Problem Characters

Flyck

Flyck

Senior Member
So here's a conundrum I've found myself in as a Storyteller...  Here's the current setup on characters in my game:


1 Solar 'tank' Dawn Caste with Articulated Plate, Grand Daiklave, etc.


1 Solar Sorceror of I think Twilight Caste...  Host of spells and had a joygasm over the new White/Black Treatises book.


1 Abyssal Daybreak Caste in full Super-Heavy Soulsteel, Dark Paladin-eque theme.


1 Abyssal Day Caste built around subtlety, stealth, archery and range.


1 Lunar problematic character...  


1 NPC, who currently is a Day Cast Abyssal and was introduced before the Daybreak Dark Paladin entered the scene (will most likely get replaced eventually with either a Solar NPC, or Lunar NPC).


The problematic character is this.  The Lunar is identical to a previous Lunar character ran by the player charm-wise.  Has Hybrid, has the 1L per-turn / All Bashing regen build (which I've yet to see a Lunar he builds without it), and the Luna Gift to make it constantly effective in any form.  Has Humble Mouse and Tyrant Lizard, and his totem is a (low and behold) a Tyrant Lizard.  The character's theme is supposed to be (as described to me) a 'king of thieves' themed Changing Moon.  Oh, and here's the best part, he complained when I wasn't amused at his attempt to take the mortal thaumaturge background 'Experience'.  He had it at a 5, I talked him down to a 3 after 15 minutes of trying to rationalize with him why he'd even bloody have/need it.


So where's the problem...?  It's been 3 sessions now, and the character hasn't once interacted with anyone aside the Day caste (to a minor degree).  All he's done  is sit in the form of a Rat with a damn-near obivous Tell that everyone in the group has pretty much seen by now (horns and lizard claws).  And has spent the vast majority of each session riding in the cleavage of the Day Caste.  Threw the group into combat with some hungry ghosts.  He goes human form to finishes one off, visible to pretty much most players, and back to Rat immediately after to take his perch again in the cleavage of the Day caste...  


Throw the group against 2 fangs of light Realm soldiers, 3 DBs, and with a handful of bandits making off with a bunch of swag from an old manse...  Day caste is the only one who makes a solid attempt at stopping the bandits, and gravely injures one.  Dark Paladin Daybreak uses the Ivory Forest mess, damages the bandit's escape, and almost skewers 2 (1 dives out of the way, another gets seriously injured).  Everyone else goes straight for the soldiery, Rat included... who turns into a Tyrant Lizard and begins eating people.  Aside from this, the only semi-worthwhile thing the character has done is pick the locks on a bunch of chests for the Day caste.  Again, no interaction, no conversation, all he's done is sit in Rat form except for these 2 combats.  We had to call it with 3 DBs remaining, and the bandits gone due to time.  


What I'm asking, is if there's any suggestions if he once again decides to do nothing but sit around as a Rat.  1st session, sure... cute.  2nd session, alright time to do something...  3rd session and now I'm quickly getting sick of this worthless character that'd be better suited as an NPC.  Suggestions? :roll:
 
What's the character's backstory?  Use that. Draw the character out by hooking into that back story. Force him into the spotlight a little. Don't let him just be a gimmick.


Barring that, talk to the player and see what's up.
 
Character's backstory is fairly narrowed down to 'from Rathess' area.  'Adventured a bit' was the motivation behind the XP background...  Of course, seeing how there's 2 recurring characters from previous adventures, it wasn't like I wasn't going to give him some XP to start if he had asked so he could be roughly up to par with the group.  But 24L base bite attacks as a tyrant lizard I guess aren't quite up to par...?
 
Has he made up anything for those earlier years?  Give him an ultimatum to supply that back story, or you'll do it for him.  Then give him what he wants, good and hard. Or give him something fun to have around his neck--enemies, odd adventures that didn't end well.  He's a thief, not every job comes off reet.


Jakk's old band is now reunited with him, but he's an Exalt now. Instead of a bandit, he's putting together an army.  Instead of just being a cad, he's got responsibilities. Use that sort of thing with your thief as well.  Not to mention other Lunars. He's got to have people, use them. Draw him in. He owes people, and people owe him.


He's adventured, so he's got to have a few folks who are hacked off at him, or who owe him large, and maybe even actually mean to repay him.


One hook might to have his fast grown Beast Children show up. Mouse years grows them up so fast...and they'd like to talk to him about maybe helping them out with that.  Draw him in with those hooks, to help him make the character unique and give him his own part in the tale.
 
Tell the other players that, in-character, they should rationalize why they continue adventuring with this person.  If they see no reason for him to be in their group, then they are not under any compulsion to keep him around.
 
Is he always a shitty player, or is he just sucking out this time around?


Can you just let him be a bump on a log, if that makes him happy? Is it bringing down the game for everyone else?
 
I think my bigger problem, isn't necessarily the backstory so much (it is 3 sessions deep).  Aside from the 2 recurring characters, the others are fairly new as well and don't have fully developed backgrounds yet either.  The biggest problem I'm annoyed with, is continuing his "I'm a rat" game when everyone pretty much knows he's a Lunar.  And considering he literally hasn't spoken to, or interacted with the rest of the group, he might as well not even be taking a part in the story.


Flagg:  No, aside from a mean power-gaming streak, he's not normally like this.  And he IS wanted by the Realm, but it's not like he really has a reason to spend 3 farking sessions doing nothing but pretending to be a rat...
 
From the sound of it, this person is a complete twink anyway - if he's a THIEF, isn't a tyrant lizard totem completely inappropriate? - and I'm not sure why you continue to game with him* at all. Tell him to go play Diablo II if all he wants is to kill shit, and to rent softcore if all he cares about is tits.


*I feel I can make this gender profile without fear of inaccuracy.
 
Well pretty much, that's what it's been for the past 2 sessions....   :roll:


Pretending he's not there, while throwing him hooks to actually DO something...
 
3.  Enough to where it's Diff 1 to detect his tells.  All have pretty much noticed it by now.
 
Have you spoken with the player? If you have, then maybe warn him that staying in rat form, and/or not communicating with the other players could have adverse consequences. Like a disease of some sort. Or some magical spell or artifact that forces him to stay a rat - he can't change into anything else. Or he gets nightmares, perhaps tying in with another character in the group, and he gets an impending sense of doom if he doesn't figure out what the dreams mean. If your Twilight can read dreams, or another character has some sort of prophetic powers - or even if they have an ally/contact who might help - then hopefully that will bring him out of his shell, so to speak.


And I agree with Hanat - a thief with a Tyrant Lizard as a totem? Sounds like twinkery to me.
 
Evan I agree that thats twinky like evan though if the char had the abilities of a thief whatever.
 
Make him take the hit in the xp.  Give everyone a good sized amount, and look your Lunar player in the eye and say, "One point".  If and when he pitches a fit, go into gritty detail about how he has done nothing to earn the points, so he don't get any.  A few sessions like that should be persuasive.
 
When in doubt, force roleplaying.


First, for the day caste, why would a day caste allow a rat to sit in her bosom thinking its really just a rat?


Then if the group knows he is a lunar [which is obvious really] why would anyone put up with that behaviour?


Does this guy really want to play, or is he there cus his wife wants to be and this is his silent protest.


Seems like you have a real life dynamic messing up your game to me. And that is a lot harder to deal with [but you should] than someone being a tard.
 
Twinkery is this guy's middle name...   :roll: .  But I've been RPing with him for years, and it's nothing new to me.  The one nice thing I do like about Exalted, is that you have to actually TRY to build an Exalt who can't knock a mortal's head from their shoulders... so to speak.  


In any case, I do like the XP hit and 'curse' ideas...  I might just use that.  


The Day caste knows he's Lunar, it's been pointed out to her by the NPC, she's noticed the Tell, noticed him briefly in the fight against Hungry Ghosts as human form, and saw him as a Spider with the same horns and claws.  Why does she not care?  Beats me...  


I have no clue why the rest of the group simply doesn't care...  But alot of that could just be them focusing on the tasks at hand.  Although I haven't thought that he might just not be interested in playing.  I do intend to pull him aside and pick his brain.
 
Also, you should tell him that whatever his business might be with his wife's tits, it has no place in your story. If he mentions them again, just be like, "Dude, we KNOW she's your wife, we KNOW you like her tits. Are ya done? Because we'd like to move on to this role-playing game now, which contrary to poplular belief is called Exalted rather than Tits Galore."
 
What of the Abyssal and the Lunar? Are they in anyway connected outside of his liking of resting between her tits? Are their shards tied by a First Age bond or some such? If he's so determined to snuggle between them most of the time, there must be SOME reason...and if he doesn't have one, then...eh. Of course, the Tyrant lizard might just have a thing for tits...but somehow that doesn't seem too heroic a concept to end up exalting. 'I like tits, hehe,' just doesn't seem to heroic a motivation. ;)
 
I'd say that there's not much to do about a player that doesn't want to roleplay. It is questionable why the circle tolerates his continued presence, so encourage them to deal with this odd Lunar that won't seem to leave the Abyssal's bosom.
 
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