What's your character creation process?

[Coidzor]

So, I'm looking to start up the Council of Thieves Adventure Path (http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath/councilOfThieves) in Pathfinder after the 3.5 Ravenloft campaign I'm in wraps up, but after reading through the player's guide, I'm finding my usual technique of wanting to try out a new class and then coming up with how I'd fit a guy with that class into the setting isn't really working as the only classes I can think of that I want to try out at the moment are the Totemist, or maybe Incarnate, and the Binder.

Those probably(?) aren't good ideas to convert into Pathfinder on the DM's first attempt to run a game in that system after playing in 3.5 for ages and ages, especially when no one's played a meldshaper even in 3.5 and only one other player has played a binder and not even with this group.

So, I find myself considering alternate means of coming up with a character concept, but currently am just completely and utterly blanking out on what those might be.

Thus, I turn to you, O Playgrounders to ask how you go about it in hopes that it will rekindle something in me.

Although I suppose I'm open to suggestions being thrown at me outright too...

[Greymane]

I tend to get a lot of inspiration out of movies and history, and then I enjoy making a character that's similar, but of course not an immediately recognizable copy.

Example: After watching Beauty and the Beast with my nephew, I decided that Gaston was the manliest man this side of Theodore Roosevelt, and that I wanted to model something after him. So I went Sublime Way Ranger with the DM letting me take Black Rain as a discipline. I then opted to give him a "what if" backstory, and say that after slaying a horrible monster living in a nearby decrepit castle that his fiance had fallen in love with, a terrible fey curse dropped on his hometown; thus he went from being the most popular guy, to being violently chased out.

Other times I just want to play a class for the sake of it, like in your case. I've never played Incarnum, but I got the book recently and I might be willing to kill to try out a Totemist. :smallredface:

[Keegan__D]

I made a flow chart!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/kamekazibum/Makingacharacterflowchart-1.jpg


Finding out how to do the concept mechanically usually involves the cheese, and lots of searching through books and forums.

[sonofzeal]

These days? I roll for it.

For example - apparently the dice want you to play a Sylvanesti Rogue of Yollanda. Or, if Dragonlance Campaign Setting is out, you could try a Jerren Barbarian of Oberon, or a Half-Drow Swordsage of Garyx.

You're welcome. :smallwink:

[Psyren]

I made a flow chart!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/kamekazibum/Makingacharacterflowchart-1.jpg


Finding out how to do the concept mechanically usually involves the cheese, and lots of searching through books and forums.

This is pretty much my process, may I steal leverage this?

[Tenebris]

I made a flow chart!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/kamekazibum/Makingacharacterflowchart-1.jpg


Finding out how to do the concept mechanically usually involves the cheese, and lots of searching through books and forums.

I really like the "Does it involve Kobolds?" box :smallbiggrin: Though for me it should be put somewhere after presenting the concept to the DM and before loop counter of refusals, after which I drop the whole kobold idea.

[Mantarni]

I come up with 1-2 vague character archetypes/cliches first (usually takes only a few seconds) - ie stoic, ditz, face, dark past, light past, small, large, etc.
Then I decide what specific personality based on that I want to play.
Then I decide what type of combat and skillset supports this personality and archetype.
Then I come up with a past that would support all the above.
Then I dig around for a base class that supports this as best as possible. The Class Bible helps a lot.
Then I look at my options and project a few paths of what this character would do in the long term, based on the above.
Then I dig around for PrCs that support this.
FINALLY I come up with the build specifics.


Basically, personality>style>mechanics. Figure out who you want to be, then find the rules that support this.

This is how I came up with a <2' tall child pixie iaijutsu master//blade bravo (gestalt dual PrC game) who tries to emulate his teacher and act mature, when he remembers to. And uses crayon in his notebook to record their adventures, in which he takes on anything larger than him because his teacher thought it would be hilarious to train a pixie to charge down giants and dragons. See avatar.

[Aegis013]

This is how I came up with a <2' tall child pixie iaijutsu master//blade bravo (gestalt dual PrC game) who tries to emulate his teacher and act mature, when he remembers to. And uses crayon in his notebook to record their adventures, in which he takes on anything larger than him because his teacher thought it would be hilarious to train a pixie to charge down giants and dragons. See avatar.

Pixie + Gnome-only PrC + entirely thematically appropriate = awesome

I figure out what role I want to fill in the group. Then I make something off the wall powerful and offer the idea to the DM, spelling out what my intentions are and how absurdly powerful my build will be. If the DM allows, I proceed, if the DM bans stuff, I proceed to scale back the insanity by increments until the DM accepts it.

Then I plan class levels 1-20 and all feats and relevant skills, then begin character creation as normal per the books.

[Curious]

I usually take a series of tropes that I like (eg. Knight in Sour Armor, The Fettered) and then find a class that fits that concept (eg. Knight, Crusader, Warblade). Then I create the character around those core concepts.

[Coidzor]

I made a flow chart!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/kamekazibum/Makingacharacterflowchart-1.jpg


Finding out how to do the concept mechanically usually involves the cheese, and lots of searching through books and forums.

Nice flowchart. I especially like the kobolds box. Slightly confused about the duo box though, I must admit.

[Namfuak]

1. Think about what I'd like to try, any PrCs or classes, or maybe some race combination.
1a. If the group is really lacking something (divine caster, trapfinder, etc) I'll narrow my search to that.
2. Once I have a class idea, some basic optimization, usually I will choose a race that fits and I like, then poke around alternate progression paths and find what I like the most. So far I've never made a character based around cheesing or fine-tuned optimization, mostly because I have only made a few characters.
3. Based on alignment and race, come up with a personality.
4. Come up with a basic backstory.
5. Create any overarching quests the character has based on backstory (for example, my first character, a gnome cleric, was trying to become powerful enough to resurrect his family, but another character of mine, an elven ranger, is just out for money and to kill stuff).

[prufock]

I create more characters than I ever actually get a chance to play. Concept almost always comes first, unless there's some neat combo I just HAVE to see in action.

My concepts can come from anywhere, really - things I read online, novels, movies - but I've noticed one very common thread in my characters.

Pathology.

My characters often start as, simply, some sort of psychological disorder, imbalance, or personality type. Then I tweak it to meet my needs. Currently, for instance, I'm playing a Sorcerer/Dread Witch/Nightmare Spinner, which started out when I was thinking about fear and phobias, then found the Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0).

Often I put in a bit of research before or during creation. IE, reading up on the difference between terror and horror, different philosophical and scientific definitions of fear, mythologies involving fear, and so on. That's how I found my character's name, Deimos (and his bat familiar, Phobos).

So I have my concept and build: Deimos is the man without fear. Then I think about how he got this way. In his case, I went with the "he was affected greatly by fear, and trained himself to overcome it" route.

And there's my character: concept, build, backstory and all.

[missmvicious]

So, I've never played Pathfinder, but when I'm stuck, I turn to DMG, pg. 128 and roll a d%.

Once the dice picks a trait, the character starts writing itself.

Example:
Just rolled a 99: Jokester
I'm thinking maybe Fey, Gnome, or Halfling... perhaps a Bard or Rogue... or maybe an Expert who sells cursed items. Ooh! A mischievous little Gnome Expert who sells your party a bunch of cursed items. Do the PCs hunt the little turd down and get their money back, or laugh it off as part of life's little quirks? It they chase him down, make the Gnome charming enough to be likable, but with a dangerous sense of humor.

Mkay... just rolled a 55: Observant
I'm thinking a wise old Woodling who has been watching the party traverse her woods for a little too long for her liking. Or a Verdant Prince. Or a street informant who can tell you anything you want to know about any secret in the city... for a price.

Two examples are enough, I think.

[Keegan__D]

I really like the "Does it involve Kobolds?" box :smallbiggrin: Though for me it should be put somewhere after presenting the concept to the DM and before loop counter of refusals, after which I drop the whole kobold idea.

Well, for a lot of concepts, the fluff is the foundation. I suppose it should say "Come up with remaining fluff."


Nice flowchart. I especially like the kobolds box. Slightly confused about the duo box though, I must admit.

If the concept hangs on another person to complete shenanigans. Like Goliath giving another Goliath a piggy-back ride with lances and charging/mount stuff, or a time-traveling pair of Kobolds that served Hitler. For me, bringing someone else in on a crazy idea trumps pretty much anything because if it's op, someone else is just as powerful. If it's retardedly silly, someone else is laughing their buns off with me and it's less disruptive and more consuming.

[Lord.Sorasen]

One thing I've started doing is picking a race and class, perhaps even randomly, and then making a a list of traits for each aspect. Normally I have three lists: one for race, one for class, and another for my ability scores. Once I've done this I look to see how each list might influence the others, and from that i jot down little ideas. The trick here is to try to see how different ideas might interact to create a character that is unique but not entirely from left field. The last step here is that I look at the classes class features in some more depth, and keep asking myself "how might this feature fit my character?" If you're lucky, new ideas might materialize. In the end I modify my ability scores, because at this point I have a more solid idea of a character and these scores need altering to match.

Keep in mind that this is all to get an idea of a character. Once you have that, multiclassing, or even switching base class or race entirely might seem fitting. It's not about the final result but about the ideas that inevitably make it up.

My favorite result of this method was a gnome wizard I rolled randomly, who ended up using his bonded object feature as a ring. The idea was that he was so obsessed with crafting that he neglected his family. One of his experiments gone wrong set fire to his house, killing his wife, and he still would wear the ring to remind him of what matters. He would make all sorts of magic items for the party, but always had the ring to remind him of the dangers of his lifestyle. Sort of a semi-somber gnome, which was neat.

[Mantarni]

Pixie + Gnome-only PrC + entirely thematically appropriate = awesome

Nobody seems to notice this, there's a chunk of text right above the requirements for Blade Bravo directly recommending expanding the entry race requirement to include small fey, halflings, etc. Does nobody read the adaptation suggestion text? It comes in quite handy a lot of the time...

And even then, if it fits the character theme well and it's not totally changing the entry reqs (just slightly tweaking something) I don't think most DMs would have much of an issue with it if you talked to them about it and explained your reasoning. They're more guidelines on your adventure than hardset rules, it's the DM's take on it that matters.

[Aegis013]

Nobody seems to notice this, there's a chunk of text right above the requirements for Blade Bravo directly recommending expanding the entry race requirement to include small fey, halflings, etc. Does nobody read the adaptation suggestion text? It comes in quite handy a lot of the time...

And even then, if it fits the character theme well and it's not totally changing the entry reqs (just slightly tweaking something) I don't think most DMs would have much of an issue with it if you talked to them about it and explained your reasoning. They're more guidelines on your adventure than hardset rules, it's the DM's take on it that matters.

Not sure if you're implying I don't realize it doesn't make sense for Blade Bravo to be gnome-only when it's clearly small-or-smaller intended. (Then again, I love me some whisper gnome race, so it never bothers me)

[Mantarni]

Not sure if you're implying I don't realize it doesn't make sense for Blade Bravo to be gnome-only when it's clearly small-or-smaller intended. (Then again, I love me some whisper gnome race, so it never bothers me)

No, more of an exposition reflex. With the amount of editing some classes got in edition conversions, the 'adaptation suggestions' seem to be as close to a rules edit as you'll get for that version. I've come to take that part on equal level with the actual entry requirements.

And a lot of people just don't bother reading it, which confuses me. It's almost like they don't have OCD to read the entire class text when looking at it... but that would be strange :smallconfused:

[Coidzor]

If the concept hangs on another person to complete shenanigans. Like Goliath giving another Goliath a piggy-back ride with lances and charging/mount stuff, or a time-traveling pair of Kobolds that served Hitler. For me, bringing someone else in on a crazy idea trumps pretty much anything because if it's op, someone else is just as powerful. If it's retardedly silly, someone else is laughing their buns off with me and it's less disruptive and more consuming.

Ahh. Thanks, that makes a lot of sense, actually.

Kind of intrigued by the idea now, actually. Gotany examples of stuff you've done in that vein in the past?

Only thing I can think of offhands are things like the Kobold Force 5 or the endemic idea of a group of all Kobold Bards that named themselves Dragonforce... Or maybe where a druid or sommat plays the mount of another character.

[Mantarni]

Ahh. Thanks, that makes a lot of sense, actually.

Kind of intrigued by the idea now, actually. Gotany examples of stuff you've done in that vein in the past?

Only thing I can think of offhands are things like the Kobold Force 5 or the endemic idea of a group of all Kobold Bards that named themselves Dragonforce... Or maybe where a druid or sommat plays the mount of another character.

I've played a caster who (DMs permission on this one, definitely) took the familiar feats up to celestial and got another PC with the half-celestial template as a familiar at a low level (so the CR was technically in line with the listed celestial stuff). It got... somewhat broken at the end. But was awesome.

Belt of Many Pockets means that no matter how large they are they automatically fit in there indefinitely and can make suprise attacks from there. There are also feats that PC can take as a familiar (can't remember them though) to share its racial natural traits with you. + natural armor (including the natural armor bonus you give it), immunities to poison and some elements, darkvision and DR/SR? Thank you.

If you really want to abuse the RAW, with Lurking Familiar if it's bigger than you and you ride on top of it or on its back --giving you partial cover, quick touch attack delivery and dual buffing-- that means you are in the same square as it. With that feat, being in the same square as your familiar gives it total concealment, even as it's giving you partial concealment. Freaking hilarious. Especially when the familiar is an 8' 300lb melee bruiser and the caster is all of 4'4" and 90lbs. :smallbiggrin:

I don't think they ever expected a PC to agree to be anothers familiar, the stuff you can do with that can get ridiculous. Fist of stone alone made it worth it...

[Keegan__D]

Ahh. Thanks, that makes a lot of sense, actually.

Kind of intrigued by the idea now, actually. Gotany examples of stuff you've done in that vein in the past?

Only thing I can think of offhands are things like the Kobold Force 5 or the endemic idea of a group of all Kobold Bards that named themselves Dragonforce... Or maybe where a druid or sommat plays the mount of another character.

As for Kobolds, I've only done time-and-dimension-traveling Kobolds from Kobold Earth, 1942. It was an evil campaign, and my friend was a part of the allies, and I was a double agent for Nazi Germany. Hitler, and all of his camp were teleported too, but we never got that far in the campaign. When my friend found out I was a double agent, he had a hissy fit. I learned that you shouldn't have a cool duo thing and keep character secrets from your partner.

Another duo I almost did was a half gutter dwarf, half water orc riding the same thing as a tauric riding dog with tons of mount feats, charge feats, lances (two each), and more craziness. We decided it was too cheesey and we had no flavor for it really.

[Madara]

*Looks at pile of about 26 characters never played because he GMs*

Usually I get an idea or two from either another game, a previous NPC, or the forums. Sometimes, I work off another player who may have a cool idea, I.E. if he is building a dual wielding elf ranger, I'll build a character who I could mentally picture being in a scene with him. When creating the character, I have the problem of changing them several times, because something else seems even more awesome. So as a solution, I have tons of character concepts sitting in a pile under my dnd books. Sometimes I even get my hopes up that someone else will GM, and I'll waste a character sheet on it.

*Goes back to building another necromancer(But this one is a different class....)