Sunday 29 May 2011

DemonLord design diary 2 - heroes



In DemonLord the players take on the role of regular men and women who have set out on a journey to become rich by plundering the darkest reaches of the world. Because of this heroes are fairly weak unless they're kitted out in superior equipment. 

Because of the low fantasy setting and the fact that characters really are just normal schmoes, DemonLord is designed to be a classless roleplaying game, allowing players to adjust their attributes to suit their play style. Players are encouraged to write a brief back-story and career for their characters to flesh them out. They could be a seasoned sailor with knowledge of the world and its inhabitants. She has seen everything and this will come in handy when adventuring. In this case, the sailor would start with a high Lore attribute and may possibly want to achieve more knowledge by plundering necklaces, which enhance their Lore. 

Alternatively, the character could be a novice pit fighter, brawling for money in taverns across the kingdom. A high score in Fighting and Defence would work for this type of character. Nothing pleases him more than unearthing great weapons and armour to make him stronger in battle and able to withstand blows that would surely destroy a weaker being. 

Perhaps your character has a high score in her Social attribute. She would probably be well suited to be an ex-diplomat or government official, who is used to talking her way out of tight spots rather than fighting her way out. 

Having a loose character system allows for some intriguing roleplaying opportunities. How does the thief and the town guard get along? Perhaps there are two clerics from different religious sects who must fight side-by-side. 

As long as the player can think of a reason for the character's decision to go into adventuring, they can be anything. The imagination is the only limit here in DemonLord.

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