Hypotheticals

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I love making new characters, and dreaming up new character concepts. I have a few really good ones, too. But sometimes I'm not sure if they'd fit well with the gameworld, or sometimes coded issues prevent my dreams from coming to fruition.
I've been unable to work my questions into other threads, so I figured I'd just make my own, and take whatever answers come. These are unrelated, opinion-based 'what-ifs', so any answer you care to provide would be helpful to me. Here we go:
1. I plan to make a combat-oriented character who makes use of both a spear and a long bow. Only problem is, these are both large weapons that would need to be strapped on to the back. While I realize that many spears can be hooked on to belts, this always gave me a silly image of some one walking along with their spear tip dragging in the sand behind them. Would it be appropriate in a city-area to walk around with either the spear or bow in your offhand, and emote that its slung casually over your shoulder or used as a walking stick? Should I substitute the bow for a sling?
2. I've always been fascinated by characters such as Bottom from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or Dogsberry from "Much Ado About Nothing". While misusing words is definetly fun, I was thinking more along the lines of a person that is so self-absorbed and deluded that they unable to see their own faults. Would it be feasible for a character like this to seek out a job as a noble aide, and honestly believe that they are somehow "more worthy" of a noble's company than their peers? What would be the chances that a noble would want an employee like this, even if just for their own amusement? What if the employee had devolped his bloated ego as a defense mechanism for, say, an embarassing deformation, or to compensate for the fact that they're a gemmed magicker or of 'undesirable' race? While this would certainly remove any chance they had of working for the noble, would it likewise remove any chance they had of speaking to them, or serving as an oddity for their amusement?
3. Sometimes, on Earth anyway, when a person feels detached from or dissapointed in their own culture, they seek out other cultures to mimic. I'm not just talking about half-giants, either... more along the lines of a human, elf, dwarf or half-elf attempting to work their way into another tribe or city state. Perhaps a city-dweller coveting the lifestyle of a tribal, or a commoner wishing they'd been born a noble. Would this be feasible?
4. Would you, as a player, be willing to work for an ICly inept leader, if the roleplay surrounding him or her was interesting?
5. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that there was a noble that enjoyed hunting. If this was roleplayed well, would you consider it acceptable? Don't worry, I'm not talking about a noble that runs around in the desert dressed in leather armor, hacking up gith. Something more like a young noble, dressed in silks and surrounded by a phalanx of gaurds, who fires a single arrow at a jozhal amidst a chorus of compliments from his entourage. My point is, in your opinion, do you think a character in a position of power could have a highly involved or even ridiculously detrimental 'hobby', so long as it involved other players and was ICly justifiable? Or would you rather not see any more embarassing Fale-wannabes?
6. I generally try to give my characters a vice, some sort of major flaw. Good ones I've used before are: alcoholism, low self-esteem, spice addiction, cowardice, or a gambling addiction. Have you any other suggestions?
7. Would it be appropriate to create an 'unskilled' character? For example, a character with the 'warrior' guild who's never even seen a sword, or some one with the 'ranger' guild who's never left the city, or a law-abiding 'burglar' who was never even caught with his hands in the cookie jar as a kid. I always thought it would be interesting to create a young character that had not yet discovered his niche, and paint a sort of bildungsroman story. And yet, I imagine most Imms and players would expect at least some explanation as to why my character suddenly finds he has a remarkable aptitude for basketweaving, for example. What are your thoughts on this?
8. What common 'unskilled' labor jobs would you find in Zalanthas? Stablehands? Construction workers? Are the majority of these jobs handled by slaves, or would free workers be found in these fields? How much would they pay? Enough to eventually leave and enter another profession (I'm asking because I'm hoping to use it as a background)?
9. In your opinion, is it 'bad' to use your character's equipment, location, or other relatively 'impermanent' aspects of your character's life as a 'starting point' for creating their personality? Some would argue that a mercenary would have to be comfortable with all types of weapons, and that an avid love of swords is indicitive of a shallow, two-dimensional personality. Others would argue, however, that swords appeal to one type of person, while daggers might appeal to another. What are your thoughts on this?
10. Similarly, do you think its 'bad' to plot out your character's goals, habits, and general lifestyle during creation, instead of starting off with a basic concept and letting these things come naturally? Obviously, IC occurences will change a character, but do you think changes since creation should provide the basis of the character's personality, or simply tweak it?
11. How many dwarves are there in the city-states in respect to humans and elves? How many of these dwarves are slaves or former slaves? Is it 'bad' to create a dwarven character with little or no connection to its slave roots?
12. Are there any character cliches you simply cannot stand to see rehashed?
That's all I have for now. Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated.

[jstorrie]

2. This could be good. I would have considered hiring this guy the last time I played a noble.

3. Seems fine to me.

4. Yes.

5. I would personally consider it acceptable. Your junior noble's senior noble superiors might not.

6. Severe nationalism or racism are vices of sorts; hooked on prostitutes, maybe?

7. I would expect -some- explanation, too.

8. Lumberjacks (in the north) and miners (in the south); the clay pits in Tuluk; messenger/errand runner for a rich type?

10. In my personal experience, creating goals when you create the character can lead to very acute boredom in the long term when those goals are either completed or become unfeasible.

[Bestatte]

1) I roleplay around code restrictions, when those restrictions aren't realistic. I'd sheath the spear in one spot, bow in the other spot, and RP that they're both fitting quite nicely wherever it makes sense for them to be.

2) I'm not an abomination, I'm special, because that's what mom always told me and mom's never wrong. I can see this happening, to some degree.

3) Absolutely. A city-born wishing he could explore the world, a tribal wondering if he really would end up nuts if he learned to enjoy city life or if his tribe elders were as manipulative as they accused city people of being. A commoner daydreaming of being a templar...a magicker yearning to be normal. All these things I believe are possible and "useable" for PC personalities.

4) I've had PCs work for leaders who they thought were inept. And a couple that *I* thought were inept, heh. Had fun with the RP regardless so yeah.

5) I love the idea of the whole noble clan riding 2 rooms away from the gate, getting a gortok to "near death," subduing it, bringing it to the noble, and letting him have the killing blow so the whole group could compliment him on his prowess with the hunt. I think that's awesome, as would be similar ideas.

6) Allergies. I had one chick who was allergic to silk. Someone thought to show her a silk scarf they had - and she broke out in hives and scowled at the "important rich person." It was fun

7) I think the point of skill sets is that at -some point- you would make use of some of the skills in them. If you RP the events leading up to the interest or discovery of those skills, then I think it's an interesting idea to start out RPing as "unskilled."

Waitresses/bar wenches, runners who do nothing more than fetch and carry and deliver stuff for their employers. Can't think of anything else at the moment.

9) Not sure what you mean - but I had a house guard PC who had an affinity with bludgeing weapons and had no interest in using a blade at all. She was a big burly brute kinda warrior chick, and her background included her mom smacking her brothers over the heads with a rolling pin when they misbehaved. So if that's what you're getting at, then yeah I can see it.

10) I always start my characters out with some very vague notion of what their current goal is, and a possible long-term goal. The long-term goal would be subject to change on a whim, the short-term would be the main "reason" my character happened to show up to the public at that particular moment.

11) no idea.

12) Orphan kids, stereotypical fantasy-genre characters (such as the exotic beautiful f-me elf, the grumpy miner dwarf, the exotic flawless elven male archer that all the wimmens go nuts over, and all the wimmens who go nuts over exotic flawless elven male archers.

[Xamminy]

1- Hey, whatever, as long as a templar doesn't get a wild hair up his/her butt about it, you're good.

2- Hey, as long as you aren't too like those characters (i.e. completely inept) you could probably get and hold a job.  As far as becomming a noble's personal oddity, that would depend on the noble.  Most wouldn't bother, however.

3- This you may want to find out in game.  I say try it.  

4- As long as you give someone plenty to do, they are playing a 'good leader character' from the staff's point of view.  That all of their plans are botched and they spend all of their money on booze and spice until you, the employee, has to drag them home hardly matters.

5- Why not?  As long as you don't play the seeming perception that people have of Fale's being raving lunatics.

6- Suicidal's a good one.  :wink:

7- Unskilled?  Sure, as long as you don't plan on having no skills and then plan on springing those skills on people later by having us give them all to you at once.  Really, you'll have to have in mind what your character will be good at before, and let how your character comes to realize what he's good at through roleplay.  Basically, decide then explore...not explore than decide.

8- I'd rather let you figure this one out more on your own.  I'll just say that some creative people have come up with interesting ways to keep themselves well-fed without using a skill particular to any one guild...hell, lots of people have made money off of skills that everyone gets.  Then again, people have also made a lot of money never using a coded skill.

9- Hey, pick preferences and stick with them, I say.  "I like swords," to quote a veritable genius, is a good like...however, you may want to pick a particular type of sword as your character's preference.  Say, sabres instead of scimitars because you like the lower weight, etc.

10- Have goals.  Lofty ones.  Like a dwarf.  Give yourself an ultimate, hard to reach goal with your character.  Try to attain it.  Having something that you are struggling towards gives you purpose.

11- Uh...I don't know numbers, however it is fine to have a dwarf that has no connection to any slave roots.

12- The half-giant or any tribal that speaks like Tarzan...they just drive me batty!  "Glok like big rock.  Big rock make big smash!"  (proceed with tearing out of hair)

[Lazloth]

1. I plan to make a combat-oriented character who makes use of both a spear and a long bow. Only problem is, these are both large weapons that would need to be strapped on to the back.

You can "sheath back" and "wear back" concurrently.  Find a robe with big pockets and lose the pack.

[flurry]

6. I generally try to give my characters a vice, some sort of major flaw. Good ones I've used before are: alcoholism, low self-esteem, spice addiction, cowardice, or a gambling addiction. Have you any other suggestions?

Passive aggressive, excessively flirtatious, pathologically untruthful, kleptomaniacal, phobic of heights, phobic of crowds, phobic of enclosed spaces, phobic of germs, prone to stuttering, having nervous tics, prone to gossiping, boastful, egotistical, boorish, having poor hygeine, self-destructive, excessive risk-taking, excessive risk-avoidance, jealous, short tempered, having a short attention span, compulsive, impulsive, repulsive, prone to violent outburst, constantly late, impatient, miserly, unreliable, disloyal, unable to keep secrets, bossy, moody, aloof, lacking self-awareness, perfectionistic, constantly needing attention, sullen, codependent, overly concerned with appearance, flatulent, touchy-feely, unable to accept criticism, prone to nit-picking, susceptible to flattery, gullible, given to compulsive list-making.

[Angela Christine]

1.  As far as the code is concerned arrows are weapons, but bows are not.  I've seen people walking around with bows before.  However, your Templar may vary.  :twisted:



AC

[Rhyden]

I really wish bow's could be sheathed across one of your shoulders, therefore, you could wear like two bows and a spear, although Krath knows what anybody would be doing with two bows...meh.

[Xamminy]

Shoulder is for things on your shoulder like a bird perching, not draped or slung over your shoulder like you are suggesting Rhyden.