The way I have all of my characters--past, present, and future--is thus: competent and experienced enough to defeat most NPCs and mooks, not well-trained or specialized enough to defeat combat-oriented player characters. This way my character can still fight in RP if he needs to but he will also typically have an IC reason to avoid the aggrandizing cafeteria foodfight that is freeform PC vs. PC combat.
Other than that, the "powers" I assign to them are more or less completely arbitrary, usually for backstory reasons.Â
Example: I needed a reason for Nero to stay in Ul'dah for an extended period of time before returning to Limsa without being in significant danger in his backstory. Solution: have him study the basics of thaumaturgy. The thaumaturgy skill itself pretty much has zero impact on his character.
Other than that, the "powers" I assign to them are more or less completely arbitrary, usually for backstory reasons.Â
Example: I needed a reason for Nero to stay in Ul'dah for an extended period of time before returning to Limsa without being in significant danger in his backstory. Solution: have him study the basics of thaumaturgy. The thaumaturgy skill itself pretty much has zero impact on his character.
