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[Zaerosz]

So I'm working on what will hopefully eventually be a webcomic, and the essential premise of the overarching story can be roughly summed up as 'people who got kicked out of death treat the world as a game and manipulate people to achieve their own goals'. So far, I have two people, whose intentions can be simplified to:

"The world is broken and I'm going to fix it, no matter what I have to do.": This guy wants to rework the world and eliminate needless suffering by any means. (This is the only one who doesn't remember his (near)death.)
"Ever heard the phrase 'for want of a nail'?": This guy wants to mess with anything and everything just to see what happens.

However, I want more 'players'. Given that we all or mostly play Dwarf Fortress, I figured this would be the best place to ask to get some different perspectives. What kinds of people and goals would you like to see 'playing the game', so to speak?

[LordBucket]

"The world is broken and I'm going to fix it, no matter what I have to do.": This guy wants to rework the world and eliminate needless suffering by any means.

Knight Templar

One should be sufficient. Don't need two characters with the same outlook.

I want more 'players'

Partner him with a new age spiritualist who believes in loving your enemies and radiating light into the darkness. This character realizes that your Knight Templar is effectively playing the bad guy role by trying to force his solutions on people and destroying any who reject his views. However, he firmly believes that trying to "fix him" is wrong, and would simply be becoming the thing he wishes to stop.

So instead, he tags along, refusing confrontation, and passively allowing the Knight Templar to do his thing, all while showering him in "love and light" in hopes that he'll become enlightened. Unaware of the fact that he's simply acting as an enabler.

[Knight of Fools]

That's a pretty good idea, Bucket. I may have to steal that one if I ever do something.

Another character could be a chilled out do-nothing. He doesn't work towards any particular goal besides passing the time and teaching himself tricks (Some of which may turn out useful to the protagonist). He could take the role of a knowledgeable and well-informed, but relatively useless character. There's also lots of potential for development in a character who doesn't think he has to do anything. To make him truly unique, he should play and make video games... With his powers.

[Zaerosz]

On the new age spiritualist: I really want to do something like this now, but the Knight Templar dude, being a former brain surgeon who was fatally wounded by one of his patients, basically uses electricity magic and medical knowledge to 'reprogram' people's brains as his primary MO. I don't think the two would work very well as partners in any sense of the word.

On the do-nothing guy: Not really sure what kind of magic you could use to make video games, but I do sort of like the idea behind the character.

(Also, of the main characters, the one who is part of this 'post-mortem' group uses illusion magic. See if you can figure out what his perspective is.)

[Enzo]

Well, a character who feels that the only way to "fix" the world is to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch would make an excellent Shadow archetype for the protagonist.

Besides that, I'd suggest that the most common motivations are selfish ones:
An Epicurean-type whose MO is fulfilling his basest desires in pursuit of a sustained state of pleasure.
Someone who possesses narrow-minded greed and is concerned only with amassing wealth and possessions.
A character with an inflated ego who simply wants to be worshiped. Preferably as a god.

[Deadmeat1471]

Well, a character who feels that the only way to "fix" the world is to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch would make an excellent Shadow archetype for the protagonist.

Besides that, I'd suggest that the most common motivations are selfish ones:
An Epicurean-type whose MO is fulfilling his basest desires in pursuit of a sustained state of pleasure.
Someone who possesses narrow-minded greed and is concerned only with amassing wealth and possessions.
A character with an inflated ego who simply wants to be worshiped. Preferably as a god.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I want a ron paul superhero who seeks to deregulate business everywhere and destroy evil liberty oppressing institutions everywhere.

RON SUPERPAUL *sees homeless person being mugged
"It's ok friend, you don't need my help the private market will create a charity for you"
*flies off into the sunset

[The Fool]

I would like to see a wild card character. This character would act for and against the protagonist, acting on their own chaotic whims and destroying whatever they want to. The motive can be summed up as: "Some people don't deserve what they have, and I'll make them lose everything." This person is out to kill and destroy anyone or anything deemed unworthy of what they have. They would be in direct opposition to the hedonist character.

They'd be hunting down thieves, gangsters, criminals already in jail, political party members (under the right circumstances), corrupt corporate heads, etc.

I'd almost expect this character to be a zealous detective who died. Expect a strange moral compass if they start killing people.

[Knight of Fools]

Deadmeat... General Discussion is the place for political commentary, not random threads in Creative Projects. Please don't drag this thread down to that level.

On the do-nothing guy: Not really sure what kind of magic you could use to make video games, but I do sort of like the idea behind the character.

(Also, of the main characters, the one who is part of this 'post-mortem' group uses illusion magic. See if you can figure out what his perspective is.)

Well, whatever his powers are, he uses them in some useless way to entertain himself, or treats the powers like they're nothing important and follows some other hobby. Basically like a grown-up using the vast sums of wealth he's accumulated to build model trains throughout his house, or build an incredibly powerful set of computers to run the programs he's cooking up. He's really chill and down-to-earth and doesn't see himself or his powers as anything special. Because he's typically a non-player, his powers can range from the weak, useful and varied to the most powerful in the universe - And because he rarely goes out of his ways to use his powers, only a few trusted people know about him. As long as no one is messing with his toys and minor experiments, he's cool, and because he really doesn't pose a threat to anybody, no one really bothers him too much.


I'm guessing some extremes here, but I'm guessing that the illusionist either wants to pretend something never happened (His own death, his family's death) or wants to hide himself because he's done bad things (Or died in an embarrassing way).


This is actually a cool idea. Do you have any concept art you could put up?

[Zaerosz]

Well, a character who feels that the only way to "fix" the world is to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch would make an excellent Shadow archetype for the protagonist.

Besides that, I'd suggest that the most common motivations are selfish ones:
An Epicurean-type whose MO is fulfilling his basest desires in pursuit of a sustained state of pleasure.
Someone who possesses narrow-minded greed and is concerned only with amassing wealth and possessions.
A character with an inflated ego who simply wants to be worshiped. Preferably as a god.

The first guy would make a good, if somewhat cliché 'final boss' character, I think. The Epicurean and the greedy dude would most likely be minor antagonists, but the egotistical maniac... I could have some fun with him.

I would like to see a wild card character. This character would act for and against the protagonist, acting on their own chaotic whims and destroying whatever they want to. The motive can be summed up as: "Some people don't deserve what they have, and I'll make them lose everything." This person is out to kill and destroy anyone or anything deemed unworthy of what they have. They would be in direct opposition to the hedonist character.

They'd be hunting down thieves, gangsters, criminals already in jail, political party members (under the right circumstances), corrupt corporate heads, etc.

I'd almost expect this character to be a zealous detective who died. Expect a strange moral compass if they start killing people.

This actually works distressingly well with another character I'd already planned. Perhaps he'll be the first to 'come back' during the course of the story.

Well, whatever his powers are, he uses them in some useless way to entertain himself, or treats the powers like they're nothing important and follows some other hobby. Basically like a grown-up using the vast sums of wealth he's accumulated to build model trains throughout his house, or build an incredibly powerful set of computers to run the programs he's cooking up. He's really chill and down-to-earth and doesn't see himself or his powers as anything special. Because he's typically a non-player, his powers can range from the weak, useful and varied to the most powerful in the universe - And because he rarely goes out of his ways to use his powers, only a few trusted people know about him. As long as no one is messing with his toys and minor experiments, he's cool, and because he really doesn't pose a threat to anybody, no one really bothers him too much.


I'm guessing some extremes here, but I'm guessing that the illusionist either wants to pretend something never happened (His own death, his family's death) or wants to hide himself because he's done bad things (Or died in an embarrassing way).


This is actually a cool idea. Do you have any concept art you could put up?

I'm definitely going to find some way to work this guy in.

And as for concept art, I'm... I'm working on it. As it stands, I'm still learning to draw, and I don't really have anything as yet that I'd like to display publicly.

Also, I've found a way to work in something similar to the 'new age spiritualist' mentioned earlier. He's apparently now going to be based on an oldish RP character of mine, as is his wife.

[Enzo]

The first guy would make a good, if somewhat cliché 'final boss' character, I think. The Epicurean and the greedy dude would most likely be minor antagonists, but the egotistical maniac... I could have some fun with him.

Re: the first guy. The shadow archetype refers to a projection or personification of the repressed, dark facets of a characters personality. Wanting to destroy everything to start from scratch is the natural extension of the ends-justify-the-means mentality of the "fix the world" guy. It's a common (and effective) theme in fantasy lit to have the protagonist eventually reconcile with his shadow, rather than destroying it, thus symbolically becoming "whole". So I'd argue he actually wouldn't make a good final boss character.

Sorry I just really like me some Jung C:

[Zaerosz]

Oh, I think we misunderstood each other. The "fix the world" guy isn't the protagonist. At all. In fact, he's somewhere between being an antihero and an antagonist, depending on the point in the story and whatever's happening at the time.

[Deadmeat1471]

Deadmeat... General Discussion is the place for political commentary, not random threads in Creative Projects. Please don't drag this thread down to that level.

On the do-nothing guy: Not really sure what kind of magic you could use to make video games, but I do sort of like the idea behind the character.

(Also, of the main characters, the one who is part of this 'post-mortem' group uses illusion magic. See if you can figure out what his perspective is.)

Well, whatever his powers are, he uses them in some useless way to entertain himself, or treats the powers like they're nothing important and follows some other hobby. Basically like a grown-up using the vast sums of wealth he's accumulated to build model trains throughout his house, or build an incredibly powerful set of computers to run the programs he's cooking up. He's really chill and down-to-earth and doesn't see himself or his powers as anything special. Because he's typically a non-player, his powers can range from the weak, useful and varied to the most powerful in the universe - And because he rarely goes out of his ways to use his powers, only a few trusted people know about him. As long as no one is messing with his toys and minor experiments, he's cool, and because he really doesn't pose a threat to anybody, no one really bothers him too much.


I'm guessing some extremes here, but I'm guessing that the illusionist either wants to pretend something never happened (His own death, his family's death) or wants to hide himself because he's done bad things (Or died in an embarrassing way).


This is actually a cool idea. Do you have any concept art you could put up?

Lol I was serious, but I guess you got some RP issues Political superhero would be amusing. I'm sorry if you thought the mention of RP automatically derails a thread.

[Zaerosz]

Yeah, I'm just gonna steer clear of IRL politics in this webcomic. and in this thread. I would advise you to do the same, because talking about IRL politics and politicians on the internet never makes anyone happy.

Also I'm not american and have literally no idea who Ron Paul is so yeah.

[Knight of Fools]

Ooh, I just had another idea.

Have a go-to guy for finding someone. He can be human or just another player, but, You want to meet such-and-such? Need someone who has a special skill or item? Not high enough on the social ladder to talk to these folks? I can help out with that, but you see, it's hard to take the time out of my day, 'cause I've got rent to pay, just lost my job...

That also opens up the whole world of non-players. There could be side stories with an investigator trying to figure something out that's Player related, the toys, servants and employees that Players utilize, and what the social standard for non-Players is. Is it acceptable to love a normal person? Is killing one a crime? Who's allowed to know, and who determines which humans know about Players? Have there been past incidents with Players and people mingling? Are there even laws or standards for these sort of things?

It kind of feels like the Masquerade that vampires have running in World of Darkness, and it could work pretty similarly, depending on how many Players there are.

Also, it'd be awesome to fit Elvis Presley in there some how. He could be a famous musician's homeboy - He gives him/her advice, gets what he wants, and is essentially hiding in plain sight. You could have it so that no one really knows he's a player (If he is one), or he could be the hedonist (Or know the hedonist).


Keep in mind I'm just throwing ideas out. If my mind catches on something I like, I think about it a bunch. I'm just venting, here.

If you wanted to share some stuff over in the Engravers Guild, though, the folks over there could help you learn a bit. Even if you don't want to post any drawings, there's lots of good advice floating around throughout the thread.

Lol I was serious, but I guess you got some RP issues Political superhero would be amusing. I'm sorry if you thought the mention of RP automatically derails a thread.

I'm not angry or anything. There's just a wide range of opinions out there, so it's best to stamp things down before they catch fire.

[Enzo]

Oh, I think we misunderstood each other. The "fix the world" guy isn't the protagonist. At all. In fact, he's somewhere between being an antihero and an antagonist, depending on the point in the story and whatever's happening at the time.

Whoops. Reading comprehension fail on my part then.