Self-imposed Gameplay Conditions - The RP Addon in Your Head

Magenpie

Does anyone else have self-imposed RP rule sets for their general levelling up? So things like 'only using stamina abilities,' 'only eating fish' 'only using basic armour crafted by the character themselves' or 'never going into a town during the day?' That kind of thing.

Rules you impose on yourself like a TES single-player mod would?

[Edit:- 'themself' tsk]

menedhyn

Yep, I do this. I've tried to carry across the idea of self-imposed restrictions from single player games. Some work quite well, others not so well. All are done to try to play the character in a certain way.

For example, one of my characters has long had an interest in earth magicks and so I have opted for Earthen Heart as my main skill, with some points put into Ardent Flame. I'm ignoring Draconic Power. This also helps me tackle the slightly awkward to manage and restrictive classes that we have in this game by accepting that the character only knows a few spells. The character is also old and often sickly, so I don't put points into health. Alchemy, and the use of health potions in particular, helps me to replicate someone who is dependent upon thaumaturgy to live a relatively normal life.

There are many, many more little restrictions I impose, mainly for RP purposes, but some to deliberately weaken my character as I level up. However, I don't rush to level up and just let things happen at their own pace.

Needless to say, I don't play to create endgame builds or gear. I'd love to be able to do what I have done before and play through with a simple iron dagger and basic bow, but I don't know if this is remotely possible.

Magenpie

paganach wrote: »

Yep, I do this. I've tried to carry across the idea of self-imposed restrictions from single player games. Some work quite well, others not so well. All are done to try to play the character in a certain way.

For example, one of my characters has long had an interest in earth magicks and so I have opted for Earthen Heart as my main skill, with some points put into Ardent Flame. I'm ignoring Draconic Power. This also helps me tackle the slightly awkward to manage and restrictive classes that we have in this game by accepting that the character only knows a few spells. The character is also old and often sickly, so I don't put points into health. Alchemy, and the use of health potions in particular, helps me to replicate someone who is dependent upon thaumaturgy to live a relatively normal life.

There are many, many more little restrictions I impose, mainly for RP purposes, but some to deliberately weaken my character as I level up. However, I don't rush to level up and just let things happen at their own pace.

Needless to say, I don't play to create endgame builds or gear. I'd love to be able to do what I have done before and play through with a simple iron dagger and basic bow, but I don't know if this is remotely possible.

Love this and exactly what I meant. Particularly like not putting points into health because they're old and ill. ^^ And I agree completely about taking your time. I have one character per faction for questing and stories, but my alts are for wandering and exploring and playing with my own stories.

menedhyn

Deliberately making yourself weaker can make things interesting, don't you think? I often struggle in some PvE dungeon situations because of this, where others seem to breeze through. Thankfully i've found the odd like-minded person who is happy to struggle along with me!

Turelus

On my current Dunmer DK character I am making a rule that he won't use any ice abilities/weapons/enchants because he's a pyromaniac.

Ballcap

Given the choice between life and death of an NPC (in questing, not combat) I always let them live. I am a paladin-ish guy and as such, all life is precious. I get a lot of flack from other NPC's about some of the people I let live.

I also won't go vampire or werewolf as that won't fit.

I always donate to beggars and buy the drinks.

I always revive people if they are dead near me, unless they were killed by a guard. In that case, you shouldn't have been breaking the law.

I don't steal or murder so both Thieve's Guild and DB look like areas where I'll need a new character. I can't imagine a giant Altmer in heavy armor being too effective in sneaking around. (A holy order or other good-guy DLC would be nice)

driosketch

Ballcap wrote: »

Given the choice between life and death of an NPC (in questing, not combat) I always let them live. I am a paladin-ish guy and as such, all life is precious. I get a lot of flack from other NPC's about some of the people I let live.

I also won't go vampire or werewolf as that won't fit.

I always donate to beggars and buy the drinks.

I always revive people if they are dead near me, unless they were killed by a guard. In that case, you shouldn't have been breaking the law.

I don't steal or murder so both Thieve's Guild and DB look like areas where I'll need a new character. I can't imagine a giant Altmer in heavy armor being too effective in sneaking around. (A holy order or other good-guy DLC would be nice)

Same, also in keeping with my character from TES II, my main is a follower of Stendarr. I remeber along with restoration, blunt weapons was also a skill favored by the temple. So I tend to favor a mace/maul and a restro staff.

Also, how a set looks has an effect on if I use it or not, and which pieces.

The most extreme case is my unarmed Khajiit. No weapons, no skills that look like weapons, and for the most part melee skills.

Magenpie

Thanks for the replies! So interesting!

I've made a Bosmer who is very skittish of other races and so I'm not doing 'quests' as such, but just exploring and if I meet another Bosmer, I talk to them, and if they have a quest, I'll probably do it (sort of depends on what it's about too.)

I've switched off all the UI quest stuff and I've got Shinni's 'True Exploration' mod, which hides the map until you explore it.

I'm going to try and only use stamina skills, unless they are for vanishing or evasion (rolled a NB for this purpose.) She will only attack in self-defence or for hunting or 'pest control'. The exception is dungeons just because she needs to level up somehow!

She only goes to non-Bosmer settlements at night and only uses the out-of-town entrances to non-Bosmer Outlaw's Refuges.

I'm going to impose other things about crafting, food etc too. Oh - I can only craft in Grahtwood or at the hidden crafting stations, not in towns.

Not very innovative I guess but I just wanted a change from the Mary-Sue Hero questing. I'll see how it goes.

If anyone has any other ideas (or indeed, ways of getting some xp other than exploring and crafting!) I'd love to know. Also, if you know any must-have rp addons, I'd love to know them too.

Hurrah for RP!

wayfarerx

Most of my characters have D&D-style moral and ethical alignments and won't do quests or tasks that conflict with their belief system (my true neutral character is my achievement monkey). They also all worship specific aedra or daedra and won't work against their respective lord's interests.

My Bosmer refuses to harvest anything but leather and ore.

One of my new character slots is home to a baby shadowscale that plans on racking up a enormous bounty and then trying to do the main quest / FG / MG while avoiding the guards as much as possible.

CrowInTheWood

My sorcerer, Lonan, won't do specific quests, especially if it's related to Stendarr or Mara. Love and mercy are two things he despises, so anything to do with the patron deities of either, he tries to avoid or even work against.

I level up only his magicka and leave his health and stamina alone. He is meant to be a powerful, but somewhat frail sorcerer.

I also have him make his own clothes. Not only does it give him the chance to wear rarer things you can't find everywhere, but spinning wheels and weaving are closely tied in with many old magics. He likes to think himself the master of his own fate, and weaving thread represents that.

One major thing that I do is doing the majority of gameplay alone. Lonan craves loneliness. When teaming up with others, it's out of absolute necessity.

Totalitarian

None of my characters get married (use Pledge of Mara)

They all have their own romantic lives, or lack thereof, to some extent.

qrichou

Cool trhead .
My templal healer trys to make all the positve choices , helping others etc.
My orc -sorc -vampire -crafter is a grumpy negative one i try to make all the wrong choices .
My kajit nb needs to steal even when not needed or dangerous .
im not always in that roleplay mood but it keeps me busy for hours
Still working on a highelf nb , with revenge urge its only lvl 12 and in need of fantasy.

Magenpie

I love the idea that other players are busy running about the PvE IC as I am. I mean, I obviously know lots of people do, but reading about character ideas and the clever ways they're implemented is brilliant.

It also means I have a much easier time seeing other players as 'npcs' in my game, rather than Real Live People behind a keyboard.

And again, I know lots of other people do, but it's nice to confirm I'm not the only loon out there. ^^

MikkeOfGreenRiver

My general RP rule is simply to do what the character would do. This can be a problem for my skittish stealthy archer. When faced with a toe-to-toe boss fight, she tends to flee. She’s not much of a quester. Too bad there’s no achievement for Quests Abandoned.

Michas

I simply try and follow the profile of how my Nightblade thief/murderer would behave. If I enter a town during daylight hours, I drop the gallop down to a walk and start scoping out targets for thievery. When "game night" falls, I'm on foot, hidden, picking locks and robbing people blind. If I pickpocket someone,or break into a house and am seen, then the psychotic side of the character is like. "Well, darn. You saw me, so now I have to kill you. Lovely broach by the way. Really brings out the color of your eyes. Makes me want to take them too." and the bounties begin to mount.
It's fun to try and avoid the law, especially in a town or city without an outlaw refuge. Makes for a very interesting "night".
He only uses thief style equipment, so he has dual wield and his primary weapons are daggers (no swords), and his secondary weapon is a bow. I have maxxed stamina and legerdemain trees as well as health, and he has no crafting skills, which means he steals everything he has.

My Dragonknight is a recluse and loves the wild. He's bigger than most so I max out his stamina and health simply because he's supposed to be incredibly fit and healthy. He has very little magic - a gift from the Wilderqueen, so I gave him the Stonefist ability, which has slowly evolved as I have leveled the character. Because he's Nord, (and I am Scottish by heritage), I restricted him to learning One-Hand and Shield, and Two-Handed weapons. His prefrences are Axe and Shield, or Greatsword only, and he never goes into town if he can help it. He's a blacksmith, so he's always looking for ore to make new weapons and armor for himself, and he knows a few Bosmer who sometimes offer to augment his gear.

susmitds

I light attacked my way from Lv3 to Lv50.

Rev Rielle

Turelus wrote: »

On my current Dunmer DK character I am making a rule that he won't use any ice abilities/weapons/enchants because he's a pyromaniac.

Similarly so; my redguard is basically freezing anywhere outside of the Alik'r so, ice magic is a no-no for her. I try to dress her appropriately for someone that feels the cold too.

BlackSparrow

I do lots of little roleplaying things, including self-imposed restrictions:

• All characters walk when in town, unless they're in a rush for some reason, and then only for short bursts.
• My little old lady lizard walks when out in the world, too, because she tires easily. Her mount is allowed to run in short bursts, but not too often or it tires her out.
• If I need to go afk for a little while, I have the character sit somewhere. Even better if it's somewhere comfy, or with a good view.
• My bosmer will not eat any provisions that are vegetable in nature. Not because she needs to follow the Green Pact (not outside Valenwood, anyway) but because she hates the taste.
• My "good" aligned characters do not steal, nor do they ever open thieves troves when they stumble upon them
• Similarly, my assassin will only steal when it's necessary or particularly lucrative, because she looks down upon the petty pickpockets who do it regularly.
• My DK fire mage only uses destruction staves of the Fire type, because, as with above posters, she is a pyromaniac.
• My Breton thief/pickpocket is socially conscious, so she has multiple outfits and costumes that she swaps out according to the situation, either to help her fit in or to make sure that she makes a good impression when meeting anyone of import.

Other than that, I do what others in this thread have said, and just go with what the character would do. That's not necessarily a limitation, though, so I won't elaborate.

Ajaxandriel

Tarante11a wrote: »

Thanks for the replies! So interesting!

I've made a Bosmer who is very skittish of other races and so I'm not doing 'quests' as such, but just exploring and if I meet another Bosmer, I talk to them, and if they have a quest, I'll probably do it (sort of depends on what it's about too.)

I've switched off all the UI quest stuff and I've got Shinni's 'True Exploration' mod, which hides the map until you explore it.

I'm going to try and only use stamina skills, unless they are for vanishing or evasion (rolled a NB for this purpose.) She will only attack in self-defence or for hunting or 'pest control'. The exception is dungeons just because she needs to level up somehow!

She only goes to non-Bosmer settlements at night and only uses the out-of-town entrances to non-Bosmer Outlaw's Refuges.

I'm going to impose other things about crafting, food etc too. Oh - I can only craft in Grahtwood or at the hidden crafting stations, not in towns.

Not very innovative I guess but I just wanted a change from the Mary-Sue Hero questing. I'll see how it goes.

If anyone has any other ideas (or indeed, ways of getting some xp other than exploring and crafting!) I'd love to know. Also, if you know any must-have rp addons, I'd love to know them too.

Hurrah for RP!

That kind of rp stuff is interesting !

Let me tell you a piece of my story... My Bosmer Angelith is a spinner. As such she has a strong tie to the "blue-orange" alignment from her people's faith. Dead plants are as morbid to her, as corpses for us irl. That means I never pick up plants, even outside Valenwood. I don't learn any reciepe that includes vegetal ingredients.
But I was able to level her Provisioning up to 50 without using any vegetable ! (except from "seasoning" that I can see as milled insects) Now she still have to improve her Clothier just by deconstruction and by using leather and silk X)
And I'd like to get a Werewolf bite too ...just for the passive ! That seems racial to me. You know, the temptation to "get wild"!
(I have no issue about questing on her since that may be a "spinning" telling experience more than actual facts - she's not that pro-Dominion, just gathering...news)

Also I'd like to get xp without questing on Ajaxandriel my altmer "main" (but in fact lowest level hehe). Just exploring... Because he supports neither Dominion nor the Veiled, I can't just follow the main story.

Kyralor

Sounds interesting.

Ballcap

Ballcap wrote: »

...

I also won't go vampire or werewolf as that won't fit.

...

Bad news as Ballcap the Paladin has fallen. Long ago he was bitten by a vampire NPC and had vampirism cured. Perhaps it wasn't cured completely as he was bitten again, by another vampire. This time the change was embraced. He has joined the Dark Brotherhood and is currently Darth Vadering around in his awesome, new, black, Imperial armor.

Previously, his armor was Windhelm steel with Ayleid gold trim in the Ancient Elf design. However, he recently came across some crowns which, perhaps, were cursed. These crowns gave him knowledge of the Imperial conversion and his armor was changed from Ancient Elf to Imperial. (although he wishes he hadn't changed the gloves as they don't look as good) Apparently this armor was cursed as he soon joined the DB and embraced his new vampiric tendencies. Perhaps one day he will return to Stendarr's light.

NordSwordnBoard

My Sorcerer is me. No stealing or DB/Thieves guild. I basically ask myself what I would do in that situation and try to apply it. I like to put myself into ESO in my own way.

The moral choices in quests and such usually lean toward the good, regardless of alliance.

Eporem

I tend to do this as well, which is why I like having a little background for the characters in my head at first and as I play making decisions based on what I think they would do..or not do..which usually ends up giving them more characteristics.

mystic_gc525

This is an amazing thread! I'm so glad I clicked it! There are so many interesting and inspiring things everyone has shared! Its great to hear about how everyone is playing in their characters in their own lives!

When playing my Breton Spellsword I refrain from using any destructive spells or inappropriate magic inside buildings, for example using flame based spells in a wooden building that obviously would catch on fire if it really happened! also, I wont use a spell somewhere that it really should be impossible... a meteor or lightning strike in a mine... etc.

Also, this character is somewhat reluctant to use his magicka unless he really needs to or for a special purpose, so in general he uses his blade in all situations he can unless it calls for magickal measures. he also only wears light armor, eats only vegetarian foods, avoids killing innocents and wild animals at all costs, and will not wear medium/leather armors.

so there you go, a few of mine.

I play PS4 NA

PSN Mystic_gc525

Seratopia

When I play with my character she never kills deer. They are precious to her and she would love to care for one in time.(Looking at you deer mount). She wonders where all the deer left to in Cyrodiil because she used to love picking a nice lake view spot near a herd to watch them graze. She fears all the siege weapon explosions scared them off.

In Cyrodiil when confronted with an opposing warrior she likes to observe them first. She stays rooted in place until she knows the other's intention. Will they fight? Can we travel in peace together? Chat about one another's travels? It's all up to the figure standing in front of her. But if she encounters a group... she knows their intention as the default action if she wants to live is to run.

menedhyn

Seratopia wrote: »

When I play with my character she never kills deer

Same here. My Breton character in particular refuses to kill any of the placid, defenceless creatures and only takes selected crafting materials (if needed) from the beasts who attack him first. Generally he tries to avoid aggravating them where possible. It can make for quite a challenging experience, but it slows my progress (good thing) and makes me think a bit more about what i'm doing (also a good thing). For example, if I spy some jute, or a rune or something my character would want, and if the only way to get it is to negotiate a few Alits or Skeevers, I weigh up whether I try to creep past or just leave them be and lose out on the materials. I really wish that we had spell casting similar to the earlier games - 'Calm', or 'Command Creature' would make things a bit easier!

mystic_gc525 wrote: »

he also only wears light armor, eats only vegetarian foods, avoids killing innocents and wild animals at all costs, and will not wear medium/leather armors

The deserves an 'awesome'!

mystic_gc525

Thank you @paganach. Sounds like our characters have some things in common! Same to you, @Seratopia! If either of you ever roll a character on PS4 NA, look me up and we can go.... not kill Tamriel's wildlife together! lol.

@paganach, I have the same issues with the wildlife hanging out around materials! Is seems for some reason wolves just love to group up around rune stones, gah! Some skills to calm, or distract them for a short time like you mentioned would be awesome. for non magic uses they could have like, throw a stone to distract wildlife... I dont know.

I would love to watch a live stream or play with just about anyone of you amazing creative people! do any of you here live stream>?

Peace,
Mystic

Eirikir

My character is a blacksmith, so I only use equipment (armor & weapons) I make myself.

xerasia

When obtaining the "Wicked Shepherd" achievement, my character took her pet goat, Mort, to the oasis in the Alik'r for some goat socializing while she did the thing then picked him up immediately afterward.

I dunno. I just really like goats.

Roechacca

I stopped playing with a HUD or add-ons. It's a lot harder then I anticipated.

WiseSky

Another Golden thread, I have so many things I implement its crazy!
No I am playing a Sorc who lost all his magic abilities and must relearn to use stamina skills !