Article: Story vs. Legend in Character Playing

The Elf, the Myth, the Legend
(Or, So You Think You're a Badass...)

Part 1
By Cory Beal

So, you walk into the gaming room with "Kashmir" by Led Zepplin playing in the back of your mind. Your place at the table is already set, dice neatly laid on top of your folder, #2 pencil sharpened and at the ready. You're flanked on the right by the pimple-faced kid who offers you some of his Mike and Ike's, and through a nervous giggle comments, "Please don't kill me." The gulp isn't audible, but it might as well be as his adam's apple rises through his neck. To the left, a player who has played with your character before nods in silent appreciation, but deep down he knows what your badass is capable of.

Maybe it was a well-timed critical hit roll with an enchanted weapon possessing a "special" 19-20 effect. Maybe it was a strategy that played out and saved everyone in the tower, or maybe it was the double-cross blindside that was unforgivable, yet epic all at the same time. It's hard to quantify what makes the myth of a character, but perhaps its all three.

However, maybe the best indicator is none of the above.

Much like the days of the old west, it wasn't what one actually did as they rode out of Dodge. Rather, it was what everyone else said he did. Billy the Kid was said to have killed a man at the age of 12 after the man insulted his mother. In reality, Billy the Kid's mother died of consumption when he was 15, and he killed his first victim out of self defense because poor Billy was being bullied and was no match for the ass-kicking he was taking.

Truth be told, no character is as badass as the creator wants them to be until legend takes over in stories told the next day. "Oh man, you should have seen it..." is how they usually start, and then the tale is fabricated and woven through a telephone-game style process. At this point, the only responsibility of the player is to then live up to the legend.

In my experience, there are 3 common myths in character creation that fail to make that true"badass".


Myth #1: A true "B.A." must be a muscle bound, weapon loaded, armor protected, super tank. This couldn't be further from the truth, and lends itself to some built in doubt as to what this character is truly capable of. Is the character badass, or is all that gear and weaponry badass? There is a line from the incredible film, "The Usual Suspects" which states that true power isn't in what you do, but in what you are willing to do that others aren't. What's more "B.A.," the guy who everyone expects to win, or the guy who no one expects to live, and then does so while defeating the odds?

Myth #2: A true "B.A." is a master of magic and has that "certain spell" that can obliterate a legion of soldiers. In my humble opinion, magic is a crutch that bails characters out when they can't think of what to do next. Let's be honest, who is more beloved, Obi Wan with his superstitious hocus pocus, or Han Solo with a trusty blaster by his side?

Myth #3: A true B.A. is the first one into a fracus and the last one out. That isn't the stuff of legend! The next day's recap begins with "It was hilarious (already a bad start). Kevin walked through the door into a room full of vampires! When the door shut behind him, they skewered him like a bar-b-que." The true B.A. is like The Gambler. He knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them, knows when to walk away, and knows when to run. Why? Because that allows the character a chance to do something "B.A." the next adventure. This isn't X-Box, you don't get to blow crap up, have it backfire, and then press restart. There is a fine line between being a legend and being fondly remembered because something went hilariously wrong while you were trying to be the hero! A true B.A. isn't a hero, his actions are justified by the moment. Now this doesn't mean your character has to be a weasel that everybody hates (that goes against the formula), but a true B.A. is justified in all of their actions. Although the other players might not like it, they can't help but understand them.

When push comes to shove, there is really no control over the other player's perception. It just doesn't carry the same weight if you are the one who says, "oh yeah, my character is a badass." Of course you're going to say that. You're the guy who gave yourself a nickname and won't respond to anything else. Maybe you can hope to say something at the gaming table that will be quoted for months, (maybe you even put it on a t-shirt to help everyone remember), or you might be so lucky as to roll three 20's in a row during combat, but come on...everyone has a great day now and again. Maybe you're the guy who raids every corpse on the battlefield hoping to find that one special object that leaves the other gamers shaking in their armor.

The fact is, those make good stories...but they don't make legends. A true B.A. is built over time through character development. In other words, you have to earn that title.

As you may have noticed ,this is Part 1 in a two part series. In the next installment, we will take some time looking at increasing your odds at creating the B.A. you know you are dying to play.
Until then...

~Beware the Varuush!