Why Can't I RP without an OP caster?

[Gligarman2]

I read some of the responses to my other threads, and I realized something. I love creating complex characters, but for some reason, they have to be able to kill anything. I need a solution. I would like some advice on how to RP without being the star of the show. I found it very hard last time I tried. Help?

[Yora]

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

What does roleplaying have to do with being and overpowered spellcaster?

[Orsen]

I agree with Yora. You're using RP in the way I would say PnP games. However it could all just be the way you wrote your post.

So then if I understand the intention of the post, I would tell you to look at classic fantasy characters and tropes. The sneaky theif, who's confident about every situation. The young, brash head strong fighter. A naive bard who's scared to get to close to a fight.
In some ways, I would argue roleplaying something less then a weapon of mass destruction is easier, because you usually don't have as much book work to keep up with (I'm assuming prepared casters). This isn't really true though, because it's still possible to be a prepared caster with just as much role play as anything else.

[Polarity Shift]

{Scrubbed}

[Mastikator]

You're thinking of characters as stats, not as people. That's your problem.

[Dimers]

Make it a personal challenge to not be the center of attention, to not solve all the problems. Prove to yourself that you can do it. Since that's a very broad goal, it might help to make it more specific -- challenge yourself to make one other PC the star, for example, whoever has the least-OP character in your group. Or even the whole rest of the party, one by one, on a rotating schedule. :smallsmile:

The thing is, you might not get any emotional reward from this, aside from answering the challenge. If you get a rush out of being the superkiller, well, nothing wrong with that as long as it fits your group.

[erikun]

How about building a character with complexity other than combat strength? Or even better, play in a system that doesn't allow you to kill everything.

Another idea is to start with a character concept. Write the character out, as if you were making a story about them. Then create the character, making choices that would be appropriate for them and allow them to do what they are supposed to do. Unless your concept ends up being Fightery McDoEverythingson, you shouldn't end up with a character that can still do everything.

Or, y'know, another system.

[Mikal]

I read some of the responses to my other threads, and I realized something. I love creating complex characters, but for some reason, they have to be able to kill anything. I need a solution. I would like some advice on how to RP without being the star of the show. I found it very hard last time I tried. Help?

You like your character to be a bad-ass.
Nothing wrong with that. There's no such thing as roleplaying wrong, if you're having fun.

[Hiro Protagonest]

You like your character to be a bad-ass.
Nothing wrong with that. There's no such thing as roleplaying wrong, if you're having fun.

He could just play a tier 3, y'know.

What he's saying is he likes having the spotlight. All the time.

[Mikal]

He could just play a tier 3, y'know.

What he's saying is he likes having the spotlight. All the time.

Yes? And? So?

[Dr. Yes]

Do you mean mechanically complex, or complex as in deep and thought-out from a roleplaying perspective? If it's the former, try "optimizing" with an eye for making a particular concept work---an illusionist master thief, or a chakram-flinging acrobat. There are plenty of cool character archetypes that take lots of number-crunching and system knowledge just to be viable.

If your problem is on the roleplaying end, I'm not sure what you're really saying. If you can't get into playing a character that doesn't dominate the game, that doesn't sound like a problem we can fix. If it's just that all your favorite concepts happen to be totally overpowered, you could try exploring ways to alter or develop those characters in mechanically sub-optimal ways---maybe your cunning master of magic becomes a mystic theurge instead of an archmage.

[Randomatic]

Gligarman2, as long as you and your gaming group are having fun, don't worry about what the internet thinks about your game.

[Siegel]

I read some of the responses to my other threads, and I realized something. I love creating complex characters, but for some reason, they have to be able to kill anything. I need a solution. I would like some advice on how to RP without being the star of the show. I found it very hard last time I tried. Help?

Play a system where you can't do that? Take Grey Ranks for example. You are polish teenagers fighting in the warshaw uprising.

Generally any system that isn't about killing stuff and taking their loot could theoreticaly help you to get out of your mind. CoC would be a more mainstream example.

Of course, that might not be the thing you want to play... :smallmad:

[Bastian Weaver]

The term "Batman wizard" seems to be popular in these parts, so may I suggest another version...
Spiderman wizard!
You need your character to be able to kill anything? Fine. Let him - but not through sheer power. Think around the problems. Use subtle, indirect approach. You don't need to blast an enemy into oblivion if you can trick him into hitting that ancient obelisk of Bound Lightning with his metal axe +3 and then watch the fireworks.
Cool, huh? Now I want to try it myself...

[Siegel]

The term "Batman wizard" seems to be popular in these parts, so may I suggest another version...
Spiderman wizard!
You need your character to be able to kill anything? Fine. Let him - but not through sheer power. Think around the problems. Use subtle, indirect approach. You don't need to blast an enemy into oblivion if you can trick him into hitting that ancient obelisk of Bound Lightning with his metal axe +3 and then watch the fireworks.
Cool, huh? Now I want to try it myself...

Isn't that what the batman wizard does?

[Lochiel]

I would ask your DM to include challengers, scenarios, and encounters that your character doesn't excel at.

Also, I suggest that you recognize what kind of player you are. Some players don't care about the game, they care about winning. Other players don't care about winning or loosing, they care about playing the game. Where FPSs/StarCraft/Etc tend to favor the "Must Win" crowd and punish the "Just here to play" crowd, PnP RPGs tend to favor the "Just here to play" crowd, and can feel unrewarding for the "Must Win" crowd.

[Binks]

Yes? And? So?

Having one player hog the spotlight is generally not fun for the other players. This is a social game after all. There's nothing inherently wrong with playing the badass who can solve any problem and gets all the attention...but you need a group of players who are alright being second string to you, and that's pretty hard to find. It's far better to play the guy who's great at solving one kind of problem, then gets out of the spotlight to let someone else solve the other problems and have their own turn in the spotlight.

[Siosilvar]

The term "Batman wizard" seems to be popular in these parts, so may I suggest another version...
Spiderman wizard!
You need your character to be able to kill anything? Fine. Let him - but not through sheer power. Think around the problems. Use subtle, indirect approach. You don't need to blast an enemy into oblivion if you can trick him into hitting that ancient obelisk of Bound Lightning with his metal axe +3 and then watch the fireworks.
Cool, huh? Now I want to try it myself...

That IS the Batman wizard. Batman uses Solid Fog, Web, Grease, Fear... now the enemies can't fight back, and the fighter has an easier time of killing them.

[Hiro Protagonest]

That IS the Batman wizard. Batman uses Solid Fog, Web, Grease, Fear... now the enemies can't fight back, and the fighter has an easier time of killing them.

No, that's GOD wizard. There's a lot of overlap, but Batman also prepares some divinations, a couple blasties (a mixture of Orbs and AoEs), and something like Charm/Dominate Person. He has to have ways to kill the enemy, not just slow them down.