How do you stay in character?

[Baculus]

Tonight there was a kick ass story; a DM event that involved dragon dung I never thought was possible. And everything was pretty cool until my character was stiffed 3000 gold- and I lost track of the role playing; I went into PK mode; forgot the task at hand; and made a fool out of myself.

And you know, normally when I do something like this; I apologize- give away all my gold and items to those I wronged; and move on to another place... But I realized that me getting embarrassed and turning tale didn't fix the problem.

So I then got to thinking "Gee, no matter what I do; even if I'm nice to them- the drow always double cross me..." and so it finally dawned on me.

These people know how to stay in a character- I don't.

And so I'll get to the point.

How do you people stay in character? And I will even accept the answer "Because I suck less than you."; any sort of an answer is appreciated- ideas; thoughts; rambles- you have 'em and I'd take 'em.

[Ralek]

It's really rather simple once you get the hang of it. Try and imagine the characters personality, from both alignment, class, history and the like. Then simply try and think like the character, writing what he would respond, what he would do etc etc. It's easier to stay in character when you have people around you that stays in character as well, so you should see that as a boon. (with the recent lockdown, I imagine it's rare people are obvious OOC)

It can be hard for some to pass up stuff that the -player- want, but if you're playing a LG paladin, it makes no sense at all to sneak that phat loot around the backs of the others.

Of course, everyone's roleplaying is inspired by the mind behind the computerscreen, but I find that great - it allows even two exact same characters behave in a different ways.

That said, it takes a lot of guts to own up like you did, but we're all here to help

[Tratz]

It's tough sometimes, trust me I know. Having always roleplayed a do-gooder and believing I am myself a good person at heart am going through a different experience with my character.

Being rude, snide and judgemental to everyone around me is hard. This may sound funny to some of you, but it really is! Oh, and talk about being involved in DM events...I either have to come up with some justification as to why I would be group with a bunch of do gooders on a quest for the greater good...or skip out.

Lately it's been a lot of "Well, there must be a good reward in this for me, so I guess I'll grit my teeth and bear it" sort of attitude...but lately these epic do-gooder, loot filled quests have been treading awefully close to circumstances that my character should not be in.

The only advice to you, no matter who your character is...remember. He is *not* you, and it's his/her world. When putting on your characters shoes, remember to forget yourself. Stay calm, have fun and enjoy your role in the world all of us are emulating. It's supposed to be fun, after all.

Take the situation where you were shorted 3000 gold and from a calm, fresh perspective think "What would Alexander do?"...

No, really. What would he do? And do your best to emulate that. If you have to pause, think and act later by all means do so.

If you're truly upset, lost and just not having fun at the moment...take a quick walk. Get a drink, have a smoke (If you smoke, I do. Shame on me!) and come back refereshed if you can.

[Anauroch]

There's quite a few issues that play a role here... and both of the others explain them quite well.

To stay in character, you'll have to define your character in detail. I myself am not too good at this, doing it from scratch - but there are lots of things that you can come up with or adapt while playing.
It might help to think a few situations through - as to how your character would react to them.

Think about what your character thinks of other races... of religion(s)... of other people. Write up what he respects and values in life and what he looks down upon. Who will he collaborate with, who will he ignore, who will he fight?


Concerning DM quests...

The first thing that has to be said and made clear is that the DMs on this server (judging from what I heard and from reading the forums only - I have not been online much or involved in a DM quest) are watching out for people staying in character and relishing it. Put yourself in their place... would you want all characters to be hero-types who are up and about to slay the dragon?! If your character has weaknesses or quirks (these were mentioned quite a few times), then play with them... have fun with them and with the rp with others that develops because of them.

So... if there's a DM quest going on, then do not rush into it, but take a moment to think about how your character would react. Or go along and break off at some point because the goal of the quest or the direction it is taking does not suit your character. I am sure that the DMs will be pleased.

Other than that... don't go OOC too often. And try to find others who stay IC a lot and get some practice. That's what I will be doing with my elf, too. Just put an effort into it and the results will show soon.

[Rhazeal]

As far as knowledge serves, to stay in character, one simply needs to flesh out the characters history, plot, ambitions and other things beforehand... Usually, it helps having a fleshed out response to the most common propositions. An example:

You walk up to a rather annoying halfling, and as a evil character, you ought to say/do something evil to him. Simple!

Now, flesh it out with a touch of imagination and/or humor:

"Short one! Get out of my sight before I cut you even shorter!"

Of course, I in now way incite voilent behaviour

[qwerty06]

As far as knowledge serves, to stay in character, one simply needs to flesh out the characters history, plot, ambitions and other things beforehand... Usually, it helps having a fleshed out response to the most common propositions. An example:

You walk up to a rather annoying halfling, and as a evil character, you ought to say/do something evil to him. Simple!

Now, flesh it out with a touch of imagination and/or humor:

"Short one! Get out of my sight before I cut you even shorter!"

Of course, I in now way incite voilent behaviour

*pulls out a notepad and pen*

[SteeleButterfly]

The major thing I do first is figure out -why- my character is the way she is. What in her background made her like she is today? Much like the foundation of a house, you can't put any structure on bare dirt and expect it to hold up for any length of time, and you can't put trimmings on it if there are no walls. So start from the basics of the character.

Race -- what are the basics of the race you play, and why did they evolve into that?

Class -- why did your PC choose that "profession"?

Attributes -- they're not just numbers. They're a way to quantify certain things about your PC. If you have an 8 INT, don't play it where the PC can figure out every riddle that comes along. If you have a 17 CON, don't play as a 98-lb weakling. Now, it's harder to play an 18 INT if you yourself don't have a 180 IQ. In those situations, having a DM around to send you a Tell about what your PC would figure out that you as a player just can't is a help. But RPing STR, CON, and DEX aren't too hard. If you have a 10 DEX, you won't be dodging arrows any time soon, so the lack of bonuses to your AC is right there in the game engine. RPing CHA is one of the hardest. It's not just physical beauty, thought that is part of it. It's also personality and leadership.

Alignment -- what makes the PC tick? What is her driving ambition or passion? Why does the PC feel that way about rules and laws? About "it's all about others" versus "it's all about me"?

Skills and Feats -- Okay, she can do things. What and why? If a Rogue, is it a pickpocket (Hide, Listen, Spot, PP, but not necessarily Tumble or UMD), a second-story specialist (lots of Dex, with Tumble and Mobility), or a military scout (Listen, Spot, and Hide, but no "thieving" skills)? Same for other classes. Don't let the class define your PC; let your PC and background define what the class will be for YOU.

And then ... why is your PC out adventuring? Why did she come to Sundren? And not all backgrounds for adventurers have to involve great personal tragedy. It really is possible to just decide to leave a happy home one day and strike out on one's own.


As an example, my PC, Kitharis -- Elven Sorceress. Okay, fine as far as that goes.

Elf -- likes the woods and nature. Prefers to sleep in a tree rather than in a city bed.

Sorceress -- can manipulate the energies she feels around her merely with imagination and will. No "spell books" needed; it all flows from within. Why is she a Sorc? Because Mystra saved her life (PnP adventure!) and she dedicated her new life to Mystra and the Weave. Sorc rather than Wiz because she was trained with a sword and bow, as are all Elves, and her random nature (CG) suits the flexibility of Sorc better. Also, she sees herself as a battle mage -- lots of damage spells from the second or third rank while the warriors are up front keeping the attention of the hostiles. At higher levels, she can weaken the enemy even before the warriors get there, making their job easier and faster.

This necessitates a high CHA, so I made her beautiful, but I also try to RP the personality. She also has a not-spectacular CON, so she's tiny and skinny.

CG -- does things because it's right to her, not because someone says she should. They might end up being the same thing, but that's coincidence. Which, since she grew up in a forest instead of in a city where laws are more structured, makes sense.

Skills and feats -- She takes the limited skills and feats that improve her spellcasting ability, and casting-in-combat ability.

Background -- well ... ask her.

[Clutch]

Wow, cut on the purple madam, my eyes start to bleed

[Akitsuki]

First i would like to commend Baculus for coming farward.

I am the Drow who stiffed him of his gold. Part of being a good RPer is discipline every time you think of doing somthing non characteristic of your character smack yourself upside the head! i know i do.

Evil players are indeed more difficult to play "WELL" because just doing the wrong or right thing isn't always the choice. Because of this when i need to make a decision which can go either way i set myself an arbitrary cut off value and roll to see which decision my character makes. I probably do this... 2 to twenty times per DM event. Not only does this aid you in roleplaying but it makes anythin tha goes wrong less painful as a player.

for instance whenever i leave sombody for dead i feal bad about it, my character doesn't but i do. when i stiffed you of 3000 gold i rolled to see which path my character would take.

This might just be the way ive leaned to do things because i DM PnP alot. I guess part of the issue just learning to be a cold calculating controller. Enough of my ranting and i wish you luck.

[Kaldaris]

I don't use these

[[ OOC ]]

That's how I stay in character. =O?

[Ichbin]

My Paladin was in the Sestra caves looking for his friends with the aid of a wiz/rogue.
Every single chest we came across he would point to and want to open, but everytime I would reply "That is not my concern now, we must keep searching". We ended up leaving without opening any of them, lol. Mostly because I wouldn't let im'.

I hated every second of it, but thats not what my character would have done, and partically you have to love your character in order to keep IC. If you dont respect your own character's wants and morales, then your not going to be IC, your just going to play as yourself.

[reemixx]

Tratz reply, I think, was absolutely spot on.

If you've fleshed out your character, know his history, personality, and motivation... Then, in any situation you find him in, just stop and mentally ask yourself..

"What would my character do?"

This, in effect, separates yourself from your character, forcing you to think in a way that you wouldn't normally - from HIS perspective.

Things can get very emotional sometimes when you're so completely attached to your character, the distance between him as a character and you as a person sometimes dissolves and you begin to act on instinct, doing and saying things that YOU would do rather than your character.

Simple trick, and seems kind of obvious when you think about it, but works like a charm

[OzmaDarkheart]

Subtext....

My Paladin was in the Sestra caves looking for his friends with the aid of a wiz/rogue.
Every single chest we came across he would point to and want to open, but everytime I would reply "That is not my concern now, we must keep searching". We ended up leaving without opening any of them, lol. Mostly because I wouldn't let im'.

I hated every second of it, but thats not what my character would have done, and partically you have to love your character in order to keep IC. If you dont respect your own character's wants and morales, then your not going to be IC, your just going to play as yourself.

Not to mention we couldn't open them......:P

As far as staying in character goes, I personally find it easier to think of some large or obvious flaw in the character to help separate them from myself(i.e. speech impediment, a limp, being mute, or Nimue's exzample of a HEAVY accent) and to give me something to work around to keep myself reminded who I am at the moment. (ex. If I'm speaking entirely in emotes I must be Judah, if I only type words into the Abyssal or Infernal language bar I must be Parias etc.)
It's a slightly cheap tactic to keep IC but I think it works.

[Ichbin]

Not to mention we couldn't open them......:P

SSShhhhhhh....

[Scarlett]

Just play your character. If you can actually be your character, strength and flaws alike (this is what makes characters interesting, it looks good to many people to have that ''all around'' character that cant be harmed or hurt, but trust me, it's good to have flaws, and play them out in RP), then it's very easy to not go OoC because you're constantly hating drow if you're a racist sunelf or stealing from humans if you're an oppressed halfling. That's all I really do, and I love my character a lot, so I think it's easy for me.

If you're having issues, look into your characters motivations and dealings, see if you can't try something new or fun within his boundaries.