On making a memorable character

[Lanefan]

What makes characters memorable to me is that I believe in and am invested in the character. Without that, nothing else matters. If a character is just a collection of stats (good, bad or indifferent it doesn't matter) then they aren't going to be memorable. Just that PC with a funny accent but no personality?

That may include a deep backstory that guides the PCs actions throughout their career, it may include a background as simple as "second son of a farmer who had an uncle who taught him the basics of fighting and gave him some starting gear".

But there has to be something fairly simple and straightforward about the character that exemplifies who they are. I think that's something that's true of all characters, whether they're a character in a D&D game or a TV show. There can be a fair amount of complexity about the character. For example I remember Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory because his character has memorable quirks even if sometimes they do border on being a caricature.

So if I want a character (whether PC or NPC) to be memorable I have to have something to make them stand out. That has very little to do with character build or effectiveness in combat.

This is all fine when it comes to you remembering your own characters, but the question is more one of whether your characters will be memorable for everyone else at the table.

On a related note, running a memorable character is not always a good thing. We had a guy in a past campaign that played a character that was just a pain in the ass. Always saying the wrong thing during negotiations just to piss the other side off, initiating combat when it wasn't necessary, playing "practical jokes" on other PCs with the goal of pissing them off, etc. He was memorable. The group also breathed a sigh of relief whenever he couldn't make a game. The character may have worked for some groups, but just remember that nobody likes hanging out with a jerk even if it is "just being your characer".

Characters like that can be the best, particularly if a game is taking itself too seriously (a sad state of affairs) or has hit some doldrums.

And when you get a whole party of 'em? Best, funniest, most entertaining games ever!!! And I'm not being sarcastic. Oh sure, very little adventuring gets done; but who cares when everyone at the table spends the session howling with laughter and after the session can't wait to see what might happen next week!

Lan-"admittedly, this does work best in a game system with quick and easy character generation, to replace the casualties"-efan

 

[Oofta]

This is all fine when it comes to you remembering your own characters, but the question is more one of whether your characters will be memorable for everyone else at the table.

If someone is just running a set of numbers on a character sheet, the character is not going to be memorable to me. After the campaign I may remember that Bob came up with a powerful combo, but I won't remember the character he played. Which is perfectly fine, different people play for different reasons. .

regarding playing jerks...

Characters like that can be the best, particularly if a game is taking itself too seriously (a sad state of affairs) or has hit some doldrums.

And when you get a whole party of 'em? Best, funniest, most entertaining games ever!!! And I'm not being sarcastic. Oh sure, very little adventuring gets done; but who cares when everyone at the table spends the session howling with laughter and after the session can't wait to see what might happen next week!

Lan-"admittedly, this does work best in a game system with quick and easy character generation, to replace the casualties"-efan

Different groups play for different reasons. But an annoying character can be simply annoying to everyone at the table. Annoying, argumentative, going out of your way to anger and harass other PCs, picking fights all the time gets old.

You want to play chaos crew, feel free. I don't find someone that continuously abrasive to be entertaining. If I want to spend two hours arguing, I'll bring up politics with my relatives. No thanks.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I could easily come up with a character that would - to me - be the coolest thing I've ever played.

But it would sure rile up all the other players at the table!

*raises hand*

Guilty on multiple charges.

 

[Warpiglet]

If someone is just running a set of numbers on a character sheet, the character is not going to be memorable to me. After the campaign I may remember that Bob came up with a powerful combo, but I won't remember the character he played. Which is perfectly fine, different people play for different reasons. .

regarding playing jerks...


Different groups play for different reasons. But an annoying character can be simply annoying to everyone at the table. Annoying, argumentative, going out of your way to anger and harass other PCs, picking fights all the time gets old.

You want to play chaos crew, feel free. I don't find someone that continuously abrasive to be entertaining. If I want to spend two hours arguing, I'll bring up politics with my relatives. No thanks.

we used to deal with this the old fashioned way. "Kovar draws his sword and glares menacingly." And so it goes around the table.

The last time it happened it went full PvP. But come on! If a character is TRULY disruptive and violates tons of norms, what self respecting warrior would allow them to do that to the group enterprise?

We did a beat down of two characters for this.

In other places, say evil and neutral parties on a crime spree, whatever. We are all there for the same reason and there is a contract. But deliberately derailing things for the group? Time for street justice!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In one of the earliest games of my life in the hobby, I played a human fighter with maxed out physical stats and 6s in his mental stats. He was the gentle giant type, and the bodyguard of the party’s thief.

...who stole what he wanted, when he wanted, regardless of whether that was a good idea or not.

He finally stole something that got the IMMEDIATE attention of the city watch, who were pursuing the fleeing party. The thief commanded, “Bear- stop them!”

At the bridge out of town, he turned and faced the watch, solo, buying the party’s escape at the cost of his life.

The next session, I was out of town with family. When I returned, I found out the rest of the party had returned the stolen item and turned the thief in for the reward- dead. With the proceeds, they bought, renovated and renamed the orphanage Bear had been rescued from by the thief.

“The ciiircle of liiiiife...”

 

[toucanbuzz]

I'm sure it's been said once, but I'll say it again. Memorable characters have absolutely nothing to do with:

a) Your class, race, and stats
b) Your gear
c) Your awesome 6-page backstory

It's how you play. It's the same advice a DM is given to create memorable NPCs: a special tic, saying, mannerisms, that repeat and do so in a way that endears them to players (for good or ill).

In The Princess Bride, Fezzik the giant has a rhyming quirk (so he can practice the local language) and a gentle side.

Inigo reminds us he's searching for the six-fingered man. With an accent. And flair.

Westley has a catchphrase "as you wish."

Heck, you can make a memorable character with a name that fits. Black-Eye Pete is notorious for coming out of every fight with an injury. It's a source of pride, and he's actually sore if he didn't have a scar to commemorate the battle.

On and on, but the them is that nothing is memorable about a stat sheet. That just gets you started with the fun.

 

[Schmoe]

I don't see an either/or here. PCs are not either forged in play or designed on paper, they are all both. This reminds me of the Stormwind Fallacy.

I agree with this in principle, but I think it's a little more nuanced than that. In my experience a character can be memorable to the player, or it can be memorable to the group. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but neither are they directly related.

For a character to memorable to me (the player), I have to really understand the character. It has to be a believable character whose motivations I understand and whose world-view I understand, and I understand them in a way that I can use them to make decisions in the game. One of my most personally memorable characters was a retired army sergeant who led his company to a slaughter through his own tactical errors and was now on a quest of redemption to repay the families of his slain soldiers. It was powerful. I "got" the character. It allowed me to interact with the rest of the group through the viewpoint of a military character with strong convictions and interesting internal conflicts, and I really enjoyed playing him. The game died after a few weeks, and I couldn't tell you if anyone in that game would remember the first thing about him.

For a character to be memorable to the group, the character has to make a memorable impact on the gameplay, and that can come from amazing luck, amazing mechanical mastery, or emergent roleplay. One of my most memorable characters to the group was a cleric in a game that ran for a couple of years. He had no backstory, was a little bit dorky, and had a pet goat (I never really determined why, he just did). But in game he became the most beloved member of the group as he always had a positive, somewhat quirky attitude and formed the emotional backbone of the group. When he crawled into the mouth of a purple worm to explore (don't ask, not my finest moment), there was such an uproar at the table that the DM took pity and spit him out. I guarantee everyone at the table remembered Sir Oolean.

For me, both characterisation (fluff) and game mechanics (crunch) should complement one another, ideas bouncing between the two during character creation until you are finally happy with both and are ready to start play.

I like to build characters this way, too, and complementary mechanics and fluff are important if the character is to be personally memorable, but I don't think either is necessary for the character to be memorable to the group at large.

Will it be interesting? To other people?

In my opinion, 'interesting to other people' should not be the goal of character design. Sure, it's nice if other players think your PC is interesting, but it's not the point of RPGs.

Agreed! 100% I don't set out to entertain other people at the table, and I don't expect them to try to entertain me (other than the DM). I expect us all to try to solve the challenges of the game collaboratively. My experience is that people are generally quite entertained even without trying to do so.

The only thing you can control is your own enjoyment from playing your own character. If you make a character that you don't enjoy playing, then it will show during the game, and others will pick up on it. If you really enjoy your character then the rest of the group can see that, and whether they appreciate the character or not, at least they know you're having a good time.

Obviously, the standard disclaimers about being disruptive or offensive apply.