Hi, I am always looking to create new characters, even if I am not going to play them right now - I like the character creation process and having a bank of characters that I can call upon has served me well in the past.
So, I was thinking of making a human character who is bigger and more powerful than a standard human.
The characters backstory would reveal that they were actually a young Centaur who had been punished for falling in love with a human female and doing unnatural things with her. He had managed to keep his love affair with this human secret for a period of time but eventually his herd found out what he had been doing and were greatly offended.
They were so angered by what he had done that his punishment would have been death had it not been for his heartfelt pleas and fine words. Seeing that he truly loved this human, his sentence was commuted- he was allowed to live but he would be banished from the herd, never allowed to return on pain of death and would spend the rest of his life in the form of those he loved the most - humans.
So he was magically transformed into human form, although he kept his knowledge of being a Centaur (part of his punishment, so that he would always know what he had lost.) He also kept his Centaurs pride.
His human form is that of a large, muscular 18 year old of great strength and stamina.
He has found however, that human society is not as free or accepting as he was used to as a Centaur. Humans have a class system and he is at the bottom of it. What's more, once his ability to shower gifts of gold and precious jewels upon his human lover had been taken away, she lost interest in him. It turns out she didn't love him as much as he loved her, rather she loved the gold and jewels that he gave her.
So he has lost everything. His true form, his true family and the one he loved. He has nothing and no one and no longer cares if he lives or dies. Thus, when he is given the chance to join a party of adventures who are going on a dangerous mission to kill a dragon, he jumps at it. Not because he wants to be a hero but because he sees this as a quest that will lead to a death worthy of a Centaur.
He is looking to die and what better way to die than by facing off against a great mighty beast. He still has his pride after all and perhaps this way, he can atone for his past.
So, what do you all think about a character like this. Would it be interesting, would it be possible and how could I make this characters physical appearance still show signs of him being a centaur - remembering that he is actually supposed to be in human form now but assuming the transformation wasn't exactly perfect - what kind of physical signs would you expect?
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Body dymorphia dialed up to 11. In my group, having body issues 24/7 would likely get on the nerves of everyone very quick. Not sure on your group.
If the character is seeking death and to kill themselves, I'd question if they would fit into a group - very few people would accept someone suicidal into their party. That endangers the entire mission as well as the lives of others.
The plan was that they wouldn't have any issues really in using their body. So they could move around and manipulate the environment and tools just like humans can without any real issues. The only real issues that I was planning was that they sometimes forget they are not a large 4 legged creature anymore, so might misjudge distance or the speed they can move at every once in a while.
I see your point about the rest though. I was planning on not having this character be a complete downer however. He will still help the party towards their goals. The only thing there would be that his goals are not to come home again. He wants to atone for the mistakes of his past by dying in battle against this great beast but he wont shy away from the fight or place his own desires above the rest of the party because despite the way he looks, he is still a Centaur and doing so would only shame him more.
Basically, this party has become his herd and he will fight to protect them against any dangers they might face and even if the final fight, he will still protect them, though he doesn't want live beyond that.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
You misunderstand. Body issues as in the psychological distress caused from being transformed into another being.
And that doesn't change my point about being suicidal being bad for the group. I'm not saying your character would abandon others, but you can't deny that suicidal people aren't exactly the best decision makers; the whole point is that you'll be making reckless decisions and trying to die, but that will put the group as a whole in danger. That's been proven in real life as well as in game by players who don't mind their characters dying and ending up making trouble for the group. And the distress it would cause your fellow party members if they becomes friends with you, or if they know, they very well might NOT become friends, because why bother if you're going to kill yourself? That leads to isolation, which isn't fun to play.
Makes me think of The Last Unicorn, when she was turned into a human. She said she could feel her body dying. I also think of The Emperor's New Grove, when he was turned into a llama and the adjustments he had to make. It would just be reverse. I think this would be lots of fun to play.
You misunderstand. Body issues as in the psychological distress caused from being transformed into another being.
Yeah I misunderstood of what you meant. I thought you were referring to physical difficulties. I had thought of the psychological trauma of being turned into a different species and that was partly why he had getting to this point where he wants to go out in a blaze of glory so to speak.
Though the way I am feeling and seeing this character, if his human lover had of stayed with him after he was transformed, he could have bore the burden much better and might not have been so psychologically scared.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
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Hi, I am always looking to create new characters, even if I am not going to play them right now - I like the character creation process and having a bank of characters that I can call upon has served me well in the past.
So, I was thinking of making a human character who is bigger and more powerful than a standard human.
The characters backstory would reveal that they were actually a young Centaur who had been punished for falling in love with a human female and doing unnatural things with her. He had managed to keep his love affair with this human secret for a period of time but eventually his herd found out what he had been doing and were greatly offended.
They were so angered by what he had done that his punishment would have been death had it not been for his heartfelt pleas and fine words. Seeing that he truly loved this human, his sentence was commuted- he was allowed to live but he would be banished from the herd, never allowed to return on pain of death and would spend the rest of his life in the form of those he loved the most - humans.
So he was magically transformed into human form, although he kept his knowledge of being a Centaur (part of his punishment, so that he would always know what he had lost.) He also kept his Centaurs pride.
His human form is that of a large, muscular 18 year old of great strength and stamina.
He has found however, that human society is not as free or accepting as he was used to as a Centaur. Humans have a class system and he is at the bottom of it. What's more, once his ability to shower gifts of gold and precious jewels upon his human lover had been taken away, she lost interest in him. It turns out she didn't love him as much as he loved her, rather she loved the gold and jewels that he gave her.
So he has lost everything. His true form, his true family and the one he loved. He has nothing and no one and no longer cares if he lives or dies. Thus, when he is given the chance to join a party of adventures who are going on a dangerous mission to kill a dragon, he jumps at it. Not because he wants to be a hero but because he sees this as a quest that will lead to a death worthy of a Centaur.
He is looking to die and what better way to die than by facing off against a great mighty beast. He still has his pride after all and perhaps this way, he can atone for his past.
So, what do you all think about a character like this. Would it be interesting, would it be possible and how could I make this characters physical appearance still show signs of him being a centaur - remembering that he is actually supposed to be in human form now but assuming the transformation wasn't exactly perfect - what kind of physical signs would you expect?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Body dymorphia dialed up to 11. In my group, having body issues 24/7 would likely get on the nerves of everyone very quick. Not sure on your group.
If the character is seeking death and to kill themselves, I'd question if they would fit into a group - very few people would accept someone suicidal into their party. That endangers the entire mission as well as the lives of others.
The plan was that they wouldn't have any issues really in using their body. So they could move around and manipulate the environment and tools just like humans can without any real issues. The only real issues that I was planning was that they sometimes forget they are not a large 4 legged creature anymore, so might misjudge distance or the speed they can move at every once in a while.
I see your point about the rest though. I was planning on not having this character be a complete downer however. He will still help the party towards their goals. The only thing there would be that his goals are not to come home again. He wants to atone for the mistakes of his past by dying in battle against this great beast but he wont shy away from the fight or place his own desires above the rest of the party because despite the way he looks, he is still a Centaur and doing so would only shame him more.
Basically, this party has become his herd and he will fight to protect them against any dangers they might face and even if the final fight, he will still protect them, though he doesn't want live beyond that.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
You misunderstand. Body issues as in the psychological distress caused from being transformed into another being.
And that doesn't change my point about being suicidal being bad for the group. I'm not saying your character would abandon others, but you can't deny that suicidal people aren't exactly the best decision makers; the whole point is that you'll be making reckless decisions and trying to die, but that will put the group as a whole in danger. That's been proven in real life as well as in game by players who don't mind their characters dying and ending up making trouble for the group. And the distress it would cause your fellow party members if they becomes friends with you, or if they know, they very well might NOT become friends, because why bother if you're going to kill yourself? That leads to isolation, which isn't fun to play.
i would say it is a side quest to get back to normal...or a main quest depending on the party.
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
Makes me think of The Last Unicorn, when she was turned into a human. She said she could feel her body dying. I also think of The Emperor's New Grove, when he was turned into a llama and the adjustments he had to make. It would just be reverse. I think this would be lots of fun to play.
Yeah I misunderstood of what you meant. I thought you were referring to physical difficulties. I had thought of the psychological trauma of being turned into a different species and that was partly why he had getting to this point where he wants to go out in a blaze of glory so to speak.
Though the way I am feeling and seeing this character, if his human lover had of stayed with him after he was transformed, he could have bore the burden much better and might not have been so psychologically scared.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.