RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (Full Version)

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TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 17:17:31)

@Arthur: I enjoy those types of characters, although my characters are more along the lines of virtuous or honorable. Very little armor, light weaponry, and amazing agility.

Has anyone based a character's personality and morals on their self? Most of my characters moral decisions and way of thinking are somewhat mirrored by my own morals and way of thinking. Now I'm not saying I'd risk my life to slay a dragon to protect a village in real life, but if put in the situation with the skills I would attempt such action.

I am also not one for the heavy armor or heavy weapon. I STRONGLY DISLIKE these characters:
http://bestgamewallpapers.com/files/2moons/bagi-warrior.jpg

But these guys are fine, though I'd never have a character with so much armor:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/thumb/e/e5/Warrior_02_concept_art.jpg/350px-Warrior_02_concept_art.jpg

A lightly equipped warrior, such as this Stormcloak, is a nice picture of my general characters:
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111107010015/elderscrolls/images/6/6a/563px-Stormcloack_Armor.jpg



Sir Nicholas -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 18:34:41)

It would seem I differ on some points with other members of the Forum. I for one absolutely love the plate wearing tough guy and tank types. Though I don't actually like oversized weapons, instead I prefer a slightly different approach: Versatility. Like for example, my main character wields both a longsword and a mace. One is for dueling, the other one is for armored combat.

He normally doesn't use a ranged weapon because he's so tough and quick that he closes the distance before they can hit him. And if he does, he uses a crossbow.
_______________________________

When it comes down to appearance, I have a liking for the tall, muscular type. The "Heroic Build" - kind of guy that has a ripped physique and strong chin.

Guys that look like this.

And I should confess, I have a liking for cape wearing heroes & villains, especially the fur/mink shoulder cropping kind.



Lord Darkblade -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 18:36:06)

I prefer the lightly equipped guys, leather armor at the most.

Personality and morals? Semi-based on myself, expand to become someone else, usually deadpan snarkers/honor bound spellsword mercanaries.



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 19:14:47)

I like that pic Sir Nicholas. I also like capes and such, which most of my characters also wear.

For some reason, I like purple capes.

It seems we're pretty much one in the same on light armor Lord Darkblade.

I prefer light armor in the Elder Scrolls even!



Vanir -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 20:23:26)

As I said before (I'm pretty sure it was in this thread, a few pages back), I like to use characters that aren't human. Right now, I'm into spirituality and nature. I very much like trees, and Elementals. I do like mercenaries quite a bit. However, regardless of what my character is, he will always have some amount of magical qualities to him.

@TJB - After I got to level 40 in Skyrim, it just turned into a dress up game to me. I prefer the heavy armor becuase in my opinion it has more aesthetic appeal. One exception, my bow/crossbow character, who has to have the slimmer figure to hunt his prey.



Ted Zlammy -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/21/2013 21:52:54)

I'm with you there Nicholas. I myself have a like for knight like characters, what with their shining armor and versatility in combat. Plus, you can come up with a whole bunch of political noble backgrounds with them that can change how they think of the world around them. Oh and yes, capes, cloaks, surcoats and what not are awesome.

As for character morals and personality, I'm similar to a few of my characters. I like to think of myself as a polite person who tries to see the good in people, as well as to do what good I can reasonably do for the people around me. I have a bad habit of making dreadful jokes and puns though, and tend to not take things other find people serious seriously at first. So, I tend to make snarky characters who might tell a bad joke right in the face of the big bad or any random foe, as well as polite noble people who'd ask their foe if they'd like to lower their sword and have friendly chat instead of some bloodshed.

I've made other types of characters too of course, but such characters tend to ooze out of me more often.



Legendium -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 3:10:10)

quote:

It would seem I differ on some points with other members of the Forum. I for one absolutely love the plate wearing tough guy and tank types.


So do I. Heavy armor isn't actually so heavy that can't move well in it. Sure, leather armor is better for agility, but not by much. You can still jump on a horse, dodge a blow, roll on the ground to avoid an arrow, etc. Heavy weapons aren't my thing though. Because heavy weapons..... Let's just say that there's less skill needed for them than for a sword. A one hand sword with a shield is good for me, or a two-hander (note: Two-handers aren't necessarily heavy. The ones used in the German medieval army in advance units were actually quite light). In general, mages are too squishy for me, and while rogues are fun to play with, they have the same problem as mages in close combat. They're too easily beat up. A decent sword can cut leather in two or three hacks, and cloth in one.

quote:

I prefer light armor in the Elder Scrolls even!


That's because in Skyrim, light armor is better than heavy. There's a mod that fixes all the messed up game mechanics though. But I'll stop there. This isn't a discussion about Elder Scrolls V. :P




TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 9:39:09)

quote:

That's because in Skyrim, light armor is better than heavy. There's a mod that fixes all the messed up game mechanics though. But I'll stop there. This isn't a discussion about Elder Scrolls V. :P

Actually it's just because it is simply light armor, nothing more.

I think the general consensus here is that lighter armor = more agility, and that heavy armor = less agility, but more defense. But it's more or less dependent on your characters skill. Why should agility or better protection matter when you're aggressive with your sword and good with your shield?



Legendium -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 11:59:45)

quote:

lighter armor = more agility, and that heavy armor = less agility, but more defense.


Not true. Well, slightly but not by much. "Heavy" armor is only really heavier in weight. And it clanks. But aside from those points, it barely affects agility at all. Due to the clanking, sneaky types wouldn't want it, but that's the only reason. Trust me, I've had full plate armor on and leather armor.

quote:

Why should agility or better protection matter when you're aggressive with your sword and good with your shield?


Because an opponent can easily back off from your attacks, and with a spear, they can easily reach around the shield while staying out of range of your sword. That's when heavy armor counts. Unless your foe is using a Bec de Corbin. Those can crack armor open like a nut, if used properly. In that case, backing off or using a weapon suited to fight against a polearm would be best. I'm getting off track aren't I?

And for the Skyrim thing, while you may use it because it's light, it really isn't much better. Heavy armor really doesn't protect as much as it should to truly be worth it. Light armor protects almost just as much, but weighs considerably less. Anyways, the Skyrim topic is off-topic, so let's stop discussing it.



dethhollow -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 13:20:01)

Usually my characters have some magical ability just for the sake of making them unique. There's only so many cleaver ideas you can do with traditional weapons, after all. I have made armoured characters before, but don't normally use them. The problem with heavy armour is that your character has to wear it all the time since you never know when you'll be in a fight. Alot of people seem to forget that RPs aren't 100% action, there's quite a bit of sociallization between characters. That knight outfit may look awesome, but when you walk into a store fully-armed it's going to attract some attention. Not to mention, some people probably wouldn't be comftrable talking to someone wielding a claymore and helmit.

I think that's probably the three main problems I have with armoured characters. It's awkward to carry around everywhere because where would you put it and how do you change, people can tell you're an adventurer a mile away, and mainly wearing a helmit hides alot of your character's emotions. If you're a villian, then that's all great. You can get away with planning battles out and hiding emotions with the helmit. Probably get away with avoiding social interraction to a degree, as well. But if you're a hero, I can see where it would get in the way a little at times.

I try to keep my characters pretty varied. So far I've used a furniture golemancer with a giant ego, an energy-based assassin, a warrior who relied on a super aggressive fighting style, a mirror mage with a fear and hatred of magic, a laughing undead with something similar to meat or rubber making up his body that was just enjoyably psychopathic, a super-fast revived lizardman who was just creepy as heck, robe-wearing rapier user that could slow time, a clown that can fire sharp confetti and use it as a deadly smokescrean........ Uhh, who else have I used............. I think that might be it for this site, although I planned on making a civil war-like kind-of mechanical person who has a shotgun for one arm and wields an electrified sword in the other. And I've got a concept for making a catperson Soulweaver who carries around a ball of spirit-thread, which could be fun. And an Artix-fanboy who uses wind magic to increase or decrease the weight of his weapons.

Usually, I tend to like my characters having a bit of a dark side to them wether they're with the protagonists or not. It makes things more intresting when they're after something they want instead of just doing good for the sake of doing good. Maybe it's just me, but I find straight-up heroes to be pretty unmemorable. There's so much more you could do with a character than just treat them as a basic hero.



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 13:36:58)

Well Legendium it seems you know a helluva lot more stuff on armor and weapons than I do. I'm simply basing it off of a few minutes of research and RPG's - like Skyrim.

I've read articles where people talked about how heavy chainmail was, and I always assumed plate armor would be a bit more heavier. It just seems like some padded, cloth, leather, or other lighter armors would be a relief!

Also, I have read that armor was mainly to stop from being cut. If you got hit where armor was you mostly broke a bone, but medieval surgeons were capable of dealing with such injuries. Being sliced open probably meant amputation or worse: death.

How about we list the advantages and disadvantages of lighter armor and heavier armor in real life terms?



Starstruck -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 15:10:10)

Don't EVEN, TJ. Don't EVEN.

Just...don't. There are different kinds of armor that are good against different kinds of weapons, and to go through it all would be to fight your way through the history of weaponry.

Let's just go through it in RPG terms, which is to say: heavier armor is stronger. A few kinds of armor defend against a few kinds of attacks.



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 15:29:18)

I think I'll just keep going on the fact that lightly armored opponents move faster and easier than heavily armored ones, and heavily armored ones have more armor so it is harder to injure them more severely.



Lord Darkblade -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 15:38:17)

quote:

"Heavy" armor is only really heavier in weight. And it clanks. But aside from those points, it barely affects agility at all.

quote:

agility-noun-the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness:


The heavy armor not affecting agility is a lie, heavy armor makes it harder to move quickly because it requires more energy to run very fast in it that in leather armor, you are slower because of it

Scratch that, was researching more on wikipedia, full plate doesn't effect mobility at all, although, it would still probably have lots of chinks in it just so mobility isn't affected.



Legendium -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 15:41:51)

quote:

I've read articles where people talked about how heavy chainmail was,


Chainmail is heavy. That's true. And heavy armor is heavier than cloth and leather. But it doesn't hinder movement. As for chainmail, I'm not really sure why it feels so heavy. I mean, it's less that it feels heavy, more that it just sags on you. Lifting your shoulders requires a bit of energy due to the weight, but it's not much at all. Stamina is just a good thing to have when using armor. But plate isn't much heavier. I mean, look at a pauldron form the side. It's thin. The main body pieces of plate armor are bulky, heavier than chainmail, and not very comfortable, but almost all other pieces are less so. Shoulder pads (called pauldrons), knee pads, leg armor, armguards, etc. are all rather light because they're all flat. No truly good armor piece (aside from the more vital points of the main body armor) is more than an inch thick. It's the material that's supposed to halt the attack, not the thickness.

I suppose what I'm saying is that heavy armor is A: Not as heavy as most people believe (Although yes, it is heavy; but so is leather armor, come to think of it) and B: The weight has almost nothing to due with agility. I guess it's just the assumption that weight has strong ties with agility is what bugs me.

quote:

Also, I have read that armor was mainly to stop from being cut. If you got hit where armor was you mostly broke a bone, but medieval surgeons were capable of dealing with such injuries. Being sliced open probably meant amputation or worse: death.


This is true. Heavy armor was developed to stop incoming sword blows. But like evolution, the attacker grew a way around this; Hammers. The hammers can crush things from within the armor, which is why most injuries with armor were broken bones.

quote:

How about we list the advantages and disadvantages of lighter armor and heavier armor in real life terms?


In general, the main reason that light armor even existed in medieval times is because there were peasants. Peasants couldn't afford plate armor, so leather had to make do.
Just sayin'.

I halfway agree with Starstruck on that matter. But I would love to discuss battle theory, and I think I'll set up a thread real soon.



Vanir -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 15:54:26)

quote:

This is true. Heavy armor was developed to stop incoming sword blows. But like evolution, the attacker grew a way around this; Hammers. The hammers can crush things from within the armor, which is why most injuries with armor were broken bones.

Many Weapons evolved from farm tools. Hooks especially. With a hook you could rip off a man's armor or get around a leg and throw him off of his feet. If you get a hook around a man's knee and get him on the ground and then pull out a blunt hammer, you could do quite some damage to a guy.



Legendium -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 16:01:08)

@Vanir

That is essentially a perfect description of the Bec de Corbin. Developed from farm tools, and a highly effective weapon. It's a polearm with a hammer and hook. I'm not quite sure (I never was good at history) but I believed it was developed during the French Revolution. I'm probably wrong though.



Ted Zlammy -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 16:20:13)

Aye, heavy armor doesn't reduce movement all that much like Legendium says. Although, I'd think someone all suited up in it would fatigue faster than someone in just a leather jerkin in a melee or after a long march. Granted, their chances of surviving said melee would be higher though. Anywho, further talk ought to go into that thread Legendium made. Probably should posted my bit in there come to think of it...

Anyway! What else could we chat about for making interesting characters?



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 16:43:01)

I was once an English Knight could barely move if they were knocked from their horse and had to wait till the battle ended.



TormentedDragon -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 18:11:07)

That's rather flagrantly wrong. Heavy armor was a pretty high-tech and precision art, for its time, and good plate armor allowed for surprisingly good mobility while afoot. Probably the main issue would be the reduced vision from wearing a helmet. Most plate armor allowed you to swim in it, even. Making it too heavy wouldn't have worked on horseback, either, as the horse would not have been able to operate on the battlefield either.

In fact, plate armor was, generally, less tiring and in many cases less restricting than normal chain armor. This is because of the way it was put onto the body-the straps and buckles distributed the weight so that it was held up by multiple parts of the body, while chain armor simply hung off the shoulders, putting all the weight of those links on those shoulders. Greater weight better distributed is less tiring than a small weight supported at a single point.

Remember that the most important aspect of armor is functionality: if wearing it means you can't move, it's not functional, and therefore would not have been used.



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/22/2013 18:45:29)

Thanks for the information TD. Learn something everyday. I guess the lesson here is: armor is worn for defense, but should never go out of its way to hinder mobility.



Legendium -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/23/2013 5:09:00)

quote:

I was once an English Knight could barely move if they were knocked from their horse and had to wait till the battle ended.


That's mainly because they got squashed by their horses. If you were still on a horse that was dying, you often broke your leg.



Sir Nicholas -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/23/2013 13:21:31)

I'm very happy that this discussion has cleared up many of the myths and misunderstandings concerning armor. Sure, it's heavy and uncomfortable, but hey - in a fight it will save your life. Blades are nearly ineffectual against it. And in fact, even the best made sword will probably just bounce right off a plate armor breastplate.

Which is why my character makes due with something a little more practical - though no less effective against unarmored adversaries: The mace. Perhaps one of the first weapons developed by Humanity, there's always been a place for a big heavy stick on the battlefield. Flanged maces in particular are especially effective because they can pierce even the toughest metals, combining the spiked edges with the sheer, blunt force of a good whack! :P

Anyways, for my characters - I also have to say that while speed is critical, most of the time you'll find that toughness is far more effective for dealing with the prototypical "Dark Lord" type. I mean, in a slug fest with Baron Von Evils- my boy could take the bombardment, then dish it back out at him without missing a beat. (No pun intended)

In terms of characterization, I also have a soft spot on my heart for the "Church Militant" type. The "holy warrior" so to speka. In fact, the Paladin is my favorite. I tell you, I've fought dozens of battles (possibly hundreds) and in each of them - my boy spouts out righteous, very "heroic" phrases and such - breaking his enemies with both brute strength and piety.

In a really tough fight - he'll power on through with sheer determination. That's a big part of being a Hero: The never-say-die spirit.

I also have a liking for the "Worthy Opponent" characterization. So outside of a fight, he'll be kicking back and laughing and drinking with the best of them. Even if you're his rival or enemy, he'll happily offer to let you be his drinking buddy for the night before it's time to pound the crap out of each other.



TJByrum -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/23/2013 13:36:05)

@Nicholas: I am also glad we got on that subject to, cause I've learned a lot. As for your characters, I also tend to like them, although my characters are not "holy justice-loving pious men", but rather respectful and good-natured warriors who just want everyone to live free and happy lives.

I remember my first roleplay here, The Raven Tower by Lord Cod Cod. My first ever character, Kranua, stands up on a hill in the midst of battle and yells "I am Kranua!" as loud as he can. Before that he skied down a mountain on a board made of ice, and then bashed the two guardsmen at the gate down.

Needless to say, he was terrible and I will never have a character like that again. I prefer the more practical, realistic, and obvious approach to my characters now. I dislike "big, bad***, and just plain awesome" type of guys. And I dislike the "cute, cool, and always-reliable" teenage boys who can handle anything.

Respect, honor, valor, nobility... that's my kind of thing... Like a Japanese Samurai... or a noble Knight... or something along those lines. And I don't like my warriors to be "all brawn, no brain" either. My warriors have to have an understanding of tactics and need to smart.



Eukara Vox -> RE: Making Interesting Characters (Discussion) (5/23/2013 15:02:06)

I appreciate diversity and really love it when a creator is capable of creating and maintaining characters that don't fit under the same mold, time after time. To me, that is boring. Diversify, take chances and let creativity take control. It's so much fun when your characters take control and leave you out of the creative process.

Really...

I mean it.

This isn't just one of my characters talking.


I love being able to look at things from different perspectives and points of view. I don't tend to vary my age very much, which I know is something I need to work on. Usually, I tend to play a male or female between 18 and 26, which gives me more freedom in terms of energy, physicality, maneuverability, healing, etc. I have played one character who was a 40 something Light elementalist. She annoyed the crap out of another 19ish year old character I also played, not to mention she annoyed others because she was... a domineering, 40 something know-it-all woman who never had kids but was somehow an expert on teens (especially teens), how people should behave and respond in certain situations. She also had issue with being told she wasn't doing it right. I mean, really, like she doesn't know everything! *pushes Loralie back to the recesses of her brain*

I've enjoyed playing a bad guy (and girl), someone with immense intent on hurting, dividing, destroying. I've played someone slightly insane. I've played a stoic, militaristic cat humanoid who knows no life but loss and war. I've played an empath who cannot even touch another human (see Counselor Troi from Star Trek TNG and Rogue from X-Men) without causing that person to nearly go insane. Let's not even go to projection issues. A human girl, whose heritage is Russian/Norwegian and was originally from a Reindeer Herding culture, forced to abandon that way of life because of big business and corporate politics, trapped in the tumultuous world of the fae realm on our very earth, who speaks broken English and is a master musician. An island native protege, adopted by her patron goddess because she is key to a god war that is about to erupt. A half dragon female who lived in one world, played her part, only to be reborn in another because the gods wanted her to live a full life elsewhere. A runt of a dragon who is the sole inheritor of her father's bi-clan rule, only to have to undertake the coming of age ceremony while her step mother does everything she can to destroy her. Heh, and that is only, what, half?

The list goes on. Why? Because the very essence of RPing is creating a storyline so compelling, characters so enrapturing that you have to become the character in order for it to ever be successful. And if you are not using your creativity to its maximum to give yourself an experience that is just shy of real, it's not worth doing. Pushing yourself to your creative limits and forcing yourself to stay true is such an immense exercise in creativity. The joy you will get from diversity and challenge is unbelievably satisfying.




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