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Designing Player Characters.
How do you like to go about designing Player characters?
Do you like to first come up with a concept inspired from a book/ novel/ Movie/ manga/ animae and then try to find a way to express the character concept through the Character class / rules of the Pathfinder game?
Do you look at the rule books and say, Hmm that looks cool, I wonder how that would work? I would like to give a particular character class/ Feat combo a try?
Is it often a combination of the two?
I’m just curios
Designing Player Characters.
How do you like to go about designing Player characters?
Do you like to first come up with a concept inspired from a book/ novel/ Movie/ manga/ animae and then try to find a way to express the character concept through the Character class / rules of the Pathfinder game?
Do you look at the rule books and say, Hmm that looks cool, I wonder how that would work? I would like to give a particular character class/ Feat combo a try?
Is it often a combination of the two?
I’m just curios
I'll usually develop a character concept first, and then select race/class/skills/etc. that most accurately portray my idea. My character ideas tend to be lower-powered (read: not necessarily optimized) largely because I worry more about what they were before they were adventurers (i.e. appropriate but decidedly un-heroic Craft/Profession skills, multiclassing for flavor rather than function, and so on).
Maybe that's why I'm always a GM; if I played PCs more often, I'd get creamed . . .
For me its more of a spiral then a waterfall. But I definately lean towards mechancis first. Usually I'll see some basic thing like an archtype or a combination of class features I think will be interesting, then I start thinking of what kind of character would use such an ability. Then I develop a background and fill in the rest of the mechanical aspects of the character. After the character is fully planned mechanically, I re-evaluate the background and personality traits I considered.
Usually, when I'm playing, rather than DMing, I am the last person to roll up a character and generally make a character that is complementary to the rest of the party. I rarely come in with a specific concept in mind that I "have" to play. I'm more likely to just roll the bones and see what emerges, then build logically from there. I'm only a fair to middling optimizer, and our game isn't really built around optimizing, so I don't sit and plan a 1-20 progession for my characters, but prefer to let them grow more organically, in response to their experiences. That doesn't mean I won't aim for some higher level feat with prereqs occasionally.
Occasionally, I get a mischievous bent and decide to create a character that everyone else thinks will be underpowered and make it effective. I did that with a monk a couple of campaigns ago, and may do it with a bard in the near future. When I do that, I do try a bit harder to optimize.
I rarely try to recreate a specific character from literature, film, etc. The only time I can recall doing that was years ago in 2nd Edition when I created a savage ranger based loosely on Tarzan and the character Reacher from Doomfarers of Coramonde/Starfollowers of Coramonde. Fun character, but in general I prefer to create my own characters from scratch.
My last two characters were to "test out" the characters' playability. The first was a Healer from Miniatures Handbook, and the second is a Sorcerer with the Celestial bloodline in Pathfinder.
The Healer was because I was tired of expressing my character's worth in DPS, but I didn't want an evangelizing cleric, which is how I usually play clerics. He's changed from being the party band-aid kit to buffer to "curse removal system" to a powerful healbot.
The Celestial Sorcerer started out as a ray machine but then I discovered Summon Monster I+. Having fortuitously picked the Varisian tattoo (Conjuration) and getting Augment Summoning has turned the Celestial Sorcerer into a battlefield control freak. He still does rays, and will do Fireball shortly, but that's after several 1D3 elementals of various type outflank you on the side opposite the players and proceed to soften you up for a finishing ray attack. There's also the scouting possibilities as soon as I get Extend Spell and a few more elemental languages at next level.
I've tried looking for pictures to represent my character, and usually found closer matches in anime than miniatures or other sources.
I rarely borrow characters from other sources. I usually start with the concept and personality first, then dive into the mechanics, optimize, see if the character can be effective, then finish conceptualizing based on how the character changed during the optimization phase. Then it's kind of a balancing act between the two. What can I live without to fit my concept? How can I change the concept to fit the most optimal character?
I do build sub-optimal characters on occasion to fit my concept, but survivability is always an issue. The character I'm playing now is an MT. I started him off as a cleric, even though I saw him as more of a wizard, because I felt like I needed the armor and extra HP to make it to 4th level.
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It's changed over the years but for the last 3 or 4 years I've just thought of different variations and different builds for the same concept -- probably cuz I don't get to run PCs that much, thus I'm not tired of the "same" concept.
I start with the template I like: Lawful personality; full of knowledge skills; Diplomacy guy & spokesperson; troubleshooter ....
Then I make differing PC builds based on that, usually a Wizard or a Paladin w/ a level of Rogue, or a Ranger/Rogue or whatever ....
Finally, the build helps me fill in the details of the character. So if I'm working on a Druid with 1 level of Ranger and 2 levels of Rogue -- I think about how that would make for a diplomat / knowledge-bi+ch and finalize the PC.
I usually base mine around the area we start in.
Once that is determined I pick something with a level of supercool to it (Desert: Desert knife fighter. Drow city: Monk Jail House Rock expert)
then I develop why they have that fighting style or motivations.
weird order I know lol
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Thank you all for your posts.
I guess in terms of character creation I think of classes and feat combinations, when I come across new “crunchy” materiel like the APG.
And sometimes when I have read something or seen an interesting movie, I think of how I can do that with pathfinder.
Usually I start with my own idea or character concept then go from there.
I suppose ultimately it depends on what mood I am in. But for me creating characters never gets old.
Please keep the thoughts coming thank you
I have:
Built around a feat/ combo I want.
Built a character to fit a particular niche in a setting
Built a rounding-out character to fit a role that is seen as needed for a group.
Been inspired by a movie/ game/ book and tried to come up with something from that inspiration. Given my views on the conceptrs of archetypes and human imagination. It's hard, in my OPINION, to come up with "completly original" characters.
Retooled a character from a different game system or incompatable version of a game that may have been made using one of the above.
I have:
Built around a feat/ combo I want.
Built a character to fit a particular niche in a setting
Built a rounding-out character to fit a role that is seen as needed for a group.
Been inspired by a movie/ game/ book and tried to come up with something from that inspiration. Given my views on the conceptrs of archetypes and human imagination. It's hard, in my OPINION, to come up with "completly original" characters.
Retooled a character from a different game system or incompatable version of a game that may have been made using one of the above.
What do you mean you didnt do it exactly the same everytime?!?! PROPOSTEROUS! :)
What do you mean you didnt do it exactly the same everytime?!?! PROPOSTEROUS! :)I have:
Built around a feat/ combo I want.
Built a character to fit a particular niche in a setting
Built a rounding-out character to fit a role that is seen as needed for a group.
Been inspired by a movie/ game/ book and tried to come up with something from that inspiration. Given my views on the conceptrs of archetypes and human imagination. It's hard, in my OPINION, to come up with "completly original" characters.
Retooled a character from a different game system or incompatable version of a game that may have been made using one of the above.
I know right!
@relentless Imp Unless you are following the merc's code out of fields of fire. then you just hope you end up in a situation where you can grenade or rocket said party member as a "casualty of war"
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I tend to start with mechanics first if it's a game that's just starting, but that's moistly because I don't have a problem playing anything so I tend to defer my decisions until the other players have chosen their characters then fill in the gaps.
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AKA 8one6
Designing Player Characters.
How do you like to go about designing Player characters?
Do you like to first come up with a concept inspired from a book/ novel/ Movie/ manga/ animae and then try to find a way to express the character concept through the Character class / rules of the Pathfinder game?
Do you look at the rule books and say, Hmm that looks cool, I wonder how that would work? I would like to give a particular character class/ Feat combo a try?
Is it often a combination of the two?
I’m just curios
I start by either already having an idea of what I would like to try or I flip through game books for inspiration. Sometimes I find out what everyone else is going to play and then just decide what I'm going to do to fill in the gap.
I always want to play something "different" though. Always a new concept that I haven't played before. The character is usually built around being good at something specific whether it's getting a lot of attacks, hitting really hard, stealthing really well, or casting certain kinds of spells in a certain style.A lot of my inspiration will come from a feat or a class ability that I saw and then began thinking about how to optimize the use of that ability.
For example (this is in 3.5), one day I read about the Arcane Trickster prc and then during an epic campaign I read about the Spellwarp Sniper prc. I figured out that they would make a killer combination at Epic levels because not only could he cast mass damaging spells but he could turn it into a ray and sneak attack with it from 60ft away and could do it without the target being flatfooted or flanked.
In this case a game mechanic inspired the character's background and personality for me.
I did create a prestige class based on a class in a video game but I've never gotten to use it in a game.
I usually ask the GM what kind of game s/he's going to run (genre, play style, etc.), inquire what the other players' characters are and go from there.
Designing Player Characters.
How do you like to go about designing Player characters?
Do you like to first come up with a concept inspired from a book/ novel/ Movie/ manga/ animae and then try to find a way to express the character concept through the Character class / rules of the Pathfinder game?
Do you look at the rule books and say, Hmm that looks cool, I wonder how that would work? I would like to give a particular character class/ Feat combo a try?
Is it often a combination of the two?
I’m just curios
I do both. Sometimes I see a cool ability and try to build around it. Other times I see a character on T.V. Sometimes I just get an idea, and want to see if I can make it work. It really just varies.
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I normally come up with a character concept and then build it from there, well...now at least. I was really bad when I first started playing as I was a WoW Player and I came into the game thinking about DPR etc. Now I have more fun with it.
This is for all games not just pathfinder, I have a concept in my head for a social/skill character (Bard or rogue maybe) based off Heroin Bob from SLC Punk actually...
Removed posts. Please keep this on topic.
I look at the person running the game, reference any available past games run by said person, judge the inevitable 'mission statement' ("I wanna really challenge roleplayers" from a mindless hack&slash is not encouraging.), etc. Based on my accessment of such bits, I evaluate any 'house rules' and check out the other players' initial directions. I usually wind up in one of the 'support' roles in order to not step on the toes of newer player (35 yrs of D&D) or get into conflicts with prima donas in the group. I then look for a good, flavorful RP angle that will not get boring to play, one that gives me traction in the earlier mentioned 'mission statement' being the best.
I don't get to play as often as I would like. I take a few different approaches though.
1) Start with concept/background. I work up a short essay on the character and then find a way to make that work with the options available in the campaign. The essay starts with his childhood and moves to his goals in life. This helps me determine any prerequisites I need to keep in mind in case he isn't going to be a high enough level yet.
2) Start with class. Sometimes I see an interesting class and I want to see how it plays out. I may think it sounds neat or unique. Sometimes I like to see if I can find an interesting way to get into a prestige class that the designers hadn't thought of. Sometimes I just want something fast and easy if it's a pick up game.
3) Start with a list of options that I want. I may want to build a character that has a fetish for summoning. Maybe I want to build a character that uses 3-4 different combat maneuvers. Maybe I want to build a character that can make a ton of attacks in a single round. Maybe I want to see if I can build a character around a single feat or idea.
4) Build what the party is missing. This is the least fun way for me but sometimes it's needed.
5) Sometimes I want to see if I can build something that I have been told is impossible.
Usually I use #1 or #3 though.