Super-characters

[Kensai]

Greetings all,

As a non-traditional RPG player (more BB style than actual die-rolling games) I have a debate question for you all to answer.

What are your views on a super character? As a member of ACTD I find that there are some players, especially within the Tactical field, who create super characters that are good at everything.

Statements in bios like 'master of several martial arts' - personal gripe this since I know personally how long it takes to become a master in a martial art.
Or the ability to get out of a dangerous situation that theoretically they could not get out of so unscathed.

Surely it is better to create a character with flaws or something?

For example, my most beloved character, Cmdr. Raiser, I have is so powerful in terms of spirit and mind (strongwilled and heroic) that I need to create a physical disablity that keeps her from tipping the scales.

Thoughts?

[Atreides Conscript]

Characters with vital flaws are always going to be a step above the rest in my mind. A character that has no flaws is somewhat unrealistic, especially when they have boons in other areas. The only "flawless" character type that I can accept is a jack-of-all-trades type (who may as well have a flaw saying that they cannot be truly good at anything... just acceptable).

As an example of a great flawed character, we shall look at a Remnant NPC, Commander Kayta Isara. The way that she is set-up (without revealing too much information out of turn), Isara is a very heroic woman. However, she has a critical flaw that can truly land her and the crew of her ship into serious danger.

That flaw is hatred... blind hatred. Her hatred is so consuming that she has been referred to as a "butcher" in her combat techniques. Murder is not a crime to her so long as the victim is an object of her hatred (usually Cardassians, but also those whom she would consider traitors to the Bajoran people).

Her time spent in border space with the Maquis has also lent her to protective habits of other border colonists. She no longer sees the Bajorans as her people, but rather the scattered refugees, political prisoners, and kinless masses that the Maquis protect from Cardassian oppression.

With this being the case, Isara's hatred toward Cardassians has grown further. Many other, more moderate, Maquis speak in hushed tones of how none would be surprised if she started slaughtering Cardassian children along with the usual soldiers, political officials, and oppression-benefiting colonists.

Further, Isara's hatred has expanded to encompass other governments that seek to oppress their, or worse other, people. She has little qualms with attacking civilian targets to get across political messages. By the words of Federation case files, she stands firmly in the category of terrorist.

This isn't to say that Isara cares for no one. In fact, it is her immense caring for people that has driven her to this all-consuming hate. She cares passionately for those close to her and considers the refugees of the war-torn border worlds as nothing less than family.

The interesting aspect of Commander Kayta as a character is found within the precarious balance between her love and duty toward "her people" and her utter hatred for Cardassians and other oppressive governments.

For example, she cares for and loves her crew... even the ones that she has yet to consistently remember the names of. However, should a situation come up in which she must choose between the sacrifice of crewmen and the elimination of an enemy target, Kayta will have quite a predicament on her hands. It often, in her mind, comes down to a simple ratio of friendly loss to enemy loss. Unfortunately for many involved, Kayta's mind is not the most rational of places.

In conclusion, I would have twenty times as much fun playing Kayta Isara as I would playing another character who held a clear advantage over opposition. Role-playing is about looking through another person's shoes... and I haven't found any "person" to ever be perfect, or even truly exceptional without drawbacks. Flawless characters are LAME.

[artemi]

I believe it takes little effort to, say, write "20"s on each of the little boxes on a character sheet. Yeah, your strong, and yeah, you COULD likely beat me on any day of the week. But you know what? Chances are good that unless you are careful, thats gonna get old, quick. Superman, for example, seemed to be able to pull it off. Its not easy, though, and many times may simply not be worth it.

Thats why I have a fondness for points based systems, in that it constrains everyone to the same mold. Provided the system is balanced correctly, then even if you take a 20 in all of your stats, you are going to be seriously lacking when it comes to doing things that require a bit more finesse.

When it comes to more free form systems, things can be harder to balance. Personally, I like to beat my characters up; even when I DO win, it simply seems more... heroic, perhaps, when the dude has taken a few hits and has a hole through his shoulder.