Search found 2 matches

by Leilani
Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:13 am
Forum: Site-Wide Rules/Guides (Please Read!)
Topic: General Tips (Including Tips for Character Creation!)
Replies: 14
Views: 12151

Re: General Tips (Including Tips for Character Creation!)

If you're making a char and you're worried that it may be a bit of a Mary Sue/Marty Stu, check out this test (suggested by Emmy):
http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm

Keep in mind the following:
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY! If you don't, you are 99% guaranteed to get screwed over.
Be generous with your answers. If it's "technically, I guess," go ahead and mark the box. If it's, "usually, but the question makes it sound like an absolute," go ahead and mark it, anyway. At the end of the test, you'll know how much leg room your score has.
Be sure that you're working in the right areas. Most of the questions apply to all chars. There's a section that's just for fanfics, which you can write in the Spam section of the site, but are not canon to the site's primary direction. There's a section for original fiction characters. That is not applicable because this fiction, Seinvocc, is already established, and you don't control other characters, but you should fill it out, anyway, if any of them apply to your backstory. You may skip question 10 of that section.
Finally, when you read the recommendations at the bottom, keep in mind the fact that they are pretty accurate, but have lots of leeway. Many people have complained that the test author's requisites are too strict. There are a lot of situational factors; the test author openly admits that the test is not and never will be perfect.

If you're curious, Noah, my character that could be accused of Marty Stu-dom more easily than any of my others, scored a 48. I scored him very generously (checking bad boxes that I felt to be less than 70% or 60% accurate, not checking good'ns unless at least 95% accurate), and there were quite a few situational factors, so, even if I didn't think that the requisites are rather strict, he'd be pretty savvy for an RPG char.

Since there will probably be plenty of talk about it, yes, most or all of us will agree that the score-based recommendations can be highly accurate for fanfic chars, original fiction chars, and some RPG chars, but will often be a little over the top for many others. That's okay. I don't blame the author; (s)he consolidated a test for all sorts of chars into one simple page and knows that it can't be all-telling, so (s)he knows that his/her recommendations can be a little rough. Overall, the test has my stamp of approval, but don't get all miserable just because your char scored pretty high. If the score is above 60, though, you probably should reconsider some stuff . . .
by Leilani
Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:57 pm
Forum: Site-Wide Rules/Guides (Please Read!)
Topic: General Tips (Including Tips for Character Creation!)
Replies: 14
Views: 12151

Re: General Tips (Including Tips for Character Creation!)

Inventory organization can be similar, but also easier to make decisions on. Classically, most RP chars have some variant of this:
[border]All of my equipment yada yada blah blah about how/why it's special and mine. Here's some explanation for why most or all of them are indestructible, auto-repair, or are just hard to break, usually. Blah blah other effects that apply to them all. Here's a statement about my training with them, so you know why I'm pretty good at wielding them. Dribble dribble other information.

Weapons blah blah, sometimes yada yada about some weapon types, then the individual weapons.
Weapon 1: Blah blah name, yada yada details, dribble dribble special effects/explanations.
Weapon 2: See above.
Weapon 3: See Weapon 2.
So on and so forth . . . Just keep in mind the fact that any abilities that are directly derived from any piece of equipment should be listed with the respective inventory item, not in the abilities of the character.

Armor blah blah, much like weapons.
Lots of people like to start from the top and head down, so we firstly have headgear, then anything on the neck/shoulders, anything on the arms, torso armor, lower armor (if different from the previous), stuff on the legs, and shoes. Accessories can be defined individually. Most people consider anything that goes on the arms, legs (though shoes may or may not be considered), neck, and pretty much anything that isn't just headgear or armor to be accessories. Accessories are classically listed after other armor stuff. Leilani's armors (which are also her weapons) are listed from bottom to top, with the exception of her hip-pack, since that's just her storage device. It is strongly recommended that you come up with some manner of storage and packing, because you'll be carrying a lot of stuff. Unless you want to be like Choh and just lug around a bunch of bags of stuff because you're so strong that it's really easy to you, a storage system is really handy. However, don't feel like you're being pressured into building one at the start; you can always get tons of storage methods later on or even just after you get started.

Expendables list (except perhaps ammo, which is usually listed with respective weapons, but typically listed separately for ammo that can be used for multiple weapons) and explanations dribble.

Storage systems are actually listed at the bottom or top more often than not, and may or may not be synonymous with the armor.

If there are any vehicles, they're typically listed at either the top or the bottom, too, but, since storage systems are usually held on the person, then vehicles are often on the outside of those.[/border]

Really, just as with abilities, there isn't much of a "wrong" way to organize inventories. The relative method that's seen above is tried and true, but you can organize them by theme, switch orders around, or whatever to your heart's content. Remember that you don't have to fill any particular set out; many characters have no armor, many have very few or even no starting weapons, and almost none have starting vehicles. Unless you have potions scattered throughout your sword list, remedies listed amidst your armors, ammo at the top in random order, and a vehicle's details listed throughout the entire page, you pretty much can't organize an inventory poorly; if you give it so much as a single thought, it should fall into place well. Just take it easy, write what comes to you, edit as you think, and rearrange things into a desired order once you're done.

Oh, also, if you're wondering about shields, don't worry about it. If you aren't keen to using them as weapons, it's probably more fitting to list them with your armors, and, if you're more of an Athenian-style fighter, you'll want to list your shields with your weapons, or perhaps at the top of your armors or bottom of your weapons, so that the closeness signifies the fact that they are primarily one, but have sometimes been used as the other. Whether you put them under either of those categories, even under "accessories" or another category, or situate them alone, they're versatile enough that they really fit in anywhere on your list.

Noah's inventory is an example of some weapons at the top with their effects (The Blood Sceptre has quite a few.), then the armors from the outside inward, followed by his accessories list (presently one item, that being his shoes), and an "Other" section that includes his Chaos Satchel, his storage system.
Leilani's is an excellent example of equipment with effects (including equipment that is part of the body) and abilities to their own, as well as an example of an order that does not classify weapons and armors separately (as they are often several in one). As of yet, as previously mentioned, she also has the most expansive and versatile ammo list of all, and she has a nice supply of other expendables.
Dycedarg has a nice armor list after two weapons and their descriptions (including a variably detrimental, beneficial, or benign ability), and he finishes it with his spammy teleportation-bastardry.
Laola has an example of a 'make my own weapons' setup, in which she states that she has the ability to produce simple weapons with her otherwise mentioned abilities, and she states what is most common of that. She then has a list of some cool armors with abilities.
Bianca could technically build her own weapons, too, but mainly chooses to stick with a pair of very nice, trusty weapons with a hefty ammo supply that she can add to with her abilities. There aren't many frills, here, but that just shows that you can have a fairly simple inventory and kick just as much ass as anyone else.
Choh has a list of weapons with very little in the way of effects, then armors with just a couple more. Still, there's a lot of versatility in there, so it's possible for it to be just about as handy as Noah's or- Well, okay, probably not Lei's, but close enough.
Alexsys pretty much just has some expendables, so far.
General and all his variants (which may be called by different names and backstories, but, let's face it: they're all based on the same bloody concepts and stuff) have inventories of weapons and tech that they use. However, some tech is listed with the abilities because they act as abilities. G doesn't equip them and swing them around or anything.

Those are just some examples. Really, you pretty much have to try to poorly organize an inventory, and, if you put some thought into it, it shouldn't be hard to make one that kicks ass.

Return to “General Tips (Including Tips for Character Creation!)”

×