How do you build a character?

[elsteveo]

Hi Guys this more of a discussion question than a build question.

I was interested in how others came up with their build ideas?
Do you think about your character and who they are and their motivations and then think about the game\build mechanics?
Or do you think of a class combo you would like to try and build your character and RP around that?

[Tekill]

Oh good question (I am supposed to be working but thanks for the distraction)!

-My decision processes start with where I want to play: UD or surface. On rare occasions I roll a character based on how it might fit in with a specific faction/religion.
-classes/race/alignment usually fall in pace in that order after that.
-I tend to be impulsive and role up characters fairly often. But I have been trying to take other peoples advice and limit the number of toons I play. So lately I try to keep it down to one UD toon and one surface toon. Rolling toons is half the fun of this game!
-On top of being impulsive I have a short attention span and get bored by the mechanics easily. I have discovered through trial and error that I lose interest in characters with simple combat mechanics. Hipster rogues and barbarians have been two recent examples. I tend to stay interested with more complex classes like wizards for example.
-Lately I have been trying to think what kind of build I would enjoy playing for the long haul. I think this server rewards players who can stick with one toon and invest time and energy into that one toon.
-Also, lately I have been playing classes I have never played before. Rolled a bard (I hated bards) and am pleasantly surprised with the unique style and interesting mechanics of the bard.
-The personality comes after I have picked a race and build. Alignment usually is selected when creating the build. So once build and alignment are selected I work on the personality that would match said race/class/alignment. I try not to be too cliche or snowflaky in the creation of the personality....try to walk that fine line.
-I still try to build strong builds but I lately have been sacrificing a smidge of power for more RP flair. Playing a less optimal race or not stat dumping so much. Things like that.


Okay back to work.

[Rhifox]

Character concept first, with build choices following. What is available may have some influence over the ultimate evolution of the concept, but build for me exists to support the concept, not the other way around. Which is why I prefer skill-based systems over class ones.

[Alexander Holgart]

Character concept first, with build choices following. What is available may have some influence over the ultimate evolution of the concept, but build for me exists to support the concept, not the other way around. Which is why I prefer skill-based systems over class ones.

Pretty much this.

First I have the character concept meaning the background, personality and objectives... then the build comes around it. Sadly this approach will likely have you playing a subpar build but it is definitely a boost in immersion as every single ability and skill point is made to reflect the character's RP choices, evolution and capabilities.

[Whirlwind]

Same as what's been said above.

I imagine the character concept in my brain and then I try to align that to the available classes and skills to mould the build.

I'll also take into account my knowledge of Forgotten Realms, the region the setting is in, the timeline etc. These heavily factor into how I envisage the growth of my character prior to the state they're in when I start RP'ing them in game, e.g. the factors that made them become an adventurer, what motivated them to travel to the Swordcoast (if they didn't grow up there), how and why they learned certain languages, learn the skills they did, become the class/es they are etc.

I'll study the character race extensively in relation to the above. How their general psychology factored into the above or how their psychology/personality was altered or changed because of it. For instance, I might decide I want to play a dwarf, so I'd ask myself - why is my dwarf a dwarf that chooses to roam and travel beyond the comforts of his clan hold and be amongst non-dwarves etc.

I'll think about how did the culture/history of so-and-so region he grew up in or near to might alter my dwarf's perceptions and drive them to become who they've become.

I'll also think about how the character's stats would impact on their psychology too... For instance, with my dwarf example. Maybe I have a dwarven rogue who worships the god of greed, Abbathor and his strength and constitution are lower, despite the stereotypes of dwarves being stout and strong. Perhaps this dwarf feels like an outcast because he's weaker than other dwarves.

Maybe he has turned to Abbathor because he covets wealth and riches and think's it will give him status above being strong/hardy.

Age is another good one to consider - is your character at the beginning of their life and inexperienced, in their prime or older and grizzled - how would that shape their mindset - how would that affect their initial stats? Perhaps because they're older they might be wiser but less strong.

I also like to imagine little story events along the way that shaped them, for instance with my own character, Malakai, he has whirling dervish in his build. I came up with the backstory that he encountered a jann (a weaker form of genie) in his travels who taught him the fighting style.

I use tools like JEGS and NWN 2 builder to map out my build plan as best I can and try to have a sense of what is mechanically optimal but I will allow for flavour too.

[dakalb]

Well, when I build a character the first thing that I do is think of a concept and then I set up goals for the character to reach at level 30 like so much AC, AB, Damage, Saves or so on. Then, I do my best to optimize the build. From there I start to get a feel for how I would want to play the character, a little bit of his background based on his classes, and then a shot back story. It is probably no surprise that I then make it a dwarf.

[elsteveo]

Interesting to hear some of how people approach this.

My own version is kind of a mixture. I generally start with a mechanical idea of a build and a mix of classes.

I then start to think about why that person would have that mix.
For example my MAA \ Fav Soul.

His background is based around being in the BG guard. Policing the area\fighting crime, keeping the roads clear of monsters for merchants and citizens.
Then while defending a caravan from a Orc raiding party after being injured to the point of death a miraculous healing by Tempus brings about a change of life direction. Leaving the guard and dedicating his life to the Battle Lord seeking out combat as a form of worship.

I guess I just like the stories. They do give me a frame to hang my RP off.

[Tekill]

I think I am a bit uncertain how I would create the concept before the build.

I want to try new and different characters- even new alignments- things I do not already know about or am familiar with. I like unique concepts of characters that I have not done before. I will start with a basic vague idea of what I want and then grow/build into a finished product.
Sometimes it doesnt pan out. Usually due to my ingnorance of lore or the nature of the class. I had a druid that used necromancy, for example. Or the NE evil wizard that I basically realized I was playing more as True Nuetral. Or that time I forgot to give my warrior, UMD.

I like the character taking on a life of its own. With less pre-planning, the process is more of a learning experience for me.

That said, I tried concept first build seccond with my latest charater and I think almost everything has fallen into place. I knew what I wanted before hand and was able to cater to it very elegantly.
But I cheated.
Because this toon is a bit similar to a toon I had in the past. Different, race, different class, different alignment but similar goals and objectives. I have flushed out the personality a bit though....

But if I wasnt building based on somthing I new worked well in the past, I honestly would not really understand how to create the concept first.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I only play long term toons as a rule. I'll make alts for a bit of fun for a short time, but usually just have my mains that I play. I haven't logged into an alt for several months, maybe a year.

So when I build a toon, it's likely to go through some changes as RP changes.

But the first thing I decide is what class I want to play. Once I've decided that, I decide the barebones personality of the toon. Quiet, reserved, boisterous, outgoing, etc. I don't decide the finer points of their personality until I get into RP, and I let the toon tell me how they're going to be.

I then decide where they are from. This also helps shape their personality. I then do research on that location to figure out the culture and such for my toon.

I also don't like characters that are too snowflakey, but I do like them to stand out. So I like to add something that makes them different from most without making them be a "lore-breaking snowflake". For instance, my current toon Emmanuel has some fey heritage. It causes his hair to change color with the seasons. This definitely plays into his character and personality, but it does not define it.

Once I have all this done, I start building mechanically. I look at what feats and skills I need to make their background make sense. These are all purely chosen for RP, and usually results in a subpar build.

Then finally, I look at what is left over, and I min/max the rest to make sure that I get a build that is at least viable.

[Zanniej]

I always build around an idea. That idea can come from anywhere. A couple of examples of what I base my entire life characters on:

• A class I find appealing
• An image of an awesome character I see somewhere, that I want to rebuild in game
• A RP hook (I wanna make a crafter!)
• A social aspect I want to translate into the game (I once made a character with multiple personalities... That's quite hard to RP )
• A certain character type I want to play, thief, archer, guardian, etc.

Then, based on that idea I create a build and backstory. Those have to fit together.
In the end, I nearly always end up with a sub optimal build, have fun playing it until about level 15, and go over to the next idea

[Deathgrowl]

Pretty much in line with Rhifox, Alexander and Zanniej.

I am quite fond of tinkering with builds, however, so I can spend hours just messing around with various combinations to see what works. Usually it starts with a desire to create a build for a certain archetype, though not necessarily play it. Just see if I can make something that is mechanically decent fitting an archetype or vague RP concept without becoming utterly cheesy with stat block (no 6 wis 6 cha earth genasi, for example).

That gives me after a while a fairly good grasp of what is possible, so when I do have a particular character concept I want to play, I know whether or not it can be done mechanically.

But the character concepts can come from many places. Sometimes I have played another game and get inspired by a character there. Sometimes I've just had a deep dive in lore and found inspiration in something there. Maybe a specific PRC and the lore around that really inspires me (shadowdancer, for example is something I think has a lot more depth than one might usually see - and my character Nëa is partially based around that RP).

[Tyrpaladin2000]

Hi Guys this more of a discussion question than a build question.

I was interested in how others came up with their build ideas?
Do you think about your character and who they are and their motivations and then think about the game\build mechanics?
Or do you think of a class combo you would like to try and build your character and RP around that?

When I build characters, two things are guaranteed: My character will be a classic arch-type with the usual motivate and personality (Othello Warbane) or unique in the approach. (Ebon Ravencraft) I tend to stay away from stereotypes as its just lazy rp. (Dumb orc or drunken dwarf)

[Kaden Asen]

Reverse engineering! To the extreme!

Create the concept you want for your character first, I've even created a few loose plans for character development. Intended RCRs and changes that will happen given time/circumstance. Once you have the concepts sorted, reverse engineer your build to fit the concept. There's no rush on the creation process, take into account, bugs/human error/likely changes/what level of emersion you require.

There's a concept that a "Roleplay build" will always be inferior to a powerbuild. This is correct to a point, however if you ever unhappy with how your character runs on the server there are many great builders out there that are often to happy to offer advice. With that in mind, I have always run my builds past a number of friends to double check my numbers/planning. I've been corrected several times, each time saved me plenty of grief from making a mistake.

Never rush. . .it leads to mistakes and mistakes will leave you just a bit bitter about how you could have done better.

[AsuraKing]

Reverse engineering! To the extreme!

Create the concept you want for your character first, I've even created a few loose plans for character development. Intended RCRs and changes that will happen given time/circumstance. Once you have the concepts sorted, reverse engineer your build to fit the concept. There's no rush on the creation process, take into account, bugs/human error/likely changes/what level of emersion you require.

There's a concept that a "Roleplay build" will always be inferior to a powerbuild. This is correct to a point, however if you ever unhappy with how your character runs on the server there are many great builders out there that are often to happy to offer advice. With that in mind, I have always run my builds past a number of friends to double check my numbers/planning. I've been corrected several times, each time saved me plenty of grief from making a mistake.

Never rush. . .it leads to mistakes and mistakes will leave you just a bit bitter about how you could have done better.

This is pretty much what I do. I come up with the concept for what I want to play RP wise, then I look to make a character that would make sense off of that idea build wise. I personally could never make a build first then attempt to adapt it to a character, that just seems iffy to me and I have a hard time making that work.

[equilibrion]

Only effeciency purposes.Though i hate 3b20 rule, or even combos like wm8/f14/cl3/fb5, cleric is not suitable here, there is no aesthetics in such builds.
My favs are brb20/fb5/battlerager5, ra27/mo3, beautiful builds.