Question:

   "Can I play my kobold half-dragon necromancer from my old table-top games with you guys?! :D"​

Answer:

   In a word? "Yes." BUT...

The problem is several-fold. A kobold is very likely to be attacked (I.E. murdered) on sight for being a monster, with the expectation that you play his size, weight, reach, and movement speed authentically for a character of his proportions as Llorkh is usually relatively low magic unless there is serious build-up to a magical event. (I.E. The Witcher)

   Further? It's even MORE unlikely that you're going to get any meaningful roleplay if your character starts actually using necromancy, which in and of itself is abhorant to the average NPC human citizen or Lord and thus it benefits a player characters station in society for condemning you for its use ESPECIALLY if they themselves are oddballs (like say, a drow) on the outskirts of social acceptance. (I.E. The Witcher)

   You are not BANNED from playing these kinds of characters, but people need to actually acknowledge your RP as meaningful. Any extravant claims about your character being the Lord of some layer of Hell or the Abyss, or otherwise creating ego-bloating backstories that make your character a special snow-flake make your character *less* likely, not more.

   Every time you pump another exceptional thing into your character without an additional personal cost, you're making the character less valid in the eyes of the majority, not more.

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Question:

   "What if my character is a demon-- (or vampire or dhampire or dragon, or orc, or gnoll, Mindflayer or-or-or-or)..."​

Answer:

   See previous question above. Half-orc is highly recommended but can still receive a good amount of racism and trouble because of the war-like and murderous relationship between the two races - Orc and Human - in every single setting ever. Splicing your character with human is not a solution to forcing other people to accept them. Nor, ironically, is playing a normal human -- the benefit of playing a (full) human is actually that if people attack you, the NPC population / guards etc is not expected to automatically support them over you; tipping all balance of power in social situations drastically into their favor. A lynch mob or the city watch are substantially stronger then most individual characters are expected to be based on realistic (or at least authentic) height / weight / reach / movement ratios.

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Question:

   "What is an appropriate example of a character who uses magic / psionics or whatever?"

Answer:

   The best way to appreciate the use of magic, is that magic is effectively "breaking the rules". It's doing something that is overtly and instrinsicly unnatural that the average person is likely to be frightened or unsettled by, and? Depending on their alignment and the effect of the magic - awed by or openly fearful of.

   Let's say you have a Drow Priestess of Lolth; a diety whom requires you to participate in or observe a murderous blood-sacrifice of a sentient creature in her profane name at least once per month in order to cast spells granted by her. In order to break the laws of physics and cast healing spells on the wounded, or meet the gaze of and dominate undead, and other things that evil clerics do in D&D. These spells still have casting times, and required components or recipes ... but you pay a cost for being able to openly defy the existing laws of physics and preform these miracles.

    Ultimately? There needs to be a significant personal cost that makes it both better and easier for a person to walk over and pick up their own mug of ale, rather then floating it to themselves with telekinesis.

    Even worse? If people found out about the cost you willingly pay for your magic.. would they ever trust you again? This is what makes it better to hide magic, rather then use it openly. Even if a Cleric of Sharess simply needs to go out and convince someone to 'appreciate new experiences' each day; ('Let's go to an orgy!', 'Let's try octopus for dinner!', 'Let's go dance half-naked in the rain!', 'Let's walk barefoot today'. ) -- or a wizard needs to go and prepare potion mixtures and material components he doesn't currently have.. these at least provide plot-related reasons for not instantly fixing or circumventing unexpected situations with magic, but being able to do so later once you know what you're up against and have taken the necessary steps to handling it.

    Ultimately? If you're going to use magic? Understand you are begging permission to 'break the natural rules' of the world and the people whom play the characters you're breaking them against -- the primary people reading your story right now -- need to be able to appreciate the cost and inconvenience your character went through to break the rules against their character. Simply creating a training montage or adding to your post that you 'pre-prepared' components before emoting something that lights your enemies on fire or devestates their character's ability to fight back doesn't accomplish that at all.

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Question:

   "What's the best way to get characters involved in an RP event I have planned?"

Answer:

   It's different from person to person, but if your character walks up to them and confronts them directly: "Hey, you look like you know how to swing a sword! The old mill in Hamtown was burned down by brigands, and I am charged by Lord <name/whoever> to hire mercenaries in Llorkh and return to handle the brigands. You'll receive 10 gold, and the personal thanks of his Lordship, The Baron."

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If they're a tavern-wench; obviously they're less likely to agree to go swing a sword and get killed by bandits. Rather then having events that are so open-ended they force everyone to participate (such as 'the city is under siege!') ... the best events are tailored to, or against the needs and desires of specifics persons or groups, and requires you to spend enough time with them that you gain a working knowledge of their character(s) to tailor events they would care about.

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