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So I have a guy who sometimes shows up to my table, They are nice and I'm good friends with both them and their fiance. Both of them are going to be playing in my upcoming Carrion Crown game. I'm limiting classes to classes that fit the horror theme, and they gravitated right towards the Mad Scientist. The problem is that this player is notorious for not learning his classes, and Alchemists are rather complex classes. He's agreed to play something different if the class is too complex.
He's not stupid, he can rattle off complex math equations without writing them down. He is a genius, speaking strictly in numbers. However he's also somewhat... absent minded.
Great friend, interesting Roleplayer, but any hints on how to handle this without ripping my hair out? Also his partner is a great player (I introduced them both to the game) but I don't want to say that one is welcome but the other isn't because they're also my friends. So any hints for dealing with my rather eccentric friend?
Is he aware of his own limitations? Because maybe you could be honest to him and tell him the truth. If you think he won't understand tell him that you don't want to have two players with the same kind of characters and, he might let his fiancee play the alchemist by his own.
Write him a cheat sheet, its what I do for my absent minded players. The sheet works better if you edit it so that he can add on more things as the campaign goes.
For instance
Bombs
__ per Day that deal __d__+__damage
Infusions
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Spells
______ - ________________
I am a bit absent minded myself. For that reason, I generally try to avoid prepared casting classes. I would rather be able to print out everything my character can do in advance of the gaming session.
Of course, it sounds like your friend doesn't like to read up on his own class in advance -- and I can't see any way for that to turn out well. At the very least, he should have read the basics of the class in its original source (so Advanced Player's Guide for the Alchemist) -- he does not necessarily need to read info from other sources (except for that Horror Adventures archetype that he is actually planning to use) or on-line optimization guides.
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Is he aware of his own limitations? Because maybe you could be honest to him and tell him the truth. If you think he won't understand tell him that you don't want to have two players with the same kind of characters and, he might let his fiancee play the alchemist by his own.
He has some awareness, however he also tends to overestimate just how much energy he'll have to devote to one thing. Since he's still in school (uni) most of the brainpower goes towards that. His partner is looking at playing a Tortured Crusader (she really liked the idea of angsty emo paladin).
If the Alch is too much for my friend any suggestions what would be good?
This is the list of allowed stuff. With the class list so small I'm keeping doubling up to a minimum.
Medium
Mesmerist (taken)
Occultist
Spiritualist
Psychic
Alchemist- Ectoplasm Master, Mad Scientist
Barbarian- Mooncursed (taken)
Druid- Devolutionst
Inquisitor- Hexenhammer, Living Grimoire (taken)
Investigator- Cult Hunter, Gravedigger, Profiler
Kenetisist- Psycokenetist, Blood Kenetisist
Monk- Scarred Monk
Paladin- Martyr, Tortured Crusader
Slayer- Witch Killer
Witch- Tatterdemalion
Wizard- Hallowed Necromancer
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I am a bit absent minded myself. For that reason, I generally try to avoid prepared casting classes. I would rather be able to print out everything my character can do in advance of the gaming session.
Of course, it sounds like your friend doesn't like to read up on his own class in advance -- and I can't see any way for that to turn out well. At the very least, he should have read the basics of the class in its original source (so Advanced Player's Guide for the Alchemist) -- he does not necessarily need to read info from other sources (except for that Horror Adventures archetype that he is actually planning to use) or on-line optimization guides.
I think he plans to do it and then gets wrapped up in some sort of problem and completely forgets what he was doing. I mean he's forgotten to eat before, according to his Fiance. Of course now that they're together she might be able to keep him from forgetting that he was supposed to read up on his class (and eat).
From that list, the Slayer sounds like the most simple class, but you know better than any of us what your player could enjoy.
Maybe you can allow him to play the Alchemist and give him a reduced list of options so he is able to choose between the most efficient things he could do. But that would be an extra job for you, so it's OK if you'd rather have him playing a more simple class.
A new player in my WotW campaign is playing a druid and she is a bit absent minded and doesn't know the game. I've given her a short list of spells that match her concept or could help the group and a few wild shape options with all the pertinent stats noted. I encourage her to look at different stuff if she wants but let her pick among this narrower ammount of options if she doesn't.
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From that list, the Slayer sounds like the most simple class, but you know better than any of us what your player could enjoy.
Maybe you can allow him to play the Alchemist and give him a reduced list of options so he is able to choose between the most efficient things he could do. But that would be an extra job for you, so it's OK if you'd rather have him playing a more simple class.
A new player in my WotW campaign is playing a druid and she is a bit absent minded and doesn't know the game. I've given her a short list of spells that match her concept or could help the group and a few wild shape options with all the pertinent stats noted. I encourage her to look at different stuff if she wants but let her pick among this narrower ammount of options if she doesn't.
Slayer was the first class I suggested for him amusingly.
For people that don't want to learn/can't be bothered with the rules (and I've played with such people before), I usually recommend classes and options that are very simple and straightforward.
For such players, I usually recommend only using options from the Core Rulebook, at least to start. That way, there's only one sourcebook they need to reference. The options from the CRB are also a lot simpler to understand and easier to execute.
My go-to class for such players is the fighter. I usually help the PC design the character, and try to steer them to options that don't have a lot of variables or very many situational modifiers. Static is best. That way, you can just have straight-up numbers on the sheet.
Help the player find a style, and then help them pick some good options. So...
- burly fighter or quick and nimble fighter (i.e. Strength build or Dex build)?
- Melee-focused or ranged-focused?
- Heavy armor or light armor?
- What weapon is the character's signature?
Regardless of options chosen, the PC's got an easy role: Fight! Keep the combat stats more-or-less static, so there's less to keep track of.
The alchemist is more complicated to build than to run. Maybe you could build his character for him instead of him doing it. This way he only needs to read up on the abilities he actually has instead of all the option available to him. Also instead of having him pick the extracts do that for him. The idea is to reduce the amount of reading he needs to do. Don’t give him a formula book and have him choose simply give him a list of formula’s he will prepare every day. This way everything will be on the character sheet.
Maybe work with his fiancée and build his character for him. She can give him hints during play.
I have a friend who has played since the 70s or 80s, but his wife was a newbie and played a druid. He didn't boss her around, but he did give her suggestions and ran the summoned animals for her. Maybe she can help him run his alchemist.
A psychic is simpler than you might think. A full caster but it's basically a sorcerer. Use some of the psi-tech discoveries and it may look like a mad scientist, if not like a Mad Scientist Alchemist.
My thought was using Archetypes of other classes that have some Alchemist goods but are not as complicated.
Mutagenic Fighter or Brawler, off hand.
Although unless your group composition otherwise changes, an arcane full caster seems much more needed.
For ease of play considerations, maybe a Spontaneous-Casting Ley Line Witch, also cross-compatable with:
(anti-Undead) Medium, (Changeling) Dreamweaver, and Dimensional Cultist archetypes. (not Tatterdemalion unfortunately)
You could try to play up the thematic similarities between Potion-brewing Witch and Alchemist to "sell" them on concept,
i.e. they wouldn't need to completely change character backstory, just tweak it, give alchemical cast to material component spells etc.