I have a current character that is a thief. It wasn't my first choice, but I chose them specifically because the rest of the part is super goody two shoes kinds of players and I thought that it would create interesting storylines to have some difference of opinion and gameplay. I do my best to not be overly disruptive or evil.
In my character sheet I have a line that I wrote day one that essentially says 'when needing to choose between the high risk/high reward option, and the safe/low reward option, I will always choose the risky one'
We all knew this but I still get flak for being the one with a more neutral alignment. Everytime I even think about stealing something all of a sudden every NPC has a tragic backstory and every mark is a nice old lady and the entire party is begging me not to.
As a result I don't really feel like I can actually roleplay as the character. Any attempt to make a roleplaying choice is met with frustration that I would possibly choose a risky option or bring even tangential harm to some NPC.
I don't want to be the stereotypical edgy rogue disrupting the party but I also feel like the other people aren't really roleplaying and viewing the party as a monolith instead of a collection of characters. It's a weird balance to strike.
Tell.me about it I was about to off myself when our "tax collecting vampire" went on some 30 minute roleplay about collecting taxes and yet I'm not allowed to be a chaotic character
I do think it's a tough balance to play a chaotic character in a way that's fulfilling to other players in the game.
30 mins of tax collecting has a relatively low impact in the world, but if you are being chaotic and want to smash up a shop and extort the owner that can have a real impact on the world. Figuring out the right moments to bring that roleplaying element into the mix is where I struggle.
I'm a wizard who wants new magic so ya idk how I wouldn't be chaotic
And no tax collecting has a huge impact because it apparently effects all the shop keepers and who we interact with... Sorry but I'm playing a fantasy game I don't want to hear a monologue on taxation
It might be boring but you gotta work with your party to tell the story together. If you really can't stand it talk with your party and DM outside of the game.
And new magic doesn't sound inherently chaotic. A wizard learns spells by reading books. You could be a tomb raider or treasure hunter. You could do experiments that are ethical and write down the research. Chaotic is a character choice not something you were forced into.
Yeeeaaah that's when you have to chat to your DM about it. Something along the lines of "hey, I made this character to differ somewhat from the rest of the party, and it feels like I'm getting pushed into a box for the sake of everyone else. Could I not get to stretch my thieving legs every so often without having the whole world come down on me?".
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u/Otterable Mar 25 '21
I have a current character that is a thief. It wasn't my first choice, but I chose them specifically because the rest of the part is super goody two shoes kinds of players and I thought that it would create interesting storylines to have some difference of opinion and gameplay. I do my best to not be overly disruptive or evil.
In my character sheet I have a line that I wrote day one that essentially says 'when needing to choose between the high risk/high reward option, and the safe/low reward option, I will always choose the risky one'
We all knew this but I still get flak for being the one with a more neutral alignment. Everytime I even think about stealing something all of a sudden every NPC has a tragic backstory and every mark is a nice old lady and the entire party is begging me not to.
As a result I don't really feel like I can actually roleplay as the character. Any attempt to make a roleplaying choice is met with frustration that I would possibly choose a risky option or bring even tangential harm to some NPC.
I don't want to be the stereotypical edgy rogue disrupting the party but I also feel like the other people aren't really roleplaying and viewing the party as a monolith instead of a collection of characters. It's a weird balance to strike.