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Overpowered or underpowered characters?


Which Character do you relate to most?  

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  1. 1. Which Character do you relate to most?



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I think that, in the debate of OP/Underpowered characters it heavily depends what you're basing your perception of Overpowered on. 

 

In itself, Overpowered is more of a term that could apply to a game rather then storytelling. being 'above the common level', to the point it seems rigged. In RP terms, this only because valid or important if these characters carry a degree of 'power' they can exert over your character Icly. It implies a degree of 'unfairness' towards other players. 'That dude is OP' or 'That character is OP'. Most times it reffers to a singular characters proficiency, or ability to inflict damage upon another character/exert control over another character.

 

That being said, since an Open RP setting doesn't have a common 'power roof', or a limit a character can reach, there's no 'bar' one can pass to be officially labelled op (ATK skill over 50, a limit how much your character can own in terms of NPC's / subjects), therein, OP is a purely subjective term. 

 

Another interesting point ; There's also another degree of OP, and that is when your characters status / setting makes him, compared to his conflicting party, untouchable. Syndicate members come to mind. Compared to a street-thug a Syndicate member can be entirely OP, as he can recruit the help of everyone in the Syndicate (NPC's etc) to shank you, or ruin your business on the basis that the Syndicate own the market you're in.

 

 

Then there's ofcourse the 'snowflake' argument. The Sephiroth esque sub-troupe in which your character is imbued with the immortal power of seven dragon souls and twenty echo's simply to 'appear' untouchable should he end up in conflict. It's an indirect attempt to enable god-modding on your behalf, and I treat it as such.

 

 

 

Peronoally, I've always maintained one stance in this regard when it comes to 'Overpowered characters' ; You need to keep in mind that, if you wish to help create a nice story, or RP world, your character from a certain level/proficiency onward has no place amongst common folk. And I believe this is the core issue. There's nothing wrong with playing an almost demigod, but you need to keep in mind that such figures don't just mingle with the common, 'lower' folk.

 

For a real life example ; You probably wont meet Bill gates hanging out in a pub in Africa. If he will be there for some ungodly reason, he will certainly be there for perhaps a day, and then return to his ivory tower of Microsoft.

 

For a relevant RP example ; Your created demigod wont sit around the quicksand and throw back whiskeys. He should/will probably be entirely absorbed in using the power he acquired for what he needed it for in the first place. The Hero you play in the MSQ is busy traveling the entire world and saving it from evil and it's impeeding demise, he wont have time to chill out at a FC house and throw back whiskey shots and pester your common trader with his powers.

 

Infact, even the sadistic, mean spirited evil figures usually wont give two bits about 'peasants' so to speak, they will focus their Ire on those that have slighted them in their personal past or bigger behemoths they seek to conquer.

 

 

My point in the end is ; Playing powerful characters is not wrong, but you need to keep in mind that, the higher you push this bar, the further you isolate yourself, because your perceived place amongst the 'common' folk dissappears. That's why Powerful characters make for amazing driving forces in plots (The Hero to lead the Party, the Villain to destroy a city, The Rival to overcome), but they have absolutely no place amongst the common folk.

 

Now again, this 'middle-ground' where one starts crossing into this or that territory is entirely subjective. Personally, given the setting, I believe there's little we could consider OP. Aslong you create a character, truly stick to his core root and ensure that there's OOC communication between those involved, no one will ever be forced to suffer the 'OPness' of another character in a confrontational situation. 

 

Now, if you're upset/annoyed over the fact that some people play characters in a goofy, snowflake way; Always keep in mind that other people can't 'force' their characters upon you. in an Open-RP setting you do have more or less the liberty who to involve yourself with, who to play with, and so on. I personally stopped entering 'Out of the blue' confrontations, and much rather discuss such things beforehand.

 

 

Now..I've written almost a sermon on the topic of OP here, but to approach the Openings post initial point;

 

What you're essentially raising as a question isn't about 'Overpowered / Underpowered' But in the quality of writing. You wrote the initial 'Overpowered' example as if it was executed by an 11 year old who just started roleplaying, replying in illogical one liners and when asked who he is will reply 'Demigod and Ifrit slayer.'

 

In regards of what is more 'fun' to play; entirely subjective, people preffer their own tropes. Some like to have a 'badass' vybe to their characters, others enjoy the sense of playing a 'calm, calculating figure'. It really depends on the individual.

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I very much like Gaspard's description. I don't really know what my characters would classify as though.

One one hand you have a Miqo'te from Ishgard who grew up a pretty crumby life in poverty and trying to hide his identity to the point where while being extremely social he is also extremely detached from most of everyone. This has its own negative side effects when it comes to his own self created problems or feelings of loneliness and he has no one to turn to. In regards to combat he is "Alright". He is not weak. But he is not strong either. He is mostly learning.

 

My other character is that which I think pushes some peoples boundaries. He is a Garlean from upper class Society who became a accomplished Engineer. But his thirst for knowledge led him to steal information from Garlemald and this put him in such a pressurized situation that he snapped. He is a extremely knowledgeable person when it comes to Magitek to the point where he will act like he knows almost everything. But his lofty attitude and background isolate him and he is commonly refered to as an asshole who does not know any better. He has a terrible time getting along with other characters outside of an engineering setting and his insanity makes him fearless, for both the better, and the worse. He has pretty much no fighting ability what so ever. But he does have tools that help him run away. And a gun blade which acts as good as point and shoot and to serve for intimidation. (Although that was taken away from him) From a technological standpoint he could be considered overpowered. As well as his knowledge of most things (Because of his good education in upper class Garlemald) but if OPness is decided only by fighting he would be pretty darn weak.

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There are no 'Overpowered' or 'Underpowered' characters.

 

Characters exist that are different. The perception of a character's 'power' merely comes from RP (as many have stated). A character could be a demi-god, but if they are RPed well and appropriately for the situations they are in and works well with other characters, no one will care. A character could be entirely helpless, but still be fun to RP with despite the weakness.

 

There is a difference between, a new rper, a "bad" rper, and a character that seems strong or weak. When a character is RPed, the trick comes from rping the character appropriate for the situation and the folks around you. Sometimes some groups your character may need to more mundanely rped and sometimes the RP calls for some nice epic scenes. It all depends on the situation and players in the RP.

 

I will disagree that 'powerful' characters do not belong with common folk. Powerful does not mean disconnected from society. They may be heroes, rivals, and villains, but they are still people. Given that they aren't 'famous' or 'infamous' to the point the guards would take note, there is no reason a character can't take a day off and 'have a whiskey' with a merchant. The trope and archetype of the character should not take over the character, person before profession.  Naturally... some extremes would prevent that... but in my experience those are normally player created NPCs that are used as major figures in RP.

 

There was a thread of similar discussion earlier but I realized... I can't find it anymore.

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My question is simply what people like to play and why. Nothing more. I'm not interested in either example enough to invest more time than it's worth. I don't believe one is more important than the other, stated from the beginning both are integral to plot. If that managed to offend anyone I think they are reading into it with their own flavor. No need for insults over a simple topic. My only interest is what people like to roleplay and why. As someone who has rped multiple roles from both ends of the spectrum to balance out/ move story along I'm aware of how that works.

 

My preference is playing the underpowered trope character whose entire role is to bring people together and make the people who are stronger more noticeable. I enjoy the simple connections, the long journey, not entirely what is at the end of the road. That is just my interest. Not everyone is going to have the same interest. There is no right answer. It's all preference.

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My preference is playing the underpowered trope character whose entire role is to bring people together and make the people who are stronger more noticeable. I enjoy the simple connections, the long journey, not entirely what is at the end of the road. That is just my interest. Not everyone is going to have the same interest. There is no right answer. It's all preference.

 

I enjoy playing the under powered troupe as well, sometimes not getting the meaning of things, while always trying to do her best. I have found it balances well with a lot of different RP groups , helps people bond , and makes for fun RP stories later on.

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[...]

 

I will disagree that 'powerful' characters do not belong with common folk. Powerful does not mean disconnected from society. They may be heroes, rivals, and villains, but they are still people. Given that they aren't 'famous' or 'infamous' to the point the guards would take note, there is no reason a character can't take a day off and 'have a whiskey' with a merchant. The trope and archetype of the character should not take over the character, person before profession.  Naturally... some extremes would prevent that... but in my experience those are normally player created NPCs that are used as major figures in RP.

 

[...]

This. Exactly this.

 

There's nothing inherent about a "hero" or "villain" that says that they MUST be disconnected from society in some way. If anything, that just makes for a more boring story, as you lose any attachment to their 'human' (re: relatable) side. They may be extraordinary people, but they are still people.

 

My question is simply what people like to play and why. Nothing more. I'm not interested in either example enough to invest more time than it's worth. I don't believe one is more important than the other, stated from the beginning both are integral to plot. If that managed to offend anyone I think they are reading into it with their own flavor. No need for insults over a simple topic. My only interest is what people like to roleplay and why. As someone who has rped multiple roles from both ends of the spectrum to balance out/ move story along I'm aware of how that works.

 

My preference is playing the underpowered trope character whose entire role is to bring people together and make the people who are stronger more noticeable. I enjoy the simple connections, the long journey, not entirely what is at the end of the road. That is just my interest. Not everyone is going to have the same interest. There is no right answer. It's all preference.

The problem with your OP is that the first example is so terrible and so obviously biased that it taints the whole poll and the question of the topic itself. It says to me (whether you intended it or not) that a lot of your preference is caused by a complete lack of exposure to "overpowered" characters done well.
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There are no 'Overpowered' or 'Underpowered' characters.

 

Characters exist that are different. The perception of a character's 'power' merely comes from RP (as many have stated). A character could be a demi-god, but if they are RPed well and appropriately for the situations they are in and works well with other characters, no one will care. A character could be entirely helpless, but still be fun to RP with despite the weakness.

 

There is a difference between, a new rper, a "bad" rper, and a character that seems strong or weak. When a character is RPed, the trick comes from rping the character appropriate for the situation and the folks around you. Sometimes some groups your character may need to more mundanely rped and sometimes the RP calls for some nice epic scenes. It all depends on the situation and players in the RP.

 

I will disagree that 'powerful' characters do not belong with common folk. Powerful does not mean disconnected from society. They may be heroes, rivals, and villains, but they are still people. Given that they aren't 'famous' or 'infamous' to the point the guards would take note, there is no reason a character can't take a day off and 'have a whiskey' with a merchant. The trope and archetype of the character should not take over the character, person before profession.  Naturally... some extremes would prevent that... but in my experience those are normally player created NPCs that are used as major figures in RP.

 

There was a thread of similar discussion earlier but I realized... I can't find it anymore.

 

[...]

 

I will disagree that 'powerful' characters do not belong with common folk. Powerful does not mean disconnected from society. They may be heroes, rivals, and villains, but they are still people. Given that they aren't 'famous' or 'infamous' to the point the guards would take note, there is no reason a character can't take a day off and 'have a whiskey' with a merchant. The trope and archetype of the character should not take over the character, person before profession.  Naturally... some extremes would prevent that... but in my experience those are normally player created NPCs that are used as major figures in RP.

 

[...]

This. Exactly this.

 

There's nothing inherent about a "hero" or "villain" that says that they MUST be disconnected from society in some way. If anything, that just makes for a more boring story, as you lose any attachment to their 'human' (re: relatable) side. They may be extraordinary people, but they are still people. 

 

 

I never questioned that overpowered and extraordinary people aren't people, and ofcourse they'll be able to kick back once every now and then. And yes, not every hero/villain MUST be disconnected from society. 

 

However, there 'are' class differences. You can compare it to Actors/Celebrities/CEO's of large companies, Sports Stars and what not. They, within their branch are in an upper echelon that they usually reside and surround themselves in. Do they branch out into other fields? sure, for an hour a week perhaps. Sometimes a bit more. But the majority of their time is in their field, in their craft, honing their skill or making use of it. Chances are that you, as a common person, will 'never' just stumble over President Obama and your Local Wal Mart, Will never shout at Oprah for cutting of your parking space, and so on.

 

Characters of an elite proficiency usually are restrained towards the social circle that goes with it, unless they've fallen from that circle (and are, therein, drifters). 

 

Anyway, whichever way you twist and turn it, my point in regards to 'social isolation' with power was aimed specifically at the extreme example. The overpowered chosen one, the Hydealyn Atom bomb, the one-hit-kill wonder. Those are figures that, while they don't 'have' to be socially isolated, it still makes little to no sense for them to just 'hang around a bar' for consecutive days on end because they're 'bored'.

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The biggest problem with powerful characters is that many role-players seek to embrace all the perks and none of the drawbacks that accompany such a role. An experienced soldier would realistically spend most of their time fighting their foes and would be exhausted during what little free time they actually have to piece together something resembling a social life.

 

Yet because of how frequently instant teleportation is embraced that eliminates the 'distance' drawback for many. You'll see people fighting in La Noscea one minute and then teleporting to Gridania shortly afterwards.

 

So what other drawbacks does that leave us with? Well, anyone who has actually been to a real battlefield will agree that it isn't something you just get over. It affects one's ability to connect with their friends and family due to the trauma that arises as a result of injuring and killing others for a living.

 

...and yet that is rarely exploited as a drawback either since the majority of powerful characters happen to be role-played as social butterflies who somehow manage to juggle everything at once.

 

Putting aside the mental trauma there's also the risk of physical trauma which, again, so rarely ends up being embraced as a realistic drawback. Instant healing is often embraced, eliminating much of the danger and potential for scarring. Thankfully some role-players are brave enough to go down the route of allowing their character to bear some lasting damage but it seems to be fairly rare from what I've seen in-game.

 

In short, I have no issue with powerful characters...assuming they're not just created with the intention of wanking off their creator's ego. If you're going to put your character on a pedestal above everybody else's then the least that can be done is to exploit some realistic drawbacks that are actually drawbacks and not just vague cop outs like 'he is too nice'.

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I believe that the most compelling characters for the sake of role-play experiences are those that fit most naturally in the given setting. Any character with her own strengths and weaknesses can be both compelling and interesting so long as those strengths and weaknesses fall in line with what is normal for the Universe. I find myself okay with a certain amount of distance from the game's lore, but some liberties bug me when they go too far. Sue behavior is real. There seem to be some role-players in every community who forget that they are but one of many and view themselves as the all-important, all-powerful center of the Universe. That just makes me roll my eyes and I often do what I can to keep clear of such people. They usually make it pretty easy to handwave in-character anyway. :D

 

If I have to vote for one, I prefer underpowered to overpowered, but to be curt, I prefer average. Taking average characters into big adventures is a lot more interesting and exciting to me than taking larger-than-life characters.

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I usually try to be 'in-between' actually. My main character is fairly strong, but I wouldn't want to call her 'overpowered,' She has her strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else, and is slowly but surely learning as she goes. I would say she is capable of fighting level 35, (and maybe even 40 if she's lucky) enemies if we're going by level here. Any higher and she'll probably need some help or just back off entirely.

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I always play a bit of both, on extreme scales as well. Or in multiple shades of grey, depending on the lore. I think this is less about just "Overpowered or Underpowered" more than it is how these kinds of characters are written.

 

(Sadly, in FFXIV terms, my sub ran out and school has choked up my time from playing, but I still do lurk here quite a bit).

 

Overpowered characters are subjective depending on where you place them and how they are crafted. But I feel many RPers, when they see Overpowered, they think some perfect warrior type who knows everything - which, by the way, is what the definition mostly pertains too. But then that brings it's own problems, because just being Overpowered doesn't make a character bad in any way if it's done correctly. And I notice many RPers never take the personalities of characters into consideration, as there could be a lot more than simply their abilities. 

 

Sadly, after years of experience, we're kind of hardwired to see it that way. All of us have both cringeworthy and hilarious horror stories about it.

 

However, I agree with Gaspard's points and Graeham's, the reason why we tend to see Overpowered characters in a bad light is because all of the perks are reaped, but never the negatives. Many of the strongest characters, by the stereotype, are not afflicted by anything they do, let alone in a world like FFXIV's. And some of the Overpowered types are played a bit unrealistically, i.e Overpowered character hanging out in a place that isn't suiting for their rank/ability rank. 

 

However, Underpowered characters can also be just as bland, because there isn't anything interesting with a clean slate that is talentless or unlikable. Just as there is none with a character who cannot be stopped.

 

But I believe that with the right kind of quality of writing, either of these types of characters can be pulled off, and that's why I play both. Both tropes of Overpowered and Underpowered characters, given the right settings and personality, can be greatly compelling and even enjoyable. Know the lore, and think of how to play your character, Overpowered or Underpowered. 

 

Overpowered characters are great, especially if they're done right because if you have ever been with an Overpowered character, or played one (at least in my experience), there's a lot more to focus on than just their abilities. Even the greatest beings have faults.

 

Underpowered characters are also compelling to watch. It's kind of like cheering on the underdog. They grow on you.

 

Overall, in my opinion - I love and play both types of characters when there is more to focus on than just how many abilities they have, or how talentless they are. I want to make both types for FFXIV, when I know how to do so correctly.

 

And just as a last note, in case no one has mentioned it. A character cannot be Overpowered if all of the forces around that character are just as equally powerful, so that it evens out. Same whole deal with the Mary/Gary sue thing. And vice versa for Underpowered characters.

 

TL;DR: Both types of characters are great in my opinion, but they have to be written with skill and not just focus on all of the positives or negatives. A.K.A character balancing. I RP both kinds of characters.

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TL;DR: Both types of characters are great in my opinion, but they have to be written with skill and not just focus on all of the positives or negatives. A.K.A character balancing. I RP both kinds of characters.

^^^^^^^^^ Pretty much my thoughts on it. If you can write it well, have at it!

 

I was in a worgen oriented guild in WoW for a while where there was a main antagonist that was meant to give everyone trouble. People in the guild all acknowledged he was supposed to be powerful for the sake of the story and the abilities he possessed so it made it a lot of fun! Even though he was only like level 71 when the level cap at the time was 85.

 

I usually play underpowered characters myself. Reason being (to put it bluntly) is that I'd rather not have people throwing a bitch fit if my character happens to be their better when you look at it from a logical combative stance, which has been my experience more then once in the past. It's made me avoid most forms of combat RP altogether save with those I feel more comfortable with.

 

It's easier sometimes to have a character who just loses and there's no arguments then have a character that gets the upperhand and someone gets butt hurt about it.

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The biggest problem with powerful characters is that many role-players seek to embrace all the perks and none of the drawbacks that accompany such a role. An experienced soldier would realistically spend most of their time fighting their foes and would be exhausted during what little free time they actually have to piece together something resembling a social life.

 

Yet because of how frequently instant teleportation is embraced that eliminates the 'distance' drawback for many. You'll see people fighting in La Noscea one minute and then teleporting to Gridania shortly afterwards.

 

So what other drawbacks does that leave us with? Well, anyone who has actually been to a real battlefield will agree that it isn't something you just get over. It affects one's ability to connect with their friends and family due to the trauma that arises as a result of injuring and killing others for a living.

 

...and yet that is rarely exploited as a drawback either since the majority of powerful characters happen to be role-played as social butterflies who somehow manage to juggle everything at once.

 

Putting aside the mental trauma there's also the risk of physical trauma which, again, so rarely ends up being embraced as a realistic drawback. Instant healing is often embraced, eliminating much of the danger and potential for scarring. Thankfully some role-players are brave enough to go down the route of allowing their character to bear some lasting damage but it seems to be fairly rare from what I've seen in-game.

 

In short, I have no issue with powerful characters...assuming they're not just created with the intention of wanking off their creator's ego. If you're going to put your character on a pedestal above everybody else's then the least that can be done is to exploit some realistic drawbacks that are actually drawbacks and not just vague cop outs like 'he is too nice'.

(Disclaimer, my typing may be off, not feeling well. If it's super incoherent I'll edit it later)

Just have to say that is a beautiful example of how an overpowered character can really be worked well into the world of Final Fantasy.

 

I had a character years ago not from the world of Final Fantasy who was what you would consider higher in the power department. He was created to help a friend who had an undead underground storyline. Most people were playing Blade-like vampires that ate npcs and had all of the god perks of said vamprism, even removing the negatives of the disease by use of magic, enchanted jewelry, or half breed or what-have-you.

I really don't care for vampires, but he was a friend so I designed a Human.. since, there were NONE being roleplayed. I got inspiration from Father Anderson from Hellsing, mixed with the insane reverend from Half-Life's Ravenholm. He was a military strategist suffering from PTSD. He used IEDs, bowguns, whatever his money could afford him from check to check in order to keep the undead back. Alcohol abuse doesn't make the best marksman. I balanced his ability to get things done when a mini nuke was requested by the story writer, when the other characters got the hint they can't rampage and eat every human in the city without consequence it created a balance. My friend was the official OP and would not be able to be beaten by mine, but this was a mutual understanding and gave all parties reason to work together instead of soloing npcs all day. Eventually it let roleplayers who were too afraid to join in actually pick living characters, which picked the story up from being a dying forum to one that had to be split up for being so huge. It's that sort of teamwork that moves stories along.

 

My favorite character was a guy who was a mummy with a chain smoking habit that would light himself on fire at inopportune times. His character was so hilarious it cut back a lot of the serious player's tensions. I try to strive to be more like him.

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I am a Voidsent Potato.  :tonberry:

 

In all honesty, I'd say I relate somewhere between Adventurer 1 and Adventurer 2.  One of my characters is frighteningly strong (my main), while some of my other characters are painfully average, and I enjoy them all equally.  I don't view characters in terms of 'power' as much as I do personality, and will.

 

An "underpowered" character with a strong will can beat out an overpowered character in terms of the type of individual I'd rather play with, if they present their story well.  At the same time, a world full of average joe's is what we live in, and if I really wanted to deal with that, I'd go outside.  I love RP for the diversity in characters, the strong ones, the weaker ones, and the ones striving to go from one side of the table to the other.  

 

I've got characters that range from the top of the spectrum to the bottom, and really have no issues accepting similar characters from others.  

 

I do understand what people mean when they refer to people only showing off the perks of their stronger characters.  Glioca, for example, after she separated from her ex-wife, went on a training binge.  She lost the curvy figure she had to muscle and being too thin, spent all of her time exhausted and staggering around, and was so out of it from fatigue that she got swiped in the face during a fight with a dragon - something that never would have happened to her before, because she has great situational awareness.  

 

She could have healed that wound, and made sure it barely scarred, but she wanted to keep it as a mark that she herself was not infallible.  She was still subject to the rules of the world, despite how strong she was.  She could make mistakes, be careless.  She spent a month or more after her hardcore binge recovering, and was exceptionally weak, physically, until she started taking better care of herself. 

 

I like to see the weak side of strong characters every now and again, if only because it reminds me that these characters have a more human side to them, out of their scope of power.

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Some say Madda is a void potato. 

 

Madda was just cursed to always say Madda instead of the "bad words."

 

Why would you avoid potatoes? They're delicious. :(

 

On a more serious note, do we have a contextual baseline in game of the "general" strength of adventurers? Obviously the average power level will vary with who you're playing with, but is there any IG information on what the "average" adventurer could do? Or the average enlisted soldier?

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Some say Madda is a void potato. 

 

Madda was just cursed to always say Madda instead of the "bad words."

 

Why would you avoid potatoes? They're delicious. :(

 

On a more serious note, do we have a contextual baseline in game of the "general" strength of adventurers? Obviously the average power level will vary with who you're playing with, but is there any IG information on what the "average" adventurer could do? Or the average enlisted soldier?

Void potatoes are fun though.

 

Um, I think it'd be similar to soldiers in real life. Except instead of guns/knives, it's magic swords, and instead of grenades/flamethrowers, it's magic spells.

 

Healing makes this a bit tricky, but I say powerful Dedicated healers could undo damage at the same rate a grenade does damage--we just couldn't restore anything dead to life. Other self-healing abilities would probably not function as efficiently, as the user probably isn't specialized to heal, but to harm, which are two entirely different knowledge sets when it comes to magic.

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I play both, and enjoy playing both.

 

But I try not to think of a character as 'under-powered' or 'overpowered' to do so removes definition from a character and starts throwing conversations about role playing into an 'us vs them' mentality that I just don't support.

 

What boils down to is how well the story is played. 

 

A person with no particularly great traits using quick wits to conquer a difficult situation.

 

A person of great skill who struggles internally with the weight of responsibility, and the dreaded feeling of isolation that sometimes comes with being set apart.

 

Or even someone who was once great, or headed down a great path but wound up facing the ruination of all that they worked hard for.

 

All of these are good stories to tell, just tell them well and be respectful towards one another. It's really that simple. The biggest problems I see when it comes to the concept of under and over powered is how people treat one another with it. How an overpowered character played well can still be treated with scorn, or how an under-powered character gets manhandled by someone who abuses their character's traits.

 

These situations can be resolved with being on the level with each other and solving problems OOCly. Communication, Cooperation and Consent are the cornerstones of good RP everything else is just a matter of tastes.

 

I just happen to like a bit of variety in mine. Everything from the dark and serious to the absolute slap-stick ridiculous, to the simple and down to earth types. They're all good if you find the right people to do them. And what makes Final Fantasy such a great backdrop to RP with is that it often contains all of them. We really have a great game and community here. If I can give some advice I'd say lean on that a bit and let yourself try some things outside your normal comfort zone - you might find yourself finding enjoying RP all over again.

 

(Also. I picked Voidsent Potato. Twice-baked with scallions, a touch of virgin olive oil and garlic with a tea spoon of Alfredo sauce in the mash mix. >.> )

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I have yet to come across a good OP character. I'm not saying its impossible, but things can (and often do) become such an epeen measuring contest, because there is no 'authority' (read, DM,) who can settle who does, in fact have the stronger character in a combat situation. You can settle on /random rolls, though that might be a little too basic for some people.

 

On the whole, I actually try to avoid combat rp altogether, unless I am on my underpowered characters. Then, I know my characterbis gonna lose anyway, and I can have fun with it. On my stronger characters, however, well... people tend to act like their characters have never lost a fight in anything, and it can quickly escalate in a dragonball z episode, which is not a show that ever interested me.

 

Npc'd OP characters, however, can be very fun. OP player characters, not so much.

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I have yet to come across a good OP character. I'm not saying its impossible, but things can (and often do) become such an epeen measuring contest, because there is no 'authority' (read, DM,) who can settle who does, in fact have the stronger character in a combat situation. You can settle on /random rolls, though that might be a little too basic for some people.

 

 

Usually, those are the ones that are picking powerful characters to RP for the wrong reasons.

 

See, I don't mind the result of a fight being left to Dice Rolls, having a powerful character fail is a challenge, and far more fun to me than just failing because your character was under-powered.

 

But honestly, I'm not much of a PvP player.  That's where the Epeen comes from, I think. My character has power because part of her story is a question of how she deals with the consequences and mysteries of it. And, honestly, it mostly results in her running and hiding from it. She doesn't want to be abnormal, but at the same time, with the world so dangerous, can she really say she has the right to refuse it? This inner conflict got even more intense when it came to the battle of Cartneau and the aftermath. Losing so many of her friends dying to protect people, then being forgotten. She's traumatized but she's a legacy of those lost at the same time.

 

In the end the role play becomes more about the conflict of responsibility and personal desires, and the consequences of ignoring one's past than that of someone who's powerful. Lin does not feel like she's better than anyone, in fact she feels like a freak, and this gets compounded on by the mental instability inflicted by the trauma of the Calamity.

 

So, it's all in the approach, I think. Some people, especially if they're young or new to RPing, will tend to RP powerful characters for the sake of satisfying a need for importance or trying to meet story to game-play. But that's speculation. I'm ok with powerful character so long a they are kept in check OOCly, and that can be done with communication.

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I have yet to come across a good OP character. I'm not saying its impossible, but things can (and often do) become such an epeen measuring contest, because there is no 'authority' (read, DM,) who can settle who does, in fact have the stronger character in a combat situation. You can settle on /random rolls, though that might be a little too basic for some people.

 

On the whole, I actually try to avoid combat rp altogether, unless I am on my underpowered characters. Then, I know my characterbis gonna lose anyway, and I can have fun with it. On my stronger characters, however, well... people tend to act like their characters have never lost a fight in anything, and it can quickly escalate in a dragonball z episode, which is not a show that ever interested me.

 

Npc'd OP characters, however, can be very fun. OP player characters, not so much.

You say that, but I don't know. What would you define as OP, then?

 

I'd like for my character to have credibility for RP purposes, but /random just hates me and she's never won a single fight using it. That's just bad luck, but it definitely stretches the plausibility of her having trained her entire life to beat people to death with her bare hands. I don't really care about her being the strongest, but I'd like people to at least have IC reason to take her seriously, lol.

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The biggest problem with powerful characters is that many role-players seek to embrace all the perks and none of the drawbacks that accompany such a role. An experienced soldier would realistically spend most of their time fighting their foes and would be exhausted during what little free time they actually have to piece together something resembling a social life.

 

Yet because of how frequently instant teleportation is embraced that eliminates the 'distance' drawback for many. You'll see people fighting in La Noscea one minute and then teleporting to Gridania shortly afterwards.

 

So what other drawbacks does that leave us with? Well, anyone who has actually been to a real battlefield will agree that it isn't something you just get over. It affects one's ability to connect with their friends and family due to the trauma that arises as a result of injuring and killing others for a living.

 

...and yet that is rarely exploited as a drawback either since the majority of powerful characters happen to be role-played as social butterflies who somehow manage to juggle everything at once.

 

Putting aside the mental trauma there's also the risk of physical trauma which, again, so rarely ends up being embraced as a realistic drawback. Instant healing is often embraced, eliminating much of the danger and potential for scarring. Thankfully some role-players are brave enough to go down the route of allowing their character to bear some lasting damage but it seems to be fairly rare from what I've seen in-game.

 

In short, I have no issue with powerful characters...assuming they're not just created with the intention of wanking off their creator's ego. If you're going to put your character on a pedestal above everybody else's then the least that can be done is to exploit some realistic drawbacks that are actually drawbacks and not just vague cop outs like 'he is too nice'.

 

I bolded the part I feel really nails the fear lot of people might have towards 'overpowered' characters.

 

We've all run into that one roleplayer who was essentially godmoding his or her character as being super strong, super rich, super fast, super skilled at everything - but it's all okay because he or she has flaws too! Like being too nice! Or too trusting! Or too strong for their own good! It kind of leaves you with the sense that they're not roleplaying a character and crafting a decent narrative so much as playing out some wish fufillment fantasies of being popular, rich, skilled, or well-loved by all.

 

Everything has to have balance. Even if you're playing a super strong/skilled/rich/etc character, there should be some reasonable consequences/drawbacks to that power that make them feel more like people than tropes. A lady who is a highly skilled and power soldier from participating in so many wars and battles might be struggling with some serious PTSD. A man who's an incredibly powerful healer capable of mending almost any wound might be completely socially inept from doing almost nothing else but studying conjury and communing with the elementals. There has to be a give and take, because the flaws and conflict they generate is not just fun for you, but for all the folks you interact with.

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from my own experience, rpers in general tend to think of things in real simple, concrete terms. in many cases, not only do they think in concrete terms, they focus solely on physical aspects i.e. what their imaginary person can beat up and how totally cool their imaginary character is for being able to beat things up!

 

if any thought is given to what goes on in the character's head, it's often just as concrete and measured in terms of "my character is THIS strong". i have seen many, many characters that are "intelligent" solely because the player says they are. they don't demonstrate any knowledge beyond what the average joe has (emoting reading a book doesn't count), they don't say anything profound or wise, they don't show cunning or wit. these "intelligent" characters often just use their VAST cognitive ability to throw bigger fireballs, say really condescending things and various other forms of dickwaving (in other words, their intelligence is really just another ability that helps them beat things up). it's a power fantasy of the mind.

 

i hold the belief that it is the player's responsibility to prove, through action, their character's personal strengths and weaknesses. it's all well and good to tell people about your character and what they can do, but nobody should be expected to simply take what's told to them about someone else's character at face value. a self-described "badass" character is almost invariably not badass in the slightest. the player just desperately wants the character to be seen that way without doing anything for it. other people decide if you're badass, not you. similarly, a self-described witty and sarcastic character is probably neither witty nor sarcastic but pretty likely to be annoying as shit (and not in the funny way either).

 

thankyou for reading my opinions have a good night god bless 8-)

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