Recycling Characters

October Knight

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  1. Male
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Fantasy, Horror and Sci-fi. I'll try basically anything though. I also love strange and unusual RP genre concepts. Different is good!
Recycling Characters

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I made a thread yesterday about character death

And it made me think about reusing characters in different RPs. I don't like to do it, if I can help it, but sometimes a character is just so awesome that you MUST play them again.

Do you recycle and reuse characters?



 
I do it all the time. I like sticking with character's and continuing their stories. I'm acutally playing my character Taras Novikov in both my own game and in Grumpy's because I like him so much. Usually, I'll come up with a new character, but sometimes I can't think of anything new, so I play an old one.
 
I've actually got a couple of characters that I've re-used a number of times.

HARRY BLACK - Sarcastic, cunning little scene kid who seems to find himself in horrible situations frequently (his first incarnation was as a World of Darkness character in a zombie game). He solves his problems through negotiation, humour and being able to think around his opponents. He's also completely useless in combat, but rather good at running away (this stemmed from his first incarnation as well; his friend in that game was a seven-foot tall wrestler student. Harry didn't really need to fight). I use him a lot because he's a fun character to play and easy to fit into most settings.

NOEL & KATIE LOWE - A pair of siblings travelling together after the apocalypse. Noel's the teenager and grim, sardonic one. Katie's the childish and ever-cheery, if a little shy, one who teases her brother frequently. The two are practically inseparable and Noel is fiercely protective of his little sister; in their first game, he murdered a trio of wastelanders who'd overpowered the group's resident-badass, for "threatening to hurt Katie". I like to play these two because writing dialogue for them is an absolute joy, and they make for a great addition to a post-apocalypse game.

GRANT PAGE - Because stoic, unbreakable Scottish doctors are awesome.
 
I don't "reuse" characters, per se. However, there are a couple characters that make "appearances" in a lot of RPs, usually near the middle-to-end of the RP. It's a way I intertwine all those RPs in a massive timeline, which I enjoy doing a lot.

The characters themselves don't really help the characters, since they're view is to not meddle in the lives of mortals TOO much. However, if there's a war or attack against say, a god, then they will aid them, since mortals tend to need help with fighting deities.
 
I recycle them by archetype, especially when I want to make a quick character for D&D or Pathfinder:

THE BATMAN: Your skills-heavy, jack of all trades hero. Typically brooding, always smarter than everyone else. He's the Idea Guy as well as your go-to guy for troubleshooting and infiltration. Characters I base off of Altair from Assassin's Creed also fit into this archetype. Examples: Jon Skyrider (rogue/monk D&D 3.5), Taline Graycloak (ranger, Pathfinder).

THE PRINCE ASHITAKA: Your quiet, wise, yet understatedly-badass messianic figure. Like the Batman archetype, the Prince Ashitaka is a very balanced character in terms of stats; if he has an emphasis, its on leadership skills. He prefers win through diplomacy, but can handle himself in a fight. Any character I base off of Himura Kenshin tends to fall into this archetype, though my Kenshin-clones are definitely speed and combat focused. Examples: Prince Takara (ranger, Pathfinder), Hakugane (fighter, Pathfinder), Seed (WSA forum rpg).

THE WILD CARD: Gambler, womanizer, and general monkey wrench in the machinery. This archetype lives on the seat of his pants and usually ends up in the skirts of a girl. He lacks any discipline at all, but has a code of honor--though damned if you can figure out what it is. He runs Chaotic Good (usually) to Chaotic Neutral (on occasion). His fighting style is equally electic, or his magic is similarly unpredictable. Examples: John (from GabrielZero's old Street Fighter forum rpg)
 
I've done a few recycles. There have been character concepts I didn't get to play with much, so to develop them further, I'll tweak them to fit the setting of a game and see how it goes.

One that people have seen quite a bit of is Aimi Wruath, who's a psychotic catgirl. Mostly, she's been fantasy settings. She's one of the first characters I've ever created, so she's been in a lot of games. I've even RP'd out her history with someone, which led to her husband dying, thus her 'new life' as an angel. It's complicating. :| I'll leave it at that. Any RPs I put her in nowadays, she probably has a goal to kill someone. She's an angel of vengeance and murder.

The one I've recycled the most, I think, is Josie Thompson. She's a woman with pinkish-purple hair, glasses and epic combat skillz. Most stories, she's part alien, but doesn't know it, therefore appearances of outerspace creatures confuse her. Especially when they try to communicate with her. This woman's history is pretty bizarre. XD But for some reason, I love her to death. I want to see this character get somewhere, so I change her constantly with hopes I can finish a story involving her.

Other stories I've put her in are futuristic ones with droids, where she is an undercover secretary or wealthy lady with a popular clothing fashion people are really into. Another I've done with her is Appleseed-esque, where she's the BAMF lady kicking ass with a cyborg.

I guess, I have yet to find out where Josie truly belongs.
 
The only one that I reuse is Monet DeChance and I'm kind of disappointed to not see her recently although she's not for every RP but she's found her way in a couple of RPs and can sometimes make a cameo as a one shot NPC in other games. I'm sure she'll pop up somewhere sooner or later. *evil cackle*

But for those of you who haven't met Monet. Be afraid of her when I bring her out. :D
 
Hell yes I reuse characters.

Shiv the assassin: My first character ever on Iwaku...I reuse his personality type here and there when I get the chance.

Jack Shade: Because Iwaku mythos characters have a tendency to die...a lot.

I'm sure there are more...
 
Depending on the RP, I'll decide whether to reuse a character or not.

So, a yes and a no. I have reused several characters, such as two of my favorites, John Lace and Alice Hikande.
When I look at/read an rp, I'll think of a character type that I would use for that rp, and if I already have a character with that personality, I'll use that one again. I may change a few things up or something, but it'll basically be the same guy.

So again, both a yes and a no, all depending on what I want for a certain Rp.
 
I haven't recycled a character before though there is one that I really want to. It was in an RP very similar to Project: Genesis and his name was Sep. Basically he was a guy with long white hair in a black trenchcoat a long katana with a metal arm that could transform into a biological laser gun (think Trigun but not as powerful) something like that anyway.

If I would have the chance to play him again I would because I think he is a BAMF.