sevenbastard
Legend
Up to fate. If the roll good stats then yes, but they still start at first level and earn the rest through hard work.
Should PCs Be Exceptional?
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
Kind of a bit of everything, really, and a lot depends on the game.
Superhero games - yeah, clearly exceptional from day 1.
Call of Cthulhu - generally not exceptional but doing exceptional things.
D&D - a bit of a mix of starting a little exceptional and becoming more exceptional.
Overall, the very fact that they're PCs is going to make them exceptional in some way. At the very least, most RPGs make their PCs substantially more durable than the Average Joe NPC. If they didn't, we'd be making a lot more PCs than we do and that would end up being tedious.
Superhero games - yeah, clearly exceptional from day 1.
Call of Cthulhu - generally not exceptional but doing exceptional things.
D&D - a bit of a mix of starting a little exceptional and becoming more exceptional.
Overall, the very fact that they're PCs is going to make them exceptional in some way. At the very least, most RPGs make their PCs substantially more durable than the Average Joe NPC. If they didn't, we'd be making a lot more PCs than we do and that would end up being tedious.
I covered this stuff in the OP.
Too often posters get hung up on "should" and want to make points about that instead of the subject. It's exhausting.
Then people like to say "it depends." And that's why I addressed it immediately.
I would suggest that folks feeling uncertain re-read the OP and then decide if they really want to engage the proposed discussion.
I'll reiterate the OP in case it was unclear: do YOU, personally, prefer PCs, as protagonists, be exceptional as a general thing?
It was not unclear, so I reiterate my answer. I, personally, like both experiences, and do not have a general desire for one over the other. I specifically have a preference that both be part of my general experience. If I had a string of campaigns that were all one, I'd start wanting the other.
Theory of Games
Storied Gamist
Most of us deal in stats and scores. What's exceptional? 12+? 16+? 18+? If I roll really well for stats, is the character exceptional just by the stats? Keeping in mind high stats are normally a combination of good genes and intensive training. If my Rogue has a 17 DEX but every other ability is below 11, is that an exceptional character?
The OP is blurry on what "exceptional" is as the term relates to ttrpgs.
The OP is blurry on what "exceptional" is as the term relates to ttrpgs.
BookTenTiger
He / Him
I most enjoy games in which the player characters start out as typical and then grow into extraordinary. I think it's a lot of fun to see their progression.
Theory of Games
Storied Gamist
Define "typical"? Would that be a character with all 10s for stats?
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