Glorious Charactes and Play Style; Sometimes Fun, but Bad for You.
Friday, May 23, 2008 at 06:53PM My characters are often the longest-living in any adventuring party, and I'm starting to learn why.
Some of my luck must be linked to the choices I make during character creation; my blasé antiheroes grit their teeth as more powerful PCs are torn to bits by our various DMs, but somehow, despite so-so feat selection or limited combat usefulness, my characters are still standing as initiative fades away.
Some of my luck must be linked to play style; I play them like I think they would act--I roleplay whenever I can. That includes cowering like a whipped puppy, or searching for something useful, but not glamourous, to do--I pour potions, drag bodies, or go fully-defensive, trusting my allies will be beside me if I fall. At my core I want to live, but I don't need to deliver the death blow to feel useful.
Some of my luck is linked to experience; a few truths about tabletop or E-combat have seeded my mind through years of vanquishing slimes, wyverns, and murlocs: focus your attacks on those who can hurt you the most, those you can drop quickly, or some combination thereof where there are fewer pointy bits facing you than your enemies by the end; flank whenever possible; get the high ground; kill from a distance if you can; keep the healer alive; and run when things go sour.
I seldom want to be the guy who only hits things with his sword, but I wouldn't mind being the guy who can pick up and master any sword, even the blade that he wrested from a demon's grasp. I don't often want to be the woman who can blast things to shreds with her magic. But if I am, I'd better be able to bend others to my will, or teleport when things get rough.
In short, I'm usually interested in playing character classes with some depth to their abilities and personalities; I require story fulfillment to truly enjoy myself as I roleplay, and this investment has kept my decidedly unstreamlined and overly-complex characters alive for sessions on sessions.
Many of my friends run characters who die, or nearly so, every session or two. A bit of bravado turns fatal very quickly, and these are the bravest people I know (in game, at least). Sometimes I worry it's because I'm not also throwing myself recklessly into dangerous situations, but I expect that result would just be more PC bodies.
What's your play style? Do you find yourself dying often? Do you often pick the same class, or play a similar personality despite varying your role in the party? If you die a lot and you don't know why, try asking what your character would do, sit back, and let him take care of things for a while.
Barring that, let the others move into the room first. That often works for me. ;)
Reader Comments (2)
thread revival!
I'm just now finding and reading the library, so please excuse my tardiness.
and my tardis, too. it might be in the way...
My favorite kind of character is a tank. I like striding into an unknown encounter and beating the opposition with my head. I also have a couple of mages that have proven handy, and a cleric that seems to sit at the right hand of his god. Then there's the low-level archer that likes to snipe things at just the right time.
Hmmm. I like many types of PC classes. I just like to play. Now, does my character die frequently? Not really. Twice or once. You have to play smart if you're going to wade into a room full of nasties. The possibility of death looms large when you step away from the family farm and "go chasin' after flights of fancy and empty stories of gold."
That's my tuppence. Deal with it.
Yeesh, big hungry (a name which makes me vaguely uncomfortable...), keep your tardis to yourself (apt though it may be to revive a thread from the past)! ;)
I enjoy many character types, too, but I'm seldom the "all-out-one-thing" kind of PC. Even when I build that character I ensure that there's a bit more depth in ability or focus—an unusual magic item, or a skill, or a feat, or whatever.
Sometimes this makes my characters less effective at what they're expected to the do, but more often it just gives them an extra resource or two to draw on when the going gets tough.
In short, I agree.
Muchas graçias for the visit.