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Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Okay, so I've just completed Dragon Age Origins & Awakenings (epic - BTW!) and am now inspired to create a similar character in Skyrim for deeper RP.

Has anyone else been inspired by experiences with other games that leads them to being better Skyrim players?
 

Morgan

Well-Known Member
My first D&D character was a sneaky rogue (more of a scout than a thief) who routinely ranged around, behind, and in front of the party, armed with a bow and a dagger. On more than a few occasions he took out ambushes before the rest of the party even knew it was there. That first character has informed some version of a character in every game since. It's one of the more popular Skyrim archetypes (if that can be a thing in a single-player game). But my version dates long before most people working on Skyrim were even born.

I get more inspiration from books than other games though. I've based several characters on various people from Peter Beagle's The Folk of the Air, which is a genuinely original and fascinating book if you ignore one big flaw. Atypically, I have never used The Lord of the Rings characters though. It's one of my favorites books, but doesn't seem right to me to mine it for character fodder.

Usually though, I'll use these previous characters only as starting points. I don't like to replicate a character completely. I'll start the same character, but it's not often long before they have taken their own traits and diverged from the source, becoming unique on the way, even if the name be the same. There's always one little thread though that ties them together, all the way back to the origin; a battle cry, a piece of clothing, a choice weapon, a quirky sense of humor. All told, there's no child alive who can compete with me for the stable of imaginary friends I've made for myself over the years :D
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
My first D&D character was a sneaky rogue (more of a scout than a thief) who routinely ranged around, behind, and in front of the party, armed with a bow and a dagger. On more than a few occasions he took out ambushes before the rest of the party even knew it was there. That first character has informed some version of a character in every game since. It's one of the more popular Skyrim archetypes (if that can be a thing in a single-player game). But my version dates long before most people working on Skyrim were even born.

I get more inspiration from books than other games though. I've based several characters on various people from Peter Beagle's The Folk of the Air, which is a genuinely original and fascinating book if you ignore one big flaw. Atypically, I have never used The Lord of the Rings characters though. It's one of my favorites books, but doesn't seem right to me to mine it for character fodder.

Usually though, I'll use these previous characters only as starting points. I don't like to replicate a character completely. I'll start the same character, but it's not often long before they have taken their own traits and diverged from the source, becoming unique on the way, even if the name be the same. There's always one little thread though that ties them together, all the way back to the origin; a battle cry, a piece of clothing, a choice weapon, a quirky sense of humor. All told, there's no child alive who can compete with me for the stable of imaginary friends I've made for myself over the years :D
I agree with you. Jordan, Tolkien, McCaffrey, Brooks and so many others are strong influences for me. And, of course D&D and AD&D.
 

Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
I based Kohlar off of the main character in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Series, which chronicles the Danes attempt to take Wessex. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, aka Uhtred Uhtredson, aka Uhtred Ragnarson, who Killed Ubba Lothbrockson by the sea, and felled Svein of the White Horse at Ethandun.
 

Gigapact

Lollygagging Milk Drinker (according to guards)
Off of other games? No... but off of other stories yes. Like I once made a Robin Hood Character.

Have you seen the new FX show "The Strain"? I'm pondering making a vampire character after that German character, Thomas Eichorst. He's such a bad ass, although he is a nazi and racist :sadface:
 

Rhew

The missing snow elf
I discovered last night that I will never be creating a character on anything that has to do with Final Fantasy though. No way I want a character that's a stop motion twink.
A final fantasy character would be horrible in Skyrim. :p
 

Rhew

The missing snow elf
I've never based any of my characters on other game characters. I usually think of a back story of all my characters before I actually start them.
My Argonian was raised in Valenwood after a shipwreck. So he's always amused when people reference the Black Marsh to him.

My Snow Elf was actually a dragonborn from ancient times who had to freeze herself and her follower during an avalanche to save them. They thawed out at a giant's camp and well..... didn't win. She lost her memories from the attack and is now traveling around Skyrim trying to find hints that will help her remember what she was.

My newest character, a Bosmer. Is an extremely old one. He was a soldier in the Five Year War and came to Skyrim during the "cleansing". He started as a miner but bandits raided the mine he worked at. He was able to keep them away with just a couple of pickaxes. This impressed the bandits and recruited him. During a bandit raid he was captured by the Imperials and was sent to Helgen. He is actually the older brother of Faendal and was incredibly surprised to find him in Riverwood.

Yeah, I've been getting more and more into the elder scrolls universe the more I make characters :oops:
 

Lewsean

Member
I design some character around Westeros (Game of Thrones). You'd be surprised just how much Skyrim & GoT have in common.
 
I agree with the others. I don't get inspiration from other games, but I do from books. Perhaps that's because I normally read more books than play games (not anymore with Skyrim - I'm sure you guys understand why lol). Just the other day I made a new character named Nymeria, after Arya Stark's from GoT pet wolf. I thought it fitting because I plan to make her a werewolf, and well, the name sounded elvish to me too, which fit because I'm playing a half Nord half Bosmer character. I've also made Ranger type characters and Druids named after Meera in GoT. She just seems like their version of a ranger to me so it fit. :eek:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass

Sahrot Vahlok Spaan. Bahnahgaar. Minion #88!
Staff member
I get inspiration from literally anything and everything, mostly music though.
 

Jewels

POTATO
My best inspiration has been the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I made a few characters based off of the following:
Tauriel
Bilbo
Smaug
Boromir
and Gandalf.
I wish you could control your character's height. Though almost all of the Tolkein characters I just named are guys, so I mainly just create the female version of them. I really wish there was a Sting or a staff that looks like Gandalf's in Skyrim, or at least a Hobbit-hole themed house.
 

Stalker

Member
My best inspiration has been the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I made a few characters based off of the following:
Tauriel
Bilbo
Smaug
Boromir
and Gandalf.
I wish you could control your character's height. Though almost all of the Tolkein characters I just named are guys, so I mainly just create the female version of them. I really wish there was a Sting or a staff that looks like Gandalf's in Skyrim, or at least a Hobbit-hole themed house.

That makes me want to start a new game as Frodo lol.
I did create a similar character as Drizzt Do Urden from forgotten realms. He's a dark elf ranger that duel wields scimitars. He's also known to hang around Ice Wind Dale which is a region similar to Skyrim.
 

Jewels

POTATO
My best inspiration has been the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I made a few characters based off of the following:
Tauriel
Bilbo
Smaug
Boromir
and Gandalf.
I wish you could control your character's height. Though almost all of the Tolkein characters I just named are guys, so I mainly just create the female version of them. I really wish there was a Sting or a staff that looks like Gandalf's in Skyrim, or at least a Hobbit-hole themed house.

That makes me want to start a new game as Frodo lol.
I did create a similar character as Drizzt Do Urden from forgotten realms. He's a dark elf ranger that duel wields scimitars. He's also known to hang around Ice Wind Dale which is a region similar to Skyrim.
That sounds cool!!! I never heard of Forgotten Realms, but maybe I should try it... Sometimes I like to act like the dwarves and drink a lot of wine and jump on the tables in random inns. But that also is like Merry and Pippin, so yeah...
It's just fun to pretend!! :)
 

Morgan

Well-Known Member
Forgotten Realms is one of the big D&D game setting worlds (Greyhawk and Dragonlance are another two). There are tons of novels, adventures, gamebooks, etc about it, so lots of source material for background. I would estimate that Forgotten Realms is only second to Middle Earth in terms of depth of development.
 

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