14-14-14-14-10-10

I think I've cracked the code for Living Greyhawk stats. The breakpoint for stats is 14, costing 6 points. Buying more than a 14 is inefficient. I can buy 4 stats at 14 each and still have enough points for two 10's. Ten is reasonable for dump stats, as you don't get a penalty at that point. I don't like getting a penalty. So as long as I can find 2 things to suck at I should be okay. Monk? Try 10 Int and 10 Cha. Sorcerer? Maybe 10 Str and 10 Wis. Playing a demi-human monkeys with these numbers, of course. My other concern is that my first stat push earned doesn't really get me anywhere. I kinda like the idea of having an odd stat that way the first stat push you get nets you an immediate payoff. Of course 14-14-12-12-12-12 ain't that bad an array either. That might actually work better for my grey elf mystic theurge idea. Two of the twelves would be bumped down to 10s, but Int and Dex would both be pushed, leaving me with Str 10 Dex 14 Con 10 Int 14 Wis 16 Cha 14.

I just don't know if I can bring myself to play an elf, but the free sword and bow proficiency really sounds sweet right now. Imagine an elf monk used as a mobile arrow-launching platform. And you get all the other elf superpowers too. Half-elves I have no problem with playing. I like the whole angle of having one foot in seelie court and one in man's world, but belonging to neither. My fascination with half-orcs comes at least partially from this same idea. Assassins being illegal in LG kills many of my uses for that race. Their penalties to both Cha and Int do in a bunch more options. If I want to play a half-orc spellcaster he has to be Wisdom based. And we all know what that means: divine caster. I think I have some non-sucky ideas for half-orc clerics, especially with the "surprising good guy" switch flipped. And a half-orc druid could have a nice shamany feel to him, especially with a handly level of barbarian. I've given some thought to making my greataxer a half-orc or a dwarf, but somewhere through my level plan they end up using an orcish doubleaxe, an urgrosh, or waraxe-n-shield. I'm not sure if I like that or not. Maybe I should just go with a Suloise northman with a bad attitude and a horned helmet.

Part of my hesistancy when designing these characters is the constant tension between optimal character design and suboptimal designs that I think are rilly kewl. Like I had an idea for a barbarian that isn't from an distant realm. He's just a filthy Flannish peasant who happens to be a wee bit tetched in the head. Because of his untreated psychoses he can flip out ninja style with his trusty scythe. But is a scythe a sucky weapon? I think there are better options. And the padded armor I mentally picture him wearing is clearly a suboptimal choice. Similarly playing a half-orc cleric opens an interesting array of roleplaying possibilities I'd like to explore, but every time I start to work on one a little Bruce Gletty appears on my shoulder in a puff of smoke and lectures me that a cleric needs a Cha bonus for turning purposes.

Not that I'm losing sleep over this crap, but I do want to get this stuff right. I don't want to make sucky characters if I can avoid it. And I don't want to use the intentionally-nerfed PC crutch either. You've maybe played with a guy who uses this tactic. He hobbles his PCs and then tells you he's a much better player than you because he's not a munchkin. Somedays I hate that guy more than the munchkin, maybe because somedays I am that guy. I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want an interesting, lively character who also happens to totally kick all kinds of ass. Is that too much to ask?