Powergame or Roleplay?

[Kaleban]

just curious, but how many people take the first roll they're given by the random generator as opposed to how many sit there and roll stats for 2 hours?

Along those lines, do you try to optimize your party, or do you keep in character and role-play the interactions?

I've seen a lot of posts here that deal with stat rolls, party compositions, and other subjects, and most deal with attaining perfection in one way or another.

I was just wondering if anyone ever plays a clumsy Halfling Thief, or a 9 INT mage, basically the accidental hero type. I mean, in all good fiction, the real heroes don't set out to become heroes, the mantle is thrust upon them, and their perseverance is what makes their struggles heroic. I guess the point is to ask yourself this: does your character have a flaw? If not, then he/she isn't very heroic.

[Dundee Slaytern]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kaleban:
just curious, but how many people take the first roll they're given by the random generator as opposed to how many sit there and roll stats for 2 hours?

I roll stats for 2 hours.

Along those lines, do you try to optimize your party, or do you keep in character and role-play the interactions?

Role-play the interactions.

If not, then he/she isn't very heroic.

How about soloing? Or items restrictions? I roleplayed Robin Hood and his merry men( and woman) once.

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[Yggdrasil]

I never roll stats for more than 15 minutes. Usually I quit after getting 86.

After having powered through the game a couple of times, I'm trying a solo swashbuckler. It's awesome! waaaay better then just stomping through Faerun, blowing away the opposition like a minor god. Usually I just sneak right past the enemies...and if that's not an option, it's either "Run Away!" or open up a can of whupass with my katana. Roleplaying! Heeeellll yeaaah!!

[Fuzzy Animal]

I started out roleplaying, but the more times I play the more power hungry I have become. I'm soloing a sorcerer right now and I am doing something I have never done before. I am killing everything that crosses my path, just because I can. No one is innocent. I guess I am roleplaying a child of Bhaal. I always roll stats until I am comfortable with the results. I especially hate when I get ripped off on hit points!!!!

[Morgan_Corbesant]

a mage of 9 intelligence CANT finish the game. he would have NO access to higher level spells, thus he would be screwed. you just cant beat Irenicus, or kangaxx, or firekragg with magic missles, and no way to defeat them otherwise.

[Dundee Slaytern]

quote:

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Originally posted by Morgan_Corbesant:
a mage of 9 intelligence CANT finish the game. he would have NO access to higher level spells, thus he would be screwed. you just cant beat Irenicus, or kangaxx, or firekragg with magic missles, and no way to defeat them otherwise.

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He/she can, if he/she has a party. Now, if you were soloing, then it is a different story.

Hmmmm... can only cast level 1-4 spells, my goodness, an intelligent Bard would be a better spellcaster than the Mage him/herself.

[Kaleban]

I used the 9 INT mage as an example, just like a 9 DEX thief or a 9 STR fighter would work.

Of course, there are no real INT boosting items like Gauntlets of Dexterity or Girdles of Strength, so maybe a 9 INT mage was a bit unrealistic, but you all missed the point I was trying to make.

In fact, the immediate dissection of my message into how it could or could not work kind of shows how people are focused on stats rather than the game. You could take a 9 INT mage through the game, granted, he'd be somewhat useless, but perhaps he's a Child of Bhaal with a good heart, but the fight against his own nature has incapacitated him. The rest of the party is there to "buoy" him up!

Now that is true role-playing! Perhaps, once the mage completes some sort of objective, such as the party killing a Lich for example, some curse is lifted and he can begin gaining 1 INT point per week of game-time... The possibilities are endless through judicious use of Shadowkeeper, much like a PC taking intentional handicaps to increase "backstory"...

[Galadria]

I see your point. I roleplay a lot. You should see my biography pages! But I still try to get the best stats. You can build a complex character, and still have him kick butt.(Sorry, Minsc)It just depends on how far you want to take it. I re-imported my Mage from my Final Save, and had her shepherd a green-as-grass group through. Fun! I felt like Gandalf with no Aragorn, just a bunch of hobbits.

[Dundee Slaytern]

I do not use Shadowkeeper.

[Yggdrasil]

Very good points, Keleban.

While I do take some time for stats, I'm not obsessed with it. Usually within 5 minutes I find acceptable numbers. If I want to dual class, sometimes it takes longer...but I know that eventually my character can get thru the game, regardless. There are potions, items, and of course saving games to try over and over and over ad infinitum. You can generate a character with lousy stats who can still beat the game.

I've done the power-thing: kick the crap out of everything via a highlevel party. Boring, IMO. A good mage can dance through SoA and ToB with nary a scratch. Sorcerers are so overpowered its a joke. So are monks and kensais. There are plenty of ways to optimize the game to your benefit, but I guess the question is: do you just want to kick the crap out of everything or do you want to have fun? And yes, I know the two are not exclusive.

Perhaps you could pick a character class and solo. That's what I'm doing right now: an elf swashbuckler. And while swashbucklers can max in dual weapon proficiency for direct combat, I haven't touched it. To me, it's a lot more fun to use Hide in Shadows and scope out the opposition. Maybe run right by em, maybe pick their pockets. Maybe get caught and run and hope I make it out alive. Hahahha...whooopeee! And while I have the abilities, potions, and equipment to take on pretty much anything- it's all in the planning and how you play your character. You can be subtle or direct...I guess I prefer subtlety.

IMO, it seems that thieves can exploit potions, items and abilities far more than any other class.

For instance: hide in shadows and pickpocket the opposition. Equip a thief with a decent bow and arrows of dispelling and biting. Suck down a speed potion and you can hammer most mages into the ground. And there are always potions of magic resistance if some silly mage wants to fight back. And scrolls for whatever...an antimagic scroll +use any item +carsomyr will make the toughest battle mage cry for his/her mommy. And you can always run away. No problem, since thieves aren't fighters. Or you can lay a mess of traps, taunt the opposition, and run away. The coward who runs away and returns to dance over an opponent's corpse is nobody's fool.