Thursday 8 December 2011

Turn your warrior into a Godsword {T&T}

Tunnels and Trolls has always lacked a cleric-type character like in many other popular fantasy games. To be honest, this makes complete sense because Trollworld technically doesn't have deities. Instead it has the God-Wizards of ancient times who were beings with such immense magic that they were, for all intents and purposes, gods. 

But that isn't to say that people in Trollworld don't worship and pray to higher powers. The sea-faring Cyruks are obedient to their god and ruler Zweetz, the serpent wizard and of course Gristlegrim is the creator of the dwarves. It's only natural that different cultures will worship whichever god-wizard brought them into being.

I have always thought clerics and paladins to be in the realm of D&D, so I think a better term for them in T&T would be 'Godswords'. Why? Well, mostly because it sounds way cooler than cleric but also because it follows the simplistic aesthetic of the T&T universe. These guys worship and hack.

So what does it take to turn your default warrior into a steel-toting preacher (how bad-ass is that)? Godswords are people who don't back down from a fight and will battle to the death for their cause, so armour would be a good place to start. Full suits, helms and shields will aid Godswords in their struggle against the unholy terrors that plague Trollworld. It's not uncommon for a single Godsword to take on many enemies at once, so she needs to be clad to the teeth in steel.

Weapon-wise Godswords prefer to fight valiantly in close quarters with the wretched enemy, so a sword or hafted weapon that delivers as much damage as possible is a must.

So far, you could have made a generic kitted out warrior, but now let's get to the meat of the Godsword. Preferred stats are strength, constitution and charisma, as they have to be both handy in battle but able to persuade others to join their ways. Make sure you carry at least enough healing potions for each of your party members, as Godswords are sworn to heal as well as smite. Likewise, make sure you have spare rations for the needy you made come across on your adventures.

Recommended talents are as follows:

Medical Knowledge (INT), Preach the Word (CHA), Can Take a Beating (CON), Everyone Trusts a Priest (CHA), Calming Demeanour (CHA), I Know Evil When I See It (INT).

As you can see, Godswords are very charisma-based warriors, relying on both their might and words to win the day.

Let me know what you think of the Godsword and whether you will give one a shot.

5 comments:

  1. I love the Godsword character idea. Could be a kind of specialist for T & T 7.5 who rolled triples on Charisma and/or Constitution. Hard to think what triples on the CON roll would be good for, but if it made for a tougher warrior who could take more punishment all the while attributing it to godly favor . . . hmmm, it totally works for me. Very cool concept and much better name than cleric.

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  2. Tunnels and Trolls has always lacked a cleric-type character
    Well, us old timers use the Mirabile Dictu! article from Sorcerer's Apprentice.

    BTW-- I absolutely love the Talents for your Godsword character. I like Talents with long and weird names.

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  3. @atroll really glad you like it. Yeah, I can really see this as a specialist like you say. I like to base warriors on different attributes to give them alternative flavours. The Godsword is charisma-based while the Assassin is more intelligence and dexterity oriented.

    @賈尼 I admit that I've not read that. What rules are there for the cleric type in T&T?

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  4. Mirabile dictu! presents two character classes: the Cleric and the Acolyte. The latter is to the cleric what the Rogue is to the Wizard (in terms of restriction in spell ability).
    The article comes complete with tens of clerical spells. The names are not whimsical and thus less "T&T"-ish in flavour than the wizardly spells. Spell casting ability is dependent on a new character ability, Faith, which is used to fuel the spells. Successfully converting heathens brings extra Faith. I've never used it "as is" from the article, but with heavy modifications (I use WIZ for fuelling the spells).

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  5. Actually, that article is SA #17 presents the class as "Priest" not Cleric. When I read it "back in the day" (the mid 80s), I loved it. But, really, a lot (not all, but many) of the priest's spells are rewordings of wizard's spells. For example, Take That, You Fiend becomes Fist of (insert the name of your deity here), say Fist of Zeus if Zeus is the chosen deity of your priest. So, with perspective, that article became rather so-so. Just my opinion.

    I'd recommend any fan of T&T to try and get their hands on old copies of SA, and some of the well-received solos of the line. It's really gives one a sense of the history and tradition of the game.

    All that aside, your article is a nice take on the Cleric class so prevalent in other games. I even like the name "Godsword." Perhaps definitions of those Talents would be in order.

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