(OOC) General Discussion

I like playing races other than human because (unless there's a peculiar culture and heritage) and reading as much as I can about their society and the setting, it gives me more springboard for imagination, something to 'inhabit' that is different from my own headspace.


And I always play characters that don't entirely fit in where they came from, and explore how they resemble their parents/relatives/mentors' influence and how they depart from it---half-breeds are great for this but any race with a strong reputation will do.


The PC needs some personal goals, things that are worth protecting and pursuing. The springboard for that usually comes from the Skills invested in as well as the class.


Backstory shows who influenced them and gave them a sense of self, purpose, morals. I don't tend to 'kill off' NPCs in my backstory (I prefer them to be in a fixed location and able to be checked in with), but I made an exception for Midnight.


My characters always want to "do good (help those in need)," be a supportive ally, and pay attention to details and try to make predictions and improve outcomes (I am usually high Wisdom PC and to me these things are linked). It wouldn't be fun for me to play a PC who is a show-off or takes advantage of others (or disregards them), or bickers about having to share, so I simply don't.


Otherwise I usually have a sense of unique personality that grows out of the backstory I built and works along various continuums--

--how open/friendly or how closed off/reserved (often linked to whether their closest influences and the degree to which they were able to maintained the relationship or were abruptly deprived of it instilled a cheerful and grateful attitude or a cynical one)

--how optimistic or cynical (often linked to have they been betrayed or bitterly deprived by enemies' actions, and by whom),

--how confident or self-conscious (and related, how brave or fearful),

--being interested in romance or even "settling down" or not interested and why,

--sense of humor that's private or very public,

--level of impulsiveness or caution,

--level of 'dutifulness' versus more distracted by other interests/curiosity,

--whether their 'faith in something' (I'm nearly always a divine caster) is rock solid or something they question or chafe under and what aspect (portfolio) of the worshipped most appeals to them, etc.

--with the caveat that I don't ascribe that everyone should follow binariness in real life, my characters 'come to me' as male or female very strongly and it influences their interactions with other people in that they try to emphasize or de-emphasize femininity or masculinity (in a very broad sense and related to gender roles and behaviors where I grew up, YMMV).

Best example I can offer re: gender expression is that I had a tielfling priest who knew his 'devilish' features were intimidating and thus softened those features (filed down horns and wore a hat, tucked his tail out of sight under clothes while wrapped around his waist) while also being very calm and pleasant and agreeable and deflecting tension instead of being aggressive or even very assertive.


And of course interacting with other PCs and the world (enemies, obstacles, successes and failures) causes ripples and alterations or conversely causes 'digging in heels' about one personality aspect or goal or another.


That said, I'm very mindful of keeping the peace in character and out (in some games these two are inseparable because a player identifies too strongly with their character or just takes things personally). And that does limit the RP choices I'm willing to make/risks I'm willing to take.