Does anyone grow their characters organically anymore?

[Evenglare]

I always see these build topics and for lack of a better term, min/max ing topics. Which is fine, i know people like that. My question is do any of you pick a level 1 character and then play him out in the game and see where you want to go from there instead of basically picking your build for the entire game? A sort of more story driven role play than mechanic driven.

Just wondering.

 

[Crothian]

Ya, that's how I play. I've got an 11th level Paladin and nothing has been planned out for him. I like to see how the character plays and then make choices off of that and allow those choices to make a bit of sense in the way the campaign plays out.

 

[SnowleopardVK]

That's my normal way of playing. I sometimes make character build topics when I'm going to be playing with a class that I've never used before, it helps me get ideas, but usually most of those ideas go out the window and my characters get what they get upon each level up.

 

[Papa-DRB]

A little of both. I generally have an idea of the character, and how he interacts with the world, and a plan on what he wants to become/do. However, if story elements modify the direction, I am perfectly ok with that.

Back in DnD 2E days, I had a character that was planned on becoming a 5th level Ranger, then "dual" classing into a druid. Well, around 4th level, he lost two levels to a vampire, and "saw the light" so to speak, and instead of dual classing into a druid, got his levels back and dual classed into a cleric of (whatever the Forgotten Realms hate undead cleric was)...

-- david
Papa.DRB

 

[Qik]

Actually, this very thing is what led to my recent post on my path to Arcane Archer. I initially had a very optimal build - 1 Fighter/5ish Wiz/3 EK/3 AA/rest EK, or something thereabouts, I don't quite remember - and statted accordingly. Well, it became apparent pretty quick that the character wasn't a wizard; he's come to strike me as an outdoors type, well-versed in a variety of fields, which has led me to want to take some Ranger levels, and possibly even focus on that class. It's sort of thrown some things for a loop, but I'm just accepting the less-than-optimal-ness of the direction I'm going to go, because it's how the character seems to me.

So in my situation, the build was a starting point that contributed to my sense of the character, but once I actually started playing him, things changed pretty drastically. It's led to some contradictions (for instance, my initial focus on mechanics led to a 7 charisma, which, frankly, I do not roleplay, and I kind of have mixed feelings about at this point), but I've tried to accept and work with those contradictions, since they've come about as a result of my growing sense of the character's identity.

So yes, people do develop characters as you say!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I always see these build topics and for lack of a better term, min/max ing topics. Which is fine, i know people like that. My question is do any of you pick a level 1 character and then play him out in the game and see where you want to go from there instead of basically picking your build for the entire game? A sort of more story driven role play than mechanic driven.

Just wondering.

Just like the RW me, my PCs generally have a plan as to what they'd like to become...but again, just like the RW me, that plan is subject to change.

 

[Burn_Boy]

I don't have a 1-20 build of my characters but I do try and plan what feats, skills and spells to take when to let my character do what I want him to do. Our DM is pretty good about tailoring adventures to his players talents. If you build a wizard to be Mr. Evocation, expect hordes of lowbies for you to incinerate and such.

 

[Dingo333]

I do a bit of both

currently I am creating an alchemist who is "going" feral
in essence, he is going wild, and his mutagen already represent that (feral mutagen discovery)

I know that he will eventually be spending more time in mutagen form then out of it, and I need the master chemist to accomplish that, so he is going to take it eventually. whether it is his 8th or 10th level choice I do not know

there are also certain discoveries and extracts I want to take (Form of the dragon for example, and I want to be in combat so cure extracts are needed, and I want wings, 6th lvl discovery, they are just cool) but for the most part, i plan for the character to do a lot of shaping itself over game time

 

[Banshee16]

Yup. Few of my characters have been optimized. I'm more interested in creating an interesting character, rather than the *best* character.

Banshee

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

A little of both. I've never done a full build in advance of a campaign (I rarely think about levelling specifics before I absolutely have to). However, I do usually look at a PC's backstory, and from that devise a vague future for him as far as classes go (eg, "He'll take a few levels of sword-and-board fighter, first employed as a mercenary in the Church's war aganist the demons, then convert fully to the cause and go paladin or war cleric from there").

Basically, this is a conceptual "What would happen to this PC without the campaign?" exercise. As the story develops, the PC develops along with it, and may or may not follow my initial vision.

I like to give my idea to the DM up front, as well, so he can incorporate, correct, foil or ignore it as befits the campaign.