Which Character is Worst, and Which is Best?

[the_brazenburn]

As you may or may not know, me and Ivor_the_Mad run intentionally ridiculous campaigns which often include many crazy characters. The links are below.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?540101-Ivor-and-Brazenbuns-Curse-of-Strahd-Farce

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?549120-Brazenburn-and-Ivor-s-Atlantis-Debacle

Our latest one will be ending soon, and it has been a somewhat toxic one. I'm a little worried about what characters to keep for the next session, and which to remove.

That brings me to my question. Out of all the characters I've mentioned, which one would you most want in your party, and which would you least want?

[the_brazenburn]

For those who don't want to read through both guides, I'll sum up the characters here.

Lóng Quán (campaign 1): A LN human monk. Though he is wise and sensible, he is often discouraging of attempts to do things that aren't exactly correct, legally. He can also inflexible in his thinking.

Avery (campaign 1): A CN high elf rogue. Chaotic to the extreme, Avery is cowardly and often runs away from fights, yet he is a free spirit that will help anybody with their attempts to do anything, whether it benefits him or not.

Borovik (campaign 1): A NG human druid. Borovik has few flaws, but is pretty much incompetent. Though he doesn't do much of anything evil, he also doesn't do anything good.

Thokk (campaigns 1 and 2): A CG half-orc barbarian. Thokk's personality is nearly impossible to explain, yet he/she/it is always helpful in a fight, even if he/she/it is unable to focus on anything serious for more than a minute.

Lazam (campaign 2): A N halfling bard. Lazam is friendly to most people and is a very skilled negotiator, but is also overbearing and can be excessively cruel to those that he dislikes.

Erdan (campaign 2): A CG (but plays like a CN) sea elf rogue. Erdan is among the most accomplished thieves in Waterdeep, but is a kleptomaniac who "practices" his skills on his fellow party members.

Lorax (campaign 2): A NG firbolg cleric. Quiet and introspective, Lorax does not offer much help to his friends, though he is not as antagonistic as Erdan or Lazam, or as crazy as Thokk or Vargach.

Vargach (campaign 2): A N lizardfolk wizard. Vargach is nearly as quirky as Avery, eating every scrap of flesh she comes across. Vargach is also perennially pregnant, and has no qualms about sacrificing her children to beings of immense power.

[ZorroGames]

Best is a combination of most fun and you play effectively enough the party does hold it’s breath when it is your turn.

Worst is the one who tells other characters what spells they should be using, dominates the game ti his play atyle, and does things by choice that push orher players off the stage.

[the_brazenburn]

Best is a combination of most fun and you play effectively enough the party does hold it’s breath when it is your turn.

Worst is the one who tells other characters what spells they should be using, dominates the game ti his play atyle, and does things by choice that push orher players off the stage.

So, specific to characters?

[Easy_Lee]

Chaotic to the extreme, Avery is cowardly and often runs away from fights

I absolutely would not keep this character. Running away from fights when the rest of the group does not is unacceptable, in my opinion. And my experience with chaotic characters has been inconsistent (see what I did there?), but I've found that many players trying to play "chaotically" simply do whatever random crap they think of without regard for the rest of the party.

In short, nothing about this character makes me think it would be fun to have in my party.

[ZorroGames]

So, specific to characters?

I will not try to decipher which is most or least fun to you. You can apply the principles I mentioned or ignore my post.

Though that coward better have really good redeeming quality...

[the_brazenburn]

I will not try to decipher which is most or least fun to you. You can apply the principles I mentioned or ignore my post.

Though that coward better have really good redeeming quality...

I was using "best and worst" as shorthand for "would most like or least like in your party". Apologies for any confusion.

[ZorroGames]

For those who don't want to read through both guides, I'll sum up the characters here.

Lóng Quán (campaign 1): A LN human monk. Though he is wise and sensible, he is often discouraging of attempts to do things that aren't exactly correct, legally. He can also inflexible in his thinking. Keep

Avery (campaign 1): A CN high elf rogue. Chaotic to the extreme, Avery is cowardly and often runs away from fights, yet he is a free spirit that will help anybody with their attempts to do anything, whether it benefits him or not. Lose

Borovik (campaign 1): A NG human druid. Borovik has few flaws, but is pretty much incompetent. Though he doesn't do much of anything evil, he also doesn't do anything good. Keep I guess

Thokk (campaigns 1 and 2): A CG half-orc barbarian. Thokk's personality is nearly impossible to explain, yet he/she/it is always helpful in a fight, even if he/she/it is unable to focus on anything serious for more than a minute. Keep

Lazam (campaign 2): A N halfling bard. Lazam is friendly to most people and is a very skilled negotiator, but is also overbearing and can be excessively cruel to those that he dislikes. Quite the mixed bag

Erdan (campaign 2): A CG (but plays like a CN) sea elf rogue. Erdan is among the most accomplished thieves in Waterdeep, but is a kleptomaniac who "practices" his skills on his fellow party members. Lose

Lorax (campaign 2): A NG firbolg cleric. Quiet and introspective, Lorax does not offer much help to his friends, though he is not as antagonistic as Erdan or Lazam, or as crazy as Thokk or Vargach. Keep

Vargach (campaign 2): A N lizardfolk wizard. Vargach is nearly as quirky as Avery, eating every scrap of flesh she comes across. Vargach is also perennially pregnant, and has no qualms about sacrificing her children to beings of immense power.
Lose

My thoughts.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

Brazenburn you forgot to mention that Lazam loves to take control of the other players and get them to do his bidding. As DM I like to stay un bias but there are a few characters who piss me of regularly. I, In most situations, do not mind a bit of chaos and fun in my campaigns but often wish some of the more "odd" or "random" Players would take my game more seriously.

[strangebloke]

For those who don't want to read through both guides, I'll sum up the characters here.

Lóng Quán (campaign 1): A LN human monk. Though he is wise and sensible, he is often discouraging of attempts to do things that aren't exactly correct, legally. He can also inflexible in his thinking. He's fine.

Avery (campaign 1): A CN high elf rogue. Chaotic to the extreme, Avery is cowardly and often runs away from fights, yet he is a free spirit that will help anybody with their attempts to do anything, whether it benefits him or not.Why is this person an adventurer, and who would trust him as a companion?

Borovik (campaign 1): A NG human druid. Borovik has few flaws, but is pretty much incompetent. Though he doesn't do much of anything evil, he also doesn't do anything good.NG, but does more evil than good? Pass

Thokk (campaigns 1 and 2): A CG half-orc barbarian. Thokk's personality is nearly impossible to explain, yet he/she/it is always helpful in a fight, even if he/she/it is unable to focus on anything serious for more than a minute.Fine. Maybe bad for some games but fine.

Lazam (campaign 2): A N halfling bard. Lazam is friendly to most people and is a very skilled negotiator, but is also overbearing and can be excessively cruel to those that he dislikes.We all know that you're CE. Hard Pass.

Erdan (campaign 2): A CG (but plays like a CN) sea elf rogue. Erdan is among the most accomplished thieves in Waterdeep, but is a kleptomaniac who "practices" his skills on his fellow party members.Does he give the stuff back? If so, fine, otherwise, Hard Pass.

Lorax (campaign 2): A NG firbolg cleric. Quiet and introspective, Lorax does not offer much help to his friends, though he is not as antagonistic as Erdan or Lazam, or as crazy as Thokk or Vargach.Given his party members, his behavior is understandable.

Vargach (campaign 2): A N lizardfolk wizard. Vargach is nearly as quirky as Avery, eating every scrap of flesh she comes across. Vargach is also perennially pregnant, and has no qualms about sacrificing her children to beings of immense power.For your campaign, this character is optimized. And I hate her.

My thoughts, good sir.

[GlenSmash!]

I absolutely would not keep this character. Running away from fights when the rest of the group does not is unacceptable, in my opinion. And my experience with chaotic characters has been inconsistent (see what I did there?), but I've found that many players trying to play "chaotically" simply do whatever random crap they think of without regard for the rest of the party.

In short, nothing about this character makes me think it would be fun to have in my party.

I've had a player that had a cowardly flaw in his background. He could have used that as an excuse to run away from fights, but that would just make it terribly un-fun for the table.

Instead he described his actions and attacks as terrified and panicky. His role playing was great, and he contributed to the success and fun of the group.

[Beelzebubba]

Lose every Chaotic character but Thokk.

[MaxWilson]

For those who don't want to read through both guides, I'll sum up the characters here.

Lóng Quán (campaign 1): A LN human monk. Though he is wise and sensible, he is often discouraging of attempts to do things that aren't exactly correct, legally. He can also inflexible in his thinking.

Avery (campaign 1): A CN high elf rogue. Chaotic to the extreme, Avery is cowardly and often runs away from fights, yet he is a free spirit that will help anybody with their attempts to do anything, whether it benefits him or not.

Borovik (campaign 1): A NG human druid. Borovik has few flaws, but is pretty much incompetent. Though he doesn't do much of anything evil, he also doesn't do anything good.

Thokk (campaigns 1 and 2): A CG half-orc barbarian. Thokk's personality is nearly impossible to explain, yet he/she/it is always helpful in a fight, even if he/she/it is unable to focus on anything serious for more than a minute.

Lazam (campaign 2): A N halfling bard. Lazam is friendly to most people and is a very skilled negotiator, but is also overbearing and can be excessively cruel to those that he dislikes.

Erdan (campaign 2): A CG (but plays like a CN) sea elf rogue. Erdan is among the most accomplished thieves in Waterdeep, but is a kleptomaniac who "practices" his skills on his fellow party members.

Lorax (campaign 2): A NG firbolg cleric. Quiet and introspective, Lorax does not offer much help to his friends, though he is not as antagonistic as Erdan or Lazam, or as crazy as Thokk or Vargach.

Vargach (campaign 2): A N lizardfolk wizard. Vargach is nearly as quirky as Avery, eating every scrap of flesh she comes across. Vargach is also perennially pregnant, and has no qualms about sacrificing her children to beings of immense power.

Avery, Thokk, Lazam, and especially Vargach sound entertaining.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Start fresh, you've got too much baggage attached to these characters.

Thokk is best, anyone who can go through what he did and not become a problem is a fine addition to a party, I would highly recommend he end his adventuring career on a high note before something even more terrible happens. By default Lazam falls at the absolute worst. The description you've given people for Lazam is not at all indicative of what he's actually done.


Lazam (campaign 2): A CE halfling bard. Lazam is friendly to Demons, Fiends and complete strangers. He is very skilled at jumping to conclusions and is excessively cruel to those that he dislikes, which happens to be his party members on account of him having maimed one and sold the soul of another. He believes himself to be a neutral party and those who would disagree no longer have a soul.

As an aside, the note you made on the rogue not playing towards his intended alignment is saying a lot about this group dynamic.