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| Tips for Creating Characters | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 10 2018, 01:36 AM (4 Views) | |
| Oracle | Mar 10 2018, 01:36 AM Post #1 |
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Our very own player of Mercedes/Nikolai wrote this up, and it's a very, very helpful document for anyone who is creating a character in a format/setting like ours, so I wanted to share it with everyone for future use, as it really hits on a lot of issues that we often experience during character creation. Reviewing this prior to and during character creation may really help avoid pitfalls and issues that you might not otherwise realize are lurking within your character. As the ST, I'll be my best to keep these kinds of things in mind when approving characters. For my part, some of this was already in my head, but a lot of it truly wasn't, so this was an interesting read for me. I hope you all take it in the spirit it is intended, and I truly hope this helps folks out there make some really awesome characters when the time comes. Thanks again to Mercedes/Nikolai for creating this. Where do I Start? Is there anything that appeals to you specifically- a clan, sect, discipline, country, historical event/era, or character archetype? Start there and work outwards. Even if it doesn’t work out exactly (the clan or sect isn’t open, the era would make your character way too old for the power level we’re supposed to be playing at), you can at least use them to inspire you. Maybe your character wasn’t alive during the days of the pharaohs, but perhaps they were an archeologist who worked heavily in Egypt or a professor of ancient history before they were Embraced. Are there any themes you specifically want to explore? Choose a character concept that supports them. But don’t be afraid to be creative! The fragile nature of reality could be the basis for an excellent Malkavian, but you could also do it with an actor who’s played so many roles that they’ve lost track of who they are… or a young neonate trying to make sense of the crazy, complicated World of Darkness where everyone seems to be trying to manipulate them… Or all of the above at the same time. How comfortable are you with roleplaying ‘adult’ content- graphic violence, sex, drugs, and rock and roll? This is the World of Darkness, but some characters are far, far more likely to encounter it than others. If you’re not very comfortable with that, perhaps a Setite drug lord or Malkavian serial killer isn’t the way to go. How willing are you to play politics- wheeling and dealing, making contacts and networking, exchanging favors and secrets? Again, to a certain extent it’s what the game is about, but how and to what degree you get involved will vary. If it’s not your scene or you’re nervous about trying it, make sure your character has other goals and potential storylines besides acquiring personal power within their clan or sect. How much research do you want to do? All characters require work to play well, but it’s going to take a lot more ooc legwork just to get the basics right with a patent attorney or a particle physicist than it would for a janitor. Things That Will Not Work The world of Vampire: the Masquerade is a pretty open one, in that you can create a character who is or has done just about anything. That being said, there are a few traits, concepts, and attitudes that either don’t work at all for a game like this, or are going to be very difficult. No-goes: * Characters with no real goals, goals that would be impossible to make meaningful progress on within the scope of the game (“get elected president of France”), or goals that would be uninteresting to roleplay (“write a book”). * Any character whose concept is dependent on eliciting a particular reaction from other characters, particularly PCs. Traits, Merits, and Flaws can get you some of the way, but there’s absolutely no guarantee any given character will find yours sexy, trustworthy, annoying, or frightening. * Characters with too many psychological problems, to the point that most posts or threads are more about dealing with what’s going on in their head than accomplishing anything in game. * Excessively lone-wolf concepts that won’t ever interact with other PCs or only will under contrived circumstances. * Characters with a major focus on something that you (or the ST) is uncomfortable with. It will show, and while it may get easier, it may not, and why would you do that to yourself anyway? * Characters that will be actively antagonistic to other PCs without reasonable provocation. Not Unworkable, but Need to be Thought About Long and Hard Before Deciding That This is What you Want to Do: * Any character dependent on the presence of another character to work properly. Ensure that the ST is alright with creating and running a major NPC pretty much solely for your benefit or that you’re alright with giving up the character should the player you’re partnered with decide to leave or change characters. * Characters with a major focus on some kind of knowledge or skill you do not possess and can’t easily fake. Expect to spend a lot of time doing research and a lot of time writing your posts. * Characters inspired by other fictional characters (Straight-up lifting them is a no-go, but be cautious with inspiration- it often either becomes extraordinarily obvious and descends into straight-up lifting, or just becomes superfluous details tacked onto an otherwise unrelated character). * Characters that are based on basically never failing at something that will depend on dice at least some of the time (a character who’s lying about something that will likely be challenged frequently and must never come out or be seriously doubted). * Characters with excessively convoluted backstories (Rule of thumb: if you can’t explain most of who they are and what they do in a few grammatically correct sentences, they probably have too much going on and should be pared down or split into two characters). “I Have a Concept, but no Clan!/I Wanna Play This Clan, but Don’t Have a Concept!” Now, some players and STs may pitch a fit here, because either “How on earth could you make a character without knowing what they’re going to be able to do!” or “But you can’t start with a clan in mind or you’ll end up as a boring stereotype with no personality!” Take a deep breath. Let it out. You can make a decent character starting in either direction. A good concept is not suddenly going to become bad because you knew you wanted them to be a Ventrue when you started developing them. And as long as you develop the concept adequately, you should be able to find a clan where they make sense mechanically and narratively without too much trouble. If it’s mechanical roles within the game you’re concerned about, keep in mind that it’s the ST’s job to balance the game for the characters that they have. Thinking about balance is great, but ultimately, it’s not your job. Additionally, remember that multiple clans can support the same broad, general in-game role. A lot of times it’s more about your dot allocations than the set of clan weaknesses you have and the discipline spread you get access to. My golden rule here: If you can’t articulate why your character was Embraced into the clan they were (for in-universe and thematic reasons), then either you haven’t developed them enough yet or you are playing the wrong clan. If, on the other hand, you can’t actually think of at least one other clan that would have a good reason to Embrace your character without major overhauls to their personality or backstory, you are probably playing a clan stereotype, not a character. Ok. Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a list of the vague qualities to think about. Some of this was taken from the main V20 book, and the rest is my interpretation. * If your character was Embraced in the Camarilla, remember that siring permission is often difficult to get. Rogue, accidental, and sentimental Embraces do happen, but it’s likely they manifested some trait that convinced their sire that they would be a desirable addition to their plans, sect, or clan. * Independent clans often take a wide variety of skillsets and backgrounds, since they’re both a clan and a sect to themselves. However, remember that most of them also have some kind of overall goal or purpose and are not likely to Embrace those that don’t contribute to it somehow. * The Sabbat is, in a way, the easiest- shovelheads can come from anywhere and be anybody, and it’s not particularly hard to say that your character managed to survive long enough to make it through their Creation Rites. Just keep in mind which clans are typically doing the Embracing for shovelheads, and that if you want to go outside of those, you’re still going to have to justify it like anyone else. * Assamites will Embrace anyone as long as they’re useful, but keep in mind the overall mission of the clan and have some vague idea of how your character and their life experience or skill set fits into that. They also are not into Embracing works-in-progress. Whatever it is they see in your character, they should already have it, not be working on maybe having it sometime in the future. * The Brujah look for passion. What that passion is can vary, but your character should have been passionate about something, even if it was just a general grab-life-by-the-horns mentality. And while it’s a bit of an oxymoron to find someone who’s passionate, yet even-keeled, smart Brujah avoid those who are already short tempered or have chronic anger issues. * Again, the Followers of Set will take anyone who they think will be useful, but they often Embrace those who are already outsiders or independent thinkers of some sort- they likely either already believe in what the clan has to offer, or their sire has a very good reason to think they would be interested. They also tend to prefer those with some kind of mental or social smarts. * Gangrel look for independence, self-reliance, and mental or physical resiliency. There’s more to them than “the animal clan”, so experience with nature of any sort is not actually needed, but they favor those who could be characterized as “survivors” in one way or another. * Giovanni, consistent with the rest of the indie clans, will take just about anyone they think is useful. But remember, your character has to have come from one of the mortal families that are associated with the clan, with all of the things that entails. Additionally, even more so than most others, you need to justify why your character was more useful to the family as a vampire than as a ghoul. * Lasombra are an aristocratic clan, preferring childer with at least some sense of refinement. They prize ambition and social and personal ruthlessness, and often target for Embrace those who feel, correctly or not, that life has been unfair to them. Remember that they tend to be very hard on their childer, so whatever they saw in your character should probably be something they can actually bear out if you intend for them to last very long. * Malkavians are perhaps the most flexible clan of all. Anyone can become a Malkavian, and depending on their sire, you may or may not need a coherent reason for them to have done so, although there is a tendency to pick those who were already outsiders in some way. HOWEVER. This is also one of the easiest clans to screw up, in my opinion, so make sure you’re ready for the challenge before you decide on it. Additionally, if you do, make sure whatever derangement you settle on actually enhances your concept, rather than clashing with it or simply being a random insertion. * Apart from spite Embraces of vain beauties (“Cleopatras”), Nosferatu look for those who will be unlikely to suffer horrific psychological damage by the changes their clan curse causes. Their close-knit structure tends to favor those who play well with others, and they like their childer to be pragmatic and smart, or at least savvy. * Ravnos will often Embrace on a whim, but those that make it long will tend to be self-sufficient loners. Also keep in mind that the ideals of the clan are actually rather counterintuitive to creating more vampires, so why your character’s sire chose to do so at all can be a great deal more important than the reason they picked this particular mortal. * The Toreador are actually another very flexible clan. They spend their unlives chasing inspiration, and thus anyone that sufficiently inspires them could be seen as a worthy Embrace. With that in mind, your character was probably exceptionally good at something. It need not be the stereotypical “art”, but they should have had something that their sire found especially captivating, useful, or amusing. * Tremere are more similar to an independent clan in some respects- they have their own internal hierarchy and will Embrace anyone they find useful. They do tend to be extremely selective, though- not only will your character have to be considered worthy of using up potentially once-in-an-unlifetime siring rites, but they’ll have to pass muster with their future superiors within the clan. Moreover, the intense atmosphere within the clan means that successful Tremere are ambitious, driven, smart, and not prone to excessive rebellion. * Like their cousins the Lasombra, Tzimisce also favor aristocratic mindsets and seek out those who are extraordinarily talented in a particular area. They’re often loners who feel detached from humanity in some way, even before their Embrace, and while they’re not nearly as exclusive as the Giovanni, they do have a few ghoul families that they often pull childer from. * Ventrue like the elite. Heiresses, up-and-coming businessmen, mafia princesses, or just some penniless guy whose blood is very, very blue. Social position and the respect of others is important to the average Ventrue, and sires will often give just as much thought to how their childer will reflect on them as to what they can contribute. Thus, their Embraces often display social intellegence and a sense of decorum. * Other bloodlines (Daughters of Cacophony, Samedi) and clan variants (Telyavelic Tremere, Old Clan Tzimice) are tricky. Qualifications are likely similar to whatever of the main clans they’re most like, with a few tweaks. Just realize that you might have to convince the ST that the character actually would be better served by a bloodline and not one of the main clans. |
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6:17 PM Jul 10