Psychology of Character Creation

We play the characters that we think (consciously or subconsciously) would be sexually attractive to our parent of the opposite sex.

>>49819619
Lols, Oedipus much anon?

>>49819658
no, basic Freudian analysis.

>>49819673
Is that why I always play gnome illusionists in fantasy settings?

>>49819673
>pop psychology is and/or ever was accurate and relevant
I don't think I like this meme any more, /tg/

>>49819703
I'm actually legit curious as to why you do? Any particular motivation?

>>49819703
I'm assuming your a man.
Did your mother fancy shorter, exotic or foreign men? Maybe she had a thing for men who were somewhat deceitful?

>>49819740
Maybe his mother just wanted to fuck a gnome illusionist?

>>49819740
no, but my father did

>>49819763
My Freud is a little rusty.
Did he just out himself as gay?

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I have a moderate preference for playing martial/gish characters, but I don't have a problem filling any role the party needs. The only common theme I've noticed among my characters is that they all tend to wear a helmet, mask, or some other face-concealing accessory. I just like the look of them.

>>49819900
I never play long range characters, always like to be up in peoples face, trusting shield and armor.

Magic is sort of a second place, if I need it. Again, Paladins, love them, despite them consistently sucking since 3rd.

>>49819673

Nobody takes Freud seriously anymore. He was a stepping stone to more accurate methods of psychoanalysis.

>>49819926
Despite the meme, they're actually really solid in PF.

Anyway, I think part of my favoring martials is because it's just what I know best. Being knowledgeable about swords and polearms and armor is already my niche, so I figure I might as well play a role in-game that allows me to use that knowledge.

>>49819740
Actually she preferred tall lanky dudes. >>49819731
I find them fun. Especially when the GM awarded me with creative uses of them. I also love the prank and role playing opportunities it provides. I got the dwarf in one of our games to believe he was the living embodiment of some dwarven hero when the giants he came across died of horror upon setting eyes on him (via Phantasmal Killer).

>>49820207
How does that compare to your day to day personality? Does it match it, or is it at odds with it?

>>49819582
>>49819926

I'm always torn between making a rogue or a fighter/paladin type character.

>Other guy always like playing a sneaky thief, where as I prefer to go at things head on
>always like to be up in peoples face, trusting shield and armor.
I always like being front-in-center in combat either its charging headfirst or sneaking up an enemy.

>I never play long range characters
I don't play long range classes and I don't like casters. Paladins/clerics are ok with the heals.

>and have at times turned down rewards from villagers who clearly needed the money more then me.
Even with a rogue, I try to be heroic and noble.

So what does say about me?

>>49819582
That's why I roll my characters instead.

>>49820232
I used to be heavily in to art until about five years ago, so that probably has something to do with it. But when I play illusionists I rarely use illusions for my benefit. I use them to help the group or the scene. I guess being able to change yourself, others, or the scene to whatever you can imagine is what attracts me to that type of character.

>>49819582
Sometimes I like acting, and exploring a character type that's completely different from myself. Sometimes I like going after a specific archetype and then developing the character from there. But the characters always have a little bit of me in them - it's inevitable.

As for characters I play that actual represent myself - I like playing Chaotic, tanky warriors. That nothing can stop or bring down. I appreciate the nobility of endurance and freedom.

When I'm in a bad mood I play a jackass necromancer. Because bad guys, amiright?

>>49819801
>My Freud is a little rusty.
Ooh, that's not good. You better lube up and give your little Freud a rub.

I almost always make morally gray characters, or neutral alignments. Ive always held morally upright and 'good' charactets with a bit of disdain, but when i play games i almost always choose support or utility based characters. Generally prefer melee, or utility magic. No straight up damage unless its with a hammer or something. I think i like feeling responsible for others success. Have any analysis for me guys? I can describe more if you like.

I'm in my first D&D campaign ever. I made a half-elf warlock sworn to Dispater because I thought it would be an interesting thing to play out and it gave the DM tons of hooks if he needed them.

So I guess I just like to enable people.

I was tempted to pact myself to Glasya, Asmodeus' succubus daughter, but I felt uncomfortable with having a man play the role of my vindictive sex demon boss.

>>49819582
I find I often tend to make charismatic swashbuckling types of some sort. Blade in one hand, spells in the other. Sometimes I find it's a bit mixed up, like playing a full caster or a paladin instead, but even then, I'm still using a dagger or greatsword over a staff or a shield.

Even outside of that, I do tend to go for something more agility based. Can't say why exactly.

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>>49819582
Old Man Barrier Wizard is where it's at.

>>49819582
To put it simply, sometimes.

I know someone who always plays rogue halflings that are chaotic "good" kleptomaniacs. (Basically Kender) and if he doesn't get the spotlight for even a second he's not above killing innocents or party members. He lies a LOT too.

Even when I gave him a pregen human sheriff in a sci-fi campaign he defaulted back to that behavior.

Having known him for 3 years, he is just playing his inner self.

>>49821653
That's scary. That's some narcissistic sociopathic behaviour.

>>49821687
Yeah, but it really helps at work. Everyone hates him, but he doesn't mind because he just wants to get ahead and that means doing lotsa work amd sucking up to superiors.

I stopped visiting his house after we were at a gamestore playing X-Wing and he answered the phone to tell his wife he was still at work. Something about not being able to trust him turns me away.

I've never played a wizard because I'm always paranoid that something would happen to my spellbook. I always liked the 3.5 Warlock because of its self-sufficiency. It may be way lower tier than the wizard, but if we get captured and have all our stuff confiscated, a warlock will be just fine.

I'm rarely interested in pure melee classes. I prefer Hexblade/Magus or Psychic Warrior. I like having at least a few magical abilities/buffs on hand in case shit hits the fan.

I think I might be a neurotic gamer.

>>49820446
>but I felt uncomfortable with having a man play the role of my vindictive sex demon boss.

You need to be more comfortable with your sexuality, anon.

>>49819673
Literally no one but armchair psychologists like you uses Freud's theories anymore.

>>49821687
>>49821653

I would say it's an expression of his fear that he well be lost/forgotten. If I was to guess, I'd say he was neglected as a kid. Maybe there is a sibling with special needs that always seemed to hold the parents attention and the resentment of the "stolen" attention is why he resorts to pretend violence. Being raised by a single parent might have a similar effect.

It's not scary so much as it is sad. The dude probably needs friends who are willing to talk to him about his family situation and who can help him learn to trust that (a) not everyone will abandon him and (b) he doesn't need the attention of others as much as he feels he does. He needs to learn to be self assured and not base his worth on the opinions of others. It can be fixed but it would require a long term commitment to the friendship and acknowledgement that there will be many fights that come up during the process.

Now to my characters... soon.

>>49821791
yeah its probably the fact that you can't trust him.

>>49821936
I don't always play characters like this but I have the biggest (figurative) boner for characters that are on an absolution journey. I'm always hoping for the right moment where my character can make the ultimate sacrifice by staying in some choke point and holding them off to the death so the rest of the party can escape.

I know this is an issue with me because IRL I also want this kind of death. I hate the long wasting of old age and would rather have a hero's death. Not that I'll go out of my way to get it but... there it is.

>>49819619
Freud, go home.

>>49821997
i feel you man. i’m the same. i think sacrificing yourself for the sake of others is the coolest thing in the world.

>>49822478
Messiah Complex.

I don't really have a consistent "I play this" type deal. I just play things that seem interesting to me at the time, things I haven't done and want to try, or characters I think would make for awesome interactions and stories. What does this say about me? And if the hack is still here, what's that say bout me mum ye git?

I really like weird variations on classic classes. I'm not big on paladins, but give me a "rogue/paladin," that operates behind the lines in evil kingdoms and vampire realms smiting evil with sanctified assassinations and holy terrorism, or a "archer paladin," who wears sanctified leather instead of plate and hunts werewolves and demonically possessed beasts with Smite Evil arrows and holy oil grenades, and I'm on board.

I seem to like to play characters who are not anyone important. Usually neutral characters too, and often not spell casters.

>>49819582
Rolling characters is the proper way to do things, but having more player-driven chargen is a good way to test the waters for a variety of shitty attitudes that don't need to be at the table.

>>49819582
First of all, I'm usually the GM, and the rare times I get to play it's either one-shots with pregens or some version of D&D. I generally try to change and try out different things, but I'm mostly attracted towards support characters, healers and the like. I suppose that's because I can contribute to the success of the party while staying on the sidelines, because being a GM for so long has made me something of a facilitator.

>>49819619
I am playing a half-orc barbarian in D&D.
A fighter-ranger guy in a GURPS game who has the traits Ugly, Disturbing Voice and is Paranoid.
In my next DSA (the Dark Eye) game I will play an albino dude (Stigma: bad for interactions with anyone, because they will assume you are a bad omen) who has a disturbing aura (another negative trait: any sentient and sapient feels uncomfortable when they meet the character with this trait), speaks with himself when he's thinking and refers to himself as "we" and "us".

I'm going to have the time of my life being the creepy fucker of the group, as well as breaking the forth wall by saying in-character what the "voices" (the players and the GM) are saying out of character

>>49823270
*any sentient and sapient being
*breaking the fourth wall

I can't english today

>>49819619
So you're saying our favored archetype of character is based off of our role model (father)?

>>49820130
Oh jesus, you're one of those "I should be able to" people, aren't you?

>>49819582
I want to play all sorts of different types.

Old grizzled fighters
Eccentric wizards
Cocky and foppish illusionists
clever and manipulative rogues
Loyal and reserved Lancers (the archetype, not the class)
Bold and perilous Cavaliers
Feisty, brutal Monks
Unforgiving barbarians
Cunning and cutthroat gun runners
stealthy and knowledgeable rangers
Unyielding Clerics

I wanna play them all.
That's what's so exciting about RPGs, I can be anyone from one moment to the next.

>>49819582
>I don't really understand the push, but in online games, I want to be the healer/helper.
Ah, a healslut. No wonder you want big burly paladins to thrust their cock into you.

>playing healers all the time in WoW and support a lot in LoL
>even ended up playing Mercy in OW which I only tried on a free trial because of Widowmakers ass but then I didn't wanna be the third Widowmaker on the team
>friend who always plays tank always has gotten wind of the healslut memes and keeps calling me a slut or a bitch

Then in PnP games it's always Healthbar MacBigmuscles slayer of social and combat encounters alike and destroyer of campaigns, or the EXTREME PSYKER who pushes every power always and somehow keeps being rewarded for it 8/10 times, although it's really bad when it's bad, but half of those times it's bad in the cool way, like getting sucked into the warp and having a battle of wills with a lord of change that he won.

I play whatever seems the most fun, most people probably do that

Now figuring out why they think they have the most fun with the type of character can be a very long discussion leading to many different variables in life but I will still change my type of character from session to session depending on what the ruleset allows me to do

>>49819582
I try to vary the archetypes as much as I can, I find it funnier and more challenging to roleplay that way. It always start with a short concept, and then I flesh it out from there: Control freak robot in one campaign, lovestruck street urchin in the next one, then overprotective father in a Hunter game, and so on... As a result, I make something like 1-2 pages of background and psychological profile each time to be able to play it coherently.

Only constant thing I've noticed is that each character has something that covers their face : masks and helmets, glasses, facial hair, scars,... Dunno why.

>>49819582
seeing the characters and setting I made, I guess I want to live in a society where the government is obligated to take care of all of us, while labor is mandatory. while being absolutely fair and sticking to the rules.
also harmony of everyone.

I always end up playing characters that are incredibly pro-active. Some GMs find it frustrating, characters that have goals and orientate towards them rather than just reacting to the plot.

I tend to play support or utility characters. I like to open possibilities for the group.

>>49820064
>Nobody takes Freud seriously anymore.
I wish.

>>49819582
For me character creation is based on my own insecurities. I don't go for high risk high reward builds, glass cannons, assassins, characters that have to be careful about getting hit, but if you're skilled and know the system can be highly effective. I'm not confident I know the rules well enough to do that, no matter what the game is, be it tabletop, vidya, whatever. I prefer to play tanks and supports, characters who won't die if I forget a rule, who's defining feature is being hard to kill, so no one relies on me to get the high damage attacks and solve all the problems. When I see online "This build is a murdermachine who can't die!" I don't believe it, I think I could still manage to die if I used it. Everything I do is based on defense first, damage second.

>>49819582
I tend to make mages or psions that are aloof, acerbic, and honestly pretty caustic in terms of personality. Basically my characters are me as I would be if I didn't have to filter myself because I had enough magic superpowers I had no need to fear any consequences for anything I said. The version of me who would gleefully tell my boss that his English is worse than my Latin, that he's went beyond Ebonics into full-blown glossolalia, and then condescendingly explain what "glossolalia" means as I know he don' know what dat wor' meangs.

Seriously guys, motherfucker talks like a drunk Flavor Flave reading transcripts of videos off WorldstarHipHop the day after he had wisdom tooth surgery. It's incomprehensible.

I almost always end up a paladin. Slayer of bad dudes. Friend of nice people in general. Usually play him as a sliding scale of "tries to redeem others" and "deus vult" depending on the system or oath or whatever. I teach at a church, so I guess it's sort of close.

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>>49819619
Well that's a slight problem because this is a the third time I'm playing a Bison Minotaur Barbarian now.

On a more serious note I usually find myself fitting into one of two categories, a (usually goofy) character that doesn't match me at all, or a young aspiring hero type character which is probably more like myself.

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>>49826313
basically this

I always play female characters because I am a faggot

>>49819582
The most intimidating evil characters possible
Sucks that I'm a 5 10 Manlet

>>49819582
My last characters have been a prostitute with martial arts, an ambitious noble of humble origins and a vampire that looks like a kid but is actually a rich powerful magnate and a cunt.

I don't really see a pattern.

I find the question to be very interesting though. I'm sure that evey character tells something about the player, but different characters will probably tell different things because people is complex.

>>49830791
Actually I've remembered that we were talking about this with an old friend and apparently most of my characters are absolute cunts, although rarely evil, just immorally pragmatic jerks. Those few who were not cunts were honorable paladins to the point of being quixotic.

Maybe I'm just a cunt myself?

Almost all my characters are silly, but without being references/memes/not taking anything seriously

I don't know what this says about me, except that I don't play for self insertion or power fantasies.

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>>49819582
I have crippling trust issues almost to the point of paranoia and deliberately play a variety of characters to hide the fact that I use Dungeons and Dragons to practice communicating with other people because I'm too afraid to do so in real life.
It's also the reason why I like to be the DM- multiple characters means a lot of practice.

>>49819582
I guess I want to be the hero, or occasionally the sage. That's about it.
Why? I don't know, I'm not a psychologist. I guess escapism due to low self esteem.

Interesting thread ya got going here...
I think most of my characters are based on idealized aspects of myself. Alot of my characters are charismatic, for example, whereas I often struggle with trying to be more outgoing.
Though that said they're almost all dexterous too, which i dont idolize at all, i just think agile characters are cool.

I haven't played much but I always want to play a human character, usually a wizard. My characters are pragmatic and do what they set out for as efficiently as possible. Their motivation is usually either survival or supporting their family.

>>49831888
Looks like you aren't in need of much escapism (at least not from your own self) and are okay with playing someone you can relate to wihout racking your brains. You prefer to explore what the setting has to offer from your own perspective, being a wizard is just part of this experience and exploration.

Most of my characters are either running from family or trying to prove themselves to family.

>love reptiles
>vet tech at an exotics only vet clinic
>play lizard races whenever I can
>usually play a healer or support of some sort
>realize lizard races usually aren't the most socially accepted races
>always make my lizards neutral good, sometimes having to try to fit into society and very loyal to friends and such

Maybe it's a look into how I'm a weirdo in real life and have trouble fitting in with most people, but found an amazing work family that I love?

...Huh.

>>49835655

*an amazing work family full of other weirdos

I always play ambitious, enterprising and somewhat arrogant characters who knowingly pursue goals that are ultimately beneficial or helpful to humanity.

This is largely because I hate the "ambition is evil" trope that shows up in fantasy so often. It really has little to do with me as a person.