Character voices
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RodneyThompson
Explorer
Voices can be a tricky thing. I'm playing in a game (DM running Red Hand of Doom) where I play a character that was a sailor who got stranded on a remote desert island when his ship wrecked. There, he discovered a vestige (from Tome of Magic) and made his first pact with it, to get him off the island. Sort of your "deal with the devil" type character. I've since taken sorcerer levels (going for anima mage) so he's become this weird occultist/magician. So, I use an accent that's a cross between the trolls in World of Warcraft and the Rastafarian voodoo witch from the most recent Pirates of the Carribbean movie. His catchphrase is, "Dis XXXX is cursed!" substituting an object, place, or person for the XXXX. So, he walks into an abandoned mansion, and says, "Dis house is cursed!"
My fellow players get a big kick out of it, mostly because it's a non-annoying voice, I use it sparingly, and it's become kind of a running gag.
On the other hand, I also play in a bi-weekly game where a player is playing a low-Charisma fox person. The first few sessions, he used this whining, simpering, awful voice that was a cross between Igor from the old black and white Frankenstein and Pat from the "It's Pat!" sketches on Saturday Night Live. Needless to say, about 20 minutes into the third session one of the other players jumped up and begged the player never to use that voice again. "Yes, we get it, low Charisma, but just make my ears stop bleeding!" Bad part was, this came from the most mild-mannered and normally live-and-let-live player in the group. Fortunately, the other player has since ceased using the horrific voice.
Another player likes to use voices, but unfortunately he only has two. No matter what character he is playing, he only uses one of two voices. The first, which I've dubbed the paladin voice, is the bellowing, blustering, take-charge and the hell with the consequences kind of manly-man voice. He starts every sentence with a barked "Right!" and it sounds a lot like Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The other voice is his soft-spoken voice. He uses it for females or diplomats. It's very quiet, very effeminate, and almost otherworldly. Also, very condescending. In his defense, he's also come up with a third voice -- his own -- which he is using for the bard he is playing now. It's the best one.
So, yeah. Voices can be a double-edged sword.
My fellow players get a big kick out of it, mostly because it's a non-annoying voice, I use it sparingly, and it's become kind of a running gag.
On the other hand, I also play in a bi-weekly game where a player is playing a low-Charisma fox person. The first few sessions, he used this whining, simpering, awful voice that was a cross between Igor from the old black and white Frankenstein and Pat from the "It's Pat!" sketches on Saturday Night Live. Needless to say, about 20 minutes into the third session one of the other players jumped up and begged the player never to use that voice again. "Yes, we get it, low Charisma, but just make my ears stop bleeding!" Bad part was, this came from the most mild-mannered and normally live-and-let-live player in the group. Fortunately, the other player has since ceased using the horrific voice.
Another player likes to use voices, but unfortunately he only has two. No matter what character he is playing, he only uses one of two voices. The first, which I've dubbed the paladin voice, is the bellowing, blustering, take-charge and the hell with the consequences kind of manly-man voice. He starts every sentence with a barked "Right!" and it sounds a lot like Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The other voice is his soft-spoken voice. He uses it for females or diplomats. It's very quiet, very effeminate, and almost otherworldly. Also, very condescending. In his defense, he's also come up with a third voice -- his own -- which he is using for the bard he is playing now. It's the best one.
So, yeah. Voices can be a double-edged sword.
Lalato
Adventurer
I've done voices and accents before. It can be fun and add flavor to a character that can't be captured on a character sheet. That said, I only do that sort of stuff with the right group. Some groups aren't into it so I leave it alone. It's only fun if everyone is into it... and I can have fun with or without it. 
--sam
--sam
I do voices quite a bit when I'm DMing, for NPCs.
As a player, I've not done them very often. A notable exception was my Moonshavian bard in the RPGA's old Living City campaign; he had an Irish brogue, which the DMs often had fun with (amazing how many Irish beat cops there suddenly were in Ravens Bluff!).
I also play a wood elf barbarian (with an 8 Int) in a home game, whom I've invested with a goofy "dumb caveman" speech style. "Me apologize for awkward speech...me only take one semester of Common as Second Language."
As a player, I've not done them very often. A notable exception was my Moonshavian bard in the RPGA's old Living City campaign; he had an Irish brogue, which the DMs often had fun with (amazing how many Irish beat cops there suddenly were in Ravens Bluff!).
I also play a wood elf barbarian (with an 8 Int) in a home game, whom I've invested with a goofy "dumb caveman" speech style. "Me apologize for awkward speech...me only take one semester of Common as Second Language."
Nyaricus
First Post
I generally give my dwarves a Scottish spin, but sometimes I don't. Kinda depends if I remember to say it or not.
Elves kinda sounds like... Entish when I speak? Very slow, and wise - like they're deep in thought or soemthing.
Gnomes sounds like a fast talking saleman crossed with an English dandy when I do their accents, and usually they are rich little buggers to boot (in a recent campaign there's an Inn owner who is at the front door, day and night, which sees the comings and goings of all the PCs. He has this accent).
Halflings, I generally just talk in a faster tempo, if change my voice at all.
Orcs, I usually portray as brutish types, though not "dumb cavemen".
Giants, I do dumb cavemen voices for them. Of course, that's just cause my players have never gotten to be high enough level to go against any sort of giant othe than stuff like Ogres and Hill Giants. Infact, there's a giant named Thumble from the first campaign I ever ran who's name still come sup occasionally)
Kobolds, I talk like a yippy dog crossed with a rat. Lots of "s" emphasissss, too (generally that goes for a lot of my snake people).
Hmmm, while that may seem like I do it a lot, I actually really don't. Maybe a accent comes up once every 3 sessions (more for reaccuring characters, like that Gnome).
cheers,
--N
Elves kinda sounds like... Entish when I speak? Very slow, and wise - like they're deep in thought or soemthing.
Gnomes sounds like a fast talking saleman crossed with an English dandy when I do their accents, and usually they are rich little buggers to boot (in a recent campaign there's an Inn owner who is at the front door, day and night, which sees the comings and goings of all the PCs. He has this accent).
Halflings, I generally just talk in a faster tempo, if change my voice at all.
Orcs, I usually portray as brutish types, though not "dumb cavemen".
Giants, I do dumb cavemen voices for them. Of course, that's just cause my players have never gotten to be high enough level to go against any sort of giant othe than stuff like Ogres and Hill Giants. Infact, there's a giant named Thumble from the first campaign I ever ran who's name still come sup occasionally)
Kobolds, I talk like a yippy dog crossed with a rat. Lots of "s" emphasissss, too (generally that goes for a lot of my snake people).
Hmmm, while that may seem like I do it a lot, I actually really don't. Maybe a accent comes up once every 3 sessions (more for reaccuring characters, like that Gnome).
cheers,
--N
werk
First Post
No silly voices, but voice acting is pretty common. I had a halfling rogue that always tried to sound like a pubescent boy, cracking his voice and saying trendy terms. I've heard numerous warforged voice changers from computers with microphones to empty coffee can. I frequently change the tempo or pitch of my voice when I'm playing.
Of course, as DM, I'm all over the place with NPCs (some of which are actually silly when appropriate...I did a yeti chief that pretty much sidetracked the adventure, it was too funny...the PCs wanted to chat with him the whole session for laughs.)
Of course, as DM, I'm all over the place with NPCs (some of which are actually silly when appropriate...I did a yeti chief that pretty much sidetracked the adventure, it was too funny...the PCs wanted to chat with him the whole session for laughs.)
Merkuri
Explorer
I haven't played in a live game for quite a while, but I play online a lot. My last character had a combination irish/scottish/western accent that I came up with on the fly in an attempt to make her stand out. Ah was surprised aboot 'ow long ah stuck wi' i'. Ah played th' character fer aboot a year, an' only forgot ta do tha accent once. She's since passed Nemorga's gates (i.e. she's dead), bu' now ah find wi' me new character tha' ah sometimes want ta talk loik thi', bu' ah 'ave ta stop meself. I' just becomes so natural after ah while tha' ye dinnae want ta stop.
Personally, I think the manner of speech says a lot about a character, and helps people tell them apart from the other characters in the game, especially in a non face-to-face medium like OpenRPG. On the other hand, there's only so much you can do with your text before it becomes unreadable. I was actually surprised when nobody had to ask me to repeat myself when I used the horrid accent I described above. I fully expected to be asked to give it up after a session or two, but when nobody said anything I kept rolling with it.
Personally, I think the manner of speech says a lot about a character, and helps people tell them apart from the other characters in the game, especially in a non face-to-face medium like OpenRPG. On the other hand, there's only so much you can do with your text before it becomes unreadable. I was actually surprised when nobody had to ask me to repeat myself when I used the horrid accent I described above. I fully expected to be asked to give it up after a session or two, but when nobody said anything I kept rolling with it.
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
Merkuri said:
Heh. Reminds me of a Paladin/Sorcerer from a hick village in back of beyond, who spoke like Elly-May Clampett and used a longbow... one of my favourite examples of "Not all paladins are armoured knights!"
-Hyp.
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