How do you keep a character from just devolving into yourself?

[togapika]

When playing a character that you want to have a certain personality or certain traits, how do you keep from just falling back into your own personality? Like when you decide to do an accent for a character, but eventually you just go back to talking normally.

[icefractal]

It can be tricky, yeah. What I've done is figure out what personality styles I can maintain long-term and pick those for campaigns. For a one-shot, it's easier to stick to something even if it's not your style, IMO.

For accents in particular, I'd say don't make them too extreme, and think of them as a seasoning to your speech rather than needing to encompass every word.

[Vahnavoi]

As with most things, practice makes perfect. An accent or a foreign language actually makes good example, because there the solution is to keep talking in that accent or language enough that it becomes natural.

As for other things, my best work at playing a character different from myself was with characters not made by myself, when I had the option to look back and see how those character had been played by people who weren't me. In simple terms, it's about having an example. The better your example for how a character should act, the easier it is to act the part.

Of course, sometimes no external information resource exists, which means having to create on yourself. For long term characters, I do research, and keep doing it throughout play. Then I write and update character bios. When possible, I go back and look at how I've played a character in the past to keep things consistent.

Lastly: don't ignore feedback from other people. It's not just you who has an idea of what your character is like, everyone you play with also forms their idea. It's good to discuss this with them to see how well their idea aligns with yours, and, especially if it does not, why not. Sometimes, this may lead to realization that what they think is your personality is your character's, or vice versa, meaning there's lack of contrasting information to make the distinction.

[Batcathat]

I think one way (though definitely not the only way or even a useful way in all cases) of avoiding it or at least keeping tabs on when it happens is to play a character that's fundamentally different from yourself.

For example, I'm a sarcastic pragmatist in real life, so if I play a character who shares those qualities, even if they are otherwise quite different from myself, it's easier for my own personality to blend into the character's without me even noticing. But if I play, say, an earnest idealist, most of their reactions are likely to be so different from my own that I won't just default to my own reactions (or if I do, it will probably be very obvious).

[Marcloure]

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but you could try speaking your part in the 3rd person instead of first person. "Thurdon walks up to the bar and smashes his coins on the counter", instead of "I walk up to the bar and smash my coins on the counter". It may be that when you think as controlling this character, rather than being them, it helps pushing a director stance.

[Easy e]

I don't.



Words for the words god.

[JNAProductions]

I don't.

Words for the words god.

This, sometimes.

So long as you and the others playing are having fun, the exact details aren't super relevant. :)

[Ameraaaaaa]

I don't.



Words for the words god.

It's funny that this thread just appeared as 2 days ago i decided that after years of making lack luster characters that were weird for the sake of being weird I'd just play myself in different roles in the future.

Only 2 of my characters were ever any good. my 1st who was a funny joke character for a one shot and king the mind reading cat and even the latter was built poorly in a way that meant he can't really contribute that much to the party.

So i don't blame anyone for playing as basically themselves if creating compelling characters are not their forte. It's certainly not mine.

[False God]

Don't do accents, for starters. They're mostly bad, and often plain offensive.

Otherwise, ensure your character is well-defined and keep a handy reference for them.

As always, practice practice practice.

[King of Nowhere]

i start the character with a few well defined ideas and quirks. at least some of them are quite different from me. so, they can't devolve into me.
they still tend to get closer to me over time, being "me, with one big fundamental change". but it's enough of a difference, normally

[Easy e]

To elaborate, I typically start with the following notes on my sheet:

A triangle with three characters traits. Often two are aligned/complimentary and one is wildly different. Then, I write down 2-4 quirks/eccentricities/or habits. After that, I jot down why in the world any other person would care for this character to succeed. Finally, I might write down what their character arc is.

Example:

Timid ---> Patient---> Deeply Angry

Quirks:
- Likes to read poetry
- Smokes a pipe
- Loves trying new foods
Rooting Interest:
- Kind to children and animals
- Respectful to those around them
- Courtesy
Arc:
- Learn how to appropriately process anger instead of hiding it


Seems like a pretty straight forward, and easy character to play. Possibly somewhat flowery in dialogue, and one that shuffles the spotlight around. No accents needed, no real mechanical limitations.

I will play this for about half a session until the game starts to heat up, and then all those careful notes about the character go right out the window. In the end, the character almost always ends up as an exaggerated version of myself, with a good bit of paranoia and obsession heaped on top because this is an RPG!

Sure, exaggerated versions of myself can be fun but it probably gets a bit old for everyone else, and it kinda gets old for me too. Yet, it happens almost everytime.

[KorvinStarmast]

When playing a character that you want to have a certain personality or certain traits, how do you keep from just falling back into your own personality? you can only prevent that to a certain extent in most cases.
Some things that I do to keep a character consistent:

I use a 3x5 or 8 1/2" by 11" sheet that starts with motives, basic personality traits, back story tips/hooks. I add notes on who we met and why that mattered. I let the character grow based on the things that have happened in the game. (Obviously does not matter as much for a one shot).

As to accents: I only do that if the group/table requires it.
Too much effort otherwise to keep it up, and it barely makes a difference in the long run.
I am playing with my RL friends.

[animorte]

I think one way (though definitely not the only way or even a useful way in all cases) of avoiding it or at least keeping tabs on when it happens is to play a character that's fundamentally different from yourself.
This is something I've done. If I play a character with a focus on Charisma, I need to actively remind myself that it's not me. Otherwise, if it's different, it's much easier.

So long as you and the others playing are having fun, the exact details aren't super relevant. :)
100% this. It doesn't really matter as long as you're all having a good time.

So i don't blame anyone for playing as basically themselves if creating compelling characters are not their forte. It's certainly not mine.
For me, the compelling aspect is based on each characters decision and motivation, whether they're similar to yourself or not.

Goes right along with having fun. If it's more within your comfort zone, by all means! Perhaps you just want to imagine slight variations of yourself in different settings and circumstances.

Otherwise, ensure your character is well-defined and keep a handy reference for them.

To elaborate, I typically start with the following notes on my sheet:

A triangle with three characters traits. Often two are aligned/complimentary and one is wildly different. Then, I write down 2-4 quirks/eccentricities/or habits. After that, I jot down why in the world any other person would care for this character to succeed. Finally, I might write down what their character arc is.
To both of those, having a few character traits prepared along with their general motivation and goals can certainly help. It's especially helpful when remembering to look at it applying the character's motivation, not your own, however that translates into the game.

[Mastikator]

I have their personality written down and come back to it from time to time. Over time I might slightly change their personality, or I might not.

[Pauly]

It’s like karaoke

Know what your range is, stay within your range. If you want to stretch your range it’s best to work from what you know you can do into something not too different. If you want to keep stretching your range accept that it will take time, but staying within your range is perfectly valid too. In my view it’s better for the whole table if a player does a repetitive character type well than try a new character type badly

How do you find out what your range is? Experiment. This means you will have failures until you find your voice.

One method that some people in my group use is to write one or two personality descriptors prominently at the top of the character sheet. Something like Calm, determined; naive, shy; optimistic, cheerful. The first word being the core concept and the second how it is normally expressed. Some people use just one word which works. We’ve found more than 2 doesn’t add much use but makes it more difficult to keep the character straight.


To elaborate, I typically start with the following notes on my sheet:

A triangle with three characters traits. Often two are aligned/complimentary and one is wildly different. Then, I write down 2-4 quirks/eccentricities/or habits. After that, I jot down why in the world any other person would care for this character to succeed. Finally, I might write down what their character arc is.

Example:

Timid ---> Patient---> Deeply Angry

Quirks:
- Likes to read poetry
- Smokes a pipe
- Loves trying new foods
Rooting Interest:
- Kind to children and animals
- Respectful to those around them
- Courtesy
Arc:
- Learn how to appropriately process anger instead of hiding it



To me this is too much to actually use in play. I will have this kind of information written down, maybe on page 2 of the character sheet. All I would put on the top of my character sheet is Tmid, Patient or maybe Timid, Hides Anger and have those two words facing me all the time at the place I have to look all the time.

[Tanarii]

I do something like the below. Then I frequently forget all that stuff and fail to not devolve into myself. :smallamused:


you
I use a 3x5 or 8 1/2" by 11" sheet that starts with motives, basic personality traits, back story tips/hooks. I add notes on who we met and why that mattered. I let the character grow based on the things that have happened in the game. (Obviously does not matter as much for a one shot).

[Pauly]

One technique I learned from a friend who did amateur theater.

Find a physical mannerism that belongs to the character and is completely separate to your mannerisms. When playing the character use that mannerism as a way to remind yourself that you are playing a character who is not yourself. Some people use props but I’m OK with imaginary props Examples I have used:
- smoking cigarettes.
- using a pipe, cleaning it, packing tobacco into it, using it as a pointer.
- twirling a mustache
- stroking a beard
- adopting a stiff military posture
- pinching the bridge of my nose when thinking.
- pulling on my ear
- constantly playing w ith a cigarette lighter
When I am using the character’s physical mannerism I find it a lot easier to be mindful of the player/character differentiation. When I am OOC I stop using the mannerism.

You have to take care that what you’re doing isn’t annoying the other players

[Misereor]

When playing a character that you want to have a certain personality or certain traits, how do you keep from just falling back into your own personality? Like when you decide to do an accent for a character, but eventually you just go back to talking normally.

The same way you keep your campaigns from devolving. By already having a plan you are too busy following to regress.
First, decide where you might like your campaign to go. (Might. You don't want to railroad it.)
Then you create a base arc. These are the events that will happen if nothing interferes with the flow of the story.
Next, determine which events that happened can change the arc (i.e. the players), and if these changes are for the better or worse, storywise. Between sessions, modify your arc accordingly.



Example: The classical redemption arc.

Briddlebrook Throatwarbler Neilsonson, the Gnome mage with CN alignment, slowly trending towards CE, has had a rough childhood full of pain, loss, and breaches of trust.

As he accumulates power and levels, there will be a high level of temptation to get some payback. To begin with, against the specific agents who caused him pain in the past. The monsters who razed his village, the slavers who captured his family, the executioner who murdered his mother, the friends who betrayed his escape attempt, etc.

Later, if nothing happens to discourage him from this path, his bad behaviour will escalate. He willl start to bully bar patrons when drunk, intimidate shop keepers whose price demands annoy him, and eventually he will begin to assault people in the street who splattered him with mud, and even murder captives. Keep an eye out to see when the GM and other players notice this slowly escalating situation and decide to do something about it, and have some premade dialogue pointers ready for the inevitable confrontation. There may be attempts to dissuade him, angy confrontation, or even joining in on his wild escapades. Whatever the case may be, be sure not to ruin the other players' fun. It's a collaborative story, not a personal ego trip.

So ideally, during the course of the campaign Briddlebrook eventually sees that he must choose a better path, and despite temptation and the occasional backslide, with the help of loyal party comrades his story eventually ends in redemption and triumph.

Or he doesn't, and it ends in sadness, or tragedy, or even an epic doom.
But those can be fun too, the important thing being that it makes for an entertaining story. Point is, you will be too busy thinking about the evolution of your character to regress into predictable behaviours you are trying to avoid.

[KorvinStarmast]

Pauly's last two posts offer very good advice, in particular the "stretch your range a bit at a time" piece.

+ eleventy. :smallsmile:

[J-H]

The one character I'm currently playing in person is a Goliath, so I deepen my voice when I'm talking IC.

Personality-wise, you want to know your character's flaws and hot buttons. In this case, he's a thief who pushes his luck too much. I've found it easy to think "Here's what I'd do... but if I were a risk-taker looking for gain, this is the somewhat dumb thing I might do instead..." then he does the dumb thing most of the time.
He's currently very frustrated that gold is illegal in the Empire (it's too useful for enchanting) as it's hard to fence the stuff he stole from the warden's office on our way out of prison.

For an upcoming game, I'm planning to ask the players to come up with a couple of Virtues and Sins [Pride, Greed, etc. versus Gambling, Drinking, etc. is why I'm not using the term Vice] that their characters have as particular character traits that they are driven by or struggle with. It'll be up to them to overcome or work with them through the game, and those things may influence how others judge them. At least one character will be running around with a bit of divine essence from Bhaal, the dead god of murder, so character/moral development is going to be part of the game.

[Zuras]

You fundamentally can’t keep a character from reflecting some aspects of yourself, but you can keep them distinct by knowing what your character’s goals are, and why they became adventurers. Also remember that what makes TTRPG characters play differently is taking different approaches to solving problems, not the voices you use.

[LibraryOgre]

When playing a character that you want to have a certain personality or certain traits, how do you keep from just falling back into your own personality? Like when you decide to do an accent for a character, but eventually you just go back to talking normally.

To an extent, flanderization (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization). Pick a few traits of the character to emphasize, make them major character tropes.

My current character is a half-elven rogue, going scout. He's also an avowed misotheist (it's Dragonlance, the gods just came back, and they kinda destroyed the world a couple hundred years ago), and actively dislikes elves, especially Dimernesti (the fact that he's 6' tall and a little blue of skin has nothing to do with it... that's a lie, he'll tell you it has plenty to do with it). If you remember to make these traits a part of your characterization, it helps to ground them a bit outside yourself.

[animorte]

Pauly's last two posts offer very good advice, in particular the "stretch your range a bit at a time" piece.

+ eleventy. :smallsmile:
+ another three and a half from me!

If you thought that was a D&D 3.5e reference (https://images.app.goo.gl/BK1CxAaxVFfeFRmL6)

[Zuras]

To an extent, flanderization (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization). Pick a few traits of the character to emphasize, make them major character tropes.

My current character is a half-elven rogue, going scout. He's also an avowed misotheist (it's Dragonlance, the gods just came back, and they kinda destroyed the world a couple hundred years ago), and actively dislikes elves, especially Dimernesti (the fact that he's 6' tall and a little blue of skin has nothing to do with it... that's a lie, he'll tell you it has plenty to do with it). If you remember to make these traits a part of your characterization, it helps to ground them a bit outside yourself.

I second this, but I’d say this is less flanderization and more simply the difference between characterization in a TTRPG and other settings. It’s like the difference between TV/film acting and stage acting. Nobody is close enough to see your subtle expressions of grief in a stage play, but in a movie they can zoom in to show your clenched jaw and the single tear running down your cheek.

The other important thing is whatever key exaggerated bit you want to use should actually come up interestingly in the combat and exploration pillars of the game, so you will always have some “in character” stuff to do even if you’re not roleplaying in the sense of doing a voice and interacting with NPCs. Stuff like catchphrases can be cheesy, but often helped me stay in character.

[Laserlight]

Accent isn't personality, and even professional actors can have difficulty keeping up an accent for an extended period. I won't say "never use an accent" because I do, with one character, use the dialect that I grew up with--but I wouldn't try it with any other accent, or for a character who spent a lot of time talking.

Mannerisms are helpful, not only in giving you a hook for the character, but in helping the other players see it. Light and smoke an imaginary pipe, bring a plush cat and stroke it, adjust your hat.

Don't go with a pragmatic character whose main desires are "accomplish whatever mission we're on, doesn't matter what" and "survive". What do you absolutely have to prove, and to whom? What common situation do you devoutly want to avoid? Figure out two, maaaybe three, traits that you want to push, and find ways to show them frequently. My storm priest is a bossy aristocrat all the time, unless she's wheedling something out of someone. My warlock, when he's not under control of his patron, is timid, talks wistfully about finding a tea shop and/or a library, and avoids ever touching women. I haven't played either in four years, but I could step back into character for either of them tonight, because they each had a few very definite desires and aversions.

Don't go for subtlety. One guy played a rogue who was secretly in love with the paladin. We only knew it OOC, because essentially never showed it (once during the whole campaign he was kind of worried about her safety, that was it). There's no point to having a passion that others can't see. Go big, go bold. "Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with *gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth*..."

[Zuras]

Don't go with a pragmatic character whose main desires are "accomplish whatever mission we're on, doesn't matter what" and "survive".

Even a ruthlessly pragmatic character can be over-the-top. I had a goblin gloomstalker in 5e who was a devout follower of Zulthass the Never Braver than Necessary, whose catchphrase was “all hail the power of cowardice” every time he attacked someone out of nowhere, trapped enemies in Spike Growth, or otherwise dealt with a situation at minimal risk to himself. He made a point of making dramatic speeches to enemies, but only after they were dead, never before.

[Pauly]

…
Don't go with a pragmatic character whose main desires are "accomplish whatever mission we're on, doesn't matter what" and "survive". What do you absolutely have to prove, and to whom?
…

Don't go for subtlety.
…


Pragmatism can work, but mainly as a manifestation of another (negative) trait.
- Cowardice (ref. Harry Flashman)
- Under a Geas (ref. Dr Smith from Lost in Space)
- Greed (ref. Deadpool)
But agreed that pragmatism for the sake of pragmatism makes for a boring character, you can’t make ‘pragmatic’ big. Which makes pragmatic a decent secondary characteristic, but a poor primary characteristic.

[Zuras]

Pragmatism can work, but mainly as a manifestation of another (negative) trait.
- Cowardice (ref. Harry Flashman)
- Under a Geas (ref. Dr Smith from Lost in Space)
- Greed (ref. Deadpool)
But agreed that pragmatism for the sake of pragmatism makes for a boring character, you can’t make ‘pragmatic’ big. Which makes pragmatic a decent secondary characteristic, but a poor primary characteristic.

There are lots of great pragmatic characters in fiction. Kerr Avon was utterly pragmatic and easily the best character on Blake’s 7. Garak, captain Jellico, half the great lancers in fiction. It works best if you have an idealist to play off of, though. That’s the same thing with dumb or heroic characters, though. If everyone always agrees on the proper course of action, there’s no dramatic tension.

[Batcathat]

There are lots of great pragmatic characters in fiction. Kerr Avon was utterly pragmatic and easily the best character on Blake’s 7. Garak, captain Jellico, half the great lancers in fiction. It works best if you have an idealist to play off of, though. That’s the same thing with dumb or heroic characters, though. If everyone always agrees on the proper course of action, there’s no dramatic tension.

Yeah. I think any character trait can be boring (or interesting) depending on the circumstances and individual taste. Personally, I absolutely hate characters whose sole personality seems to be "Heroic" (and the "anti-heroes" who are the same thing under a thin layer of sarcasm) but being heroic can still be an interesting trait, in some circumstances.

[Pauly]

There are lots of great pragmatic characters in fiction. Kerr Avon was utterly pragmatic and easily the best character on Blake’s 7. Garak, captain Jellico, half the great lancers in fiction. It works best if you have an idealist to play off of, though. That’s the same thing with dumb or heroic characters, though. If everyone always agrees on the proper course of action, there’s no dramatic tension.

“I am not stupid
I am not expendable
I am not going”
I would argue Kerr Avon’s defining characteristic is calculating with pragmatic as a secondary characteristic. Even then if you want to say pragmatic is his defining characteristic it took an incredible performance from Paul Darrow to turn what was supposed to be an unlikeable character into the second best character in Blake’s 7 behind Servalan.

[Ionathus]

I think one way (though definitely not the only way or even a useful way in all cases) of avoiding it or at least keeping tabs on when it happens is to play a character that's fundamentally different from yourself.

For example, I'm a sarcastic pragmatist in real life, so if I play a character who shares those qualities, even if they are otherwise quite different from myself, it's easier for my own personality to blend into the character's without me even noticing. But if I play, say, an earnest idealist, most of their reactions are likely to be so different from my own that I won't just default to my own reactions (or if I do, it will probably be very obvious).

This is my go-to approach. After all, lots of people (myself included) choose roleplaying games for the chance to play a different character than themselves. So I lean into it.

I simplify it even further: I pick a single, core character trait, ideal, or rule that is wildly different from my own personality. I build off that base, and might introduce other character traits, but I keep that first one as the core of the character so that I can do an extremely simple check in my head: "does the action I'm about to take or the sentence I'm about to say conflict with this core trait?"

For example: I wanted my most recent character to be a real turd. Just very rude and selfish and not friendly at all (even if she had strong incentives to stick with the party and not go full Murder Hobo). My real-world upbringing was in a very polite society that requires the cadence of "please" and "thank you" and long, meandering chains of social cues and niceties, so I thought breaking from that ingrained behavior would pull me out of my comfort zone.

So I decided my core roleplay rule was "Vizka doesn't say 'thank you'." And it worked like an absolute charm. Whenever I caught myself about to say thank you, or please, or apologize for interrupting, I had to stop and think about truly living in a different headspace of how somebody who didn't "play the game" of politeness would get through this interaction. It was loads of fun and it got me really invested in her character. And it made the first time she bonded with the party and said a genuine "thank you" all the more meaningful for me.

[MoiMagnus]

Something I find important is to realise that there are two main components in roleplaying a character:

(1) The "talking" or "personality", which is what most peoples focus on in this thread.

(2) The "decision-making" or "values", which is something that is easy to forget.

You don't need (and probably shouldn't) detail loudly all the political opinions of your character. But having a clear idea of their values help maintaining consistency.

Because if you only have a "fake personality" that you put like a mask, each time you need to make an important decision, you'll instinctively call back the "real you" to make it, and this will erode your facade.

And those values don't even need to be that different from yours. If you don't feel comfortable with playing someone with different values, you can just take your own but change the priority between them.

[Easy e]

Values is a good call out.

I think some of my Character Arc and Rooting Interest are intended to get down to this.

One thing I really like about the Modiphius 2d20 system that I have seen/used is that a character's values are part of the number-crunching process and built into the system. You have a prioritization number in your attributes and values. For Tests, the GM gives the attribute and the player which Value it relates to the character, with the two together becoming a target number.

Pretty nifty way to prioritize some themes in the game and give players a good idea of the character from the mechanics.