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Otto-Sieve
2007-08-12, 06:40 PM
I'm playing an evil dwarven Rogue, and i was wondering if you people could help me make a RP style and personality that was unique and isn't a cliche'.

( What i mean is, I don't want a tasslehoff burrfoot, with an evil streak , no cliches, something original. I don't want any rogue cliches, like kleptomania, but he worships the dwarven god of greed, so it's going to be hard.)

Any comments opinions, or suggestions would be appreciated.
And for anybody who answers, thank you for your time.

ArmorArmadillo
2007-08-12, 07:11 PM
I'm playing an evil dwarven Rogue, and i was wondering if you people could help me make a RP style and personality that was unique and isn't a cliche'.

( What i mean is, I don't want a tasslehoff burrfoot, with an evil streak , no cliches, something original. I don't want any rogue cliches, like kleptomania, but he worships the dwarven god of greed, so it's going to be hard.)

Any comments opinions, or suggestions would be appreciated.
And for anybody who answers, thank you for your time.

To avoid cliches: Don't be a thief and don't be stealthy.

That said: Focus on being versatile and skillful; emphasize your "jackness," be kind of arrogant.
"Need something done?"
"Haven't done it before, but I've seen it enough time."
"Can't be too hard, I can do that."

As for the greed? Be greedy, but don't be Haley. Don't go crazy at the sight of gold, and don't constantly try to stiff the rest of the party, but try to emphasize how things benefit you over others.


Or...be selfish and a cheat, but don't be sneaky about it. Be loud and arrogant about your greed and stiffing of others. "Hey, possession is 9/10ths of the law, and I could care less about the law anyways."

Lemur
2007-08-12, 07:11 PM
Reading this I thought of Scrooge McDuck (especially earlier versions of him), the quintessential greedy miser who loves adventuring. Unlike a lot of rogues, you'd have your own work ethic- not focused on stealing from others so much as finding treasure, and gaining wealth through (shady) business deals. Also, I think a complete contempt for those without wealth would fit such a character well. I don't know if that qualifies as cliche or not in your book- there may be characters like him, but they're not very common.

BCOVertigo
2007-08-12, 07:30 PM
Avoiding cliches is so cliche....

Sorry but I couldn't help it. :smallbiggrin: I have actually done some thinking on this matter and came to the conclusion that if you are avoiding them for no reason other than not wanting to be cliche, what's the point in avoiding them at all?

Wanting to make a character that is your own is one thing but wanting to make a character that is unlike other peoples makes very little sense. What's the real problem with a cliche as long as you have fun with it? Does it diminish your enjoyment? Probably not, and it isn't as though you lose anything by modeling your character after one you read about or saw.

Honestly the reason things become cliche is because they work, the only reason to avoid them at all is if they cause monotony and even then old concepts can be given a new twist and revitalized much easier than creating an entirely new one.

And finally, nothing any of us think up will really be completely new. That I can assure you of.


As for the greed? Be greedy, but don't be Haley. Don't go crazy at the sight of gold, and don't constantly try to stiff the rest of the party, but try to emphasize how things benefit you over others.

I think Haley is a good example of what I'm talking about, Rich took the most basic rogue cliche (gold mongering jerk) and gave it a twist that made a unique character (she hordes gold because her father is imprisoned and she needs a huge sum to buy his freedom or something like that).

I guess what I'm saying is a cliche without depth behind it is stupid, but adding depth to it makes a good character despite it being cliche.

sophosbarbaros
2007-08-12, 08:04 PM
you could also make use of a bluff skill to flesh out your greed,

like haley and the stones from the throne room
or better than that, loot rooms and corpses leaving some behind, then divide that with the party, then when you go back to town you pay for the rooms and food and drink, other chars think yours is a generous and helpful fellow and are willing to pick up the tab other times when in fact your pockets are being lined much better than theirs on the average dungeon crawl.

Of course that does require some OOC work with other players, but as long as they are having fun and don't think you are taking advantage of your char idea to much I have found that a good group can make it a very fun party dynamic

Otto-Sieve
2007-08-12, 08:16 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. :smallsmile:

dr.cello
2007-08-12, 08:42 PM
An evil dwarf rogue. What I'm thinking offhand is dwarves aren't usually thieves. I envision evil/shady dwarves more as shady merchants--they'll lie to you, try to sell you lead as if it was gold. Never think about other people. You can pretend to be altruistic, but the idea should be somewhat foreign to you. Ultimately it's all about what you want.

You won't be a stealthy scout, as that's all about risking yourself for someone else's gain. You should use your skills at stealth primarily to give yourself an (unfair) advantage.

Mike_Lemmer
2007-08-12, 09:26 PM
Think of your party as your clan. Don't do anything against your "clan"; everything else is fair game.

Jothki
2007-08-12, 10:44 PM
Everything that you can take, belongs to you. You don't actually need to take anything if you won't need it, and taking things just because you can would show a lack of faith in your own ability.

If you can take something but don't, its owner is just using it with your passive consent. You're fine with that, but if they try to prevent you from using it they'll have to answer to you. If they try to prevent you from taking it by locking it up, remove the lock. If you can't remove the lock, stab the owner and take his key, and use it to remove the lock. If someone actually steals one of your possessions, whether you actually are using it at the moment, there will be hell to pay.