Pacifist Character?

S

siriuslyyellow

Apprentice
Hey all! :)

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience playing a pacifist PC and if they could share some info about what it's like. I imagine that you would be a healer, or maybe a merchant, or maybe you would just use spells like Shatter Weapon and Sleep on bad guys. I wanted to know if a character like that is fun to play, or if the lack of battle gets boring. I enjoy roleplay a lot, but I know battle is a big part of the game, too. So, any thoughts, opinions, or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance! :D
 
seen a few scholar types, not pacifists per se.
But it can be fun if you like that support role.
 
SkollWolfrun said:
seen a few scholar types, not pacifists per se.
But it can be fun if you like that support role.
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Yeah, I can see how that could be fun.

How about a PC who is straight up against fighting? The type who thinks any situation can be resolved by talking it out. Ever seen any of those around?
 
I've seen several new players attempt the idea, get repeatedly owned in combat at their first event from the smallest of crunchies, and then come back with a different concept at the next event. If I had to speculate, it might be one of those sounds good in theory but not so much in practice ideas.
 
One of the characters in Oregon identifies as a pacifist. He's an Earth Caster, and so while he will prepare and throw disables, he does not use Death and prepares mostly healing. He also doesn't have a weapon skill. I haven't had a detailed conversation with him in game, but the sense I get is that the character does not see healing non-pacifists (even during combat) as a non-pacifistic action. It's an interesting solution to playing a philosophy that is often not very fun to play in Alliance.
 
siriuslyyellow said:
Hey all! :)

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience playing a pacifist PC and if they could share some info about what it's like. I imagine that you would be a healer, or maybe a merchant, or maybe you would just use spells like Shatter Weapon and Sleep on bad guys. I wanted to know if a character like that is fun to play, or if the lack of battle gets boring. I enjoy roleplay a lot, but I know battle is a big part of the game, too. So, any thoughts, opinions, or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance! :D
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I had a character that didn't kill a single living thing for years.

It's perfectly doable. I'd stop things, other people might kill them (or I'd just leave the area or cripple them in a non-lethal manner, such as tying them up or at worst disabling limbs). There's far more to "life" than fighting, if you make it your calling.
 
I've also seen a few pacifists run once or twice, then not again. The major problem is getting involved. If you go on a module and want to talk your way out of every fight, the other characters (who aren't pacifists) will eventually get frustrated. It might work for one module, but most of those characters will have learned better than to take you on any more modules, and your reputation will spread fast. Eventually, you'll get left off of mods, which is less fun in a game as combat-centered as ours.
 
I have seen people playing pacifists turn an entire plot on its ear because they were simply willing to talk rather than immediately start swinging. If RP is your thing then it's entirely doable, very fun, and very rewarding.
 
Don't be discouraged by nay-sayers. What Matt said is probably a bit accurate, if your pacifism makes you useless in a fight. But I play an Earth caster who rarely goes on mods, because I choose to be somewhat conservative with my castings, and tend to have a deep well when big town fights come around. I spend most of my game talking to people. I don't need no stinking mods. ;)

Point is, figure out what you want your pacifism to accomplish. You're going to have conflicts that can't be solved with an appropriate amount of murder. Are you good at finding alternative solutions. Are you able to deal with, as a player, the likelihood someone is going to argue with you on the matter. Have you figured out how your character would handle debates on the matter, and how he would handle someone telling him to go jump in a lake while they do the killing you didn't want to happen?

If you're the kind of player who would enjoy that kind of emotional RP, go for it! But in the end, your character will "lose" more than he'll "win." What matters is how you, the player, will feel about that. :)
 
I've been playing a pacifist for the last year at Alliance Gettysburg. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about it.

My biggest warning is that unless you're prepared for it, you're going to wind up frustrated about the lack of treasure. Few and far between are the PCs that remember to tip their healers. That's not saying they aren't out there, but they're the exception, not the rule. Your game may be different. That said, my PC has also sworn a vow of poverty. The only items he carries are items used to heal the town. That and necromantic trinket he intends to destroy asap.
 
There is a gypsy character in OR that is a pacifist. He is a healer. He will only heal and buff. He won't attack anything but the undead (since they aren't living). You could go a step further if your chapter supports heavy RP roles. Merchants also make great pacifist but there needs to be a plot supported economy for merchants to get a foothold. OR for instance has the non PC merchants be seriously overpriced rip-off artists. Sure in a pinch you can buy something from them but it's much cheaper to get your blacksmithing done by the local PC mastersmith.
 
obcidian_bandit said:
I've also seen a few pacifists run once or twice, then not again. The major problem is getting involved. If you go on a module and want to talk your way out of every fight, the other characters (who aren't pacifists) will eventually get frustrated. It might work for one module, but most of those characters will have learned better than to take you on any more modules, and your reputation will spread fast. Eventually, you'll get left off of mods, which is less fun in a game as combat-centered as ours.
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Vavarick has been playing almost this whole season and hasn't fought anything. Still crucial on mods.
 
Since I have been referenced at least twice on here I suppose I should post! Hi I am the Gypsy Earth pacifist who plays in the Oregon chapter. A few suggestions for you!

So firstly its really important to have more going on with your character than just your pacifist thing. Me playing a Gypsy usually means that I have 3 or 4 other Gypsy that I hang with and we can joke and talk for hours on end. Your have to remember Alliance is a combat heavy game and my biggest concern when I made Vavarick was that I'd be bored with nothing to do. And as Vavarick I have not ever killed anything living since I started playing him.

How I justify going into combat and healing people who kill things: Vavarick unerstands that there is conflict in the world and that there always will be. So he chooses to heal those he believes are on a morally good path but he also will help the innocent and will pretty much heal anyone in need. The enemy in the game currently pretty much represents the polar opposite of good in Vavaricks mind so he never heals them. However were the conflict less clear or the enemy less evil he would more than likley heal wounded soldiers from the other side. He kind of has a Hippocratic oath thing going on! :)

So what do I do to get involved in combat? Well I generally try to run around the back and heal people when they need it. I will also throw some Bindomancy and when undead show up I destroy them! Undead=Non-Living therefore they don't qualify for pacifism! Also I'm just returning them to their natural state!) So I also will do my emergency resuce healing (this is perhaps my favorite thing to do!) Bassically if some one is down on the field I will try and charge out to apply whatever healing is needed as I run past them. I had a great instance of this last game where I charged all the way round the field and hit 4 people with drive by healing! So I still get involved in combat just not with a stick.

So far no one has really debated me about my pacifism I will say Vavarick mostly finds the thought of hurting people distastful (due to previous background stuff) and that's really his main motivation. But he really believes he's on the right path even if I know his beliefs arn't 100% logical and sound. But hey flawed characters make for interesting ones!

So clearly I have allot to say about this and I am sure I can say more feel free to PM me with questions or respond here!
 
Oh yeah and I have to say out of all my characters that I have played in Alliance Vavarick is so far my favorite!
 
Thanks everyone, especially Egor and twilsemail! If I do decide to be a pacifist, I will definitely be asking you two for more help, either on this thread or via PM! :D

I'm glad to know that some of my ideas for a character are already being used, so I know they work! XD Thanks again, everyone! :D
 
I think a pacifist character could have a lot of great roleplay, but you'd need to find your line and really stick to it. Do you heal allies that will then go fight more? Do you heal enemies? If you bind/pin an enemy, are you implicit in their destruction by your allies? Could be some amazing character stuff! :)
 
I tend to play non-combative characters quite often. Oh, they can hit if they have to but mostly they prefer not fighting. However, if you go down that road, do expect to be kept out of the higher up plots as there is usually an upper limit of people allowed on the mod and they'll want to have only the best combat people available.

It may not be true in every case, but my characters had been told numerous times in numerous chapters that they should 'stay home' as it was going to be too dangerous for him.
 
markusdark said:
I tend to play non-combative characters quite often. Oh, they can hit if they have to but mostly they prefer not fighting. However, if you go down that road, do expect to be kept out of the higher up plots as there is usually an upper limit of people allowed on the mod and they'll want to have only the best combat people available.

It may not be true in every case, but my characters had been told numerous times in numerous chapters that they should 'stay home' as it was going to be too dangerous for him.
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Can't speak for every character but that doesn't happen to our pacifist gypsy in OR. We need dedicated turbo healers.
 
evi1r0n said:
markusdark said:
I tend to play non-combative characters quite often. Oh, they can hit if they have to but mostly they prefer not fighting. However, if you go down that road, do expect to be kept out of the higher up plots as there is usually an upper limit of people allowed on the mod and they'll want to have only the best combat people available.

It may not be true in every case, but my characters had been told numerous times in numerous chapters that they should 'stay home' as it was going to be too dangerous for him.
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Can't speak for every character but that doesn't happen to our pacifist gypsy in OR. We need dedicated turbo healers.
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So what you're saying is that you and I are both dedicating 100% of our high magic to Healer's Resolve, now? ;)
 
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