Hello

Post by **Xyon_of_Calhoun** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:59 pm

A warm welcome from Thar Shaddin's only resident Xenetian.

Not much else to say really... >.>

*wanders off*

Setus · Post by **Setus** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:43 pm

Honestly, one of my concerns was making a character that was too weak. I don't know if that's possible, but if I made a character, he/she would probably be killed from a breeze or a rain drop.

I've never had any experience writing, either, so I'm not the most eloquent person in the world. That's really the main reason why I wanted to RP (besides growing a character that can kick Blood's butt!). I want to get better at writing, because I have my own stories that I want to do, and I'd like them to actually be good.

So I might just mess around by myself after I make my character and see if I can make something legible.

Post by **Frug** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 12:54 am

The weaker the more amusing trying not to die is.

Btw you needn't make a new account to fit your character's name. It's a guideline just to deal with people who use multiple characters or people who want to make lame login names.

Shadowsong · Post by **Shadowsong** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 12:57 am

Some people are against this, but I tend to start from a D&D perspective. Decide which class best suits that character and use that as a starting point. Then, discard the idea beyond that - the great thing about freeform is not being pidgeon-holed by systems.

So you can take the foundations from a system and then build from there to suit your tastes.

We have never had any orcs here, which could be interesting. Dwarves are also seldom chosen on the boards. So either of those directions could have personality to them simply by being distinguished from the other characters here.

Have fun.

Setus · Post by **Setus** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:01 am

Yea, I was going to change my name as soon as I make up a character. I've played Final Fantasy XI, so maybe I can use ideas from an MMO as a guideline for making a character.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys (^_^)

Aislinn Vahtees · Post by **Aislinn Vahtees** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:11 am

Ooooh, I should read up on dwarves here. I love playing dwarves.... well I do now since I was made to play them elsewhere. :p

Jenica Sabiny · Post by **Jenica Sabiny** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 3:09 am

I created Lanya to be a plain old human, and she's turned out to be hilariously fun, because it's like magical creatures or people with magical abilities FLOCK to her. Plus she has to rely on smarts to get by. Which is really hard to do anyway.

Post by **Blood Ravenous** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:35 pm

Okay, Setus, you've gotten enough tips and advice. Make a charrie!

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:52 am

Ok, wait...

When did everyone suddenly get so helpful? I never told you people you could do that!

Quick intro before I get into the meat of the post... I'm a second Moderator here, and you'll also notice me playing Mavarion as well.

On a serious note(

), all the advice I see here is great. If you're having trouble thinking of a character, take a stroll through the Active Characters thread, the NPC thread, and the Old Characters thread. All these will have many options to look at, you can see what has been done previously, and you get to read up on some very cool ideas that people have had.

Some of the most interesting characters for simplicity I've noticed are: Lanya Caliope, Ander Valman, and Julen.

These three are simply human, with very little magical abilities or items. Lanya has no magical abilities, but a warped magical guitar that tends to make life interesting for her. Ander has magical abilities, but is only 15 or 16, and has apparently no control over those abilities whatsoever. Julen is similar to Ander in that he has trouble controlling the minor magical abilities he does have, but is older and more experienced.

Looking through the other character threads will help you determine what is expected for the writing portion, and will perhaps give you a few ideas.

Most importantly, I'd like to point out that Jenica/Jess has a very good point here:

Jenica Sabiny wrote:play something you WANT to play. Don't create a character 'cause you think you'll be able to make it enjoyable; create someone who you can't wait to play, someone whose actions will entertain you.

Words from the wise.

That means I'm done for now. Also, welcome to Thar. I was away for a few days, so that's why I missed the original posting frenzy on your thread.

Hope you enjoy!

Setus · Post by **Setus** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:27 am

Well, the character I wanted to make sounded almost exactly like Ander. Basically I was thinking of a kid that ran away from home because he was evolving or whatever and was getting in touch with magic. He has no control over magic, and it just seems to flow around him sporadically at times. When it starts flowing, it causes him physical pain and drives him a little crazy (I was thinking weird things would happen, like he'd have hallucinations, be able to feel color, see sound, etc). He doesn't actually have any spells, but things around him would be affected... like a wood bed would start melting slightly, and the wood-drops would float upward... crazy stuff like that. I don't think he'd have any amibition other than to get rid of his condition or die trying. He probably has people trying to kill him.

Julen · Post by **Julen** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 12:03 pm

If this is truly the character you want to play, then I wouldn't worry too much about any similarities to Ander. Even when starting with the same character type, different people almost inevitably put their individual spin on things, just by drawing from their own experiences, biases, ect... And with all the magic flowing around, it certainly doesn't seem improbable that two teenage boys would be confronted with uncontrollable powers.

Because I created a similar character, I can think of a couple of issues that you're going to want to address in your character application. First of all, if this character is still in Marn/Shim, why? If I had very noticeable powers that I couldn't control, my first priority would be getting to a place where I wouldn't be tortured and killed because of them. Julen stays because he's tied to his wife and farm.

Also, if this character isn't spending most of their time alone and out of sight, why not? That would be the safe thing to do, but it doesn't present a lot of RP opportunities. Again, Julen can't just hide because he needs to earn money to support said wife and farm.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer a bit of encouragement and brainstorming. Can't wait to read your character application!

Jenica Sabiny · Post by **Jenica Sabiny** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:28 pm

Not to mention the crazy Silent Hill-esque crazy twist to the power does make it different from Ander's. If I'm not mistaken, Ander's is more like an inherently good power that funnels itself through his power without his consent. What you're talking about sounds like it has the ability to be more directly influenced by the character's psychosis - and psychos are fun to play.

Kamar Deythal · Post by **Kamar Deythal** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:52 pm

Jenica Sabiny wrote:and psychos are fun to play.

Says the insane vampire-lady.

As similar as your character is to Ander, there are enough differences between them that I'm sure it would be interesting. Plus, maybe the two of them meet, and discover they have the same 'problem' ...

And like insane vampire-lady said, different people can put different spins on the way their characters act and react to situations.

So I say go ahead and create, and let we mods help you fine tune, should you need it.

Setus · Post by **Setus** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:45 pm

I have two ideas for characters, and I just finished the application for one of them. Now my only problem is that this person I just made doesn't have a name. It's a problem because, well, he's a fairy, and he basically has the personality of a dog. He's an animal, really, and animals don't exactly name themselves. What can I do about that?

Post by **Frug** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:12 pm

On another forum I used to use, I made a dog and had kind of the same problem, so I gave him the simple name Dirk. It's easy to say and it's the weapon he used.