Shamelessly ripping off a character from fiction?

[Sir-Carlos]

So, I currently have a hard time coming up with new personalities for my characters. All my characters feel the same. And even if I manage to come up with something new, I end up role playing the character the same as all my other characters. I read a lot of tips about how to improve my role playing, or how to come up with interesting personalities. But I seem to stand still. I think that is mainly because of missing reference. So the idea came to me, to rip off a character from fiction. I have character from a certain crpg in mind. This character has a very interesting backstory and, more importantly, a personality that lies a bit outside of my comfort zone. Also, I spend 100 hours with this character, so I know how to play that personality out. I feel like I would get better at role playing by doing this.

Is this a bad idea? Or could that help me? Should I not do this? And: What is the etiquette on doing things like this? My group doesn’t know the character in question, but I would probably tell them, if I do this.

[TheCleverGuy]

Go for it! People do it all the time. A guy in my current group is basically playing Indiana Jones. Another time we had a player who was essentially Ariel from The Little Mermaid in human form. And my wife is currently planning her first character to be Mrs. Claus.

[SociopathFriend]

Like most D&D ideas- there seldom is a strict 'good' or 'bad' line. It's always about how you go about it.

That said- I personally have no problem trying to recreate a character from a game, movie, book, or other such medium I like. I don't typically recreate them wholesale but the backstory, general goal, fighting style, and attitude are all things I put effort into copying.

The fun part imo is when you make a slight change and see where that sends you.

[Dienekes]

Two of my three favorite PCs were attempts to recreate historical/fictional characters and put them into the game.

My only suggestion is to use the fiction as a starting point and don’t feel you have to 100% stick to a script. They’ll develop past the initial concept into their own things if you let them.

[Anymage]

Stealing ideas for inspiration is a time honored tradition. If you want to start with ideas from someone else's character, go for it. Even as you get more experience, you'll often find yourself cribbing ideas from multiple sources to fill out character concepts.

It is wise to do that mostly in broad strokes, though. It's very unlikely that your campaign world is the same as the setting the original came from, and even less likely that your character will follow the same life path. Give yourself room for your character to grow into their own person.

[KorvinStarmast]

So the idea came to me, to rip off a character from fiction. I have character from a certain crpg in mind. This character has a very interesting backstory and, more importantly, a personality that lies a bit outside of my comfort zone. Also, I spend 100 hours with this character, so I know how to play that personality out. I feel like I would get better at role playing by doing this.

Is this a bad idea? Or could that help me? Should I not do this? And: What is the etiquette on doing things like this? My group doesn’t know the character in question, but I would probably tell them, if I do this. Yeah, talk to your DM and talk to your group about this.
I'd suggest having this character from your CRPG inspire your character, rather than make it a one for one fascimile.
But it's your game, and your DM is the one you'll want to work with to get the character to fit.
So go and talk to your DM! Soon. Figure out, between the two of you, how to get a decent fit between your character idea and the world the DM is running.

Good luck. :smallsmile:

[Sir-Carlos]

Thank you all for your advice :-).

[Lord Raziere]

My advice to steal from two or more characters then combine them.

don't just borrow one paint. find a way to mix them.

[Catullus64]

Honestly, I wouldn't know whether to call it a good or bad idea without specifics about the actual character. Some characters are well-suited to being a protagonist, some aren't. Some characters can be well transplanted into your DM's setting, some can't. Some characters will stick out as being an homage/reference, and some won't.

On the one hand, since the character you intend to draw upon is from a CRPG, one has to assume that his/her character will translate at least somewhat well to party-based adventure. But of course, that character also exists only in a finite number of game interactions, and only had to react to a fixed number of game scenarios planned by the gamemakers, whereas you could find yourself thrust into scenarios the likes of which the inspiration never encountered.

Care to share details about the character you want to imitate, and about the game into which you plan to introduce them?

[Red Fel]

I think stealing from existing properties is a time-honored tradition, and almost everybody is doing it to some extent - whether they realize it or not - almost every time they make a character. The question, as others have mentioned, is often one of degree - are you stealing part of the idea, a few pieces, or are you grabbing the whole thing and just filing the serial numbers off?

If the idea of stealing a character from fiction both appeals to and repulses you - a confusing feeling, but I get it - consider this instead. Take a character you're thinking of borrowing from, and pick one iconic scene. One scene, one action, one particular thing the character did - and take that. Not everything, just that one moment. And build your own, new, character around that moment.

For example, that scene where Indiana Jones is facing a guy with a sword, and just tiredly takes out his gun and shoots him? That tells you a bunch of things about a character - pragmatic, jaded, has access to firearms. You could build a character around that image, and the final product may look something or nothing like Indy.

You don't have to tell the group that you're borrowing a character, unless part of the joke is them knowing the source material. It sometimes pays to tell the DM, who might have feelings on the subject, and I probably would ask if it's alright. The DM may be willing to work with you to take an existing concept and make it more uniquely your own.

The key thing is to look at the existing character as a source of inspiration, and not to be locked into that image. Anyone who has written will tell you that characters are organic - they grow with the material, and don't always organically extend in the direction you intended. A smart writer - and a smart player - recognizes when a character has moved beyond what was originally written. So whether you cleave close to the original concept, or simply build on a few key pieces, be willing to evolve your character beyond that starting point as the campaign progresses.

[Sir-Carlos]

On the one hand, since the character you intend to draw upon is from a CRPG, one has to assume that his/her character will translate at least somewhat well to party-based adventure. But of course, that character also exists only in a finite number of game interactions, and only had to react to a fixed number of game scenarios planned by the gamemakers, whereas you could find yourself thrust into scenarios the likes of which the inspiration never encountered.

Care to share details about the character you want to imitate, and about the game into which you plan to introduce them?

The character in question is Edér from "Pillars of Eternity" :-). The game I will be playing in, is a homebrew-sandbox campaign, taking place in the Forgotten Realms. I don't know much about what the plot will be, but it will be a fairly classic high fantasy campaign, according to the DM. We will start in Waterdeep, all as members of the Lords Alliance.

[Catullus64]

The character in question is Edér from "Pillars of Eternity" :-). The game I will be playing in, is a homebrew-sandbox campaign, taking place in the Forgotten Realms. I don't know much about what the plot will be, but it will be a fairly classic high fantasy campaign, according to the DM. We will start in Waterdeep, all as members of the Lords Alliance.

How much of Eder do you intend to bring to your character? His general affect (laid-back hayseed with a cordial dislike for zealotry and angry mobs) the broad strokes of his backstory (veteran of a religious war unsure if he fought for the right side), and his skillset (pet fluffy animals and get hit in the face a lot) can all translate pretty well to any campaign, but there are some specifics of his character that might not translate well.

Eder's religion is a huge part of his character. There's not a great analogue for Eothas in the Realms that I'm aware of; a classic light-and-redemption Lawful Good deity who has been destroyed and whose religion has become taboo. (Spoilers for PoE, I guess, but you learn that like an hour into the game). You definitely need to work with your DM to come up with what religious element of the setting will fill in for that vital element of his character. Although I guess it's not as hard as if you were playing, say, Durance...

Are you going to try to replicate the character thread revolving around his brother and the Saint's War? Because if so, do note that your DM may handle it differently from the Pillars writers.

Another thing I consider a big part of Eder as a character is his distrust of authority, and aristocracy in particular. That might cause some friction if the campaign requires you to be servants of the Lord's Alliance. Consider toning down that element of his personality, or discuss with your DM how big of a deal it's likely to be.

[Leon]

Plagiarize, plagiarize, let no-one else's characters evades your eyes...
Really as long as your not being obtuse about it, it should be ok.

[KyleG]

[QUOTE=TheCleverGuy;25268031]Go for it! People do it all the time. A guy in my current group is basically playing Indiana Jones. Another time we had a player who was essentially Ariel from The Little Mermaid in human form. And my wife is currently planning her first character to be Mrs.
The first image into my head was Robin Williams as Mrs doubtfire dressed as Mrs claus.

[Zetakya]

It's not plagiarism, it's an homage :smallwink:

[nickl_2000]

Yup, agree completely. Borrow from things that interests you. If a fictional character in dear to you, then the PC will have that much of a closer connection from the beginning.

My current PC was based off of Gavroche from Les Mis, given time and levelling he has also become Zorro (no really, the campaign path has an avenger for the people who dresses in black and wears a mask and my PC has taken on the mantle, perfect for this Chaotic Good persona).

[KorvinStarmast]

My advice to steal from two or more characters then combine them.

don't just borrow one paint. find a way to mix them. +1

Plagiarize, plagiarize, let no-one else's characters evades your eyes...
Really as long as your not being obtuse about it, it should be ok.
But always remember to call it, please, research! :smallbiggrin:
(I do have a friend who's been to Minsk - my brother)

[Imbalance]

Is this a bad idea?
Probably not


Or could that help me?
Probably


Should I not do this?
The only time not to is when plagiarizing for profit. Don't steal someone else's idea to pass it off as your own to make money from it or otherwise gain by cheating. As long as your game isn't broadcast with sponsorship or ad revenue and you're forthcoming about the origin, take all the inspiration you like.


And: What is the etiquette on doing things like this?

Already covered. Don't expect to have the character's events be based on its own source, but at least bring up that you've based the characterization on existing media.

[Cicciograna]

If I were an author of fiction or some other kind of medium, and I heard that somebody wanted to use one of my characters in his D&D campaign, I would be extremely pleased, accomplished and proud of myself. Heck, I would probably even reach out and give my blessings.

[Joe the Rat]

There's quite a range of translations available, from "inspired by" to "basic personality and history" to "approximate setting analog" to "as close to how they are portrayed in the source material, as far as the mechanics allow, genre conventions be damned". It's a time-honored tradition. I keep a literary rasp on hand to file the serial numbers off of all sorts of characters, concepts, and plots, on both sides of the screen.


But always remember to call it, please, research! :smallbiggrin:

Thank you.

[Dalinar]

Over the course of one (highly scope-crept) adventure, my character went from "literally a Captain Falcon meme" to actually a pretty well-developed "introspective bruiser" type.

Just don't lock yourself to the initial concept and you'll do fine.

[Burley]

I have a podcast (PM me if you want the title), where we explore character archetypes from popular media, comparing/contrasting and then creating a new (hopefully interesting) character.

When I know I wanna play something like D'rizzt, but I don't wanna play D'rizzt, I'd make a list of the defining traits of the character. Like, they're from an oppressive and isolationist culture, but they're bucking against that. Strangers may be untrusting or afraid of them, because they look different. They are not super friendly or outgoing, but forge extremely strong bonds with those they trust. They don't start fights, but they can end them quickly.

I can make two half-orcs, three elves and a bugbear using that framework. My character isn't ripped off anymore, and all I did was slap on a new coat of paint.

[Sandeman]

Steal shamelessly. 😄
Most writers of fictions do the same.

And add your own little extra touch if you keep the chassis intact.

[sethdmichaels]

The key thing is to look at the existing character as a source of inspiration, and not to be locked into that image. Anyone who has written will tell you that characters are organic - they grow with the material, and don't always organically extend in the direction you intended. A smart writer - and a smart player - recognizes when a character has moved beyond what was originally written.

Yes, very much this. Half of Shakespeare's plays are essentially "cover versions" of previous plays that are now mostly forgotten to history. The art of jazz is premised on the idea that any song is just an outline and it takes on a different life in the hands of a different player. If it's helpful to have a familiar character as an RP starting point, absolutely use it, knowing that it'll evolve into the world, the party, and the playstyle in which it's embedded.

[TheCleverGuy]

The first image into my head was Robin Williams as Mrs doubtfire dressed as Mrs claus.

Haha, that would be pretty funny, but no she's thinking more along the lines of Rankin/Bass claymation Christmas Mrs. Claus. We'll be starting up a RotFM campaign, so she's a Bard who wants to end Auril's curse so that her husband can get out of the Far North and deliver his toys to all thr children again.