unusual character concepts?

[WmRAllen67]

Haven't done it yet, but I want to play an incredibly niaeve "Expert" who's compiling or editing a "Bestiary"-- and constantly wandering away from the party to look for interesting monsters, not to kill, but to observe and take notes, draw pictures of, &c &c

"Oh look, it's one of those Eye Tyrants! I've always wondered about those... do you think it's friendly? Can I get closer?"

Just to drive the rest of the party batty...

 

[Henry]

I've often proposed a Wizard with a level or two of Barbarian - basically, a Wizard with Anger-management issues. When the party insults him, he freaks out and begins beating on things with his staff.

Another concept I've thought about is a "cleric" of a given god, but the cleric is actually a Bard with a high charisma, and INT of 10, and a WIS of about, oh, 4 or so. He's the most incredibly impulsive cleric known, he uses chants to inspire his fellows, but proselytizes wherever he goes (even when it's not welcome) and is stupendously ignorant of the world. He couldn't make a spot or a sense motive if and when his life depends on it.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Another concept I've thought about is a "cleric" of a given god, but the cleric is actually a Bard with a high charisma, and INT of 10, and a WIS of about, oh, 4 or so. He's the most incredibly impulsive cleric known, he uses chants to inspire his fellows, but proselytizes wherever he goes (even when it's not welcome) and is stupendously ignorant of the world. He couldn't make a spot or a sense motive if and when his life depends on it.

That sounds like a lot of fun!

I've got a funny feeling that's an NPC that's going to be popping up in one of my games.

Perhaps renowned as a great (or at least convincing) sage?

 

[Mercule]

In 2E, I played a pacifist character. Because skill points, etc. weren't an issue, I went with Ranger as my class. That's right: best THAC0 in the book, TWF, and wouldn't hurt a fly.

Branching out to other game systems (M:tA), I played a Hermetic of House Quaesitor who was also a drug dealing gang-banger, and just as like to pull a 9mm on you as to throw a fireball -- of course, his gun was always charged with Prime. He drove a Porche, had a thing for ancient Khemitan (Egyptian) culture, and was absolutely ruthless about Hermetic politics.

 

[painandgreed]

In one campaign, at first level, we were attacked by a dragon. Nobody made the fear save and everybody ran away but my character was caught. Turns out it was a legendary ancient red dragon who had just escaped from imprisonment with a lich (this was all important to the metaplot of the campaign) and she promptly polymorphed into a a woman and had her way with me. Several very good roles later and I even was gifted a magic item for my service. Skip forward a year of real time later and five years game time, after some past comments about "critical hit", and my character is doing well for himself and a Baronet with his own keep. One day there is a caller at the door to the keep and when I go to see who it is, it's a beautiful red haired woman with a little red headed child screaming "Look what you did!" She promptly left him in my care and flew away. Skip another year of real time and many more years of game time and the DM is wanting to keep the same campaign but go back to lower levels. So we rolled up new characters or as in my case, played our chartacters children. It was refreshing playing a 1st level campaign with daddy's hand me down equipment. Anyway this was 1E and long before half-dragon templates so we had to ad-hoc everything. He was a thief/magic-user and a very characismatic complete bastard with resistance to fire and various other abiliies that the DM gave me as things went along.

In the same campaign for a bit, I also played a good cavalier who had a split personality that was an evil assassin. It was an interesting concept but failed to be fun to play.

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

That's a pretty cool concept. Can he ever permanently rescue his soul?

Yeah, he probably could, if he wanted to. Or he could even get himself a new soul commissioned, or take one from someone else. But really, because he doesn't have a soul, he doesn't really have the capacity to want his soul. But if someone could convince him to do it, then yes.

 

[The Pjats]

A player that I know, had this great idea. He created Maginor, a human that dressed, talked and behaved like a stereotype wizard, who used his quarterstaff to great effects in combat and convinced everyone that he was saving his spells for more important things, because, in his words, you don't want to waste magic.

In other words, he has the Barbarian class and an Int of 10

 

[Evilhalfling]

I had a 3.0 bard with no ranks in perform. She was a proffesional daredevil and climber, never even concieving of trying to entertain people. She occasionally resorted to magic (stilled spell feat) featherfall, levitate, bull str. She also distained spider climb as too easy. It worked well for a oneshot, where PCs were climbing a mountain to capture a solid cloud.

The whole party was built oddly including a 1cleric/1bard/1thief/1ex-paladin/2ftr/now learning sorcerery, a barbarian with a 12 str and dex with a spear. He grew up civilized he just didn't like it, spending most of his life as a hermit/trapper he raged when drunk (frequently)
and a halfling thief who had gotten trapped on a solid cloud for a year and had become a ranger in the process of surviving. (he flew up with a spell, then couldn't get down.)
the whole group would have gotten massacred by a power built party 2 levels lower.

 

[iwatt]

In the party we play in our DM is a bit over fond of metagemey thinking. In response, we now have our ranger/wolflord always in wolf form. The wizard has an owl familiar. wer bought him a scimitar and a symbol of Silvanus, and now he's a "3.0 Druid" with a penchant for fire evocations.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Nearly forgot, a BBEG I never used for an Elven Deathknight. He was a failed wizard - thrown out during his apprenticeship. Mechanically a Wizard 1:Fighter/Blackguard X.

He really wanted to be a wizard and went to great pains to pass himself off as a lich. His magic was his innate abilities and collection of spell trigger items. He wore Full Plate glammered to look like a robe, his bastard sword was kept in a glove of storing.

Figured it'd be a nice suprise for the players.