How do you build your characters?

Lindsay

Hi guys! I'm curious about how people here in Imperian build their characters. What really attracts you to particular races, mindsets? Is your roleplay solely based upon the reputation of the profession you play, or does PK trump most of how the character is set up? Just as a start.

To give you a bit of an idea about what I mean: I made Lindsay because I was attracted to the idea of playing a strong female character, who is bluntly no-nonsense and works against the gender stereotypes which are so strongly expressed in the Magick, Demonic and Anti-Magick circles. I started with the idea that the Idras would be the start of her roleplay, because I wanted to work in some darker elements that could not be achieved by going to the Lorekeepers or Stormweavers.

I also wanted to work with the concept of anti-magick, coming into this game fresh, I thought it was an interesting perspective. The atmosphere for Ithaqua just screams for more characters that actually meld with that kind of foreboding environment, who really are tough, dirty, and have a realistic perspective to the place that they live. Sometimes, I think people OOCly forget that they are living in a desert, mountainous region or snow/forest/tundra, and when I first approached this game from a completely RP perspective I really wanted to exaggerate this point.

I know I'm not exactly a frequent presence in PK, nor am I an expert in my profession, but I'm slowly building on gaining more experience. At first I was kind of opposed to PK, I didn't really want to integrate it into the character, but I realized in order to take Lindsay to where I wanted her, I'd have to be mindful of learning the technical aspects of PK and my profession. So, I'm going for Aspect, not just because it's Aspect, but because my RP calls for Lindsay to do so.

And that's how I built Lindsay up.  What did y'all do?

[Please be my friend, I make long posts, don't judge me. :O]

Bathan

When I made Bathan I wanted to get more into the Kohdon RP because I felt like it was an area that was 100% untouched thus far in the game. I also figured that if I made him a Kohdon it would take a special sort of woman that thought her night elf knockoff bard could try and mudsex this giant lizard man. I chose to make Bathan right as Khandava went demonic because it seemed like a good RP springboard. I regret not doing more research on the matter because the story I gave Bathan was very much not accurate, but I found that out a lot later once it was already set in stone. Bathan was made into a Knight because I didn't plan on spending much money on him (hahahahaha @ past self) and wanted to be useful. The character was made to be somewhat savage, being a Kohdon from the Khandava/Yhumara region. He couldn't read well or do math at all. Daegun did a fantastic job, along with some other LKs of taking the time to teach Bathan sums along with the chivalrous code. In that respect he was a very reactive character.

My circle hopping to Demonic was mostly out of boredom and dislike for the Magick circle after a certain point, but it was played off as Bathan seeking to unite his people, the Kohdon of Blackthorne and Khuno Acropolis. He also hated Lionas and wanted to crush his skull, which was interesting because he regularly worked alongside him in shardfalls and obelisk battles. They were even cordial to each other, but IC Lionas had no reason to suspect that Bathan would dislike him, especially when it was made clear that my RP came from a really impossible place, Khandavan lore considered. Bathan would've remained demonic if not for the huge Ragnarok event. Bathan wanted to use the hammer to destroy Khandava and vindicate his people, so when Lionas was involved in slaughtering the dwarves in the Temple, Bathan had to take a stand. Mena was fantastic about RPing it out and some of the Gods (Janus, Vahin, Molyn) really made the whole thing work. I've sort of stopped playing at this point because I'm out of meaningful/interesting RP for Bathan, but a lot of what was done with the character was a ton of fun and easily made more sense than Anarion or Keijima.

Lindsay

I regret not doing more research on the matter because the story I gave Bathan was very much not accurate, but I found that out a lot later once it was already set in stone.

I had a similar problem with Lindsay as a novice/newb. I kind of wandered around trying to get my bearings, and it seemed like I couldn't come up with a really good story. And then, I finally found RP I liked.

Sarciossis

I mostly try to form my characters out of a single idea on what I want them to be like. Some sort of core value that everything is build around. Then I try to see where they would fit in, and often flip coins and roll dice to make major decisions for them when they are just being built up.

Sarc was made on the idea that I wanted an akrabi who acted sarcastically (and the reason behind the name is there) to just about everything that he came across. This died when he met Illuminas, and gained a higher understanding. (I always wanted him to be a monk, but ranger skills are better.) My first major character, Rostov, was, essentially, a pure novice that got better when Kanthari gave him some new clothes. He also is a known baby thief and rapist. He ended up being a total asshole to everyone, and died a lonely death by leaping into the lake of fire. Other characters include a super racist ssylsin, a really deformed lamiran, a kohdon that hated ssyra, and a elf druid in celidon that enjoyed hunting mammoths.

Kanthari

Sarciossis said:

I mostly try to form my characters out of a single idea on what I want them to be like. Some sort of core value that everything is build around. Then I try to see where they would fit in, and often flip coins and roll dice to make major decisions for them when they are just being built up.

Sarc was made on the idea that I wanted an akrabi who acted sarcastically (and the reason behind the name is there) to just about everything that he came across. This died when he met Illuminas, and gained a higher understanding. (I always wanted him to be a monk, but ranger skills are better.) My first major character, Rostov, was, essentially, a pure novice that got better when Kanthari gave him some new clothes. He also is a known baby thief and rapist. He ended up being a total asshole to everyone, and died a lonely death by leaping into the lake of fire. Other characters include a super racist ssylsin, a really deformed lamiran, a kohdon that hated ssyra, and a elf druid in celidon that enjoyed hunting mammoths.

Disclaimer: Kanthari giving you new clothes will not turn you into a baby thief

Delrayne

Kanthari said:

Sarciossis said:

I mostly try to form my characters out of a single idea on what I want them to be like. Some sort of core value that everything is build around. Then I try to see where they would fit in, and often flip coins and roll dice to make major decisions for them when they are just being built up.

Sarc was made on the idea that I wanted an akrabi who acted sarcastically (and the reason behind the name is there) to just about everything that he came across. This died when he met Illuminas, and gained a higher understanding. (I always wanted him to be a monk, but ranger skills are better.) My first major character, Rostov, was, essentially, a pure novice that got better when Kanthari gave him some new clothes. He also is a known baby thief and rapist. He ended up being a total asshole to everyone, and died a lonely death by leaping into the lake of fire. Other characters include a super racist ssylsin, a really deformed lamiran, a kohdon that hated ssyra, and a elf druid in celidon that enjoyed hunting mammoths.

Disclaimer: Kanthari giving you new clothes will not turn you into a baby thief

Looks like you endorse the rapist side though :P

Kanthari

Delrayne said:

Kanthari said:

Sarciossis said:

I mostly try to form my characters out of a single idea on what I want them to be like. Some sort of core value that everything is build around. Then I try to see where they would fit in, and often flip coins and roll dice to make major decisions for them when they are just being built up.

Sarc was made on the idea that I wanted an akrabi who acted sarcastically (and the reason behind the name is there) to just about everything that he came across. This died when he met Illuminas, and gained a higher understanding. (I always wanted him to be a monk, but ranger skills are better.) My first major character, Rostov, was, essentially, a pure novice that got better when Kanthari gave him some new clothes. He also is a known baby thief and rapist. He ended up being a total asshole to everyone, and died a lonely death by leaping into the lake of fire. Other characters include a super racist ssylsin, a really deformed lamiran, a kohdon that hated ssyra, and a elf druid in celidon that enjoyed hunting mammoths.

Disclaimer: Kanthari giving you new clothes will not turn you into a baby thief

Looks like you endorse the rapist side though :P

I didn't think disapproval of that needed to be said. That sort of roleplay is in incredibly poor taste.

Sarciossis

It is in horribly poor taste.

Iyrandar

I love RP. I could rant for days the intricacy that the art of Roleplay is. However, Iyrandar was actually a pretty shallow Character that only masked himself through fancy emoting and very formal speech. There was no real depth to the Character, only an outward appearance. True he may be an Aspect and has numerous quest honours, but those are only tools to be used in advancing the Character itself. My thinking has drastically changed since I've embodied Iyrandar, and now I've taken a far more serious approach at Character Building.

I consider first and foremost the story and background in order to lay down a solid foundation. I'm not too concerned with Game Mechanics, but instead trying to tie in together IC with OOC factors. For example being able to explain IC why I learned a particular skill and from which person that taught me. Then you can go into further detail as to why the Character chosen that particular person and not somebody else where then it now becomes about the Character and not the Player. It's taken me only this long to switch mindsets of how to think as the Character and be motivated by his wants and needs and not my own as the Player.

I also weigh in on which faction to choose: Demonic, Magick, and Anti-Magick. Then from that chosen faction start looking at a guild that is interesting and seeing if the Character would work out in that environment. Once a City/Council and Guild is chosen then begin laying down the story of how the Character became aware of such knowledge and the motivation to go out and seek it and become part of it. I find it a challenge to be able to explain IC rather OOC concepts and keep the integrity of the Character intact, and not stray from it because I suddenly felt like it, reverting back to a Player's mindset. So once you pick out the story then stick to it and own it.

I'm excited and enjoy the complexity of Roleplay and utilizing emotes and speech lingo that pertains to the Character, and I get further motivated when I see other Players custom emote with their Characters, and neat interactions start happening. I suppose this was a bit of a rant, but a passionate one at least.

Gjarrus

I make it all up as I go along after deciding on an initial cliche idea

Khizan

I do whatever I think will be the most fun, and think of a justification for it afterwards.

Iniar

Planning overrated.

Jules

With popsicle sticks and glue (made of ponies).  Then, I had her sleep for a couple of hundred years (just like Sleeping Beauty, but scalier).  I think you'll enjoy the guys up in Ithaqua, from what I've seen, which isn't a lot, but enough to see that they love text drinking and telling stories.  It's too bad you can't trample drunk people when they fall down

Oystir

I played in Aetolia for a million years, took off several years, and then wandered over to Imperian. Mostly I have a general mindset towards role-play that is based on my experiences in Aetolia. [Rule #1: Councils are off limits, always. Forever.]

I've had a character in every circle now, retired each character after the fun wore off, took almost a year off between chars, and do not intend to backtrack. Basically this means Oystir is my last character. I do not alt and I stayed away from the forums until I experienced all three circles so my opinions of people weren't influenced by the prejudices of people I had never met. Also I do/say a lot of weird things and have a penchant for embarrassing myself and I did not want to taint the impressions around me. But now I don't care because relatively speaking, I'm almost done playing Imperian, and because the nights are long and boring.

All of these rules are in place to prevent me from becoming an indefinite addict, and from investing too emotionally/financially into the game. I refuse to let myself play if I am not having fun (in general). This has allowed me to think seriously about the reality of my choices determining when I am 'done' with both the character and the game and direct my choices towards keeping myself amused instead of following my usual path of get ranks - > win ranks - > be bored - > quit org / make alt - > repeat / make alt. Recognizing this pattern in myself has made me decide to never to run for head of any serious organization, which has relieved a lot of pressure from my playing experience. Historically speaking, getting GM has basically been a death sentence for my enjoyment of games.

Death meaning nothing & Garrynbot has really helped. PK is awesome, and I am glad that it is a daily occurrence [if you want] and entry-level fighting is not just possible, but sustainable. Or maybe I just think that because I'm a druid.


Outside of my laundry list of rules, I mostly just get the idea to make a character, and the outline of the character comes to me, and after a few weeks of thinking about it, a name will come to me. And off I go for six months or so. Oystir was troll-bait, me not even intending to play again seriously, bu treally  nobody took it and now is a serious character with a name I would hate if I didn't stare at it all the time. D= I just wanted to see
how long it would take somebody to typo 'oyster' at me while we were emoting, so I could giggle at myself, and it took several months.

[Start:] A proper Lady who always composes herself, a blue-blooded Loyalist
[End:] A proper Lady who always composed herself, a blue-blooded Loyalist. Single and Emo. Boring. Retired. I LOVE the nobility thing Stavenn has going on, and milked that for quite a while before I sank into the abyss barren of personal interaction but alive with organizational awesomeness.
[Reward:] BEST ORG ROLE-PLAY AWARD TO STAVENN

[Start:] A stereotypical Paladin-style Knight with a blue tail.
[End:] Another victim of Antioch's political machine. Went with a bang. Leaving was much more amusing than being there, not because of any failure on Antioch's part, but because I went way outside of the box with my gameplay until I was orgless. Super worth it. And anyway it bugged me that there is no 'Paladins' type guild in Imperian. My character only heard the word 'honor' used once ever and it was when Sarrius was asking where it was. D= nowhere, Sarrius. It's nowhere.
[Reward:] MOST FUN TO LEAVE AWARD TO ANTIOCH

[Start:] Troll-bait with racially appropriate fish-pun joke. Inattentive and girl-crazy
[End:] Basically it's the shit-eating customer-pleasing personality I have when I am at work. Inattentive and girl-crazy. Sadly, lately my ability to stay in-character is subject to my mood swings, so he's also a little bit insane, and some days I log on and refuse to role-play. But that's just fine when folks are friendly and don't mind all of the noise I tend to make. I like more people in Magick than the other circles [probably combined], and again, not due to any failure on the parts of others.
[Reward:] HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF NICE PEOPLE TO KINSARMAR

Okay. Tangent end. That was fun to analyze.

Menoch

For psych to be basically a pseudoscience there's a lot to be said for projecting.

Jeremy Saunders

I had one rule playing as a player and then a god when I was on Achaea.

Play a virtue as extreme as possible. Get everyone who did not like that virtue to hate me as much as possible.

Kabaal

I do whoever I think will be the most fun, and think of a justification afterwards.

Teravi

I pick a basic idea and a few personality traits and let the character develop based on the interactions that occur once  its made. Teravi was a dancer who originated from Stavenn. She's also sweet, because virtually all my other characters are cold or reserved. She's supposed to be a social critter, because I tend to be solitary, even in games. Anything she is now is a result of interactions with people. 

I write a lot of back story on the fly based on questions people ask. I am also a workaholic, generally, so all my characters eventually end up spending a lot of time fishing or standing around staring blank-eyed at a wall while I write something. 

And sticky keyboards are a pain in the rear to write on. I need coffee-proof peripherals.

Iniar

I found Iniar's script: