Author Topic: Character Concepts  (Read 3335 times)

Offline Ren

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Character Concepts
« on: September 20, 2010, 05:26:02 PM »
Strange, when I first heard the DFRPG was being made I was excited...then I realized I had NO concepts to play...none whatsover. I've been gamign sicne I was 11 (now 39) and I've invented 100's of characters. And I couldn't think of a single character concept I wanted to play. So yesterday I sat down and brainstormed...still nothign. So I went back through all of the campaigns I've ever ran (or that I at least have concepts for) and dug up a list of names and concepts that mgiht work, but many were characters I'd played before and I hate repeating concepts so I'm still tryign to come up with a concept that I would have fun with.
Sadly I forgot to copy that list onto my USB key to rbing to work as well as forgetting the key anyway...8P so I'll have to post my list later, but I do remember one name that I LOVE and want to use, but I have to work up the concept around the Name; "Verbal Cain" The name actually originated from a Warhammer 40K campaign I ran last year where Verbal was an Eversor Assasin (nick-named the "Red Skull") leading of a Renegade Space Marine Chapter (Not Servants of Chaos) who was leading his troops in following a vision. I'm not sure yet how that concept will fit into the world of the Dresden Files, but I'll find a fit; it really is an awesome name.
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Offline Papa Gruff

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2010, 05:59:15 PM »
Seems easy. Just strike the "Space" part from your concept. You could easily invent some kind of supernatural foreign legion if you don't want to go full out into the actual existing military. Who says that Monoc Security is the only supernatural mercenary contractor out there ;) . You could have your following a vision without any problems in this environment. 
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Offline Ren

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2010, 06:17:05 PM »
Hrm I like the idea of a Supernatural Foreign legion...wonder if there's room for an escapee from a Super-Soldier project? Maybe one that uses supernatural enhancement instead of scientific, or in addition? Has possibilities!
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Offline MijRai

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2010, 06:47:56 PM »
Look into the Witcher. Great stuff there, although not an escapee.
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Offline Papa Gruff

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2010, 07:21:49 PM »
Hrm I like the idea of a Supernatural Foreign legion...wonder if there's room for an escapee from a Super-Soldier project? Maybe one that uses supernatural enhancement instead of scientific, or in addition? Has possibilities!

sure why not. Could even be a technological enhanced super-soldier if you group and gm likes it. I guess it would be a little bit more Hellboyish that way...
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Offline MijRai

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2010, 07:35:17 PM »
Become... The Master Chief. Or any Spartan II or III, for that matter.
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Offline Ren

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2010, 08:03:38 PM »
I'm not actually a fan of halo so thats not happening. I don't in fact play a lot of console games, mostly just PC games.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Witcher but I'd never looked into it until today. Though it dies look pretty cool, I may have to pick it up.
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Offline MijRai

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2010, 08:18:58 PM »
I'm not actually a fan of halo so thats not happening. I don't in fact play a lot of console games, mostly just PC games.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Witcher but I'd never looked into it until today. Though it dies look pretty cool, I may have to pick it up.

It's a good game. The clicking combat is a bit odd, and you need a fast computer for it, but it is good. The second is coming out... next year, I believe.
Don't make me drop a turkey on you...

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Offline Lanir

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2010, 02:30:12 AM »
One way you can help this sort of character idea work with whatever your GM and other players think of the setting is to be flexible on the size of the program and the power source involved. Honestly there are quite a few different ways of gaining supernatural power so pick a source that works for you. The scale of the project could be anything from being a red court infected where you really only need one vamp to explain everything to weirder things like a secret group of werecritters dedicated to making more of themselves and furthering some hidden agenda.

I'm guessing the root of your problem is one of three things.

- Creative burnout: This happens sometimes. As long as you've been gaming I'm guessing you've run into some level of this before.
- Issues with the setting: Settngs based upon published stories are prone to this. When the major source of info on the setting is dedicated to telling one particular story it's not hard to run into issues when trying to generate some other type of story with that setting.
- Lack of info: If you just don't know much about the setting it can be hard to make a character for it at times. You're thinking of trying to fit in and you just aren't sure what story elements you should latch onto to do it.

If you can figure out which it is (or maybe something I didn't think of) it might help you work through it.

Offline Ren

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2010, 01:54:25 PM »
Okay, so now I have the list of all the cncepts I came up with:
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Alita – Fallen Angel, No memories except for occasional flashes of the War. Cast out because she refused to fight and healed angels on both sides. Her essence was split across multiple realms of existence and each of the fragments recall only pieces of the whole story. She currently works as a Nurse Assistant in a Church-run Hospital, this part of her is subconsciously looking for an artifact called the “Halo of the Fallen”. She made it from the feathers of her fallen brethren and presented it to the Throne before she was banished.

Ben – Albino Were-rat Sorceror/Assassin. Born into a community of were-rats, he is one of the very few who could use sorcery.

Mitchell “Beeker” Beakley – The Steampunk/Junkyard Sorcerer/Paladin; he channels his magic through an assortment of gadgets he makes form Junkyard parts.

Ahmet Lanier – Turkish/French Vampire (no Court?)/ Sorceror? Descended form Old Blood. Prefers to spend his time uncovering old artifacts and hiding them away form those who would misuse them.

Ramon Javier Soldano – Old Blood Spanish Swordsman, ladies man, charmer, low-level magician.

Adrian Koch – Old Blood and very wealthy German Nobility, very fashion-conscious and always on the cutting edge of fashion, uses a very zweihander when angered, but no one know where he hides it. Wields it with surprising dexterity for its size; possibly an artifact?

Ehlehna Shaessair-Hawkesbridge – Quasi-exiled Summer Court Fae Warrior, sent out to develop some self-control and some useful contacts.

Jak Tugfish – Crusty southern swamprat and some form of Undead (intelligent zombie perhaps?). Refuses to recognize he is anything other than human though he will acknowledge the existence of the supernatural. Possibly some kind of magic sink or null?

Jurgen Halifax – Church Inquisitor, Priest. He is a man of deep faith and the implacable belief that he knows and carries out the Will of God.

Enoch Krell – Librarian, scholar, sage, knower of many things.

Ariel Orleana – Assassin/Personal Bodyguard. 

Zaddion Wolfe – Mercenary, Thug, Lecher, Experienced Warrior.

Rutger “Nameless” Braun – Assassin.
 
Joss Gennede – Incredibly skilled Driver/Pilot

Verbal Khaine – Mercenary, escapee from a super-soldier program; rebuilt using magic

Saerolan – Exiled Demon

Natasha – White Court Vampire, owns a Nightclub called “Dantes”

Elias O’Bannon – Musician, Fixer; lots of contacts, police record

Tsumiko – Japanese Shugenja/Swordswoman; no memory; Possibly a Kitsune?

Arthur Solomon Marshall – AKA: “Arsenal” He is an Operative for a 3-Letter Agency. He comes from an old money family whom he hates. His fiancée was killed when a  group of zombies/terrorists and their master assaulted a resort they were staying at. He has been hunting for the Master since, at least when he’s not curled up in a bottle. No magic ability, just very skilled. 
---------
Verbal Khaine (Cain) - The Escaped Magically-enhanced Suepr Soldier is starting to look like a front-runner though there are several; others I like that I never got to play; Alita (Yes cheesy I know, but I may change the name later), Beeker (Concept I got form Fallout actually). Ahmet Lanier (Turkish Vampire sound slike a cool idea to me) and Adrian Koch (For humor value alone; the concept originated from a 7th Sea game I never got to run) all have their own appeal.
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Offline Lanir

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2010, 05:35:26 PM »
Some of your concepts will work better than others. Or at least would be easier to integrate into the setting without potential group stress or issues affording all the bells and whistles. Your GM can probably trim this list down really fast and tell you what he or she can work with. That's really who you'd need to see this. Unless your GM is running a very different sort of DFRPG game, the main deal for a character is just whether it fits in without requiring huge additions to the world setting and whether it can fit in with the group. There really aren't any other considerations although there are a few noteworthy subcategories, like power level. But that mostly goes with the "fitting in with the group" idea.

I may be mistaken but I'm kind of getting the vibe that a lot of these ideas are adaptations of concepts from more combative slogging-through-hordes-of-henchmen-and-monsters RPGs. Some of those ideas will take more effort to translate than others due to that, what with the default setting being a modern day supernatural fantasy. If it were me running for you I'd probably building Adrian as a Pure Mortal and dropping the insta-sword trick. You might even have fun with a "Zwiehander in the trunk" aspect for example. The GM can compel you to not have it on you at times or you can invoke it to just happen to have it handy when you need it.

Offline Ren

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2010, 05:58:03 PM »
I haven't even looked at the rules yet but yes I tend to run combat capable characters (though there is at least one on that list that is not) but ultimately most games will at some point most games will go into combat. And having a gimp huddling behind a wall is not really my thing, though I have on occasion done it. I'll probably be able to get a better grasp of concepts once I get my hands on a book, but that isn't happening until I have a game to play!
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Offline Ren

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Re: Character Concepts
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2010, 05:47:33 PM »
So I've finally had a chance to read through the Rules, at least the characetr genertion stuff, and I've refined and slimmed my list of concepts quite a bit:
 
Verbal Khaine
High Concept: Supernatural Super Soldier turned Mercenary
Trouble: Catch me if you can.
Template: Pure Mortal/ Focused Practicioner
Rough Background: Mercenary, escapee from a Supernatural super-soldier program; rebuilt using magic; possibly Some version of the Foreign Legion?

Alita
High Concept: Lost and Fallen Angel
Trouble: Me, Myself and I.  
Template: Emissary of Power
Rough Background: She has memories except for occasional flashes of the War. Cast out because she refused to fight and healed angels on both sides. Her essence was split across multiple realms of existence and each of the fragments recall only pieces of the whole story. She currently works as a Nurse Assistant in a Church-run Hospital, this part of her is subconsciously looking for an artifact called the “Halo of the Fallen”. She made it from the feathers of her fallen brethren and presented it to the Throne before she was banished.

Ahmet Lanier
High Concept: Reluctant Necromancer
Trouble: Family Obligations.
Template: Black Court Vampire?/ Sorcerer/Necromancer
Rough Background: Turkish/French Vampire (Black Court?)/ Necromancer. He is descended from Old Blood. He dislikes his family and prefers to spend his time uncovering old artifacts and hiding them away from those who would misuse them.

Ben
High Concept: Were-Rat Sorcerer-Assassin
Trouble: Oooh Shiny!
Template: Lycanthrope or Were-form/ Sorceror (Focused on Stealth and Assasination)
Rough Background: Albino Were-rat Sorceror/Assassin. Born into a community of were-rats, he is one of the very few who could use sorcery.

Arthur Solomon Marshall
High Concept: Government-Sanctioned Monster Hunter
Trouble: Drunk and Angry.
Template: Pure Mortal
Rough Background: AKA: “Arsenal” He is an Operative for a 3-Letter Agency. He comes from an old money family whom he hates. His fiancée was killed when a group of zombies/terrorists and their master assaulted a resort they were staying at. He has been hunting for the Master since, at least when he’s not curled up in a bottle. No magic ability, just very skilled.  

Elias O’Bannon
High Concept: Talented Musician and Fixer/ Knowledge Broker
Trouble: Busted and Watched.  
Template: Pure Mortal
Rough Background: Musician, Fixer; lots of contacts, police record

Mitchell “Beeker” Beakley
High Concept: Junkyard Paladin
Trouble: The Lord is my Shield and my Strength.  
Template: True Believer/ Focused Practitioner
Rough Background: A Steampunk/Junkyard Sorcerer/Paladin; he channels his magic through an assortment of gadgets he makes from Junkyard parts.

J.P. Devereaux
High Concept: Swamprat Bounty Hunter
Trouble: Undead and Hating it.  
Template: Minor Talent
Rough Background: Crusty southern swamprat bounty hunter and some form of Undead (intelligent zombie perhaps?). Refuses to recognize he is anything other than human though he will acknowledge the existence of the supernatural. Possibly some kind of magic sink or null?

Adrian Koch
High Concept: Wealthy and Fashionable Swordsman/ Knight
Trouble: Why do anything if you can’t look good doing it?
Template: Pure Mortal/ True Believer
Rough Background: Old Blood and very wealthy German Nobility, very fashion-conscious and always on the cutting edge of fashion, uses a very Zweihander when angered, but no one know where he hides it. Wields it with surprising dexterity for its
size; possibly an artifact?
« Last Edit: October 13, 2010, 07:45:20 PM by Renfield »
"Brain Makes My Math Hurt" - me

"Eeyore is my Totem Animal" - me

"Pants are overrated!" - me