Remember, Elves Need Blacksmiths and Dwarves Need Fletchers

Archetypes are everywhere when it comes to tabletop RPGs, and the stories we tell with them. All you need to do is mention a class or race you'd see in a fantasy game, and you immediately have an image leap to your mind. When someone says elf, you probably picture a long, lithe figure holding a bow, a scimitar, or both. They probably have long, flowing hair as well. When someone says dwarf you probably picture the opposite; a bulky, bearded figure with an ax or a hammer, likely bearing armor and a shield and ready for battle (assuming you're not a Gotrek and Felix fan, that is).

If you haven't read it yet, seriously, go check it out!

This applies to other games, as well. If you say the word Ventrue to a Vampire player (Masquerade or Requiem) they'll also have a very particular image immediately spring to their minds. Likely a man in a power suit, or a woman in an elegant sheathe dress. If you say to a Werewolf: The Apocalypse player Get of Fenris that immediately calls up images that are one part Boris Vallejo and one part Harley Davidson.

To be clear, these traditional images we have of classes, clans, tribes, fantasy races, etc. in our games are not wrong. From the paladin who is a handsome, holy knight in shining armor, to the half-orc barbarian who's allergic to shirts, those archetypes became archetypes for a reason. However, at the same time, it's important to remember that they are not a requirement by any stretch of the imagination. There is more beneath the surface-level reading of what characters can be, and choosing to disregard some (or even all) of a stereotypical imagery associated with your rules chassis doesn't make you a "special snowflake" who's trying to be different.

Because if the rules don't say you must be, do, or have X,Y, and Z, then it's not a requirement for your character.

Elves Need Blacksmiths, and Dwarves Need Fletchers

Thurandill shall be your name, and you'll be as deadly as you are beautiful.

This phrase was a gold nugget that someone dropped at my feet in the White Wolf subreddit, and it's become a part of my personal philosophy (permission was granted to steal it, which is why I'm sharing it with you fine folks). Basically, any time there is a role that would be common to a society, a race, a clan, etc., there is going to be someone fulfilling that role. The dwarven smith might be the stereotypical image you think of, but there are smiths among the elves, among the orcs, the halflings, gnomes, and humans, too. There will be differences, sure, but there will also be similarities. Elves may be the ones we associate with archery, but there are half-orc and halfling longbow snipers that may be just as deadly.

And so on, and so forth.

Despite what sounds very obvious on its face, there are a lot of DMs, GMs, STs, and others who will immediately lose their cool if someone proposes a character they deem too far outside that stereotype. A character who is, "too special," "too weird," or, "too unique," so they throw on the brakes. If you find yourself in that position, I would recommend taking a step back and asking yourself why you're doing that? Because as long as a character concept follows all the rules, and is consistent with the lore and physics of a setting, what do you gain by denying your players something they want to play?

Think Deeper, Think Broader

The stereotypes in our games are meant to be a starting off point, but they're by no means the law of the land. Unless the rules expressly state something is required, then enforcing that status quo does nothing but narrow the potential of your setting, your characters, and your players. It puts additional limits on our flights of fancy, whose only limits should be the agreed-upon rules of the setting and game.

And we've got enough of those to deal with as is.

To be clear, I'm not saying you can immediately ignore anything that gets in the way of your character concept. If there's a particular form of magic only accessible to those of elven blood, then only characters who have the proper DNA can learn and harness that magic. If you can only learn a certain fighting style at a particular temple, and from a particular teacher, then you need to have that as part of your backstory. And so on, and so forth.

But if there is nothing in the setting or rules that creates a requirement for a character to possess the skills they have, or to look or act the way they do? You get a lot more out of disregarding the stereotype in favor of saying to your players, "All right, lay it out for me. How did they get like this?"

If someone wants to play a half-orc barbarian who was adopted and raised by the duke and his husband, where does it say in the setting rules that this mounted fury who's infamous on the melee field during tournaments isn't a valid concept? If someone wants to play a Ventrue in your vampire game, but instead of a business suit and a red tie he wears leathers and runs a motorcycle gang of ghouls like a pack of Old West desperadoes, what do you gain by telling the player they can't do that? If a player has a broad-shouldered armorer with rippling thews and a grip that can crush a man's skull, why would you insist they play a dwarf instead of an elf if their concept is based entirely around being an elven smith who maintains old elven relics while attempting to recreate the styles of the old masters?

Pick your battles, and work with your players so that they can be happy with the characters they're bringing to your game. It really does set the tone for everything else.

Additional Reading and Thoughts

This isn't exactly a new concept, so I thought I'd leave some links to times I've talked about this before. Not to get too repetitive, but I thought it would be of interest to some folks. Also, while I have your attention, my new supplement A Baker's Dozen of Fantasy Vigilantes just dropped today! I'm pretty excited about that, and I wanted to bring it up. Also, if you want to make sure you never miss any of my updates and fresh content, consider signing up for my newsletter! One update goes out every week, recapping all the news and releases in a single missive.

- DMs, Learn To Take Your Foot Off The Brake: One of my more recent talks on this subject, a DM looking for reasons to say no instead of reasons to say yes is one of the most common causes of table enthusiasm flagging, then going out entirely.

- Everything is Weird in Fantasy RPGs (But That's Not How You Make a Character Stand Out): A reminder that just because something is weird or unusual in your experience, that doesn't mean it's all that strange by the standards of the setting.

- DMs, Please Stop Arbitrarily Limiting Race Choice in Your Games: There are few things more frustrating than showing up to a game that is full of possibilities, and then being told you can only play characters of X, Y, and Z races, for reasons. You want your players enthused, and you don't do that by narrowing down their options for no reason.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post!

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 alley cat thriller Marked Territory, 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!

DMs, Prevent Murderhobos By Rewarding Alternative Player Strategies

We're all used to hearing from the dungeon masters who complain about the murderhobos at their table. DMs who are trying to run a world with depth, complexity, and meaningful characters, but where the only response from their players seems to be to keep stabbing until either the plot moves forward, or people stop trying to talk at them.

He's a big guy, right? I take his shoes.

While there are numerous reasons that players turn to the life of the murderhobo, there is one thing you can do to help reform them. In some cases it even stops PCs from becoming murderhobos in the first place. The method is simple.

Reward the effort that comes with taking alternative routes, rather than simply making death the quick and easy answer to everything.

Enemies Should Be More Than Mere Mooks

There are going to be some enemies that have no unique characteristics. They have no personality, they aren't important to the story or the world, and they really are here just to have their heads staved in by the PCs. Your automatons, your mindless undead, things like that. However, any time there is a living, breathing creature involved in a combat, you need to signal to players that these characters aren't just targets to be knocked down so they can progress. They're a living, breathing part of the world that can be interacted with in ways other than violence.

It's still AN option, just not THE option.

 

You can lead by example on this, if you want to. For example, rather than just having a gang of outlaws ambush your party while they sleep, have them hail the camp. The leader lets the party know they're surrounded, and they have a choice. They can hand over a tithe (some reasonable amount of gold, typically), and the gang will leave... or if they refuse, then the gang will take everything they have.

Sure, some players are going to just draw steel or cast a spell, drawing all the readied actions coming their way. But others might try to get a dialogue going. To make a deal with the bandits by appealing to their sense of professionalism, by scoffing something like, "I thought the Cardinal's men had honor, yet you approach us like this?", or even by challenging them to single combat. But by opening the scene with dialogue, you've shown these particular bandits are characters. They react like reasonable, rational people, and they're open to suggestions if the party can make something worth their while.

That's a start.

Taking Prisoners, Instead of Taking Heads

Another thing you can do, as a DM, is to institute the Old West rule of bounty hunting, as I call it. If you've seen old-timey Wanted posters, then you know the phrase, "Dead or Alive," that was so famously tacked to the bottom of them. But the thing a lot of folks forget is that the reward for a live capture was often a great deal more than that given for a dead body. And in some cases the reward was entirely contingent on the individual being handed over while they were still alive, and able to stand trial, with no reward for someone who was dead.

Poster don't say nothing about the condition his knees have to be in, though.

 

Take that logic and apply it to early quests in your game. PCs want to get paid, but if killing someone means the reward for them goes up in smoke, then they're going to approach the situation very differently. It will get them thinking about the world, and about how they can win without needing to deliver a death blow. The sheer challenge is why I listed this approach in my 3 Ways To Spice Up Combat in RPGs, but it can have a larger effect than a single mission.

Especially if you plant the seeds just right.

Let's go back to that bandit gang example. Say you've got a low-level party, and they want to claim a reward that's out right now for the Cardinals; a gang of cutthroats and highwaymen who have plagued the area. Rather than just giving the PCs a flat reward for killing all the bandits, change it up. Give them a big reward for bringing in the leader of the gang to stand trial, with a smaller reward for him dead. Give the lieutenants the same treatment. But for the smaller foot soldiers of the gang, there's no reward if they're dead, unless a living prisoner verifies who they were.

Now you've got a challenge on your hands. Because not only do you have to take captives (ideally), but you may need to negotiate with some of them get them to act as your witnesses that their dead comrades-in-arms were actually part of the Cardinals so you can get paid. How do you persuade them to do that? Do you scare them into it with Intimidate checks? Do you talk to these bandits, and find out who they are, and who they used to be? Does the fighter recognize an old army tattoo on one of the prisoners, cajoling him to stand up, and tell the truth like a soldier should? Can the rogue get one of them talking over their soup, finding out that he only joined the outfit to get the money to take care of a wife, or a sick mother? Do they use that knowledge to make a deal with them, agreeing to take some of the proceeds to that bandit's family, if they help them out here and stand witness?

Repercussions For Their Actions

If you set the tone early, then you can give PCs repercussions for their actions... both good and bad.

Valor may be its own reward, but sometimes it helps to sweeten the deal.

 

As an example, say your PCs are trying to stop the bloodshed between a clan of orcs, and a local town. Common setup. While some raiders might be slain, those who are taken prisoner present another opportunity. Can the PCs show their captives that they will treat them with respect and dignity, as enemy combatants are due? Does this improve the attitude of the prisoners (perhaps from hostile to distrustful)? Do they find that the orcs are unique from one another, with some holding forth about the blood debt the town owes them, and others saying this whole thing is just a show because they're hungry and pushed off their land, but pride won't let them just move onto greener pastures... so to speak?

To take it a step further, say that the chieftain's son was among the raiders. A party of murderhobos would see his fine equipment and noted rank (likely as the raid leader), charge him, and kill him. Doing so might make him a martyr, and entrench the orcs that much more deeply. PCs who think to make knowledge checks, and who disable him so he can be captured may find they now have a prisoner who is very valuable... both for the information he possesses, and because he could force the chief to come to the negotiation table so terms for ending this feud can be discussed.

Repercussions can be small things, as well as big ones. Characters who bring in prisoners instead of corpses might find themselves admired and treated as heroes, while those who kill for gold are seen as untrustworthy and dangerous. PCs who pause long enough to find that the rampaging manticore has a toothache might be able to solve the problem without slaying the beast, giving them an opportunity to, if not tame it, then to earn its positive regard. Those who challenge an ogre to a test of strength when it tries to mug them on the road, and who then trick that ogre with some Grimm fairy tales Sleight of Hand shenanigans, may find that other ogres are deferential to them, having heard the tales of the man who squeezed blood from a stone.

And so on, and so forth.

You Get What You Give

To carry through the theme I started with If Your Players Focus On It, Make It Matter, players are going to latch onto the things that reward them. Both in a monetary sense, as I mentioned above, but also in the sense that you show them their actions are having an effect on the game world around them. That what they're doing matters, even if it's in small ways.

Return on investment is the name of the game, here.

 

If you want your players to take actions other than mindlessly killing NPCs, then those other actions need to give them something. Because if you stolidly refuse to have any give-and-take when PCs interrogate prisoners, you insist that all enemies fight to the death like zealots, or you refuse to reward any other course of action, then sooner or later players are going to stop using any other method because they aren't getting anything out of it.

On the other hand, if you show them there are multiple ways to approach a problem, and that the NPCs they deal with have real concerns, real lives, and are still characters in the world, then the PCs are more likely to treat them as such. And when they take actions, play them out. If the PCs try to reform a goblin rogue, throw them a bone for their efforts. Maybe he runs away after a while, but then at a climactic moment returns to stab another enemy in the back because a little glimmer of what the paladin was saying to him actually got through. If the party makes a deal with a crime boss instead of just killing him, develop that relationship. It could become a kind of gentleman's agreement over time, and he could act as a neutral player in the city, rather than just being another mobster to hack on their way up the chain of command.

And so on, and so forth.

This mindset takes some work, and you don't have to go whole hog on it right away. Start small, and keep several NPCs around who have more going on than just enemy #4 in this evening's fight. Lead by example, and show your enemies interacting with the party in different ways; bartering, threatening, cajoling, but doing more than just mindlessly attacking them. It's something a lot of players will pick up on, and you can establish some real back-and-forth once they've got the tune.

And if you're looking for some ready-made NPCs to help get the train rolling, I'd suggest checking out the following:

- 100 Random Bandits To Meet: Whether you want to follow the example I gave above, or you're just looking for more personality for your highwaymen, there's all sorts of thugs and mugs you can use in this supplement.

- 100 Pirates to Encounter: Whether your game is on the high seas, or just near a port town, there's scalawags aplenty to choose from in this collection.

- 100 Prisoners For A Fantasy Jail: Whether the PCs sent them there in the first place, or the game starts off in a prison, there are lots of colorful characters here that can add a dash of danger and intrigue to any game.

Lastly, there is one other thing I'd like to draw your attention to as a DM. The concept of a PC (or even a party) rogues' gallery. As I said in Who's in Your Character's Rogues' Gallery?, the individuals you oppose can define you in important ways. And if your party tries not to just murder every NPC they find (or if they do end up killing someone whose brother, father, mother, lover, etc. swears vengeance), then this can be a particularly useful narrative device.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used this tactic successfully in your games why not leave a comment below?

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, 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, 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!