Help with goals and main direction for my character

[Wacky89]

Hi guys.

My GM wants me to find some goals and direction for my character, but I am very inexperienced with this, so I need ideas. I hoped that some of you could help :)

Info about my character:
Dread Necromancer, Neutral Evil Unseelie Fey Lesser Wispling. I was just recently thrown out of his Fey Court because of a wedding where every1 was murdered, the thing is I didn't do it (I was even badly wounded). We're currently in a small city where we are hiding out in. We have been looting a deserted tower so far, where I got my first undead to control (Skeleton Warrior).

I have no idea about my characters personality.

All help is appreciated.

PS: English isn't my first language, bare with me :)

[Diarmuid]

I have no idea about my characters personality.


This is probably where you should start. As you decide/discover more about your character's personality then the other pieces will simply fall into place.

None of us can define your character's personality for you.

[OldTrees1]

From your build there appear to be 4 influences on the character personality:
1)Necromancer:
What is your views on Life, Death, Undeath and Resurrection? There are many different takes on these that lead to different necromancers. Some of which would seek to eradicate each other over their philosophic differences.

2)Neutral Evil:
What does this mean? Does your character know their alignment? Did they want to be evil or did they consider it the lesser evil of the available choices? What has your character done (in their backstory) that would qualify as evil?

3)Unseelie Fey
Which take on fey will you use? There are many versions of "the third race". All of them have slightly shifted perspectives that make them seem strange/alien to us.

4)Lesser Wispling
You are a halfling with demonic heritage. You will probably have some of the personality traits of halflings, fire and chaos. How do these influences manifest? Which do you embrace and which do you shun?

5)
I had said there were four influences above. But they will not cover everything. Instead they will influence what else you could bring to enrich the character. What else do you feel is important to this character?

[Wacky89]

From your build there appear to be 4 influences on the character personality:
1)Necromancer:
What is your views on Life, Death, Undeath and Resurrection? There are many different takes on these that lead to different necromancers. Some of which would seek to eradicate each other over their philosophic differences.

I like the undeath part, I have no problems with that. Life is temporary, I dont have any problems with people being ressurected.

2)Neutral Evil:
What does this mean? Does your character know their alignment? Did they want to be evil or did they consider it the lesser evil of the available choices? What has your character done (in their backstory) that would qualify as evil?

Hmm Unseelie Fey are always evil, my character doesn't know he's evil. He's just acting as other feys. He is a experienced lier, he is good at talking himself out of situations. I have been living in a big forest my whole life, in the fey city.

3)Unseelie Fey
Which take on fey will you use? There are many versions of "the third race". All of them have slightly shifted perspectives that make them seem strange/alien to us.

I have eyes and no wings, if that's what you mean.


4)Lesser Wispling
You are a halfling with demonic heritage. You will probably have some of the personality traits of halflings, fire and chaos. How do these influences manifest? Which do you embrace and which do you shun?

I like the chaos part, if it is profitable for me. I don't want to see things burn just for the hell of it. I have accepted the demonic part of me, I actually like it.

5)
I had said there were four influences above. But they will not cover everything. Instead they will influence what else you could bring to enrich the character. What else do you feel is important to this character?

I think the best I can come up with is exploring the world and gaining treasures. My character hates that I got thrown out on their terms, I would like to have left to explore the world on my terms.

[OldTrees1]

Well then lets try Q&A:

You are a necromancer:
Your character is mortal. As a necromancer you are constantly reminded of your mortality. What is your reaction to knowing you will eventually be dead?

Everyone has the ability to kill. When is death the answer? When is it not the answer?

You can create undead. What place do you see undead would have in your world?

[Wacky89]

Well then lets try Q&A:

You are a necromancer:
Your character is mortal. As a necromancer you are constantly reminded of your mortality. What is your reaction to knowing you will eventually be dead?

Everyone has the ability to kill. When is death the answer? When is it not the answer?

You can create undead. What place do you see undead would have in your world?

Q1:
I don't mind dying, I know it's gonna happen.
Q2:
Death is the answer when you are in a situation where it is profitable for me or if I am threatened by an enemy. I dont want to kill for fun.
Q3:
Undeads needs to controlled, uncontrolled undead is not okay and must be dealt with. That is if the undead has a craving that is dangerous if not under control. A lich for example that doesnt have a craving, is free to do as he wish.

[Red Fel]

Let's try it this way.

You want to know goals and direction for your character, right? That's the future. To look at the future, we first need to see the character's present - namely, personality.

You don't have one.

That's a problem. So to see how personality is formed, we look at the past.

Consider your character's upbringing. Consider his/her relationship with parents, siblings, extended family, friends, courtiers, etc. Consider training, teaching. Cultural awareness. Does your character like who/what it is? Does your character care?

What made your character choose to become a necromancer? How did the people around him/her feel about this decision? Does your character care?

Consider the circumstances leading up to your character's exile. Was your character enjoying his/her life up to that point? You say s/he wanted to leave, but under his/her own power - that suggests a certain lack of satisfaction or fulfillment. What did your character hope to gain out in the world, aside from the typical wealth and power? How did premature expulsion disrupt these plans? How did your character feel about being kicked out?

Try not to answer with single sentences. Saying things like "He didn't like it" won't help you build a character. Think the way your character thinks. Put yourself in the moment. You're a neutral evil unseelie necromancer. How do you feel? What do you want? What motivates you?

[Wacky89]

ok, so I've used a guide for some guidance and here is what I have come up with:

Primary Motivator: Recognition
Sense of Humor: Cynical
Emotional Disposition: Contemptuous
Moodiness: Labile

CORE TRAITS
Outlook: Pessimistic
Integrity: Unscrupulous
Impulsiveness: Controlled
Boldness: Cautious
Flexibility: Stubborn
Affinity: Cold
Comportment: Discordant
Interactivity: Reserved
Disclosure: Secretive
Conformity: Conventional
Religion & Spirituality
Adherence: Agnostic
Tolerance: Intolerant
Expression of beliefs: Occasional
Converting others: Never
Attitude: Irreverent
Topics of Conversation Himself; current events;
Quirks, Habits, & Oddities: Cracking Knuckles
Hobbies & Enjoyments: Undead, Necromancy

Primary Motivators:
Achievement, To overcome obstacles and succeed; to become the best
Adventure, To explore, uncover mysteries, and pioneer
Core Traits:
Curious, even tempered
Pessimistic
cynical, bleak, distrustful, foreboding, resigned
Unscrupulous
lazy, deceitful, unreliable, manipulative, slipshod, impractical
Controlled
deliberate, focused, steady, thoughtful
Cautious
timid, paranoid, vigilant
Stubborn
rigid, tense, relentless, intractable, narrow-minded
Cold
self absorbed, needy, greedy, stingy, uncaring
Discordant
gruff, critical, arrogant, crude, defensive, sanctimonious
Reserved
shy, loner, taciturn
Secretive
closed, mysterious, evasive, cryptic
Conventional
orthodox, formal, down-to-earth, mainstream, traditional
What do I like to talk about:
• Hobbies and pastimes
• Current events

What my DM is interrested in is more specific places I want to go, but since I'm not very experienced in the forgotten realms world, I don't know what I want to visit etc. The only thought I've had is that I would like to visit a Necropolis at some point and redeeming myself in the fey court.
 

[Red Fel]

You're offering single-word answers again. See, those don't help.

Those words you've offered? Cynical, pessimistic, distrustful, contemptuous? Wants to be the best, wants recognition?

These in almost no way distinguish you from any other kleptomaniac psychopathic murderhobo, aka adventurers.

You need to present not just a list of buzzwords, but an image. A concept, a complete picture of your character.

Let's try this exercise. I will present you with three prompts, three scenarios. You should describe, as if you were in-character playing these scenes, how your character would respond. If you can't give at least a one-paragraph answer to each, it won't be enough to get a feel for your character.

Prompt 1: You are in a large city. You are on your way to an urgent appointment or meeting. Suddenly, there is a tug at your leg. A small child, dressed in motley rags, pulls at your trouser. "Please, sir," the child says, "won't you spare some coin for a meal?" How do you react? Note: If you offer charity, the child will express gratitude; react to that as well. Similarly, if you seek to avoid the child, she will become more insistent; again, react.

Prompt 2: You are in a bar. First, describe what you're doing. Next, a man, clearly drunk, walks up to you. "Hey," he snorts, leaning over to you. "I don't like your face. Get out." What do you do? Note: If you ignore him, he will become insistent. If you fight him, the fight may spread. Again, react to these as well.

Prompt 3: You are in a cave. You were ambushed by a pack of kobolds, and fought and killed them. You returned to their lair to loot it, only to discover a handful of young kobold children. One, the oldest - but clearly still a child - grabs a nearby stone and menaces you with it. The others huddle in a corner, visibly frightened. What do you do? Note: If you attempt to address the kobolds, they will not speak Common. They will speak Draconic, if you know the language. If you engage them in combat, the oldest will fight you, but the others will flee. Again, react.

[Wacky89]

You're offering single-word answers again. See, those don't help.

Those words you've offered? Cynical, pessimistic, distrustful, contemptuous? Wants to be the best, wants recognition?

These in almost no way distinguish you from any other kleptomaniac psychopathic murderhobo, aka adventurers.

You need to present not just a list of buzzwords, but an image. A concept, a complete picture of your character.

Let's try this exercise. I will present you with three prompts, three scenarios. You should describe, as if you were in-character playing these scenes, how your character would respond. If you can't give at least a one-paragraph answer to each, it won't be enough to get a feel for your character.

Prompt 1: You are in a large city. You are on your way to an urgent appointment or meeting. Suddenly, there is a tug at your leg. A small child, dressed in motley rags, pulls at your trouser. "Please, sir," the child says, "won't you spare some coin for a meal?" How do you react? Note: If you offer charity, the child will express gratitude; react to that as well. Similarly, if you seek to avoid the child, she will become more insistent; again, react.

I would ignore the child consistenly, I will not do charity. I wouldn't harm/scare the child, I would just ignore him/her.

Prompt 2: You are in a bar. First, describe what you're doing. Next, a man, clearly drunk, walks up to you. "Hey," he snorts, leaning over to you. "I don't like your face. Get out." What do you do? Note: If you ignore him, he will become insistent. If you fight him, the fight may spread. Again, react to these as well.

I would tell him "Hey, that might be possible. But I don't really care, so why don't you move along." If this leads to him wanting to fight with me, I would do just that.

Prompt 3: You are in a cave. You were ambushed by a pack of kobolds, and fought and killed them. You returned to their lair to loot it, only to discover a handful of young kobold children. One, the oldest - but clearly still a child - grabs a nearby stone and menaces you with it. The others huddle in a corner, visibly frightened. What do you do? Note: If you attempt to address the kobolds, they will not speak Common. They will speak Draconic, if you know the language. If you engage them in combat, the oldest will fight you, but the others will flee. Again, react.

I would most likely use my magic to scare the oldest away, tell him in draconic: "it would be best if you left, if you wish to live". If this wouldn't work, I would kill the child.

[Red Fel]

... Those have to be the smallest paragraphs I've ever seen, and I worked in an elementary school.

You have given me the barest minimum on answers. This is a recurring pattern.

I can't help you if you can't give me more than these tiny snippets.

I hope you're able to figure out what moves your character, because I cannot.

[ArcturusV]

Hmm. If you still need help, I'm going to suggest skipping on Personality so far. Chances are you probably already have it pretty well figured out, even if you don't realize it. Even if you don't? It'll naturally crystallize as you explore the game.

But the title suggests Goals. And this is important. You said basically "Go around and get rich". There's nothing... wrong with that necessarily. But it kind of misses the point of character development. Things like "Immortality" and "Wealth", etc, aren't really Goals. They are Means to a Goal. You don't become Immortal for it's own sake.

A wizard turns himself into a Lich. A Lich is a costly, time consuming, meticulous process to attain a type of immortality as long as you're fairly confident at making sure your sole weakness isn't advertised with a neon sign. But the wizard doesn't become a Lich just because "I want to not die" as the reason. It's "I want to not die... BECAUSE-" and that Because is what you want to look into. Maybe he was conducting some sort of magical research that he felt he couldn't complete in his time as a mortal, and needed the extra time of Forever. Maybe he made some deal with the down below and wanted to dodge an eternity as some Demon's plaything. Maybe he's some sort that couldn't stand the thought of shuffling off the mortal coil before he experienced everything. Maybe he saw Lichhood Immortality as the only method to overcome a problem like.. wiping out the entire bloodline of the barbarian clan who destroyed his village.

Similarly wealth itself is not a goal. It's a means to attain some other desire. Was your character poor and thus sees wealth as the answer to base fears they dealt with constantly growing up, like being on the edge of starvation and at the mercy of larger, more physical thugs who took from them what little they had? Are they collectors of fine art and just want the wealth in order to buy their collection and enjoy it?

And once you go beyond "First Immortality, Then the Bitches", then you start having direction and goals for your character. This may be tied into your personality. But your personality might come through from this as well. No real wrong way to do it.

[Wacky89]

... Those have to be the smallest paragraphs I've ever seen, and I worked in an elementary school.

You have given me the barest minimum on answers. This is a recurring pattern.

I can't help you if you can't give me more than these tiny snippets.

I hope you're able to figure out what moves your character, because I cannot.

yeah I know what you mean. But I am just not creative enough.

[OldTrees1]

Then you might need inspiration:

Learn about the third race (google it). They do not think quite as mortals do. I think you might be able to get a lot of inspiration off of the one named Puck.



It is good that your character doesn't know they are evil. Nobody does evil for evil's sake. However you are not done developing this section either. You(the player) need to figure out what this dark fey did that would classify them as evil. Even more importantly why did they do it? Obviously they didn't do it merely because it was evil. Find out what motivates your character to do evil some of the time.



Now your character does not realize they are evil so they probably do not see these actions as evil. How do they view these actions instead?



How will you react when someone tries to show you that either you or your actions are evil? They might use literature, reason or even resort to detect evil spells.



"I like the undeath part, I have no problems with that. Life is temporary, I don't have any problems with people being resurrected."
"I don't mind dying, I know it's gonna happen."
"Death is the answer when you are in a situation where it is profitable for me or if I am threatened by an enemy. I dont want to kill for fun."
"Undeads needs to controlled, uncontrolled undead is not okay and must be dealt with."

Undead:
So you are ok with controlled undead but not uncontrolled undead.
Why are you ok with undead?
Why must uncontrolled undead be dealt with?

Death:
You see death as a tool to be used for profit or necessity (just like most adventurers)
However it is strange that you are comfortable with your own mortality.
Why are you ok with the knowledge that you and everything you do will eventually be gone?

Resurrection:
Finally why are you ok with resurrection?