Best and Most Natural Character(s)

[The Shaman]

I prefer random chargen systems, so I don't really have default 'natural' characters that I like to play. Let the dice fall where they may, and use them for inspiration.

I rarely know much about my characters until I've played them awhile anyway - I become invested in my characters during play, not before.

And I don't really "identify" with my characters for the most part - they live a life very different from mine . . .

 

[Taureth]

I have always liked clerics. Funny, because I'm not conventionally religious in real life. So, a bit of it is playing someone who is; it's a different perspective. Also, I consider a high wisdom, if anything, even more challenging to role play well than a high intelligence score.

Beyond that, I love their spell list -- it is more subtle than that of the arcanists and it often makes you think a bit more in its application. And, turning undead -- phew, I hate undead! -- mighty useful ability to have. Also, the combination of decent combat skills, hit dice and armor with spells is very nice at lower levels. I especially like clerics who are neutral with regard to good and evil; it's easy to imagine and play the saintly patriarch or the evil high priestess. Clerics who tread the gray areas between are harder to stereotype and more interesting for me to play, generally.

Now I have to say arcanists get a very close second. (I like spell casters, generally) Most of my favorite characters from fiction have been magi of some variety. On some days, they -are- my favorite class. The occult is just mysterious, stirring and flat out cool! In a way, I identify with it, too. I'm a knowledge seeker in real life with some fairly esoteric interests, so the role comes more naturally for me than somebody who just wants to butcher others with a weapon and then go have an ale.

Prior to 3.x, I really liked mutli-class characters a lot. I tend to prefer diversifying my interests rather than specializing in real life, and so too in game: Cleric/mages, cleric/fighters, cleric/thieves (Erevan Ilesere, anyone?), fighter/mages and fighter/thieves in particular. The latter combination I really liked at times when I wanted to get away from playing spell casters. I've never cared for the fighter or thief/rogue classes as standalones very much, but I do like them a lot in combination with others.

Or rather did, before 3E stole my joy in multi-classing!

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

My favorite class has drifted like crazy over the years. Overall and in general, I'd have to go with Rogue. I just like being "the competent one," so to speak. Also, without a spell list for a tool kit or insane combat prowess, the class forces you to think IMHO more than any other, with the massive skill points helping you to be the party specialist at...nearly anything.

That said, I've played a lot less rogues the past two years, and when I have they've often had some kind of swordsage mix and/or variants like martial (feat) rogue, making them not feel like a typical rogue. In fact, my last rogue was 1/3 barbarian with the feat variant, and by the wayhe played, most assumed it was the Rogue side that had only a few levels. Some months after he was created were shocked to learn he was a rogue at all!

I had an arcanist phase, playing lots of sorcerers and wizards, inmany of the cases because it was what the party needed. Which in the end is what drives my class selection more than anything, since i'm basically cool with any archetype. More recently, I've been with groups where no one wanted to be the healer, and have had several druids and a cleric, which until the past year I actually had little experience playing. I've really grown to love the druid, I think I like that class as much as Rogue now.

One odd similarity between the large majority of my characters is the nature motif -- Druids, Wilderness Rogues, Barbarians, Rangers, Scouts, etc... make up the bulk of my characters played. Even others find ways to end up with that theme.My previousWizard went into Stormcaster, for example. Before him, I had a Sorcerer who at first only bothered to learn/care about nature because he met this cute druid woman and wanted to be able to show interest in what she liked. He gradually evolved over the campaign until he was a full blown "defender of the forest" type outlook. It's strange, in real life I have allergies to nearly everything outdoors and avoid the sun as much as I can, so in that respect my characters are nothing at all like me.

 

[Iron Sky]

All my characters tend to end up dual-wielding. If it's fantasy, it's dual-wielding swords. If it's modern to sci-fi, it's dual-wielding pistols. The characters tend to be one of two flavors: stone cold, hard, methodical, tactical, logical, lawful mercenary types or care free, slightly crazy, risk taking, adventurous wanderers and vagabonds.

Interestingly, they're pretty much opposites, except for the dual wielding. I've even tried to make other characters than these two general themes, but I either get bored/lose interest in them, or end up eventually playing them in one of these two styles anyway.

I'd really like to try something different, but when I sit down to make a character in whatever system, I naturally gravitate to one or the other to the degree that it's hard for me to see any other options... It doesn't help that in many systems, dual wielding is a superior option anyway.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My favorite PC is usually the one I'm playing at the moment.

I just love playing a well thought-out PC, and my concepts got better after the 1990s.

Earlier than that, my top 3 were all from a 1Ed/2Ed fusion campaign featuring "epic" level PCs: a Rgr/Druid/Mu Drow, a Ftr/Mu/Th Drow, and a Human Ftr/Ass/Illusionist/? (he's packed away at the moment).

The main unifying theme in my PC design is I have a predilection for multiclassing my PCs, usually 3 or more classes.

 

[Jack7]

Also, I consider a high wisdom, if anything, even more challenging to role play well than a high intelligence score.

Wisdom is indeed always a far more subtle thing than intelligence. Many can be smart, few are truly wise.

I really liked mutli-class characters a lot.

The main unifying theme in my PC design is I have a predilection for multiclassing my PCs

I hear ya.

I hate psionics.

In my opinion psionics need to be completely redesigned for fantasy settings. Starting with the sci-fi name. A guy with psychic powers, okay. But in a fantasy setting he shouldn't operate like he's jacked into the Matrix.

 

[roguerouge]

Has to have a hook for me to play it. One character was a thief who had honor and would not lie. One was a rock-stupid paladin modeled on the Tick. One was an orc bard/barbarian who was motivated by fun joining the end part of a campaign filled with characters who could care less about fun due to the apocalypse.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

In my opinion psionics need to be completely redesigned for fantasy settings. Starting with the sci-fi name. A guy with psychic powers, okay. But in a fantasy setting he shouldn't operate like he's jacked into the Matrix.

That is actually one of the reasons I like Psionics. I quite enjoy the pseudoscience terms, sci-fi lineage, etc.

But then again, I am the kind of person who has campaign worlds where describing a plot without describing the world could sound like a cyberpunk novel. Where there is usually some manner of firearms (especially revolvers and repeating rifles), technology is usually rampant, etc.

Basically I like mixing up my genres. So Psionics is a nice easy way to do that.