Goodman Games

Hi guys,
This is my first post, so hello everyone

My group just finished our 'character funnel adventure' and I had two character left. One of which is an Elven Artisan. The problem is I only rolled 8 INT for this character. She is the cartoon in the book!
She has +1 Luck, but all the other stats are 0. With the only character class available being Elf with a negative INT and a max spell rank of 2 she seems destined to failure. Is is just me or does the single class option for demi humans, especially elves as magic relies so heavily on INT stat, seem really restrictive?
Was there something I missed or is this stat block+background option that should have been bonked on the head from the start!

thanks for any suggestions.

I did try to throw her in the way of an oncoming gain frog but her death was denied!

My advice? Play the character.

If you can team up with a halfling to "Lucky Charm" your spells, all the better. Otherwise, make sure that your Judge knows your elf is looking for the means to increase his power via becoming smarter. How do you become smarter? Quest for it. If your Judge knows you'll bite any hook that has "gets more intelligent" in it, that hook is likely to arise sooner or later.

"Quest for it" may well be the soul of this game.


RC

Also bear in mind you have to survive quite a few levels before it will even be especially restrictive.

Great advice Mr. Crowking. That could be a T-shirt.... "Just quest for it!"

I hadnt thought of the quest idea, and I suppose something could be done via Patron bond? Good idea, I will have to discuss with our judge.
The magic currently maxes out at level 3, not rxactly straight away, but not what I would have called quite a few levels.
I still strike me as odd that a players chance to choose a class is removed by certain die roles on the background chart. Its not like a player rolling mercanary has to be a warrior or an urchin a thief.
Thanks

It all hinges on the type of Judge running the game. I would allow higher Int through a patron at a big cost maybe CON or STR loss, killing another character or all of the above.

Cunning is worth more than bare statistic advantage. There were stories about a stupid wizard months ago, they were hilarious.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll need to talk to our judge.

Just be careful. He probably has a ~480 pages long hardcover book, that can cause serious damage.

I second this -- there are a multitude of options (and DM fun) for this character to still be able to cast spells effectively:

• Hallfling help -- What's the halfling want for being the elf's "magical conduit?" And what happens when the halfling gets an arrow in the eye?
• Spellburn -- If she wants power, she's going to have to sacrifice...
• Patron -- Demons love something that their servants are willing to trade their souls for..."You want more power...interesting...I also want something..."
• Elves are not just spellcasters -- so she's a below average spellcaster? Sounds like she's got average physical stats... get to fighting.

Agreed. It's long-term problem, and said Elf can contribute from behind the front line fighters in the many inevitable dustups along the way.

Not all Elves are destined to be great mages...

Play the character make him the best adventurer you ever had. Inject him with personality. Be the first to get that magic sword. Use your magic to bolster your heroic (or cowardly) actions. At the end of the day it is a roleplaying game not a board game. The real meat of the fun is telling that story of a character's rise to fame or infamy. Don't get dragged down by other players stealing the limelight with 'awesome' stats and power. Those are usually the first characters Dm's aim for when sending in the big guns! I always (as a Dm) find myself warming to weaker but well played adventurers...and yes sometimes they get a cheeky bit of help because I want to see them played the next game

That Elf deserves to live! It survived the funnel!



Edit: just noticed the character is a 'she'...

Some say it is better to be lucky than good. Play fast and hard with her and see what comes of it. If she succeeds in a few adventures you might be having a lot of fun with the slightly thickheaded elf who still manages to get by because her patron bails her out. And wondering what will happen when the check comes due..

Keep the character and Quest for it, definitely.

The randomness of character generation is, to me, one of the great strengths of the DCC RPG. Over the decades I've played dozens of characters and DM-ed hundreds. Most of them blurred together and I couldn't tell you much about them.

The few who stand out in my mind either accomplished something absurdly amazing or overcame some sort of quirky weakness. The kind of weakness that I would never have picked for myself, but once I rolled it and decided to play it I found it was a blast. Weak fighters, clumsey thieves, stupid mages ... these can be the characters of which legends are made. Or, they may die a quick and stupid death. You never know.

Either way, embrace the character. Live it, love it. Be great with it.

This is a great thread. I second all the advice above. This elf could turn out as one of your most memorable characters ever. Perhaps she finds a way to increase her power via patron assistance - that alone is a great story. Maybe she emphasizes martial skill to balance her lack of casting at higher levels. Maybes she never really becomes "great" but is fun to play as an "Everyman" type of character, especially impressive because she made 6th level despite her limitations. This could be a lot of fun.

I have an adventure half-worked out in my head that centers around the characters going to train with a legendary weapons master, and gaining some martial skill as a result. An idea like that may be appropriate for your character: if she sought the best wizard the world has ever known, and trained with him, could that improve her options in life? Ask your judge...

Also remember, she may be capped at lower levels spells, but she can still get a lot of them. A good spell check on a lower level spell still gives really great results. This is a great example of how elves, though they seem to be just a "wizard +", really do turn out different and fairly balanced after all. And it's all due to the funnel!

Nothing says that the patron needs to be hard-nosed, either. A lot of fiction has characters serving deities who slap their foreheads and say "what did you do now?" Jig Dragonslayer is a great example of a character not cut out to be wielding the powers he wields and has to be regularly bailed out by his patron.

I agree that this is a great thread and agree completely with all the advice!

Holy thread necromancy, Batman!

Colin

This should be written on the title page of the next edition of the rulebook. I think one of the biggest shifts that I have seen in our group was first the realization that their characters were pretty mediocre at best as far as natural talents go, then to the realization that they still could be something more, if they just dare to dream big.

This seems a shift for me. Aren't adventurers assumed to be a cut above the average peasant? Well, not in DCC, but it other fantasy RPGs. I still have this idea that the PCs should be above average.

The second you get class abilities and another hit die, you are above average. But....you are not automatically Batman.

Unless you roll the Sidekick Occupation, and then progress into Masked Avenger at 1st-level.

Colin

Check your level titles....Batman isn't until 5th level. At 1st level, you're this guy: