Consider Using Unexpected Origins For Your Character's Skills

In the first World War, the design of grenades was altered to better fit the hand and skills of American troops. After all, they reasoned, what fit more naturally into the hand of an American than a grenade shaped like a baseball? It was the national pasttime, after all, so it would provide troops with something that felt familiar, and which they should already know how to throw with both speed and accuracy.

When designing your character, consider whether there have been instances like this in their life. Did they train for one skill or task, only to find that the muscle memory, power, etc., translated particularly well to a another skill set entirely?

After chopping trees, chopping men is easy.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Sideways Training

It is often surprising how seemingly unrelated experiences, professions, and skills can synergize. For example, someone used to clearing trees with a woodcutting ax may find their skills and experience translates quite well to a battle ax; and because the woodsman's ax is heavier they can strike more quickly, and with greater force and accuracy. Someone who made their living hunting animals in the wild might find those same skills allow them to track the passage of men, making them an excellent bounty hunter, or even a detective with the city watch. Even someone who's primary training was as an actor or a performer might find that, while flashy, their skills definitely have a use in the field.

I'm just saying, I've ridden in over a hundred tourneys... facing orcs should be easy.

While there's nothing wrong with characters who are specifically trained for the roles they currently fill, whether it's career soldiers who have now become sellswords or wizards serving as ataches to their arcane institutions in the field, it can sometimes be interesting to see what other skill sets translate into useful skills and abilities that one could bring to the table.

Whether it's an illusionist who primarily used their magic to create immersive creatures and effects for stage plays before joining the Band of The Iron Hand, or a locksmith whose gone freelance to help the Green Vipers break into a secured vault, sometimes we pick up our skills unexpectedly, or even a circus knife thrower who puts their skills to deadly use against a goblin threat, these are the sorts of origin stories that can really grab people's attention around the table. So take a moment, and consider this option if you're looking for a unique twist on your next character.

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That's all for this week's Fluff post. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Exploits System: How "Army Men" Gives Players More Meaningful Character Customization

One of my major gripes with the 5th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons when I first got my hands on it was that it had been streamlined and simplified to the point that players had relatively few choices when it came to actually customizing their characters. You got to pick your class and race, and then when you hit level 3 you got to pick your subclass... and that was about it. Feats existed, along with multiclassing, but both of them came with a rather large "optional" tag attached to them. You could pick spells, if your class got them, but even then it was a pretty truncated list compared to what previous editions had given us.

For context, I started playing back under DND's 3rd edition, did most of my early gaming in 3.5, and I stepped over to Pathfinder's first edition when it came out. For folks who weren't there, or who aren't familiar with these games, they gave you a lot of choices and options when it came to making your character. Feats were mandatory, and generous, skills got fresh points to allocate every level, and you got slews of new abilities every other level.

While my primary desire for Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic was to increase the sheer number of tactical rules available, I also wanted to give players more options for customizing their characters in order to make them more unique. Thus I created the Exploits System!

It's a bucket of nonsense, and you can do whatever you want!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Exploits: What They Are, And How They Work

For folks who are familiar with how feats worked back in DND 3.5 and Pathfinder's first edition, then saying the Exploits work the same way as feats did in those games is probably all you need. However, if you've only played DND's 5th Edition, then I want to explain how Exploits replaced the normal feats section of the game, and how they became a core part of your character rather than an optional switch your GM may opt not to let you flip, or something you have to sacrifice other benefits in order to have on your sheet.

In short, an Exploit represents a small, unique ability that your character has, and many of these Exploits can be built up in trees that give you progressively more and more powerful abilities as they unlock. You receive 1 Exploit as part of your background at level 1, and you choose a second as part of character creation. As you advance in rank, you choose a new Exploit that you qualify for at every odd level. While some class features may also grant you Exploits, most are gained purely as part of your leveling up process.

Also, to reiterate, you do not choose between gaining increased stats and a new Exploit; you get both.

This is my trooper! There are many like him, but this one is mine!

For example, take the background Irregular. As someone who was part of an unconventional unit, you are used to a variety of strange situations and unique approaches to achieve the goals of your mission. When you take this background, in addition to its other features, you get to choose either Unarmed Combatant or Nerves of Steel as one of your starting Exploits. The former allows you to deal 1d4 + either your Strength or Dexterity modifier when making unarmed attacks, and your unarmed attacks count as light weapons for the purposes of any cast abilities. The latter grants you Proficiency in Wisdom saving throws for the purposes of making Morale checks, and if you already have Proficiency in Wisdom saving throws then you instead gain a +2 bonus on all your Morale checks.

Now, let's say you took that background, and you picked Nerves of Steel... you would have an additional Exploit you could take at level one. If your character is particularly protective of their squadmates, or they just aren't good at turning the other cheek, then you could take Vengeful as your second Exploit. Vengeful requires Nerves of Steel before one can take it, and this Exploit says that whenever you or an ally receives a critical hit, or whenever an ally is reduced to 0 hit points, then you have Advantage on your next attack against the enemy who dealt that blow.

Alternatively, if you chose to take Close Quarters Combatant because your trooper has done a lot of up-close-and-personal work (and especially if they find themselves needing to remove targets without firing a shot), then you could choose to take Strangler as your second 1st-level Exploit. Strangler grants you Proficiency in Athletics for the purposes of grappling, and if you're already proficient in that skill then you gain a +2 bonus to grapple checks. Additionally, you can select between Strength and Dexterity when initiating a grapple, and whenever you successfully grapple a creature, or successfully maintain a grapple, you may choose to automatically deal your unarmed strike damage to that target once per round.

Combinations, Or Shiny Blue Balls, Both Are Equally Viable!

I wanted to take a quick breather here to reassure potential players of Army Men of something. Because while a lot of the existing Exploits fit together like Lego pieces, it is not required for you to dig through every possibly arrangement of abilities to put together the one best combination to achieve the ultimate expression of X strategy. This game is designed so that while Exploits are helpful and useful, they are difficult to exploit too hard, pun very much intended.

For example, you could just focus on Exploits that let you use different pieces of equipment than your cast normally gives you, like High-Caliber Specialist (high-caliber rifles), Shield Bearer (shields and ballistic shields), Front-Line Medic (first aid kit), or Heavy Armor Specialist (heavy armor). Alternatively, you could take Exploits like Spotter, which lets you grant allies Advantage to hit enemies you can both see, or Suppression Fire to give enemies negatives to attack you and your allies. You can take Exploits to gain new languages, to get Proficiency in new skills, and the list goes on.

All of these strategies are viable ways to build your character that will be useful in the game. The question you have to answer is how do these abilities not just help you, but how do they help your squad?

At your 2 o'clock, Peterson!

Too often we get so concerned with what our characters can do, and whose build is "best," that we forget we're all on the same team. Army Men makes it very clear that you aren't just a ragtag group of adventurers held together by hopes of profit... you are a squad! You were trained and selected to work together, and you are expected to work as a team to achieve the goals of your mission... your Exploits are just one more tool in your box to help you accomplish what you were sent out to do.

So if you haven't gotten your copy of Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic yet, grab it while it's still on sale for GM's Day! And check out the unboxing I did for it a while back to get a look at just what's on offer.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Party Balance is Mostly a Myth. Instead, Ask How You're Challenging The Party

A concept that I've seen a lot of DMs talk about from games all across the board is the idea of party balance. One member of the party is too good at something, or one member is falling behind everyone else, so they feel like the have to somehow bring the PCs more in-line with one another. Maybe they want to nerf some of the fighter's abilities so they don't deal so much damage, or they want to take away the wizard's access to certain spells. Maybe they want to completely remove sneak attack, smite, or rage because it's throwing off the balance.

I say this now, knowing that it is not a popular opinion in some circles. Stop that. If one player picks a role and chooses the abilities, equipment, feats, etc. to excel in that role, do not punish them for that. Instead, you should be focused on the overall challenge that your party is facing, and asking what you can do to make sure that everyone is contributing, and working together.

Well... that's that encounter, I guess...

You Worry About Your Side of The Screen

As the dungeon master, you have the ability to alter time and space, and to craft challenges to suit the party that's actually at your table. And having both been a dungeon master, and run my share of campaigns, I can tell you there is often nothing easier than presenting a challenge where everyone can participate, contrary to popular belief.

Trust me, the numbers are in your favor, here.

Let's take one of the more common scenarios where people decry "balance" as an issue; one member of the party deals significantly more damage than everyone else, and almost never misses due to a particularly high attack bonus. As such, whenever there's a fight, they slay the enemy before anyone else gets a chance to do anything. Now you're frustrated because if you bring in an enemy powerful enough to stand up to the fighter, the barbarian, the paladin, or whoever is your party's heavy hitter, it's going to be too strong for the rest of the party to handle.

That is not actually a problem. All you have to do is provide more than one enemy, and suddenly you have gone from one monster getting gut checked into the stratosphere, to a team V. team scenario.

This is, and I speak no hyperbole, the most basic fix that a majority of DMs seem to completely gloss over when looking for other options. Because even if your party's heavy hitter is a monster truck that runs on the blood of the innocent, they cannot be everywhere at once. So even if you have a demonic champion in black armor with a balefire sword, all it takes is throwing in some hellhounds, or a small contingent of winged demons, and now everyone has a dance partner. The archer can shoot down the fliers, the bard can provide inspiration and sling spells, the rogue can take advantage of distracted foes to down them, and so on, and so forth.

You should know who in the party is capable of doing what, and make room in the adventure so that everyone can shine. Give the scholars opportunities to use their knowledge, and to find secrets that aid their companions. Give the melee bruisers plenty of chances to flex, have some chances for the skulkers to sneak around and be stealthy, and be sure the ranged specialists get an occasional Legolas moment here and there.

But don't expect one member of the party to be able to handle someone else's job. Because that's why you have a party in the first place.

Everything is Strong in Some Circumstances

Every character will have scenarios where they are at their best, and others where they are... shall we say less useful.

Some are less useful than others.

The most obvious scenario is your paladins and rangers. If you're fighting undead and demons, a paladin is going to be at their most powerful. If the ranger is facing off against their favored enemies, they become holy terrors. But take them out of that scenario, and they are nowhere near as potent. They can still hold their own against a team of neutral mercenaries, or automatons, but they aren't going to shred through the encounter the way they otherwise would.

But what about scenarios where you need to find traps? Lie to guards? Find a hidden route into a fortress? Identify the different pieces of a spell? Win the attention and friendship of a noble patron? These things may not be the scenarios where those characters' skill sets shine.

I said this back in Challenge Rating is Just a Number, but it bears repeating; every character is going to shine in the scenarios where its abilities are more effective. When designing a challenge for your players, you need to ask who is going to be in the spotlight for a particular situation, and to make sure that even if one person is taking point on it, the others can still participate.

Because even if the barbarian is rushing in, greatax swinging, they shouldn't be able to solo a fight. The wizard or the sorcerer, with all their arcane might, should not be able to conquer the enemy fortress without the aid of their companions. The bard and the rogue, with all their skill and guile, shouldn't be able to handle a challenge without their companions to watch their backs.

The party exists because no one character should be able to handle every, single challenge. Each member should have something unique they contribute, and as a dungeon master you should worry more about ensuring the challenge you offer has something for everyone, and less about whether one particular character is "too good" at one thing.

Because that's their role... but it shouldn't be the only role that needs to be filled for the story to progress.

Also, while I have the DMs here, check out my latest supplement 100 Secret Societies from Azukail Games! It's already gone Copper at time of writing, and whether you need organizations to help or hinder your party, there's something to get the wheels turning between these pages.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Why Does He Do That? (Thinking About Your Character's Habits)

"Why's he doing that?" Jeren asked, nodding his head toward the corner table.

"What?" Kyros asked, glancing where his drinking companion indicated. A dark elf sat in the corner, the hood of his cloak pulled up. His eyes glimmered in the candlelight, and he ran a steel dart through his fingers, walking it from one end of his hand to the other, the sharpened tip flashing.

"That," Jeren said, adding emphasis as if it should be obvious. "Looking all mysterious and playing with that sharp. He think it's scary, or something?"

"He's from the Dark, idiot. The moon is brighter to him than the sun is to us. The fireplace is practically enough to blind him if he's not used to it." Kyros looked at his companion for a moment before sighing, shaking his head, and tossing back the rest of his drink. "And if you'd ever traveled outside this little burgh, you'd know they don't use coins down where he's from. That spider walk is something kids learn to keep their fingers agile. I had to guess, it's probably something he does when he's nervous."

Jeren glanced back at the dark elf, who dabbed at his eyes. Sure enough, they were starting to water. He favored them with a small smile, and nodded.

"Also, he can probably hear us," Kyros said, getting a fresh drink. "So you're aware."

Seriously, how do you see in here? It's so damn BRIGHT!

Some Adventurers Are More Different Than Others

You've probably seen Marvel's Avengers by now, and if you haven't, go watch it. Seriously, it's worth the time, I won't be mad.

Now, if you watch Mark Ruffalo's performance of Bruce Banner, you'll notice that he purposefully shrinks himself down. He keeps his arms close, and often holds his hands together like he's trying not to break anything. If you've ever had a friend who was on the bigger side, these are all mannerisms of someone who is very large, and very strong, who is trying to be careful around delicate things. It shows that, even when he's in his weaker form, Bruce is keenly aware of the power he contains in himself, and that one wrong move might turn this whole thing into the proverbial rampaging bull in a China shop.

Incidentally, I have a Pathfinder conversion for Hulk, for those who are interested.

 

This mannerism makes perfect sense when you track it back to its source, and it's a fun exercise in character building. That's why, when you sit down to make a character, ask yourself why they speak, act, fidget, or believe a certain thing. The answers you find are often surprising, and can make for some fun character moments.

For example, if your character is a gnome, they've had the ability to talk to animals their entire life. It might not even occur to them that other people can't do that, especially if they were raised in communities where magic was common. Does this lead to them being unusually sensitive to the moods of animals around them? Are they confused when people treat nature like a tool, rather than a living thing? Do they have opinions about animals that are wildly different from those held by other races, making them seem like a tiny version of the crocodile hunter?

You can pick almost any racial modifier/ability and apply this kind of logic to it. Elves get a bonus on Perception, for example, but does that also make the world around them unbearably loud beyond the quiet boundaries of deep forests? Is this why an elven character might speak softly, or keep their hood up, providing their sensitive ears some protection against the violence of the louder world? Tieflings and ifrit both have natural fire resistance, so does it feel good for them to drink scalding tea, or to relax into a fire the way other people would enjoy a sauna? Goblins are capable of eating spoiled and rotten meat, but does what smells and tastes putrid to humans instead have a more nuanced palate to this sharp-toothed race? And is a food or fruit humans would find sweet something that tastes rancid to a goblin, their tongues not being built to handle that flavor?

And that's before we get into the weirdness of cultural norms.

 

Even if you're playing a bog-standard human, though, you can find unusual tics, quirks, and attitudes in the cultural norms of where they grew up. Everything from fashion, to forms of address, to food, to language, to little rituals that have clung for life can make them seem odd or strange... and every one of them can add some flavor to who your character is, and why they are they way they are.

As an example, did your character come from a culture with a strong warrior ethic, where even childhood games were meant to make you a canny fighter (such as how the wrestling martial art Glima was sort of a national pastime among the Norsemen)? Alternatively, was your character raised in a communal society where everyone was referred to with familial terms since the whole village raised the next generation? Were weapons seen as a taboo where you came from, or were they to be displayed proudly? Did you pray to the spirits, to the elements, to your ancestors, or to the gods? Do you wash, groom, and comb yourself every day, keeping a razor and comb in a kit on your belt? Or do you go for days, maybe weeks, between full baths without noticing?

Every Habit Started Somewhere

No matter who your character is, they had a life before they show up at the table. If they have a quirk, ask where it came from. Is it something they picked up during their stint with the militia? Was it something their uncle taught them? Or is it just how they deal with having sharper eyes, feeling less pain, or living in a world made of cardboard?

As a note for readers, I cover a lot of aspects like this in articles like 5 Tips For Playing Better Tieflings and Aasimar and 5 Tips For Playing Better Paladins, and I keep the full archive of these tips over on my 5 Tips page. So stop on in, check it out, and see if you find yourself some inspiration!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post! If you've used this in your games, share a story down in the comments!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!