GameBanshee Forums

Reading through this forums I can across a lot of threads where people put self-imposed restrictions on themselves for an extra challenge. That gave me the idea... how about playing through the series as yourself? More specifically:

1. Set your attributes/specializations/class to reflect you as a person. (Where 10.5 is human average)
2. Assume you know nothing about Faerun (creatures, locations, NPCs).
3. Only do things that you would do in RL (could you really kill someone with a sword to the chest?)
4. No reloads?

I think this would increase the challenge by gimping your character (since most of us would have stats 10.5 +- 3 points.) and would improve immersion. We are also a lot braver when it's just a character... but if you imagined yourself... would you really charge into a gnoll stronghold? Or rob a stranger's house? Things change a lot when it's not a game anymore.

I think this would end up being like a mix of a non-violent and min-xp playthrough but not as strict and with a gimped character.

What do you think?

Blackraven. wrote: 1. Set your attributes/specializations/class to reflect you as a person. (Where 9 is human average)

Wouldn't that be cheating? I don't want to play a character with 25 in each stat

Stworca wrote:Wouldn't that be cheating? I don't want to play a character with 25 in each stat

Stworca, some people have a more realistic view of themselves...:laugh:

Rad wrote:Stworca, some people have a more realistic view of themselves...:laugh:

Modesty is reserved for average folk.

Edit : Oh, and i always apply 3. and 4. in my playthrough's
Edit 2 : As for 2... The only part where that would matter are troll encounters, but it's a good point nonetheless.

Stworca wrote:Modesty is reserved for average folk.

Edit : Oh, and i always apply 3. and 4. in my playthrough's

Yeah, I think a lot of people do 3. That's why I added 2. We all know a gnoll would be easy to kill... but if I saw one for the first time in RL I'd probably run away! Also there would be no notion of experience so the way you'd asses risks vs. gains would be different.

I wonder how an agonizer scorcher would feel. I probably wouldn't fight any mages for awhile after that! lol.

Interesting concept, although the average ability would be 10.5, not 9.

I like to kid myself that I could squeeze in as a Ranger.

PS Oh, and if my character was to react how I would, then he would probably flee in terror from a Kobold, let alone a Gnoll!!!:laugh:

galraen wrote:Interesting concept, although the average ability would be 10.5, not 9.

I like to kid myself that I could squeeze in as a Ranger.

PS Oh, and if my character was to react how I would, then he would probably flee in terror from a Kobold, let alone a Gnoll!!!:laugh:

I considered Ranger since I'm an outdoorsy person in good shape. However I'm not really religious, I doubt any god would grant me cleric spells. lol

I think I'd be brave enough to face a normal Kobold one-on-one. Flame arrows would probably deter me though.

There are the things in Faerun I could aspire to be and then there is what I probably would be:

A Dwarf (I already have a bad Scottish accent and a beard), a Gnome or a halfling (kinda have hairy feet.)
I'd probably be a bard - fun in taverns, full of stories and anecdotes and useless in a standup fight :laugh:

If I was in Faerun I'd definitely try to learn magic (Abjuration), and I think I have the intelligence to do so. I've been in fights before and I can hold my own but I don't like it. I always wanted to try archery and I think it would be a good fit. So human archer/mage would be the ideal class for me, shame it's not possible. Maybe a few levels of fighter just to learn how to use a bow then dual to mage. I'd feel safest that way!

Hm... I practice archery already, and have some handy knowledge of herbs and mapmaking. So I'd probably try a ranger, if we're talking a playable character. But something tells me I might just as well become a quiet librarian hanging around Candlekeep and never having a day of adventure. Hopelessly lazy, y'know.

Well, if we take luck into consideration, then my first day as an adventurer...

I'd get randomly teleported into a dragon's lair, just at the very moment when a rock falls on his head from the ceiling... and when his family is about to visit.. and there would be magma pools everywhere, bugs crawling under my skin and an old man poking me with a stick, laughing.

It would probably also be christmas, and i would receive no presents whatsoever, but the first wizard in red robe that has white beard would give me coal, i would also discover at that moment that i'm allergic to coal.

Yeah. So let's not involve luck.

Pretty good idea, Blackraven. Years and years and years and years ago when in my 20's My pen & paper D&D and Champions group did this and it was quite fun. Makes you have a bit more respect for your character as it is YOU. I like the idea.

We found it best to let others rate our abilities, strength is easiest to gauge.
My stats are roughly so:

STR 16
DEX 11
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 16
CHA 9

As far as class I would probably be a fighter as i'm not religious so cleric is out. I would be a druid before I would a cleric. Don't really have the stats to be anything else...

So how did you gauge your strength and wisdom? Int is actually the easiest I think, simply divide your IQ by ten (round up or down).

Str is the easiest. See how much you can lift. The values per strength are listed in every manual.

Well my dex has always been a touch above average, but no more, no rogue here. So with aging effects pushing my wis high enough I can definitely be a first edition ranger. If I was Half-Elven I guess I could even be a Ranger-Cleric, but no dual classing. Definitely not a Paladin though!

Anyone up for checking what his poison resistance is?

My top stat would be dexterity for sure, the lowest condition.

cute piece of work you guys are doing here might actually try starting BG 1 again with this setup

I'm a decent sized guy but my strength isn't what it used to be. I was at a 17 back when we started doing that campaign. I'm old now and don't work out like I used to. Str is easy to gauge, simply do some standard military presses and check your result with the STR chart in the players handbook. INT would probably be second easiest. The rest are more intangible.

Pellinore wrote:Str is easy to gauge, simply do some standard military presses and check your result with the STR chart in the players handbook.

What me go near a gym? I can't, I'm allergic; as my favourite Gnome would say!:laugh:

I suspect I'd be a rogue or possibly a rogue/mage...

My dexterity is oddly good, I tend to have a criminal mind and I can be quite sneaky at moving people into a particular direction
I'm also very intuitive..

Stats I'm not sure about though, but I know Strength would be at the bottom with Wisdom and Constitution in competition for second to last spot.