I feel like Adventurer 1 is not so much an example of an OP character but one that's sledgehammering the lore into pieces, devouring the remains, and then shitting them out into a fire - so this feels pretty skewed towards the underpowered option.
That said, I like playing characters that are either underpowered, more middle of the road, or characters that are highly skilled in one or two aspects that they devote much of their time to.
To me, underpowered characters can be fun because most people tend to play normal or OP characters and the dynamic between a normal/overpowered character and an underpowered one can be a TON of fun because of the contrast in experience. You get to essentially be a foil to other people's characters - enhancing and bringing out their strengths, which is nice simply because it sometimes makes people feel good about their characters.
Most of my characters tend to be more of the "pretty awesome at one or two skills" variety though simply because when your character exists in a world full of magic, giant monsters, beastmen, Primals, voidsent, magitek, and ancient allagan constructs ... playing the underpowered character cuts you out of certain types of experiences that most normal/OP characters would probably go through regularly - which can kind of be a bummer.
I don't like playing OP characters because I don't really trust my ability to do it without coming off as some huge cliche Mary Sue. I feel like pulling off an OP character well, without making other RPers feel marginalized or like their sense of agency over the RP is being taken away is pretty tough. You have to have a keen awareness of how far you can push boundaries before the people you are RPing with feel uncomfortable and when to stop. Additionally - OPness just seems like a lot of upkeep. For example, if you are a normal or underpowered charactee - losing or winning a duel is no big deal. When your character is supposed to be pretty OP though? Losing can mean you look less badass unless you know how to have your character lose gracefully or in a way that still shows they are pretty powerful.
That said, I like playing characters that are either underpowered, more middle of the road, or characters that are highly skilled in one or two aspects that they devote much of their time to.
To me, underpowered characters can be fun because most people tend to play normal or OP characters and the dynamic between a normal/overpowered character and an underpowered one can be a TON of fun because of the contrast in experience. You get to essentially be a foil to other people's characters - enhancing and bringing out their strengths, which is nice simply because it sometimes makes people feel good about their characters.
Most of my characters tend to be more of the "pretty awesome at one or two skills" variety though simply because when your character exists in a world full of magic, giant monsters, beastmen, Primals, voidsent, magitek, and ancient allagan constructs ... playing the underpowered character cuts you out of certain types of experiences that most normal/OP characters would probably go through regularly - which can kind of be a bummer.
I don't like playing OP characters because I don't really trust my ability to do it without coming off as some huge cliche Mary Sue. I feel like pulling off an OP character well, without making other RPers feel marginalized or like their sense of agency over the RP is being taken away is pretty tough. You have to have a keen awareness of how far you can push boundaries before the people you are RPing with feel uncomfortable and when to stop. Additionally - OPness just seems like a lot of upkeep. For example, if you are a normal or underpowered charactee - losing or winning a duel is no big deal. When your character is supposed to be pretty OP though? Losing can mean you look less badass unless you know how to have your character lose gracefully or in a way that still shows they are pretty powerful.
