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KyleG
2018-10-16, 02:39 PM
So for my first character I have settled on a half orc blacksmith forced onto the path of a cleric for the trickster gnome god. When gnomes come and get underfoot in his shop he goes on a sabatical journey which eventually leads him to joining the campaign party. Therefore we start our adventure at level 3.
Basically he doesn't want to be a cleric he wants to make weapons and armour so he is avoiding using his divine powers and/or doesn't really know how to. So he is boring...I relate...but I want to role-play something slightly different.
What if the god actually takes over his body at moments to use his powers. What could he do?
My heroes journey I envisage as one of acceptance of this Destiny only for the god to abandon him sand he would then seek out a forge god to align with.
But we are still at a stage of reluctance except where someone could be hurt without his intervention. Even perhaps in situations where our trickster has done one action thru the character and now I'm forced to act with the same divine power to correct?

This isn't a build issue this is a request for ideas on roleplay as im flying blind as a newbie with a tendency to the mundane lol.

Your help will be much appreciated.

Nifft
2018-10-16, 04:40 PM
If the player wants to RP as a reluctant hero type, then in my opinion it's the player's responsibility to bring value to the team (in-character), and bring the other players on board with the oddball concept (out-of-character).

As long as the player retains control of the character, it's not necessarily a problem to have a god temporarily take over (or a non-god spirit -- perhaps a servant of the god, perhaps something less benign). Just talk about it with everyone else at the table.

Man_Over_Game
2018-10-16, 04:53 PM
There's a certain thing called "My Guy" syndrome, which is to constantly be worried about what "My Guy" will do, and not taking responsibility for actively making decisions. If you decide to be disruptive to the group, don't blame it on your character's backstory or a faulty personality, blame it on your decisions to make those actions.

There have been many times a Barbarian has done something stupid, the team got mad, then the guilty player said "well, that's what My Guy would have done, it wasn't my fault", and the team reluctantly agreed. Now the team is bitter that they're in a bad situation, they can't rely on the Barbarian (or his player), but they can't do anything to fix it.

Don't be that.

If you want to be a pacifistic Forge Cleric, that's totally fine. Maybe that's your thing. Maybe you find a reason to start fighting. Maybe you find something to protect. Maybe you feel guilty over the mistakes that your indecisiveness has done and now you choose to take action to repent. Maybe, to be worthy of the god who's willing to redeem you, he demands that you temper your soul in combat, to show that you're willing to step through the fires to understand the true value of the items you make. Maybe your new god shows you those things, so you truly understand the value of war, because not understanding it meant you were a half-assed forger, making things you only pretended to understand.

Regardless of what you choose, make sure you take ownership of your decisions. If you feel guilty that you're not assisting in combat/being a hero, what's wrong with making your character guilty as well?

There is such an alignment as True Neutral, AKA I am the center of my universe, and you are just things floating by.

noob
2018-10-16, 05:35 PM
There's a certain thing called "My Guy" syndrome, which is to constantly be worried about what "My Guy" will do, and not taking responsibility for actively making decisions. If you decide to be disruptive to the group, don't blame it on your character's backstory or a faulty personality, blame it on your decisions to make those actions.

There have been many times a Barbarian has done something stupid, the team got mad, then the guilty player said "well, that's what My Guy would have done, it wasn't my fault", and the team reluctantly agreed. Now the team is bitter that they're in a bad situation, they can't rely on the Barbarian (or his player), but they can't do anything to fix it.

Don't be that.

If you want to be a pacifistic Forge Cleric, that's totally fine. Maybe that's your thing. Maybe you find a reason to start fighting. Maybe you find something to protect. Maybe you feel guilty over the mistakes that your indecisiveness has done and now you choose to take action to repent. Maybe, to be worthy of the god who's willing to redeem you, he demands that you temper your soul in combat, to show that you're willing to step through the fires to understand the true value of the items you make. Maybe your new god shows you those things, so you truly understand the value of war, because not understanding it meant you were a half-assed forger, making things you only pretended to understand.

Regardless of what you choose, make sure you take ownership of your decisions. If you feel guilty that you're not assisting in combat/being a hero, what's wrong with making your character guilty as well?

There is such an alignment as True Neutral, AKA I am the center of my universe, and you are just things floating by.
You can totally feel like the center of the universe and be evil or good or chaotic or lawful.
And you can actually play a pacifist cleric it is just that a pacific cleric fits with a pacific team or with a team that can take prisoners and stun people instead of murderkilling everything so basically any team filled with non murderous people could have space for a pacifist cleric heck even a team that considers killing people is the best might be willing to compromise and to not kill people for getting the support of the cleric but that would be quite rare since murder seems quite commonplace in role-playing games where pacifism can be seen as a problem.

What is a problem is to not be proactive or concerned by what the others are reacting to and not being concerned by the welfare of the others.
There is a reason why we do not tell a lot of stories about bob which ignored the dragon asking for a sacrifice every week to his town which then was beaten by a team of mercenaries while bob kept working on completely unrelated stuff.

Now someone who thinks he is the center of the universe is going to think "the dragon is not going to be beaten by random people since I am the center of the universe it means that I must go and beat the dragon but maybe sidekicks would make me look cooler so I should take three or four of them"
You could even have a team with four people who thinks they are the center of the universe but which do not tell that because they know it is a social norm that people does not says "I am the center of the universe and the dragon is not going to be beaten without me" then they all go to pick sidekicks(but do not present it that way and use the term of companions) then they go and beat the dragon and thinks each "I was entirely right and I did the most important job in beating the dragon and nobody could have replaced me"

KyleG
2018-10-16, 06:14 PM
Yeah I dont want to be that guy and I dont think the character is that guy. What I think I want is for the character to have been jarred from his ordered life and realise its not that bad and infact likes using his new found skills. But I want to find a way forward to that moment. With garl glittergold as the current god of my character maybe I should just randomly tell jokes and then be like "sorry i dont know what came over me". He is the watchful protector, god of luck, protection and trickery notably believing one should never take oneself too seriously lest you lose touch with those you protect, and that one should not fear change.

Kol Korran
2018-10-16, 11:50 PM
Hmm... a few ideas:
1. The god's intervetion, by possesing you to cast spells may jar a few people, GM included. By trying to solve this dillema, you are basically deciding how a god acts, which may be a big thing in the setting, how involved the GM (or other players) view the length of divine intervention, or even how they feel about you. Depending on the above, it may feel to some you are saying "Hey, see how special my character is! He's soooooo important, that hia god directly takes control over him!". Another problem ia that though Garl is a trickster, he is also a good guy, that tries to guide/ teach his people through trickery, but forcing them may feel very heavy handed, intrusive, down the line of domination spells and evil. Quite a jerk move...
If you are going with the "possessed by anothet force" route, I'd suggest to playbit defferently- you get possessed by SOMETHING/ SOMEONE, but you're not sure what. Perhaps some sort of a trickster spirit? Perhaps some intelligent magical item dedicated to the cause, which you unkowingly posses? Perhaps a minor deity? Perhaps it's a sort og a curse/ gease? Perhaps you've been elaboratley tricked to think someone is possessing you, but it's actually you? ( A bit like V and his "deal with evil", then thinking he's not responsible for his actions, only this time for good?) Or... perhaps even you, as a player, don't know the reason, and leave this to your GM? (If so, please discuss poasible limits to what this may be,and what you're expecting, so that when you do learn the source, it won't dissapoint you or be disagreeable).

2. As with many types of "reluctent/ grumbling" characters, they may seem fun as a concept at first, but roleplaying them ia a fine art between providing humor and development, to them being annoying and taxing roleplay interactions. Some generalntips to that- feel free to grumble/ conmplain, but always actuay do/support the team, even if you curse the sky blue while doing so. Add other flavor to your character's personality, some positive traits to offset the grumpy side, and to give you more ways to interact. Don't overdo the grumbling element, and be ready to be silenced quickly if you get on people's nerves/ some other interaction is more porminent. Have a very good reason to help the group, a personal one! (Friends, loyalty and such).

3. Due to the possible snags described above, I'd suggest to talk with the GM and the players WAY BEFORE the game starts, to let you understand this better, solve compications, and SEE THIS AS A GOOD THING, which will enhance play and won't pose an obstacle to the group's actions. It also helps other players play their interactions with you in ways that can enrich your own character's journey. (If they do so, and in what way, is their choice though).

4. You can use the "forger of armors and weapons" mentaility to help/ enhance/ flavor your interactions with the group. After all, adventurers are fine weapons, aren't they? Healing is "fixing/ mending", casting buff spells is "sharpening/ honing" the weapons, and so on...
Hey, just had an idea- what if at first the character thinks the power actually comes from a forge god? (Like Moradin for example). He doesn't understand why he got these powers, and it's really not their preferred vocation, but it's somewhatbok with them...but some powers (Such as the domain spells) don't quite fit, and confuse him, only to later learn the divine joke. (This may be due to a mortal explanation/ trick, or even a divine joke, with both the involved gods collaborating?). This may both ease him accepting the powers (He has seen them being used for good), but also feeling tricked...

4. I'd play his personality as a bit dour, overly serious/ not getting the jokes, gruff, yet kind, caring, compassionate, though showing it by actions and decisions more than communication. Then have fun making the transition...

Good luck to you! Sounds like a fun concet!

KyleG
2018-10-17, 03:24 AM
All good points and i appreciate the feedback.
Kol. He isn't a grumpy character just a CLERIC. He has accepted this quest because after doing the solitary wilderness adventure over the last 3 months (from level 1 to 3) he has found he quite enjoys journeying around (although misses his previous life). Already having become more accepting of a less routine'd life but hasn't accepted his role as a cleric nor really learnt what that means. Which means you comments in 4 are absolutely fantastic i think i can work with them (hope i can).
" After all, adventurers are fine weapons, aren't they? Healing is "fixing/ mending", casting buff spells is "sharpening/ honing" the weapons, and so on..."
He may know the god that gave him this but perhaps he is understanding how he can re-frame them to a mindset he is more accepting of...GOLD (no pun intended).

Now all i have to do is actually DO that in words and actions when me (player) is actually very like the ordered organised blacksmith he was (Ive entered this roleplaying word as my own attempt to change a little). Im the only newbie the rest are experienced players (who know each other) and they were already thru a few sessions of this campaign. Hopefully i can contribute something.

Kol Korran
2018-10-17, 11:45 PM
Already having become more accepting of a less routine'd life but hasn't accepted his role as a cleric nor really learnt what that means.
What DOES it mean? Being a cleric can be different things for different people. In the game world, it can mean different things to the general populace, for the believers in the specific faith, to the priests, cleric, friars and other staff that lead the religion, and to individual clerics themselves...

I like playing clerics for various reasons, yet I found that the part of the cleric himself trying to understand his faith, his place and role in it, and how he relates to the world through this, to be quite intriguing, challenging, and fun to explore. This exploration and development runs parallel to the cleric's role/s in the party- what is your place there? Aside from the mechanical roles (Which are important) clerics can take various roles in the party's roleplay dynamics- the caretaker, the leader, the advisor, the moral compass, the supernatural/ otherworldy expert, and more. Find your role...


Now all i have to do is actually DO that in words and actions when me (player) is actually very like the ordered organised blacksmith he was (Ive entered this roleplaying word as my own attempt to change a little). Im the only newbie the rest are experienced players (who know each other) and they were already thru a few sessions of this campaign. Hopefully i can contribute something.
You seem to have the right approach for group play, so unless the party are jerks themselves, I think you'll be fine. Most (functioning) groups, require only a few basic behaviors, which are totally independent from your gaming experience and skill:
1- Don't be a jerk. We kick those straight out!
2- Remember it's a group game. Try to contribute to the group's fun. You'll have your moments to shine, so will others, so enable that.
3- Communicate. About good stuff, about bad stuff. We all may have different ideas, approaches, play style and prefernces. So we talk these out. And please no unnecessary drama.
4- Invest enough in the game to make it work- help schedule meetings, have your character info prepared and ready, be attentive at the table, and participate.

Everything else will sort itself out... go and have fun!