Trying to settle into a good character concept.
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Hello readers. People here probably don't know me that well as I am not the most social person, however I have played several stints on Arabel at different times. I have played a number of characters, most of wich I used only once or twice. I never had delved very deeply into a concept, going only so far as to create a "halfling warrior of arvoreen" or a "druid who wants to balance things." laughs
I've spent the last week or so trying to get into the roleplaying more. It's been difficult for me admittedly and ive just been making a large slew of characters trying to figure out what I have the most fun with. (the results of this testing btw has been this; I seem to favor fighters because they are easy, i favor druids because they are innately intreguing, and ive always loved halflings for some reason lol.) Anyway it hasent been much fun. I even found myself in a situation where i was theratened with pvp and I, not my character, got scared and ran away lol. Guess im just a big coward >_> oh well.
However, ive been thinking about it for a while and I want to -really- delve into a character and get into roleplaying hardcore! I've been creating a character concept all night, really thinking it through ya know. So i guess im kinda just hoping for some feedback on what ive got so far. Its just a preliminary description and I also came up with a back story and before I go any further I just want to post it here and see what people think.
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:::::Right so here is my character concept thus far:::::
Sunny Bramblefoot
Description:
Sunny looks to be an ordinary Lightfoot of average stature and appearance. His long rubicund hair is fettered back into a ponytail, his flesh faintly pale. Keeping himself well-shaven, his youthful face bares ivory teeth amidst a devious grin; though his countenance grows dire should one incite his anger. Although occasionally mirthful when in high spirits, he oftentimes fares more somberly than his kin. He strives to be prompt and cordial, as Hin tend to be. A business minded man in his youth; he hopes to find a niche for a skilled shyster as he.
Background:
Born in the city of Daerlun in Cormyr to Tara and Ombert Bramblefoot, Sunny was a happy child. His family had long since settled there from their original home of Luiren. Growing up Sunny wanted for nothing, his parents being wealthy merchants trading in Daerlunian wool and linen. He was the youngest of his siblings, last born of the local Bramblefeet. He often fallen victim to the pranks of his elder brothers and sisters, forcing him to learn to be cunning and wary. By the time he was reaching puberty, however, all his siblings had departed to new lands, leaving him alone; the sole child of the home. It was about this time when his auspicious lifestyle turned to poverty. For reasons unbeknownst to him, Sunny’s parents were slain by the secretive Cult of the Dragon, leaving him drowning in the ashes of a shattered life. Alone and in despair he took to the alleyways, learning to survive in darkness. Cutting purses and stealing bread came naturally to Sunny, but his miscreant pilfering attracted the attention of a gang of thieves who started forcing him to pay them tribute for stealing in their streets. For fear of these vagabonds he fled westward hopping from town to town, living as something of a nomad near the Kings Forest. As he grew into adulthood he decided he wanted to settle somewhere and make a life for himself, bringing him to the gates of Arabel.
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First of all, join IRC and the room #coacharacters on the darkmyst server. We discuss concepts and ideas in there for anyone that wants some help.
Secondly, think less on what your history is, and more on the following.
-What role you would like your character to pursue (Leader, side-kick, wise-man, villain, politician, hero, vigilante [aka Olouth], and so on.
-How your character would respond to various situations, people and comments, and why.
-What your character would like to achieve (this is often a deal breaker for people, but understand that coa is a dynamic module, every change that occurs is the direct result of a player having made that happen, either intentionally or accidently)
Admittedly, this server is engaging, but it is a struggle to learn how to become involved and flesh out a concept the first few times, even despise a community that's willing to help, just don't give up!
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You have an interesting background. Now, at least in my opinion, the only step you have to take to turn it into an interesting concept, is to figure out how the background affected your character's personality. And from there, what he wants from Arabel.
Did his past turn him into a cold minded bastard? One that cares only for himself?
Or did he suffer so much pain, physically and morally, that he would do everything to avoid suffering again? From selling all those around him, to turning into a miserable whining being. If so, does he hate Ilmateri, or does he feel admiration towards them, cause they are able to withstand pain?
Or he's looking for redemption and a new start? Given the chance to make friens, and build a family, return to a normal life, will he trust this chance, or will he turn it down, having lost all faith in it?
What does he feel about those that unlike him have an happy life, and an happy family? Jealous? Angry? Full of grudge? Or happy?
And what about those that have suffered similar misfortune and are in his same situation? Are they mates he wants to help, and that he could eventually create a family/group with? Or are they competitors he want to get rid of, in order to ensure his survival?There are tons of quesions like these, that can help you get a feeling of your character, and of course you do not have to answer them all. The best character is the one who's open to being inflenced, changed, by what happens in game.
Last bit of advise I can give you, is to use irc and join the #coacharacters channel. There you will find a lot of people willing to help. Simply have patience, or leave a message and return after a while, since many could be afk
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Bolthor, yeah I was just following a guide on character concepts first step was to work on background and think where the character comes from, thats as far as ive gotten so far heh >_>. I'm also not 100% sure what irc is but i guess id better go find out lol.
Wizard, hey thanks for the tips. I tend to be overly thourough and think things thru too much so i will probably end up answering all these questions and more before im done. Although, im not exactly sure what any character would want in arabel cause even though ive explored a lot of the module mostly by myself and been doin a lot of quests or whatever i really dont seem to know that much about arabel >:O
Guess ill try to figure out how to get irc and how it works and stuff. heh.
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Daerlun is actually in Sembia. Not that it really matters.
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hrrm, i read that it desbanded from sembians and became its own city-state or something <_<
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Is there any mention of Daerlun seceding from Sembia in a pre-4th edition supplement?
The Forgotten Realms Wiki lists the year 1439 DR, whereas CoA is currently in its somewhat strange alternative timeline branching out of canon around 1372 DR and is now in 1379 iirc.
It's a little confusing, but I think the rule of thumb is that any event from a 4th edition supplement has not happened, and likely won't happen on CoA.
Edit: This is still not really an issue. Sembia, and Daerlun in particular, have excellent relations with Cormyr and the Free State as far as I know.
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We're still in 3.5e although there have been a few changes from the traditional setting based on things that players have done and the occasional giant plot.
Be sure to make use of the Player Resource Forum!
It's got a whole bunch of useful threads and resources for creating characters and is dangerously underused in my opinion. -
IRC in the Player Resource Forum
@Wikipedia:
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a form of real-time Internet text messaging (chat) or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfers via Direct Client-to-Client.
=)
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if you are unsure about what you wish to perue in game it is best to leave that open ended..take you background and personality and roll with the "lets see where this takes me" attitude..
sometimes you will find that making your background and goals too rigid will lock you into a set path one that may not be so interesting once you start playing.. always leave room in your concept for outside influence and change.
ask yourself,,
"what would it take to get me to join with an evil faction?"
"what would it take to get me to become a law man?"
"what would cause me to commit murder?"
what would cause me to sacrifice my life for someone else?" -
I've been thinking about him more. I created the character to get a feel for walking around in his skin and think about his concept. Jotted down my ideas in his journal this is what i got since then:
Concept.
Likes/Dislikes
+Stereotype: Likes big feasts, second-breakfast, a good reed in his pipe.
+Likes adventure
-Doesn't like to work.
+Very fond of new gadgets and trinkets he can play around with.Virtues/Flaws.
-Afraid of most animals.
+Eager to aquire large amounts of coin.
-Eager to spend large amounts of coin.
-Impatient.
+Friendly(usually)
-Mistrustful.Motivations.
-He is a natural leader. Probably wants to attract followers.
-He is a scheming villain with a slight "heroic" bent. (Well, perhaps heroic towards other villains)
-Because of his parent's fate, he is touched by poverty/grief/pain stricken peoples. This may affect his thoughts more than his actions.
-Survival is key. When it comes down to it this is his strongest motivator. He learned to survive in the streets and alleys of Daerlun.
-He may want to gain fame prestige or power. Gold is a certain motivator.Goals. (just preliminary ideas)
–-He probably wants to make a mark on the city.---
-Take over the city?
-Steal something very valuable?
-Destroy a faction?
-Create a new faction?
-Lead a rebellion?
-Make a name for himself?
-Change peoples ideas about something?
-End something negative in the city?
-End something positive in the city?
-Start something negative/positive?