Abilities Beyond the Norm

Abilities Beyond the Norm can certainly make playing a character more enticing. Who didn't enjoy being undetectable in Thief? Or juggling an enemy in the air with blasts from your duel pistols in Devil May Cry?

Character Diamonds

In Chapter 2.1, "NPC Interesting Techniques," I introduced the idea of giving a major NPC a Character Diamond of three, four, or five different traits to make their personalities more dimensional.

There are a couple ways to use Character Diamonds in Role Induction if it's a Diamond a player wouldn't mind occupying, at least in fantasy.

To be effective and entice the player to identify with the Diamond you create, take one of the preceding roles from leader to badass to playing a valuable and appreciated role in a group to playing a beguiling identity veer a bit away from the cliché Diamond, and include a few interesting traits.

For example, playing a detective who is always cynical probably isn't as compelling as the character who is:

1. Often cynical

2. Occasionally brilliantly insightful

3. Cool and unflappable under pressure

4. Slyly generous

That is, we've created a non-clichè detective with an interesting Diamond.

The key, though, is to, along with the Diamond, use at least one of the other techniques discussed in this chapter, such as being a master at something; being a badass; having leadership qualities, and so on.