Fun Character Concepts

[SangoProduction]

I am now looking for a new character concept to play. I could care less about the class itself. I just need to have an idea for something to roleplay. Generally, it would seem that those with distinct mental deficiencies (only one at a time) end up being the most fun/spectacular for me. (And yet, when I try and play something like a previous character, I fail pretty miserably. IDK why, just doesn't seem to work as well.) Assuming a light-hearted/comedic setting.

So far, I've played a senile sniper, a multiple personality shadow dancer/sorcerer/shadow sworn (his personalities manifested as shadows, lol. was kinda fun), and the stereotypical dumb-as-rocks barbarian (really had to go overboard on playing the "dumb" part in order for it to be interesting, not sure if I like it).


Any other interesting deficiencies that could make a fun character?
EDIT: going to add a chart of the ideas I like the most, so I can roll for which one I will use.



Roll
Role


1-2
sheltered necromancer's child


3
Elan


4
Hillbilly Druid


5
Wizard Barbarian


6
Eugenics engineer druid


7-8
Rumor-reliant Bard/Elan variant


9-10
4th wall wrecking ball

[Doctor Awkward]

Something like this might be fun. (http://www.alderac.com/7thsea/resources/character_rinaldo.html)
You could even take Leadership and have both your main guy and his hyper competent sidekick. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HypercompetentSidekick)

[ComaVision]

A concept I want to play is a character that has been entirely sheltered from the world, and in adventuring is absolutely shocked at all the injustices. I'd want him to try to right every little wrong but at the same time have no concept of slavery, or theft (it's just borrowing isn't it?) until it's obvious or explained.

I'll probably do it with a boomerang halfling but that's just mechanical.

[SangoProduction]

Sounds absolutely hilarious. It'd be a tad difficult to make it actually work, due to the fact that D&D classes are extremely exceptional combatants, unless I intentionally fail my checks..but then the group might get annoyed at my intentional not helping.

[SangoProduction]

A concept I want to play is a character that has been entirely sheltered from the world, and in adventuring is absolutely shocked at all the injustices. I'd want him to try to right every little wrong but at the same time have no concept of slavery, or theft (it's just borrowing isn't it?) until it's obvious or explained.

I'll probably do it with a boomerang halfling but that's just mechanical.

that would work quite well...at least until he has to kill creatures for their packets of xp lol. Or, it could just be that he doesn't think of death as anything that bad. Maybe he grew up in a land of necromancers?

[Hiro Quester]

I've always thought it would be fun to play a totally charismatic but dumb as a box of nails "pretty boy" bard. All charm, but no substance, but with a well-meaning heart. He really wants to help his party, but often makes poor choices about how best to do so.

So basically Elan (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0004.html).

[tadkins]

I played a hillbilly druid for a couple levels a while back. He homebrewed his own booze inside hollowed-out trees and basically acted like your stereotypical redneck. Sadly it only lasted a couple games. Would love to try that again.

[Geddy2112]

1.Wizard barbarian. A once proud and highly intelligent wizard suffers head trauma after a freak accident. Waking from a coma a year later, the wizard can no longer read their spellbook, and RAGE ENSUES!

Wear armor, occasionally fail a spell, then go into a rage and beat people with things. Slowly remake your spellbook into a picture book using crayons; use stick figure levels of detail. Make copies of said spellbook on the back of placemats, random walls, and dead animals. Use knowledge checks to determine if monsters are edible, but eat them regardless.

2. Eugenics engineer druid. Optimize nature; grow every plant and animal you can find to epic proportions. Add spikes, poisons, photosynthesis, flight, scent etc. as applicable and needed. Buy a house in a city, and turn it into a beehive. Bioengineer bees to make houses for humanoids and produce potions over honey. When somebody asks "has science gone too far?" the answer is always no. Not until you have glowing sharks with laser eyes that can walk on land. Not until chickens have 34 wings, no head and secrete their own buffalo sauce/ranch dressing. Even then, keep going.

[ComaVision]

that would work quite well...at least until he has to kill creatures for their packets of xp lol. Or, it could just be that he doesn't think of death as anything that bad. Maybe he grew up in a land of necromancers?

That could be an interesting twist. He could view combat as a game and doesn't realise how significant death is.

[Karl Aegis]

I'm thinking of Don Quixote de la Mancha, but instead of fighting normally harmless and mundane things (and losing) and claiming he was fighting fantastic things nobody has seen for centuries he fights exotic things and claims they were just normal things. Fighting a group of bloodthirsty bugbears? Just some normal pilgrims. Fighting Shadow Giants? Just some windmills. Fighting a dragon ancient beyond the years of mortals? Just a random caravan.

[SangoProduction]

1.Wizard barbarian. A once proud and highly intelligent wizard suffers head trauma after a freak accident. Waking from a coma a year later, the wizard can no longer read their spellbook, and RAGE ENSUES!

Wear armor, occasionally fail a spell, then go into a rage and beat people with things. Slowly remake your spellbook into a picture book using crayons; use stick figure levels of detail. Make copies of said spellbook on the back of placemats, random walls, and dead animals. Use knowledge checks to determine if monsters are edible, but eat them regardless.

2. Eugenics engineer druid. Optimize nature; grow every plant and animal you can find to epic proportions. Add spikes, poisons, photosynthesis, flight, scent etc. as applicable and needed. Buy a house in a city, and turn it into a beehive. Bioengineer bees to make houses for humanoids and produce potions over honey. When somebody asks "has science gone too far?" the answer is always no. Not until you have glowing sharks with laser eyes that can walk on land. Not until chickens have 34 wings, no head and secrete their own buffalo sauce/ranch dressing. Even then, keep going.

I quite like those ideas.

[Ephemeral_Being]

Play a Bard with exactly one rank in each Knowledge skill, and act like you're an expert. No matter what the DM tells you as a result of your knowledge check, whether it's logical or not, insist that it's a fact. Try to convince the entire party to go along with your plans. Same with Spellcraft, and Sense Motive, and... basically anything related to intuition. Dump your mental stats to justify it.

Incredibly funny. It'll take a while for the party to catch on you have NO idea what you're talking about.

[Blackhawk748]

Im partial to playing a stealthy Tiefling and taking "Blacker than my Soul" to new heights. Black cloak, always have the lower half of your face covered, say little, always have 6 or 7 backup plans. Basically be super dark batman, just taken to almost comically levels.

For added points always have at least one X Bane Bolt for pretty much everything.

[mashlagoo1982]

I don't care how unoptimized it is, one idea which I have always wanted to play since a friend of mine mentioned it... the bardbarian.

I picture this character as a half-orc who wields an ax both as a weapon and musical instrument.
His face would be painted up black with a white skill.

Leadership is a must so he can have a back-up wizard for the lazer light show.

He would literally be in the spotlight all most all the time.

[BowStreetRunner]

Kleptomaniac Paladin.

[Vizzerdrix]

A druid who watches over a cerebrotic blot. Looking after the poor alien animals and plants that get swept through. Strange as they are, they are part of nature too (someplace anyways).

[SangoProduction]

A druid who watches over a cerebrotic blot. Looking after the poor alien animals and plants that get swept through. Strange as they are, they are part of nature too (someplace anyways).

Sounds like a plot hook for an NPC. Technically, character, but still, lol. Sounds intriguing though.

[Vizzerdrix]

I played it in a game once. It was a hoot trying to "save" the monsters from the party. Pro tip: If you have a sack foll of cockatrices, DO NOT look inside it!

[Lerondiel]

A concept I want to play is a character that has been entirely sheltered from the world, and in adventuring is absolutely shocked at all the injustices. I'd want him to try to right every little wrong but at the same time have no concept of slavery, or theft (it's just borrowing isn't it?) until it's obvious or explained.

I'll probably do it with a boomerang halfling but that's just mechanical.


A kid that's never been outside a monastery perhaps? Never seen crime, violence, women, money, communities, etc.. for playability he could be a sacred fist with a few vows?

[SangoProduction]

A kid that's never been outside a monastery perhaps? Never seen crime, violence, women, money, communities, etc.. for playability he could be a sacred fist with a few vows?

Yes, It's a possibility. However, not universally playable, as some people actually want combat. I could see something like a naive monk, who knows of combat and violence and what not. Not a pure person, but...ah! Something like Omi from Xiaolin Showdown. That fits quite perfectly.
I think the gimmick really doesn't have much longevity, either way really as it's hard to say that after a couple of weeks of adventuring, he's still naive.

[urokia]

A halfling that's super naive and doesn't understand the reality of danger. Everything is super happy go lucky.

"I know people get hurt, but it couldn't happen to me" As you walk through the bad part of town with a fat coinpurse.

*Strolling ahead* "Why would someone put traps in this dungeon, they weren't evil were they?" As you walk ahead of the party trapfinder.

"That war axe will barely nick me" As you stand your ground against a raging orc barbarian.

"I could survive that 200 foot fall" As you stand over... well... a 200 foot fall.

Assume everyone is super friendly and helpful. Never perform sense motive because everyone always tells the truth, especially you. Why lie?

Reroll when the party has hated you enough to kill you.

[SangoProduction]

A halfling that's super naive and doesn't understand the reality of danger. Everything is super happy go lucky.

"I know people get hurt, but it couldn't happen to me" As you walk through the bad part of town with a fat coinpurse.

*Strolling ahead* "Why would someone put traps in this dungeon, they weren't evil were they?" As you walk ahead of the party trapfinder.

"That war axe will barely nick me" As you stand your ground against a raging orc barbarian.

"I could survive that 200 foot fall" As you stand over... well... a 200 foot fall.

Assume everyone is super friendly and helpful. Never perform sense motive because everyone always tells the truth, especially you. Why lie?

Reroll when the party has hated you enough to kill you.

roflmao. So a slightly toned-down kinder. I think I was going overboard with the whole "completely naive" thing. Sounds like fun if you threw in nothing but luck feats. I still don't see someone staying that way once they've gotten their life nearly beaten out of them a couple times though. And, if you're doing things specifically counter to what your party is wanting, or just hogging the screen time, as such a character tends to do (because they wander off on their own), then it's not going to be fun for everyone.
Meh. I just don't find the concept interesting. That's just me. But thank you for allowing me to actually understand the concept.

[SangoProduction]

I played it in a game once. It was a hoot trying to "save" the monsters from the party. Pro tip: If you have a sack foll of cockatrices, DO NOT look inside it!

Who wants to be a Pokemon Master? Do we still get to catch them if we knock them out?

[Geddy2112]

Some other ideas based off famous people:

The paladin with a toxic personality, expy Gordon Ramsay. Be a jerk to NPC's, demand perfection in everything, swear and otherwise be flat out awful to be around. Assume everybody is incompetent, and patronize them at every opportunity. Since nobody knows what the hell they are doing, you naturally assume leadership. The goal of the concept is to be as intolerable as possible for as long as possible, then actually be a kind and caring person when the moment arises. You are looking for the reaction face from the other players when you drop a paladin ability, and they all realize you are lawful good.

The drug using journalist, expy Hunter S. Thompson. Get out your blender, make a mix using bard/druid/gunslinger (one, two or all 3) and season to taste with cocaine. Carry around writing equipment and a large amount of drugs at all times(minimum 2000 gold worth). Drop acid during critical roleplay moments, or in the heat of combat. Your character should be sober 0% of the time. Stock up on bags of holding and load them with useless nonsense. Why do you have 30 pounds of coconuts? Why not. Counter the absurdity of drug use and erratic behavior by being on a dead serious quest to understand the inner workings of society, or chronicle the story of X. Bonus points if you can convince your DM to give you the magical equivalent of a tape recorder, most of which is filled with incoherent ramblings and nonsense. If you are going the druid route with an animal companion, it must be an orangutang that you bought while on a bender. Give the orangutang an absurd backstory and treat him as if he had humanoid intelligence and personality.

The 4th wall destroyer, expy Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone. A fetchling shadow calling summoner is a good fit for pathfinder, but you could roleplay this with just about any class. By 2 sessions into the game, there should no longer be a 4th wall. Allude to the fact that the adventuring party is "just playing a game" and that their fate is merely a "throw of the dice and a tyrant with rules behind a cardboard screen". Talk about things that don't exist in the setting(cars, televisions), and make up some crazy backstory about dimensional travel, gods whatever to justify this. Be a writer, and pretend that you wrote every encounter and the future in advance. You simply dream up this adventure and somehow you are lost in your own mind. All other characters, NPC's and monsters are simply make believe of your creation. Juice knowledges so you can identify monsters, because you made them, right? You know everything about everything; so find creative and totally legitimate ways to metagame(bard using lore master to take 20's on knowledge?). Let the session get going, then have a few lines of prose to set the scene, ended by the sentence "The Twilight Zone". If done correctly, you will be the de facto DM of the campaign. Bonus points if you use "The Scary Door" from Futurama.

[SangoProduction]

good stuff


Funny ideas. I particularly like the last idea. Maybe even have your spell book be a spare copy of Demons and Daggers. I'll definitely add this one.

[jabberwocky9]

I played a Pious Knight, albeit back in 2nd edition. An actual class found in Demigod and Deities. Only fought against monsters, never humans since she was always trying to convert them to Christianity. She casted hold person on a Dwarf fighter for committing sins against humanity. She brought him to justice and court ensued where he was found guilty. Only because the Dwarf's final quote was "If the bitch didn't hold me, I would have killed them all!"

[Brendanicus]

A Warlock/Wizard/Ranger who's just seen too much. They are constantly paranoid (Justified or not) That the supernatural forces of the universe (Be it devils, demons, Mind Flayers, Ethergaunts, a particularly petty lich, fey, etc.) are out to get them. Spam Knowledge: The Planes/Arcana/Dungeoneering rolls at every opportunity whether or not you think it's relevant. Greet every NPC or loot with some degree of suspicion.

Very fun idea if you can find a way to keep it properly toned-down.

[SangoProduction]

A Warlock/Wizard/Ranger who's just seen too much. They are constantly paranoid (Justified or not) That the supernatural forces of the universe (Be it devils, demons, Mind Flayers, Ethergaunts, a particularly petty lich, fey, etc.) are out to get them. Spam Knowledge: The Planes/Arcana/Dungeoneering rolls at every opportunity whether or not you think it's relevant. Greet every NPC or loot with some degree of suspicion.

Very fun idea if you can find a way to keep it properly toned-down.

That has potential

[kaffalidjmah]

The "Lucky one"

Hafling sorcerer/fortune's friend (complete scoundrel)/fatestealer (races of the wild) with luck feat and the like. You just steal the luck of other people (read "your teammate") and use it to survive. Reroll everything. Just for the fun of doing it. And remember, only luck feat and spell known.

I played it once and is really funnny. Just remember that sometimes your luck run out :) i tried to insert the wild mage in the build but i can't find a way

[Manly Man]

Lizardfolk Druid who keeps a lot of her ancestors' personal belongings. Her grandmother's cookbook has a lot of recipes for dwarves, elves, humans, halflings, even orcs and such. She doesn't actually use them herself, but she'll recite them or make little quips about it to keep the party quiet when they start arguing, and also to scare off bullies or highwaymen. She's out cooking some stew for the party, and some hooligan comes up and takes a bite of it, then he says, "Not bad for swamp water. What's the meat?"

Then she smiles and tells him, "Does it not taste like pork?" and he tells her, "Yeah."

Her smile gets wider, and she says, "They say that the flesh of men is not unlike that of the pig."

Cue the vomit discretion shot.

It's actually just cheap bacon, but she doesn't have to deal with marauders interrupting her cooking.

[KillingAScarab]

So far, I've played... a multiple personality shadow dancer/sorcerer/shadow sworn (his personalities manifested as shadows, lol. was kinda fun)...Wow, I am quite familiar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=15033615&postcount=1) with the shadowsworn but never played it.

A Warlock/Wizard/Ranger who's just seen too much. They are constantly paranoid (Justified or not) That the supernatural forces of the universe (Be it devils, demons, Mind Flayers, Ethergaunts, a particularly petty lich, fey, etc.) are out to get them. Spam Knowledge: The Planes/Arcana/Dungeoneering rolls at every opportunity whether or not you think it's relevant. Greet every NPC or loot with some degree of suspicion.

Very fun idea if you can find a way to keep it properly toned-down.This concept sounds very similar to how the shadowsworn's fluff made the class out to be. I think the Ranger could also use Horizon Walker (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/horizonWalker.htm) if you need to justify paranoia for the planes at later levels. I'm not sure if it's better or worse in a Sanity campaign (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/sanity.htm).


A concept I want to play is a character that has been entirely sheltered from the world, and in adventuring is absolutely shocked at all the injustices. I'd want him to try to right every little wrong but at the same time have no concept of slavery, or theft (it's just borrowing isn't it?) until it's obvious or explained.This sounds like a Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric), to me. Doesn't have to be, just what comes to mind.


1.Wizard barbarian. A once proud and highly intelligent wizard suffers head trauma after a freak accident. Waking from a coma a year later, the wizard can no longer read their spellbook, and RAGE ENSUES!

Wear armor, occasionally fail a spell, then go into a rage and beat people with things. Slowly remake your spellbook into a picture book using crayons; use stick figure levels of detail. Make copies of said spellbook on the back of placemats, random walls, and dead animals. Use knowledge checks to determine if monsters are edible, but eat them regardless.Complete Warrior had the Rage Mage prestige class, though that could still cast while in a rage. I suppose the benefit to doing the rage or casting through fluff is that you get to choose a different balance. Also, you don't become illiterate when you take barbarian later... but you're free to play it that way. :smallsmile:


Lizardfolk Druid who keeps a lot of her ancestors' personal belongings. Her grandmother's cookbook has a lot of recipes for dwarves, elves, humans, halflings, even orcs and such. She doesn't actually use them herself, but she'll recite them or make little quips about it to keep the party quiet when they start arguing, and also to scare off bullies or highwaymen.Hmm.. eventually the DM will call your bluff, it seems to me. There might be some other good devices you could get out of this, though. For instance, how many of the ancestors died to adventurers not unlike the band you're going around with? If you can cooperate with another player, maybe your backstories could intertwine and you could have constant physical reminders of that around.

[atemu1234]

I once had an Elf Bard who would run at the sight of bodily fluids, and had problems with nudity as well. The character was interesting, but marginally useless.

[YossarianLives]

I've always wanted to play a extremely cowardly paladin.

[Zubrowka74]

I've always wanted to play a extremely cowardly paladin.

Norin the Wary, anyone?

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=113512&type=card