The C Team's Kris Straub on Warlocks and Character Development

Kris Straub has finally been given the chance to flesh out his character on Penny Arcade's acquisitions incorporated, the C team. I talked to him about what he likes about Warlocks, creating his character, and also his advice for any new player.

Kris Straub: I think my favorite way to make a character is to center in on some facet of yourself, whether it's positive or negative, and then let that be the driver, because I think it's difficult to explore a character that you don't share some commonality with. Everybody says it's more fun to play the bad guy, but I think that's because we all have a bad guy in us that we would like to be free to examine. I feel like the most success you can have is by selecting some fragment of yourself, and making that the basis for the character.

Kris Straub: K'Thriss is probably more me than I want to admit. It seemed like that's like that would be an easy thing to do, but I'm going to go ahead and lean into it. K'Thriss, he's a sweeter boy than I thought he would be. He's fighting against having feelings for these humans, for these people, of which he is one, but he knows that all of this is meaningless. This plain of existence is nonsense, but he's getting swayed by the comradery. He's sort of like, I want to play him like data plus C3PO, plus I don't know something with worms, tentacle thing. Some evil guy.

Kris Straub: Playing a warlock, I use to blame my poor combat on the warlock class. Like, what this isn't that great, what am I rolling. Like 1D10 is a pretty big spread, but I think it depends on the campaign you're playing in. If you've got a [inaudible 00:02:00] like Jerry, who's really heavily favoring story then I look at my warlock as utility. Like I want to see what he can do with skill check scenarios, or like role play.

Kris Straub: We're a level five now, and if you want to do damage like you got agonizing blast, you've got invocations that I didn't take because of K'Thriss's interests. It's really about that characters design and preferences, but the warlock is pretty rad class. Although, had I known that K'Thriss really wanted companionship and friendship, I probably would've taken pack to the chain. Just so that I could draw friends to me from the world. Just assume them, and keep them close to me so I could sleep at night and not be alone in that bed. Just get those familiars. It's 10 gold, it's not a big deal.

Todd Kenreck: 10 gold for a friend.

Kris Straub: I'd just draw them in, they just live near me, and I just rest on them. The patron I chose is also a constraint I guess. It's very liberating for me, of this character, of K'Thriss. I chose a good old one, because warlocks are seeking this information. That to me was like the genuine exploration of the unknown, and what lies beyond.

Kris Straub: The other patron gods, I felt like are kind of pedestrian. They can worship like a big elf, or a big devil. I wasn't feeling either of those. I wanted to say like why lies beyond all of the veils. I want to see all the way to that deep, dark, the spaces between, no Dave Matthews reference intended. It's a shame he used that term, because I like the term, but I don't like the song. We have a very special arrangement, Jerry and I, in this particular game because the patron god that I believe I'm serving, or trying to serve has been ... There was an intercessor god who seems to be really awful that I don't want to do work for. The encounters I've had with that beast it feels like some very cerebral role play, where I am in jeopardy from this thing that is also empowering me. So, it's a frightening balance. I like exploring that at the table.