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sage20500
2015-07-02, 10:46 PM
Hey guys, about to get into a 4e game with some friends where I'll be playing the groups resident tank, and I decided to go with a hybrid battlemind/paladin combo since at the moment we're lacking a controller and this way I'll be able to both defend as well as provide some hard cc for my group. My question is that I'm playing a Lawful Good Tiefling Paladin/Battlemind whos patron diety was Asmodeus.

Her backstory is supposed to be that she was blindly serving as an enforcer for Asmodeus until finally one day she was forced to kill a group of innocent people and "woke up" so to say as she began to start having doubts as to what she was doing. Soon after that she met an older member of the Crimson Legion who helped show her that what she was doing wrong and set her on the path of trying to find redemption. Now she's working as a exorcist against the forces of Asmodeus while also picking up contracts for mercenary and body guard work on the side.

My big question is that she still remembers most of the training she had before she was set straight, so how would you guys suggest going about as a Lawful Good character who is trying to redeem herself from her past and help restore hope to others by doing good deeds, but is also still used to doing things the way she was trained before she turned. (I'm having her pick up the power of tyrany feat because it goes pretty well with the fact that all of her daily's and most of her encounter powers do some from of a lockdown effect. She specilizes in imbolizing, restraining, dazing, and stunning those who go against her.) Also what might you suggest as theme/battle music for that kind of character?

denthor
2015-07-02, 11:10 PM
First thought start as Lawful Nuetral and work to good no Paladin to start after all in real life this where you would start and make all decisions with the final goal in mind.

Rolling stones Sympathy for the Devil to start or the devil went down to Goergia by the charlie daniels band

sage20500
2015-07-02, 11:17 PM
First thought start as Lawful Nuetral and work to good no Paladin to start after all in real life this where you would start and make all decisions with the final goal in mind.

Rolling stones Sympathy for the Devil to start or the devil went down to Goergia by the charlie daniels band

I guess I can start from there, but how would you go about acting that in character. The idea is for her to try and work her way towards redemption, but she spent most of her life following the teachings of Asmodeus and being an enforcer for him.... I can see that she'd probably wouldn't mind duking it out with bad guys and bringing down the hammer upon them, but what about when dealing with non combatants or civilians. The only time I've ever done a semi evil character before was when I played a distant and detached sniper assassin. Any references to characters that I could look at to see how this kind of character might play out?

denthor
2015-07-02, 11:34 PM
You have chosen a very difficult character to play. Your Choices Will decide if you are good or bad.

Let the situations make the character, work with you DM to determine, if you are acting in a good or evil way, go out of your way to make amends for past wrongs chose the weaker side and stand against all evil not just the big A.

Find a NPC who is good and of a good church to be your Jimmy Cricket or conscience.

I have been role playing for 20 plus years and I would have a hard time with this concept.

So many players just want it to happen in their favor.

I always tell this story about someone on line running a paladin and saying this was a good act.


My party went to lowest level of a prison the stairs were trapped and I was low on hit points.

We unlocked the cells and allowed the prisoners out.
they ran up the stairs since I did not want to trip the traps myself. I gave them no warning They exploded got burned frozen I climbed safe and sound.

He claimed that was Lawful and Good

Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?

sage20500
2015-07-02, 11:46 PM
You have chosen a very difficult character to play. Your Choices Will decide if you are good or bad.

Let the situations make the character, work with you DM to determine, if you are acting in a good or evil way, go out of your way to make amends for past wrongs chose the weaker side and stand against all evil not just the big A.

Find a NPC who is good and of a good church to be your Jimmy Cricket or conscience.

I have been role playing for 20 plus years and I would have a hard time with this concept.

So many players just want it to happen in their favor.

I always tell this story about someone on line running a paladin and saying this was a good act.


My party went to lowest level of a prison the stairs were trapped and I was low on hit points.

We unlocked the cells and allowed the prisoners out.
they ran up the stairs since I did not want to trip the traps myself. I gave them no warning They exploded got burned frozen I climbed safe and sound.

He claimed that was Lawful and Good

Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?

That act that definently was not good, though it could be considered lawful depending on what the prisoners themselves were in for and what the party was doing at the time. If by sacrificing the prisoners they were able to stop something worse from happening and their death's were not in vain, then the paladin did what was needed to be done.

sage20500
2015-07-03, 02:13 AM
So I think I have a better idea for how I'm going to do this. I'm thinking about having her opperate as a Judge Dredd flavored character, one that tries her best to do what is right for the greater good, but the only way she knows how to do so is through force. When she encounters enemies, she will give them the option to surrender, but if they refuse to do so, then she will use lethal force up until the point that they are dead, incapcitated, or ready to surrender unconditionally. She would rather take enemies alive in order to interogate them for information, which is why almost every single one of her powers will immobolize, daze, stun, or restrain her foes, but she also will act in the capacity of the law that she has been given, which as a marshal will be to act as judge, jury, and if need be, executioner while out in the field. While I don't see her reacting all that much to any sort of petty crimes, anything that she comes across which could be considered a felony will catch her attention and she will hunt down and pass judgement onto the guilty.

Her primary mission and goals will tend to gravitate towards investigating, dismantling, and eradicating any and all groups of devil or demon worshipers that she hears whispers of, a task that she will take on with extreme prejudice, and any devils or demons that she encounters will be terminated as soon as she is physically able to, with her ultimate goal will most likely be to eradicate every devil and demon from the face of the planet before taking her place at the gates of the nine hells, to become a warden that will never let them escape from their prison.

As for theme music, at the moment i'm running the mega city one theme from Dredd since it fits the personality that I'm now seeing with this character. I'm seeing her as a reserved type of girl, one who is normally quiet when not intereaction with others, though she possesses a spirit and will of unbreakable steel. In battle is where her personality will shine, because once the enemy has chosen to resist, she will take them down with a ruthless and tempered efficiency, shrugging off her opponents blows as if they're nothing while she focusses on disabling, maiming, or killing them in the most procise way she can. Anyone else have any other suggestions for the good is not nice/stoic type character?

VincentTakeda
2015-07-03, 03:49 AM
I'm a fan of Tommy Lee Jones in the Fugitive...

I'm innocent!
I don't care!

I thought you didnt care?
Don't tell anybody.

But you're right. Judge Dredd is exactly what I think about when I'm thinking 'Lawful Neutral is forced to figure out the difference between what he does and what Lawful Good does, and attempts to make a change.' If Asmodeus is Lawful Evil then Judge Dredd is halfway there on the journey from that to Lawful Good.

Vitruviansquid
2015-07-03, 03:50 AM
Here is an alternate take on what your character could be:

It is in my experience that people who convert to something are wayyyyy more enthusiastic about it than people who were born to it. I would play the character as attempting to be so good and so lawful as to be sickeningly orthodox even to other lawful good types. You'd be the kind of character who always picks up other people's litter, tries to give clearly chaotic evil enemies a stern lecture sometimes, never jaywalks even if the streets are built horribly, and so on. You know, the type of characters others would call "boy scout," except you're not male. Except every so often, your actual inexperience at being lawful good means you slip up, and you do some hardcore, evil, Judge Dredd stuff.

Also, you've got the Paladin angle down, but it feels like the Battlemind bit is tacked on. How has having literal psychic powers shaped your life and views and behaviors?