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I Am SO Over The "Rootless Vagabond" Archetype
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<blockquote data-quote="Kristivas" data-source="post: 6424728" data-attributes="member: 34179"><p>It depends on the DM, but I understand that outlook. There are two distinct scenarios where I worry about having a character with too many attachments written into the back story.</p><p></p><p></p><p>1. The "Mary Jane". It's the most obvious. Why did Spider-Man wait so long to get with MJ in the Tobey Maguire version? Why the reluctance? If people found out about it, villains would be kidnapping and trying to kill her pretty much all the time. You know, exactly how it turned out in 2 (with Doctor Octopus) and 3 (with James Franco blackmailing her AND "Venom" at the end). I'm loathe to want to write a character into my guy's back story only for it to be in constant danger from a DM who goes to that well too many times. Who will try to rob you of every smart, tactical decision by dangling your cousin Tom, who has a bum leg but a +8 to woodworking and a generous spirit, right over the open pit if your character doesn't do what they're told.</p><p></p><p>I would never want to suggest to a DM that my characters attachments remain off limits, or suggest that if they were ever threatened, he would just stop forming those attachments and simply be a murder hobo.</p><p></p><p>A good DM, to me, will not constantly try and pull the Mary Jane on their players in order to maneuver them into his scheme. If they do it, they'll do it once or twice, and it will either be a fantastically epic save or a tragic moment for the character. I'm good with either, but after the 3rd or 4th kidnapping, I'm just going to have to let them toss cousin Tom to the gators, avenge his death later, and then toast to his memory.</p><p></p><p></p><p>2. Doesn't matter. No matter what you write or come up with, none of it is ever mentioned by the DM again. The DM has a storyline and cousin Tom is completely irrelevant.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Of course, in spirit, I agree with the OP. I would rather see characters with detailed back stories with richer interactions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kristivas, post: 6424728, member: 34179"] It depends on the DM, but I understand that outlook. There are two distinct scenarios where I worry about having a character with too many attachments written into the back story. 1. The "Mary Jane". It's the most obvious. Why did Spider-Man wait so long to get with MJ in the Tobey Maguire version? Why the reluctance? If people found out about it, villains would be kidnapping and trying to kill her pretty much all the time. You know, exactly how it turned out in 2 (with Doctor Octopus) and 3 (with James Franco blackmailing her AND "Venom" at the end). I'm loathe to want to write a character into my guy's back story only for it to be in constant danger from a DM who goes to that well too many times. Who will try to rob you of every smart, tactical decision by dangling your cousin Tom, who has a bum leg but a +8 to woodworking and a generous spirit, right over the open pit if your character doesn't do what they're told. I would never want to suggest to a DM that my characters attachments remain off limits, or suggest that if they were ever threatened, he would just stop forming those attachments and simply be a murder hobo. A good DM, to me, will not constantly try and pull the Mary Jane on their players in order to maneuver them into his scheme. If they do it, they'll do it once or twice, and it will either be a fantastically epic save or a tragic moment for the character. I'm good with either, but after the 3rd or 4th kidnapping, I'm just going to have to let them toss cousin Tom to the gators, avenge his death later, and then toast to his memory. 2. Doesn't matter. No matter what you write or come up with, none of it is ever mentioned by the DM again. The DM has a storyline and cousin Tom is completely irrelevant. Of course, in spirit, I agree with the OP. I would rather see characters with detailed back stories with richer interactions. [/QUOTE]
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I Am SO Over The "Rootless Vagabond" Archetype
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