Do you have an "old faithful" D&D character?

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What I mean by this is, in any D&D-based game (computer; P&P etc.), do you have a character which you always create at some point? I know I do, in fact I have to wilfully force myself to not always create the same character with a few slight modifications depending on the ruleset. I suppose I should start the ball rolling, so here goes:

Name: Racssirt Dklahr
Race: Elf
Class: Ranger
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Deity: Sehanine (I think!)

In terms of ability scores, I usually just pump Dex as high as possible, then use whatever is left on Strength and Wisdom. I tend to make him a master of archery and specialise in that at Level 2 over the two-weapon fighting route. In later levels, I sometimes multi-class into a Druid depending on what mood I'm in, but at that stage he essentially becomes Legolas reincarnated anyway. Probably his finest moment in all my campaigns was back in 3.5, where (on a natural 20) he detected that a small insect that was buzzing about was actually the evil crone we were looking for, and managed to shoot it out of the air forcing her to change back into her normal form with a rather nasty shoulder wound.

So there we go, I always play an Elven Ranger, what do you play?

 

I don't get locked into one type of character, but I will usually make my character last in hopes that I can fill a hole in the party. I keep a few builds ready to go at a moment's notice.

 

I think my "go-to" character depends on my particular mood in a campaign, and what it appears that the party needs. I will say that I tend to shy away from classes like Druid, Bard, and Barbarian, because I'm not that good at staying in character through my interactions.

Of late, my favorite character type to play is a Half-Ogre Paladin of some good deity. I've used this type of character in a couple of pen-n-paper campaigns, as well as a couple of Play-by-Email... most groups I've played in have considered a paladin as basically orc fodder, but that kinda changes when teh paladin is 8' tall, and uses a 2-handed sword as a longsword.

 

I have several characters that tend to round out a party by themselves. I have about 5-6 characters I use depending on how many the game lets me use. You tend to amass certain character when you have been writing as long as I have. I am also normally the GM in the campaigns around here so having several characters that can act as either guides or support characters helps a lot. I have used these characters for so long that I have them mostly figured out but on top of that I am still finding out new things about them. Some are far more flushed out then others but they are all special to me in someway or another.

Now if I were list list them all that would take a while and I will list if someone asks.

 

Gladimir - Paladin.
Dargon - Ranger (human).

 

Darion Icewind: Half-Elf, Fighter (CG)
Dr. Faust: Human, Mage / Transmuter (CN)

Those have been with me since the dawn of RPG time! Ahh, the sweet nostalgia!

 

I have had quite a few, sadly they all died in brutal fashions. itend to be the kenny of our gaming-group. Fun anyway though.

Melkhur Royce - Human fighter. using a greatsword. Wearing a fullplate while running across a frozen lake + fighting = not smart. Especially without any ranks in Swim.

Cronard Firedoom, human mage. Got greedy and tried to open a chest. Chainlightning. Ended up on -20 hp or something.

Arlange LeClerc - Human Bard. Thought he was safe when invisible, and walking through a pack of dire badgers. They had Scent...He did manage, as his last act, to scream "Sacre Bleu" before he croaked. Rolled a 20 when checking how high pitched his scream was.

Hulgar. Dwarven Druid. Smashed by an Ogre

Rawgrim the barbarian. Took a direct hit from a fireball, while trying to throw some barrells of flamable oil off some battlements.

 

Horace Oakenberry - Halfling Thief - Mage Slayer and destroyer of Owlbears. Turned to stone by a trap in a tower created by Mordenkainen. Freed by a fellow party member only to become Dragon food the next day.

Crimson Stormshadow - Evil Drow Necromancer, Sacker of Mistledale, destroyed by a combined assualt of Harpers and Riders of Misledale.

Manuel Estranza - Human Bard, Dog-tamer, Sellsword, Womanizer and Glibtongue. Eventually surrounded by "The Mists", "Stunned" by Strahd and eaten by the wolves of Barovia...

Sir Valen Moontower - Wielder of a Dragonlance, slayer of many wyrms.

 

Raktan the Mighty- Dwarven barbarian. He's the only character i've used who has survived multiple campaigns. With 20 CON and fast movement speed, there's not a lot he can't fight or run away from. Honorable mention goes out to Groshnak, half-orc paladin, who died by falling down a flight of stairs in full plate...

 

In one campaign, the kender in our party was turned to stone after playing hide-and-seek with a gorgon... the local mage decided he looked good as a lawn ornament for a while before we finally convinced him to return him to normal...

On a different note, I always loved the old Famous Last Words section of Dragon magazine... I would like to offer one of the ones I still remember:

Famous Last Words #23: "Of course I trust the thief. He's in our party"

 

A cleric of a sun-deity with powerful turning ability or positive energy bursts etc. Last name is always Sunthunder.

Natalyah Sunthunder
Cleric of Lathander
Usually human
Most often NG, sometimes CG, rarely LG
High Wis, decent Cha (for turning and diplomacy)
Almost always Sun-domain or feats like extra turning

I spend a good deal thinking about a first name. Usually it's linked to the aspect of the deity that the character is most connected to. For instance, Nathalje or Noelia for the Birth/New Life aspect of Lathander. A male might be called Photar, Illuman or Ray (light)

Gender is not too important. I choose most fitting avatar/portrait and then the appropriate gender accordingly.

 

Abit off topic, but I think a thread about peoples most bizarre d&d deaths should be created. Might be very entertaining.

 

Thanks for all the interesting responses guys, I'm glad this got picked up after two months of dead time.

Also, nice idea to have a thread about amusing/ridiculous/bizarre deaths to your characters, although I noticed that quite a few people have already been adding deaths onto their character descriptions here. I do in fact have an amusing and heroic death which happened to Racssirt back in 3.5, where we entered a pitch black room (unknowingly caused by a darkmantle) which proceeded to fall and land on my head. We had noticed a 15 foot pit which spanned the room ahead of us, and in a moment of heroic stupidity, I attempted to jump this pit from a standing start with the darkmantle still atop my head. That said, I was Level 3, and I fell to my death. However, the deep drop did not only kill me, but the darkmantle too, thus taking one for the team and allowing them to cross the room safely without being shrouded in darkness.

That's how I like to remember it anyway. In all honesty, I had given up any hope of surviving and took a completely literal leap of faith which worked in the party's favour. That resurrection scroll wasn't cheap...

 

My most beloved character is Larendor, an Elven Cleric of Corellon Larethian.

I played him over a 3+ year period, starting at level 3 (I believe) and going all the way to epic level 25. He started in 3.0, and was converted to 3.5 shortly after it was released. The gaming group was pretty close knit, and we all played single class characters. Our party consisted of an Elven Paladin, my Elven Cleric (Larendor), a Halfling Rogue, a Human Monk, a Half-Orc Druid and an Elven Wizard. An excellent party, and lots of excellent memories.

 

Well I thought I was the only one,

Name : Shade
Kensai(12)/theif

I simply love backstabbing, another one of my favourites


Name : Blackstaff
Assassin(21)/Fighter

I know this one is a bit insane

 

Horgold Dwarf Paladin

I always played dwarf paladin I dont know why

 

I don't have any names because I've played less D&D and more other types of games, but I tend to go for characters who are good at investigating and reading people's minds, knowing stuff they're not supposed to know. My one foray into D&D was a bard who was actually a spy for her nomadic tribe. That campaign did not last very long, though.