PDA

View Full Version : RP cliches



Das Platyvark
2011-07-07, 09:04 PM
"You all meet in a tavern. A man in a dark hood sits in the corner, brooding over a mug of ale. When you go to speak with him, he has a tale of goblins, attacking the nearby trade route..."
This is the thread for all those cliches that show up throughout the world of roleplaying games. Time to start listing....

SilverSheriff
2011-07-07, 09:08 PM
"You all meet in a tavern. A man in a dark hood sits in the corner, brooding over a mug of ale. When you go to speak with him, he has a tale of goblins, attacking the nearby trade route...of course the story ends with the brooding stranger hanging all of the goblins by their own entrails. The stranger joins your party being a somewhat worrying, but otherwise trustworthy Ally."
This is the thread for all those cliches that show up throughout the world of roleplaying games. Time to start listing....

*fix'd in accordance with my group*

Also: The Tavern owners are dragons/quite proud and skilled owners of elephant rifles.

DontEatRawHagis
2011-07-07, 10:38 PM
Orcs, Goblins, and Kobalds along with a lot of other races(ie. Drow and the like) are always Evil. If not they are a minority of good.

My campaigns never do this, usually have a lot of different types if I can. With merchants for example Goblins will sell a lot of odds and sods, Kobalds like to sell weapons, and Orcs will sell whatever they hunted.


Clerics are healers
I always make mention that other classes learn healing spells.(4e has at least one leader per power source)


Alignment equals your character
I make mention of this everytime it pops up on the forums. Alignment is an arbitrary stat on a character sheet. It was meant for use with certain artifacts that can only be used by "Good" characters.

I don't mind if a GM uses this without telling a player, but as soon as you say your evil because you did X instead of Y, the player feels cheated.

ie.
My idea:
DM: You can't use that artifact.
Me: Why?
DM: The engraving says to those of true faith.
Me: But I've been faithful.
DM: Yes, but to gain its favor you must travel to the Temple to the North as part of a pilgrimage to prove yourself worthy to use it. Only then could you be called a True follower of *blah blah* God.

How it actually happened:
DM: You can't use that artifact.
Me: Why?
DM: Your not Lawful Good Aligned.
Me: Why?
DM: You didn't destroy that dark altar.
Me: The Demon at the altar was too powerful, I would have been minced.
DM: Its not my fault your under-leveled.
Me *Death glare*

The Adviser is really in charge.

Actually good even though everyone says they are evil.
This is a twist thrown into every campaign I play. The Lieutenants are actually good people just swayed by the dark side or blackmailed.

1 is always critical failure, 20 is always critical success
To quote a lot of seasoned GMs I met, that is not true. True it is for combat, but for skill checks outside of it, no. If you allow this to happen as a GM you must first look at the repercussions:
1. Does the Crit destory your design?
2. Does it make this too easy or too hard?
3. Does it go against even fridge logic?

Saintheart
2011-07-07, 11:29 PM
1. Drow are always evil.
2. And dual wield scimitars.
3. And have significant male members of their families who worshipped either Vhaeraun or Eilistraee, if not Mielikki.

Captain Caveman
2011-07-08, 12:30 AM
I don't know if drow being always evil is so much a cliche' as much as it is the lore and history. I think the chaotic good day walker drows are more the cliche' now.

Anytime I hear the DM say, "As you are walking down the road you come across....." I know either a random counter or a silly side quest designed to give us another hour of game play is about to happen.

Ozreth
2011-07-08, 03:58 AM
The first time RP'er whose character busts open every door, jumps off of every cliff, and gets a bit defensive when offered advice.

It's the easiest way to make your character seem unique without having to get creative.

Eldan
2011-07-08, 04:20 AM
"You see a flash of bluish light as a portal opens in a nearby alley, and [thing] stumbles out, looking confused at the city overhead..."


Every single time I have to introduce a character who didn't bother to write a backstory or one that didn't connect to the adventure properly, as I told him it should.

stainboy
2011-07-08, 05:09 AM
I like to combine that with the OP's:

You're in a bar in Sigil. Suddenly a portal opens and the plot stumbles out.

Eldan
2011-07-08, 05:17 AM
I like to combine that with the OP's:

You're in a bar in Sigil. Suddenly a portal opens and the plot stumbles out.

I rarely let the plot stumble out of a portal. But if a player doesn't bother to write a story or even really read a bit about the setting, they get Frontally Clueless'd.

Acanous
2011-07-08, 06:03 AM
And then there is an earthquake, and you all wake up in Undermountain

WitchSlayer
2011-07-08, 06:36 AM
In my homebrew world's taverns, there are quite a few so called "Adventurer's taverns" which maximize shady corners. I had one that looked like a starburst so there were tons of shady corners in which one could wear cloaks.

Eldan
2011-07-08, 07:45 AM
Yeah, Guide to Sigil also explicitly mentions those, IIRC. They are important. And not too far from the real world, really. Shady businesses need the right kind of space to be conducted.

Being betrayed or cheated by your employer, or said employer letting you work for evil and/or destructive purposes without your knowledge. Happens every so often.

Yora
2011-07-08, 08:06 AM
Dwarves. There really isn't anything else to say about them.

Eldan
2011-07-08, 08:45 AM
Dwarves. There really isn't anything else to say about them.

Humans. Humans everywhere.

hangedman1984
2011-07-08, 09:36 AM
Humans. Humans everywhere.

but not a drop to drink

Delwugor
2011-07-08, 03:26 PM
Dwarves.
Elves are cliches, Dwarves are awesome. And they are great at finding secret messages.
You will write that 100 times every day until it is a mantra for you.

Dragons
Tavern Brawl
Tavern Wench
Thieves Guild
"Adventurers wanted"
"Rescue the Princess"
And the worst "You see a fork in the road"

Captain Caveman
2011-07-08, 03:36 PM
Elves are cliches, Dwarves are awesome. And they are great at finding secret messages.
You will write that 100 times every day until it is a mantra for you.



I have chosen to do voluntarily. No race in D&D shall ever come close to the might of the dwarves. If you say differently your beard is just too young to understand the workings of the world.

Mono Vertigo
2011-07-08, 05:46 PM
Chaotic Backstabby rogues in your own party. That Heavy is a Spy!

DiBastet
2011-07-08, 07:02 PM
Wooooow...

I really read "RP liches" and thought "That one is going to be good!" when I clicked.

...woooooow...

DiBastet
2011-07-08, 07:16 PM
Back to the action... let me see...

Lich in swamp.
Dark elf swordmaster bbeg if you ever play an elf.
Dual wielding dark elves (I made a point of making it canon on my world).
Gentle and smart half-orcs, with tenor voices.
Busty elves (How? How???).
Dwarves with the same voice.

And the sexist cliches.

Bearded male wizard.
Showing off legs female wizard.

Ranger-like male rogue.
Black spandex female rogue.

Full plate on male cleric.
See-thru cultist clothes in female cleric...

The brash hyper-cool sorcerer.
The brash cute sorceress.

The gritty and with scars male fighter.
The sexy and without a mark female fighter.

The serious, old shaolin male monk.
The young anime ninja female monk.

The burly male barbarian with wolf's pelt armor.
The busty almost naked female barbarian (Option: the iconic frenzied berserker).

- male druid.
Fey-like pretty female druid.

Woodsy, gritty, soiled, not-quite-shaved green-clad male ranger with an eagle.
Soft, cute, with makeup female ranger archer with a wolf.

Funky, colorful, stuid and silly male bard (Option: Stratovarius blonde male bard).
Sexy, wonderful, diva-like female bard in minidress, never silly.

And finally.

Blonde, galant with perfect smile male paladin in full plate.
Blonde, galant with perfect smile female paladin in full plate, but with cleavage.


The funniest part? The female players in special make their chars like that more than everyone.

Xanmyral
2011-07-08, 07:29 PM
RP Cliches? I'll try my hand at it.

Taverns having, at the minimum, roughly twenty some shadowy corners that come with complimentary cloaks and tankards.

Casters being either female and young with way to revealing clothing, or male and aged with a beard.

All tavern keepers being retired adventurers.

Monoculture races where if you met one, you've met a good ninety percent of them.

Segregated countries based on race. Look at above.

Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bug Bears, Gnolls, Ogres, and what ever else are always evil and should be killed on sight. No exceptions.

All celestials are good, wonderful people who would never harm a fly.

All demons/devils are horrible monsters who torture for the evolz.

All I got for right now.

Honest Tiefling
2011-07-08, 09:12 PM
1. Snooty NPCs that don't seem to care much that the adventuring party might be willing to help them if they weren't so goshdarned snooty. Double points if Players get criticized for having PCs with bad habits, unlikable moments or lower charisma scores.

1a: Snooty NPCs who hate adventurers, but hire on their own mercenary group. nevermind if the setting has examples of beneficial and noble adventurers, or lawful or good religions with plenty of adventuring priests.

2. BBEGs who taunt the good guys...And in the process reveal that they exist when the good guys wouldn't have actually noticed. Um...Good going, Team Evil? Thanks for giving me some help and being a sport about it?

And because I think it is relevant:


"Male fighters envelop their bodies in bulky, clanking plate mail. Female fighters favor stiff metal underwear.

A male rogue will wear dark leather armor with little metal studs all over it, because nothing says “stealth” like a bunch of glittering bits of metal all over the place. Ladies in the same profession lean towards the skin-tight catsuit look, because the first step in being stealthy is apparently to make sure every able-bodied man within a hundred paces is staring at you with his mouth slightly open.

Male wizards wrap themselves in thick shapeless woolen robes that would – let’s face it – collect odors at an astounding rate. These robes would most likely be heavy, and itch like a fiberglass jockstrap. On the other hand, females who practice the arcane arts wear little strips of translucent gauze over their naughty bits.

It’s nice to see that when it comes to apparel, roleplaying games have a lot of equality: Everybody dresses like an idiot."

Taken from here. (http://shawntionary.com/chainmailbikini/?p=26) I don't take credit for writing it.

Winter_Wolf
2011-07-08, 09:26 PM
Snotty elves. Flaky elves. Militant hippie elves.
Scottish dwarves. :smallannoyed:
(Pre 3.x) I-need-my-luxury halfling adventurers. Just retire already if dungeoneering is such a chore!

Honest Tiefling
2011-07-08, 09:29 PM
Elves who act superior to everyone and insist that their culture is better and that everyone must conform to their culture...Even in medieval settings, where well-traveled people are rare or members of their race have an unfortunate habit of killing people.

And then complain that no one likes elves...

Jjeinn-tae
2011-07-08, 10:06 PM
*fix'd in accordance with my group*

Also: The Tavern owners are dragons/quite proud and skilled owners of elephant rifles.

...How do I follow cliches that I've never heard of? What's next, they're all ex-navy? And this is for a fantasy setting I'm talking about.

Geigan
2011-07-08, 11:41 PM
The shop owner is also capable of owning you since he's secretly an powerful ex-adventurer/powerful demigod/powerful outsider.

Elves and Dwarves hate each other's guts.

The powerful magic weapon is always a sword.

Goatees mean the NPC is evil. Though to be fair goatees aren't an RP exclusive cliche.

[monster race] is exclusively evil.

All of [monster race] that you meet are chaotic good rebels trying to rise above their heritage and you're a D-bag for assuming they're evil. This one I think is almost entirely Drizz't's fault.

NikitaDarkstar
2011-07-09, 12:17 AM
Hmm I don't have that many. (Am I blessed or ignorant?)

The BBEG's long speeches, shut up and fight or die already. (Granted I've seen this used to great effect when incorporated as a well known, comedic personality trait of said bad-guy. The cause of many maximized fireballs.)

Somehow there's always some deity looking out for you and willing to give a helping hand and some friendly coaching if you're an adventurer, no matter your level, experience or the fact that you're not even religious.

Load-bearing monsters. Apparently the dragon you just slew also was responsible for holding up the ceiling in the cave that has the hoard. Please grab some silly little trinket and run like hell, you don't have time to look through the entire thing and grab what you REALLY want.

Lawful stupid paladins. If you're going to portray them that way I hope it's for comedy value. :p

Geigan
2011-07-09, 12:30 AM
Oh and YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE(S)!!!!!

Arbane
2011-07-09, 02:23 AM
Oh and YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE(S)!!!!!

It's better than "You are the BABYSITTERS of THE CHOSEN ONE!!!", which I've seen pop up occasionally. :smallmad:

"Whacky" NPCs, who despite being Reality-Impaired, have somehow reached a level where they could kill you with a hearty sneeze.

Kender. I have resolved to one day play a Druid in the service of the God of Natural Selection who's sworn to wipe them out.

SilverSheriff
2011-07-09, 02:42 AM
...How do I follow cliches that I've never heard of? What's next, they're all ex-navy? And this is for a fantasy setting I'm talking about.

This was fantasy, although a late Medieval/early Renaissance setting with little modern tech re-hashed as Gnomish.

Cespenar
2011-07-09, 03:55 AM
Suddenly, bandits!

Usable in every setting, with a little tweaking.

Maximus:Ranger
2011-07-09, 10:56 AM
If anyones playing a monster race the party just happens to find the one racially tolerant Inn keeper in town.

Ursus the Grim
2011-07-09, 11:01 AM
If anyones playing a monster race the party just happens to find the one racially tolerant Inn keeper in town.

I'm always the guy who plays the monster race. I subvert it by sleeping in the wilderness on the outskirts of town.

Frozen_Feet
2011-07-09, 11:26 AM
Sociopathic "heros" who steal everything that's not nailed down before setting the rest in fire, get themselves in horrible trouble by causing public disorder and then, when karma comes to bite them in the back and they all get imprisoned/hanged/eaten by something way bigger than them, their players complain how the GM was "out to get them".

Eldan
2011-07-09, 08:08 PM
Oh, another thing. Whenever the DM needs a name for the generic NPC he just invented on the spot, he isn't named "Bob". He's "Adahn".

Traab
2011-07-09, 09:35 PM
Tavern maids are always busty, oddly clean, and generally easy to get in the sack.

Loremasters are always men, either librarian types, or long bearded hermits.

Flat chested women dont go on adventures. Doesnt matter if she is a formerly cloistered priestess of some holy order, or a rogue who uses sex appeal to help her bluff, no flat chested women are allowed to adventure.

Starwulf
2011-07-10, 12:45 AM
Kender. I have resolved to one day play a Druid in the service of the God of Natural Selection who's sworn to wipe them out.

You, YOU dear sir, have just inspired me to find a way to somehow incorporate a Kender into my Forgotten Realms homebrewed campaign I'm writing. God only knows what kind of hi-jinks he's going to get into while he's there :)

GenericGuy
2011-07-10, 01:06 AM
The big conquering Empire is evil and racist and the noble resistance is good and cosmopolitan.
I like to subvert this; usually the Empire is expanding, but with that brings greater security (a decrease in raiders and bandits, plus a greater military presence in certain nations prevents wars from breaking out amongst the smaller nations), also greater trade and exposure to other cultures/races. My rebels tend to be nationalist/racist terrorist inflicting harm on the civilian population.

Also the Half-Orc= Human woman raped by orc, I nearly always have it be an Orc mother and Human father and was either a relationship of love, convenience, or force (by either sex).

Oh and all races have different sub-cultures, as in, not all Elves/Dwarves/Orcs/Humans live in the same nation, worship the same gods, or have the same customs.

Last thing, traveling to the next country/across an ocean/ other side of the continent/ around the whole world takes a week tops. I try to keep the action in a single country, or sometimes just a single city.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-10, 01:51 AM
The female healer is the love interest to the knight who's the leader of the party.

Or the princess is the love interest for the knight.

The attractive young tavern wench will be friends with the hero, but will want to be the love interest. However, she is doomed because of the true love interest, who is prettier.

The party's on the road and it's raining.

Human bandits. Maybe a couple of them are other races, but the rest are human.

Evil necromancers. All of 'em.

Macguffins.

Fate.

Shadowy strangers who have visions or knowledge of prophecies.

Red dragons.

Prodigies. Both on the good and evil sides.

Dr.Epic
2011-07-10, 02:00 AM
Save the princess

Yora
2011-07-10, 04:45 AM
From a dragon.

Ursus the Grim
2011-07-10, 09:38 AM
From a dragon.
+1

A player and I always say it. At some point, in every campaign, we will face a Dragon. Its held true for every single campaign we've been in.

DiBastet
2011-07-10, 10:19 AM
Flat chested women dont go on adventures. Doesnt matter if she is a formerly cloistered priestess of some holy order, or a rogue who uses sex appeal to help her bluff, no flat chested women are allowed to adventure.

This one the dice and heavens defend. So an roguish sniper artificer would follow the group, and I rolled the random table...

Wood Genasi: Nice, genasi are slim!
Slim body shape: Cool for a rogue! I envision her a slim sniper!
Big boobs, almost impossible with the previous rolls (90+ in the table): Why? Whyyyy?

Traab
2011-07-10, 11:00 AM
This one the dice and heavens defend. So an roguish sniper artificer would follow the group, and I rolled the random table...

Wood Genasi: Nice, genasi are slim!
Slim body shape: Cool for a rogue! I envision her a slim sniper!
Big boobs, almost impossible with the previous rolls (90+ in the table): Why? Whyyyy?

The ONLY time its allowed, is if its a young girl, and even then its even odds she is an early bloomer. And of course, once she matures, its boobapalooza.

Zale
2011-07-10, 11:17 AM
This one the dice and heavens defend. So an roguish sniper artificer would follow the group, and I rolled the random table...

Wood Genasi: Nice, genasi are slim!
Slim body shape: Cool for a rogue! I envision her a slim sniper!
Big boobs, almost impossible with the previous rolls (90+ in the table): Why? Whyyyy?

An lo, The Random Number Gods spoke, "Thou shalt have large breasts." And she did.

SlashRunner
2011-07-10, 11:35 AM
The big conquering Empire is evil and racist and the noble resistance is good and cosmopolitan.
I like to subvert this; usually the Empire is expanding, but with that brings greater security (a decrease in raiders and bandits, plus a greater military presence in certain nations prevents wars from breaking out amongst the smaller nations), also greater trade and exposure to other cultures/races. My rebels tend to be nationalist/racist terrorist inflicting harm on the civilian population.

Also the Half-Orc= Human woman raped by orc, I nearly always have it be an Orc mother and Human father and was either a relationship of love, convenience, or force (by either sex).

Oh and all races have different sub-cultures, as in, not all Elves/Dwarves/Orcs/Humans live in the same nation, worship the same gods, or have the same customs.

Last thing, traveling to the next country/across an ocean/ other side of the continent/ around the whole world takes a week tops. I try to keep the action in a single country, or sometimes just a single city.

In my game, the big conquering empire is evil and racist and the resistance groups are evil and racist.

Silus
2011-07-10, 12:07 PM
And the worst "You see a fork in the road"

In one campaign I actually amassed a small collection of magical cutlery I found in the road.

Arbane
2011-07-10, 11:27 PM
In my game, the big conquering empire is evil and racist and the resistance groups are evil and racist.

What are you playing, Warhammer?

Bleak Ink
2011-07-11, 03:31 PM
-All female adventurers must have a love interest. No exceptions.

-Pompous gits are always male.

-Female armor must bare midriff. If you were to take the armor off a dead guy's body and put it on, the midriff section will magically disappear.

-Genocide jokes are okay so long as they're about goblinoids.

-If Holy Grail wasn't quoted, you lose. No questions. You just lose.

Sipex
2011-07-11, 03:41 PM
This one the dice and heavens defend. So an roguish sniper artificer would follow the group, and I rolled the random table...

Wood Genasi: Nice, genasi are slim!
Slim body shape: Cool for a rogue! I envision her a slim sniper!
Big boobs, almost impossible with the previous rolls (90+ in the table): Why? Whyyyy?

Give's her something to rest on during the long stakeouts ;)

Analytica
2011-07-11, 09:05 PM
Oh, another thing. Whenever the DM needs a name for the generic NPC he just invented on the spot, he isn't named "Bob". He's "Adahn".

Yup. In fact, I named my deity of death Adahn. :smallbiggrin:

Eldan
2011-07-12, 04:36 AM
Heh. In at least one of my own groups, "I ask Adahn" became an injoke-term for "I roll Gather Information".

panaikhan
2011-07-12, 07:45 AM
Heh. One that keeps popping up in our group.

One of the group is almost always 'Secretly Evil'.
That is to say, all of the players know it, half of their characters know it, but everyone is shocked when they suggest something unpleasant.

Latest one: -
Halfling (looking at the human survivors of the shipwreck that just happened): "Is it cannibalism if they're a different race?"

FatJose
2011-07-12, 12:32 PM
This one the dice and heavens defend. So an roguish sniper artificer would follow the group, and I rolled the random table...

Wood Genasi: Nice, genasi are slim!
Slim body shape: Cool for a rogue! I envision her a slim sniper!
Big boobs, almost impossible with the previous rolls (90+ in the table): Why? Whyyyy?

What kind of table were you rolling from? :smallconfused:
I never seen a random dice table with "tig ol' bitties" as an option. :smallbiggrin:

stainboy
2011-07-12, 02:55 PM
Latest one: -
Halfling (looking at the human survivors of the shipwreck that just happened): "Is it cannibalism if they're a different race?"

Dark Sun says no, especially for halflings.

Eric Tolle
2011-07-14, 04:55 PM
Pseudo-medieval Europe, yet with non-humans and powerful magic-users.

Necromancers with their undead groupies.

Small vlllage that somehow manages to produce a half-dozen newbie heroes at the same time.

Inexperienced zero to veteran hero.

Dungeons, all over the place, including an untouched one just outside of town.

Dungeons where the deeper you go, the more powerful the monsters are.

Cities smack dab in the wilderness, with no farms or fields to support them.

Elvin cities in the woods, with no agriculture or means of food production.

Castles in the classic style, in a world with flying monsters.

Caravans that always need new guards.

Ecological succession of monsters, from goblins, to orcs, to goblins, to gnolls, to....

DiBastet
2011-07-14, 05:05 PM
Give's her something to rest on during the long stakeouts ;)

Ahhh, now I get it. "Wow Shylla, how can you stand so many hours in the same position waiting for the perfect shot?" "Training"



What kind of table were you rolling from? :smallconfused:
I never seen a random dice table with "tig ol' bitties" as an option. :smallbiggrin:

It's a very sexualized group of players (amazing that our female characters played by females go to find prostitutes when coming from the wilderness, mostly male prostitutes... is there a name in english for it?), making the need for a "random measurements based on race and stats" ver very vital...



Dungeons, all over the place, including an untouched one just outside of town.

Wow, glad I can avoid this. Most of the time my players say "no, it will be full of barbaric creatures or completly empity" when someone speaks of dungeons.

GoatBoy
2011-07-14, 05:14 PM
All caves have bears in them. Find a cave and take shelter for the night? There's going to be a bear in there.

All caves lead to the Underdark.

Head in any direction in a forest for a few days and you are guaranteed to find old ruins.

Fortune tellers are 100% accurate, and guaranteed to be proven so within three days.

All ancient myths are true. All ancient prophecies take effect within days of hearing about them.

Eric Tolle
2011-07-15, 09:20 PM
Head in any direction in a forest for a few days and you are guaranteed to find old ruins.

That's actually the case in my Under the Green Moon setting. But then again, it's set 30,000 years in the future, so pretty much any direction you set off in will have ruins. But what good is a wall of cyclopean blocks or a ring on a tall pillar, made of unworkable metal?

Wyntonian
2011-07-15, 11:35 PM
That's actually the case in my Under the Green Moon setting. But then again, it's set 30,000 years in the future, so pretty much any direction you set off in will have ruins. But what good is a wall of cyclopean blocks or a ring on a tall pillar, made of unworkable metal?

What's this setting now? It sounds interesting. Homebrewed or published?

ScottishDragon
2011-07-15, 11:51 PM
Scottish dwarves. :smallannoyed:

Aye laddie, is there something wrong with that?:smallbiggrin: What about irish gnomes?

In my experiences,if your in a town, the local evil cult is always behind everything.Always.

ScottishDragon
2011-07-15, 11:52 PM
Scottish dwarves. :smallannoyed:

Aye laddie, is there something wrong with that?:smallbiggrin: What about irish gnomes?

In my experiences,if your in a town, the local evil cult is always behind everything.Always.

Starwulf
2011-07-16, 01:51 AM
It's a very sexualized group of players (amazing that our female characters played by females go to find prostitutes when coming from the wilderness, mostly male prostitutes... is there a name in english for it?), making the need for a "random measurements based on race and stats" ver very vital...


Hmm, I believe the term you're looking for is: Gigolo! ie: Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo :)

Kami2awa
2011-07-16, 07:11 AM
1. Drow are always evil.


Isn't the cliché that all Drow are chaotic good rebels from their own species?

http://www.goblinscomic.com/07112005/

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html

Tenno Seremel
2011-07-16, 07:40 AM
Isn't the cliché that all Drow are chaotic good rebels from their own species?

Who(m?) are they fighting then if everyone are chaotic good, I wonder…

Midnight_v
2011-07-16, 07:55 AM
Isn't the cliché that all Drow are chaotic good rebels from their own species?

http://www.goblinscomic.com/07112005/

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... if you meet a drow in a non-drow city... AT ALL.
Then they fled for a reason, likely related to crappy drow society and the place they had in it.

Here's one though. My brother was dm'ing for a group of us one day. . .
Feign Drizzt
and we set down camp for the knight, cooking, rationing etc. A figure is spotted approaching the camp and says "Parley! parley!"
Enter the camp is a Male Drow elf with tow blade at his hip.
They of course meet him challengingly to which he opens with this:
"I am Drizzt'do Urden, great and noble hero of the realms. A renagade drow elf, and friend to the surface world, while doing battle in the western heartlands against an Underdark incursion, I was blaseted by a mage and fell though a portal coming out in this strange land. (We were outside rashemi).
Please I only request the hospitality of your camp for one night and mean you no harm" he then sets his two longswords on the ground near his feet. "Have you heard of me?"
...Noticing this detail... the paladin says:
I Wish DETECT EVIL ON HIM! (more stlyish in character though), the barbarian glares. Rest of party rolles knowledges and yes 1 party member has heard of such a drow.
The Drow explains "Wait, I must warn you though, I am not even I've recently been teleported through strange magics, and will detect as evil because I've recently been exposed to the faezerness raditation of the underdark. Assuredly you've heard of these things and will realize that my words are true. (All fail underdark knowledge check)
Sense motives all around, all low...
Paladin: Detect Magic: He... HE'S EVIL.
Drow: Right I thought that might happen, you didn't believe me when I said I'd detect as evil?
... so after much deliberation they allowed the drow to stay...
Which of course led to a middly of the night hasty armor don battle.

So the existance of Drizzt... while know to all of us in real life and assuredly known by all the drow by the later books, BUT NOT know to lobie characters, leads to awesome subversions like every drow elf that leaves will as soon as possible grab two scimitars so they can in a pinch attempt to "Feign Drizzt".

Draconi Redfir
2011-07-16, 08:01 AM
-All female adventurers must have a love interest. No exceptions.

*Raises hand* Yo.


BBEGs always live in tall dark looming towers with storm clouds over them. And/or deep underground hidden lairs.

Giants live in mountins

Every species has an aquatic or a Psionic or a Dark subtype

Dragons are more intelligent then humans and just haven’t built societies because they are A. lazy, B. lacking opposable thumbs or C. Can't stand the company of one another.

And floating islands. can not have a world without floating islands.

Silus
2011-07-16, 10:44 AM
Anything related to "The Code" from Discworld.



Dark Lords will always betray others, have stupid henchmen, and they always get away.


One brave man against 7 will always win.


A simple sword in the hands of a brave man will cut through magic swords.


Kings in disguise will always win.


Not always the case of course.

Honest Tiefling
2011-07-17, 02:15 PM
Just me, or do Kings come in Awesome Good or Utterly Despicable flavors? Trying to remember one that was just mildly incompetent or just only sorta rude but overall medicore.

Dr.Epic
2011-07-17, 02:43 PM
From a dragon.

in a dungeon.

No wait, whoever heard of a dungeon and dragon? This is D&D we're taking about, whatever that stands for.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-07-17, 03:27 PM
in a dungeon.

No no, in a castle. Maybe on top of a mountain that makes no geographical sense, because there's only that one mountain. And it's always storming and nighttime near the castle.

Dr.Epic
2011-07-17, 04:26 PM
No no, in a castle. Maybe on top of a mountain that makes no geographical sense, because there's only that one mountain. And it's always storming and nighttime near the castle.

No mountain. The castle is floating in the sky and your brother is some dark knight you must face but don't want to kill because you think you can turn him back to the light.

Draconi Redfir
2011-07-17, 05:52 PM
No mountain. The castle is floating in the sky and your brother is some dark knight you must face but don't want to kill because you think you can turn him back to the light.

But then he stabs you through the chest with an evil sword, and you begin to embrace the powers of darknes... for the greater good!

Dr.Epic
2011-07-17, 06:05 PM
But then he stabs you through the chest with an evil sword, and you begin to embrace the powers of darknes... for the greater good!

No. Then you just die. And no one thinks to use a Phoenix Down Resurrection Spell.

Caphi
2011-07-17, 06:30 PM
What kind of table were you rolling from? :smallconfused:
I never seen a random dice table with "tig ol' bitties" as an option. :smallbiggrin:

FATAL tables?

Honest Tiefling
2011-07-17, 06:33 PM
You cannot truly see the FATAL tables for the physical forms of such wretchedness is beyond mortal comprehension.

That, and I'm pretty sure that getting only big ol' titties would be a rather GOOD result from those things compared to the alternatives.

Eric Tolle
2011-07-18, 09:52 AM
What's this setting now? It sounds interesting. Homebrewed or published?


Very homebrewed, somewhat exotic, humans are the "elder declining race". I call it "Hard Fantasy", because with the exception of magic the laws of science are relentlessly in effect. And magic itself may be an ancient technology.

Anyway, back to the topic:

Bards are always carrying lutes. What, when you graduate from bardic college, do they award you a lute instead of a diploma?

"I'm an orphan."
"You are? Well so am I!"
"I'm an orphan loner with no friends."
"I'm adventuring to raise money for my large extended family, including my little sister who keeps trying to tag along, as well as trying to find my fiance who disappeared."
"Huh. Girls. Go fig."

Janus
2011-07-18, 02:33 PM
Scottish dwarves. :smallannoyed:


Aye laddie, is there something wrong with that?:smallbiggrin:
No kidding, I once DM'd a game and made certain to play bagpipe music whenever a dwarven NPC spoke.

Is it wrong that I consider some of these "RP cliches" to be "guilty pleasures?"

Arbane
2011-07-18, 04:18 PM
Is it wrong that I consider some of these "RP cliches" to be "guilty pleasures?"

"Don't be afraid of cliches. The reason we tell the same stories over and over is because they are the BEST stories." - Robin D. Laws (probably misquoted)

navar100
2011-07-18, 06:07 PM
If a party member is a halfling, he's a rogue.

Party travels by boat. It will be attacked by pirates, a sea monster, or there's a storm.

You are 14th level. You've defeated many evil BBEGs, rescued lots of people, saved villagse and towns, stopped the Evil Menace That Would Destroy The World, killed the Cultists Of Doom. You go into a city/town you've never been to before. No one knows who you are except the minion of the next BBEG.

Every city has a black market.

The Thieves' Guild that's not the BBEG always gets away with it.

Every dungeon has a door you cannot bypass without a special key or password. Behind the door is the mcguffin.

The bad guys always know more about you than you of them.

There's always someone who has the exact knowledge you seek. You need to travel very far to reach him, is often an arduous trek, and you need to pay a high price, not necessarily in goldpieces.

There's always a human female-dominated city/country where men are third-class citizens, if citizens at all.

Half-orcs and Half-elves PCs always have storylines about their non-human heritage. They never involve themselves in any human culture or politics, forsaking their non-human bloodline.

Actually, even NPC half-orcs and half-elves are like that too.

DontEatRawHagis
2011-07-18, 06:37 PM
Isn't the cliché that all Drow are chaotic good rebels from their own species?

http://www.goblinscomic.com/07112005/

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html

Tropé: Sométhing recurring across a génre or typé of literaturé

Tropé Examplé - Méét in Inn/Tavérn(Simplé starting off point to get PCs togéthér), Wizards in Robés(What élsé will théy wéar?), good vs évil.

Cliché: Sométhing that is overuséd or uséd outsidé its original contéxt, so that its original impact and méaning aré lost.

Cliché Examplé: Dark brooding charactérs(originally to givé air of mystery now éxcusé to havé cool charactér), Lawful Good/Stupid(Originally the épitomé of good now roadblock for doing illégal activity or cool plans), Fightér is an idiot(Originally bécausé its their dump stat, now becausé they ovér usé it as a dump stat).

é - something that never should be on a keyboard.

Hierarchy9990
2011-07-18, 07:00 PM
Lets see.. The sexy female rogue/assassin. The broody mysterious dude with the "dark past"(usually comes with his own dual swords, or pistols), the charismatic jokester.

Cliche's are pretty much everywhere. Everyone does them on occasion, atleast inadvertently.

hydroplatypus
2011-07-18, 10:30 PM
Just me, or do Kings come in Awesome Good or Utterly Despicable flavors? Trying to remember one that was just mildly incompetent or just only sorta rude but overall medicore.

In my current game most kings are fairly incompetent. King 1 is a puppet for the local mages guild. King 2 runs the palidins, but does a horrible job of it. King 4 doesn't have any7 real military power, so has to constantly ally with everyone else. King 5 is just overly warlike. etc.King 3 is a dragon, and although evil does a fairly good job or ruling to prevent rebellion, competent but neither of the 2 stereotypes.

Back to Cliches

Despite the milita having several hundred lvl 1 warriors, they still need the lvl 1 PCs to kill that tribe of 10 goblins.

If the king has an adviser he is evil.

High level wizards live exclusively as hermits, tyrants or insane liches.

the easily distracted and niave palidin surrounded by evil/neutral Pcs.
Hey look over there [stab guy]. Oh sorry, I thought I saw somthing

navar100
2011-07-19, 08:45 AM
Player chimes in. DM responds "You're not there."

Player asks a question. DM responds "You just don't know."

Using Listen skill doesn't give you any information that would help. If it's conversation, either it's irrelevant to the plot or information the DM wanted you to have anyway and now's a good excuse, as opposed to vital information you never would have known that gives you a distinct advantage. If listening by a door or down a cavern, it's indistinguishable noise that tells you nothing of what's there for why you are wanting to listen, such as type of creatures, number of creatures, or a significant identifiable object.

Draconi Redfir
2011-07-21, 02:55 AM
The Holy warrior of justice that sucks at his job.

panaikhan
2011-07-21, 07:58 AM
What kind of table were you rolling from? :smallconfused:
I never seen a random dice table with "tig ol' bitties" as an option. :smallbiggrin:

There is also a Flaw in the game "Macho Women With Guns" called 'Top-Heavy'.
This in a game that actually calculates your bustline from your other physical stats...

Callos_DeTerran
2011-07-21, 01:04 PM
The ONLY time its allowed, is if its a young girl, and even then its even odds she is an early bloomer. And of course, once she matures, its boobapalooza.

What do you have against boobs? :smalltongue: I for one welcome our new...wait, that doesn't make sense...


There is also a Flaw in the game "Macho Women With Guns" called 'Top-Heavy'.
This in a game that actually calculates your bustline from your other physical stats...

...There's a game called "Macho Women With Guns"? :smallconfused:


Suddenly, bandits!

Usable in every setting, with a little tweaking.

In the defense of bandits everywhere...

"You have to make a living somehow!"

...Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever played a character who was a bandit...

Gabe the Bard
2011-07-21, 11:37 PM
"I'm an orphan."
"You are? Well so am I!"
"I'm an orphan loner with no friends."


In our new campaign, all of the PCs are orphans... and some of us have amnesia.