The Heart of a PC

[Memnoch1962]

This thread is well over two years old.. I read it before and didnt comment. I'm commenting now simply to bump the thread as I think it is one of the most important threads here.

Personally I feel to have a believable character, it has to have some weaknesses. If you build a character that is basically a power build (and some of you do that and you know who you are) then you are really just cheating yourself. You cheat yourself of the challenge of the game, the need of sometimes having to role play yourself out of a dangerous situation, and basically just fitting in with the other 95% of the players on the server (who don't power build). Yeah, I realize there may be a certain challenge to determining the ingredients needed to make a power build, but once its built the challenge is over, you may as well park it because you will never have another challenge in the game. You can defeat anyone or anything easily.

So to me the "Heart" of the character should balance. You can't have good without evil, strength without weakness or beauty without ugliness. If you take your character to one extreme then you, in my opinion, become dull very quickly. I dont want to RP with someone who is "perfect" ie: always right, never has room in their mindset for other points of view or their idea of role play is two lines of dialog and then hostile you with their power build character and kill you.

So just let me add, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch and begins to think I'm complaining about PVP, well I'm not. I currently play a Colibrite who openly displays the colibrite symbol.. I've come to expect PVP and the results. Ive killed people and been killed, thats how it works. However the "Heart" of the matter is that while everyone on this server is here for the ROLE PLAY because it is a role play server. If you encounter a powerbuild it takes all the exitment, wonder and mystery out of the encounter. You know how its going to end before it starts. To me that is boring.

[cmosier]

Character should have thoughts, goals, fears, emotions... All of that. Think of it as an actor playing a role, because that's essentially what you're doing. I enjoy Byrun because I had te chance to have a character who acts one way but deep down, believes another. When he moved the siege equipment from the Trading Post to Mirakus Post, I felt that many of his actions really defined who he was.

I enjoy RPing with other characters who can see past what the game does. Let me see if I can explain that... I'm with a ranger type and he wants to scout ahead. I could easily run ahead and maul everything, but it's a game about imagination. So I have the upmost respect for characters like that. Bad things are those who ignore it. Example: Bringing up that the fire at the Second Wind is burning in the rain. In truth, the fire would be out and everybody should be inside.

Personality is a big deal. Not every character can be the stoic lone wolf. You know what happens to lone wolves in the wild? They usually starve to death. "Byrun is only that cocky because he's surrounded by Blackwood." Yes. You're absolutely right.

[Gamling]

The most important thing about playing a character on a persistent nwn2 world heavily based on RP is, without a doubt, making the game more enjoyable for other people.

Your character might be anti social, or evil, or whatever but the game is about interaction. If you're only focusing on making the game fun for you and your character then you're doing it wrong. Including as many people as possible with their RP while having as little OOC nonsense as possible is what makes a great character.

[Doubtful]

I have to echo the non lone wolf sentiments - RP is about other people and your interactions with them, lonewolfing it up is just.. well, you're just playing with yourself.

Something else I'd caution against is front loading your characters history.

Sure, a long and in depth bio can be great fun to write, done well they're great fun to read. Buuuut.. All to often their is a huge imbalance between what is written and what you can actually play, or begin playing. This can lead to substantual feeling of frustration. After all, if you've written up a dragon slaying ultra-bastard-fighter or epic master of magic then you face a huge disconnect between your ideas and the reality of getting mugged by goblins at level 3.

Simple, basic concepts work the best, having a character that can grow from humble beginnings into a champion of a cause, shaped along the way by both the friends and enemies he makes is much, much more satisfying than trying to reconcile some epic back story with the reality of the game.

[Fuzziebunny]

There are lots of things in RP that can be difficult. I know I have a difficult time RPing my characters flaws well. Not because I want to be the best at everything. I actively try to give the impression my character is just plain bad at doing certain things. However, and I think most people are in the same boat I am in, I am not expressing it well enough.

We all have concepts of what our characters are like. Sometimes I, the player, can't bring that across very well. I know what my character is doing but my ability to articulate that with out walls and walls of text, isn't always the best. I never mind constructive advice on RP. Or a well meaning tell to clarify something. I think it helps out honestly.

I would also add that sometimes it is the player that is confused on what is going on in the setting instead of a desire to just be whatever. I simply have not seen a lot of faction events until recently, so what I perceived to be what the setting was, through watching RP and doing RP with others, actually was not correct. It really does help a lot for a character to see faction interaction AND read the wiki.

[ManUtd4Ever]

Thank you for bringing this post to life...

RP is brought to life with an expressive character... someone who can write and describe their feelings to the participant.

Even though we disagree on who is the better footballer... Rogue 3's Dain is the best RP model I can think of on this server. It saddens me to think that Dain is no longer around to demonstrate what good RP is. I hated his character, even as I found myself standing close to listen to his dialog.

Be yourself and cut a distinct path. The server will love you for it.

Cheers!

[Lotus]

I've got a list of things I usually keep in mind when making a PC or looking at others' PCs, and these generally jive with much of what's been said already.

Auspicious Beginnings
These can be great in a fantasy novel, in which there are clearly defined protagonists and antagonists, but in a NWN2 PW, there are as many protagonists as there are players logged in at any given moment, so while you may have been born under the third star of the blood moon in the year of celestial revolution, that has no bearing on you and your interaction with plot. Wacky craziness? Fine. Destiny? Playing with fire.

Backstory
Leave some room to grow. If you did something amazing in your past, maybe frame it with some luck.

For example, as a youth, you killed an ogre that was terrorizing your small village and was about to kill the town's favorite hero/damsel/whatever. The part that no one saw was when the ogre tripped and fell neck-first onto your crude spear; you didn't see it either because your eyes were closed and your breaches were wet. You've been Percy the Ogre's Bane ever since. Another ogre has come to your village and demanded single combat with the famed Ogre's Bane. You slip away in the night and through circumstance find yourself in Sundren, surrounded by sexy, powerful adventurers. With confident swagger, you introduce yourself as Percy, the Ogre's Bane: "Maybe you've heard of me."

Dialogue and Emotes
Realistic is better. Context is fun. We don't often monologue in conversation; why should your character? If a character sighs or glances somewhere, that's all I need to know. I don't need to know why you've sighed. If I'm paying attention to what's going on around me, my character will come up with an explanation. I think people get caught up with wanting there to be no confusion over what, exactly, their characters are feeling, but it's the potential for confusion and mixed signals that make "human" interaction exciting. That potential also makes it much more special when you actually connect with someone.

Placed in an example:

"My lady, you are the most beauteous specimen mine eyes have ever held."

She quickly looks away, though she appreciates the compliment; she doesn't want him to see that.

or

She quickly looks away, concealing her reaction to the compliment.

or

She quickly looks away.

Personal preference: I don't like omniscient narrators when it comes to emotes. Tell me what I see, not what should be inferred.

Stats
Make 'em match. Don't be witty if you have low intelligence. Don't be perceptive if you have low wisdom. Don't be pretty or charming if you have low charisma. When you enforce expectations on yourself based on your mechanical choices, you'll naturally end up with more thoughtful, rounded characters.

Special Feature: the Lone Wolf
A lot of fun when played well. It's all about keeping everything close to the vest and finding ways to interact within a scene without being too direct. Thoughtful emotes go a long way to showing people that you're present and participating without being "social." Even your character's placement in an area can bring out the "loner" vibe without ostracizing you from RP.

[The Butcher]

Following your own advice to other players goes a long way.

[Yevelian]

I have sworn off trying to play with power players. I think we all know who they are now....and I'm done with them. They forfeit genuine RP experience, I only mean to help that along.

[GodBeastX]

I think I can some up everything I feel with one simple word.

Personality.

Personality tends to be the little things, not the big things. The big things are a dime a dozen. But that little variation in a character that makes them differ from the crowd of people is what I like.

It's basically a list of quirks really.

I find it difficult to interact with people that don't have that depth of personality, or that simple stick to what is "typical".

So many people on the server have personality and that helps me interact with people who are online with me.

And one thing about personality that is awesome is opinion! Opinion isn't "I'm good, so I hate evil" or "I'm evil, so I hate good". That's such a yawn fest to me. It's more like "I don't like rain, I keep getting colds from it." that's the stuff I like! Color being added to the black and white of being a digital persona on the internet.

Your opinion doesn't have to be the "right" one. I tend to like people who have the wrong opinion more than the people who have the right one, oddly enough!