StoryKeeper
2010-06-04, 11:42 PM
Yeah, couldn't think of a catchier thread title. Anywho, I vaguely remember having a thread like this long ago that I thoroughly enjoyed. The idea is to explain a character concept and then show how it might be used in various settings. It can be a PC, NPC, or anything in between. I'll start.
FATHER/MOTHER OF MONSTERS:
This character, whatever its gender(s), has a strong affinity for the creation of fantastic beasts fair or foul. This character's main goal may or may not be strongly tied toward breeding such creatures, but they certainly don't mind making them along the way. Whatever the case, this character probably feels a strong parental instinct towards its offspring, and might come to dislike those who harm them.
FANTASY SETTING:
In a fantasy setting, this character could be a god or nearly god-like entity that is responsible for the creation of numerous monsters such as manticores or otyughs. Even some gods might trace their lineage back to this character. The character might give birth only to foul monsters to be slain, and thus be seen as an evil being by the PC's, or it might create benevolent creatures as well making a more neutral force of fertility.
On a smaller scale, a character might simply be a ranger, druid, or arcanist who is knowledgable about husbandry. They might travel the world seeking strange beasts they might be able to breed with other creatures in their collection or they might seek powerful magic items that allow them to fuse existing creatures together (a psionic item using something like the psionic fusion power might work for a DnD game.)
SCI-FI:
A character in an age of space travel might be an organic being capable of manipulating the genetics of any creature it encounters or captures. It might enjoy playing around with possible combinations of DNA to make superior creatures or more interesting creatures. Maybe it just wants to make something like itself. Its goals might be as simple as finding more creatures to make more combinations of DNA with and/or feed its other children or it might have more complex goals. Either way, it's a monstrosity of evolution or a science experiment gone wrong.
HORROR:
In a horror game, the character might be something akin to the traditional zombie-maker or vampire sire. He's the mad scientist, the lonely monster, the freakish thing that's transforming the townsfolk. It's out to make other monsters and it may or may not be able to change them to suit its needs. Want to know where the Boomer came from in Left 4 Dead? This character decided to play around with the zombie recipe to help catch those pesky survivers.
Now it's your turn, guys. Give us a character and show us how it might work in various settings. The goal here is to give others some inspiration for their ideas and maybe get a few ideas added to your own concept.
FATHER/MOTHER OF MONSTERS:
This character, whatever its gender(s), has a strong affinity for the creation of fantastic beasts fair or foul. This character's main goal may or may not be strongly tied toward breeding such creatures, but they certainly don't mind making them along the way. Whatever the case, this character probably feels a strong parental instinct towards its offspring, and might come to dislike those who harm them.
FANTASY SETTING:
In a fantasy setting, this character could be a god or nearly god-like entity that is responsible for the creation of numerous monsters such as manticores or otyughs. Even some gods might trace their lineage back to this character. The character might give birth only to foul monsters to be slain, and thus be seen as an evil being by the PC's, or it might create benevolent creatures as well making a more neutral force of fertility.
On a smaller scale, a character might simply be a ranger, druid, or arcanist who is knowledgable about husbandry. They might travel the world seeking strange beasts they might be able to breed with other creatures in their collection or they might seek powerful magic items that allow them to fuse existing creatures together (a psionic item using something like the psionic fusion power might work for a DnD game.)
SCI-FI:
A character in an age of space travel might be an organic being capable of manipulating the genetics of any creature it encounters or captures. It might enjoy playing around with possible combinations of DNA to make superior creatures or more interesting creatures. Maybe it just wants to make something like itself. Its goals might be as simple as finding more creatures to make more combinations of DNA with and/or feed its other children or it might have more complex goals. Either way, it's a monstrosity of evolution or a science experiment gone wrong.
HORROR:
In a horror game, the character might be something akin to the traditional zombie-maker or vampire sire. He's the mad scientist, the lonely monster, the freakish thing that's transforming the townsfolk. It's out to make other monsters and it may or may not be able to change them to suit its needs. Want to know where the Boomer came from in Left 4 Dead? This character decided to play around with the zombie recipe to help catch those pesky survivers.
Now it's your turn, guys. Give us a character and show us how it might work in various settings. The goal here is to give others some inspiration for their ideas and maybe get a few ideas added to your own concept.