Why am I so dissatisfied with the new PCs I create? (Thanks for the input guys!)

[reveal]

In a few weeks, my group is going to start playing on Eberron campaign and I'm going to be a PC for the first time in almost 6 months.

I LOVE Eberron. It has cool races, a fantastic history and just a greal "feel" overall. I am very excited about playing fantasy again as I've been DMing a d20 Modern game for a while.

The problem is that I am dissatisfied with the PCs I have created.

Usually I always have some cool concept for a PC I am excited about right off the bat. Sometimes they don't work, but only about 1 time out of 10. But not this time.

First, I created a Shifter Monk/Fighter with an "attitude problem." After spending two week constantly tweaking him, I decided he wasn't worth it and started over.

Then I created the following in the span of a week: Changeling Rogue, Changeling Swashbuckler, Human Swashbuckler, Shifter Monk/Barbarian (realized the rules wouldn't let me do it until after I had created it), Elven Barbarian/Battle Sorcerer (Comp Warr), Elven Barbarian/Favored Soul (Comp Div).

I spent at least a day on each, tweaking stats and background. Nothing satisfied me. I would create them thinking "This sounds interesting" but would end up tossing them as I'm just not excited about playing "this guy."

So I asked myself why. And I think I came up with two reasons:

1) I have played almost every class in the PHB: Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Paladin, Rogue, Sorcerer and combinations thereof. I have not played a Barbarian, Druid or Wizard. No interest. So one reason is probably because I was either playing something I had played before or because I was trying something, like the Barbarian, simply to try it. But I really had no interest in it. That's why the Favored Soul or Battle Sorcerer intrigued me. And they still do.

2) My character had nothing to give to the party. Fighter, sure. But so what? We already have pure fighters. That's another reason I like the Favored Soul. I'm just too lazy to be a Cleric with all the spells to remember (please no lectures on pros/cons of the FS or Cleric classes ) so I like the limitations of the FS. But a FS can heal, so that's good. But I still wasn't satisfied. So I chose a Ranger. Makes sense with my character background and he can Track and be very useful in nature. So I combo'd FS/Ranger.

At this point, I really, really like the character but I have this nagging feeling he'll fall out of favor as the others did.

I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this and what they have done to help themselves. Thanks for any input.

 

[cdsaint]

Yeah, I've run into the same problem occasionally. It really feels terrible because when you rarely get a chance to play (as a player anyway) you really want to be excited about your character. You want the same buzz as when you first started playing, and that level of excitement is just harder to get when you've got much experience under your belt.

The good news is that there is an exiting character concept out there somewhere. I've always managed to find one anyway, even though sometimes it took a lot of searching. The fact that you're starting in Eberron should help give you some of that bright shiny new feeling you're looking for what with slightly different racial trends and things.

Maybe some of these will help, they aren't full fledged character concepts, just ideas I've briefly considered.

1) Halfling Druid, Dire rat companion. At 3rd level each gets a feat. Take swarmfighting for both. Fight from the same square, get a +1 bonus to hit with both.

2) Shifter Spirit Shaman, from Eldeen Reaches, in the Twilight Demense. Have a really strong connection with the Fey, perhaps even a Fey bloodline from Arcana Unearthed.

3) Changeling Rogue or Bard, capitalize on your adventuring career by being a reporter or pulp adventure writer. Anger your companions by getting details wrong (or right) and always seem to be the hero in your stories, or not.

4) Half Orc Druid / Ranger of House Tharashk, and Gatekeeper initiate. Favored enemy Aberrations, mark of finding, divided loyalties and all that that entails.

Anyway, maybe those will help you find inspiration, if not I'm sure you'll find it somewhere. As you may have noticed, I'm on an outdoorsy nature kick right now, The Spirit Shaman class excites me, which also brought around another look at Druids, which in turn focused my attention on Talentia Plains, Shadow Marches, and Eldeen Reach.

Chris

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I've felt dissatisfaction over a PC once I started playing him, but it was mostly a "mechanical" dissatisfaction, ie I designed the PC to be good at a certain thing (more often than not combat) and when I start playing him, I realized that he wasn't all that I thought he'd be cracked up to be (qué?).

I'd suggest to forget the races and classes for a while, and concentrate on the concept. You say yourself that's usually how you thought up your characters. Usually-workable concept, then race and class.

AR

 

[Turanil]

I doubt this may help, but I am going to give an example of a character of mine I much like.

Lets first begin in saying that yes, I like fighter, but am not so exited at the idea of playing one. Same feeling for the ranger. Anyway, in a campaign where we were only two players (not always, but most sessions), the other player's PC was a paladin knight, inheritor to an important lord. Instead of thinking about what class I could play, I got the idea it would be fun if my character would in fact be the squire of the knight-paladin (paladin class only, knight for rpg, and as for the race he was in fact a half-dragon; with UA he would have had the dragon bloodline).
What I really envisioned was Kurik: Sparhawk's squire in the Elenium series. Kurik is just a squire, but largely over 10th level. I wanted to play that: a squire, but a powerful one. So I determined my character would begin just as a simple peasant, and to emphasize on this I made a LG half-orc woodcutter. I didn't want to take the expert class though, so gave him the ranger class, since he worked in the woods. In my head he wasn't a ranger, but a woodcutter, reason for which he only wore a simple studded leather armor and a battle axe.
Then, I did play my PC as a "peasant/squire", not a ranger/fighter (there were much combats, so the character got eventually fighter levels). He became a terrific battle machine, and I love it that way. Nonetheless, he still sees himself as a squire and peasant (for example, he won't wear plate armor and use greatsword, even if given the opportunity, because he sees himself just a peasnt with no right to use "noble equipment") rather than a ranger or fighter.

My advice would be of thinking about such a kind of concept, then use the best combination of classes, feats, and skills to portray it. So, you don't play a Favored Soul, or a Barbarian, or what not; you play "The Unbeliever Forced by the Circumstances to Carry the Will of the Lady" or... well... you see the idea.

 

[Particle_Man]

suggestion: have someone else, or a DM, make up your character. YOu may be srprised and spleased at what they come up with. Or not. But it is worth a shot.

 

[doghead]

My only access to rpg's at the moment is via online boards. So this does reflect that to some degree.

I have, over the years, created a great many characters. I tend to go with fairly simple ideas and have them evolve through the course of the game. But I have found myself falling into well worn character patterns. I have tried to 'do something different', but the results felt forced.

So recently decided to try taking over an existing 'ghostless' pc shell rather than create my own character. I have take over one so far. It has been quite interesting having to play to a character that i did not create. Interesting enough for me to think that I will try it again if I decide to get into any more games.

the head of the dog.

 

[Umbran]

Turanil has a good point. It can often help to avoid thinking in terms of defining the character by what class they are. Instead, use the character to define what classes they should take. Put the person and personality before the profession.

Another thing - it sounds rather like you're overthinking things, leading to "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome. You roll and think and tweak, but you haven't actually played any of them. Frequently enough, a character doesn't really take hold until you've played them a few times, and they start to develop a bit more personality than is seen on the paper. Stats and backgrounds are nice, but the things that make a character compelling only happen in play.

The fact that the party already has a Fighter (or any other partcular class) does not equate to "I have nothing to give to the party". For one thing, two fighters can have very different combat abilities. For another, mechanics are only a part of what a character offers the party and the story. Personality counts too.

My suggestion is to stop worrying so much about the details of stats, and finding exactly what the party needs. Find a personality that intrigues you. Pick the classes that personality would take. Make up the character,and then stop and wait to play the darned thing. Don't go through loads of tweaking. Don't second guess. Find one thing, and give it your best shot at role playing before you discard it.

 

[Henry]

My advice?

1. Pick a straight class. Don't multiclass, as it will likely add feelings of frustration as the game levels up.

2. Pick something you don't think you'd enjoy - pick that Druid, Barbarian, or Wizard, and pick a race that interests you. See if the combo, combined with the PC's ability scores, produces something that sparks your imagination.

3. Stick with it. Come up with an outrageous or memorable personality. The more you enforce what this character is like, the more it grows on the other players, and you simultaneously.

The biggest problem is it seems you have played almost all of the basics. But sometimes it helps to go back to the basics, and try something totally diametrically opposed to the characters you play.

 

[reveal]

My suggestion is to stop worrying so much about the details of stats, and finding exactly what the party needs. Find a personality that intrigues you. Pick the classes that personality would take. Make up the character,and then stop and wait to play the darned thing. Don't go through loads of tweaking. Don't second guess. Find one thing, and give it your best shot at role playing before you discard it.

Darned you and your logic!

Seriously though, thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I probably am overthinking this and definitely just need to "jump in" and play. I'm sure that will help a bunch.

 

[Mystery Man]

Darned you and your logic!

Seriously though, thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I probably am overthinking this and definitely just need to "jump in" and play. I'm sure that will help a bunch.

Whatever you pick, three levels in you'll want to switch anyway.