PDA

View Full Version : Undecisiveness about characters



Threeshades
2007-09-15, 10:49 AM
Hi,
Im kind of fed up with how undecisive i am about my DnD characters. Almost every week I am breeding about a new character that i feel more like playing than my current character. On one day i feel like an overly weapon specialized fighter, on the other i feel more like playing a sneaky backstabber, the next i feel like a controlling Wizard/Sorcerer and then I suddenly more feel like a hulking barbarian and then more like a very swift and elegant fighter character again, but then suddenly i want a Sniping rogue... and the next day more like a Warlock or a Sorcerer concentrating on spells to blast others to blivion and back.
Since I started playing my Catfolk Rogue I have written about 8 different characters that didnt even get to use. Before the rogue i had a human fighter for only a few sessions...

And well, as soon i am feeling like a different kind of character than the one i am exactly playing at the moment, my currenc character gets boring quickly. And playing a boring character naturally takes the fun out of the game.

And this altogether is kind of a big problem for me so I want to do something against it. I just don't know whatever I could do.

Does anybody else have this problem?

What do you think I can do against it?

Is there maybe a way to find a kind of character that doesnt get boring for such an undecisive player as me (maybe something that fits to my personality or to preferences of mine that dont change every once in a while)?
Or are there other ways to get rid off the problem (making the current character interesting again somehow, or a way of convincing myself of how awesome my character is)?

Arbitrarity
2007-09-15, 10:52 AM
Easy. Chameleon (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20041210b)

This class get to swap abilities each day, can be entered at level 5, and otherwise gets decent abilties at everything. The issue is, you have to be a human :smallyuk:

Shas aia Toriia
2007-09-15, 10:55 AM
Well, being a human is a good thing if you want to do lots, because you can have the extra feat and skills to generalize a little more.

Arbitrarity
2007-09-15, 10:59 AM
True, just annoying about the specificness of being human. Then again, humans are a great race.

Most of the chameleon abilities are weaker than the normal class at doing them (duh, otherwise it'd be broken), but it's flexibility makes it actually one of the stronger classes. Furthermore, it has its own powerful abilities (Floating feat? Super.), and it can mix and match some abilities on the fly, as needed (i.e. you can smite while raging, after buffing yourself with divine power and righteous might).

JackMage666
2007-09-15, 11:06 AM
Don't forget you can enter it using Factotum (Dungeonscape) for more Jack-of-all-trades abilities!

Citizen Joe
2007-09-15, 11:53 AM
You're problem is that you're getting all your fun out of MAKING the characters and not from playing them. They aren't living up to the potential that you thought they had when you made them.

I suspect this comes from optimizing. You're trying to make a character out of 'win' when a roleplaying game isn't about winning, its about playing. It is the journey that is important, not the destination.

Make a character where survival is the main concern not winning. That leads to avoiding combat (or die rolling in general) and thus leads to roleplaying instead. When you do have to fight, it will be that much more intense because you're not sure if you will survive or not.

RTGoodman
2007-09-15, 12:28 PM
I suspect this comes from optimizing. You're trying to make a character out of 'win' when a roleplaying game isn't about winning, its about playing. It is the journey that is important, not the destination.

If this seem to be the case for you, you may want to try a new way of character creation. Before you crack a book or think about any mechanics, create a backstory. Think of what your characters family life is like, where he's from, why he took up adventuring, and whatnot. Then, once you've got that, go to your books and take feats, classes, and stuff that fit in with that. That way, you're not creating a generic D&D character that you have no interest in actually playing - you're creating a character, with the added benefit that you can play him in a game of D&D.

Alternatively, one thing you might think of doing is DMing. You can make all of these characters and still use them, but most likely the majority of them aren't going to last more than a session or two.

Kyle
2007-09-15, 12:52 PM
I used to put my characters in situations they weren't likely to walk away from at a fairly regular clip, just so I could bring new ones in. I think it had a lot to do with my first DM being rather leathal and unforgiving, so I always got to try out new characters.

Things are a bit differant now. I'd still really like to try out new characters, but what I do now when actually creating a character is that during creation, instead of focusing one what role I want to play in combat I decied on some personality traits I want to role-play for fun, and then build the mechaincs of the character around that.

For example, with my currant character I started out with the idea that it would be fun to play a human who was, for lack of a better term, a human supremisct. From there I decided I wanted him to be almost fanatically devote, though not a paladin or a cleric, of lawful alignment, and rather militant in his outlook. Thus Saul the fighter--eventually Fighter/Kensai--was born.

And it's been fun playing a character who feels a great deal of animosity towards elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings, to say nothing of the more monstorus races out there, let alone "abominations" like half-elves and half-orcs. While it's often been detrimental to the party--though not severly so--it's actually even helped us out once or twice, but the important thing is that not only is it entertaining for the rest of the group to see Saul squirm when he has to save the life of a half-drow, or finds out that the orphans he's risked life and limb to free were all dwarves and halflings, it's entertaining for me to try and play, and has kept my intrest for seventeen levels.

So, my advice would be to base your character concept not so much on the abilities you think would be neat to have, but on the personality you think would be fun to play.

Threeshades
2007-09-15, 02:22 PM
Well, I am not making characters trying to make them as powerful as possible, All im doing is trying to make them at least remotely useful.

Usually I start at the style of the character. What do I want? An elgant swordfighter jumping through enemy lines easily, or a tall and broad Warrior in heavy armor, or maybe a caster taking fun in blowing away enemies with his arcane abilities, or would i like a bloodthirsty raging psychopath or whatsoever?

And only then I start building the character, so it fits my idea of the style, but not so it becomse as powerful as possible.
and afterwards i think of the backstory. I also think of a detailed personality for my characters and where it comes from. But usually it helps only little.

ranger89
2007-09-15, 02:30 PM
I definitely have the same problem you have though not to the same extent. It's not byproduct of optimization in my case. I just thoroughly enjoy creating characters and trying new things and that leads me to becoming restless.

If you're not already doing so, developing the roleplaying aspects of character in extreme detail could help. That's the only way I've found of reducing my "PC jitters" as I call them. I guess by thinking of my characters as constantly evolving, dynamic entities instead of a static group of abilities, skills, and feats keeps me from getting bored.

You may want to discuss this with your DM as well. Whenever someone in my group becomes bored with their PC, that character will just become an active NPC in the game world, ready to be played again if the player desires. We found that that is a wonderful way to add depth to the game world and create a nice sense of familiarity for all of the players.

Finally, the other piece of advice I could give you is what another member of my gaming group does (he's just about as restless as you). His PCs tend to be extremely adventurous ("Hey! Let's check out that spooky forgotten ruin!"), courageous ("Hey! I'll hold the line against this incredibly powerful monster that will almost certainly eat me while the rest of you flee to safety!"), or reckless ("Hey! I only have 2 hit points left but I think I can defeat those 20, undamaged orcs in heavy armor!"). If they die, they die and he starts anew.

Fax Celestis
2007-09-15, 02:31 PM
It really sounds like you should DM, then, since you get to play all these characters you make at the same time.

Threeshades
2007-09-15, 02:53 PM
I definitely have the same problem you have though not to the same extent. It's not byproduct of optimization in my case. I just thoroughly enjoy creating characters and trying new things and that leads me to becoming restless.


It isnt in my case either. Im not trying to optimize my characters.

It is that I just start feeling like playing a character of a completely different style.



If you're not already doing so, developing the roleplaying aspects of character in extreme detail could help. That's the only way I've found of reducing my "PC jitters" as I call them. I guess by thinking of my characters as constantly evolving, dynamic entities instead of a static group of abilities, skills, and feats keeps me from getting bored.

You may want to discuss this with your DM as well. Whenever someone in my group becomes bored with their PC, that character will just become an active NPC in the game world, ready to be played again if the player desires. We found that that is a wonderful way to add depth to the game world and create a nice sense of familiarity for all of the players.

Finally, the other piece of advice I could give you is what another member of my gaming group does (he's just about as restless as you). His PCs tend to be extremely adventurous ("Hey! Let's check out that spooky forgotten ruin!"), courageous ("Hey! I'll hold the line against this incredibly powerful monster that will almost certainly eat me while the rest of you flee to safety!"), or reckless ("Hey! I only have 2 hit points left but I think I can defeat those 20, undamaged orcs in heavy armor!"). If they die, they die and he starts anew.

the idea with making unused PC into NPCs is a nice one.

Also i think deepening the concept of my characters personality might help.

Dark Knight Renee
2007-09-15, 07:45 PM
I think I have a similar problem. Usually, I can only come up with new character ideas when I really, really don't need them. When I do need one, either nothing comes out or I easily come up with shallow characters that quickly grow boring and are replaced by similarly boring replacements. This is especially problematic in new games.

I've found I can usually create characters that survive longer if I create them with other characters in the game in mind, or with a really god plot hook. This works best if the other players can roleplay well, or if your DM can fit your plot hooks into the campaign (or, all things considered, help you use an existing hook of the campaign into a drivng force for the character).

After that, what ranger89 says is absolutely right. Thinking of your character as a bundle of statistics (race, class, skills and feats, etc = all stats) is a quick way to lose interest. It's not the same as true optimization, but it does sound like you get lost in the stats.


EDIT: Aditionally, I'm sure that if I were limited to only one PC at a time in my games, I'd have even more trouble. Fortunately for me, the way my group plays we almost always have more than one PC in play at a time.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-09-15, 07:57 PM
I think this could be one of two things:

1) You have a mind TOO active for your own good. I went crazy when I was bored, so one day I started thinking, after seeing a series/playing some game, how I saw stupid flaws in the cracters, who were clichè or inbeleivable (making the same STUPID mistake twice in 5 minutes? c'mon, not even a 2 INT fool does that.), so I started thinking of how I'd create my own game, with my chars, mechanics, etc. and it went bigger and bigger, and I'm currently trying to get finance for that first game, to eventually continue into a whole chain of games. Maybe you should try writing, or designing, it might help alleviate the huge amount of different ideas in your mind.

2) You might not have met your "true" char yet. I, for example, no matter the kind of game, play a swordsage. I was always enamored of the concept of the monk, someone who through his will and dedication managed to grow mighty, instead of some guy simply weaponskilled. But when I saw the swordsage, someone who becomes one with his blade, it instantly struck me as a core part of my characters designed for 1), who are incredible blademasters. Thus, I set out to develop him, and it has been an amazing thing. Just check ALL the classes you can get your hands on, and eventually you'll find the one that rings true to ye heart.

Threeshades
2007-09-16, 10:22 AM
I think this could be one of two things:

1) You have a mind TOO active for your own good. I went crazy when I was bored, so one day I started thinking, after seeing a series/playing some game, how I saw stupid flaws in the cracters, who were clichè or inbeleivable (making the same STUPID mistake twice in 5 minutes? c'mon, not even a 2 INT fool does that.), so I started thinking of how I'd create my own game, with my chars, mechanics, etc. and it went bigger and bigger, and I'm currently trying to get finance for that first game, to eventually continue into a whole chain of games. Maybe you should try writing, or designing, it might help alleviate the huge amount of different ideas in your mind.

2) You might not have met your "true" char yet. I, for example, no matter the kind of game, play a swordsage. I was always enamored of the concept of the monk, someone who through his will and dedication managed to grow mighty, instead of some guy simply weaponskilled. But when I saw the swordsage, someone who becomes one with his blade, it instantly struck me as a core part of my characters designed for 1), who are incredible blademasters. Thus, I set out to develop him, and it has been an amazing thing. Just check ALL the classes you can get your hands on, and eventually you'll find the one that rings true to ye heart.

Well I think I should take a close look at everyting before I decide about my character.

So, what advices i've got now:
- Think of the character's personality and history first.
- No maximizing/optimizing/min-maxing (im really not somebody who does that though)
- Take a close look at EVERY class before deciding. And look for something that really appeals me and that i dont just happen to feel like playing right now.
- DMing. (Though I am DMing already but that only takes the problem to a new level: I start making up different possible plots all the time or I even develop completely unique campaign settings)
- IF all else fails: Chameleon.

Viscount Einstrauss
2007-09-16, 10:28 AM
Psst- changelings can be chameleons. They're cooler for it anyhow.

Try just making new characters when you get the whim on your own. If you get a killer idea, stat it out, maybe run some tests by yourself or with a friend. Keep a log of the ones you like most. When you start a new game, don't even bother making something new- look at your past favorite test characters and choose your favorite among them. Keep repeating the mantra "No regrets".

Be sure to introduce some of your other favorites to the DM and see if you can get one of them as a cohort later on, or clear them for immediate access should your primary character die in glorious battle. A good DM ought to recognize your mania and help you find ways to have fun with it all.

Dullyanna
2007-09-16, 10:43 AM
I have the same bloody problem, too. I've found two things that really help. First, the aforementioned fluff first, mechanics second. Secondly, any little device that comes up with random npcs can give you some inspiration.