Jane_Smith
2010-05-12, 04:45 PM
I have a idea for a character for a dnd game. However, I have played with people who have attempted this kind of character in the past and failed at it to the point I myself was disgusted with it before the session was over.
Now, however, the urge has struck me to play something I have never tried, had an urge to try, or even think of before - A angel. I dont think I have ever played a paladin, let alone a honest-to-goodness, well, good angel.
She will be a playable angel of course for lower-levels, a homebrewed/nerfed Monovic Deva. A angel from MM2-3 i think, or fiend-folio, i forgot, that has an ECL of 4. Im removing her racial hit dice, her special sword, and LA, and nerfing her ability score bonuses, spell-like abilities, etc, to be more on par with a aasimar with wings. Still within the LA range of +1 to +2, but much easier to sqeeze into a game then a ECL 4-5 for a race, right?
Anyway.
My only issue is, I fear giving this proposal to a dm.
Its like having someone joining a game as a troll or a half-ogre, people will -automatically- asume your going to suck, your a munchkin, or your going to disrupt gameplay with a mary-sue character. Or that they are a drizzt-wannabe. "Facepalm" syndrome quickly follows suit.
Its understandable, people will always feel that way about -really exotic- monster-races. Their is no cure for it, you have to simply earn their trust. Especially if the race is not one of the more apparent weaker ones like goblins, etc. I mean, its a ****ing -angel- for deitiy's sake. Im pretty sure their is at least one or more christians/religious folk on this site that has to feel like its sacrolidge to even play such a thing (Even moreso if all doesnt go as planned), and other people are going to simply think "Oh, she just wants to mary-sue some semi-godlike/divine being."
Im trying to avoid that, as best I can. Ive been in the "facepalm" chair before. If im going to attempt this, then im going to attempt it at my best and try not to get slapped around by a mob of angry roleplayers with FAIL-flails.
My only thoughts on making it merge well with a low/mid-level game, and not 'raise the ire' of other players are these, and id like more opinions from you guys if possible on how to make her more 'groupl friendly'/accepted.
1: Disguise her. Make her wear a heavy cloak/etc. She doesnt wish to draw attention to herself most likely because she doesnt want a mob trying to rip her feather's off for blessing trinkets. This is especially true in games where a plague, famine, or other large-scale "oh crap" event is happening where people are in histaria over a blessing or miracle of some kind to deliver them. She doesnt want to cause a scene, and while she would love to help, making a angry mob when her healing/etc power runs out and people want more is a well known way to make matters worse. Maybe not even the other players will discover her 'heritage' until later in the game (In-game of course, they will know OOC), after she has proven herself to the others and/or gained their trust.
2: Simple, beleivable, logical (if a bit heavy magic/celestial-filled) backstory. I need to make one, but i have no clues as to how right now except maybe she got lost from a larger group of angels who were in the mortal realm for some specific event, and she missed out on the Gate spell the leader used to go back to the celestial realms? Whatever made her come to the mortal realm, she has no way back except death of her current form, and im pretty sure she isnt to 'excited' about that concept.
In the future, by the time she has another oppurtunity to go back, which could be months, years, or several decades (based on DM whim), or another, continued campaign after the first, she might have found an attraction to a mortal player or maybe has a sense of duty about her current mission (if any), or has seen what has transpired with her time on the mortal realm and beleives, honestly, she will do better work in the mortal realm then back at celestia? If she dies, she will just go back anyway, so be a hero, even a hidden one, for as long as possible.
Anyway - purpose of the backstory must be clear, easy to understand, beleivable, and entertaining/well thought out as to releive other players/dm of the thought im not a complete nitwit trying to play a imba mary sue.
3: Limit skills? Biggest issue with this kinda character is, i need to show the other players im, ironically, NOT TRYING to be an all-powerful-god-bitch of allmighty divine intervention/dues-ex-machina purposions who will always be their to save their ass and capable of healing (as above stated in 1) famines, plagues, or BBEG attempts to conquer the world with a wave of my bloody hand. If I attempt to, then they will be confirmed in their suspicious i am just a munchkin/mary sue trying to get away with playing an angel for purely statistical reasons.
While i will ADMIT to being a munchkin, and a rules-whore? I REALLY, for rp-reasons, want to play an angel. Its an exciting idea to me. Make sense? My little roleplayer inside finds the idea... interesting, cute in a way, and I think a well-played angellic character in a group of mortals who sees/and is seen as equals would be a very fullfilling experience. I want to poke the idea!
But if i combine my munchkin/rules side with this really 'exotic' roleplaying idea... aka, playing anything but say, a evoker-caster or a fighter/paladin, such as a cleric or the like? Then she will get the kinda stigma people get towards say, pun pun or a half-ogre orc with a spiked chain just because of her added celestial heritage.
Lets face it, I want to play an angel for the flavour, but I still want to play -well- and optimize my character. While alot of hardcore rp'ers are fine with fully-randomized stats and weak ones at that, or even playing with commoner levels? That stuff makes me cringe. And even though, I know in my heart I can actually try to pull off both, and succeed on some level... other players will still likely feel intimidated/resentful/"facepalm" towards a good, exotic character and blame it on being imba/munchkin/rule-bendy, when the only thing i really want to "bend" the rules on is -nerfing- the race to be balanced and playable for lower levels.
So, my options are effectively - A: Play an angel and play well, and have people hate me for it even if im not as good as them, B: Play and angel and play it badly to prove im not mary-sueing/power-mad/munching and really want to rp, and have people mostly find me 'decent' but also im more prone to die/be hated for my weakness. Go figure. Or lastly, C: Play something else. But that hardly seems like a valid option at this point, cause I would still have the urge to play it and it would nag me until I did. :smallsigh: What to do, fellow playergrounders? What to do...
Any suggestions?
Any thoughts/tips/advice/etc?
Now, however, the urge has struck me to play something I have never tried, had an urge to try, or even think of before - A angel. I dont think I have ever played a paladin, let alone a honest-to-goodness, well, good angel.
She will be a playable angel of course for lower-levels, a homebrewed/nerfed Monovic Deva. A angel from MM2-3 i think, or fiend-folio, i forgot, that has an ECL of 4. Im removing her racial hit dice, her special sword, and LA, and nerfing her ability score bonuses, spell-like abilities, etc, to be more on par with a aasimar with wings. Still within the LA range of +1 to +2, but much easier to sqeeze into a game then a ECL 4-5 for a race, right?
Anyway.
My only issue is, I fear giving this proposal to a dm.
Its like having someone joining a game as a troll or a half-ogre, people will -automatically- asume your going to suck, your a munchkin, or your going to disrupt gameplay with a mary-sue character. Or that they are a drizzt-wannabe. "Facepalm" syndrome quickly follows suit.
Its understandable, people will always feel that way about -really exotic- monster-races. Their is no cure for it, you have to simply earn their trust. Especially if the race is not one of the more apparent weaker ones like goblins, etc. I mean, its a ****ing -angel- for deitiy's sake. Im pretty sure their is at least one or more christians/religious folk on this site that has to feel like its sacrolidge to even play such a thing (Even moreso if all doesnt go as planned), and other people are going to simply think "Oh, she just wants to mary-sue some semi-godlike/divine being."
Im trying to avoid that, as best I can. Ive been in the "facepalm" chair before. If im going to attempt this, then im going to attempt it at my best and try not to get slapped around by a mob of angry roleplayers with FAIL-flails.
My only thoughts on making it merge well with a low/mid-level game, and not 'raise the ire' of other players are these, and id like more opinions from you guys if possible on how to make her more 'groupl friendly'/accepted.
1: Disguise her. Make her wear a heavy cloak/etc. She doesnt wish to draw attention to herself most likely because she doesnt want a mob trying to rip her feather's off for blessing trinkets. This is especially true in games where a plague, famine, or other large-scale "oh crap" event is happening where people are in histaria over a blessing or miracle of some kind to deliver them. She doesnt want to cause a scene, and while she would love to help, making a angry mob when her healing/etc power runs out and people want more is a well known way to make matters worse. Maybe not even the other players will discover her 'heritage' until later in the game (In-game of course, they will know OOC), after she has proven herself to the others and/or gained their trust.
2: Simple, beleivable, logical (if a bit heavy magic/celestial-filled) backstory. I need to make one, but i have no clues as to how right now except maybe she got lost from a larger group of angels who were in the mortal realm for some specific event, and she missed out on the Gate spell the leader used to go back to the celestial realms? Whatever made her come to the mortal realm, she has no way back except death of her current form, and im pretty sure she isnt to 'excited' about that concept.
In the future, by the time she has another oppurtunity to go back, which could be months, years, or several decades (based on DM whim), or another, continued campaign after the first, she might have found an attraction to a mortal player or maybe has a sense of duty about her current mission (if any), or has seen what has transpired with her time on the mortal realm and beleives, honestly, she will do better work in the mortal realm then back at celestia? If she dies, she will just go back anyway, so be a hero, even a hidden one, for as long as possible.
Anyway - purpose of the backstory must be clear, easy to understand, beleivable, and entertaining/well thought out as to releive other players/dm of the thought im not a complete nitwit trying to play a imba mary sue.
3: Limit skills? Biggest issue with this kinda character is, i need to show the other players im, ironically, NOT TRYING to be an all-powerful-god-bitch of allmighty divine intervention/dues-ex-machina purposions who will always be their to save their ass and capable of healing (as above stated in 1) famines, plagues, or BBEG attempts to conquer the world with a wave of my bloody hand. If I attempt to, then they will be confirmed in their suspicious i am just a munchkin/mary sue trying to get away with playing an angel for purely statistical reasons.
While i will ADMIT to being a munchkin, and a rules-whore? I REALLY, for rp-reasons, want to play an angel. Its an exciting idea to me. Make sense? My little roleplayer inside finds the idea... interesting, cute in a way, and I think a well-played angellic character in a group of mortals who sees/and is seen as equals would be a very fullfilling experience. I want to poke the idea!
But if i combine my munchkin/rules side with this really 'exotic' roleplaying idea... aka, playing anything but say, a evoker-caster or a fighter/paladin, such as a cleric or the like? Then she will get the kinda stigma people get towards say, pun pun or a half-ogre orc with a spiked chain just because of her added celestial heritage.
Lets face it, I want to play an angel for the flavour, but I still want to play -well- and optimize my character. While alot of hardcore rp'ers are fine with fully-randomized stats and weak ones at that, or even playing with commoner levels? That stuff makes me cringe. And even though, I know in my heart I can actually try to pull off both, and succeed on some level... other players will still likely feel intimidated/resentful/"facepalm" towards a good, exotic character and blame it on being imba/munchkin/rule-bendy, when the only thing i really want to "bend" the rules on is -nerfing- the race to be balanced and playable for lower levels.
So, my options are effectively - A: Play an angel and play well, and have people hate me for it even if im not as good as them, B: Play and angel and play it badly to prove im not mary-sueing/power-mad/munching and really want to rp, and have people mostly find me 'decent' but also im more prone to die/be hated for my weakness. Go figure. Or lastly, C: Play something else. But that hardly seems like a valid option at this point, cause I would still have the urge to play it and it would nag me until I did. :smallsigh: What to do, fellow playergrounders? What to do...
Any suggestions?
Any thoughts/tips/advice/etc?