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You are not your character class. You are not how much GP you have in your pouch. You are not the mount you ride. You are not the contents of your Inventory Tracking Sheet. You are not your fuggin' armor. You are the all-fighting, all spell-casting heroes of the world.
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I announce race and "class whose stereotypical representation matches my character best."
So, typically "fighter." It saves headaches.
Yeah, but then you might as well be John Smith, the Fighter with absolutely no features, no past, and no personality.
What does you PC look like? Human Fighter.
What is your PC wearing? Human Fighter gear.
What does your PC sound like? Human Fighter.
At that point, it's a board game.
You are just a block of wood, with stats.
Who plays that?
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I have noticed a lot of tables where the GM doesn't ask people to introduce their PCs. I always go around the table as a GM and have people describe their PC, and introduce themselves in character if they want. If I'm playing and a GM doesn't do intros, I'll request it, and I've never had a GM resist.
As for being pigeonholed for being a race and class, I'll occasionally lie and/or be vague about what my character's class, but always do so in character.
For instance, when I introduce Green Beard the Pirate, I describe him as a big, ugly half-orc with a tri-corn hat and a necklace with a skull and crossbones, wearing a heavy wooden shield, mithral breastplate, cestus, and a whip on his belt. I then start talking in character and sound like it's "Talk Like A Pirate Day". Nobody realizes he's a cleric until he starts casting. And when they do realize he's a cleric, they'd better not ask for healing. His only healing is a wand of CLW, and he'll try to charge people for using it on them (not really, but I'll RP his being a money grubbing pirate looking for loot).
I also have a paladin who introduces himself as a samurai. It's not a lie. Samurai is his official position in his native country, and Common (Taldan) isn't his native language, so he truly doesn't understand the confusion this causes. This goes along well with his dumped wisdom (I wanted the points for str, con, and cha).
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As a GM, once I've gotten the sign-in sheet back, I like to run down the list and read out the names one at a time to make sure I understand them. While I do so, I like to ask each player for an introduction. Sometimes I get a full rundown, sometimes I just get a race and class. I usually wait a moment to see if I get more, then just move on to the next player. Some people are self-conscious about being put on the spot like that, so I try not to make them uncomfortable by staring expectantly or asking a lot of questions to draw attention to their lack of character.
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In my experience, there's huge table variation. For some tables, the characters really are just "gamepieces" rather than characters: a set of stats and abilities for getting through challenges, as one would in a boardgame. For other tables, the roleplaying can get pretty thick. The GM can definitely help set the tone, but I've found that the "best" roleplaying tables usually have one or two people at it who set the example and the tone: people who roleplay interesting characters, who get into character, and also manage to do so without being drama-laden spotlight-hogs (which can get annoying). Not everybody else always raises to the level, but often some other characters do, and the whole thing is kind of more fun as a result.
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I have had good luck with interrupting the GM at the start of the game, before the briefing, asking,"Hey, do you mind if we do a quick round of character introductions before we start?"
Many times I make a point of not telling the other players what class I'm playing. Instead, I try to focus on what my characters do and a bit about their personality.
When other players introduce their characters, I take notes and I ask them follow-up questions (mostly of a tactical nature) such as or or
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I announce race and "class whose stereotypical representation matches my character best."
So, typically "fighter." It saves headaches.
Yeah, but then you might as well be John Smith, the Fighter with absolutely no features, no past, and no personality.
What does you PC look like? Human Fighter.
What is your PC wearing? Human Fighter gear.
What does your PC sound like? Human Fighter.
At that point, it's a board game.
You are just a block of wood, with stats.
Who plays that?
Pushing past the logical extreme aside, "most of PFS." Not everyone plays the game like you.
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I've run into a huge variance in how people handle player introductions. From forgetting to do them entirely to spending an hour chatting as we get to know each other. It all depends upon the players' temperaments, play-stlyes, and the amount of time available.
I like showing a picture of my character. I introduce my characters by name, race and profession (as seen by them). Occasionally this is the same as a class (though not necessarily a class they have levels in). I think you should always tell your character classes if asked however.
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When I started playing D&D and getting into tabletop gaming, there wasn't any real expectation of character introduction at the tables I was at (short of name and class). You chose a class, and then attached whatever personality you wanted as you played.
In some games, the GM would ask for a biography, and you could use some of that in storytelling, but we found a lot of the time it was generally not very useful and more often than not, it even got in the way of the real story we were trying to get through.
It's only since I started playing PFS in person (a few years ago now) that I had any awareness that character introduction was a thing, to the point of knowing what you look like, what your history is, why you do what you do, etc. I've gotten into the habit of preparing my characters with introductions when I can think of one, but it's not something that comes naturally.
When we go around the table and players stumble to think of something, I completely understand where they're coming from.
Importantly, not telling other players what class you are means you're not telling them what your character can contribute when the meat hits the fan. If I'm an electrician, I don't tell the table I'm a charming handyman that dabbles in energy - I tell them straight up that I'm an electrician, and they know what my job is.
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Importantly, not telling other players what class you are means you're not telling them what your character can contribute when the meat hits the fan. If I'm an electrician, I don't tell the table I'm a charming handyman that dabbles in energy - I tell them straight up that I'm an electrician, and they know what my job is.
Exactly, except that in the pathfinder world the electrician has levels in the expert class. He doesn't introduce himself as an expert, he says he's an electrician. Class labels are often misleading, especially for multiclassed characters. Saying "I'm a human fighter," is misleading if you're actually an archer. Saying I'm a ranger/monk/gunslinger/horizon walker leaves many players looking at me with blank expressions on their faces and no idea what my character is capable of. Introducing myself as an expert navigator, explorer, sailor and master of the elven curve blade is far more useful to other players.
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Importantly, not telling other players what class you are means you're not telling them what your character can contribute when the meat hits the fan. If I'm an electrician, I don't tell the table I'm a charming handyman that dabbles in energy - I tell them straight up that I'm an electrician, and they know what my job is.
If you are an electrician who frames houses more than he pulls wire, then you are better off telling the rest of the table that you are a carpenter than to say you are an electrician.
I have a halfling who is a front-line fighter. She wears full plate and wields a lucern hammer. She considers herself a paladin of Apsu. I tell the other players at the table that my character does not deal a crazy amount of damage, but she can stand her ground in melee and is able to boost her allies' ACs by 6 to 10 points.
I could instead tell the table that I'm playing a sorcerer. I would technically be telling the truth, but it really isn't an accurate description of what that character brings to the party.
That is why I started my adventure by collapsing into a tavern chair while carrying someone's head in a sack.
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Standing in front of you is a gnome and the first thing you notice is he is FAT. Not a little fat, not a belly, but skin folds of his stomach hanging over his belt nearly touching his knees. The skin on his arm waddles a little, reminiscent of patagium. Tattoo'ed in gangster style across his shoulder blades is "SCZARNI LIFE" His bright red hair is spiked high, his eyebrows scorched off. He is wearing no shirt nor shoes, but instead ragged and charcoal marked trousers. Two gems, blue and black are shoved in his belly button. He is currently wearing (looks at character sheet) 6,273 gold worth of jewelry.
"I'm Tinderknot Ignatious Devendander the first, and I'm the strength of the Sczarni b***h!" (I use the voice from Willow, the guy at the beginning who says, "All the power in the universe is located in which finger?")
This is a typical introduction to any of my characters. If they ask class, I respond, "I'm an enforcer for the Scarzni. Muscle, you know, a thug."
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My half-orc Medium introduces himself to the table by walking up to each character and taking a big whiff of their scent (he has Keen Scent). I describe him as big, hairy, and feral looking. While I say that he's a half-orc, the only person I mention the class to is the GM, and only so they know what chassis I'm playing from. Bear in mind that the character has primarily done Emerald Spire levels, which leave little to the RP imagination.
It's about setting the tone early on. When introductions are happening, specifically go first.
One other point of note is that, from what I've seen, a lot of characters don't really get rolling character-wise until they've had a few sessions under their belt. This gives the table some experiences to play off of, such as a local Barbarian who thinks he's a Cleric because he saw one successfully cast Command, then he yelled "DIE!" at and enemy and cut them in half. 5th level characters typically have a bit more character to them than freshly drawn up ones.
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Venture-Lieutenant, South Dakota—Rapid City
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I have a player in my region that has almost never divulged his class (he has it on the character sheet, so the occasional audit/checking for info for a scenario has let me know). Otherwise, when other PCs ask him what he is, he gives a title and background on what his PC does, but leaves it at that.
It's been received a bit of confusion and awe at the same time.
Personally, I find that PbP games tend to do a great job at adding descriptions since you have the time to read everyone's bio.
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Personally, I find that PbP games tend to do a great job at adding descriptions since you have the time to read everyone's bio.
PbP format, by nature, is more RP-centric since one must compensate by using only words to paint the picture to the audience. Of course, there are resources you can use to help facilitate being at the table. As mentioned, you have the benefit of time to better articulate your character.
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My tengu rogue is always eating and banned from buffets because his high dex makes him equivalent to Shaggy and Scooby.
My gnome sorc/wiz thinks everyone is laughing and having a good time as she is casting "rainbows" (burning hands and fire related spells).
What's not to like about them when I make character introductions?
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I'll sometimes throw it into the briefing myself, especially if I know the VC isn't a familiar one to the players or if there's a "guest" giving the mission to the players. Otherwise, sometimes I'll do it as "you're gathered outside the office, waiting for your mission, and now seems like a good time to introduce yourselves." If it's a scenario with a long trip to get where they're going, I normally save the introductions until they have PLENTY of time to get to know one another.
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A few ways to do the intros:
A GI Joe style Dossier with the venture captains talking over who they're going to send on the mission and why.
An oceans 11 style show off your character in action with what they do
what is your character doing at 4:30 am when Drendle drang wakes them up. (Think Kirk waking up with the space babes)
in medias res, make up a combat and let people do their schtick cinematically without expending any resources- better for high combat scenarios
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I ask for names, races, and other details, and people just demand my class, and when I try and not say, they get upset.
Rp and giving out details has been more punishing than rewarding in my experience. Lately I've been playing a pimpy swashbuckler, and the gm will just have npc's relentlessly disrespect me and block off any chance to at times play the game with simple mechanics. My guy is just a gross scumbag to others even though he doesn't look or act that way, and it's just like when you say your class, everyone in the game already has you sized up or assumes things.
Ironically to the thread, my name is human fighter, and that's mainly because no matter how much effort I put into my characters flavor, I'm just that.
If we're running short on time, any rp during the session will be thrown into the "wasting everyone's time" category sadly, and I feel that discourages people to do anything but hack and slash.I honestly felt intimidated before my first game that others would think I'm a power gamer, and I'd need to level up my rp... NOPE
I usually point out to others what pfs is at the table. A bunch of sociopaths and/or psychopaths that fight other sociopaths and/or psychopaths and you never exchange words, but you all just know you're enemies that must fight to the death. No one reacts to taking damage, but instead with a stone face keep swinging until their face is completely ripped off and they die, and when it's over no guards are ever called. Times when the guards force their way into the party of sociopaths and/or psychopaths, and 'criminals'attack you, they don't in anyway help, but when you do something that could in the slightest be misconstrued as criminal behavior they fight you to the death FOR JUSTICE! Oh, and you're not murdering anyone ever, but it's for adventure, or justice as 6 people swing with lethal force stomping out one homeless man with a quarter staff who tried to steal an artifact so he could feed his family.
I just show up, and try and convert others. A pipe dream.
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Actual (para)phrases heard at tables in my region:
"I have been touched by Arshea and you can be touched by Arshea, too. Arshea is the way." (one of many local Clerics)
"He told that guy to drop his weapon and he did, I told that guy to die and he did. I must be a Cleric too!" (Barbarian, upon witnessing a Command spell. There were valiant attempts to heal things later.)
As I tell other people, coming to PFS with an elaborate backstory is pointless. The rest of the table isn't going to really care about that. What you can and should bring to the table is a set of character guidelines: "What would my character do if (X) happened?" This allows you to collaborate with the table, generally, or create interesting conflict, but it doesn't require that the table know who you are. Let's be honest, until at least level 3 or 4, most characters are relatively indistinguishable, anyway.
It could be that your region is full of people who look at scenarios as puzzles to be solved rather than experiences to play through, perhaps. I would be surprised if that were the case.
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I think a background is a useful thing to have, to establish consistency for yourself, how the PC would respond to events. But it's not something you need to recite to everyone else, just keep it to yourself, and amend it according to events as you play.
It's how you behave during the session that will stick in other players' minds, not 'What I did during my Summer Holiday, 4695 AR'.
How many times does anyone get introduced to the new guy at work, and regale them with "Hi, I'm Bob, and the defining events of my childhood are as follows...did you bring a pen, cos there's going to be a test at the end?"
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"The towering, muscle-bound warrior before you stands nearly seven feet tall, wearing wickedly barbed spiked full-plate armor. A long, curling horn arcs from the left side of his deformed, scaled temple, and his left hand is as gnarled and twisted as his face. The right side of his body remains human, as though someone cleaved a man in twain and stitched a demon to the piece which remained. A massive two-handed sword is slung across his back, and brimstone smolders in his mouth as be belches a blast of fire at an enemy. At his side, a savage wolf the size of a horse stands, snarling, its fur a charred and sickening ash-gray color. To those who know the forms of extraplanar beings, it is clear that this wolf, like its master, has been tainted with demonic energies."
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I think a background is a useful thing to have, to establish consistency for yourself, how the PC would respond to events. But it's not something you need to recite to everyone else, just keep it to yourself, and amend it according to events as you play.
It's how you behave during the session that will stick in other players' minds, not 'What I did during my Summer Holiday, 4695 AR'.
How many times does anyone get introduced to the new guy at work, and regale them with "Hi, I'm Bob, and the defining events of my childhood are as follows...did you bring a pen, cos there's going to be a test at the end?"
Indeed.
A backstory is not roleplaying. It can assist your roleplaying, but it is not roleplaying.
Similarly, the lack of a backstory does not equate to a lack of roleplaying.
You can write a backstory and still fail to roleplay or suck at roleplaying.
You can roleplay very well without a shred of backstory.
The two can be leveraged to influence each other, but they are not the same thing and are not intrinsically linked.
One consequence of this fact is that when your PC meets my PC for the first time and they fail to learn the key moments of each others' formative years, neither of us can guess at that point whether the other is going to roleplay.
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I have had a few players, when asked what their PC looks like, answer with "Um, I look like a <insert race here>".
I can't quite wrap my head around a response like that.
I figured I'd play off of that with my slayer who worships Achaekek. I can only imagine that being completely unmemorable would be a useful talent for him to have.
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I figured I'd play off of that with my slayer who worships Achaekek. I can only imagine that being completely unmemorable would be a useful talent for him to have.I have had a few players, when asked what their PC looks like, answer with "Um, I look like a <insert race here>".
I can't quite wrap my head around a response like that.
Norgorber worshippers, too.
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Norgorber worshippers, too.I figured I'd play off of that with my slayer who worships Achaekek. I can only imagine that being completely unmemorable would be a useful talent for him to have.I have had a few players, when asked what their PC looks like, answer with "Um, I look like a <insert race here>".
I can't quite wrap my head around a response like that.
And most Paladins/Clerics.
"My presentation is not important. My god's presence is."
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While character class isn't necessary to say in your introduction, you should always respond to the ooc question if someone asks directly what your race or clases are. Assume other players are mature enough to seperate player knowledge from character knowledge. Refusing to respond is insulting and irritating to your fellow players.
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It can also bring needless strife to the table if the other player presses the point. Some players have a psychological need to know, others just latch on to the secret incessantly. Use your best judgement as to which case you are dealing with.
Generally speaking, there is no reason not to answer a direct question from another player. That is normally a GM prerogative.
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And if they accept "I want you to wonder" that's great. If they don't, telling them to prevent table strife is worth more than any mystery you might engender. (Which will probably be drowned out by the frustration of the other player.)
I have a 10th level kitsune who has only revealed herself in two scenarios. I know where you are coming from, and I know the problems it can cause.