So I'm looking for some advice...

Jenara · Post by **Jenara** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:21 am

Hey,

So I'm playing in three different Pbmb (Play by Message Board) games, and I'm having a little trouble separating the characters from each other....

The Characters are:
Angel, Half Elf fighter, rather aloof and grumpy, but cute never the less.. she's 22.

Larisse, elven mage / thief, she's sweet innocent, a little childlike, but fiercely loyal...
She's 106

Lynesse, elven figher / thief, she'll hit on anything that moves, she has issues with commitment.. She's 110

Now they all seem different, but they are all different aspects of my own personality...

So, why do I need help?

The most I've ever done is a few PC's at the same time, they were quite different.. I'm a little rusty you see....

I'm having trouble separating them, some of their traits crossover to each other.

Do you guys have any ideas or suggestions to help me keep them apart? I'm doing my best right now, just need a little help until I really get into these characters...

This would be simple if it was tabletop, but its rather harder when all you have is text.

Edited to clarify a few things... Jen 12-09-10.

glossop · Post by **glossop** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:39 am

At first glance at this .

Sounds like they might be long lost sisters to me..and the little personality trait cross over is to be expected..even welcomed and smiled at when they occur.

Colour.. A dominant colour theme and scheme behind a character can help focus.

So clothes equipment hair eyes spell colour ? er character sheet border and dice set ? even the clothes you choose to wear that evening / day etc.

Even scent..smells a cracker for focusing memory and mind.
And you are a lady.
So it doesn't have to be Essence of sweaty barroom or fart filled dungeon does it.

Hopcat · Post by **Hopcat** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:49 pm

Is the F/T an elf, 1/2elf , gnome, dwarf or hobbit?

If you're playing nothing but elves and 1/2 elves that could be the reason for the "flow-over"

I 2nd what Gloss said.
Try decorating them dramatically different
Make one a city girl, another a country girl, another...extraplanar? lol
Vary their ages dramatically; a 500 year old elf is gonna have a different perspective on things than a 50-75 year old 1/2E.
Aromatic differences: a high elf girl should smell like a rose; a woodelf girl should smell like bark.
Hope that helps ya.

Jenara · Post by **Jenara** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:11 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far, I've edited the post to reflect a few things I didn't clarify first time.

These are Play by message board games, i haven't played tabletop since the late '90s...
I don't have the luxury of scents and smells etc, sorry i didn't clarify that earlier.

Angel and Larisse could be sisters, they exist in the same world, at the same time, same DM, just on different sides..

Angel is a hardened merc.

Larisse is a Spoilt city girl, forced to go on the run.

Esse... She's a bounty hunter... wanders from place to place.

SightblinderX · Post by **SightblinderX** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 3:47 pm

A couple things:

- since they are in completely different games, it should not matter if they act the same. Just sayin

- perhaps try to establish a very specific mental image of each, or choose a theme song for them. Then when you post, think of that song.

glossop · Post by **glossop** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 4:06 pm

Oooooh ! Well duh I feel old and stupid..didnt even think of that !

Still your in the room with yourself so might still work..

So is that you are trying to separate them in your own mind or are some of the
players the same on the games and might notice sameness ?

Catch phrase ! Battle cry or common curse / swear word ?

Interestingly now I've been wondering what would happen if they all met
Formidable gang or bag of fighting cats

Jenara · Post by **Jenara** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:01 pm

SightblinderX wrote:A couple things:

- since they are in completely different games, it should not matter if they act the same. Just sayin

- perhaps try to establish a very specific mental image of each, or choose a theme song for them. Then when you post, think of that song.

Thanks SBX, yeah three different games, same DM in two though...
It kind of matters to me, I care about being good at this, it matters to me...

As for mental image... i have them but they reflect aspects of me, I tried making a character that was utterly different and it failed, I should never have tried to play a dwarf...

glossop wrote:Oooooh ! Well duh I feel old and stupid..didnt even think of that !

Still your in the room with yourself so might still work..

So is that you are trying to separate them in your own mind or are some of the players the same on the games and might notice sameness ?

Catch phrase ! Battle cry or common curse / swear word ?

Interestingly now I've been wondering what would happen if they all met
Formidable gang or bag of fighting cats

Your not stupid Glossop, its a new term, not many people know it yet... people just assume the games are tabletop.

I am trying to separate them from each other in my head, I had no idea how rusty I was!

As for how they'd get on....

Esse would hit on Larisse and stay away from Angel.

Larisse would be scared of Angel, and she'd not know what to do about Esse's advances.

Angel.... She'd think Larisse was a wimp, tell her to stop being such a fool, she'd ignore Esse, but she'd secretly worry why she didn't hit on her.

So look thanks for the ideas, some of which will really help. Like SBX suggested they are in different games... but it really matters to me to make them all different.

Post by **Stik** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:09 pm

As the DM for two of those three characters, I can point out one common thread between them: isolation.
Angel is isolated because she has trouble putting away her tough side and interacting with people. She wants to be gregarious, but can't figure out how.
Larisse is isolated because circumstances forced her to leave her most recent home behind. She feels a adrift and lonely.
So here we have two very different characters with the same motivation - an unfulfilled need to be part of a group/family. This could be why you are having trouble separating them.

But going back to the characters' backgrounds, Angel got where she is by being sympathetic to people, and by caring for their welfare. That instinct has to be somewhere still. I am not suggesting that she become a mother hen, but perhaps she could take the role of a defender (fitting, considering she primarily worships the god of fortifications).

Larisse got burned by people she cared about and now feels lost. She could grow that resentment into a selfish streak (not that I'd recommend that, as it would make working with the rest of the party difficult), or she can become very careful methodical, weaving plans and schemes to ensure that she doesn't get burned again.

LadyWinterWolf · Post by **LadyWinterWolf** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:54 am

Basically, a character does have some aspects of the person playing him/her; otherwise, how would you truly understand how to play the part? But I have to agree that you've boxed yourself in with the elf, and should consider branching out to other characters.

You did try the dwarf in my game, but your personal impulsiveness got you in trouble with that character, where he should have been more reserved, for a dwarf that is.

I've tried many races and classes; a few were: a drunken dwarf cleric, a halfling paladin, a half orc fighter, even a gnoll....now that was a challenge considering my speech consisted mostly of growling and snarling.

Jenara · Post by **Jenara** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:21 pm

Stik wrote:Larisse got burned by people she cared about and now feels lost. She could grow that resentment into a selfish streak (not that I'd recommend that, as it would make working with the rest of the party difficult).

Cuz those guys are a walk in the park otherwise.... lol

Thanks Stik.

LWW.... Drake didn't fit me, but yeah he was too impulsive for a dwarf.

LadyWinterWolf · Post by **LadyWinterWolf** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 4:40 pm

Jenara wrote:
LWW.... Drake didn't fit me, but yeah he was too impulsive for a dwarf.

That's part of the fun of playing out of personal character; being someone you don't believe you could be and the challenge of making it work. Then again, that might just be me.

Ismaels-Legacy · Post by **Ismaels-Legacy** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 9:43 pm

Dude, I would LOVE to play a gnoll!

Jenara · Post by **Jenara** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:47 pm

LadyWinterWolf wrote:
Jenara wrote:
LWW.... Drake didn't fit me, but yeah he was too impulsive for a dwarf.
That's part of the fun of playing out of personal character; being someone you don't believe you could be and the challenge of making it work. Then again, that might just be me.

I'm just rusty... ten years worth of rusty... I need to get back into the game...

I've played all sorts in the past.

Post by **Cole** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:01 pm

Ismaels-Legacy wrote:Dude, I would LOVE to play a gnoll!

If Jenara is running a campaign in our new player realm (Ankhur), you should ask to play a Bugbear... they are a dominate player pirate race in the sea realm

I'll do the conversion for you if A) you want to play one and B) she'll let you IL

cheers

LadyWinterWolf · Post by **LadyWinterWolf** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:42 pm

Ismaels-Legacy wrote:Dude, I would LOVE to play a gnoll!

Dude??? *looks down front of shirt and pants* I don't think so.

Cole wrote:
If Jenara is running a campaign in our new player realm (Ankhur), you should ask to play a Bugbear... they are a dominate player pirate race in the sea realm

I'll do the conversion for you if A) you want to play one and B) she'll let you IL

cheers

I once played a dark elf high priestess who was terrified of bugbears, and everytime the party encountered any, she hid in a globe of darkness until melee was over. Quite amusing really.