Scott Christian
Hero
The 200 page thread on races got me thinking about what I and the other players use for roleplaying motivation. So I thought I would break down the areas I have seen:
Race: "My dwarf bellies up to the grub and scarfs it down faster than anyone at the table. Then, I chug my ale and burp loudly, you know, to let the barkeep it was good - and my cup is empty." Obviously some people play racial tropes, as they are described in the PHB or as they have seen in movies and video games. It is definitely one inspiration I have seen across all tables and players at one point and time.
Age: "I smile, the way only an 18 year old can smile when they think they're invincible, and laugh at the guards threatening me." Age has been a primary motivator for one of my characters. I think all the rest it hasn't come into play. For others, I have seen age be used as a badge, the old grizzled warrior comes to mind. I know, as a DM, it gets used all the time.
Height & Weight: "My goliath towers over the halfling tied to the chair and I crack my knuckles, which are the size of his head, in order to intimidate him into giving us the information." I have had a player use this and given them advantage. Not sure if other players out there have used it to their benefit in roleplaying, but my guess is it is common. (At least at my tables.)
Health: "My fighter limps over to the enemy, blood dripping down my leg from the gash. I spit, look the demon in the eye, and say: 'Bring it.'" Not super common in my experience, but I have seen players use their HPs to roleplay their mood or health.
Attributes: "My low intelligence fighter just stares at the puzzle and scratches his head." This is one that seems like it used to be really common. I mean we would have people with high intelligence scores looking up big words just so they could use them to play their character. We also had players that clearly solved the puzzle, but because their character had a 7 intelligence they sat out. High charisma characters always acting in character as flirty, and people with high dexterity describing their grace. Lately, this motive seems to have fallen to the wayside.
Skills: "I walk over to the horses before our trip and whisper to them, letting them know that they will be okay by giving them a big hug." No need for animal handling there, but I've seen a character do that and not wanting to roll, just to establish that his character is in tune with animals (had expertise). I thought it was a very cool move since skills are so rarely roleplayed in my experience.
Equipment: "My character walks into the cave and the first thing the goblins see is the glowing tip of my wand. It looks like fire. Hot lava smoking, the tip of a volcano ready to go off." I've seen several players really focus on a piece of equipment they have to describe what is happening. Definitely more common with magical or heirloom items, but have seen it with mundane items like cloaks and boots too.
Alignment: "I watch the thief steal the loaf of bread and leap into action!" We all have seen the lawful d*@# or players that use chaotic as an excuse to just be a random pain, but I am not really talking about them. From an RP standpoint, these pieces have traditionally been pretty strong anchors. Many players equate it with a character. I mean, we used to always equate Robin Hood to chaotic good, and then model our behavior off of his motives.
Background: "I pull out my sewing kit and begin patching up leaking tent. Good thing I am a part of the tailor's guild back home or you sods would be sleeping in a puddle." This one seems to be hit or miss in my experience. People take this background, which constitutes a portion of their life, yet rarely roleplay its aspects. I have seen some (including myself) hyper-focus on it.
Backstory: "I look down at the reflection, sad, and wipe the scar on my face." Obviously backstory is a solid inspiration for roleplaying. I have seen it used to great effect, and also seen it beautifully written, but never used to inspire character actions. I also think culture can be captured in here, if not captured in race.
Traits, Ideals, Bonds, Flaws: "I give the orphan my food. I was in his shoes once and feel compelled to not let it happen to anyone else." From my experience, the players I have seen follow these generally do a really good job at keeping their character actions consistent. I have seen it drive entire RP scenes in directions the DM could navigate well because he knew the bonds or flaws would be used.
I am sure I have missed something. Please feel free to let me know.
My question is threefold:
1. What do you see as a primary motivator for you and your players? When you RP, is it more race or equipment or alignment or etc.?
2. Is there one that should be used more than it is in your experience?
3. Is there one that shouldn't be used at the gaming table because of changes in the way we play?
Thanks for reading.
Race: "My dwarf bellies up to the grub and scarfs it down faster than anyone at the table. Then, I chug my ale and burp loudly, you know, to let the barkeep it was good - and my cup is empty." Obviously some people play racial tropes, as they are described in the PHB or as they have seen in movies and video games. It is definitely one inspiration I have seen across all tables and players at one point and time.
Age: "I smile, the way only an 18 year old can smile when they think they're invincible, and laugh at the guards threatening me." Age has been a primary motivator for one of my characters. I think all the rest it hasn't come into play. For others, I have seen age be used as a badge, the old grizzled warrior comes to mind. I know, as a DM, it gets used all the time.
Height & Weight: "My goliath towers over the halfling tied to the chair and I crack my knuckles, which are the size of his head, in order to intimidate him into giving us the information." I have had a player use this and given them advantage. Not sure if other players out there have used it to their benefit in roleplaying, but my guess is it is common. (At least at my tables.)
Health: "My fighter limps over to the enemy, blood dripping down my leg from the gash. I spit, look the demon in the eye, and say: 'Bring it.'" Not super common in my experience, but I have seen players use their HPs to roleplay their mood or health.
Attributes: "My low intelligence fighter just stares at the puzzle and scratches his head." This is one that seems like it used to be really common. I mean we would have people with high intelligence scores looking up big words just so they could use them to play their character. We also had players that clearly solved the puzzle, but because their character had a 7 intelligence they sat out. High charisma characters always acting in character as flirty, and people with high dexterity describing their grace. Lately, this motive seems to have fallen to the wayside.
Skills: "I walk over to the horses before our trip and whisper to them, letting them know that they will be okay by giving them a big hug." No need for animal handling there, but I've seen a character do that and not wanting to roll, just to establish that his character is in tune with animals (had expertise). I thought it was a very cool move since skills are so rarely roleplayed in my experience.
Equipment: "My character walks into the cave and the first thing the goblins see is the glowing tip of my wand. It looks like fire. Hot lava smoking, the tip of a volcano ready to go off." I've seen several players really focus on a piece of equipment they have to describe what is happening. Definitely more common with magical or heirloom items, but have seen it with mundane items like cloaks and boots too.
Alignment: "I watch the thief steal the loaf of bread and leap into action!" We all have seen the lawful d*@# or players that use chaotic as an excuse to just be a random pain, but I am not really talking about them. From an RP standpoint, these pieces have traditionally been pretty strong anchors. Many players equate it with a character. I mean, we used to always equate Robin Hood to chaotic good, and then model our behavior off of his motives.
Background: "I pull out my sewing kit and begin patching up leaking tent. Good thing I am a part of the tailor's guild back home or you sods would be sleeping in a puddle." This one seems to be hit or miss in my experience. People take this background, which constitutes a portion of their life, yet rarely roleplay its aspects. I have seen some (including myself) hyper-focus on it.
Backstory: "I look down at the reflection, sad, and wipe the scar on my face." Obviously backstory is a solid inspiration for roleplaying. I have seen it used to great effect, and also seen it beautifully written, but never used to inspire character actions. I also think culture can be captured in here, if not captured in race.
Traits, Ideals, Bonds, Flaws: "I give the orphan my food. I was in his shoes once and feel compelled to not let it happen to anyone else." From my experience, the players I have seen follow these generally do a really good job at keeping their character actions consistent. I have seen it drive entire RP scenes in directions the DM could navigate well because he knew the bonds or flaws would be used.
I am sure I have missed something. Please feel free to let me know.
My question is threefold:
1. What do you see as a primary motivator for you and your players? When you RP, is it more race or equipment or alignment or etc.?
2. Is there one that should be used more than it is in your experience?
3. Is there one that shouldn't be used at the gaming table because of changes in the way we play?
Thanks for reading.