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Character Description Help

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Nomad Zophiel

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« on: <10-23-10/0501:50> »
I'm playing a Social Adept Face in an online game and I'm having trouble creating the impression of sheer intensity that his massive social pools require. This is a guy who can throw over 20 dice on a social test before situational and gear modifiers (and can easily throw 10 more than that depending on whether GM's cap bonuses at double stat+sklill and whether or not they allow emitotoys). So this is a guy who can, with reasonable success, get total strangers to throw themselves into harm's way for him without using Commanding Voice (or get someone who is hostile to risk their life if you count other bonuses). From my outside observer perspective, he's actually kind of disturbing and creepy. Someone that charming should set off every cult leader alarm bell in people's heads but he doesn't. The question is how do I convey this astonishing effect to my fellow PC's and GM's? Oh yeah, to make it worse he has First Impression so the first meeting really has to pop.

Longshot23

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« Reply #1 on: <10-23-10/0650:47> »
I'm playing a Social Adept Face in an online game and I'm having trouble creating the impression of sheer intensity that his massive social pools require. This is a guy who can throw over 20 dice on a social test before situational and gear modifiers (and can easily throw 10 more than that depending on whether GM's cap bonuses at double stat+sklill and whether or not they allow emitotoys). So this is a guy who can, with reasonable success, get total strangers to throw themselves into harm's way for him without using Commanding Voice (or get someone who is hostile to risk their life if you count other bonuses). From my outside observer perspective, he's actually kind of disturbing and creepy. Someone that charming should set off every cult leader alarm bell in people's heads but he doesn't. The question is how do I convey this astonishing effect to my fellow PC's and GM's? Oh yeah, to make it worse he has First Impression so the first meeting really has to pop.

Assuming you've got an image in your head for your character, start with that.  Maybe pick an actor or well known public figure - I've been doing that for a while, because people generally know what 'such-and-such' looks like without having to stop and check, even if you say 'the guy/girl who played character X in movie Y'.

I've found that written desciptions just don't work.

Nomad Zophiel

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« Reply #2 on: <10-23-10/0721:38> »
Oh, I've got the basics of this guy looks like this etc etc. David Bowie from Labyrinth (without the protruding package) is the visual reference. I'm just trying to figure out how to polish it up so that it conveys this inhuman grace and downright dangerous ability to bring people around to his way of thinking almost instantly.

A Troll with 9 Body or Strength is easy enough to convey, doubly so if he's augmented on top of that sort of raw natural power. Even a super-smart Hacker draws on a fairly standard set of visual and dialog cues to convey "hey, I'm really smart".

Its a bit more difficult (for me anyway) to come up with good ways to convey that level of charisma. Fixer level Charisma is easy enough. Always wears the right clothes. Is genuinely interested (or seems to be) about other people. Always has the right gifts. Heads turn when he walks in the door. Take how impressive a great politician or other leader is in person and double it. Take Henry Kissinger's ability to negotiate a deal and triple it. That's what I'm trying to come up with, how to convey that essence through action and description such that the other characters react to it without having to be told "this guy's a Dryad with 9 Charisma".
« Last Edit: <10-23-10/0733:58> by nomadzophiel »

FastJack

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« Reply #3 on: <10-23-10/1008:40> »
Watch some vampire flicks. (NOT Twilight!!!) Bram Stoker's Dracula with Gary Oldham in the title role is pretty good for intense yet creepy.

Longshot23

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« Reply #4 on: <10-23-10/1159:10> »
Watch some vampire flicks. (NOT Twilight!!!) Bram Stoker's Dracula with Gary Oldham in the title role is pretty good for intense yet creepy.

David Bowie from 'The Hunger' - vampire flick, plus not so different from what's already envisaged LOL.  Although, pre-the mega aging part . . .