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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4600830" data-attributes="member: 19675">When I say I try to get inside a PC's head, my exact path is determined by a lot of things, including the starting point.For instance, over the course of a few campaigns, I noticed that I had been playing PCs with nearly identical weapon and equipment choices.&nbsp; Now, that was sometimes cliche, but for other PCs, it was quite different- few arcane casters wield longswords.So, to get out of that rut, the next new campaign I joined, I vowed to use anything but a longsword.&nbsp; I looked at the list of weapons and chose a Maul.&nbsp; I hadn't even rolled my stats.&nbsp; After that step, I had to think about what kind of guy chooses a Maul as his primary weapon- not just what his battle tactics are, but also what kind of reaction he is expecting in non-combat situations.&nbsp; He's hauling around a huge freakin' hammer, for goodness sake!&nbsp; Do you really want to look like a nail to him?Once I started answering those questions (and many more), I had a general life philosophy and attitude for the PC.&nbsp; After that, all I had to do was strive for consistency.Then I thought...&quot;Him?&quot;&nbsp; NO!&nbsp; &quot;HER!&quot;&nbsp; Suddenly, I was playing a female Paladin who grew up in a fishing village.&nbsp; But while beautiful as any girl a father could ask for, she also grew tall and strong- soon, too big for her father's small fishing boat.Soon, she was apprenticed out to a mason, who used her strength and power to help him do demolition on his jobs.&nbsp; She swung a mallet all day for years.When certain events in her life drove her to become a wandering warrior, she had to choose a weapon.&nbsp; While she could have chosen the sword (or scimitar or falchion, as befitted her culture), to do so would have violated laws about commoners carrying weapons.&nbsp; So she chose the Maul, an oversized, weaponized version of the tool she was so familar with (and as backup, an oversized fisherman's knife, a.k.a. a shortsword).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 4600830, member: 19675"] When I say I try to get inside a PC's head, my exact path is determined by a lot of things, including the starting point. For instance, over the course of a few campaigns, I noticed that I had been playing PCs with nearly identical weapon and equipment choices. Now, that was sometimes cliche, but for other PCs, it was quite different- few arcane casters wield longswords. So, to get out of that rut, the next new campaign I joined, I vowed to use anything but a longsword. I looked at the list of weapons and chose a Maul. I hadn't even rolled my stats. After [I]that[/I] step, I had to think about what kind of guy chooses a Maul as his primary weapon- not just what his battle tactics are, but also what kind of reaction he is expecting in non-combat situations. He's hauling around a huge freakin' hammer, for goodness sake! Do you really want to look like a nail to him? Once I started answering those questions (and many more), I had a general life philosophy and attitude for the PC. After that, all I had to do was strive for consistency. Then I thought..."Him?" NO! "[I]HER![/I]" Suddenly, I was playing a female Paladin who grew up in a fishing village. But while beautiful as any girl a father could ask for, she also grew tall and strong- soon, too big for her father's small fishing boat. Soon, she was apprenticed out to a mason, who used her strength and power to help him do demolition on his jobs. She swung a mallet all day for years. When certain events in her life drove her to become a wandering warrior, she had to choose a weapon. While she could have chosen the sword (or scimitar or falchion, as befitted her culture), to do so would have violated laws about commoners carrying weapons. So she chose the Maul, an oversized, weaponized version of the tool she was so familar with (and as backup, an oversized fisherman's knife, a.k.a. a shortsword). [/QUOTE]

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