Application Examples from Old Forums

[TheWastesAreFrozen]

Good Application Examples

There are many different qualities that contribute to a great application, including an unquantifiable sense of "the Awesome." Instead of trying to enumerate these, and inevitably overemphasizing some qualities and forgetting others, we present the following samples of real exceptional applications, along with commentary and analysis on what makes them so good.

Of course, the number one important quality of a good application is that it has goals that involve other players while requiring minimal DM support. As you read through these examples, notice that each one does a superb job of this.

       

SideKick wrote:              1. SideKick. Varied playing times, Australian timezone.
 
2. Rueth Greyward. Escaped slave from Traensyr. Callous and steadfast in
the pursuit of his goals, Rueth is blunt and outspoken, unburdened by
pleasantries and idle chatter.
 
His personal creed is dictated by his conviction in the virtues of
discipline and vigour. Only when the strong assert their authoritarian
dominance will humanity know security and prosperity in the harsh and
vicious realm of the Underdark.
 
3. Lawful evil, Helm, human, fighter.
 
4. The Watch
 
5. Rueth’s longterm goals are twofold. He seeks to ensure the security of
Sanctuary from within, while simultaneously projecting its strength against
the numerous enemies that populate the Underdark.
 
Of foremost concern, is protecting Sanctuary through means of control.
Rueth is adamant that the Watch must eliminate the enemies within, real or
imagined. Citizens that fail to pledge support are subversive elements and
should be dealt with accordingly. Punishment for offenders and ill-doers
must be harsh, so as to set a precedent for others to follow.
 
If the people will not actively labour to make Sanctuary strong and well
defended, they will be made to. Rueth will lobby to have non-surface races
(Drow, Duergar, etc.) licensed and subject to constant scrutiny. Citizens
will be drafted into military units to mount raids and marshal the defence,
while smiths and crafters commissioned to outfit these draftees.
 
The Town Council is an unnecessary impediment to the security of Sanctuary.
Given the chance Rueth would dispose of the organisation entirely.
Initially he will push for the seats to be occupied by ineffectual puppets
that can be bullied into carrying out his will. Ultimately he will do all
within his power to weaken the Council and invest power in a strong leader.      
Arkov: This was one of the earliest applications that we received, and it is one of my all-time favorites. Within a few short paragraphs, this player describes not merely a character, but a vision for his faction and for the future of Sanctuary. Sparing no words on idle chatter, he lays bare his character's fundamental philosophy, his long-range goals, and his concrete short-term plans. His ultimate objectives are bold, dramatic, and exciting. They offer incredible opportunity for conflict and cooperation, both personal and ideological, and set the stage for wonderful stories. This application is absolutely excellent and inspiring.
 
Take-Home Lessons: Notice how the biography focuses on the character traits which are important for the rest of the application. The character's driving motivations are laid out, but with no unnecessary focus on his life story -- this is perfect. Every line of the goals section adds a new goal or concrete plan for implementing a goal. These specific concrete steps, many of which can be done without DM involvement and which allow for a wide variety of interaction and conflict, are just as important as the overarching vision and long-range goals.
 
This application is a good example of how you can make an amazing, awesome character out of an incredibly simple mold -- a human Helmite fighter ex-slave. A common mistake is to try to substitute rare subraces, obscure deities, exotic homelands, or other "uncommon" molds for real depth and exciting goals. Remember: your character will not be special because he's a water genasi; he will be special because of the depth, thought, and awesome characterization that you provide. The application is your first chance to show off your goals and concept.[/LIST]

[TheWastesAreFrozen]

1. Stormbnder, EST afternoons through late nights.
 
2. Aaron Wrinkle. Enslaved by the Illithids, Aaron was subjected to many
experiments which altered his perception for brief periods of time, causing
him to believe that things were there or happening that weren't. This
eventually caused a shift in his understanding of the world, which led him
to believe that nothing is real but what the mind makes real. His current
view of the world is that all that he perceives is a creation of his own
mind, and the more that he can bring under his influence, the better he
will control his mind and be able to influence the things around him. He is
an illusionist, because he believes that the illusions are just as powerful
as reality, since it is the mind which is affected by them, and the mind is
all that matters.
 
   He is unclear on his past, due to the experiments, but believes that he
lived a simple student's life in the Dalelands, and was very lucky to
receive the education that he did. He may have just as easily been educated
by the Illithids after being birthed in their pits, but he has knowledge of
society, writing, and magic from one source or another. He escaped on a
routine scouting mission, when a sudden landslide buried his captor.
 
3. Neutral Evil, no deity (deities are also creations of his mind, he
believes), human, wizard.
 
4. Spellguard.
 
5. My Spellguard character will establish a network of contacts and spies
to further his own goals of control, as well as assist the Spellguard.
 
His overall goal is to bring everyone and everything under his sphere of
influence and control, because of his beliefs about the truth of the mind.
He believes that once he controls everything in his perceived universe, he
will be able to do absolutely anything just by willing it, since he will
have complete control over his own mind, and thus his perceived world.
 
He will attempt to give the Spellguard a better reputation in Sanctuary,
since many of the members of the Spellguard are cold and terse. He will be
much more friendly and gentle with citizens, in order to better and more
subtly manipulate them.
 
He will make sure that the entire populace is well educated in the reasons
for the Spellguard's existence, and always promote the importance of
cooperation.
 
He will organize fun wizarding events, like duels and tournaments, only in
Spellguard-designated safe areas, to look for new recruits and to promote
the idea that the Spellguard does more than just enforce laws. He will also
take these opportunities to prove himself against other wizards.
 
Those people who do not cooperate with his agenda will be killed in a
secretive fashion, and he will eat their brains. He will do this because he
got a taste for it from an old Illithid master, and because he considers it
to be absorbing other aspects of his own mind, giving him greater control
over the fabric of reality.      
Arkov: This is another of my all-time favorite applications. The character is brilliantly constructed and well thought out, with an original and imaginative world-view. Even better, the application itself is well-paced and exciting to read! The long-term goals are creative and fit the character perfectly, and the concrete steps to pursue those goals involve other players, offer opportunities for conflict and cooperation, and require no DM involvement.
 
Tip: a common oversight in wizard applications is to forget to mention the school of magic that the character is specializing in. Observe how this application not only mentions the specialization, but also incorporates it in a clever way into the character's persona, philosophy, and objectives. This is superb. The character isn't just a wizard; he is truly an Illusionist.

[TheWastesAreFrozen]

More good application examples.
 
         Quote:              Account: Colonel Misery, EST weekends/rain-days/nights if I can stay awake  
 
Aleczumberzeil te Esoterotept is a NE human fighter/bard of Jergal (although his interpretation of Jergalite dogma is super conservative, harkening back to the older pre-Kelemvor Jergal, and the piety is more of reverence of what he considers to be the ultimate deity of death vs. adherence to a particular creed). He is predominantly a scholar and loremaster, whose ultimate objective is to survive in order to continue to his scholary research. To that end, he is actively pursuing necromancy and any form of magic that would extend his lifespan and improve his withering body. He is not a particularly adept arcanist or spell-user, but more a necromantic researcher and scholar who is interested in using his own body for said research out of desperate fear of his own inevitable mortality.
 
Alecz entered into the Underdark deliberately, fleeing a group of enraged Waterdhavian librarians after the successful theft of a number of their more obscure texts (he remains paranoid of the reemergence of these dangerous and deadly librarians). Alecz was seized by a roving band of monstrous slavers, who stole all his things (including the tomes), but whom he eventually managed to escape. He believes that there is a specific reason he stumbled upon Dunwarren, and indeed is developing a theory as to it being a place of enormous necromantic significance.
 
I am applying for the pale-master prestige class.  
 
Goals/Things he will do:  
 
(1) Attempt to amass the most interesting book collection of any PC. In addition to the various books that are already sprinkled around the module, it would be nice if you guys would consider dropping rare books on the occasional PC group for Alecz to try to hunt down (and purchase or send bounty hunters after). In addition to rare yet mechanically useless books, it might be cool to have some books with useful charges that involved destruction of the book itself - something Alecz would be violently opposed to.
 
(2) Write and publish a variety of different short tomes and texts: essays on the advantages of necromancy/the use of undead, alternate historical theories, records of profound events or significant deaths.
 
(3) Further the cause of friendly undead in Dunwarren. To that end, he will closely ally with Thomas and any other sentient-friendly undead being he encounters. He will attempt persuasion (personal + written) of PCs and NPCs to try to convince them to willingly sign up to be animated as well as use undead creatures for daily household chores and of course town defense.
 
(4) Actively research any undead/necromantic subject possible: this may include hiring other PCs to collect rare ingredients (or organizing quests around such), etc.
 
(5) Run for Council, fail spectacularly. I have no interest in actually winning a seat, yet running a campaign in which Alecz will proudly announce his support for the use of undead (and possibly use trickery such as animating nice old ladies and try to get the unthinking abominations to pantomime campaigning for him) might be interesting.
 
(6) Be a public, clear enemy for most good aligned PCs and law enforcement as well - he will attempt to exploit the vagueness regarding the legality of animating monsters/non-citizens as undead, so hopefully be a villain that will really let CG shine as they take him down. Of course, I do not plan to be taken down, but I am sure it will happen. I imagine he'll break some laws along the way too so law enforcement may get him also.
 
(7) Attempt to organize a semi-formal cadre of like-minded PCs who are open to necromantic research. Again the group will act as a public and clearly identifiable group of bad guys who good can actively work and scheme against.
 
( Attempt to establish a shop that sells books and other rare antiquities within Lower Sanctuary. This may be done either by renting space in a PC run area (such as a tavern, etc.) or if necessary by opening his own building. The shop would also offer scribe's services, and generally publish views and perspectives contrary to what Alecz considers the narrowly-bound ethical standards of the Upper establishment.       
 
         Quote:              1.) Account Name: If I Could Turn Back Time  
Playtime: GMT -5 Evenings.  
 
2.) Character Name: Valaron Sunellar  
Bio: Born to a mixed parentage involving celestial blood, Valaron joined the Order of the Ruby Rose in his late teenage years when his heritage became more overtly manifest. While an inititiate, he was captured in Waterdeep by slavers and brought to Skullport, where he was sold into slavery as an intriguing commodity for his heritage. After several transactions, he was eventually brought to Traensyr, where he was branded as a slave to a major Drow House. Due to the recent conflicts between the established Lolthies and Ghaundahauran rebels, he was able to escape Traensyr and make his way to Sanctuary. His experiences in slavery have burned out most any sense of vanity or entitlement from him, and his Aasimar heritage and training with the Ruby Rose Order make him compelled to reattain his life in Sanctuary after it was nearly stripped from him, and to prove himself worthy of the title he was never able to receive.
 
3.) Alignment: Lawful Good  
Deity: Sune  
Race: Aasimar  
Class: Fighter/Paladin  
 
4.) Application for: Aasimar subrace and a position in the Sanctuary Watch.  
 
5.) Goals:  
 
-Join the Sanctuary Watch. As the principal defense force and the current reason that Sanctuary has remained intact, a position in this organization currently offers the best chance to work to help the people of Sanctuary. The character will also work to end corruption and graft in this organization, viewing such activities as an inner manifestation of the darker, ugly side of human nature that must be halted and stopped.
 
-Esablish a system of Magistrates to oversee trials, instead of the current system of using Council members. The rift between the Sheriff and the Council has left an awkward procedure where trials are sometimes ignored in lieu of immediate punishment. By creating a set of three magistrates chosen jointly by the Watch and the Spellguard, this will hopefully prevent such acts. It will also eliminate the problem of having political figures with possibly little experience in matters of the law from passing judgment upon suspected criminals.
 
-Work to re-establish a set of PC Deputies for the Watch-or the Civil Defense League, depending. Essentially, this would give other PCs a chance to see the Watch at work defending Sanctuary from outside threats as well as simply patrolling inside the city. It will also likely appeal to some players who enjoy that sort of roleplay, and possibly help give some struggling characters a sense of purpose and duty.
 
-Work to address the concerns of some of the separatist factions and re-integrate them into Sanctuary's main government. As a battered city located in the Underdark, Sanctuary severely compromises its ability to remain intact by splitting itself into bickering factions. The concerns of some such factions, such as New Dunwarren and the Spellguard, may be addressed in such a manner as to entice them back into their roles in the main Sanctuary government. Showing both of these factions that corruption can be rooted out, and that Sanctuary's government can function effectively when backed strongly by the Watch, as well as addressing stated concerns of some of the faction members, may work to bring them back into the fold of Sanctuary. Lower Sanctuary is a more problematic area, and may or may not be considered salvageable by the character, depending upon how the other new factions act.
 
-Destroy Etorix and the Shadow Tribe. As a banner of darkness that seeks to subjugate the city and force them into the worship of a false god of darkness, they pose an indirect threat of corruption and destruction to every citizen of Sanctuary. They will need to be dealt with in such a manner as to avoid directing the dragon's wrath upon Sanctuary, but allowing them to continue spreading their corruption unopposed would be the height of folly.
 
6.) Appendix Notes:  
 
-Aasimar Subrace: I understand that there will probably be some hesitation to approve another Aasimar, especially a Sunite Watch one. There is also the consideration that the concept may not "need" the Aasimar subrace. Are the goals within attainable without the Aasimar subrace? Yes. The consideration I see for Aasimar, however, and the reason that I want the subrace, is how it will affect my character, and thus his efforts to make those goals happen. In essence, the Aasimar subrace will make his personality stronger, and reinforce his sense of self-image and willpower. He will believe he is empowered to prove himself by not simply defending Sanctuary and protecting the status quo, but by working to change the city greatly into a better place. As a serious Sunite, the Aasimar subrace will also give him the strength to speak out against the more flippant, vain, and silly members of his faith, rather than accepting them in some aspect as a normal human might. In short, the subrace will drive the character's personality to be that of a strong, unflinching, committed aspect to his deity and his station, and through that, affect the way in which he pursues his goals. So, the question "are the goals attainable without an Aasimar-" yes. Is the concept the same without the Aasimar? Not at all. That's all I can really offer to justify my request of the subrace, I think.
-Watch Faction: Basically the character wants to join this faction for the reason above; it offers the best position from which to affect the stability of, and work for the betterment of Sanctuary, at this time. I also think another LG Watchperson may be a good counter-point to the chaotic, neutral, and evil tendencies that seem to be running through the Watch at the moment.
-Sune: I see her dogma as one that is often misinterpreted and taken at face value. That's why this deity interests me, and it's why I want to play an Aasimar paladin of her. The dogma is nearly always misinterpreted as simply outer beauty, vanity, flippant nonsense. A paladin of celestial blood will be able to explore and propagate the inner beauty aspect of her dogma-that which warns against corruption of the soul, evil acts, a sick and vile personality. Both the Aasimar subrace and the paladin class will help the character to be more firm in belief and actions, and thus allow me to create a more cutting and hard-edged treatise on the true nature of Sunite dogma.
 
That's all! Thanks for reading the overly-long application, and I'd be happy to discuss my thoughts on why I want the Aasimar subrace in more detail in an IRC conversation, if I didn't expound upon it clearly enough here.
 
Thanks again!      
 
         Quote:              Account: Calculor/Antigone Weeps/Plethora of others  
Availability: CST (-6) Evenings  
 
Character: Isabelle D'Arquette  
Alignment: CG (though I imagine it will trickle down to CN)  
Class: Rogue  
 
Bio: The daughter of a minor Amnian noble of little note, Isabelle was an unsually pugnacious girl. Most comfortable amongst the serfs and villagers of her family's lands, her increasingly revolutionary and dangerous ideas worried her father, the Lord D'Arquette. Correctly fearing that Isabelle intended to free the peasents upon her inheritance of the D'Arquette estate, the ailing old Nobleman instead passed control of the estate to Isabelle's corrupt and hedonistic sister, the wicked Catalina.
 
Upon her ascention, Catalina grew only more wicked. The peasents, used to the conservative rule of her father, grew restless with the 'Tyrant Daughter'. Isabelle, enfuriated at her sister's abuse of power, led her beloved commoners in revolt- a brutal, short-lived coup. Isabelle, though spirited and pugnacious, knew little of military tactics, and was easily defeated by the experianced and loyal Captain of the Guard and his professional forces. Sadistic as ever, Catalina removed Isabelle's left hand as a reminder, exiling her older sister from the family lands.
 
Isabelle soon arrived in Athkatla, and following a short-lived scheme to rob a merchant ship and redistribute the wealth to the poor, ran afoul of the Shadow Thieves. Owing them a debt she couldn't repay (the scheme involved a rare and expensive cask of gunpowder) , they instead sold her into slavery. Her buyers were Drow, who quickly brought her and the rest of their newly acquired 'stock' underneath the earth. Following a raid by a rival house, Isabelle was able to slip away in the fracas, and eventually stumble upon Sanctuary.
 
Goals: Isabelle's primary goal is to preserve freedom amongst Sanctuary (primarily the Lower Wards). She'll be violently opposed to the Spellguard and its meddling, and doubtless hold a strong distrust for the Watch and the Council. Fearful of their power, she'll try and keep them as weak as possible- using a variety of methods to do so. She'll feed false information to keep them at each other's throats, encourage potential rival groups, and raise dissent among the residents of Lower Sanctuary, especially. If any PC looks to be gaining too much authority, Ivandur or the Archibalds for example, she'll doubtless work to undermine them.
 
I see her potentially making an alliance with Sewertown, especially. She'd likely aid the Tigereyes as a matter of convience, while not particurally agreeing with their methods. Potentially balancing elements- like Mandarin Dreagle was, would definately be endorsed by her, She'd always be on the look out for eyes and ears, not above hiring common dregs to do a bit of snooping. This would extend to most of the Underworld-she'd tolerate them, to an extent. If it means keeping the pleblians free, she'll do what it takes (barring odiously evil acts, such as murder).

[Letsplayforfun]

Thanks, that's what i was looking for.

[PlayaCharacter]

I never realized they posted the Scholar and SaRF's apps.