Discussion on "playing your character sheet"

[CorruptedDisciple]

You can have 8 charisma (which is still in the 'normal' range, mind you) and be stunningly good-looking, yet have a personality that makes other people want to avoid/ignore you (or worse)

OK, if this is so, what stops someone from RP'ing a good looking and magnetic personality and leadership potential yet having only an 8 CHA?

I don't think you quite understood what I wrote, Steve. Weaknesses and strengths still has to be RP'd, but you have the choice on which you want. A charisma of 8 means there is something to your person that people may not like. Maybe you're ugly or maybe you're a rude person. Or perhaps you're just crude and blunt. Or you could simply be annoying like Cicero in Skyrim. You don't have to take all the flaws or strength in the stat descriptions, but it still has to make sense, and preferably be in some sort of balance.

Oh my god! You're the Listener?! :O The Listener is here!

*jumps around dancing for years*

// Sorry, I had to.

[Gottmoerder]

So.. What sort of charisma would Noober have? He's a fairly persuasive man. Something like 16?

[CorruptedDisciple]

So.. What sort of charisma would Noober have? He's a fairly persuasive man. Something like 16?

If you mean persuasive in the sense of reverse psychology, I think he has 30. Because when he asks you to talk to him, you just want to kill him. Oh... how good it felt to kill him... ah... forget the XP you get, I just... loved killing him.

[Valefort]

Are you gonna throw rocks at me too?!

[WeWhoEat]

Anything in the 8-12 range is 'normal'.

Not in 3rd edition. Its 10-11(ie. a 9 in Int means you are illiterate). In AD&D 2nd edition, it used to be 9-12 = normal, but WotC move away from that.

I believe the DMs go by the 2.5 edition ruleset and lore, or am I mistaken?

3.5 rules, with the game being chronologically set earlier.

[Charraj]

but would it be allowed here on this server to RP as a spawn of a elf and orc? Can we RP a half-monstrous race?

That's a negatory. It's what we mean by "playing what's on your sheet." This has been the general policy for as long as I've been here.

If you want to say that your half-elf has some very distant orc blood on his human side, that would be fine. But he would still be mainly a half-elf (the child of an elf and a human).

As it was explained to me by older DMs a while back, this is so that we don't have a Coast full of vampires, werewolves, and well... half-monstrous races. The number of planetouched and other unique races running around is already a little incredible, so I tend to agree with this policy.

[FairVigil]

Sometimes steve the error falls in the persons ability to properly manage their pc and "all" of their stats. In pen and paper the dm is there to babysit each action and weigh the factors. If we overstep our stats in pnp the dm is there to set us straight and anyone who played pnp knows how fun rolling 1's for checks were.

Sadly the server is just too popular and expansive to have such a luxury as a dm per roving party. So really we each have a dual responsibility. To rp our pc accordingly to their stats as well as dm the success or failures if no dm is around.

If a paladin falls in the forest and no dm is around. Does he lose his powers? kinda thing.

None of this even takes into account how little most people know about the lore behind their pc's class. Which explains most of the issues in interpreting how they would be used IG. It wasn't until i realized i was likely ruining others immersion by knowing so little about my pc that i started reading up on things again.

[Gottmoerder]

but would it be allowed here on this server to RP as a spawn of a elf and orc? Can we RP a half-monstrous race?

That's a negatory. It's what we mean by "playing what's on your sheet." This has been the general policy for as long as I've been here.

If you want to say that your half-elf has some very distant orc blood on his human side, that would be fine. But he would still be mainly a half-elf (the child of an elf and a human).

As it was explained to me by older DMs a while back, this is so that we don't have a Coast full of vampires, werewolves, and well... half-monstrous races. The number of planetouched and other unique races running around is already a little incredible, so I tend to agree with this policy.

What about characters such as Qurrah and Harruq Tun from The Half-Orcs series? They're visibly Half-Orc, but with half-elven heritage, instead of human (a rich foppish elf got drunk and did it with an Orcish wench)? And use it to RP up an Arcane style of play(Sorc, Wizard etc.)? Being ugly as an Orc, but with very minor elven traits, as in pointy ears or so?

[Charraj]

What about characters such as Qurrah and Harruq Tun from The Half-Orcs series?

Wait, I'm not familiar with them. Are they in FR?

[Gottmoerder]

What about characters such as Qurrah and Harruq Tun from The Half-Orcs series?

Wait, I'm not familiar with them. Are they in FR?

No. Whole different setting. Novel series by David Dalglish, excellent dark fantasy. Very dark fantasy.

[Charraj]

Ahh, okay. Whew. Thought I did a lore fail.

As far as I know, in FR, half-orcs are a product of an orc/human pairing only. That's how they're defined, anyways. If anyone has info that indicates otherwise, please point the DMs in that direction.

[stevebarracuda]

Weaknesses and strengths still has to be RP'd, but you have the choice on which you want.

Hey Xan, maybe not the first time, but now I do.

I think this is very important, but often not adhered to.

Personally I believe, when it comes to stats, anyway you swing it, a low Ability and negative modifier should effect your RP of your toon negatively. Because, if you have a 6–8 STR, you're gonna "feel it" because the engine makes you unable to carry stuff. The engine does not make you "feel" a 6–8 CHA, which is why CHA and also WIS are considered "dump stats" and many toons built for play on BG reflect that, in hopes of gaining an edge in mechanics.

I have absolutely nothing against having low Abilities and negative modifiers if they are openly RP'd. This was a challenge put to me many months ago, and since I didn't feel I could adequately RP the low scores, I stopped playing the toon.

3.5 rules, with the game being chronologically set earlier.

So, 6–9 Ability scores are sub-normal. There must be TONS of sub-normals running around BG.

but would it be allowed here on this server to RP as a spawn of a elf and orc? Can we RP a half-monstrous race?

That's a negatory. It's what we mean by "playing what's on your sheet." This has been the general policy for as long as I've been here.

As it was explained to me by older DMs a while back, this is so that we don't have a Coast full of vampires, werewolves, and well... half-monstrous races.

Thank you DM MR for clarifying this.

As it stands, there a number of players openly and adamantly RP'ing half-monstrous toons, and as much as I've explained to them that this is not policy on this server, they've told me essentially to shove it.

If the DMs don't want to touch this for sake of "letting players have their fun," then it's on them to let slide such things. I, however, plan on either completely ignoring those toons from now on, or selecting them hostile the minute I see then, since they should be considered monsters and destroyed.

Sadly the server is just too popular and expansive to have such a luxury as a dm per roving party. So really we each have a dual responsibility. To rp our pc accordingly to their stats as well as dm the success or failures if no dm is around.

None of this even takes into account how little most people know about the lore behind their pc's class.

I heartedly agree with what you're saying here. But I'm trying to find a balance as to how far I go with expecting other players to be honorable here.

Can I give a little example of why this is important to me? Krasc, the Hand of the Orcbloods, has a sub-normal CHA. Partially because he has a giant white tatoo on his face, partially because he is unforgiving and gruff, partially because he IS a Gray Orc (-2 CHA natural). His low CHA is what I RP keeps him from taking the mantle of Chief of the Orcbloods. He can still be wise, intelligent and strong (all high Abilities), but he often opts to the decisions of the wiser Grays for leadership. I could so easily just say: Krasc is Chief, and be on my merry way. But I just can't justify playing a leader with a neg. CHA...maybe that's just me...but then again, if Krasc got himself a hold of a +4 CHA item...maybe then the magic would adjust his ability to be leader material.

But besides this tangent above, I too falter when knowing all there is about the lore of the Forgotten Realms. To a certain extent, one can "make stuff up." But seriously, there is a ton of bad behavior against lore-wise actions on this PW, and players could be more aware of it.

But maybe that brings the fun factor down?!?

[BeefEater]

This whole topic is why most of my characters are human. Way easier for me to play and doesn't cause any controversy

Edit: Apparently I can't spell topic correctly

[mdchrist]

i love when mages cast Fox Cunning on me so i can hold a meaningful conversation with Azin 6 int to 10 int ftw! Its like a whole other person haha

[Xanfyrst]

Oh my god! You're the Listener?! :O The Listener is here!

Nobody is quite sure what or who Alistair really is