I'm currently writing the different places where my PC's can go in my campaign. As such, I decided to make a weak character, someone defenseless in a way, that the PC's (and the npc's already there) would feel inclined to protect in a way.
I was thinking of a mentally slow dwarf. Kind that's dumb, slow and not really there, but a good worker, always nice with a heart of gold. The kind of nice person all the older dwarves would treat as their son, and all the younger ones would treat him as a brother.
The village idiot that everyone likes, in a way. Now I was then thinking that he might get assassinated (not sure by who yet, racist elves?) and have the villagers form of lynch mob or something, possibly dragging in the characters as well if they feel angry about the gentle idiot's death.
I'm wondering if anyone has some input for that? Or if they want to share their own experiences.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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I was thinking of a mentally slow dwarf. Kind that's dumb, slow and not really there, but a good worker, always nice with a heart of gold. The kind of nice person all the older dwarves would treat as their son, and all the younger ones would treat him as a brother.
Play Dragon age 1 or 2. "Enchantment? Enchantment!"
I was honestly not thinking of dragon age. But it was for a section of my world populated only with dwarves in the mountains, elves in the forests and orcs in the swamps.
Young dwarven child who carries a wooden sword and uses a wooden bucket as a helmet. He wants to be " a great hero" constantly gets himself into situations for the party needs to save him.
Play up the he's well meaning, but just a dumb kid (like we all were at one point).
Maybe even make him a female and play that angle too.
Yeah but little kid doesn't have the same awwwwww factor as some poor soul.
Young dwarven child who carries a wooden sword and uses a wooden bucket as a helmet. He wants to be " a great hero" constantly gets himself into situations for the party needs to save him.
Play up the he's well meaning, but just a dumb kid (like we all were at one point).
Why stop there? Just name him Scrappy and be done with it.
Yeah but little kid doesn't have the same awwwwww factor as some poor soul.
Recreate the old guy from Up. ;-)
I want people to feel bad, not cry XD
Scrappy?
A kid will probably work the best. My group gets real protective over them usually, moreso little girls. Also just a side note, I never thought of Dwarves as sympathetic to the "village idiot" as other races. Though that could just be a personal inclination.
Try a cockney accent. It led to my most loveable character. Totally slimy, pathetic and reprehensible, but "he's like a horrible wretched puppy".
This thread made me think of Short-Round from the Indiana Jones movie.
Be carefull not to go overboard on the 'loveable' factor or you might have the opposite effect and everyone hating him.
AKA: the Jar-Jar effect
Hate. That. Guy.
-Flea
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Find someone they *hate,* even if it's a jerkwood Captain of the Town Guard who busted them for not having their weapons peacebonded, or ordered the druid to muzzle boo-boo the wonder bear before he could bring him into town, or is *obviously* the boot-licking toady of a local aristocrat that is giving them a really hard time or something, and then have that person be seen picking on the 'slow' NPC egregiously.
It's easier to have the PCs be nice to a particular NPC if being nice to that NPC will annoy the heck out of someone they loathe.
"You were supposed to take my nephew Alexander Ruffington the Third as a cohort to the Temple of the Mad God!"
"Sorry, we think Lumpy the Mule-Kicked Dwarf is more qualified..."
Find someone they *hate,* even if it's a jerkwood Captain of the Town Guard who busted them for not having their weapons peacebonded, or ordered the druid to muzzle boo-boo the wonder bear before he could bring him into town, or is *obviously* the boot-licking toady of a local aristocrat that is giving them a really hard time or something, and then have that person be seen picking on the 'slow' NPC egregiously.
It's easier to have the PCs be nice to a particular NPC if being nice to that NPC will annoy the heck out of someone they loathe.
"You were supposed to take my nephew Alexander Ruffington the Third as a cohort to the Temple of the Mad God!"
"Sorry, we think Lumpy the Mule-Kicked Dwarf is more qualified..."
Creating a bully is a great idea.
However, I might change it from a "slow-dwarf" to a dwarf who was made slow because of some heroic act eh preformed as a young man. Maybe he threw himself on a broken wand and saved all his friends but was forever altered as a result. The bully could be the one responsible for the accident and hate the fact that he was kicked out of wizard school as a result of the slow dwarfs actions.