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In my in real life Kingmaker game I'm playing an Animal Speaker Bard named Epona, or Ep.
Mechanically, she's awesome. But when it comes to her roleplay, she's just not quite there. My concept for her was that she's a country girl stablehand who is just nuts about horses. She can talk to them, and actually understand them. She's a little shy, a lot awkward, and incredibly loyal to the young noble that she's bodyguarding.
In her background, she got picked out a year or two ago as a child with potential and sent to a local dueling academy so that she can serve as a bodyguard / servant to Mar (another PC.) She's been rather selfless and generous to a fault, and the whole country bumpkin thing was fun at first but it was supposed to run counter to the other characters who were all going to be sophisticated. Unfortunately, they all go country when I do, and there's no roleplay chemistry.
I need something more to roleplay other than being selfless, unsophisticated, loyal and nuts about horses.
Potential Story Hooks
She's an aasimar who has no idea that she's an aasimar. She thinks she's human. There may be a potential to do something storywise with that, since a faerie dragon that we met just told her that she didn't "smell human". I was thinking that this might bring up a question to Mom and Dad...
Potential Kingmaker Job Hooks
I originally set her up to be Grand Diplomat, but there's another character who really wants the job, and Ep doesn't have the self-confidence to fight for the opportunity.
I thought that she might have a blast being the Kingdom's Counselor and planning festivals, but the Kingdom doesn't have enough economy yet for that.
We found an Inn, and I wanted to run it, but currently it's not part of our kingdom and I have other jobs to do... Still, my character wants a retirement plan for when she's done with all that noble stuff. She likes the idea of being social with other common folk, hearing rumors, and just being a real person when she's not adventuring.
However, I got told firmly that the inn is outside of our kingdom and we can't afford to expand there yet. And then last session the other party members talked of getting a group of halflings to run it until we expand there, and Ep just feels depressed as heck, because this was something she wanted and it's being given away.
I need your ideas, please!
What can I do to have some sort of quirk or spark beyond being a goody two shoes nurturer of other people's dreams? What can I do to make Ep breathe?
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Huh. Writing this, I think I know one of the things I need to do. I need to fight for that damn Inn. I need to tell the other party members that Ep's Place (yes, I named it in my head) is mine. We can get some employees to run it, but I want it.
I think that if Ep has a dream that is all her own, that will help make this character come alive for me. She's been too selfless, and it's driving me crazy.
Hmm
I interpreted Counselor as a people's advocate lobbyist liason, so definitely works for your goals. You will be expanding more and more, and the governing doesn't take so much time, so why not just spend some of your downtime travelling to and working up that Inn in preparation for when the kingdom eventually expands over it. You could also argue it as developing relationships with as yet unaligned natives to smooth the way for future expansion, make sure they know they'll have a voice in and know the benefits of joining the growing kingdom.
There may be a potential to do something storywise with that, since a faerie dragon that we met just told her that she didn't "smell human".
Of course she doesn't smell human, she smells horse!
What can I do to have some sort of quirk or spark beyond being a goody two shoes nurturer of other people's dreams?
There's a role playing direction to take. Ep develops a bit of a back bone and learns how to advocate for herself. You can't be a nurturer if you don't nurture yourself.
Any way Ep can get herself instated as the manager of the halfling hirelings?