Low Stats

[Sonny]

As a player or game master, what different ways have you portrayed low stats through role play? I generally find higher stats easier to fake. Besides the roll or st is the final adjudicator. Traits that I generally have a low die pool for, I portray much differently for each character.

I have a good ol' cowboy with a manipulation of 1 because he hates lieing. Is he bad at it? Sure, but thats because he just ain't a liar. He also likes to tell people how it is, and he does not often beat around the bush. If he says something, he means it. If he really believes in something, he'll let his passion be infectious.

[Verghast]

Thats an interesting view, coming up with character traits to describe stats I like it.

[Law]

I like the descriptive traits method given above ("she's just not strong," or "she's stammers when she talks"), and I also like to justify failures on rolls due to low stats with a bit of RP as well. Adds some color, I think.

[Sonny]

One thing I have always struggled with though is consistency. When I come up with a very unique personality for a character, (My good natured, food critic, once lecherous, Christian anarchist Galetea in my friends promethean game) , it can be difficult to maintain the foppish borderline flaming personality.

Does anyone have any methods or suggestions on keeping the consistency?

[sandchigger]

One thing I have always struggled with though is consistency. When I come up with a very unique personality for a character, (My good natured, food critic, once lecherous, Christian anarchist Galetea in my friends promethean game) , it can be difficult to maintain the foppish borderline flaming personality.

Does anyone have any methods or suggestions on keeping the consistency?

... don't play it up quite that much? Failing that, choose one of the three adjectives you use above (good-natured, lecherous, anarchist...) and concentrate on that. Choose a signature trait, as it were, and build from there.

[Sonny]

I should have said this, but I was not quite so ambitious from the get go. Thats just how he ended up by the end of the game, and I was able to pull it off toward the end. I generally keep it pretty simple.

My current mage character is simply "A good natured cowboy in the silver ladder" He has a bit more back story than that, but he is that at his core. Plus, the fun is in the challenge, no?

[sandchigger]

I should have said this, but I was not quite so ambitious from the get go. Thats just how he ended up by the end of the game, and I was able to pull it off toward the end. I generally keep it pretty simple.

My current mage character is simply "A good natured cowboy in the silver ladder" He has a bit more back story than that, but he is that at his core. Plus, the fun is in the challenge, no?

Sure, I have a character now who started out as "gruff ex-soldier" and has evolved into "Republican Jesus-flavored Bible Thumping Asshole," but you asked how to keep it consistent. The easiest way to maintain consistency is to KISS (Keep It Simple.... Simon <.<)

[Verghast]

Sure, I have a character now who started out as "gruff ex-soldier" and has evolved into "Republican Jesus-flavored Bible Thumping Asshole," but you asked how to keep it consistent. The easiest way to maintain consistency is to KISS (Keep It Simple.... Simon <.<)

I agree that sometimes its better to have a "simple" concept and allow it to develop with the things that happen to it and grow into something multifaceted

[Sonny]

KISS. That is fair enough. I suppose I get caught up in trying to make a character unique. So what personal affections have you given characters to explain low stats or poor rolls? Conversely, how do you portray characters with high rolls who are consistently missing? (Such as a talented fighter who is rolling seven dice and failing, consistently.)

[sandchigger]

It depends on the circumstances. Maybe the person he's trying to hit is just that nimble. Maybe he's used to fighting taller opponents so he keeps swinging over the girl's head. Maybe it's a humid day and his hands are slippery...