Saint Joseph School

After over two years of Saint Joe's, we've heard and read hundreds of character concepts. Most of them are great, unique, playable and interesting. However, every now and then, we see very similar-- and very problematic-- concepts come up, from different players, at different times. More often than not, these concept problems will keep a character out of Saint Joe's. Examples of such concepts include:

• "I was a teenaged member of Omega Squadron."
  "I'm over a thousand years old, but to my people that's still just a teenager."
  "I'm Lord Recluse's niece."
  "I'm an elf from Waterdeep."
  "My family owns a controlling interest in the Crey Corporation."
  "I am a super-genius with an encyclopedic knowledge of the sciences and arts."

It's always disappointing, for both the prospective member and the interviewer, to run into a roadblock in a character's concept. Even the most well thought-out concept can suddenly be derailed by an unacceptable element. Therefore, to try to avoid these common problems, we present...

The Top Five Things to Know About Character Concepts

• You cannot use copyrighted material in your concept. That includes information or characters from fiction, movies, other video games, other roleplaying games, and the like. You cannot be a Hobbit, the former sidekick of Batman, a Saiyan, a young Jem'Hadar or anything else that constitutes the intellectual property of another individual or company. For the same reason, concepts that are obviously derived from copyrighted material (the last survivor of the doomed planet Brypton, or a member of a subterranean race of spider-worshiping dark elves) are also highly problematic.
  How to Fix It: There’s really no good fix for a concept based on copyrighted material except to work with it until it is no longer derivative of someone else’s intellectual property. That usually means heading back to the drawing board.
  
  
• Avoid bending the existing canon (CoX or SJS) simply to make your character seem more interesting. Be interesting because of who you are, not who you are intimately tied with. Instead of wrongly incorporating elements of existing game canon, make up your own! You will find that being the son of former superhero Megadude is ultimately more interesting to the rest of the community than trying to be the son of Statesman.
  How to Fix It: Some of these concepts can be fixed by using the infinite dimensions available to Portal Corp researchers. Others can be fixed simply by inventing your own corporation or business. If you disconnect your canon-altering concept from the “real” CoX world it becomes less controversial.
  
  
• You can be unique without telling everyone how unique you are. You don't need to be the last of a dying race or the youngest ninja in history for your character to be interesting. Try something more real-world, like being a champion crossworder. People in the real world are interesting too. Simple concepts are just as interesting to play as complex ones. You can have the most complex character and personality with even the simplest concept.
  How to Fix It: Usually, troublesome concepts like these only need a few tweaks to make it a good fit. Bring it closer to home. Rethink the concept so you have more in common with regular teens.
  
  
• Do your research before you make something integral to your concept. If you don't know anything about England, you should not be English. If you don't know how to play poker, you shouldn't be a card sharp. And if you don't know anything about why the Cabal are trapped in Croatoa, don't tie the Cabal directly to your concept. Resources to get basic information on a wide variety of subjects can be found all over the web. Specific information about the world of City of Heroes can be found on Paragon Wiki or through the Official CoX Site. You will be able to play your character well with the proper research, but you will not get far before someone starts pointing out the flaws in what you say or do if you don't.
  How to Fix It: Do some research. Read the villain backgrounders. Find a web-page listing British slang. If you care enough about a subject to work it into your concept, care enough about it to learn as much as you can.
  
  
• Certain concepts will immediately isolate you from the community. Avoid "preciously naive" characters (characters from an origin where they do not know what cars are, why humans hold hands or why the sky is blue) as well as "master of the universe" characters (characters who cannot be harmed, can re-organize matter at will or have the combined knowledge of the human race) unless you're prepared for difficulties. Those concepts will immediately weaken your connection to the central themes of Saint Joe's-- at school, the first thing they'd teach you is about the differences from your home planet, and a teenager with the combined knowledge of humanity has nothing to learn.
  How to Fix It: For naive characters, wise up a little! Don't purposely alienate yourself in the hope that you'll get RP time while people explain fundamentals to you. For powerful characters, have flaws. Suffer defeats. Get pimples. Bring your concept down from its pedestal and you may be surprised how much more interesting it becomes.

As with all things, this list is not all-inclusive or the end-all, be-all. Particularly well-crafted concepts could "violate" one of these rules (except the copyright one) and still be workable for Saint Joe's. However, if an element of your concept can be easily changed away from these sorts of problems, we strongly encourage you to do so.