Wicked Die #3: So, Your Attribute Rolls Suck. Now What?

Rolling up a new character. Its an event that gamers both crave and dread. Sure, you might roll up an avatar so mighty that all will tremble before his awe-inspiring presence. Then again, your cursed dice may produce the puniest dork since&well, since any of us back in Junior High. As futile as it may be, this article is intended to inspire you to KEEP those results rather than throwing a fit about your pals lame dice and re-rolling with your loaded ones. Yes, really, Im going to attempt to explain why youll have just as much (if not more) fun with your original rolls. Even if you are using a system in which you assign your points exactly the way you want to in character creation, youll find some tips here that may help instill the cold, hard numbers of a character sheet with the elusive spark of life& unless youre the kind of player that loads up the ever-useful sheep shearing ability (if so, theres no helpful tip I can offer you besides play more solitaire). Dice or no, you CAN make a champ from a chumps stats.

Before we begin, though, there is one catch. Most games include a rule that sets guidelines on when you SHOULD re-roll, and these guidelines are usually pretty strict. If your new champion fits the bill, nothing will save this below-average geek from a perilous (if not amusing) death resulting from many, many failed checks. You should re-roll in this case, and no one will think less of you. If youre crying for a do-over because you didnt get all 18s (or 20s&or 8s&or Shift Zs&whatever applies) or because your character isnt as strong as the others, dont be surprised when the rest of your gaming group coughs munchkin under their collective breath. Instead, be the best roleplayer that you can be by accepting the challenge of depending more on personality and ingenuity than numbered polyhedra.

Believe it or not, there is a lot of potential depth in the PC you were about to designate as one of the partys henchmen. The key is in giving your character personality by acting out his or her shortcomings. Its hard to roll most of your skills under what is considered normal, but it is quite commonplace to have a couple of them below that level. Have fun with the low ones and exaggerate those personality flaws. If the character has pathetic charisma, presence, social skills, or leadership, be a jerk to everyone! Okay, you dont have to go that far, but at least be confrontational at times. It might get your party into a couple sticky situations (You called that monstrous claymore-wielding shopkeep a scruffy WHAT herder?!?), but chances are one of the more slick PCs will smooth things over. Or maybe youre lacking in wisdom, spirit, or just plain good sense&in that case, you can effectively portray this by never really considering the repercussions of your characters actions (not that there are many players that do this anyways). Sure, arguing loudly over a piece of found treasure in the Tower of Fiery Death may not be wise, but wont your party be thrilled by the opportunity to test their abilities against the horde of vampire troll mages that overheard you? Really, itll be fun! When you think about it, there are uncountable ways to portray inadequacies. For inspiration, carefully watch your friends try to pick up chicks. If your pals dont strike out like the Bad News Bears, check out the quirks/flaws listings in other RPGs. Theyre great for making your fictional creation a little more realistic and/or enticing to play, not to mention a creative GM will make use of them in his/her scenarios. Try to be creative when deciding how to show off those feeble attribute scores. If shortcomings make your character more interesting to interact with, everyone will have more fun. Who knows? Maybe those vampire trolls will be amused enough by the stuttering, clumsy dunderhead rogue to let him survive the Evil Block Party and Adventurer Barbecue long enough to be the entertainment.

Keep in mind that playing up a characters faults will work best if he/she is exceptional in at least ONE thing. Then, he or she will be the one the party needs for a certain situation, even if it is only testing traps or defusing bombs (and if that IS the case, be VERY good at it). Hopefully, you have a good score to put towards that specialty. Also, dont forget class, racial, and affiliation bonuses, advantages, or any other kind of enhancement you can utilize to make the crucial attribute or skill even more remarkable. This kind of specialization can make him/her an essential addition to the group rather than a less effective alternative when another character fails a roll. Using an example set in a superhero campaign, most players will be able to zap/blast/pound-the-bejeezus-out-of the sinister supervillain. Maybe you should round out the team by putting your one good ability towards one of the under-appreciated super powers, like mentalism, gadgetry, or burrowing (okay, forget burrowing, its the worst power included in any superhero game). You may not be able to run a very versatile character when there is only one or two things that he is good at, but youll be the lunkhead-subduing psychic that everyone turns to whenever the Unstoppable Dreadnaught shows up to toss around the tough heroes.

Heres another short and sweet reason to keep your first rolls. If youre the kind of player that continually chucks the dice until you get what you want, be it attributes, attempts to hit, damage, or checks, youre going to get fewer and fewer calls reminding you of when and where the game will be. Better to have a couple lame rolls than to be a lamer. No need to remind you, though. Youre an excellent roleplayer that wouldnt consider doing such things.

It may seem like this is quite a lot to think about so early in the character creation process, but it is important to keep these suggestions in mind if your luck with the dice isnt too hot. Of course your GM has final say on how you whip up a new character, but once your new dimwit&errr&reality-grounded hero is finished, you have complete creative control. True, a couple of your stats may suck on toast, but part of roleplaying is making the most of the abilities the good Die gave you.

- Deacon Kole