Sun Cleric
I think this dude might have been about the only cleric I ever played. After all, let's face it, clerics are sort of lame... even in a world where gods actually exist! And what's with just using non-edged weaponry? I wonder if this might have been inspired by the church banning crossbows on Mediaeval battlefields because they were 'too barbaric' but I could be wrong (begin caveat) I remember reading that somewhere anywhere (end caveat).
Anyway, I only played him about twice, but typically got reet into designing his outfit, which I envisaged as being ornate, full gothic plate. I also originally drew his shield with the sun's cantons extruding as huge flanges. Will (for he was GM in this solo game) said "Y'know, they'd get hacked right off in a fight". "What, even if they were made out of metal? no way!" I answered, defensively. I think he might have been right though, and have hence changed that.
Oh, yeah, sun shield, sun armour, who did he worship? A sun god, of course. I think once of the conceipts I came up for this character was that he actually worshipped the sun, by lying in the sun, until his skin was nearly black (sunbathing, essentially), I think I got that from seeing 'The Holiday Programme' on the Beeb in around 1990, when they described holidayers visiting hotter climes as 'sun-worshippers'. I quite liked the concept. I think Will laughed.
Anyway, a two handed war hammer is obviously going to present problems when also using a shield, but I'm sort of envisaging this guy as some kind of Soulcaliber style combatant, with an outrageous, kinetic fighting style.
I suspect the "no edged weapons" thing was really just an abstract way of ensuring clerics were a balanced character class. Same with magic users not being "allowed" to weild swords. W-what if I just pick up this sword and hit you with it, though, Mr Gygax? The fixed attributes of the original D&D character classes were slightly at odds with the free-wheeling nature of the game.
ReplyDeleteI didn't remember this chap at all until I started reading, and then it gradually came back. Another solo game? Metallic ruins containing giant rats? Something along those lines, i think.
Speaking of Gygax (who died last year, hats off), there's a great cameo in an episode of futurama (not on You Tube, alas) where he introduces himself "I'm Gary Gygax and I'm..." rolls and consults a d6... "PLEASED to meet you!"
Ah, I guess that makes sense. That didn't follow through to other systems though, I remember the system of careers in WFRP being more realistic, as the path you chose moulded your skill set, and even enhanced your attributed, e.g. a warrior could gain physical strength and stamina etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the Stormbringer/Elric games, sorcerors in that were sometimes the most tooled-up PCs possible, strapped down with demon-bound runeswords.