You know, I'm going to go back to my character posts and add a line or two about what made me think of this character. I think people will enjoy the background of my thought process for character creation.
Yes/No? Is that something anyone is interested in when they read a character design?
Dieter Itchenholdt Aka "DITCH", Male 1/2 Orc Fighter (tempest), Unaligned Step 1. Background: "I'm just a well-traveled man of mystery and In-tree-gu." Spoiler:Show
1.Born in an Orcish tribe neighboring several human regions. 2. Ditch's origins lie in a brief insurrection by gnolls, which led to the newly established Baron Von Itchenholdt mounting a counteroffensive. While living in the region, the Baron had a scandalous affair with an orc. 3. Ditch's mother told him stories of his valiant father, throughout his youth. 4. Finding himself unsuited to orcish barbarism, Ditch left to become a warrior of reknown on the open road. 5. He has at least one rival barony with a price on his head, due to the unrelated matter of a missing magical artifact.
Step 2. Goals: "I am Ditch, all your problems are here!"* Spoiler:Show
short Term-Protect the innocent, Drive back the darkness, and prove himself the most badass man-at-arms in the general vicinity. Medium Term- Swear fealty to the House Itchenholdt, and make their dominions the envy of all the Court. Long Term- Have himself recognized by the baron, as his Heir, and joyfully accept whatever status this brings him. *punchline goes: "For me to help solve!" Orc humor at its finest, folks.
Step 3. Secrets: "In case you can't tell, I was born of a powerful dye-nasty..." Spoiler:Show
1.Known. Ditch worships the dead god Stratis, of Chainmail fame. This produces some interesting reactions, from the veterans who fought the campaign, to the clergy of Heironious and Hextor, whose interests are best served by keeping their dead brother as forgotten and irrelevant as possible. 2.Unknown Ditch's reunion with his human relatives will not be a pleasant one, of course. Even overlooking the implausibility of having orcish blood serve among the nobility, the implications of the now aging Baron's affair, and a threat to the inheritance of the other heirs would be met with hostility. What's more, as the barony grows poor from its own decadence, scheming ministers have been shifting attention to the orcish tribes...
Step 4. Relationships: "Fondue forks for everybody!"** Spoiler:Show
T'hokka, F Orc, Unaligned: Ditch's long suffering mother. Operating as a surrogate parent to many Orcish whelps, she stresses the need to find personal glory, not merely as the tool to another's ambition. She is a skilled fortune teller and herbalist. Sister Gwendonia, F Human , Good: While initially suspicious of the strange 'chivalrous' half-orc, Gwen has of late come to see the good in Ditch's heart. As a war orphan herself, she knows the limits of Pelor's mercy, and has gradually developed somewhat of a crush on Ditch, which he is totally ignorant of. Sergeant Romotha, M Half-elf, Evil. The immediate surrogate of the the dastardly Baron Patrousst, Romotha has the run of the entire valley. The only crack in the veneer is when some greenskin vagrant killed a dozen enforcers who were in pursuit of a robber. While various kill orders have proven ineffective, he is facing the possibility that he may have to deal with the matter himself.
Step 5: Personality "You worry too much, little squishy man..." Spoiler:Show
Ditch behaves in the manner that he believes a noble warrior should. Of course, his lack of smarts and cultural upbringing distort the effect somewhat, and such subtleties as restrictions over wearing a cravat over chainmail, or hacking foes apart with a waraxe are lost on him. He still takes to affairs with a happy-go-lucky candor, as long as he's convinced that there's no morals being compromised. Though not very bright, he IS charming, as some confused townsfolk have noted. 5.5 Mannerisms "Can someone read me the wine list?" Unique. Ditch spends his money freely, often donating to the poor, or punctuating his appearance with Cravats, Velvet Codpieces, exotic piercings and perfumes, or expensive haircuts. He assumes a sort of protective bond towards children or small humanoids. This is in sharp contrast to his attitude in battle, where he becomes very much the howling lunatic. All in pursuit of a righteous cause, of course.
**"Fondue forks for everybody." is actually a TMBG quote, but it seemed to fit, since one of the great mysteries of Ditch is his incredible, though limited, talent as a gourmet chef. Fondue, of course, made the short list. No one seems to know how an ex-mercenary like Ditch got these skills, and he himself claims not to remember. :P
Dolph Lundgren's voice is well suited to Ditch, with a slight allowance for tusks. Lundgren lost his tusks in junior high, as we all know.
You know, I'm going to go back to my character posts and add a line or two about what made me think of this character. I think people will enjoy the background of my thought process for character creation.
Yes/No? Is that something anyone is interested in when they read a character design?
It will give an additional point of reference when envisioning your character.
But it may also add further restrictions to their ability to freely imagine the character you are describing
It will give an additional point of reference when envisioning your character.
But it may also add further restrictions to their ability to freely imagine the character you are describing
Well, fortunately, I put all my character designs in hide blocks, so if they don't want to read it, they don't have to! Taa daa! :D
Anywho, I think it's interesting to see why a person thought of a characer to begin with. (Here's hoping Gabryl and Stray will catch on :P ) It doesn't change the flavor of a character, because usually the idea you have for a character doesn't flesh exactly right once you've made the character, and it does give good insight to what was intended.
I've posted three characters on this thread, one on page 3, and two on this page. I've gone back and edited in a commentary to how I designed the character on two of them, and I'm going to start on the last in just a bit here.
Is the way I'm going about it "restrictions to their ability to freely imagine," as you suspect, or do you think it's good? Or something else entirely? Let me know what you think.
DIETER ITCHENHOLDT, Aka "DITCH", Male 1/2 Orc Fighter, Unaligned
Hey, cool concept! I like character concepts that take a race and put him/her out of the usual circumstances and into a newer one where they have to deal with social misunderstandings.
Problems I foresee Ditch facing:
If his father has a scandolous affair with his mother, then more than likely, his father won't accept him as a legitimate son, no matter how good hearted he is. This may be especially true if rank and status matter (bastards were always just that: bastards. They were never accepted back into the family), and/or if there's racial tension and preconceptions against Orcs and 1/2 Orcs.
If the general communty and human society has a bad attitude towards Orcs, Ditch won't get a welcome acceptance. He'll have to prove himself to the town, city, etc.. And there will still always be folk who just plain won't trust him.
"I don't care if he did save that little girl. He's a half-orc. He was probably just doing it to eat her, and he's secretly mad he couldn't." :D
All in all, though, it's a nifty concept! I like it.
Well, fortunately, I put all my character designs in hide blocks, so if they don't want to read it, they don't have to! Taa daa! :D
Anywho, I think it's interesting to see why a person thought of a characer to begin with. (Here's hoping Gabryl and Stray will catch on :P ) It doesn't change the flavor of a character, because usually the idea you have for a character doesn't flesh exactly right once you've made the character, and it does give good insight to what was intended.
I've posted three characters on this thread, one on page 3, and two on this page. I've gone back and edited in a commentary to how I designed the character on two of them, and I'm going to start on the last in just a bit here.
Is the way I'm going about it "restrictions to their ability to freely imagine," as you suspect, or do you think it's good? Or something else entirely? Let me know what you think.
I think it's something else entirely to be honest! It has no bearing on the character you described but is very interesting nonetheless.
My one thought though is that you need to make the infernal warlock chick with the mask!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wth was your dm's problem!!!!! That's the coolest character concept I've ever heard of and he just pooped on it!!!!!!!!!!! Bring her back.....and have her kill the duchess, the original is that sweet!
I build the characters more or less mechanically sound, but keep the situations so dire that it's not even close to good enough. The idea is that, if the party works together, each individual member will have a fighting chance at their goals.
Things may wind up differently in the hands of another DM, but here's my ideas of the specifics:
Baron Itchenholdt is quickly becoming a cynical old man, but really was righteous in his youth. He hates the sycophantic types his station attracts, and suspects that good people will pay the price. He also knows his children have not inherited his own firmness. Somewhere, far, far under that, is a memory of when he was in love. He does not even know Ditch exists.
If he did, he might name Ditch as his heir- if he thought it would foil some of the plans of his subordinates. To prevent them working against this, he'd affect disdain for the half-orc, using the absurdity of the situation to keep his motives hidden.
It's probably true that the townsfolk would never accept an orc's rulership. Certainly the clergy of Stratis' brother deities would egg them on into open revolt. It has all the makings of a very morally uncertain situation, especially for the type of guy that has such a polarized view of the world.
I think it's something else entirely to be honest! It has no bearing on the character you described but is very interesting nonetheless.
My one thought though is that you need to make the infernal warlock chick with the mask!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wth was your dm's problem!!!!! That's the coolest character concept I've ever heard of and he just pooped on it!!!!!!!!!!! Bring her back.....and have her kill the duchess, the original is that sweet!
Squee! Thanks!
Per my DM, it's the flavor of that particular campaign. All the characters are supposed to work in a special unit of some sort working directly for the crown. In this kingdom, those who deal with devils and demons are hunted down like mad. So to play a infernal warlock working for the king is something my DM won't allow (yet).
I'll design her for a game I can play her in. Or maybe when I'm bored later today (or tomorrow), I'll write her up and post her on this thread. To be honest, I don't remember what original class I had in mind for her, I only chose infernal warlock when 4E came out.
Hey Stray! You hear that? Put Flick in your campaign with Bharazhd. Flick's a fun really nice guy who you can have a villian kill off to engross the PCs
(I know its hard to kill your own creations sometimes so that's why I threw the suggestion to kill mine in there!)
It's possible. Since my gaming group is mostly female, though, a guy with screwed up mommy/lover issues might get him slapped. We'll see.
mgshamster, I think I will go back over my NPCs and give them design notes.
