I don't optimize. Forked Thread: Dragon Magazine #365's Character Concepts

[Runestar]

If you're a roleplayer, then role-play your character. Think about your character as he relates to his world. Why is he an adventurer? Just so he can die in some far off cave? I doubt it. He knows adventuring is dangerous. He knows he has to bring his A game. He knows he has to make some, preferably many, choices about his training and his knowledge so that he can survive some of these dangers.

So are you saying that optimization could be considered an inherent part of roleplaying, since if you want your character to survive (how else would you roleplay him?), you would need to make him strong enough to handle the threats he is expected to face (if not stronger)?.

Good for you; I have been feeling that roleplaying is dead looking at the number of people who treat it as an exercise in mathematics rather than a game of the imagination. Concept over so-called optimisation is the roleplaying way.

It is far from dead. It just isn't always the only way in which dnd can be played. There is no reason why character concept has to take a back seat to optimization, or vice versa. They can both co-exist peacefully side by side, and actually complement each other.

Which is why I don't understand people who claim that roleplaying necessarily has the come at the expense of optimizing your character. Nothing can be further from the truth!

 

[Crashy75]

Forked from: Dragon Magazine #365's Character Concepts: Masterful optimization advice by WotC



Optimization is a nightmare from which I wish D&D would wake.

I don't optimize. I play characters I like, with cool abilities that seem effective and I have a good time. Optimization creates cookie cutter builds, pointless rules-wankery and obscures personalization. Optimization took away Dungeon Magazine years ago during the dark Paizo years.

One can (Edit) optimize and still play characters one likes, with cool abilities that are effective and have a good time. Optimization does not have to create cookie cutter builds (I don't know what rules-wankery means!- is that an aussi term?) and does not obscure personalization. One can optimize a greatsword wielding fighter and a great axe wielding fighter. One might be (intrinsically) better than the other, but that's not the point. An optimizer tries to make his favored character archetype as good as (s)he can be. Period.

 

[Ahglock]

So are you saying that optimization could be considered an inherent part of roleplaying, since if you want your character to survive (how else would you roleplay him?), you would need to make him strong enough to handle the threats he is expected to face (if not stronger)?.

I am not sure if that is what he is saying, but i would say it is generally true. Or I'd say lack of optimization done post character creation is generally poor role playing. I can accept a unskilled farmer background for why you suck at level 1, but once you find your self in the position of needing to go on adventures unless your character is dumber than a 8 int would indicate it seems to me you'd be picking up the feats and powers that help you survive.

Sure not everything has to have a nod to optimization you still may have dreams of being a great chef and finding the all blue or something but if picking up the XYZ feat will help you live chances are you will pick it up.