The Seven Stooges : my standard PCs

                       by Dave Booth

I was intrigued to read about Sue's RPG personae in SynTax 45.  So
I wasn't alone in having stock PCs that I use in game after game.
In fact, is it common for players to carry characters forward like
this?

Anyway, the core of the team that accompany me on many quests are
all veterans of Dungeon Master days.  Step forward Linflas, Elija,
Boris and Nabi!

As you'll almost certainly remember (unless you haven't played DM
- in which case, what have you been doing all your life??) the
characters in the game were selected from portraits of dead heroes
on the walls of the dungeon entrance. You resurrected them to
serve in your quest to escape.  I seem to recall that you could
resurrect or reincarnate characters, though the difference in the
context of the game is lost in the mists of time.

I do remember that one option brought the character back with his
or her belongings, so at least you started with an albeit sparse
collection of weapons, armour, and magic items.  However, you
chose the heroes with their attributes on their death day. No
opportunity to create truly custom characters.

The four I settled on were a Fighter (Linflas), Ranger (Elija),
Mage (Boris) and Healer (Nabi).  This was to be the group I've
used in all future quests involving multiple PCs.

When RPGs came along that allowed you to custom create characters,
the characters of the four worthies changed accordingly.  Linflas
was always going to be the Avatar of the pack, and having earned
his stripes as a Paladin, went on to take centre stage as a solo
PC in Ultima.  Linflas has always been a Human.

This cheesed off the others somewhat.  Boris in particular was not
going to let some holier-than-thou knight steal his thunder.  This


Dark Elf's specialism has remained magic casting, but in various
guises he has shown a flair for picking pockets and locks.  Boris'
most recent claim to fame was as my stock Daggerfall character and
subsequently the star of Battlespire.

Poor Elija and Nabi have been neglected by comparison.  Elija
especially has gone thorough a series of mutations in an effort to
find him a calling in life.  The Ranger in him has remained his
dominant feature, but latterly he's been sighted in various games
throwing magic around, healing characters, or even dabbling in a
bit of thievery.  He's something of a Jack of all trades,
reflected in his rebirths as a Human, Dwarf and Half-Elf.

Nabi remains a stoic Cleric Human.  Healing is his big thing, and
he (usually) does it well.  The highlight of his career was in the
TSR Dungeons & Dragons series; his natural ability to turn undead
has saved the party on more than one occasion.  I lost count of
how many times he used this skill in Eye of the Beholder!

Of course, there are RPGs that require more than four PCs. In
these situations relatively minor, but in their own way unique,
characters have made an appearance.

Gothmog (another ex-DM character) is a thoroughly nasty piece of
work.  Whilst other PCs are True Neutral, this fella is an
unreconstructed Chaotic Evil.  Any chance he gets, he'll use
necromancy.  He does take some of the limelight from Boris, being
a magic user by definition, which is just as well as it keeps B
from getting too big-headed.  Elija has had his work cut out
keeping Gothmog from turning poor Boris into a pool of sludge.
Not a man (or skeleton, undead or other ghoulish critter) to mess
with.

Tealeaf is, well well, a thief!  There are games where a
specialist of his ilk is necessary, and he's been a real boon in
games like Wizardry.  I had fun taking him round Daggerfall as
well, as it provided a real contrast in gameplay to the more usual
fighter or magic-user type.  A halfling with a future.

The final player in my set has only been sighted in Wizardry.
Hissssa was in my Wizardry VI party before Gothmog came along.
Amazingly enough, Hissssa is a Lizardman, and has this useful
talent of burping poisonous gas over enemies.

However, one night Gothmog came on the party at rest, and slipped
Hissssa a micky finn at the camp nosh-up. The brew caused him
horrendous flatulence, so the others had to banish him from the
party. Which is where G stepped in as a 'brave replacement'.  What
a rotten so and so.

That's the mainstay of the PCs that I've used in my RPGing years.
It's a minor disappointment now when I have to take pre-created
characters on board in a game. The guys though are grateful of a
rest between dungeon crawls.  Gives them a chance to laugh whilst
someone else gets beaten up by monsters.

@~Perhaps someone else would like to tell us about THEIR special
@~PCs in the next issue? ... Sue
                              - o -