Every time I play a role-playing game, an in particular a game from Bethesda, I always play the same type of character in one particular way. I start out as a "good guy." But I'm always looking for that one thing that causes me to turn to the "dark side." In Fallout 3, the perfect scenario presented itself for me. After there was a significant change in my behavior. I became much more violent and went on rampages.

In Oblivion, I honestly don't remember what my story was but I know that I had one that was very similar in terms of turning into a typical "bad guy."

The reason being is I like to play the whole game with one character, rather than create multiple characters that perfectly fit each quest line. I like to complete each quest-line with the same character but that relies some role playing (if you're into that sort of thing) because without it, being the arch-mage, the head of the Thieves Guild, the Harbinger of the Companions, the leader of the Dark Brotherhood (I assume, I haven't done that yet) and the Dragonborn hero is a bit difficult to explain.

What role-playing ideas/stories do you guys play in order to experience all the guilds with one character?

Here's mine so far...

After escaping Helgen, I was looking for a home, some place to take me in and somewhere that I could make cheap, easy gold. The Thieves Guild was the perfect fit for that. As I was already a fugitive from justice from Cyrodiil. However, as I got into the Thieves Guild and worked my way up I began to think that maybe I'm better than a petty thief, so I started to look for something that could make up for my "crimes" and possibly undo some of the evils that I had done. This is where I am now, still doing the Thieves Guild quests but I just joined the Companions, who appear to be a more noble faction.

I haven't started (with this character yet) the main quest. And I'll role play that as a spin-off of the Companions, as I start to look for even more power. The Dark Brotherhood, I want to come last but will require me to have some kind of "fall." I'm just not sure what it will be. I don't want to know any spoilers, but do any of you guys have similar stories?

I actually did the opposite of this in oblivion. I had a character that was pretty evil for the entirety of my playthrough, they joined the DB, i had a mod that let me join the Mythic Dawn, I would kill and steal. the catalyst for my change was kinda funny, as the mod broke, and my entire network of mythic dawn agents died, and I was expelled from the order. I took this as a sign, and became a hunter, living by myself in the woods, selling all my armor and weapons for a bow and arrow, and trading furs and meat.

Well, my Imperial, Serenya, trained with the Greybeards for power, always having a lust. My other character, a Nord, Kriger Ice Breaker, became more violent and savage when he

The time frame of the games is too short for me to RP my long-lived Altmer falling from grace (or attaining it), as much as I like the idea.

Sometimes. Depends on the character - some are prone to 'changes' in that way, others less so.

In Oblivion, my character was distraught following the end of the Oblivion Crisis - she ran from the Imperial City, and was drawn to the Shivering Isles.

In Skyrim, my warrior hit a low when his wife was killed. He developed a Skooma addiction, although he was eventually 'cleansed' by praying at the Temple of Kynareth.

Nice role-playing ideas. I really like the one about being drawn into the Shivering Isles, that could be a very good explanation for a major change in behavior, and a move toward psychopathic killing, if you're into that kind of thing

Why thank you! She was a very good and lawful character actually, until the end of the Main Quest. She was a bit depressed, and thus drawn to the Dementia side of the Isles. As she progressed through the Questline there, the madness began to 'seep' into her

Have not tried that yet but I am planning a vampire for Dawnguard that has feasted on humans or mer on order to live. If the canteen or flask they give you can prevent you from biting people he is going to never do it again because he is going to get tired of hurting people and he is going to side with Harkons wife if I can and just try and atop him from killing Serana.

My other characters have been damaged by past events and that drives them to self destructive ends, and one of my Dunmer had a mental breakdown after the red year and after the war with Black Marsh. He eventually settled in Skyrim and dwelled on the former glory of his home Vvardenfell Island and he eventually broke down and he has flashbacks of the Red Year and the Dunmer being killed. Then there was Umbriel the floating city that rose his people into undead abominations that contributed to his breakdown as well.

I slaughtered a whole town as this forum knows...so ya...

Yes I tend to do this with every character, though it's not always a fall from grace, but at least some kind of progression.

My legion character after letting her over zealous nature get the best of her, took a small detachment of soldiers to a fort the legion had plans for and she pretty much mucked everything up. After coming out Tulius was waiting with a death squad. She fled south, all the way from Solitude to Riften, and there she stayed for two years. She lost her paladin armor, her rank and her privileges.

After "serving her time" in purgatory so to speak though, she finally caught a break and discovered the location of the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary and used that to get back in the legions good graces.

In Morrowind after Caius left and in Oblivion after Martin died my main character did. In Skyrim he hasn't though.

Not necessarily a fall from grace but a slow, steady decline. My Dark Elf Assassin tried to use his skill set to good use as an alchemist to create medical potions. But his memory of his younger sister who was separated from him during the Great War made him kill Grelod the Kind after seeing what she was doing to the orphans. Afterwards, he found Aventus and thought he was doing good things with his combat for once.

Thinking he was doing good, he joined the Dark Brotherhood.

I'm interested in this too please? I'm starting to steal and pickpocket. Not because I need the money, because I don't. it's because I can. LOL
What does the game do to my character, or does it even care?

Actually it's usually the opposite for me, my character nearly always starts out as a ne'er do well, vagabond, thief, sometimes murderer.

They know there's some crisis going on but they don't care, it's just a chance to grub more coin while everyone is freaking out.
Eventually though they nearly always find redemption and step up, grudgingly at first, to save the world.

I did the exact same with fallout 3. My trigger in skyrim was the blades wanting me to kill parthuurnax. I outright refused and tried to murder them instead. Unfortunately they're essential... So now I massacre anything empire related. And before I land the killing blow I tell them they have the Blades to thank for it. Occasionally I let one go to spread the word.

I don't do all the guilds with one chaaracter
Still sometimes my characters will experience a fall from grace due to events in the game

I took my character's ascension to becoming a vampire as the "fall" from grace. His thirst for blood explains his rampages, which are now increasing as he grows in power.

The reason he's head of the Mages, Thieves, and DB, as well as the champion of many daedric princes, is because of his other thirst; his ambitious thirst for power. My character knows that he needs a strong power-base if he is ever to seize control of Skyrim, and so by gaining favour and eventually becoming the leader of so many powerful institutions, as well as earning the support of the daedra, my vampire is ready to make his move and his bid to take control.

This also explains why he sides with the Stormcloaks, to weaken both the Empire and Ulfric's forces in the struggle so it's easier for him to take over.

Also, will disrupt the Empire a little more and make it even easier to seize power. The fact that he's Dragonborn only legitimises his claim; otherwise nobody'd let a Khajiit anywhere near the Throne.

My wife disappeared one day, and I could never figure out where she was. My character ultimately blamed himself for being unable to protect her, and went into a depression that involved torturing everyone close to her to find out her location. I discovered her dead near a camp far from my house. (I had a mod that had an outdoor house, but it was close to Whiterun).

This typically turned my character to murder and debauchery, in an attempt to 'fill that void'.

Was also an incident with my Argonian, who I was RPing as a Windhelm dock worker at the time, who emerged from the Argonian Assemblage only to find all of his co-workers murdered by a dragon. He fled from Windhelm after that, and resorted to living alone and traveling to camps and caves to survive, and meeting all humanoid life with hostility and distrust, as a part of his insanity involved assuming everyone was "Working for the dragons", and that they "Came for him next".