How do roleplay your character's race?

[keeper0]

I am making a new character and looking at the Advanced Race Guide. I realized that I don't really roleplay my character's race very much.

My dwarves feel like humans who took potion of Darkvision with a chaser of Slow Person (and a few other buffs/nerfs). Their personalities are set mostly by class and the background I wrote up.
"I am dwarf, I am gruff!"
"I am a halfling/gnome, I am short!"
"I am a half-orc, I am ugly"
"I am an elf, I am like a human but prettier"

In some campaigns, playing a Core race can affect the plot if you run across a group of elves/gnomes/etc. But this seems exceedingly unlikely with the Advanced Races. Playing a catfolk seems like it would mostly cause a few tavern owners to say "you look a little strange" as they hand you your beverage.

How do you use your race to influence your role-playing?
Alternately, as a GM, what do you do differently if a player is an uncommon race?

[PossibleCabbage]

Don't.

No seriously, don't roleplay your race.

Roleplay the culture you learned, your personal history, and the things you've come to value or disdain because of that, but don't roleplay your genes.

A half-orc who grows up in a society where half-orcs are accepted and loved is going to be a very different person than a half-orc who grows up in a society where they are hated and considered inferior. A dwarf who grows up in a trade family in a cosmopolitan port city is going to be a very different person than a dwarf who grows up in an insular mountain community. Some elves will be colossal jerks, some elves will be thoroughly kind and generous, but there are plenty of non-elves that are every bit as big of jerks and every bit as kind. In the case of something really unusual (like a changeling) think about what it was like growing up among people you eventually figured out were different from you, how you felt when you realized that, and what happened when *they* figured out you were different from them. This story plays out very differently in Irrisen compared to how it does in Ustalav.

Focus on your personal history and your culture, and not your race. An elf, a dwarf, and a human who all grew up on the frozen northern steppe should have more in common with each other than a corresponding member of their race who grew up in a tropical rainforest.

[Bill Dunn]

Do.

Every non-human race in the D&D family of games (and that includes Pathfinder) has some common cultural thread holding it together. These things are instrumental in helping players create non-human characters that can feel like more than just humans in funny suits. Sure, there will be regional and occupational differences based on background, but if you ignore the common core, why play the non-human races at all?

[Link2000]

I agree with Cabbage that your character's genes do not create the character, but I do believe that it should have a small effect on those around you.

You see a dwarf and you stereotype it into being a person who knows their craftsmanship, their liquor, and the dirt.

But maybe your character did not like those things. Preferred to buy finely crafted objects over learning any craft themselves. Mayhaps liquor is too bitter, and you prefer a nice sweet tea instead.

As a GM, I often have my NPC's (based off their personality) go into a situation with a level of expectancy. They may expect the gnome to be wild and maybe even dangerous. Or expect the half-orc to be gruff and uncultured. But from there, they can either be pleasantly surprised by the player or be smug in the idea that they knew you'd be no different than what they think of your kind.

So ultimately, understand that your race does have a culture or typical background. But do no think that automatically makes your character a part of that culture or background. Give and take from that culture what you think sounds like a good backstory, and do not feel like "Dwarves are all heavy drinkers, so my dwarf must be one as well". In the end, this is your dwarf, and their story. Make it as you feel is best.

[Goblin_Priest]

Do and Don't. I mean, depends on his background, right?

My current character is a hobgoblin, the son of the previous ruler of a hobgoblin nation. But his uncle did a putsch and cast his family out, so they ended up in a little hobgoblin ghetto, with a handful of loyalists, in a human nation. He wasn't your stereotypical hobgoblin, though, and didn't fit in much, ended up finding a human mentor and followed in his footsteps as a cleric of Abadar, dreaming of one day returning to his homeland that he had left as a child and bringing his people away from their expansionist tendencies and towards the teachings of Abadar. He then ended up teaming with a party of humans (mostly), and eventually they overthrew his uncle, though at that point his uncle had gotten a hold of his family and defiled them. Brutally one-shot my character too with a powerful charge, first round of that combat, before I even got a turn. The GM allowed me afterwards to resuscitate him as a paladin with an Oath of Vengence against the evil god that had empowered his uncle (and was threatening to destroy the world).

Though there are only limited opportunities to reflect the complexity of the character in-game, I did maintain a "journal" for him for a while. Born in hobgoblin lands, but raised in human lands, grew up among hobgoblins mostly, but also only fit in with humans, adopted local ideologies, but also strongly identified with his homeland, etc.

[Davia D]

My preference is often the very stand-out races- Android, Ghoran, and Merfolk are my three most recent, so it heavily plays into their background and I expect other characters to ask.

In the android's case, her being naive and looking for order played heavily into her background and lead to her becoming a cleric of Sarenrae.

In the Ghoran's case, it's her very reason for adventuring- she wishes to work on knowledge that could help her race.

In the Merfolk's case, I go with kinda the opposite- she's adopted by humans and doesn't consider being a merfolk being a big thing, she's from a Kellid tribe first and has fins second. That she is a merfolk is thus highlighted by people's assumptions being contrasted with this. Everyone expect merfolk to act one way and that she doesn't will inevitably get brought up, at which point she'll brag about her clan and her prowess in combat. Her race is, in short, used *by her* to highlight her class and heritage.

I also have a catfolk written up but not yet played- she's a vigilante, and basically took to the rooftops as a form of rebellion, which is a pretty catfolk-esque thing while not specifically mentioning the race. Her relationship with her family, and that they're a bit outsiders trying to get in (the catfolk minority status), plays a fair-sized role in the backstory, and her natural abilities (like a climb speed) play a fair amount in how I intend to play her tactically, so without shouting 'I am a cat,' the ties are there.

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

I would recommend considering roleplaying your race if you have an interesting idea for what you want to do with them. You know beyond all dwarfs are Scottish alcoholics.

For example I played a sylph raised by elves, most people don't expect a racist sylph but she hated half elfs and was generally quite flaky, didn't stick to her opinions on much of anything. But that was as far as it went.

I do think some raises offer more potential for race based backstory and therefore roleplay (backstory should decide your character personality, but race might influence backstory). For instance there is a whole glut of ways Aasimar's can have backstory's pretty heavily influenced by race. I had a player one who was 'collected' as a rich couples pretty angel boy, that they brought out for dinner parties.

I think the race that really takes the cake in this regard however is Ghoran, they can't reproduce and their rights are heavily contested by their creators who'd rather just eat them. Not because they're some kind of freakish animals but because Ghoran's are literally delicious and were created that way.

[Andre Roy]

I agree that, while members of the same race will have some traits in common, the culture in which the individual grew up should have the biggest impact in how you roleplay your character,

One of my most memorable character was a dwarf. A fighter he fought primarily with axe and crossbow. However, he was from a river/barge people culture. Travelling up and down subterranean rivers, trading, never staying in one place for long. These elements coloured his personality much more, he was still a bit clannish (but more in regard to river dwarves than his actual family), but he was also more of a free-spirited person, almost bohemian in his outlook. He'd be quite friendly, quick to barter but couldn't stay still for long, he needed to move on and see what was over that other bent.

Overall, not what people expected of a dwarf, but fun to roleplay.

[Decimus Drake]

My attitude is that you should tease out what is biological and what is cultural about your character and then play according to what makes sense. I've found Inner Sea Races most useful in this endeavour and a flexible GM helps also.

When creating my half-orc witch I considered all the cultural influences that shaped him. For me it's important the RP fluff and mechanics actually reflect each other so as he was raised humans I did away with any culturally orcish racial traits e.g. orcish weapon proficiency made no sense; he's a caster not a martial and was raised by humans not orcs, this was replaced with poison use which makes sense with the herb witch archetype. He is highly intelligent and is aware of people assumptions that half-orcs are big, dumb raging monsters and strives to subvert this. However his orc-blood leaves him vulnerable to a strong range of emotions, he does his best to keep them in check (no orc ferocity) but if pushed too far he will lose it. He speaks with received pronunciation (the other half-orc in the party was raised by orcs and has a Scottish accent) but can have some trouble with some words due to his teeth/tusks; in truth I can't do accents so my solution was to buy some cheap Halloween teeth, cut them to shape and wear them on my bottom teeth. Instead of using the bonus language list, I chose languages based on the cultures and people he would have encountered.

From his mother he was exposed to a degree of Sarkorian-Kellid culture and that is reflected in some of his beliefs and habits e.g. sees the spiritual permeating the natural world (he's Green Faith), he'll refer to summoners as god-callers and mainlines a high degree of self-sufficiency. However he has also been exposed to a wider vaiety of culture as such he's nowhere near has hide-bound as your typical Kellid, nor does he feel strong tribal bonds and he is somewhat prone to selfishness.

As for "I am a Half-orc, I am ugly" I'll let you be the judge: Casimir Selby

His lowest ability score is charisma (9) and this in part due to the negativity he's experienced as a half-orc but also his high intellect and ability at witchcraft have meant he didn't have to become particularly personable to get by. Since adventuring he has become more sociable (charisma was originally 8) and it's something he continues to work at (by level 8 it'll be 10).

What I hoped to show here is that while the character was influenced by his race he is not solely defined by it. I think it's important to keep an open mind as to how race shapes RP (also wish the same about classes e.g. rogues don't always have to be selfish-thief-trickster types) and it should ultimately be seen as another source of inspiration from which to draw ideas.

[The Sword]

Do role play race, otherwise what's the point. You can either enjoy age old stereotypes...
and let's be clear that can be a lot of fun... drunken Scottish (I personally prefer Welsh, or Yorkshire) dwarves and all the rest.

However I see outlook as being more important than mannerisms. You don't need to talk in a funny voice to role play, you just need to immerse yourself in the characters point of view.

Taking dwarves for example. How would dwarven psyiology effect dwarven psychology?

- Would living hundreds of years give you a different opionion on things that are transient or fleeting, would they be less important? What about things that are built to last? How would you

- If your family has been around for hundreds of years, how do you feel about them. If ancient history is only two generations away, how does that affect your feelings about the past? Does it become more important or more mundane. How does how you feel about the past affect the way you consider the present and future.

- How would an innate resistance to magic or poison affect your paychology. Would you be more willing to put yourself at risk or indulge in such things because you had developed a Resistance, or would the opposite be the case. How would you feel about people that didn't have those resistances.

- Does having innate proficiencies mean you have an innate fondness for some things. Alternatively if you haven't pursued those skills do you feel guilty, or a longing - or even a rejection or rebellion.

These are just a few examples of how racial abilities could affect psychology. Every game world/setting/regions non-humans could have different backgrounds but the abilities are clear to see. Have a think about it and see what inspiration you get. Maybe brainstorm ideas first and get some stuff down on paper.

If you want more inspiration try and track down an article called non-human psychology for the old WFRP game, it was published in a book called Apocrypha Now several years ago but there may be excerpts floating around somewhere.

[Create Mr. Pitt]

I almost always play human for precisely this reason. I can be a character, harder to embody a race.

I can feel elf. There's a subtlety to them. I mean you can just go Vulcan with them if you want. I look forward to playing one.

I played a dwarf once. It was hard. Most examples of dwarves are pretty ridiculous. Maybe I just don't have the imagination for it, but I really get into my character personalities and stories as a human, and maybe that's good enough?

[Edward the Necromancer]

Depends on the character and the race, for some EXTREME EXAMPLES.

An Elf who has a superiority complex because they are an elf and all of the other races who do not live as long are children by comparison, so they are looked down upon like children.

An Orc (yes, full blooded Orc) who has a very large violent streak and thinks it is normal to eat your enemies. Not that they can not restrain themselves when the situation calls for it; but if violence can solve their problem and the consequences are minimal, why not use violence?

A crazy goblin (aren't they all) who was rescued by the Paladin in the party. The goblin then started to worship the Paladin and was practically the Paladin's side kick.

When you pick a non human race you should think of their back ground and how that would effect their opinions and behavior. It can honestly lead to some very interesting role play opportunities.

[keeper0]

Thank you all for some great insights.

I think the way I have played is closest to what PossibleCabbage said ... I was usually ignoring my character's race, occasionally playing up the stereotype or sometimes trying to invert the stereotype.
In the end, I have largely fallen back on playing humans like Mr Pitt. I appreciate the ability to write any backstory and have it fit with a human. I suppose is it "human privilege" that as the normative race, the character gets to be judged as an individual.

But, reading the Advanced Race Guide made me realize my own deficiencies in this regard. If I choose to play a catfolk or a kitsune, I want it to be more than just an excuse to get certain bonuses.
The comments here give me some things to think about.

Thank you.

[Kerney]

I usually find a few things that make the character who they are and race can be a factor, especially with the half races, the plane touched, and changelings. The reason behind this is their difference sets them apart.

My half elf summoner is a summoner because she longed for a friend who didn't "outgrow" her. When a dimensional rift opened in her chicken coop, she intuitive attached it to herself and therefore the creature who always comes out.

My half orc had the a light spell placed in her room by the Cheliaxian nuns who raised her so she didn't gain the "unfair" advantage of darkvision. As a result, she read under the sheets all the time and turned into a bookworm.

My human bone Oracle earned the romantic interest of Zypus while attending the premere performance of Among the Living where Zombies killed her brother. Race is not a factor for what make her her, so she's human.

Basically, like others before stated, play a character who is person rather than a stereotype.

[Edward the Necromancer]

Part of the problem/benefit with playing non core races (such as Catfolk) is that there is often little concrete information on their culture or how they behave. Granted this can also be a benefit, instead of having to stick to stereotypes (such as Dwarfs/Elfs) a non common race can give a creative person the opportunity to come up with some very interesting character role play ideas. Who can tell you how to play a Catfolk when there are not any cannon examples of Catfolk to reference?

[Matthew Downie]

Catfolk species traits:

Quote:

Natural explorers

Quote:

curious by nature

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no shame attached to minor peculiarities, eccentricities, or foolhardiness

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enjoy being the center of attention

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generous and loyal

I would have guessed they would have personalities similar to regular cats but 'loyal' suggests otherwise.

[Kileanna]

I think a race should be relevant from a roleplaying point of view because if it wasn't there would be no point in being other than human (aside from mechanic benefits). But making the race relevant is not the same as roleplaying a race instead of a character. You don't have to be a racial stereotype to make your race relevant to the game. Picking a couple interesting facts from a race that you like and then giving that character the personality that you best like is often enough to give a sensation of being other than human.

Thinking of how would a determinate person react to growing in a society with this or that characteristics also helps to create an unique character but that gets some influence from his upbringing.

My changeling's story all revolved about being mistrusted and her people thinking she was cursed and brought bad luck. And wanting to find a place where people didn't care about her being different. A typical changeling theme, so the race is everything for the concept. But how the character reacts to that kind of treatment is what makes each character unique: does she hate her own people? Does she believe they are right? Does she fear her differences or does she embrace them?

To me the trick is to find something in a race appealing and evolve a concept to explore that trait. Think: why playing this race would be better than playing a human? What do I want to explore by playing this race? Everything else will probably come alone and you'll realize that you are playing something different from a human and still being more than just a race.

[My Self]

Getting away from our-world race politics is tricky, so I'll try to handle this argument as tactfully as possible.

The easiest thing to do is to stereotype. This is also probably the worst thing you can do. Playing a caricature of a race is a lot of things. It's fairly unoriginal, lazy, and usually lacks depth. It is a mastery of mannerisms, not characterization. When done very well, it can certainly be entertaining, but it is also utterly predictable. If you watch (not read) Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, you'll notice large differences between Gimli and all the dwarves in the Hobbit. Gimli is basically defined as "the dwarf" which means being gruff, heavy accent, and lots of short-guy humor. This is as opposed to the Hobbit, where you have a brooding king, a really fat guy, a quiet battle-scarred veteran, a wise older mentor, a lovestruck kid, and 8 other dwarves with different personalities. They all have a common thread of being beard-y and short, but those are not their defining characteristics. As dwarves, they are far more comical than the elves in the same movie, but that is only a common element of characterization, not an overarching one.

You roleplay a person in relation to a culture, not just a race. Peoples' mannerisms are a product of their circumstances, and most characteristics would not exist in a vacuum. A dwarf would not have a thick Scottish accent if they did not learn language in a way that gave them a Scottish accent. But I'm not saying that you cannot have all the stereotypical racial characteristics. It is a question of depth of characterization. Having an accent is a gimme - if you grow up in a specific place, you will probably pick up a local accent. A snooty elf would probably be snooty because of the circumstances they grew up in, or their views on other races or classes. The difference is why a character is portrayed in a certain way. If you discover that reason, you can roleplay more consistently as well as more in-depth.

Basically, it is not simply:
Race -> Characterization

Rather:
Race -> Culture + Probable circumstances
Culture + Circumstances + Personality -> Individual reaction
Consistent individual reactions -> Characterization

[Edward the Necromancer]

Matthew Downie wrote:

Catfolk species traits:

Quote:

Natural explorers

Quote:

curious by nature

Quote:

no shame attached to minor peculiarities, eccentricities, or foolhardiness

Quote:

enjoy being the center of attention

Quote:

generous and loyal

I would have guessed they would have personalities similar to regular cats but 'loyal' suggests otherwise.

There are also humans who are explorers, who have a curious nature, who do not feel shame about being eccentric, etc. Those are all very generic things to say and could be true of any race. A dwarf who is foolish, an elf who loves being the center of attention, a gnome who is generous.

The point I was trying to make was that while the human nations have detailed histories about their culture, and the common races (elves, dwarfs, orcs) have a lot of writing detailing their societies and have been expanded upon in other sources of fiction, the same is not true of Catfolk or some of the other non core races.

Elfs, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Goblins and Orcs all have their own individual racial paper back books from Paizo. They have also been expanded upon in multiple fiction books over the years. If a player runs into one of these races they have a good guess of what to expect.

How many fantasy adventure stories have actually gone into detail about Cat people, or Lizard people, beyond some VERY generic generalizations? This lack of detail gives a creative player the freedom to create an interesting character without being tied down by old ideas.

[Kileanna]

Completely aggree. I love to tailor races, places, events, etc. to match my likings, add some depth to something, develope a plot or an idea, etc. With something that is not very developed it's easier because you don't have to be so constrained by what has already been written.

[UnArcaneElection]

I vote for a blend of the ideas of PossibleCabbage, Kileanna, and My Self.

[Edward the Necromancer]

I will give two examples, one of myself and one of a player I was the GM for.

As a player I like to play Orcs. When I play an Orc I play on the violent savage part, but that also leaves me with a very important RP question. Why is an Orc 'adventuring' and how can I make him in such a way to fit with a party? Usually this means making sure he is intelligent enough so that I can justify him behaving in a smart manner, which also gives me a reason that he left the orcs tribes. Most Orcs are dumb and so he leaves to meet smarter people so that he can LEARN from them.

I have a friend who likes to play as a Catfolk, partially because he thinks it is funny. This player though asks himself 'what would a cat do?'. So he sniffs catnip, lounges on ceiling beams, and has a very high opinion of himself. Other than a few generalizations of acting 'cat like' he is free to behave as he wants.

Both cases show different approaches to RPing a non human. In my case I use the generalizations of a common race (Orcs) as a starting point and then expand on it. In my friend's case he takes advantage of the vagueness of Catfolk to play how he want's with few limitations on being faithful to a cannon idea of what the race should be like.

[Kileanna]

I like your approach to roleplaying orcs but I cannot say the same about your friend. For what you are telling, the things he does are the kind of things I'd try to avoid, as he seems to be playing his character just to goof around, falling into some cat stereotypes and basically comparing an intelligent race to an animal. That's what I'd call falling into stereotypes. It could be funny in a comic campaign but it doesn't seem that it's a character who could fit a more serious story.

There is a different from «I'm basing my personality in a cat and make my character curious, independent and fierce» and «I'm basing my personality in a car and smell catnip, hunt mice and ask people to scratch me behind the ears»

In a Werewolf campaign that I GMed I had a player who chose to play a lupus, a Werewolf who was born as a wolf. He behaved just like a dog and it was hard to take him seriously. Fortunately the player ended understanding that his character didn't have the mind of an animal and even if he saw humans as something alien and a bit scary he could still have a lot of roleplaying options aside of just being a dog. Until then he was just a comic relief.

[Cuup]

Sometimes, going against the mold of a racial stereotype can be a lot of fun, and reinforce in your mind what your race is.

I played a Dwarf Cleric once, who had abstained from alcohol because his dependancy on it had ruined his marriage. Also, I gave him a Russian accent. I know at some tables, giving your character an accent is just going to get silly, but I was fortunate enough to play at a table that encouraged stuff like that. The presence of the accent was a constant rp reminder to everyone (including me) that I was a Dwarf, and helped them picture it, and the abstaining from alcohol was a social roadblock that helped me think about what my character was going to do during down time INSTEAD of "I grab a drink at the inn".

[Jhaeman]

I think Paizo often does a good job setting examples with their Iconics. Harsk is a dwarf and shares his race's general terseness and grumpiness, but he's also an individual because he likes the woods instead of the mountains and drinks tea instead of ale. Seoni is Varisian and bears the trademark tattoos, but instead of being flighty and free-spirited, she's taken upon the responsibility of being the leader of her adventuring party. So, RP some elements of the "shared heritage" for fidelity to the setting, but mix in some unique elements so your character isn't generic and forgettable.

[Davia D]

Chromantic Durgon <3 wrote:

I think the race that really takes the cake in this regard however is Ghoran, they can't reproduce and their rights are heavily contested by their creators who'd rather just eat them. Not because they're some kind of freakish animals but because Ghoran's are literally delicious and were created that way.

Being delicious is the best drawback in the game bar none. It's the only drawback I can think of that makes people *want* to play as them.

Edward the Necromancer wrote:

How many fantasy adventure stories have actually gone into detail about Cat people, or Lizard people, beyond some VERY generic generalizations? This lack of detail gives a creative player the freedom to create an interesting character without being tied down by old ideas.

One of the nice things about (animal) folk is people have associations with them so while not rigidly defined, they aren't without hooks either, their very nature gives an angle.

I'll mention that Astomoi are probably the race out of all Pathfinder ones I have the hardest time coming up with anything with. They're a weird race, but unlike Ghorans and Androids don't have a specific origin, and their weird spaceiness doesn't evoke personality types like any of the animal ones, nor do they come from a specific environment. The main thing they have as a hook I'd go for is if I used one they'd really be into smells.

So having freedom is good, but IMO can go too far in some cases.

[John Mechalas]

I perform improv semi-professionally (meaning, I get paid to perform in front of a paying audience regularly, but it's not my main source of income), which means I am often called upon to play other races, sexual orientations, and the opposite gender.

Here's the key to doing this without offending other people at the table:

1. Let race/gender/orientation inform your character choices
2. Play your character, not your race/gender/orientation

This is particularly important when playing against type. If the only tool in your toolbox is a stereotype, then you're treading on dangerously thin ice.

By letting these attributes inform your character choices, you introduce multiple dimensions to their personality and create a real person rather than someone who has a single, defining characteristic. Ask yourself how your character's culture and upbringing influenced them to create the unique individual that they are now.

What you really don't want, ever, is for your entire character's personality to be seen as "the adjective noun", especially if adjective noun is a parallel stereotype from the real world ("the drunk dwarf" or "the savage Mwangi").

The risks are lower in a tabletop game since you generally know the people at the table, but it's still a bad habit to get into (and if you play PFS at all, it's one you don't want to develop).

[PK the Dragon]

Another pitfall, IMO, is defining yourself by the ways you differ from your race. Not quite as dangerous, but still not terribly interesting.

By this I mean, if the *only* defining part of your character is that you're a Dwarf that drinks tea and lives above ground, that's not particularly interesting either, by itself. What makes Harsk fun is the complete package.

The way I see it, a "normal" version of the race can be interesting if they have an interesting character (character meaning goals, dreams, personality, motivations, which can be informed by race, but shouldn't just be the stereotype of the race). A "rebel" version of the race can be boring if they lack an interesting character. And vice versa, of course.

So the tl;dr is to play a character. You can let the race be an important part of the character, or play a "human with elf ears", all that matters is that the character is interesting. This is also why I don't mind all human parties- if that's the story we want to tell, so be it.

[My Self]

PK the Dragon wrote:

Another pitfall, IMO, is defining yourself by the ways you differ from your race. Not quite as dangerous, but still not terribly interesting.

By this I mean, if the *only* defining part of your character is that you're a Dwarf that drinks tea and lives above ground, that's not particularly interesting either, by itself. What makes Harsk fun is the complete package.

The way I see it, a "normal" version of the race can be interesting if they have an interesting character (character meaning goals, dreams, personality, motivations, which can be informed by race, but shouldn't just be the stereotype of the race). A "rebel" version of the race can be boring if they lack an interesting character. And vice versa, of course.

So the tl;dr is to play a character. You can let the race be an important part of the character, or play a "human with elf ears", all that matters is that the character is interesting. This is also why I don't mind all human parties- if that's the story we want to tell, so be it.

Item 1 on the list of egregious differ-types is the Drizzt-clone. Not Drizzt himself, but every [url=http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html]non-satirical[url] rebel to their kind (unlike linked entry) is basically as one-dimensional as a regular stereotype. It is basically all the stereotypical traits, inverted, which still just leaves you with a list of traits and not a character.

On a separate but related note, I like to think of character dimensions as such:
1st dimension: Actions
e.g. a vampire hits with a sword, a farmer tills a field
2nd dimension: Mannerisms, quirks, method of action
e.g. a vampire reluctantly hits with a sword, a farmer joyfully tills a field
3rd dimension: Motivations, goals, philosophy, reason behind action and mannerisms
e.g. a vampire reluctantly hits with a sword because his target was a friend, a farmer joyfully tills a field because he loves a simple life
4th dimension: Evolution of actions, methods, and reasons over time
e.g. a vampire reluctantly hits with a sword because his target grew to be a friend, a farmer joyfully tills a field because he learned to love a simple life when he almost died in his murderhoboing days of youth

Complexity of quirks varies, and one can make an incredibly detailed 2-D character. The Man with No Name is essentially one: His actions consist of really cool shooting, and his mannerisms are basically all Clint Eastwood death stares. And you don't need to go dimension-by-dimension, in order. A character made of mannerisms and evolution, but no actions or motivations is basically a Stan Lee cameo. Poor roleplayers may often have characters with actions and goals, but no quirks or evolution. Many unrealized characters are made of mannerisms and motivations, but without a game, they cannot act or evolve. Note that player characters will intrinsically have actions. But roleplaying a race as a set of mannerisms leaves you 2-D at best.

[Taskuhecate]

I tend to agree with most of the points above. I'll add my own, too.

As has been stated above: Do and Don't play race. Please please please don't do the stereotypical race portrayals, or at least make them fresh if you do, put your own spin on it. I had a guy in one game play a dwarven paladin (tortured crusader) of Torag, and he played it rather straight, but put the character's personality first. Brash, gruff, but the way he had the character speak and act made it feel more fresh.

Of my own characters: I have a fetchling wizard from Nidal in my Way of the Wicked campaign - and his race actually influences his actions. Fetchlings are not liked in Nidal and mostly (from my reading of Inner Sea Races) are treated like foreigners - ie, not well. He showed magical aptitude and was taken to the Dusk Hall for training, but was never really accepted, and now has a rather determined chip on his shoulder to prove himself, despite being sent on a suicide-mission to Talingrade to represent Nidal's interests in overthrowing that government.

In the case of my tiefling rogue/swashbuckler, race played a role mostly just in his backstory. He was born in a small town where tieflings were very looked down on and his mother was abusive before dumping him on the steps of a temple of Serenrae. He grew up in that faith, and being told (at least in his mind) that he had to be redeemed based purely on his race. (He ends up going on a bender and finding Cayden Cailaen. He's much happier after that.)

I like using the setting to help me flesh out characters. My fetchling would be a very different character if he'd come from, say, Absalom, where fetchlings are treated much better. He wouldn't have this need to prove himself.

Basically, I guess I'm trying to say that there's more than just race to think about. How does it interact with environment, religion, etc. None of these exist in a void, or separate from each other.

[UnArcaneElection]

By the way, I should give fair notice that I have trouble playing normal humans. Might as well play something that I find interesting, and try to make it interesting to others . . . .

[Kileanna]

I tend to play a lot of humans, but my later characters have been a half elf, a Silvanesti elf (Dragonlance), a devkarin elf (custom race for Ravnica setting, sort of a drow) and a changeling with kagonesti elf heritage (Dragonlance again).
What's up with the elves? I like them but not as much as my recent character suggests.
When creating NPCs most of them are human because I want to keep the sensation of the uncommon races being, well, uncommon.

[FormerFiend]

My go-to PC races are half-orc, tiefling, and aasimar.

Half-orcs have a good built in motivation that's fairly easy to relate to in real life in that they face discrimination because they're of mixed racial heritage. I'm not, personally, but it has always been a social condition that I've found interesting and one that I can look to real life examples of and drawn inspiration from. It's not about "ugly", it's about not belonging, being rejected by both sides for something that isn't and wasn't your fault.

That's kind of a running theme with those three, really, but with tieflings and aasimar I tend to think of them, and have the characters themselves think of it as being less a race and more a genetic condition/birth defect that happens to come with a lot of religious and superstitious connotations that they end up getting saddled with.

[John Mechalas]

FormerFiend wrote:

Half-orcs have a good built in motivation that's fairly easy to relate to in real life in that they face discrimination because they're of mixed racial heritage.

My current human character is of mixed racial heritage (Vudrani/Chelaxian, plus Keleshite if you go back two generations, though the only hint to that is her surname). Largely it's because it adds a lot of depth to her character through a fairly complex family history, which in turns helps me avoid pitfalls with RP. It also provides a justification for how she ended up where she was geographically when our game started, which helps a lot since she was very much out of place. ;)

And, I have to thank Paizo, too. Reading through the ISWG, it's refreshing that Golarion's non-evil human societies seems to be, on the whole, more tolerant than our own on a number of social issues.

[The Dandy Lion]

With Humans, I find it often comes down to upbringing - region, social status, motivations and attitudes of people that influenced their life.

Half of these details don't even surface for me until I'm finishing a few last things about a character's build (campaign traits are great for this) and start playing the character.

That said, in our Carrion Crown campaign, my human is the odd one out. With a very absent-minded Elf Occultist, Summoner with 7ft Eidolon, Skinwalker and Tiny blue monster (Halfling Kytonspawn) in tow, my poor local yokel is finding his duty as a priest of Erastil tugging his life into uncomfortable places.

[Rysky]

The Dandy Lion wrote:

With Humans, I find it often comes down to upbringing - region, social status, motivations and attitudes of people that influenced their life.

The same thought process applies to every other playable race too ^w^

Play your culture, not your race.

[Kileanna]

Race might be relevant disregarding of culture. A long lived race who grew up among humans could behave differently because of his different life span even if he was treated as he was human.
Or, like Dalindra's Undine, use her race as an excuse for faking not knowing the rules of society and behave how she wants.
Or even been treated differently because of being from a different race (like an asimaar being considered blessed or a changeling a bad omen).

In those case culture matters but race too, even among humans.

[Rysky]

*nods*

[The Dandy Lion]

Rysky wrote:

The Dandy Lion wrote:

With Humans, I find it often comes down to upbringing - region, social status, motivations and attitudes of people that influenced their life.

The same thought process applies to every other playable race too ^w^

Play your culture, not your race.

Oh, absolutely! My half-races especially tend to have a twist on these factors simply in how their race would have altered how they were treated.

I think I really must have lost my direction when writing that up.I mostly just meant to reiterate their importance for humans.

[Rysky]

*nods*

I got what you meant.

[jedi8187]

I usually play human unless I have a reason not to. Even if that reason is mechanical it often means something about the character.

I build a Half-Orc mesmerist to take advantage of it's racial class bonus. What does that racial class bonus say about the race, and thus about my character using it. Because if he's using it it means he probably falls in line with why the bonus exists. Thus I ended up with a half-orc who had been picked on and ostracized his whole life, and after discovering his powers he used them for a bit of pay back. With time he mellowed but always had a chip on his shoulder about how he'd been treated, and could be very ruthless. Stereotypical sure, but no less interesting imo since the stereotype was used for a reason.

Weather story or mechanical there is probably a reason you are taking the more pigeon holed race rather than the super flexible human. Even if it's just you like the race, figure out why you want to use that race and you'll likely find out how you want to role play that character.

[DRD1812]

My current half-orc barbarian has a lisp (thanks, tusks!) and an inferiority complex. Sometimes when he enters a rage he'll shout things at the enemies like, "You think I'm ugly don't you? You think I'm a monthter. I'll thow you a monthter! ARGLBARGL!" He's also got a (very) unrequited love-interest going on with Shalelu, which leads to him trying to show an appreciation for elf culture. ("Like my new cloak of elvenkind? You can really tell the differenth in craftmanthip.")

Basically, if you want these elements to come out in-game, you've got to be heavy-handed with it. You've got to plan for them and make them come up in game. The GM has quite a bit to handle without making sure that every PC's quirks enter the story every session. Race is like any other aspect of character. If you want a character element to actually feel present at the table rather than purely in your head or in a half-forgotten backstory document, I say pick a quirk and make it stick.

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

Your half orc sounds adorable

[DRD1812]

Chromantic Durgon <3 wrote:

Your half orc sounds adorable

He's been a lot of fun. The whole party is elf-obsessed. The dwarven druid was raised by elves, loves nature, and wears platform shoes because he "identifies as an elf." His adopted sister the rogue is actually an elf, but recently got reincarnated as a halfling (she left the family tree at an early age, became a city girl, and is horrified that she can no longer model high fashion in Magnimar). And the bard was reincarnated as a half-elf, leading to much talk of sudden cravings for kale salad.

Party pic over here (pre-reincarnations): http://fishcapades.deviantart.com/art/Rise-of-the-Runelords-Character-Sheet -606726004

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

Sounds cute xD

[derpdidruid]

I have a dwarf Geokineticist who I play as a hillbilly. He's always covered in dirt, dust and mud. Speaks with such a dialect that the people I play with have taken to making sense motive/linguistics checks to get me to tell them what I've said. And lastly he sounds like boomhower.

[Kileanna]

DRD1812 wrote:

Chromantic Durgon <3 wrote:

Your half orc sounds adorable

He's been a lot of fun. The whole party is elf-obsessed. The dwarven druid was raised by elves, loves nature, and wears platform shoes because he "identifies as an elf." His adopted sister the rogue is actually an elf, but recently got reincarnated as a halfling (she left the family tree at an early age, became a city girl, and is horrified that she can no longer model high fashion in Magnimar). And the bard was reincarnated as a half-elf, leading to much talk of sudden cravings for kale salad.

Party pic over here (pre-reincarnations)

Linkified it for you.

Did you draw it? They look so cute. You should post them in the «Post your Character Art» thread.

[Ravingdork]

derpdidruid wrote:

I have a dwarf Geokineticist who I play as a hillbilly. He's always covered in dirt, dust and mud.

I too have a dwarf geokineticist, though he's more of a refined city dwarf than a hillbilly (though he's no less dirty for it). Lacking a typical dwarven beard, he is instead absolutely obsessed with his "marvelous mustache" which puts some of the more stylish dwarven beards to shame.

During combat, he conjures up stone boomerangs in the shape of his mustache that he chucks at his enemies. Occasionally, the dust gets to him, causing him to sneeze violently, resulting in a stone loogie spike flying out of his nose to impale a nearby foe.

He's actually more dour than your typical dwarf, which makes him hard to get along with.

[KahnyaGnorc]

It is fun to play a duergar, who are racially insane. Your PC arguing with himself in RPing situations is a blast!

[Archmage Variel]

I try to play my elf as distant. My elf isn't a forlorn, and so having grown up in an elven community, he isn't willing to form a real bond with the people around him (he loves many of them dearly, but he recognizes that they will eventually die of old age if a dragon doesn't get them first). He sees shorter lived races more like a ranger may see an animal companion, they're mercurial and valuable allies. The shorter lived races of golarion are willing to act so quickly for a reason, and from experience with societies outside his home, he knows that the elven way of doing something is neither the only way of doing things nor is it always the best way. He's quick to encourage a more long sighted approach, yet understanding of the desires of his adventuring companions, as those thoughts are just as valid as his own. He can be annoyed by his companions quick actions, and even downright patronizing at times (after all, he's seen the fall and rise of human kingdoms), but he does his best to concede that there is always something to be learned from the simple lives led by those who live within the moment.

I try to take less inspiration from tolkien's elves (most of whom I don't feel reflect the experience of an elf that has studied alongside other races, and become an adventurer alongside members of the wider world), and take more inspiration from gandalf. He's basically immortal. He's seen empires rise and fall, but he is still able to see the value and the beauty in the life lived by a hobbit, and regardless of his own magical power, he recognized the need for allies and respects those allies and their own feelings. Maybe a little like The Doctor from Doctor Who as well. Old body, youthful appearance (not counting his current incarnation). Has the constant need to plan ahead, but must always work in the moment. The long lives of elves don't need to make them passive and uncaring (an elven adventurer is certainly not adventuring to be passive and uncaring), but in my opinion it should be taken into account when you consider how you interact with the wider setting.

Idk. Any good ideas for how I could improve my elf rp?