So I have been working on putting together a Halloween special and I asked my players what characters they wanted to be.
I wanted to know this so I could make a scary story that included all their characters.
One ofy players said he wanted to be a changeling. He wanted to play a character who was in his 50s but who took the form of a teenager around 14 - so people interacted with him as though he was a teen when in actual fact he was middled aged.
He wanted to do this because he wants to play a slacker who gets away with various hijinks because people think he's just a kid so don't get particularly mad at him when he slacks off or pulls pranks.
Also, he wants to be really good at fighting but people see him in his small form and think he's a weakling and so misjudge his capabilities.
Have you had players play characters like this before? What was your experiences of those players and their characters?
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
I think it's an interesting idea! Changelings are very suited for this very purpose. I'd recommend sometimes throwing in age related problems/solutions
Player A: "Do you know this guy?" Player B (teenager): "yeah, we met at the battle of the Shattered Peaks" Player A, doing the math "Wait... that was 20 years ago!?" Player B "Oh yeah... eh... must've been another battle then"
Or giving them a sore hip/wrist during an action. Remember that looking like a teen doesn't remove the downsides of being old. There's no official rules for elderly characters (if I recall correctly) but you could have some fun with it.
It's something you see in fiction from time to time - to interesting, and sometimes humorous effect.
For a humorous example check out the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Rascals - where a number of the crew ( including Picard ) are reverted to youthful appearance due to a transporter incident.
For a much darker treatment, I'd refer you to Claudia from Interview with a Vampire - a child-vampire who uses her child-like appearance to lure in her prey.
Also - the exchange between Eowyn and Aragorn where Aragorn remembers what the aging king Théoden was like when he was a young man, is somewhat reminiscent of RAJdeBoer's example. See videohere.
It adds a lot of flavor, and grants no real mechanical advantage ( possibly giving them a slight social edge in some situations, a social handicap in others ) - I'd say let them roll with it.
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I like the idea of an old bad a$$ playing out a game as if they were a prankster, kid. it would make for some great moments later in the game if they were able to figure out stuff like spiderman in Civil war, fighting antman
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So I have been working on putting together a Halloween special and I asked my players what characters they wanted to be.
I wanted to know this so I could make a scary story that included all their characters.
One ofy players said he wanted to be a changeling. He wanted to play a character who was in his 50s but who took the form of a teenager around 14 - so people interacted with him as though he was a teen when in actual fact he was middled aged.
He wanted to do this because he wants to play a slacker who gets away with various hijinks because people think he's just a kid so don't get particularly mad at him when he slacks off or pulls pranks.
Also, he wants to be really good at fighting but people see him in his small form and think he's a weakling and so misjudge his capabilities.
Have you had players play characters like this before? What was your experiences of those players and their characters?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
I think it's an interesting idea! Changelings are very suited for this very purpose. I'd recommend sometimes throwing in age related problems/solutions
Player A: "Do you know this guy?"
Player B (teenager): "yeah, we met at the battle of the Shattered Peaks"
Player A, doing the math "Wait... that was 20 years ago!?"
Player B "Oh yeah... eh... must've been another battle then"
Or giving them a sore hip/wrist during an action. Remember that looking like a teen doesn't remove the downsides of being old. There's no official rules for elderly characters (if I recall correctly) but you could have some fun with it.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
It's something you see in fiction from time to time - to interesting, and sometimes humorous effect.
For a humorous example check out the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Rascals - where a number of the crew ( including Picard ) are reverted to youthful appearance due to a transporter incident.
For a much darker treatment, I'd refer you to Claudia from Interview with a Vampire - a child-vampire who uses her child-like appearance to lure in her prey.
Also - the exchange between Eowyn and Aragorn where Aragorn remembers what the aging king Théoden was like when he was a young man, is somewhat reminiscent of RAJdeBoer's example. See video here.
It adds a lot of flavor, and grants no real mechanical advantage ( possibly giving them a slight social edge in some situations, a social handicap in others ) - I'd say let them roll with it.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I like the idea of an old bad a$$ playing out a game as if they were a prankster, kid. it would make for some great moments later in the game if they were able to figure out stuff like spiderman in Civil war, fighting antman