I'm a new CoC player that wants to learn how to be better at the game. I'm used to games that are more heroic and combat focused, specifically 5e and DCC. In CoC, which I understand is much more focused on problem/puzzle solving and investigation, what makes a good PC? What I mean by this is a PC that is mechanically effective, fun for me to play as, and fun for the judge and other party members to play with? I know CoC is a classless game, but are there common, popular or essential archetypes for PCs? Any general new player advice?
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>I'm used to games that are more heroic and combat focused, specifically 5e and DCC.
You are going to have horrible time. Going from 5e to CoC is pretty much the worst switch imaginable.
How so? i made that switch and ended up making BRP our default system.
But more seriously - don't. You've been already brain-damaged by DnD, you are approaching weird shit investigation game while thinking about builds and mechanical efficiency. You are approaching a game with semi-random chargen asking for universal tips. Hell, you are asking for fricking archetypes in a CoC game, because you are so out of your depth with one of the most popular settings and the general fricking idea of the game, you need to ask - and ask for shit that's already described in the rulebook.
Have you even fricking bother to open it up, you deft c**t?
This post is mean but not wrong.
OP, don't worry about build. Just relax and try to learn and have fun. CoC is not a game about mechanical optimality.
>CoC is not a game about mechanical optimality.
Thank you for an actual useful piece of advice.
Those
anons already got you covered, but here is my five cents to it:
Play Pulp Cthulhu instead. It's an official expansion/tone shift of the game, where rather than being scared of tentacles, you unload your entire mag into it, characters are far more survivable and it plays more like an action horror than a bullshit investigation. It's the preferred way of getting into the system, especially when going from something so radically different as D&D, while is still follows the same general ruleset, with just minimal tweaks to make it easier to get into.
But going from D&D to CoC is going to be a horror all by itself, so seriously, reconsider. Or at least get into Pulp Cthulhu first. Once you will learn that, getting into CoC will be about adjusting few of your scores and keeping in back of your mind that if you are firing your gun, you already lost, rather than succeeding.
>Hell, you are asking for fricking archetypes in a CoC game
Archetypes absolutely do exist in CoC you, giga moron, and they do work.
Put a few drops of LSD in the water before the session.
Great advice, no notes.
Just because it's a relatively modern setting and you arent necessarily "heroic," still find a reason for your character to be engaged with the story and do shit. There is nothing worse in these games than a player who forces the gm to jump through hoops to get the characters to act. Buy into the premise: your character is gonna go into the spooky house, come up with the reason why they are going to do it.
You're PC is a lot squishier than a 5e character, so don't run willy nilly into combat. Your character should have some kind of investigative skill. That could mean a lot of different things, though: a rich guy who can bribe his way into coroner's office, a big mook who can intimidate people, a fast talker, an ex cop with police connections.
Try not to metagame too much. Some of the funniest shit in CoC is when your character is doing something dumb that you the player know is kinda dumb. You're a protagonist in a horror story, embrace it.
>Just because it's a relatively modern setting and you arent necessarily "heroic," still find a reason for your character to be engaged with the story and do shit. There is nothing worse in these games than a player who forces the gm to jump through hoops to get the characters to act. Buy into the premise: your character is gonna go into the spooky house, come up with the reason why they are going to do it.
I mean heroic in regards to the power level of the PCs, not their motivation. Bringing a dog that hunts has never been a problem for me.
>Some of the funniest shit in CoC is when your character is doing something dumb that you the player know is kinda dumb. You're a protagonist in a horror story, embrace it.
This isn't a problem either, DCC always has bonkers shit happening to characters.
How common is combat? The impression I have is rare unless you are specifically looking for it and its not unusual to get through an entire adventure without any combat. Is this correct? Do characters need a combat skill to get out of a pinch? Like If I get caught in a jam and have to fight am I just fricked without a combat skill?
Amount of combat utterly depends on the keeper and scenario, but in general, even a slap fight can leave you pretty fricked up if the dice go against you, and guns are dangerous. That goes for both sides, tho: if you are prepared and start combat with your firearm drawn you get a big bonus to initiative and if you're able to out some lead down field you'll be able to hit something eventually, even with a mediocre skill.
But yeah, a lot of times avoiding combat creatively is better than getting into combat, but it's also a roleplaying game, so some kind of combat is *probably* going to happen.
Your questions are too specific to the game you will be playing. Talk to your GM and coplayers.
Remember you have to roll SAN every time you see a black person
lmao, why do we like this writer again?
We don't. Anyone who ever actually read Lovecraft will tell you how incredibly boring and poorly written his stories are - but that doesn't make them any less revolutionary in what they were doing and how much shit got inspired by them.
>lmao, why do we like this writer again?
Racism good. Unironically.
I guess it does make sense, when a racist sees a black person they go insane!
In order to enjoy CoC you have to read the entire body of Lovecraft's work*letters included) at least twice. Then you have to read everything by Edgar Allen Poe, Robert E. Howard, Arthur Machen, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, William Hope Hodgson, Lord Dunsany, Bram Stoker, Robert W. Chambers and August Derleth. Then read all of Lovecraft again.
Only then can you enjoy Call of Cthulhu properly.
Dereleth sucks
My advice is that, when you create your character, have the kind of person in mind who you want to play and create the character based on that- don’t think at all about mechanical strengths/weaknesses, or even usefulness. That’s the advice I was given after my first character, since I tried to make my first character a good investigator- I think he was a military veteran with some other things in his background that would make him good (nothing ridiculous to my recollection). My next character my friend told me to make a character more like a regular person, so I made him based off a teacher we had all had back in high school. I thought he would be practically useless, and he oftentimes was, but it was fun and it made me more creative as the game went on
Echoing sentiment to not think about builds. Try to imagine a character from the perspective of a personality, fill in skills based on what would make sense for this person to have. Ideally the character you make should be the kind of person who can't leave well enough alone and will keep pushing into mysteries even after it has become evident they are putting themselves in over their head.
Try to make a character you'd be interested to see if "they make it", since death or permanent disability is a likely outcome in a CoC game it's a lot more fun when you have moments where you feel it's right to risk your character's life. Giving them a flaw can be fun too, like how all stereotypical private dicks have a drinking problem. It can help spice up the game if you consciously play into this flaw when it presents itself.
The most fun I've had with CoC is when I play into the tropes of the genre, even when it is detrimental to my out-of-game goals.
First up, you have the 'royal three' CoC skills that come up all the time: Library Use, Spot Hidden, and Listen. In 7e I'd add Dodge to that list as well. You can't really go wrong by investing some skill points in these.
As for broad archetypes, I like to think of CoC characters as falling into three main categories.
First up you have the combat monster. Good brawling and firearm skills, good Dodge, high DEX so you get to act first in combat, and high HP. Obviously there are plenty of threats in CoC that the investigators are simply not going to beat in a straight up fight, but depending on the scenario you may have cause to take on human-scale opponents in which case you're going to want someone with some points in Submachine Gun on your side. Generally it's good to have at least one or two of these in a typical group.
Next up is the Professor type. Less viable for a one-shot scenario but if you're playing in an extended campaign where its possible for you to get your hands on some tomes and learn spells then it's worth trying out. Pick Language skills for reading tomes (Latin, Ancient Greek, etc.), high INT and EDU for the skill points, and a high POW score so you start with lots of SAN and can get some use out of spells and magic items before you inevitably go insane.
Finally you have specialist characters who invest heavily in more niche investigative and utility skills. It really depends on the sort of scenario/campaign you're playing; stuff like Survival or Anthropology might be lifesavers or useless depending on the scenario, so it helps to ask your Keeper for guidance on what may or may not be worthwhile.
I'd like to add the "inteviewer" archetype. Psychology and related skills, plus a background that makes you somewhat trustworthy (medical doctor, lawyer, noted author or journalist, generically rich, etc). Get information out of witnesses, secure assistance from locals who may otherwise distrust outsiders, and try to placate the law.
Just say you go to the libary and win. Cthulhu adventures are weird as frick and despite it allegedly being a investigation game there is actually zero investigation being done by the players. It's all abstracted, so you make your 80 year old fart professor go to the libary, make two rolls on your Welsh language skill and the game master gives you a handout with the solution.
>No, I never played the game I spew bullshit about, how could you tell?
Forgot to attach the picture
Optimal build for everyone is to max EDU and POW. APP can be dumped since it has no rules attached to it. STR can usually be dumped since melee sucks. Professions are mostly fluff, but you want to pick one with 4xEDU for its skill points and as many freely assignable skills as possible. So everyone should either be a professor or librarian. Dodge is more useful than any other skill, so choose it as a specialization you read a lot of books on and crank it up as far as your Keeper. Avoid melee combat skills and instead go for automatics. Or just dump combat skills altogether since every major antagonist is going to be immune to them anyway and is to be treated as a puzzle boss.
My biggest problem with CoC is being able to buff up your dodge skill. Frick that shit it should be half of your dex and only upgrade through combat and experience like the mythos skill. Everything else is great for me.
>run The Plantation
>investigators end up on a sharecropper plantation in the 1920s where there’s some weird Haitian voodoo going on
>the guy who obsesses over putting his politics in rolls a black doctor and constantly acts offended when he’s treated like a black doctor
My advice for “builds” is not to be like that guy. Seriously, do not be the guy who has to let everyone know how offended he was by how people were treated in the 20s
Also, you’d be advised to make it so you aren’t horrible at one combat skill. Even if it’s “throw” and you search around for dynamite or something. And remember to use your luck
>what makes a good PC?
Make them a person instead of a stat array.
It's absolutely fine to have a combat capable template, like a war veteran turned private detective, but the character needs to be more than just someone that can Spot Hidden and shoot his gun.
>problem/puzzle solving and investigation,
relax and have fun, its really great and a good break from more combat focused rpgs. Play some fantasy rpgs where you fight and then take break and play some call of cthulhu. Its very enjoyable.
No great effort is needed just play it.