Goodman Games

Elf or wizard, what can they do?

Do a quest to cleanse himself from what he gained or find a magic item that protects him. For details ask your own, personal Judge.

Pick up the Goodman Games Free RPG Day module from 2012, or pick up The Falcate Idol from Purple Duck Games.

I mean, can they spellburn or use luck after a 1 is rolled to adjust the die?

Most spells we have read have to fumble and roll a *1* on the misfire chart to gain a corruption. Luck bonus can raise this if it is posative, lower it if it is negative, correct?

I believe that just as burning a point of Luck doesn't make a 19 into a natural 20, you can't avoid a natural 1. The Luck raises the 'result' but doesn't change the die.

You can burn a point of Luck to avoid the Corruption. See pg.116 of the DCC RPG.

Maxwell Luther wrote:You can burn a point of Luck to avoid the Corruption. See pg.116 of the DCC RPG.

Dang! I was off by a mere 10 pages!

Maxwell Luther wrote:You can burn a point of Luck to avoid the Corruption. See pg.116 of the DCC RPG.

That's only for wizards isn't it?

HaVoCLaD wrote:

Maxwell Luther wrote:You can burn a point of Luck to avoid the Corruption. See pg.116 of the DCC RPG.

That's only for wizards isn't it?

And elves cast spells as wizards.

Ravenheart87 wrote:

HaVoCLaD wrote:

Maxwell Luther wrote:You can burn a point of Luck to avoid the Corruption. See pg.116 of the DCC RPG.

That's only for wizards isn't it?

And elves cast spells as wizards.

It doesn't follow that they can therefore avoid corruption as wizards. This use of Luck is called out in the wizard class description, page 49, but not so for the elf.

Raven_Crowking wrote:

Ravenheart87 wrote: And elves cast spells as wizards.

It doesn't follow that they can therefore avoid corruption as wizards. This use of Luck is called out in the wizard class description, page 49, but not so for the elf.

I don't see it in the wizard class description. Page 116 says "A wizard that suffers corruption may burn a point of Luck to avoid the corruption" and the elf description says that "Elves can cast spells as wizards do". Following your logic elves can't participate in spell duels, can't spellburn and don't get mercurial magic, because they aren't mentioned there. They aren't mentioned in the description of corruption either. The book consistently uses wizard, which I assume means "somebody who uses wizardry and not clerical magic, unless noted otherwise".

But then again, it's up to the Judge to decide. I decided that demi-humans use the "normal" classes in my campaign, so even if this was a real issue, it wouldn't be for me.

Ravenheart87 wrote:

Raven_Crowking wrote:

Ravenheart87 wrote: And elves cast spells as wizards.

It doesn't follow that they can therefore avoid corruption as wizards. This use of Luck is called out in the wizard class description, page 49, but not so for the elf.

I don't see it in the wizard class description. Page 116 says "A wizard that suffers corruption may burn a point of Luck to avoid the corruption" and the elf description says that "Elves can cast spells as wizards do". Following your logic elves can't participate in spell duels, can't spellburn and don't get mercurial magic, because they aren't mentioned there. They aren't mentioned in the description of corruption either. The book consistently uses wizard, which I assume means "somebody who uses wizardry and not clerical magic, unless noted otherwise".

But then again, it's up to the Judge to decide. I decided that demi-humans use the "normal" classes in my campaign, so even if this was a real issue, it wouldn't be for me.

You are correct, of course, as far as the general usage, but I think that this is one of the areas of the rules that is deliberately left vague. When I made "cheat sheets" recently to aid players moving from 0-level to 1st level, I decided that I wasn't 100% sure which wizard things applied to elves, and which did not.

The book also says "Elves practice arcane magic sustained by traffic with otherworldly creatures. More so than human wizards, they form relationships with specific demi-beings and can directly request aid from beyond. Where a human wizard may cast a spell to summon a demon a few times in his life, an elf may converse repeatedly with the same demon so many times over so many centuries that long-term arrangements become feasible. All elves have one or more extraplanar patrons who sustain their magic. As such, their spells tend more toward those associated with elemental or demonic powers."

So, we know that elves are closely akin to wizards, but not exactly the same.

I have recently begun to allow elves to know their spells without learning them (as a wizard must, see the judge's rules), which prevents an elf from choosing spells in the same way (otherworldly creatures are the agents of an elf's spell, and their nature chooses the spell). OTOH, since elves are so strongly tied into these forces, I have determined that they cannot avoid corruption with Luck. It really depends upon how you decide to interpret the rules. Many things are possible.

(This may work better for me than for you; my campaign world includes ways to remove corruption that can be Quested For. For examples of the kind of things I use in this regard, see CE1: The Falcate Idol).

IMHO, this increases the Appendix N flavour, but I have just started with this change last night, so actual play may decide me otherwise.

I've not yet had to act on this, but I think that I would not allow wizards to avoid corruption either. Corruption is fun

Skyscraper wrote:I've not yet had to act on this, but I think that I would not allow wizards to avoid corruption either. Corruption is fun

I'm kind of leaning this way myself. Two sessions into the new campaign and the wizards/elves have yet to roll a 1. A point of luck seems to be a minor thing to burn to avoid corruption given how infrequently it comes up. Perhaps this changes as the characters increase in level and get access to more spells. I'm going to let it play out as written for a while longer.

On the other hand, the cleric hasn't successfully cast a spell and has rolled twice for Deity Disapproval

HaVoCLaD wrote:

Skyscraper wrote:I've not yet had to act on this, but I think that I would not allow wizards to avoid corruption either. Corruption is fun

I'm kind of leaning this way myself. Two sessions into the new campaign and the wizards/elves have yet to roll a 1. A point of luck seems to be a minor thing to burn to avoid corruption given how infrequently it comes up. Perhaps this changes as the characters increase in level and get access to more spells. I'm going to let it play out as written for a while longer.

On the other hand, the cleric hasn't successfully cast a spell and has rolled twice for Deity Disapproval

Funny, it's the exact same situation in our game, 3 or 4 sessions into level 1. 2 disapprovals by cleric, no 1 rolled by wizard. The wizard, I must note, cast only two spells I think, while the cleric is trigger-happy with his spells. He must have cast at the very least a dozen cleric powers, including healing and turn undead.

I come from the other extreme variable I guess.

My players roll in front of me(and even try from time to time to cheat even then! "16!,That's a 6,oh" and during the first adventure the Wizard rolled three nat 1's. And it got worse from there!

Our wizards tend to be very unlucky AND mutated misshaped monstrosities with ungodly firepower.

They also tend to not be played by female players. The only game I have ever run that the women flee from the casting class's.

My take on elves makes it difficult for me to envision them being corrupted by magic.

I'm leaning towards making the elves drop one die on the dice chain when casting spells, but avoiding corruption on natural ones. Human wizards are, for the most part, all about getting as much power as possible and as soon as possible. Elves don't approach life like that since they have an extremely long life span. Thus they, in my opinion, would be more willing and able to avoid corruption.

How this would actually play out, I don't know yet. Currently its academic since I've had little actual game time with DCC-RPG.

JediOre wrote:My take on elves makes it difficult for me to envision them being corrupted by magic.

I'm leaning towards making the elves drop one die on the dice chain when casting spells, but avoiding corruption on natural ones. Human wizards are, for the most part, all about getting as much power as possible and as soon as possible. Elves don't approach life like that since they have an extremely long life span. Thus they, in my opinion, would be more willing and able to avoid corruption.

How this would actually play out, I don't know yet. Currently its academic since I've had little actual game time with DCC-RPG.

I love that.

It also makes me wonder about alternate Elf corruption that takes entirely different and temporary forms, e.g. migraines, leg cramps and other limiting ailments, but that heal or fade with time...