|
But to address something first, "staying ic" is TOTALLY the essence of rp. If you are always "in character", you are always acting how your character would act. That's rp.
As for non-homicidal maniacs, you've got a wide variety of types of character. If you actually talk to them in a non-offensive manner, you might find out a bit more about that "homicidal maniac" who just killed you.
For example, I had a character who tried (somewhat successfully) to control the bounty hunting business. He was supposed to be harsh but fair, and was totally honest because he needed his clients to trust him. But more than just a personality type, he had a role that I could really envisage and try to live. He had employees to worry about, customers, friends, enemies, and business associates.
You might consider him a homicidal maniac because he didn't have many qualms about killing someone he didn't know if it advanced his mercenary company (whether by reputation, equipment or skills), but equally he'd not bother current customers. However, he sometimes tried to save people's lives if there was no profit for the company in them dying. He kept his clients confidential (eg I had thieves pay me to kill off other thieves of a matter of the guild, yet the target was allowed to believe it was his own cabal that wanted him dead, which sparked a bit of political turmoil there).
I think this was my favorite character because his role seemed totally feasible to me. There are lots of other people with similar sorts of roles -- thieves that control a black market, bards that spread imperial proganda by painting instead of just songs etc.
There was Constance who was a prudish paladin trib who used to have issues with the debauchery that was the inn (in her eyes), Satinka who ended up being reduced to a childlike mind etc etc. I could go on with a longer list but I won't. Suffice to say that you get a lot of conjurers who have named their familiars and use these in their rp too (eg they'll make their familiar do things and respond to it as if their familiar really was acting up).
|
