Is this bad roleplaying?

[Assenpfeffer]

Bad roleplaying? No, not at all. Lame? Yeah, generally.

Not knowing the specific setup of the campaign involved, it's hard to judge your situation. Maybe 50% of all magi are water magi. So your selection may be justified in your case.

In general, however, someone who has only one viable character concept isn't someone I want in a game of mine. Same with players who get characters killed and then proceed to make functionally identical replacements. I know a guy who plays drow fighter/wizards - and only drow fighter-wizards. If drow are not available as a PC race, he won't play in the campaign. He will not play a game of, say, Call of Cthluhu or Rokugan, beacuse he can't play a drow. Lame.

Since I disallow drow PCs as a matter of course, even in FR campaign, Drow Boy isn't a problem for me.

All that said, if you're having fun with it and your GM says it's okay, don't let me thinking its lame stop you. The object of your game is not to make me think it's cool.

 

[mistergone]

I think it's fine. If things like that were not okay, all the freaks who can only play elfs with awesome bow skills would be curled in a ball in the corner. (And I say that with all due respect to the elf-lovers of the world.... you freaks )

In fact, I think it would be funny if you said the new character was the first character's brother or something. I dunno, it's not my game, I'm not in it, so... go nuts!

 

[Ukyo the undead]

I'm a kind of specialist too. Maybe not too specialized, but...

I don´t see a problem in this particular case, since sometimes we really want to use a concept we thought about, but the evil campaign reality kills it before we can develop it.

Of course, your game group may noy like it at all. If the oposition is fierce, give some time to use the character concept again.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

I don't think it is wrong if you had a character concept and never had a chance to use it fully why not try again
Ken

 

[the Jester]

I don't have a problem with this as long as the new pc is significantly different from the old one.

Personally, I have too darn many cool concepts to try out before I repeat- even if I die the first session with a pc (yes, it's happened- that was my half-orc paladin). I still have the gnome bullfighter, the themed sorcerer, the monks (several concepts- haven't used the 3e monk as a pc yet), and so much more to go....

 

[bret]

Provided there is enough different about the character to firmly set it apart in the *OTHER* player's minds, not a problem. If the other players tend to forget that it is a different character, then it is a problem.

Giving it a different background helps to the extent that the background is brought up in play. Giving it a different race would help a lot more. At the very least, you should look at the feats and skill selection to see if there is anything there that might change.

If you don't see enough difference, then perhaps you should play a different type of character first. Wait until the character after that to return to your water mage concept.

 

[Mark Chance]

Bad roleplaying? No, not at all. Lame? Yeah, generally.

There is a problem if four campaigns from now you're still playing a water mage.

 

[Angcuru]

I see no problem with that. Personally, my favorite character is the Elven Archer type, but I play many others as well.

I'm writing up a FR campaign centering around the children of my favorite character, who was, of course, an elven archer. Y'see this character is the one I played through the Bhaalspawn Saga with(can you say Baldur's Gate?), but the campaign will take place about a century after he finshed that business.

I once played a Sentient Damascus Steel Flying Anvil! TOP THAT!

 

[SeldomSeen]

Do people really still want to play Drow Pc's?

I mean its been a running joke for me for years to to ask my DM constantly if I can play a drow (Hi Jester!), but any one that actually plays one gets a checkmark in the moron column from me.

 

[Ravellion]

I'd say, for the other players and the DM's sake, change something significant: Change the character's gender or race. That way it will be easily recognised as a different character. Changing just the background doesn't seem to mean anything to some players, as they will still think "the same 2nd level male Human water mage". I think changing gender might be even more effective thatn changing race... but you could do both of course

Rav