Is it a dick move to purposefully kill your character off when you no longer feel like playing them? Is it a bigger dick move if the character you're planning on playing is generic as fuck and you're planning on just coasting along while the rest of the party drives the plot?
I only ask because my last (or current character) was obnoxious and stole too much screen time last session and I'd rather just take a backseat and let everyone else drive the plot between combat.
Is your character tied to any other character in the group? Does it carry a significant chunk of the party's weight in mechanical terms? Are other players fond of the character? Did other people react poorly to you 'stealing screen time' or is this a conclusion you have jumped to without input from others?
Talk to your GM like a normal human being. We play these games because we enjoy them. If you are not enjoying a character, you should not play them. However, you abruptly not playing them may interfere with the enjoyment of others. If you feel bored of a character, talk to your GM and arrange a solution (might be a dramatic death, but might also be their family needing them to come home to take care of sick ol' grandma or something). For the most part, intentionally suiciding because you OOC dislike the character is considered immature, as you likely are failing to properly RP your character (assuming your character wasn't already suicidal) and it's very disruptive to the rest of the cast. Just talk it over and sort something out.
As far as making a generic character (no plot-relevant attachments or strong motivation), that's another matter of what your group is like. It's important that at least a couple players in the group have some drive to push things forward, but I also understand not wanting to hog the attention. Instead of a completely bland character, I might recommend a moderate character (IE has an actual motivation) such that you can backseat most of the time, but have an actual personality and drive to fall back on if you feel the need to push things (IE other players don't know how to move forward).
It sucks to try and keep a plot coherent when players want to switch out characters a bunch, but if you don't do it too often I don't see the big deal with retiring a character. It's better to figure out something with the GM other than doing something suicidal out of the blue though
>Is your character tied to any other character in the group?
Not anyone strongly enough for their death to necessarily impact their story in a negative way.
>Does it carry a significant chunk of the party's weight in mechanical terms?
I guess, I mean, he dealt a lot of damage but beyond that he didn't really support the party in a significant way.
>Are other players fond of the character?
I guess they were until they became obnoxious to deal with and I generally hate being a bother to other people.
>Did other people react poorly to you 'stealing screen time' or is this a conclusion you have jumped to without input from others?
Not really but at the same time, it has kinda made the situation salvageable.
you can still take a backseat and don't interfere to much with the plot
two stories: In a campaign with two dms both had player characters, one dm had this charismatic sorc half ling, he was the face of the team and when he was dming his character became more laid back and was more like a npc
In another campaign one player got bored with his character decided to climb a tree, a really high tree for no reason, when the rest of the party was resting, then he made lots of noises a flying creature appeared and he waited for it to come to his range, he attacked failed, the creature attacked and the pc fell down and died
>If you feel bored of a character, talk to your GM and arrange a solution (might be a dramatic death, but might also be their family needing them to come home to take care of sick ol' grandma or something).
At the end of the last session, my character had come across a group of goblins that were walking up to our location. My plan was to simply "buy them some time" before being inevitably picked off by sheer numbers.
It's only the third session so it wouldn't really affect the plot too much.
You don't have to let your character die. Talk to your GM, and see if you can't find a way/reason for your character to retire.
Maybe they get hurt/lose a limb and can't fight anymore.
Maybe they decide to invest in property and a business in order to keep the party financially stable while they adventure.
Maybe they choose to stay behind in an old temple, studying old tomes in search of information the party needs?
Whatever the reason, i'd be okay with you starting over with another character, as long as it didn't happen often, or as long as you don't make the same character over and over again.
How okay or dickish this is depends a lot on context and character. Was this an in-character decision which would be worth sacrificing their own life? If so, dramatic way to end a character. If out of character or just stupid (IE the sacrifice wasn't needed for everyone to escape safely) then it's just silly.
How about simply TALKING WITH YOUR GROUP, explaining yourself and making a new character? You know, acting like a reasonable, mature human being, rather than continue to do retarded shit.
If your GM doesn't allow you to make a new character when you bring it up that you're bored with your current one, he's a jerk
And yes, it's a dick move. Just talk to your GM
>I messed up and obnoxiously hogged the spotlight to the detriment of my party
>I'll just quit the plot instead of getting better
There is a middle ground, you know?
I'd rather let other people drive the plot than force it in directions that it was never meant to go in.
Can't you just act like the character is weary of the adventure life and tell his comrade that he is returning to a normal life.
How was your character being obnoxious? How were they stealing the spotlight, or pushing the party in a direction?
Just retire the character somehow. They walk into town, he decides the adventuring life isn't for him and goes back the other way. It makes a hell of a lot more sense than him killing himself.
Basically, him and the party had ideological differences that caused him and another party member to come to blows, leading to PvP.
I'd rather kill him off and make a new character that has similar ideologies just so we don't get distracted from the main plot that the GM is giving us, especially when it's causing the GM some stress and I'd rather not ruin the campaign for everyone else.
You know, your character could just be pragmatic and be aware that he has to put aside his differences while traveling with these people. Unless the other guy's ideals involve torture and baby rape, you can just turn the other cheek.
This is the guy whose 'pacifist' character attacked another player's character for daring to defend himself against an evil monster attack.
>You know, your character could just be pragmatic and be aware that he has to put aside his differences while traveling with these people.
Chronologically, he'd only really known the party for a few days and the party had only gotten into like one fight as a group. I don't think he'd sacrifice his beliefs for people that he had only known for a few days.
You're that user who sperged out and attacked your party member for killing an evil creature attacking your party, aren't you?...
Then wanted to multiclass into barbarian to show how pacfistic your character was despite your DM saying he had banned multiclassing. You badgered him into it anyway....
I think talking to your DM, listening to what he and the group wants and taking a few classes in basic interpersonal skills might help you
????
As someone who's changed characters at least once in every long term campaign I've been in just talk to your GM. I've had my character voluntarily get dragged into a pit of lava as a big boss for an arc died and no one protested.
Maybe rethink just having your character coast in the background. At least come up with some reason you're helping out the rest of the party that's interesting. Working for/serving one of the other PCs could be an interesting way to stay tied to the story without taking up the spotlight if that makes sense for your game.
see
Okay?
There's your context 's all.
I read the thread but I don't why you think that guy was me.
I don't? I'm saying who posts the same story in the same way ("I don't want to cause my GM stress") is the guy who posted that other thread.
I mean, if he knows he fucked up and wants to fix it I don't see what the problem is. Granted, the way he's doing it is wrong but other people have already told him to talk it out with the GM.
>same picture
>same complete misunderstanding of the social contract
>playing d&d
You could just say that he takes his leave and save his sheet so the DM/GM can use him as a NPC later or in another adventure.
Not him but do you know how many reaction images I've saved over the past few days just by browsing through Veeky Forums? Besides, for all we know, it's a falseflag or some shit.
Oh, I see what the issue is. Yeah, I'm not , but I was in the previous thread and thought I'd give some context.
ANYWAY: this is kind of barn door after the horse is gone-tier commentary, but hey OP: Why do you feel you need to play a generic character that just lets everyone else drive the plot? Sure, you fucked up with your first character (protip: make sure your character has a reason to a) be traveling with the party in the future and b) a way to justify participating in whatever adventuring-related duties your system requires in the future) but that doesn't mean your next one has to be generic mcfighterson or anything.
It kind of feels to me that you're swinging for the extremes here - first you made a pacifist, and then you wanted to multiclass him into barbarian so he'd be a kill 'em all type/first you made a very polarizing character and now you want to make a completely generic guy and coast. Try for something in the middle and you'll probably be more happy.
This is something that's stolen from a bunch of advice threads past, but it's something I've found super useful, so here you go:
1) Write down a three sentence backstory for your character. No more. You can flesh the rest out later.
2) Write down three things your character believes. This can be things like 'If I try my hardest, I'll get ahead in life' or it can be things like 'I'm actually a prince and my parents kidnapped me at birth'. Whatever, as long as it doesn't make you unable to work with the party/do typical adventuring things.
3) Write down three things that could challenge your character's beliefs. For example, say my character has absolute faith in the rulers of his kingdom, because they've been appointed by a god to rule. What happens if he witnesses them acting in an obviously unjust or unbecoming way? How long can he reconcile that belief with the evidence? These are basically nice big fat plot hooks for your DM to latch onto.
>It sucks to try and keep a plot coherent when players want to switch out characters a bunch
Only if they constantly make characters that have no connection to the plot.
Which I understand to be pretty common, because trying to communicate with your players is usually considered RRRAILRRROADING, but it doesn't have to be if you're adults capable of rational thought.
>but do you know how many reaction images I've saved over the past few days
Exactly. We all save a fuckload of things. And here comes a guy who posts the same shit, different angle, using same semantics, same syntax, same fucking image and you are like "B-but how is this related".
>Is it a dick move to purposefully kill your character off
Yes, and I specifically tell my players that I won't allow them to do this. However, if they talk to me and want to retire their character, I have no problem with that.
Either take a backseat yourself or talk to the dm. If you really want your character to die tell him and see if he can work it in to the story or something. He'll also have to introduce your new character which might take even more spotlight desu.
I'd say just try to let other people have the focus. It's hard sometimes if others aren't as outgoing or if their characters aren't as connected to the story, but you can try to talk to them in character and get them to tell their tale.
Like others have said talk to your GM.
I’ve retired characters a number of ways and had players retire characters in my games a number of ways.
One of my PCs who was a fighter that liked agriculture and helping old people I got tired of playing retired from adventuring to take over a farm. He’s still a spoken about character in that campaigns setting and the DM said I can bring him back if I ever wanted to
As long you and the DM work together you can solve this in a way that satisfies you both.
You could always just retire a character like Heat Signature. Just simply have your character "live off the rest of his days doing x" as long as your character has run its course and isn't important. Also don't retire if you have things you still need to do.
You could just retire your character without killing them off. If you discuss it with the DM beforehand, you can probably work something out.
I had a character that I got tired off, so I worked with the DM to have the king we were working for hire the guy as captain of his royal guard. This gave both the character a decent if inconclusive "happy end" and allowed me to make a new character without having to try and get rid of the old one somehow.