I personally I find it very hard to RP only a single character in a MMORPG. This is due to the fact that before I got into roleplaying, I largely wrote my own stories for pleasure, and the kind of stories I love to write focus mainly on character development and interaction. Heck, I've created maaaany more character biographies than I have written the actual stories said characters are supposed to feature in!
With that being said, playing only a single character is too constricting for me. I will really get into a character and flesh them out over time quite well... But then, I can't help but wonder how they would act if they came from a different place, were a different race, liked different foods, had a different personality. I typically always have at least two characters. That way if I get tired of one or seek to RP in a different setting/general theme, I can always switch. Only being able to see one story from one character's perspective is not enough to satisfy me. But I do have a rule of never actively RPing more than maybe three characters at a time. I don't want to get overloaded.
As for the melee vs magic thing, it never matters to me too much. Whatever class I make them adds some neat quirks and can make for a great RP vehicle, yes. But I never let my characters be defined by what their class is. My characters' decisions, motivations, and traits will mostly be the same regardless of what kind of weapon they wield or what their magical capacity is.
Right now, Y'raja is a Bard who used to be a Lancer in the Maelstrom. She has aptitude for Thaumaturgy and is actually rather good at it, but simply began to prefer channeling her aether through her songs as opposed to a staff once she discovered the ability to do so. No matter what she is doing, she loves for her body to be in constant motion. Her shtick of being a vagrant songstress would still be in place if she fought in any other manner.
My other character, Astrid, is adept in all things magical. She grew up refining her Conjury and eventually moved on to Arcanima (aside from ice spells, Thaumaturgy isn't really her strong suit). However, she also has a fascination with swordplay and is obsessed with the idea of being a "strong, capable mage". Even if Astrid could only swing an axe and do nothing else, she would still be a (kind of snooty) scholarly knightess type of character.
With that being said, playing only a single character is too constricting for me. I will really get into a character and flesh them out over time quite well... But then, I can't help but wonder how they would act if they came from a different place, were a different race, liked different foods, had a different personality. I typically always have at least two characters. That way if I get tired of one or seek to RP in a different setting/general theme, I can always switch. Only being able to see one story from one character's perspective is not enough to satisfy me. But I do have a rule of never actively RPing more than maybe three characters at a time. I don't want to get overloaded.
As for the melee vs magic thing, it never matters to me too much. Whatever class I make them adds some neat quirks and can make for a great RP vehicle, yes. But I never let my characters be defined by what their class is. My characters' decisions, motivations, and traits will mostly be the same regardless of what kind of weapon they wield or what their magical capacity is.
Right now, Y'raja is a Bard who used to be a Lancer in the Maelstrom. She has aptitude for Thaumaturgy and is actually rather good at it, but simply began to prefer channeling her aether through her songs as opposed to a staff once she discovered the ability to do so. No matter what she is doing, she loves for her body to be in constant motion. Her shtick of being a vagrant songstress would still be in place if she fought in any other manner.
My other character, Astrid, is adept in all things magical. She grew up refining her Conjury and eventually moved on to Arcanima (aside from ice spells, Thaumaturgy isn't really her strong suit). However, she also has a fascination with swordplay and is obsessed with the idea of being a "strong, capable mage". Even if Astrid could only swing an axe and do nothing else, she would still be a (kind of snooty) scholarly knightess type of character.
