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Prince Zahn
2017-03-22, 03:59 AM
I have two characters currently in the works, which I find might be contrasting one another.

One is a Pathfinder witch who's very cheery and sunny but with very disturbing secrets. My problem is that I don't know how I would go about roleplaying her, how she would speak, i didn't think much of mannerisms and the like, although I feel like I need a little more than just a character sheet, a backstory and a premise.

And the other is a D&D 5e NPC for an adventure I'll DM for, very mysterious and cryptic. She may or may not have good intentions, but that doesn't mean that she should be trusted one bit. In fact, I don't want my players to trust her, or at least, not fully - what I mean is that ideally, the players won't know whether to trust her or not. I'm still designing her, i had a description in mind for her that, after consulting with a friend, he told me was overdoing it, and would probably steer my characters to much in a particular direction.

So, my questions are:

what could I enhance the first character with, that would make her more Compelling?
where does one typically draw the line between a dubious character and a clearly untrustworthy one, and how do i pull off the former, or, at the very least, do the latter tastefully?

Harhoult
2017-03-22, 09:56 AM
At the end if the day, you should roleplay what you're comfortable with. You do you, and all that.
Now with the disclaimer out of the way, to your questions!
1) I would channel my inner olde-country grandma. Mild Southern or British accent, lots of cheery "Oh, you'll be just fine dearie, we'll have you right as rain" sort of indeering talk. Try to have a few innocent quirks that key of your "dark secrets". Drowned a child once? Fawn over them now, pinch their cheeks, and ask if they're a strong swimmer. Pacts with dark entities? Always refer to your self in plural, and if anyone around you has made a promise or contract, badger them with questions "for their own good".

2) I draw the line at things that are detremental to the party function. Say, not flanking, or not scouting, or wandering off in dangerous areas to cultivate suspicions will get on IC and OOC nerves.
A good way to get the players suspicious of you is have your character act suspicious of them. Mildly of course, almost as a habit. Things like not expecting help and being off-putting when you get it, making loot distribution clear-cut in advance, being thin on personal details, that sort of thing.
You'll want to avoid negatively impacting the party of course. Instead, try things that are a net gain for them, but are still odd. For example: first time anyone hands out Cure Light Wounds or equivalent, just stare blankly at them as you quaff a potion instead. You'd want to only do that once or twice for cost reasons, of course. Or, double-check the work of others: check over traps they've disarmed, chests they've emptied, foes they've slain, as if they might be trying to pull a fast one somehow.

Hope that helps; if not, see previous disclaimer.

Mordar
2017-03-22, 12:09 PM
I have two characters currently in the works, which I find might be contrasting one another.

One is a Pathfinder witch who's very cheery and sunny but with very disturbing secrets. My problem is that I don't know how I would go about roleplaying her, how she would speak, i didn't think much of mannerisms and the like, although I feel like I need a little more than just a character sheet, a backstory and a premise.

And the other is a D&D 5e NPC for an adventure I'll DM for, very mysterious and cryptic. She may or may not have good intentions, but that doesn't mean that she should be trusted one bit. In fact, I don't want my players to trust her, or at least, not fully - what I mean is that ideally, the players won't know whether to trust her or not. I'm still designing her, i had a description in mind for her that, after consulting with a friend, he told me was overdoing it, and would probably steer my characters to much in a particular direction.

So, my questions are:

what could I enhance the first character with, that would make her more Compelling?
where does one typically draw the line between a dubious character and a clearly untrustworthy one, and how do i pull off the former, or, at the very least, do the latter tastefully?


Do you mean "disturbing secrets" like she has done/does bad things on a regular basis and wants to continue doing them, or that she knows dark and disturbing things and the cheerfulness is a veneer covering her sad disposition? If the first, think Dolores Umbridge with a little less obviousness...if the second, I think it is all about showing her manner when she isn't speaking (brooding, disconnected, wistful) and how it is contrasted by her appearance when she is actively speaking/acting her part.

Dubious vs. Untrustworthy...hrm. Well, I guess it comes down to "money talks, BS walks". To just be dubious I think the character must accomplish things that assist the other characters but perhaps not in the manner or method they would most prefer, and with some elements that assist the dubious character first and foremost. Have them interact with shady (however the party views that) types, but not known or established enemies of the party. But have them be useful and reasonably (but not completely) effective. Plant a seed of doubt but do not tend it.

For untrustworthy (assuming you don't mean unreliable)...well, have them be too effective and too overt in trying to earn the players trust while also allowing them to be seen as not working in the party's best interest. Plant a seed of doubt and keep watering and weeding it. But make them useful enough that it would be a loss to the party to just cut them loose.

- M

Stryyke
2017-03-22, 12:13 PM
Ironically, I just encountered a character like #1. It was in a video game, actually. Tales of Berseria. Go watch an LP of it on youtube. Focus on the character Magilou. Should be a way to get some good material.

Calthropstu
2017-03-22, 05:31 PM
I have two characters currently in the works, which I find might be contrasting one another.

One is a Pathfinder witch who's very cheery and sunny but with very disturbing secrets. My problem is that I don't know how I would go about roleplaying her, how she would speak, i didn't think much of mannerisms and the like, although I feel like I need a little more than just a character sheet, a backstory and a premise.

And the other is a D&D 5e NPC for an adventure I'll DM for, very mysterious and cryptic. She may or may not have good intentions, but that doesn't mean that she should be trusted one bit. In fact, I don't want my players to trust her, or at least, not fully - what I mean is that ideally, the players won't know whether to trust her or not. I'm still designing her, i had a description in mind for her that, after consulting with a friend, he told me was overdoing it, and would probably steer my characters to much in a particular direction.

So, my questions are:

what could I enhance the first character with, that would make her more Compelling?
where does one typically draw the line between a dubious character and a clearly untrustworthy one, and how do i pull off the former, or, at the very least, do the latter tastefully?


1: Have her be bright and cheerful. Say hello to everyone you meet, wish everyone a good day... but every once in a while, just stare off into space, deep in thought with an almost melancholy expression. And when someone asks you what is bothering you, give some inane excuse like "I was wondering why the wolf in the three little pigs story had to die."

2: There's a few good ways to go about it. One is to have her act normal most of the time, but every once in a while she disappears for a few minutes. Another is to have her appear to the party under fairly suspicious circumstances. Another is to have her be a race that evokes suspicion on its own. Another is to have the PCs catch a glimpse of her talking... with no one else around.

Prince Zahn
2017-03-27, 05:21 PM
I'll address the different characters by separating them in the quotes:

At the end if the day, you should roleplay what you're comfortable with. You do you, and all that.
Now with the disclaimer out of the way, to your questions!
1) I would channel my inner olde-country grandma. Mild Southern or British accent, lots of cheery "Oh, you'll be just fine dearie, we'll have you right as rain" sort of indeering talk. Try to have a few innocent quirks that key of your "dark secrets". Drowned a child once? Fawn over them now, pinch their cheeks, and ask if they're a strong swimmer. Pacts with dark entities? Always refer to your self in plural, and if anyone around you has made a promise or contract, badger them with questions "for their own good".how did you know? Yes, she drowned her sister, but not before stabbing her with a knife first. She was under the influence, so to speak. I Started to do the whole "channel my inner Olde country grandma" today at our first session. Not too shabby, but I need to refine it.


Do you mean "disturbing secrets" like she has done/does bad things on a regular basis and wants to continue doing them, or that she knows dark and disturbing things and the cheerfulness is a veneer covering her sad disposition? If the first, think Dolores Umbridge with a little less obviousness...if the second, I think it is all about showing her manner when she isn't speaking (brooding, disconnected, wistful) and how it is contrasted by her appearance when she is actively speaking/acting her part. well, it started with a one and done, but over time, there's a little voice in her head telling her to do bad things, and she might just start to listen to it eventually.


Ironically, I just encountered a character like #1. It was in a video game, actually. Tales of Berseria. Go watch an LP of it on youtube. Focus on the character Magilou. Should be a way to get some good material. I'll give it a look, sure!


1: Have her be bright and cheerful. Say hello to everyone you meet, wish everyone a good day... but every once in a while, just stare off into space, deep in thought with an almost melancholy expression. And when someone asks you what is bothering you, give some inane excuse like "I was wondering why the wolf in the three little pigs story had to die." I do like this, I'll try it next session!


2) I draw the line at things that are detremental to the party function. Say, not flanking, or not scouting, or wandering off in dangerous areas to cultivate suspicions will get on IC and OOC nerves.
A good way to get the players suspicious of you is have your character act suspicious of them. Mildly of course, almost as a habit. Things like not expecting help and being off-putting when you get it, making loot distribution clear-cut in advance, being thin on personal details, that sort of thing.
You'll want to avoid negatively impacting the party of course. Instead, try things that are a net gain for them, but are still odd. For example: first time anyone hands out Cure Light Wounds or equivalent, just stare blankly at them as you quaff a potion instead. You'd want to only do that once or twice for cost reasons, of course. Or, double-check the work of others: check over traps they've disarmed, chests they've emptied, foes they've slain, as if they might be trying to pull a fast one somehow.

Hope that helps; if not, see previous disclaimer.ahem, *cough* this NPC isn't joining the party. She should, however, keep the plot moving forward, whether the party trusts her or not.




Dubious vs. Untrustworthy...hrm. Well, I guess it comes down to "money talks, BS walks". To just be dubious I think the character must accomplish things that assist the other characters but perhaps not in the manner or method they would most prefer, and with some elements that assist the dubious character first and foremost. Have them interact with shady (however the party views that) types, but not known or established enemies of the party. But have them be useful and reasonably (but not completely) effective. Plant a seed of doubt but do not tend it.

For untrustworthy (assuming you don't mean unreliable)...well, have them be too effective and too overt in trying to earn the players trust while also allowing them to be seen as not working in the party's best interest. Plant a seed of doubt and keep watering and weeding it. But make them useful enough that it would be a loss to the party to just cut them loose.

- Minteresting. Could you elaborate further on that? Or perhaps provide an example or two? It would help very much!


2: There's a few good ways to go about it. One is to have her act normal most of the time, but every once in a while she disappears for a few minutes. Another is to have her appear to the party under fairly suspicious circumstances. Another is to have her be a race that evokes suspicion on its own. Another is to have the PCs catch a glimpse of her talking... with no one else around.
She wears rags that conceal everything but her palms and her eyes. Her race will remain a mystery. She is, Essentially, the personification of fate. So she appears when it is most opportune.

Mordar
2017-03-27, 06:03 PM
Dubious vs. Untrustworthy...hrm. Well, I guess it comes down to "money talks, BS walks". To just be dubious I think the character must accomplish things that assist the other characters but perhaps not in the manner or method they would most prefer, and with some elements that assist the dubious character first and foremost. Have them interact with shady (however the party views that) types, but not known or established enemies of the party. But have them be useful and reasonably (but not completely) effective. Plant a seed of doubt but do not tend it.

For untrustworthy (assuming you don't mean unreliable)...well, have them be too effective and too overt in trying to earn the players trust while also allowing them to be seen as not working in the party's best interest. Plant a seed of doubt and keep watering and weeding it. But make them useful enough that it would be a loss to the party to just cut them loose.

- M


interesting. Could you elaborate further on that? Or perhaps provide an example or two? It would help very much!

I'm not sure which part you wanted expanded, so I'll try to do both :smallwink:

Dubious: A group of Do-Gooders are commissioned by the king to get his daughter out of a dangerous city - it turns out a rival country has sent kidnappers to snatch her up, and the king can't send the army to fetch her because it would cause an international incident. The PCs find the daughter but can't just prance out the front door. This leads to them needing the help of the dubious NPC. Dubious uses underworld connections to help get the princess safely out of town through an old smuggling tunnel, but it costs. So, the big BAD guys are thwarted but the little bad guys got paid off, so the Do-Gooders aren't thrilled...but what needed to get done got done. Sure, it cost 25% of their reward...and one might wonder how Dubious knew these smugglers in the first place.

Untrustworthy: Same story as above...but the PCs see Untrustworthy talking to a local "spice merchant" and receiving money. During the escape he talks about how much effort/credit/money he had to expend to help the party get through this tunnel, but its all worth it to be part of the group. A while later (days or weeks?) there's another incident where Untrustworthy shows up with a fancy new [insert item here] just after a diplomatic incident mars the reputation of the good king. But the very next day, Untrustworthy is in the right place at the right time to stop thieves from making off with the party's horses. Oh, and he knows the perfect guy to buy those old scrolls...

To steal from Game of Thrones...it is Varys vs. Littlefinger, or maybe Davros vs. Cersei.

That help any?

- M

Herobizkit
2017-03-28, 09:55 PM
For the sunny, cheerful Pathfinder, may I suggest Willow from s1-3 of Buffy? She's excited and studious and eager to learn all she can about things, but each "door" she opens gets her closer to the One That Should Not Be Opened and, well...