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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 5379151" data-attributes="member: 3820">The rocket-jump happens in "The Snow Women", one of the later stories written but essentially the youngest we've ever seen Fafhrd. In the course of the story he also forces his way out of magical bindings and kills swordsmen considerably older and more experienced than himself. None of this is impossible without magic, mind, but neither is it presented as him being lucky. If you were to use a level-based system, the best way to emulate Fafhrd would either be to rule "he gets to start at 3rd level even when it's chronologically the first adventure he's ever been on" to model his exceptional quality, or you'd want to use a system where 1st level for a PC is heroic notably above and beyond the average man-at-arms.The god thing is arguable: Fafhrd claims he was temporarily Issek during the (pretty impressive) events of "Lean Times In Lankhmar," but there's no proof -- in fact, from what we know of Fafhrd it's entirely possible he pulls off the climactic scene based on sheer Fafhrdness. After all, he breaks his own sword over his knee in what's simply a throwaway line early in the story (though he does cut himself badly in the process). It's a little more overtly supernatural later on in Swords and Ice Magic, but in both cases the implication is that Fafhrd is so awesome that he gets close enough to godliness that the gods begin to choose him as an aspect.I love the Lankhmar books. But part of their appeal is that the heroes are clearly fantastic (though not magically enhanced), but with approachable personalities. The dichotomy of these guys who are clearly capable of scaling incredible mountains and riding into Death's realm to swipe his mask but can also be totally bilked by a pretty face -- it's hilarious, as intended.Fafhrd isn't made of magic, but he is a good ways from mundane -- which is kind of the point. A first-level fighting man from OD&D is several steps weaker than Fafhrd as we've ever seen him, even as a youth. I have to agree with ProfessorCirno: death to the trope that fighters and their ilk should be non-magical and non-fantastic. It may model Peregrin Took, but it's crap at Fafhrd or Orlando or Jason.</blockquote>

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