How to play a "crazy" character?

For our next dnd game, I'm thinking of focusing more on role play than pure power. I'm usually the only min-mixer at the table, so I thought to try something different.

The character I'd like to play is the wise fool or mad sage archetype, someone who acts crazy and nonsensical, but beneath it all there is some deeper wisdom. Think the Ice King from Adventure Time or Kinger from Amazing Digital Circus.

Looking for some suggestions on how to best play this character without being too out of pocket or too weak (again, role-play was never my strong suit).

Also, any thoughts on the build itself would be appreciated. I was thinking a Paladin, but idk.

Thank you and wishing you all a lovely day!

Determining how to play is all based on where the line is that you do not cross.

Finding that line is difficult, and be open to backing off if someone complains.  You also need to learn to read the room.  If you can't read the room, then don't do it.

I assume this is a physical interaction and not online.  Being online makes reading a room more difficult and people read your text differently then intended.

I assume you are asking because you don't actually know anyone with mental issues, make sure your party is all ok with your concept.  By them knowing can mean a little acting goes a long way and does keep the line a safe difference away.

It sounds less like you're trying to play someone with a mental illness, and more of a silly, zany type. I hope that's the case because playing someone with a mental illness (especially if you are unfamiliar) is a minefield.  Are you looking for someone who acts similarly to Elan from Order of the Stick, perhaps? When I hear "acts crazy and nonsensical," I hear "Bard", not "Paladin".

One notable problem I see is the "beneath it all there is some deeper wisdom" part. That's the kind of thing which works in scripted productions, because they're carefully scripted. A TTRPG is improvised by definition, you have to react spontaneously in the moment. If you don't already have the improv skills to be able to improvise "zany on top, wise under the surface," you're only going to end up hitting the zany part and missing the "wise underneath" parts. Since you've already said roleplay is not your strong suit, I would strongly suggest you consider trying something with a lower degree of difficulty.

Yeah, "wise fool" or "mad sage" don't really work without the advantage of their actions being curated by the omniscient viewpoint of a writer. Especially if you're going to have them outright act disruptively- unless you're in a long-time group that's comfortable with the idea of you pushing boundaries like that, trying to play this out is more likely to just aggravate other people at the table.

As others have mentioned, it's difficult to be a stupid and smart at the same time. Maybe you can "tone down" the craziness into a simple characteristic quirk? Such as being stubbornly curious about how potions and how different reagents behave when mixed and even when the materials make no sense mixing (like mixing rock, paper, and scissors)? Or maybe they're uncontrollably determined to look into sarcophagi because they've heard of a treasure? Maybe they adore scones? Something where people know that the character is a little... odd, when it's about random exploration, but is reliable when things get serious.

Yes I do mean more wacky and silly antics than actual mental illness. Those are all good examples of what I'm thinking of Scruvy.

I would consider picking a real diagnosis.

Obsessive Compulisive

Manic Depressive

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Eating Disorders

Eh, I'd stay away from real stuff like that. A generic quirky behavior just existing out in the wild is generally a safer bet for not putting a foot wrong than trying to tie it to an IRL condition.

Quote from MasterMattofCeremonies >>

Yes I do mean more wacky and silly antics than actual mental illness. Those are all good examples of what I'm thinking of Scruvy.

If this is actually what you're after, just make sure that the quirk is introduced fairly quickly and stays consistent, so the other players learn to expect certain behaviour in certain situations. Not so, that you change the quirk every 5 minutes and makes every situation completely unpredictable. It also helps the DM when they don't need to improvise for every possibility your character decides to do.

You could always make him a paladin of Loki or other "agent of chaos" type of deity.  Then he can just have an attitude like, "it's my duty to embrace and embody the ridiculous nature of the world, so that others can finally see it too."

Maybe as much Camus as Loki. 

"Paladin: Oath of Sisyphus." 

First off, I would recommend disconnecting the idea that a roleplay heavy character is also a non-optimised one. The character of a character is not linked (entirely) to their stats. It comes from the way they perceive and react to the world, and how you want them to be portrayed.

I have 2 characters to use for a study for this; Thoruk, my namesake, and Dusty.

Thoruk is an imbecele. He has an intelligence of 6, and is extremely hard to put in the ground. He also has a pathological obsession with Ducks, viewing them as the most dangerous creatures on the planet. I roleplay Thoruk as spontaneous, and easily driven or directed by others if they use his weak spots - if someone he trusts tells him a Duck is inside a barrel, that barrel is being split in half by his greatsword. I made it abundantly clear, and generally did amusing things by them being extremely effective, directed at the wrong thing. He once summoned a dwarf goddess by breaking their alter, because he was sent into the building to kill everything. I have veered away from Thoruk of late, because he's a bit of a story stealer, and takes away some of the agency for others when his "true" response would be to rage and fight. He was my first character; I've matured since then!

Dusty is a halfling with a haunted past, warlock/druid combo, who has something like 12 cantrips/at-will spells, all with multiple effects (thaumaturgy, control flames, druidcraft, minor illusion, etc.). His whole thing is that he's a fire dancer, and weaves complex illusion magic to tell his stories. I roleplay him as a charismatic bard-like character, who will try anything to avoid a fight (because his patron, the flames that didn't consume him, will want to consume the bodies if he fights). I roleplay him with plans that involve subterfuge and distraction. When he does go to fight, he is somewhat devastating (provided no fire immunity!), and his stats are optimised well for his build - the roleplay isn't about the stats!

For a crazy character, the best thing you can do is make some pattern to the "madness", and avoid anything which ruins another persons day. Commenting "This is just like the time when I had to take my cat to church!" when you're attempting to leap a gorge full of fire is unusual and bizarre, but doesn't affect the other players. Screaming and running at the enemy when your'e trying to sneak because "my character thought he saw a spider" affects their games, so don't do it! Having a character with no danger sense who will agree to anything is good. Having a character with no danger sense who does anything without warning is bad.

As long as you can keep the "crazy" parts of the character as a surface-level hook for roleplay, then it'll work. Remember, roleplay is for the group, for your friends to riff off of. "I throw the dwarf at them and shout pinata" is the wrong way to go about it, unless there was an existing plan to throw the dwarf, and you added the "pinata" part.