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Pika...
2010-06-06, 12:43 PM
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/My%20characters/niemand-ist-unschuldig.jpg


Long story short, in a few hours I will be playing as a player again for the first time in a while. The above is basically my new PC: A nutball awakened cat Cleric of Rexfelis, The Cat Lord. Oh, and did I mention this game is taking place pretty much in the Diskworld?...


So, how can one successfully play a nutty/insane/what-have-you PC in a campaign?

I am good with them as NPCs, not so much yet with PCs...

Thanks for any help in advance!


ps. Can anyone suggest a good flaw for this PC?

Prodan
2010-06-06, 12:45 PM
Insane characters generally are more of a hindrance to party members than they are a help. If you're not careful, your character could end up causing a catastrophe.

Pika...
2010-06-06, 12:49 PM
Insane characters generally are more of a hindrance to party members than they are a help. If you're not careful, your character could end up causing a catastrophe.

OK, I actually LoL in real life.

It has been a long time since something on the intertubes did that. Here you go: http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p280/zerglin/Smileys/Cookie.gif

Adumbration
2010-06-06, 12:55 PM
Look into the foundation of the cat cult for inspiration. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93068)

WarKitty
2010-06-06, 12:56 PM
It depends on the game. The campaign I'm DM'ing always has one character that has the Idiot Ball. They actually seem to trade around who has it that session. My observations:

(1) Fighters or Barbarians make the best insane characters. First off because they have lots of hit points and don't get themselves KO'd running at things. Second because they're not being relied on as much for healing. Third because they can't fireball things.

(2) Put some limits on the insanity. Let yourself be talked down sometimes. Having another party member that you are desperately in love with can work nicely here, or picking one party member as your mother/father figure.

(3) Don't do things that would get the entire party killed or severely damaged. Depending on the party, things that will get you killed or severely damaged may be ok.

Prodan
2010-06-06, 12:56 PM
Will you be using this in your game? I can recommend it categorically.

Fabulous Cats (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c)

Kesnit
2010-06-06, 01:00 PM
I played an insane Wild Mage Sorc in a recent 4e game and it worked out well. His insanity was that he heard voices that told him to do things. Those "things" caused him to cast spells. ("The voices told me you go BOOM!" cast a fire spell.)

I would recommend picking one insanity and playing that, rather than just being an overall nutcase.

Azernak0
2010-06-06, 01:03 PM
Insanity is hard to do in a way that doesn't cause a party wipe or for the party to throw you off a cliff. There are two ways, both of which are bad:

"The Chaotic Stupid" Alignment. These are the guys that Fireball orphanages "for the lulz" or betray the party for a better deal for themselves.

"The Insane Fighter" is another. These are the guys that charge the Lich even after the DM says "Are you sure?" 7 times.

Remember that "Insanity" is only described by your opposition. A Dwarven Paladin who wants to eradicate the Undead at all costs to himself could be considered insane by another group. Think of insanity like that. A Wizard might be insanely paranoid, using a lot of his resources to thinking up the most obscure defenses in case something was after him.

In the case of Mr. Cat, just act like a cat. For a flaw, I would definitely take something involving Cat Nip. Maybe if there is Cat Nip in the area, you act under the effects of an Insanity spell (other than attacking your friends of course).

Pika...
2010-06-06, 01:03 PM
Look into the foundation of the cat cult for inspiration. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93068)
Forgot about that one.



Will you be using this in your game? I can recommend it categorically.

Fabulous Cats (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c)

Been so long that I almost forgot. :smallbiggrin:




It depends on the game. The campaign I'm DM'ing always has one character that has the Idiot Ball. They actually seem to trade around who has it that session. My observations:

He has an 18 INT. He is definitely not an idiot. LoL

Hence why I will be going the WB frog route with the Party for a good while hopefully.

PC A: "I swear officer, it was the cat! Yes, I know it sounds strange, but I tell you that cat can talk! I have even seen it dance and recite Shakespeare..."



(1) Fighters or Barbarians make the best insane characters. First off because they have lots of hit points and don't get themselves KO'd running at things. Second because they're not being relied on as much for healing. Third because they can't fireball things.


LoL.

Well, at least he can heal himself...



(2) Put some limits on the insanity. Let yourself be talked down sometimes. Having another party member that you are desperately in love with can work nicely here, or picking one party member as your mother/father figure.


Perfect! He will pick a party member to be his "pet".



(3) Don't do things that would get the entire party killed or severely damaged. Depending on the party, things that will get you killed or severely damaged may be ok.


Aww...

WarKitty
2010-06-06, 01:08 PM
He has an 18 INT. He is definitely not an idiot. LoL


I think that one might be more wisdom than int...I don't know, my PC's like to drink entirely too much.

Asheram
2010-06-06, 01:21 PM
For the more creepy part. Kill mice and use them as sock puppets.

Cat to rest of party: "This is mr Limpy. He's a bit tired that's why he's sagging a bit, but don't mind him, I'll carry him around for us. Say hello Mr Limpy."
Cat with squeaky voice: "Hello, I am Steve Donahue the third, but you may call me Mr Limpy. Just so you know, Cat is my best friend in the whole world! He even carries me around when I'm so tired. Thank you Cat!"
Cat:"You're most welcome, Mr Limpy."

Cats like to play with their food after all. ;)

Pika...
2010-06-06, 01:29 PM
For the more creepy part. Kill mice and use them as sock puppets.

Cat to rest of party: "This is mr Limpy. He's a bit tired that's why he's sagging a bit, but don't mind him, I'll carry him around for us. Say hello Mr Limpy."
Cat with squeaky voice: "Hello, I am Steve Donahue the third, but you may call me Mr Limpy. Just so you know, Cat is my best friend in the whole world! He even carries me around when I'm so tired. Thank you Cat!"
Cat:"You're most welcome, Mr Limpy."

Cats like to play with their food after all. ;)


LoL!

Soo doing that...

arguskos
2010-06-06, 01:32 PM
I'm currently playing a character with some deep seated psychoses in a PbP game on here (the twins, if Temotei is reading), and the way I've been envisioning them is as follows:

Think about how they *were*, pre-whatever made them snap. Then, consider the event that broke them, and how you might cope with such an event. For instance, the twins family and everyone they knew was slaughter and had horrible things done to them, while they hid. They could only listen, not actually do anything to help. Correspondingly, they developed a severe need to always be a part of everything. They reenact the slaughter in their daily lives, imaging those they kill were those who killed their family. Mechanically speaking, the twins are CE (as if you didn't figure that out), but have no clear mechanical insanity. They take a foul joy in the slaughter, are excited by the prospect of death, and have found that engaging in everything perverse assuages their guilt for not acting to save their family. They are driven by that guilt, but now, are lost to the rush of self-gratification.

The twins are utterly gone, whatever they once were is lost to guilt and sadism and hatred. Now, only the insanity, the lack of connection, the inhumanity, remains.

That's just how I do it though. Your mileage may vary. :smallwink:

Binks
2010-06-06, 01:48 PM
Throwing out a suggestion that might be amusing (runs a little close to metagaming though, but if it's a humorous campaign should be fine). You could play that your character is insane because they can hear the OOC chat. You're 'hearing voices' that don't make much sense, that's pretty stereotypical insanity without having to worry about hurting the party too much. Just a thought.

WarKitty
2010-06-06, 01:49 PM
I've found that in general acting like a cat can creep people out. Prefer your food raw. Play with weak monsters before killing them. Have ADD. Root through people's backpacks while they're asleep and leave everything strewn out. Make sure to lick yourself after every battle. Eat your dead enemies. Stalk your friends and pounce on them.

valadil
2010-06-06, 01:54 PM
I had an insane character once. He didn't start out crazy, but gradually got worse. By the end of the game he was conversing with trees.

The thing was, I never tried to make him wacky. He just lost his grip on reality. Each session he was a little more off than the last time. He didn't act randomly. He just had misconceptions about the world he lived in. When he acted based on those misconceptions, he usually got by but seemed weird. As the misconceptions grew, he got odder and odder.

Figure out what your character's misconception is. Derive his insanity from there. Don't be needlessly flamboyant about it.

WarKitty
2010-06-06, 02:00 PM
I had an insane character once. He didn't start out crazy, but gradually got worse. By the end of the game he was conversing with trees.

The thing was, I never tried to make him wacky. He just lost his grip on reality. Each session he was a little more off than the last time. He didn't act randomly. He just had misconceptions about the world he lived in. When he acted based on those misconceptions, he usually got by but seemed weird. As the misconceptions grew, he got odder and odder.

Figure out what your character's misconception is. Derive his insanity from there. Don't be needlessly flamboyant about it.

Are we talking insane as in truly mentally ill, or insane as in views the world from a distinctly non-human perspective? I'm getting the sense that this character could be quite fun played from the perspective of a relatively normal feline. Of course, what's normal for a cat is not normal for your standard humanoid...

valadil
2010-06-06, 02:17 PM
Are we talking insane as in truly mentally ill, or insane as in views the world from a distinctly non-human perspective? I'm getting the sense that this character could be quite fun played from the perspective of a relatively normal feline. Of course, what's normal for a cat is not normal for your standard humanoid...

I was discussing insane because it was in the subject line. Another perspective is perfectly reasonable too, but it's not what I had in mind.

Stryke
2010-06-06, 07:26 PM
Depends on the level of insanity, try having a trigger such as he see's blood and goes into a phycotic rage or high pitched noise like mice sqeaking make him have a mental break down. But if you want a truley insane character then try making your own version of a table like this

roll1D6

1. your character reacts very violently/detrimentally (attack nearest person)
2. your character reacts violently/unhelpfully (attack nearest disliked person)
3. your character reacts has a mental break down (cant act for 1D3 rounds)
4. your character follows the first instructions given
5. your character jumps to assist there favourite person (pre desigant some one for this, can be some one they inexplicable idolize or some one their in love with etc
6. your character has a moment of complete clariety (act how ever you wish)

this is a table i wrote in the fly in about five minutes so may not fit the game, try making your own then roll on it when ever its your turn and apply modifiers such as +1 because he reacts well to praise or -1 for every turn spend in mental break down and add modifiers for your party trying to control you etc. personally on the chart i've given every time i rolled a natural one i'd give my self a -1 and every time i rolled a natural 6 a +1, plus if i rolled two consecutive 1's or 6's there would be a 50% chance i'd maintain that demeanor for 1D6 rounds