How do YOU avoid the "One Trick Pony?"

**Akennedy** · 2007-12-23, 04:45 PM (ISO 8601)

Exactly as the title says, how do you keep your character interesting while not doing the same thing over and over?
Personally, I usually try to make a versatile character, like melee/ranged. or Melee/caster. or psychic warrior.... :D

**Chronicled** · 2007-12-23, 04:54 PM (ISO 8601)

Tome of Battle.

**Jannex** · 2007-12-23, 04:55 PM (ISO 8601)

Usually by giving my character a personality. I find that a multifaceted character with realistic motivations and desires is seldom considered a "one-trick pony."

Also I tend to play rogue-types, who rely heavily on skills and lateral thinking to solve problems in effective, if unorthodox, ways.

**Azerian Kelimon** · 2007-12-23, 04:55 PM (ISO 8601)

Gishin', ToB'ing, using illusions, and using ineffective tactics.

**CaptainSam** · 2007-12-23, 05:09 PM (ISO 8601)

Be a bard. 'Nuff said.

**Leadfeathermcc** · 2007-12-23, 05:22 PM (ISO 8601)

I find my duskblade always has something new to do. More so than the warlock or barbarian in our party.

**Zenos** · 2007-12-23, 05:24 PM (ISO 8601)

Bard. You can use illusions (I remember faking having summoned eight fiendish trolls, mwahaha), grease, buffs, you can trip with whips and stab 'em with swords.

**Azerian Kelimon** · 2007-12-23, 05:29 PM (ISO 8601)

Or be a Factotum and do that and more, while saying "I can fireball, even if I wouldn't ever do it! Neener-neener!" It helps satisfy childish urges.

**PlatinumJester** · 2007-12-23, 05:29 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Leadfeathermcc

I find my duskblade always has something new to do. More so than the warlock or barbarian in our party.

Yeah duskblade is always a good choice. My raptoran duskblade could own at mellee and ranged combat even with out spells. Sense motive is good in social situations and you have several spells that funstion well outside of combat such as dimension door and spider climb.

**Suzuro** · 2007-12-23, 05:33 PM (ISO 8601)

ummm.....Scream different warcries?

-Suzuro

**Squidmaster** · 2007-12-23, 05:37 PM (ISO 8601)

roleplaying

Trying to do everyone elses job

**Toliudar** · 2007-12-23, 06:02 PM (ISO 8601)

I'll echo "roleplaying".

My longest-lived character on these boards is a decidedly un-optimized half-orc barbarian, who's gone from level 1 to 9. Because of the nature of PBP, each fight seems new, since it's taken a month of real time between IC combats. So it never gets old!

**Curmudgeon** · 2007-12-23, 06:24 PM (ISO 8601)

Just play Rogues. With sneak attack, Use Magic Device, and a diverse array of skills, the options are too numerous for the character to only have one (or two, or three) tricks to play.

**Xefas** · 2007-12-23, 07:03 PM (ISO 8601)

Martial Adepts or Spellcasters

Though the other classes can sort of save themselves by taking UMD to emulate spellcasting and/or the Martial Study feat to emulate Martial Adepts.

Everyone else is move/swing, move/swing, move/swing

**Emperor Demonking** · 2007-12-24, 03:51 AM (ISO 8601)

Roleplaying.

Make a character with more than one way to attack.

**mabriss lethe** · 2007-12-24, 03:57 AM (ISO 8601)

roleplay, roleplay, roleplay...

can I say it again?

Roleplay.

and hexblades built around lancing/ horse archery ... gotta love'em.

**Bag_of_Holding** · 2007-12-24, 05:22 AM (ISO 8601)

Well, the major problem of being a one-trick pony, IMO, is being unable to 'adapt' to various situations. This however, can be covered by other party members (you ain't the only one who's playing this game, mind ya) and if I do my one-trick fairly well (I'm the primary damage dealer, making the most of Battlefist I have), I see no problem.

Playing the damage dealer of the party can be very, very boring when only things we do are smashing things up and looting the bodies and/or softening up the baddies a bit before the party's bard do the charm trick. As I am the only experienced player in my current playing group, I usually do the role of the 'strategist', making tactical advises/suggestions in-character. Even if my character is a monk, I never find it boring to play someone who's done-this-and-done-that. Of course, the lowly charisma score of 6 makes it even more interesting to play it out.

So, yeah; role-play.

**Fixer** · 2007-12-24, 07:32 AM (ISO 8601)

Teach the pony two tricks. They have at least a 1 intelligence, so they can learn TWO tricks.

Silly people never use the Handle Animal skill? Sheesh.

**Altair_the_Vexed** · 2007-12-24, 07:38 AM (ISO 8601)

Yup: Roleplaying.

Also, I try avoid building characters around their combat ability as much as possible. Not to say I don't optimise that ability, but I always look to be good at something relevant to the game that isn't fighting.
A current character that I'm playing (Half-orc fighter) is very pious about his esoteric religion (plenty of ranks in Knowledge Religion, with a circumstance bonus for his own), which is proving useful to the rest of the party as they travel in lands where that culture is more common. He is biased about the other "lesser" cults, and full of praise and awe for his own god. It distracts from the otherwise monotonous fact that with his mighty longbow he is an archery killing machine.

**Swordguy** · 2007-12-24, 08:07 AM (ISO 8601)

Roleplay as well. Mechanically, though, I find tactical feats to be a wonderful thing. I try to have two at a minimum - that gives me 6 different possibilities to do cool things in any given combat.

**horseboy** · 2007-12-24, 11:19 AM (ISO 8601)

By not playing D&D.

**Worira** · 2007-12-24, 12:40 PM (ISO 8601)

Damnit Fixer, you preempted my crappy joke.

**Ganurath** · 2007-12-24, 01:30 PM (ISO 8601)

I cast Divination the day before to see what the nasties are. The only way you can have a one trick pony is if you're always facing the same opponents. Unless Divination is the one trick...

**Woland** · 2007-12-24, 01:31 PM (ISO 8601)

Wizard. It's sort of an 'every-trick' pony.

**lacesmcawesome** · 2007-12-24, 01:51 PM (ISO 8601)

If I'm DMing the game, I do a few things.

1) Give them different monsters. I give them monsters that have different sorts of DR, different magic abilities, different CRs, all that jazz. It keeps them on their toes.

2) If they're relying on a particular weapon/skill/ability, I give them something that hinders that. If it's a weapon, I wait for a critical miss, and have it break (not irreparable, just enough to give them some sort of disadvantage). If it's a skill/ability, I just either make up, or find some kind of spell that makes it impossible to use.

I can be a jerk.

If I'm playing the game, I like to use my surroundings. Surroundings change a lot, so I have the DM describe it in detail. I look for windows to push people out of, broken boards, torches, anything that can make for an interesting fight. If not, I just stick to my trusty weapon.

However, if you're playing a spellcaster, just get some interesting spells that work well in combination.

3) Roleplaying. It makes it much more interesting than just "I attack" "hit. damage"

I actually just played a game with a really bad DM, and eventually, i took over, because he had no idea how to describe things.

**Danzaver** · 2007-12-24, 02:13 PM (ISO 8601)

Roleplay, don't 'game'.

That said, you should be able to predict how a well-defined character is going to behave in most situations. The trick is playing the sort of character who you enjoy watching their moderately predictable actions. Look at the sort of characters you most enjoy in movies and television.

Stay away from strong-and-silent invincible heroes. Maybe some people get a kick out of these sorts of characters, but I find that they are only fun when they are winning, and being invincible, and when everything rotates around them. I'm sure everyone has had a character like this in their games. It's neither fun to play, or play with. Especially if the player lacks the emotional maturity to handle failure.

Find a character you can have fun just sort of observing - you know what they will do but it's fun to watch anyway - just like a good character on TV, rather than designing them and playing them like the shortest route to victory is the only thing that matters. Do this and they will never feel like a one-trick pony.

**Mr. Moogle** · 2007-12-24, 02:40 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by CaptainSam

Be a bard. 'Nuff said.

Wouldnt that end up being a NO trick pony?

**Fixer** · 2007-12-24, 03:20 PM (ISO 8601)

My first post was for humor.

At low levels a character has limited versatility. They have limited feats, skill points, and class abilities. One trick ponies at this level have the highest survival chance in a combat-centered game. In a social-centered game, they fare poorly.

At 4-7 range, characters can have far more variety. Wizards can go batman. Rogues can have multiple high skills. Bards start getting reasonable combat skills to work with their diplomatic. Clerics can start being more frugal with turn attempts. etc etc.

**horseboy** · 2007-12-24, 05:12 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Fixer

My first post was for humor.

At low levels a character has limited versatility. They have limited feats, skill points, and class abilities. One trick ponies at this level have the highest survival chance in a combat-centered game. In a social-centered game, they fare poorly.

That would depend on what your "trick" is, of course.

*cough*Diplomancer*cough*

**leperkhaun** · 2007-12-24, 05:24 PM (ISO 8601)

I think alot of it depends on the player. A spiked chain fighter who trips and battle field controls probably wont change how he fights much. Mechanically its difficult to do.

However....through RP, intreasting use of items, and tactics the spiked chain fighter can stand out as something other than a one trick poney.

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