise manipulate women to try and make them drop their guard so that he can get what he wants, then abandon them as soon as possible. A person who has a string of casual-sex flings but is always honest and respectful to the women, and parts from them on friendly terms, would not be a womanizer to my way of thinking, just a guy with a healthy love life.

(Meanwhile I think the perv is just being honest about what he wants, and is not by definition creepy about it, although I'll admit that this is a biased perspective.)

Originally Posted by Slipperychicken

Actually, the stat-boosts and special abilities might be the reason so many creatures bear half-dragon offspring: to make sure their kids are objectively superior to all the others.

One, that's not actually true because half-dragons have Level Adjustment; a level 1 half-dragon is the equivalent of a level 4 character, squares off against CR 4 encounters if he wants to earn XP at a decent rate, and has only a single HD. People who bred with dragons would essentially be feeing their children bread and water and denying them medical care while investing every penny in a trust fund; if the half-dragon survived long enough it could eventually buy off its LA and become very powerful, but the odds would be good it would die long before collecting the "interest". This would not be a good survival strategy on a civilization-wide basis; it's best reserved for "darlings of destiny" such as the PCs.

And two, even if dragon blood is desireable, it's really not up to the non-dragon parent whether they get any. The dragon gets to decide who if anyone is going to get some of his (more rarely her, I'd expect) DNA; he has the entire realm to pick from, so anyone with an active interest had best do some serious persuading.

Originally Posted by Togath

Also how does making him an uncommon race sound?, currently I was thinking of making him either a male nymph, or a male succubus, or a fairie(homebrewed race, they are 3 foot tall elf like humanoids with moth wings).

Make him a male Erinys (Monster Manual 1) or Pleasure Devil (Fiendish Companion 2). If the PC is a sex demon, they're probably Chaotic Evil, so a Good character is more likely to seem pathetic and annoying than dangerous (all the Smites in the world doesn't matter if you're either a lily-livered pacifist or an easily-misled hypocritical aggressor; creatures that openly embrace their villainy are not liable to fear anyone who hampers themselves with morals). But a sex devil is exactly like her, only gone horribly wrong by her standards; he does evil things even when they aren't fun, just for "the principle of the thing". Bleah!

[Slipperychicken]

Originally Posted by willpell

One, that's not actually true because half-dragons have Level Adjustment; a level 1 half-dragon is the equivalent of a level 4 character, squares off against CR 4 encounters if he wants to earn XP at a decent rate, and has only a single HD.

Believe it or not, some people don't wind up as adventurers, and most people aren't looking for a fair fight (i.e. appropriate CR). For all those people who are lucky to get three NPC class levels in their lifetime, Level Adjustment and RHD are completely irrelevant (RHD are actually welcome, since they give you hp, skills, and BAB without needing to commit Goblin genocide), and the benefits of such templates far exceed the cost.

[willpell]

Good point, I never thought of it that way.

[Slipperychicken]

Originally Posted by willpell

Good point, I never thought of it that way.

I forgot the main caveat: Spellcasters. Since the main way to advance spellcasting is class levels earned through experience, anyone who aspires to sire a powerful Wizard will want his bloodline as clean as possible. Almost any kind of monstrous heritage (LA or RHD alike) exponentially increases the time/work needed to learn higher-level spells.

[Sith_Happens]

Originally Posted by Slipperychicken

I forgot the main caveat: Spellcasters. Since the main way to advance spellcasting is class levels earned through experience, anyone who aspires to sire a powerful Wizard will want his bloodline as clean as possible. Almost any kind of monstrous heritage (LA or RHD alike) exponentially increases the time/work needed to learn higher-level spells.

Go go gadget unfortunate implications!

[Oscredwin]

Purebloods really are better wizards?

[LikeAD6]

Wear a silly outfit; these have been known to give something akin to a circumstance bonus. Also take ranks in Sense Motive to read the woman's reactions, Bluff to be better at negs and making up stories that make you look cool, and Knowledge (arcana) to know about astrology and personality tests. Also take the Leadership feat to gain wingmen.

[Togath]

The plot with him has turned out a bit.....awkward. He hasn't actually said anything beyond a quick comment about her looking nice in anything, and now I'm sort of stuck with how to have him react to the PC's reactions. Would it be rude to post quotes from the posts to see if anyone has tips for GMing the situation?
One thing I'm somewhat worried about is ending up in an explicit scene by mistake.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Originally Posted by Togath

The plot with him has turned out a bit.....awkward. He hasn't actually said anything beyond a quick comment about her looking nice in anything, and now I'm sort of stuck with how to have him react to the PC's reactions. Would it be rude to post quotes from the posts to see if anyone has tips for GMing the situation?
One thing I'm somewhat worried about is ending up in an explicit scene by mistake.

You can avoid the explicit stuff pretty easily as the DM. Just throw in a comic mishap and/or plot point at just the right moment. It happens in books, movies and tv all the time. The two characters gaze longingly into each others eyes, and then just before their lips meet a random drunk picks the wrong room, or a low-flying bird wings the male character upside his head, a stray golf-ball from the nearby driving range lands right in the soup, etc.

Then of course there's the old-fashioned fade-to-black solution. Just before things get hot and heavy, you pop a scene change. A simple, "okay, we know how those two are going to spend the next hour or so, what do the rest of your characters do?" That sort of thing.

[Togath]

Originally Posted by Kelb_Panthera

You can avoid the explicit stuff pretty easily as the DM. Just throw in a comic mishap and/or plot point at just the right moment. It happens in books, movies and tv all the time. The two characters gaze longingly into each others eyes, and then just before their lips meet a random drunk picks the wrong room, or a low-flying bird wings the male character upside his head, a stray golf-ball from the nearby driving range lands right in the soup, etc.

Then of course there's the old-fashioned fade-to-black solution. Just before things get hot and heavy, you pop a scene change. A simple, "okay, we know how those two are going to spend the next hour or so, what do the rest of your characters do?" That sort of thing.

Very good ideas, I'll probably try a few(possibly even the fade the black option), and I can avoid an akward scene for now by using the fact that they are in the middle of the main base of a yakuza clan run by faries.

[Mando Knight]

Wait, what kind of fairy are we talking about? Pixie type things, or the Fair Folk?

Either way, a tattooed pixie making deals one can't refuse is a rather amusing image.

[Socratov]

Originally Posted by Mando Knight

Wait, what kind of fairy are we talking about? Pixie type things, or the Fair Folk?

Either way, a tattooed pixie making deals one can't refuse is a rather amusing image.

especially if he has blue skin, has red hair and speaks with a Scottish accent

[Clawhound]

He's just a player. There's nothing pervy about that.

Another way to be a womanizer is to talk about the girls that you got.

"OK, it's time to leave town. I kiss my latest girl goodbye and join back up with the party." As long as the girl has no direct effect on the plot, you should just be able to get them as part of your character.

Now that you have the continuous stream of women proving your skill, then any important NPC woman becomes a challenge, but failure to seduce doesn't prove that you aren't any good at womanizing. No, that just means that she's more of a challenge.

[Coidzor]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, or Sean Connery.

[NikitaDarkstar]

Originally Posted by Coidzor

I'm surprised no one has mentioned James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, or Sean Connery.

Or Ezio Auditore. The games makes it quite clear that he's a womanizer without bringing it up all the time.

[BootStrapTommy]

A womanizer would play calm, collected, and classy. Usually the "holds the door open" kinda guy. But also, a "slams the door on anyone else" kinda guy. So pays special attention to females, including compliments and the such, almost to the point of ignoring others present. Roughly uses bluff-type and diplomacy-type, but more emphasis on bluff-type. Plays a good guy type in the eyes of the female, but manipulates thing behind the scenes so that her actions benefit him.

However, it's generally considered the case that most of the necessary rolls cannot be made against other characters, so using a succubus or womanizer type within a party really requires the player to respond, not the character, since rolls often cannot be enforced.

In other word, to womanize a party member truthfully means womanizing the player. The reverse is true for a seducer type.

[Darth Stabber]

Look up "pick up artist", they are pretty much the epitome of womanizers in my book. There seems to be a lot of romanticizing of womanizers in this thread, when the they are almost definitionally people who use women. There is some difference between being a casanova and a womanizer, and while there is sometimes overlap, they are usually distinguishable. I would aim more at the casanova angle, it's a bit less slimey, unless you want slimey.

Casanova - not slimey, not skeezy
womanizer - slimey, not skeezy
perv - slimey, skeezy

That being said I could be completely wrong on all of this and drawing distinctions where there aren't any.

[Jade Dragon]

Womanizers talk their way into a situation where they see their target in her underwear (or less). Perverts talk their way out of it (or just don't get caught).

[Talya]

I know you're looking at human, now, but I still need to comment...

Originally Posted by Togath

currently I was thinking of making him either a male nymph,

Both in RPGs and in the original greek legends, "Male nymph" is an oxymoronic term. Nymphs are all female. The male equivalent is a Satyr.

or a male succubus,

3rd edition D&D and later has been more forgiving of this, making all Succubi gender-shifters, but traditionally, a succubus is female. The male version is called an incubus.

[LikeAD6]

Originally Posted by Darth Stabber

Look up "pick up artist", they are pretty much the epitome of womanizers in my book. There seems to be a lot of romanticizing of womanizers in this thread, when the they are almost definitionally people who use women. There is some difference between being a casanova and a womanizer, and while there is sometimes overlap, they are usually distinguishable. I would aim more at the casanova angle, it's a bit less slimey, unless you want slimey.

Casanova - not slimey, not skeezy
womanizer - slimey, not skeezy
perv - slimey, skeezy

That being said I could be completely wrong on all of this and drawing distinctions where there aren't any.

I actually wrote about "negs" and storytelling as important techniques because of my knowledge of the pickup artist community; I have some friends who are practitioners. From what people are saying in this thread about womanisers vs. casanovas, I think these two groups of people translate into "pickup lingo" as pickup artists vs. naturals.

Basically, pickup artist is to wizard as natural is to sorcerer. The naturals "just know" how to attract women; many of them just do their techniques without thinking about the execution. The pickup artists, however, study these techniques in a scholarly fashion. These techniques are often collectively referred to as "game." Sorcerers can just do magic whereas wizards make the conscious decision to learn it, as naturals can just do game whereas pickup artists make the conscious decision to learn it. Also some veteran pickup artists actually take on apprentices, much like wizards. Some have even been known to wear robes and wizard hats while picking up women.

In my opinion, game in and of itself is neither good or evil; it is the intent of the practitioner that matters. So I think the question is less about the way the person acquired the techniques, but rather the goals the person hopes to accomplish using said techniques.

[Darth Stabber]

Originally Posted by LikeAD6

I actually wrote about "negs" and storytelling as important techniques because of my knowledge of the pickup artist community; I have some friends who are practitioners. From what people are saying in this thread about womanisers vs. casanovas, I think these two groups of people translate into "pickup lingo" as pickup artists vs. naturals.

Basically, pickup artist is to wizard as natural is to sorcerer. The naturals "just know" how to attract women; many of them just do their techniques without thinking about the execution. The pickup artists, however, study these techniques in a scholarly fashion. These techniques are often collectively referred to as "game." Sorcerers can just do magic whereas wizards make the conscious decision to learn it, as naturals can just do game whereas pickup artists make the conscious decision to learn it. Also some veteran pickup artists actually take on apprentices, much like wizards. Some have even been known to wear robes and wizard hats while picking up women.

In my opinion, game in and of itself is neither good or evil; it is the intent of the practitioner that matters. So I think the question is less about the way the person acquired the techniques, but rather the goals the person hopes to accomplish using said techniques.

Using D&D terminology to create a metaphor about picking up women? I understand exactly what you mean, and the disconnect between stereotypical PUAs and stereotypical D&D players makes the whole thing amusing. That being said the few people I know who who have any experience with "game" are otherwise very stereotypical nerds, so that whole stereotype is rather false in actual experience, either that or since most of the people I hang out with are nerds I have a skewed sample.

[LikeAD6]

Originally Posted by Darth Stabber

Using D&D terminology to create a metaphor about picking up women? I understand exactly what you mean, and the disconnect between stereotypical PUAs and stereotypical D&D players makes the whole thing amusing. That being said the few people I know who who have any experience with "game" are otherwise very stereotypical nerds, so that whole stereotype is rather false in actual experience, either that or since most of the people I hang out with are nerds I have a skewed sample.

The nerd sample sounds about right; many of the people I have heard of in this culture are of the rather nerdy bent. I think it is the social science aspect that attracts the nerds. I have, however, seen the disconnect with this culture and the D&D players I know, as some are super-nervous around women and others are all like "using techniques to charm the pants off women is wrong!" It's a bit like IRL Fear of Girls for the former.

Also I use D&D terminology for loads of analogies.