noobie here, never played any D&D-esque games before. i've been lurking /tg/ a lot and watching lots of sessions of D&D and it looks really fun, but im a bit confused on the character creation. how much liberty do you have when creating a character in any sort of tabletop RPG? which one has the most freedom? i've been thinking of looking to join a campaign but i don't think the character i have in mind is really feasible at all ( a half orc/half giant zombie sort of thing ). pic unrelated.
>>48161797
You have exactly as much liberty as the character creation rules of the system in question gives you, with your GMs homebrewed rules modifying these as deemed necessary by him. If you want advice on what system allows the smooth creation of such a character, along with a setting where it fits, then, well, I imagine we can help you, but would like a little more info first.
Well, it has to be something that could feasibly fit into the setting, and (well-made) RPG systems cater to their settings. Especially for a first timer you really shouldn't be setting out to create some kind of special, singular entity, especially one that is likely to operate different from a 'normal' character mechanically.
It's a bit of a trap to make a character that is interesting because of what they *are*, rather than what they do, or what they think.
That said, if you find a GM who could cope with your bullshit, a half-orc/half-giant zombie isn't really that difficult to do in rules in 3.5, PF, possibly even 13th Age if you feel like getting less cancer.
>>48161877
what kind of info?
>>48162034
Setting, mostly. Races, maps, empires, and so on. You can do anything, as long as it's reasonable. There's playing the jolly bard with the flute, and there's playing a Crimson Fists Terminator in Greyhawk.Just to do a stupid example.
>>48162177
do you mean setting regarding the character i mentioned or just in general? i got the idea for the character researching races on a wiki were i found something called a half-breed that was a half orc half giant, and im pretty sure it was from D&D. my idea for it being undead was that it was a thrall/minion for some sort of BBEG necromancer guy, but as he was being defeated by some random hero guy, the necromancer made a last-ditch attempt to transfer his soul, consciousness and power into the minion, but failed and only succeeded in giving the thrall enough power to sustain himself without the necromancer's help, and so without a master he just sort of walked out there. boy explaining this out loud sure makes me feel like a faggot.
>>48162248
Yeah, it sounds quite a bit too... speshul.
Character creation often works best in a group.
You can make the bestest, most interestingest character, but if it doesn't work with the other characters and the setting, it doesn't mean jack.
>>48162336
so i should make a less remarkable character? and make sure it covers one of the party's bases?
>>48162248
Well, >>48162336 got it perfectly. The idea could be interesting, if played right ( But then again, almost everything could be awesome if played right ), but you should look and see if it fits in the group.
Are there orders that purge undead? Do you see zombies and skeletons around often?
>>48162428
ahh i understand. do you think it is too remarkable like >>48162336 did?
>>48162399
No, you should make sure that it makes sense for your character, who can be as remarkable as you want them to be, to associate with the other characters in the group and for them to exist in the world you will play in.
>>48162490
>>48162484
>>48162428
alright i understand now, it just has to make sense in the setting, i see. thank you guys, i appreciate your help
>>48162510
Yes, that is exactly what I said in my initial post.
>>48162535
i know lol but i misunderstood and thought you were saying the character was flawed but not because of how he related to a setting
>>48162550
Well, I said that, too. But primarily because I can't imagine any party that character would work in.
>>48161797
Who is that Chun Li cosplayer? Her thighs are too small for that role.
>>48162611
when i thought him up i was thinking of a completely muscle-based character with low charisma, intelligence, wisdom, but with high constitution and strength and stuff.
Non-rpg player here, does a wizards magically decapitated head sound like a fun/viable character? Some haughty old master wizard being robbed of most of his powers, his body and his mobility, so other party members or random hired farmhands has to carry him around like a rude basketball sounds like it would be a fun character in a movie or comic, but does it sound fun to play in a rpg party?
>>48162761
without powers he doesn't sound like he'd be a very viable character lol. unless he had a way with words.
>>48162649
You can do that without making your character a horrible abomination.
Also, you say you've never played D&D, but you already sound like a min-maxer.
>>48162761
Fun? Yes.
Viable? In most systems, no.
This sounds more like NPC material.
>>48162852
i just have a thing for really strong characters who only use their fists. i have fantasized playing as that character and ripping peoples arms off and beating them with their own limbs. i suppose suppose you could do that with a non-abomination character but it doesn't sound as fun lol. though that's probably my inner special snowflake wanting my character to be speshul.
>>48161797
>which one has the most freedom?
Aside form freeform, point-based systems like GURPS or Mutants & Masterminds.
>a half orc/half giant zombie sort of thing
People will rarely allow newbies to play something so complicated.
>>48162873
>i just have a thing for really strong characters who only use their fists.
>i have fantasized playing as that character and ripping peoples arms off and beating them with their own limbs.
You sound a That Guy in the making.
>>48162964
well i haven't played any yet so let's hope i don't turn out to be a That Guy
>>48162832
Most of his powers, he'd have some shitty level 1 magics or something so he's balanced with the party (though maybe higher because, you know, no body)
>>48162852
In what way wouldn't it be viable?
>>48163061
this sounds like something that could be done within a group of friends who are seasoned veterans
>>48163061
In what way would it be viable?
It has no ability to act. The head is just along for the ride.
>>48163139
Head can
1: talk (assumedly)
2: cast level 1 magic at level 1
That's a good chunk of things right there.
As a GM I would give the guy free still spell and let them go for it.
>>48163139
i assume it's like a paraplegic, it can do somethings and speak but it will usually need another person there to assist it.
As a longtime DM, this guy sounds like half the annoying players I've ever had to "deal" with.
Though you might fit in with some super-casual groups who just get together for incoherent shenanigans. But a serious, quality DM trying to run a good campaign would be advised to send you elsewhere.
Your slapstick Herman Munster character is, as you put it, for your personal Lolz. Except the other players and the DM aren't there just to provide an opportunity for your personal snickering.
Triply so if they are all experienced players and they are adding you as the new guy with a limited grasp of the rules.
>>48163193
you sound like you're assuming im not gonna take the game seriously lol. of course im going to create a character i enjoy, but that doesn't mean im going to shit all over the game.
>>48163209
First, you "lol" too much already.
Secondly, like most of the bad players on /tg/ who complain that "I just can't keep a good DM/long running game", you seem to believe that a lot of your personal fulfillment in the game is having a "Super Keeno" or "Just as Planned" character" right from the start.
You are a 1st level guy. More than that, you are a 1st level guy being played by a newb. You are some fresh from the village Luke Skywalker type, the game itself should form what's special and unique about you. Your interactions with the other players and the NPCs should influence who your character is.
You're trying to be some quirky oddball right out of the gate. The DM would simply appreciate you not being a disruptive twit while you are still trying to grasp the basic mechanics.
Here's something to keep in mind: as a very entertaining DM, I run 5 player games, but I have 3 times that many people who'd "Love to join if someone has to drop out of your campaign". Solid DMs can pick and choose who's at their table. You are working on making yourself the fat kid at the playground soccer match.
>>48163209
Just as some advice for a new player, don't try to make something so snowflakey as what you have. Your character's whole character is "he's a half orc/half giant zombie who is strong and dumb". He has no motivation based on what you've written, normal people would probably be terrified of you or attack you, and the setting of the world might not even feature necromancy at that scale.
Don't create a character without motivation. What you want to play could easily just be a monk/bare-handed fighter if you play DnD, but now he's also dead and green.
>>48163326
I suspect he's not a new player at all, but simply a Troll, given that he's miraculously found himself on /tg/ looking for advice "before actually playing an RPG".
>>48163310
alright, you're reiterating that the character is too remarkable. however you're also assuming i am a giant douche. i already got that the character is too "special".
>>48163326
thank you, i'll keep this in mind
>>48163364
it's not that miraculous to assume that i simply was introduced to 4chan before tabletop RPGs and wandered into /tg/ one day just to see what this board was about, right? i assume that's what most people do when they find 4chan, is they have their "home" board and then they go and venture out to the other ones just to see what they're about.
>>48163364
Quite possibly, but I'll give him a small benefit of the doubt. My going on /tg/ one day when I was bored was what made me start playing ttrpgs
>>48161797
GUPRS has the most freedom probably; with D&D GMs that trust you may allow you to use monster races or various templates to allow you be a wider range of beings/sub-races.
However, starting off it's probably best to play a simple character, and save more complicated concepts for later games once you've got a feel fro the game and your group's playstyle.
> i have fantasized playing as that character and ripping peoples arms off and beating them with their own limbs.
> i suppose suppose you could do that with a non-abomination character but it doesn't sound as fun lol.
What >>48162964 said.
Unless you're playing in a party of abominations, or with a group that's pro hyper-violence, then that's some A-Grade ThatGuy behavior.
Since we're talking character creation, any inspiration for a music/sound based character?
>>48161797
>>48162873
If you're playing D&D try playing a Half-Orc Monk; prioritizing STR>DEX>WIS=CON>INT>CHA (just wrangle in your bloodlust a little, holy shit).
>>48163933
>>48163878
is the violence i described really that bad? i dunno. i feel like it was pretty tame lol, i understand that literally ripping someones arms off and beating them is violent as fuck but in the context of a game like D&D it doesn't sound that bad. is it bad by most ttrpg standards?
also thank you for the half-orc monk suggestion, i appreciate that a lot
>>48163956
It's over the top, and you don't need to go into that much detail. Also beating people with their own arms sounds kinda evil to me, and if you play with certian GMs they may not let you play an evil character
>lol
You stop that
>>48164214
i've seen that a lot in different threads, GMs getting mad and being dicks to players who decide to play somewhat evil characters or characters of dubious morality, and seriously discouraging players from playing evil characters. why is that such a big deal?
>>48164278
Let's say the game consists of a paladin who is lawful good, a wizard who is neutral good, and a fighter who is also neutral good. They are trying to save the world from an evil necromancer.
A new player wants to join in. He wants to play an evil rouge, who is only around to steal from people, lie about it to the party, and generally be a dick.
Why would he stick with the party? Purely for protection.
Why would the party help him? They probably wouldn't.
Playing an evil character in a game with mainly good aligned characters creates a lot of unnecessary party dissonance that no one will enjoy. Evil characters can be played in good parties, but it takes work and experience to do it right
>>48163956
> I feel like fantasizing about beating someone to death with their own dismembered arms is pretty tame
nigga u crazy
>>48164426
i understand that, but it seems like a lot of the hate is like a racism sort of thing where GMs just hate people who play evil characters and wanna fuck them over no matter what. there was a vent thread the other day where someone said his GM took control of his character and made him jump into a pool of molten gold because he was evil even though he was the smartest and level headed of their group.
>>48164458
i don't think im much crazier than most people on this board. see /cyoag/
>>48164278
> why is being evil such a big deal?
Moral implications aside, nine times out of ten you're the protagonists in a story about thwarting evil or preventing disaster, so when you're just as bad (or worse) than half of your antagonists, it doesn't really jive.
Additionally, if you're in a party with good, or even neutral-aligned characters you will perpetually provoke inter-party conflict; to an extent that could go well beyond "interesting character dynamics," and bring the progression of the story to a crawl.
Good characters are rarely going to be okay with needless murder or excessive violence, and even lawful characters are probably not going to be okay with it; should it disagree with their own internal honor codes or the written laws of the land.
>>48164521
How does luring all Halflings you can find into a cave with the promise of a luxurious footbath and then casting Cloudkill into said cave sound to you?
>>48164521
That's true, some GMs just don't think evil characters can work. They can, they just require a lot of co-operation with everyone involved. That GM is just an ass GM.
>>48164623
>some GMs just don't think evil characters can work. They can, they just require a lot of co-operation with everyone involved.
Why should the rest of the table feel obligated to do extra work to keep your Speshul Faggot character compatible with the game?
It's not unreasonable for everyone to expect you to keep your personal retardation in check for a social game. The GM, as the guy doing the real work, has every right to tell you to fuck right off.
>>48164521
/cyoag/ is easily one of the worst parts of /tg/
It is the epitome of "pretend to get shit done."
>>48164623
>Why can't I find a good GM/find a campaign that doesn't fall apart early
>>48164675
>>48164623
It's very much the same thing as using a million extra templates or side-classes or whatever; it's just a bunch of extra work. I trust many players more than others, and a few I would allow to roll an evil-aligned character just because I know they won't detract form the flow too much, but the rest of them? Never. I'd be dealing with burning orphanages and blood soaked street sides 24/7.
>>48164705
>projecting this hard
>>48164809
It's so fucking true though.
You Q n' A half the people that "can't find a good group," and they're getting kicked out or hard-dodged because of overt shenanigans half the time.
>>48164675
What I meant from my post is that the evil character needs to inform everyone what they are going to be playing and everyone must be on board with it.
The other players can still react as they will to overly evil actions, but they should know in advance that an evil character will be in the party, as it may influence their characters
>>48164577
it sounds very drawn out when you can just kill them with your hands
>>48164847
Exactly.
2/3rds of being a good RP gamer is being enjoyable to be around, to add to the experience of the other players and yes, the DM as well.
Perpetual RP wallflowers just can't grasp this.
Also, there's already a guy at the table who's there to roleplay the Evil Characters, he's called the DM/GM. His compensation for doing all the work to put that week's adventure together is that he gets to play all the edgy and sinister characters, tempered by the fact that it's also his job to eventually lose all the time, though hopefully with panache and style.
If you want to play some gore-soaked villain type, pick up a GM screen but accept that you're gonna have to lose for the cause of an entertaining evening's adventure. If you want to RP as an evil scumbag as a player, go play Grand Theft Auto or something.
>>48164956
>>48164956
>If you want to RP as an evil scumbag as a player, go play Grand Theft Auto or something.
Have you tired not playing D&D? Because plenty of systems besides it support playing an evil scumbag, Mr. 3.PFdrone.
In my experience a new player without considerable RPG experience trying anything overly special is always, always a recipe for disaster.
Don't do it anon. Have a few twists maybe, but don't try and be special. Build up to it after you have some experience and friends you like to play with. Then you can make your perfect character.
Nothing will go how you want it your first time.
>>48165729
RPGs involving Evil players in general only function when every character involved is Evil. And even then, it has to be a moderate level of evil. Full Evil doesn't work.
You have to find the right party to make it work. I've run a game centered around man eating cannibals that were attempting to take over the world. It was great. But the entire group approached the game with the intention of being evil crazy people and I approached the GM spot with the intention of playing dramatic heroes and good guys that would ultimately be killed and probably eaten by their worst nightmares. If it had been a regular game and one guy just suddenly said 'I'm going to be a cannibal that tries to take over the world!" we would have slapped his bitch ass and told him to shut the fuck up.
Don't make something crazy for your very first character. After all, you'll probably get bored of being a big stronk undead after a few sessions.
>>48164956
God you are so retarded.
>>48165991
i appreciate this a lot, thank you for your tips
>>48166129
what kind of characters do people find the funnest?
>>48165729
This is funny to me, because I'm the guy he's responding to, and I've played every edition of D&D BESIDES Pathfinder (I do use the pawns tho).
Like >>48166080 says, Evil Characters can be good for a chuckle in an adventure/campaign tailored to them, but usually only for a little while before it's time to get back to a conventional game.
Evil characters in a non-evil party are pure shit.
Really, I don't like Alignment systems at all, it just encourages "chaotic" characters to be randumb fuck, Paladins to be stiffs, and "evil" characters to go Full Heat Legend.
I just let people play a character. If they are insufferable, the other 3 players can just send them packing.
>>48166160
You know the difference between you and me?
I have a regular, long running campaign with friend having fun, and you have shitposting on /tg/.
And there's a reason for that.
>>48166203
Make something that plays to the cliches but with a twist. Nothing overly complex.
My first character was a mercenary warrior that pretended to basically be a Paladin and kissed the ass of anyone important, but in reality was a worthless sack of shit out purely for personal advancement. In the end they got pulled into the heroic journey and went the distance because it was in their best interest.
Your creativity the first few outings should be on making the generic fare fun. Not trying to do something crazy from the get go. You will fuck up, you will ruin it, and you will hate it. Then later when you actually have the skills to do the cool thing you wanted to do from the getgo, you won't want to do it because you've already tried it and fucked it up.
