What's Your Weakness?

[Rhylund]

It’s very easy for a player to go on about what their character does well, but what tends to add the most depth to any character are their weaknesses, flaws, and fears. I think it’s something that a lot of RPers tend to neglect and it’s a damn shame. Because I’m not above quoting a Pixar movie, “when everybody’s super, nobody is.”

 

So what are the things that make your character imperfect?

[Amadeus]

It’s very easy for a player to go on about what their character does well, but what tends to add the most depth to any character are their weaknesses, flaws, and fears. I think it’s something that a lot of RPers tend to neglect and it’s a damn shame. Because I’m not above quoting a Pixar movie, “when everybody’s super, nobody is.”

 

So what are the things that make your character imperfect?

 

Greatest weakness?  Manqo'te.  That and dying

[Naunet]

I do think a lot of roleplayers often tend to focus on their characters' strengths, which is not a bad thing... until it's done at the exclusion of their weaknesses. I also find exploring and discovering and developing upon a "weakness" or "flaw" to be far more compelling story-telling. But that's just me. ^^;

 

Antimony's most immediately obvious character flaw, when one meets her, is probably her tendency to be more than a little high strung when interacting with people. She's perfectly fine and collected and reasoned and just generally well put-together when at work or carrying on by herself with her hobbies, but stick her in a social situation and suddenly you get a woman who will ramble endless apologies, freak out at the slightest hint that she has said or done something inappropriate (even if that hint is imagined!), and just generally be rather spazzy... in a very bad way. This quality has definitely not endeared her to her employers, though at least two people she's met on a non-professional basis are either capable of suffering through it or find it endearing. It's not supposed to be. Now, she's not like this all the time and has in the past conducted herself decently in social interactions (though not without some significant internal difficulty), but she definitely lets stress get to her more than she should.

 

There are also things like how she is not in any way, shape, or form capable of physically defending herself. She's not unfit (she travels often enough for her work that she's reasonably healthy for her age), but she has zero combat training and is more inclined to hide at the first sign of trouble than anything else. Some might call that cowardly; others (including Antimony) would simply call it self-preservation. Either way, she is just not physically strong. At all!

 

There are other nuances to her character that I and others may discover over the coming months and (hopefully!) years of roleplay, so I'll just leave it at that for now. ^^

[K'nahli]

Well, to keep it short and sweet...!

 

 

K'nahli Yohko

Strengths - K'mih Yohko, Talented Archer

Weakness - K'mih Yohko

 

Andre Winter

Strengths - Determination and a life of training

Weakness - Lack of field experience, Past Issues, Morality

 

Alex Hawthorn

Strengths - Highly skilled warrior and a reputation that reflects it

Weakness - Ego

[Oroban]

Bullets.

 

But no really, he's overly naive and positive, and he's aware that it gets him sneered at sometimes. He also has a habit of being overly formal and standoffish. Or trying to wax poetic and coming across as a weirdo. Or his temper. Also bullets.

[Rinh Hallani]

Rinh is confrontational, blunt, incredibly stubborn and an obnoxious know-it-all, as well as having a rather frightening temper. And that's on a good day haha. I love that she's so flawed but manages to succeed in spite of, or perhaps even because of, those weaknesses.

[Magellan]

It’s very easy for a player to go on about what their character does well, but what tends to add the most depth to any character are their weaknesses, flaws, and fears. I think it’s something that a lot of RPers tend to neglect and it’s a damn shame. Because I’m not above quoting a Pixar movie, “when everybody’s super, nobody is.”

 

So what are the things that make your character imperfect?

 

Omg I quote that line all the time when it comes to RP.

 

I think I am rather unique in that I focus on my char's weaknesses instead of her strengths. To me, the joy of RP comes from struggling with what they are bad at, not flaunting what they are good at. So far, my character has overcome;

 

-A fear of magic

-A sense of isolationism/stunted emotional maturity

 

 

She is still struggling with th latter one, but has made strides. She also struggles with self-doubt, and an overly-critical attitude towards herself.

[Therese Villefort]

Well, that is easy.

 

Sini'to:

His big flaw is his focus one one single person and his greatest fear loosing said person. It makes him deadsick. He has to deal with it somehow and need to overcome it.

He needs more development overall, tho.

 

T'raht:

He is too risky and too daring. He acts before thinking, sometimes he allows himself jokes on strangers without much thinking about the outcome.

[Nako Vesh]

Nako is reckless, brash, stubborn, and blunt. She can be arrogant, and sometimes looks down on men. She's still baffled when she sees a man in a leadership position, as her formative years were spent in a matriarchal culture. She has absolutely no talent for academia, and is very slow with maths and formulas.

[Raeletta]

I tried really hard to avoid this when I made Rae, since I knew it would make her rather boring, I was fairly happy with the results 

 

My char tends towards blind trust, is a bit of a bully, places her reputation above a lot of things she shouldn't and constantly deals with pain from a part-cured facial injury.

[S'anhu]

I've been putting a bit of thought into this for S'anhu.

 

His biggest flaw is his immaturity. He doesn't handle responsibility well, which is the real reason he struck off on his own. He didn't want to deal with his family issues so he hit the road instead of facing them. I'm going to have a lot of fun developing him as he learns his lessons without the support he's used to.

 

He's also quite sheltered and naive. He really only knew his smaller tribe and the occasional trader. Now he has to meet new people from all walks of life, and he has no way of knowing who he can trust and who will swindle him.

[bamcart4]

Edgar is both typical of a lifetime warrior, overconfidence and ego. He is also a blood knight, looking to fight just to have a good fight.

[raindrops]

Braids' sense of self-preservation could use a little work, in that she doesn't have one at all. She isn't used to battle and is still kind of terrified of the idea. Her low sense of self-worth means that she doesn't like being relied upon, out of fear of letting people down and causing problems for them, which causes problems when you're a healer (and thus kind of need to be reliable). She hates expressing anything negative at all, which means that she doesn't have any real outlet for anything that upsets her.

 

Losing memories of a Warrior of Light who was an enormous part of her life has also done a number on her, both mentally and emotionally. Emotionally, she's paranoid about losing or forgetting people who are close to her as well as about forgetting more about herself. Mentally, you can't really forget a person who was such a massive part of your life cleanly, so she struggles with the mental equivalent of 404 pages every now and then. It doesn't help that she's not got the vastest base of knowledge to begin with, having lived in a cave until five years ago.

 

The racism and xenophobia of Gridania and the Wildwoods has made her afraid of Wildwood Elezen and very wary about being in the shroud or around people from the shroud. She's bitter about this, not that she'd ever express it (because of the aforementioned dislike for expressing negative things).

[Dogberry]

Dogberry's got some serious trauma issues and a sense of survivor's guilt that leaves him with a death wish. He doesn't want to confront his past, so he picked up a new profession, a dangerous one that he secretly hopes will get him killed. Most of Dogberry's time is spent avoiding having to deal with what happened to him during the Calamity.

 

Fresh Bread is a coward.

[cuideag]

Jajara is not particularly bright. She can get along alright in social situations, and she can handle herself alright in a fight if she has to (or so she likes to think), but give her a puzzle and it'll knock her flat on her butt. Sometimes she has great difficulty following conversations especially those involving plans, places, and people she's not familiar with - something that happens often with the XI:7 and it's dealings.

 

She also tends to be on the naive side of things and can have a hard time telling if she is being lied to. Sarcasm and satire can fly right over her head as well.

 

Also, heights. But she's been fighting that battle with the help of a friend.

[FreelanceWizard]

Weaknesses? Oh, lots of things.

 

L'yhta is wildly overconfident and believes she has a special destiny, so she often takes completely unnecessary risks. She's often judgmental (especially regarding other miqo'te), has difficulties with an inside voice, and can't stand still for long. She's a terrible judge of character, always failing to ascribe malice when she should (and sometimes, especially with other miqo'te, ascribing it when she shouldn't). She has the physical combat capabilities of a wet noodle. Finally, she has an egregious inferiority complex and feels she's not really good at anything besides her magic; this she covers up with her obnoxious overconfidence. When she's shown up in any of those (many) areas -- or she thinks she's been shown up -- she tends to freak out, withdraw, and mope.

[YesGood]

Yanno, sadly, Siobhain is far more shaped by her weaknesses thus far than her strengths, I think.

 

Since starting the Grindstone, she's encountered several Miqo'te. She has a particular weakness for their ears and tails which manifests in, sometimes, an inability to speak or really... angry... glowering. She tends to make darker and darker expressions while she tries to contain herself and at two points she's stalked off from a group of Miqo'te that congregated too close to her.

 

Though, after prolonged exposure to the rather rowdy ones in the linkshell, she's slowly becoming more and more acclimated. She just doesn't want to touch any of them.

 

Also, after enduring some many, many rather derisive comments from others over a long period of time about her manner of conducting herself ('being overly sensitive and concerned for others as well as religious'), she tends to take those who present themselves as noble, pious individuals at face-value, assuming that they -must- be devout simply because they say that they are. Those few people will likely be the ones she holds in higher regard, and while she doesn't often defend herself against the jaded verbal onslaught, she may or may not be more protective of them. I'm really eager to see how those conversations play out!

 

And finally, despite the skill level I intended for her to have, she's lost two matches. One was in a 2 v 2 where she was caught off guard by a Pugilist who virtually attacked her under a Lancer's arm and knocked her down. (And the Pugilist ended up getting conked in the forehead with her peace-bound sword) In the other fight, she ended up distracted by shouting at her brother who was harassing a pair of Miqo'te and the distraction was taken well advantage of by her opponent. In a rush to get away from him, she slipped (after a recent drizzle in Thanalan that turned the dust and sand collected on the stone bridge too slick) and sprained her ankle, as well as caught her opponent in the side of the leg with her sword, nearly toppling him as well.

 

And not to mention her slight naivety will likely still extend to Plainsfolk Lalafell, if not Dunesfolk as well. Yet to meet one ICly but really hoping for it.

 

So I think Siobhain has plenty of weaknesses. Perhaps -too- many.

[allgivenover]

Li is illiterate and hostile to the idea of learning. Also he can be rather selfish and holds some prejudice against Hyur.

[Kismet]

I just wanted to share something for everyone's benefit. I told a friend of mine this and he was surprised to hear it, so I wanted to pass the knowledge on.

 

 

Keep in mind that while neglecting weaknesses and having too many strengths hinders your characters' depth, the opposite is equally true.

 

My friend was initially going to make it so that his character had a paragraph's worth of weaknesses and only a single strength (if any at all). Contrary to what one may think, this makes for just as flat of a character as an overpowered/nearly perfect one would. If bad things keep happening to your character again and again, at some point it stops being tragedy and turns into a comedy (that or just a plain bore). 

 

Drama is good. I love it myself. But having a good radar as to how much is too much or how long is too long (I know, giggity) is a good skill.

 

To be clear, this is general advice and was not aimed at anyone in particular. It's just something good to keep in mind, I felt.

 

 

------

 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way...

 

Y'raja Lhiza:

Y'raja has issues with commitment. Of any kind. Do not expect her to keep every promise, listen to every rule, obey every law, stay anywhere for too long, or keep a single lover. This makes it difficult to get to know her on a deep level, let alone trust her. Speaking of trust, that's another thing she has issues with -- earning Y'raja's trust is a difficult endeavor.

 

She also bores quickly, abhors hard work, and dislikes taking sides. The last trait can double as a strength, but in scenarios where having a distinct stance is beneficial, her strong neutrality hurts more than it helps. When paired with the fact that she is easily swayed by petty things (money, sex, tasty food), it's possibly even dangerous.

 

Astrid Douglass:

Astrid picks up a lot of things others seem to find well-hidden, but she can be quite oblivious to things herself. If someone genuinely likes her, she will be the last to figure it out. When flirting, nine times out of ten, it's accidental. More importantly, Astrid is known for being too self-sacrificing. She will beat herself into the ground in order to please and/or protect others, entirely neglecting her own needs in the process. Then there are her issues with bloodlust...

 

Also, while Astrid is skilled in both magical and melee combat (with the former being her specialty), she is quite slow. Archery and pugilism are disciplines she will always fail at.

[cuideag]

And not to mention her slight naivety will likely still extend to Plainsfolk Lalafell, if not Dunesfolk as well. Yet to meet one ICly but really hoping for it.

There may not be many of us but we exist! I personally roam Ul'dah and Limsa when I'm RPing so maybe I might spot you one day. :>

[SessionZero]

Arianys is a glass cannon - she fights using lightning quick maneuvers and pinpoint precision bow shots, but in a straight-up fistfight, she may as well punch herself for all the good it will do her. She also has no pain tolerance, so she tries to avoid being hurt as often as possible.

 

Out of combat, she is very well-educated and well-spoken, classically trained in the harp and lute, but she is also very naive and has no street smarts to speak of. She is overly trusting, and despite her lofty upbringing, has a fondness for red wine which sometimes gets her into trouble.

[YesGood]

And not to mention her slight naivety will likely still extend to Plainsfolk Lalafell, if not Dunesfolk as well. Yet to meet one ICly but really hoping for it.

There may not be many of us but we exist! I personally roam Ul'dah and Limsa when I'm RPing so maybe I might spot you one day. :>

 

I also frequent Limsa and Ul'dah. Mostly Ul'dah lately, as I've been hanging out in Central Thanalan-- So not as much in the city as I guess I should!

 

I foresee a lot of Sio having to check around her feet to make sure she doesn't accidentally kick anyone.

[Keru / E'ir]

I like this (Strengths too?):

 

Keru's Weaknesses: His height, farsighted, not physically strong, high strung in some situations, and too trusting.

 

Mikale's Weaknesses: His limp, His disdain for Garleans, his distrust of Pirates, Bandits, and finally his child.

 

N'vanohs Weaknesses: Men, he is eager to heal, is a bit obsessive, Marmot's and Cactuars.

[Kukulupo]

I think Kukulupo's biggest weakness is his cowardice. It really doesn't take much to scare him. Especially when it comes to insects or arachnids of all sorts, so you can imagine how much fun it is for him to go into the Black Shroud for his Conjury studies. He also lacks self-confidence and has difficulty in social situations, especially if it involves Roegadyn and, well... Females of any race. Plus, he is a bit weak physically, and isn't much good in a fight.

[JTeacher]

Milton Tibbleton:

 

Size and appearance: Milton is tiny even by Lalafell standards. His look and size make it hard for him to be given the respect he 'thinks' he deserves.

 

Megalomania: Milton claims and believes to be a much more powerful mage than he currently really is. This leads him to get into situations he cant get out of on his own. And makes him a bit overly brave when sane people would avoid conflict.

 

Fears: overly excited children, things immune to magic, tea parties (Don't Ask)

 

Personality: Outwardly Milton puts out a grumpy and dour appearance. He can be a bit rude and insulting so he is hard to want to get close to at first glance. Inwardly hes a bit overly ruled by guilt, which keeps him from following out with his more nefarious schemes.

 

U'tara Taki

 

Not too bright: U'tara struggles with memory and overly complex concepts. She has trouble with idioms and sarcasm and cannot remember numbers or lists without them being written down. She will not be solving any difficult riddles or puzzles. She gets confused and tricked easily into letting enemies escape or get by her. She generally needs to rely on other characters to direct her strength. She is currently illiterate.

 

Naive: U'tara is not used to life outside the jungle. She can be overwhelmed easily and too trusting for help navigating city life.

 

Personality: U'tara is feral. She is starting play after being alone in the wilderness for some time, and currently only speaks with a few words and crumpled papers with drawings on them. She completely lacks social manners.

 

Fears: Cities, the ocean, transportation methods, cactaurs