I'm currently playing a rogue and doing the usual things a rogue do in a city: gather informations, ask questions, buy/sell/con people, Deal Or Steal...
But, for my next character, I would like to play a fighter and I don't really know what to do beside drinking and sleeping. I don't want to play a character only based on combat so I'm looking for ideas.
What is YOUR character doing in cities? Whatever your class or race is, I would like to read it and I may pick some for my character.
Your character doesn't have to be defined by his/her class. I know skills are limited but you could look into collecting weapons, learn about the military history of the region you live in, learn a craft/trade/profession. Maybe pick up a musical instrument.
Or begin building for goals later on down the road. Does your character want their own barony/village? How about becoming a mercenary leader or even retiring as an innkeeper displaying artifacts (not magical) in the inn or telling stories nightly about their adventures?
The skies the limit with many characters, especially martials, because you're not preoccupied with spell research or faith development.
the last full campaign I was in went from level 3 to 26. I had a piece of garbage fighter/rogue/assassin (NE) who opened a bar/brothel just outside of town with another player ranger/rogue. We cornered the market on despicable deeds but provided enough benefit to the town that we were allowed to do the things we wanted as long as they didn't adversely affect trade or growth.
Yeah, I agree with Jos Martigan.
Don't let mechanics shoehorn your RP. You don't have to be a vapid fighter that only cares about fighting and drinking.
If you can convince your GM to let you use background skills it can really help to flesh out the interests of your character.
Where did you character learn to fight? One the streets? In an academy? Maybe he visits an academy (if there is one) just to check in on whats new. Maybe he goes to the underground street fights.
Does your character have an interest in ancient fighting techniques? Maybe he visits libraries looking for books on such. Maybe he likes book on war and strategy, so he goes looking for those.
Does you character have an interesting in forging his own weapons?
Come up with who and your character is, and after that figuring out what they do in their downtime should be pretty easy.
I'm currently playing a rogue and doing the usual things a rogue do in a city: gather informations, ask questions, buy/sell/con people, Deal Or Steal...
But, for my next character, I would like to play a fighter and I don't really know what to do beside drinking and sleeping. I don't want to play a character only based on combat so I'm looking for ideas.
What is YOUR character doing in cities? Whatever your class or race is, I would like to read it and I may pick some for my character.
That is entirely up to you, and how you build your character.
What do you want him to do in the city? Once you decide, build your character in that direction, regardless of class.
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Ill join the class don't make the character choir. I usually grab whatever campaign material I can when making a PC. Do you run APs? The players guide is usually full of goodies to help flesh out your character. If not, I'd make sure and have a nice long discussion with the GM about the campaign they plan to run. Find out as much info as you can and build around that.
Business investments are a great way to introduce side quests and one-on-one RP as well. Pretty much every character I make has a side mission, I've had a wizard artist, the fighter craftsman, the rogue philanthropist who started his own orphanage full of street kids, I even played a ranger who's goal was to be the best cook/chef in the land. Often times the actions lead the character to the leadership feat, but they don't have to, you can always just hire people to run things. As you level and gain more power these "hirelings"/followers can also be used to run low level adventures that directly affect you high level character. I've actually had two of my favorite characters come from initially being just in the employ of one of my high levels.
In real life, what would you do if you travelled to a far away place and were going to be there for a month or two? Pathfinder has a downtime system if you want a set of mechanics for all of this free time you have. My friends who have used it have varying opinions on it, so it may not be for everyone.
You can also just hire yourself out to do "fighter-y" things. Take some shifts with the local guard or militia. Track down someone wanted for arrest and report. There are a lot of things that could be with checks or with assumed success and straight pay for a day's work.
If your pockets are flush with coin and you feel it unlikely your character would get a day job, instead of just saying you drinking at night and sleep in you could start running with a new group of people. Your character probably needs a break from those know-it-alls he has been travelling and adventuring with.
Well I'm playing a half-orc witch (hedge witch/herb witch). We've yet to have any city based down-time but the concept for the character was itinerant healer turned adventurer/mercenary so he'll spend time gathering herbs, brewing potions, making alchemical items, remedies and whatever else the party could need. Otherwise he'll spend his time tending to the medical needs of those who can afford him.
I actual spent a little time putting together a poster advertising his services. On it he calls himself a "Healer-Physician & Witch-Herbalist" and offers both magical and non-magical healing of wound and afflictions. He also offers to divine blood-ties and can treat animals.
An important point is that he does all this "Without Moral Judgement Creed or Religious Obligation". Other than payment there are no strings attached, no demands of church attendance, no oaths and no cult to join; he also doesn't care how you got injured/infected whether it was a knife fight with the guard or visiting a house of ill repute. The poster also features numerous drawing of classic witchy plants, most of which are poisonous and help hint towards the less benign services he has on offer. Finally there is a triskele on the poster which he also has as a (mystic) tattoo, adorning his physicians bag and painted on the skull inhabited by his familiar; this is to help potential clients identify him.
He drinks very little alcohol and will only take drugs when necessary. Thus to relax he enjoys reading, watching fights, and exchanging services with ladies/gents of the night (but only after determining they're disease free and no being coerced or controlled - he'll heal a scoundrel and provide you with the means to poison your husband but he does have some morals).
I mostly GM, and my players really dislike a lot of downtime not spent crafting. The few times I have gotten to play I have:
Used my ninja to do gather information checks in public for evil jobs.
Explored the underground tunnels, and timed out guard positions for same said evil jobs.
As an alchemist searched for rare reagents to empower my companions spells.
As a wizard (with access to the entire parties funds), have searched back alleys and antique shops for missed relics/artifacts/art/magical weapons forgotten in some dusty corner somewhere.
Some companions have:
Gotten into political, and less political but more fun relationships with key city characters.
Done some property shopping (pricing mostly).
Shopped for accessories for their home.
Shopped for fancy clothes, jewelry, fabrics for high society functions.
Had armor and weapons bejeweled, bedazzled, and gold plated for fun.
Researched a powerpoint presentation to save some towns (Its complicated).
And of course, bamboosled nobles out of the best suites, their best drinks, and their best coin.
I also had one character set up a soup stall and begin feeding street urchins, and extorting information from them in the process (Still technically an evil character)
I've had a lot of fun with out of adventure life in games I've played in. I had a swashbuckler who would wander the city looking for beggars to give money to and people to help, which did end up with him being mugged on a few occasions, but was fine for the mostpart. I also had a slayer in a homebrew kingdom building game who ran a thieves guild, and ended up being quite successful. Several other notable characters were a necromancer who loved gambling and a rogue that I've just built for a game set on Earth who wants to become the best banjo player west of the Mississippi.