I would say that playing a child seems a bit absurd: the skills and stats represent years of training. One doesn't simply pick up a spell book or a sword and become a fighter or a mage. A child who can do anything as well as an adult level one is likely the most talented child who ever lived: a progidy of the highest order.
But also, player characters aren't just ordinary folks, they're exceptional. If you're a wizard, then you're like a child prodigy with a "got-a-PhD-at-15" level intellect. If you're a fighter, then you're probably possessed of a singularly natural talent for swordplay that allows you to keep pace with older, more experiences opponents. If you're a rogue, maybe you've been picking pockets since you could walk, growing up as you did on the mean streets.
None of these are unrealistic, as you can see examples of young people with this kind of prodigious talent/intellect in the real world, they're just exceptional people. But luckily, so are player characters.
Therefore I dont see any need to play a younger character at a handicap or anything, just play them as someone with a lot of natural talent who is however lacking in the experience that comes with age.
They say that an old man has an easier time writing a young man, than a young man has writing an old man.
The old man remembers what it was like to have youth, but the young man does not know what it's like to decay into old age.
You were young once, as were we. Simply remember back to what it was like to be a child.
I would say that playing a child seems a bit absurd: the skills and stats represent years of training. One doesn't simply pick up a spell book or a sword and become a fighter or a mage. A child who can do anything as well as an adult level one is likely the most talented child who ever lived: a progidy of the highest order.
But one is also literally born a Sorcerer, can become a Warlock or Cleric at any age, may have grown up on the streets learning the talents to be a Rogue...
And let's be real, who plays a PC to *not* be someone special?
One is born with sorcery, but not a sorcerer. Having innate magical energies is not innately understanding how they are shaped or controlled. That still takes learning and experience and by the time a sorcerer is already level 1, they've already gained some fundamental mastery over their powers.
And just because one can become a cleric (or a warlock at any age,) maybe there is a reason why we don't see the landscape littered with 9-year-olds throwing around divine magic. Presumably, the divine magic also takes training, which I suspect represent, often, years of education and devotion before the temple starts giving you divine magic. And likely many rogues did grow up on the streets "learning the talents to be a rogue" and the consequences of that is that they are now a level 1 rogue.
The PCs in D&D are already special. They are already naturally better than 99.9% of the world's population by virtue of existing.
I suppose the DM is OK with it, and that it fits in the setting. D&D isn't an RPG-system "rigged" for child-PC's, but I could certainly have allowed it in my campaign if it sounds cool.
So here's some tips from my experience:
Stay away from the early teens (like 13-15ish). Basically stay away from the worst "rebuild" period. At this age teenagers learns how to be social with EACH other. Trying to RP that in a campaign can easily lead you into the "horrible teenager trap".
End of "childhood" like 11-12 can work quite well. You can play on a lot of the childish "extremes", but you are old enough to at least cope with the world around you, and have discovered that you are not the sole center of existence. It's also a quite "sad" age, since it marks the end of childhood and transition into a new period of life. Stranger things season 1 is a modern good example of protagonists in this age.
At the "end" of the teens (like 16-19) can also work fine, but in some settings, this might actually be adults. Kids this young have been sent to wars (for ages). It's not that long ago, these were considered adults. Creating a character at this age, make him a "rebel". Youths don't take the truths for an answer, they still believe they can change the world.
I think that Child characters are very hard to play. I play a young adult That is past the adult age of her race but still pretty young. If you ask me, That is the golden age.
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"If you ever ask a wizard to list the books they've read recently, prepare to be there for a solid week. " - Original.
I'll admit that I didn't read through everyone's reply. Someone may have addressed this already.
Keep in mind that the role of a teenager in today's world/timeline/society is extremely different than in your typical medieval fantasy time period. Regardless of how disciplined and mature a 13yr old is today, what is required of them and what they do is not even close to what it was 800 years ago.
A teenager's role in a society where you have to defend against goblins, build walls, carry water, hunt, provide for the sick and elderly, and most importantly, figure things out when you have about 30 more years to live is a whole different discussion. Teens these days don't have that. Sure they have their own things to deal with, but it's just different. You'll be climbing up hill and never figuring it out if you think of the teens we all see and know and try and find a place for them in something like Dark Sun.
One is born with sorcery, but not a sorcerer. Having innate magical energies is not innately understanding how they are shaped or controlled. That still takes learning and experience and by the time a sorcerer is already level 1, they've already gained some fundamental mastery over their powers.
And just because one can become a cleric (or a warlock at any age,) maybe there is a reason why we don't see the landscape littered with 9-year-olds throwing around divine magic. Presumably, the divine magic also takes training, which I suspect represent, often, years of education and devotion before the temple starts giving you divine magic. And likely many rogues did grow up on the streets "learning the talents to be a rogue" and the consequences of that is that they are now a level 1 rogue.
The PCs in D&D are already special. They are already naturally better than 99.9% of the world's population by virtue of existing.
First of all know this is an old thread I'm unearthing but I felt like I had some things to say.
I just created a child character and I can see where you're coming from but I feel that given the right handicaps some classes can make sense for a kid. The character I just made is an 11 year old human ranger. I felt that ranger fit him because he is growing up pretty much on his own in a forest area. He has practiced tracking humans because they are often nearby and he likes to follow them and eavesdrop as any kid would, or maybe even steal some food off. I left the other favored enemy spot empty as I felt that he wouldn't have learned to track anything else besides some small animals that he might hunt for food or something. I also made his favored terrain the terrain he lives in and navigates all day everyday. I've given him very low strength because he's just a kid and high charisma because people adore children and are easily charmed by them. I even went back and modified some of his skills because even though they made sense with his ability scores they didn't make sense with the fact that he is just a child. I didn't build him to be good I built him to be a fun and interesting character to play.
As for later on as he grows I will continue to tweak and modify his character as he learns new things. I'm even thinking about multiclassing him eventually as if maybe one of the seasoned adventurers in his party took him under their wing and taught him the ways of their class or something.
And also is dnd isn't a game that has to make total sense all the time. I think as long as the party is having fun if someone wanted to make a super skilled kid it shouldn't really matter to anyone else.
One thing I might do is to play them as a level 0 character and to lessen some of their stats. If you are young enough, your STR, INT, WIS, CON and DEX are not necessarily set, as you are still growing. You may not have much of a background to even list, whereas someone playing a Rogue with an orphan background or a fighter with a hunter background has more of a storyline for why they have the stats they do. So when you start developing your character to the point that you are choosing a class, that could be an improvement of some of the primary stats needed for that class. Pretty much fits the fantasy trope of "character/party takes in younger child, starts teaching said child their ways..."
A guy overwhelmed by two orcs and dies... That sounds like a normal citizen.
You can play a child. Why not? In this game humans are fighting housesized monsters. This is fantasy. And some classes are making more sense for a child. Like a sorcerer. (Are your genes really poppig up in adulthood? )
I as an GM would allow it. If...
You aren't asking for a decade long class training. And everyone at the table is ok with a child party member.
Everything affects them more; this may be their first time experiencing early level events, and that’s going to cause those events to stick with them longer and determine their behavior more. For instance, they might have been instructed in fighting, magic, or sneaking since an even earlier age, but the first encounter of the campaign may be their first time actually killing something, it won’t be “been there, done that” for them.
I am generally opposed to underaged adventurers (anything under 16 or less than 90% their race's adult age). I feel like anything less than that hasn't earned having a background.
I agree mostly, most backgrounds don't make sense for a younger character like sage, soldier, and acolyte. however some backgrounds only make sense for a kid/tween/teen like urchin and feylost,
take characters like Gon Freecss probably an outlander for example, he was not tortured and trained like killua, and didn't even have zushi's training, when thay met and he was equal to killua and superior to zushi.
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DRAGONS!!!!!!!
I am Dart. I am a little platinum faerie dragon who is a member of the DragonClub (look it up on dnd beyond)
My go-to for younger characters is to leave their personalities open to being influenced by the people around them, especially people whose opinions they value more. Study your party's behavior and work out what elements your character would learn from them.
So, say one of the party rescued the kid from a werewolf attack, the kid might look up to them and want to be like them, so they'd try to dress like them and act like them and fight like them because they see that person as being a hero that doesn't need to be afraid of anything. While at the same time, being protective of their hero and wanting to fight for them and defending them whenever anybody says anything wrong against them, and being influenced into the kind of friends they make based upon who their hero likes and dislikes?
Maybe also, trying to prove themselves by saving someone else, as their hero once saved them?
Not quite sure if this is the kind of thing you mean or not.
you can see stuff like this in characters like Deku and later Kota Eri Katsuma and Mhaoro from my hero academia. Deku looked up to All-Might who encourage him to become a hero
SPOILER ALERT.
Kota detested anything Hero-related. Due to the premature deaths of both his parents, Kota had developed a cynical and jaded view of Heroes. He believed that his parents abandoned him by choosing to work as Pro Heroes, unable to comprehend that they had died noble deaths in trying to stop a rampaging villain, but changed when deku saves him from Muscular. similar story for the others.
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DRAGONS!!!!!!!
I am Dart. I am a little platinum faerie dragon who is a member of the DragonClub (look it up on dnd beyond)
I would say it depends on the class. A child pc probably works best with sorcerer, because it’s not really tied to training to use weapons or learning spells. Rogue also works. I’d say paladin and barbarian are a no-go, fighter could work but it should probably be dex-based. Monk works. Cleric and Warlock probably work. Ranger makes enough sense.
Tl;DR Class wise everything really works except Paladin and Barbarian
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But also, player characters aren't just ordinary folks, they're exceptional. If you're a wizard, then you're like a child prodigy with a "got-a-PhD-at-15" level intellect. If you're a fighter, then you're probably possessed of a singularly natural talent for swordplay that allows you to keep pace with older, more experiences opponents. If you're a rogue, maybe you've been picking pockets since you could walk, growing up as you did on the mean streets.
None of these are unrealistic, as you can see examples of young people with this kind of prodigious talent/intellect in the real world, they're just exceptional people. But luckily, so are player characters.
Therefore I dont see any need to play a younger character at a handicap or anything, just play them as someone with a lot of natural talent who is however lacking in the experience that comes with age.
But one is also literally born a Sorcerer, can become a Warlock or Cleric at any age, may have grown up on the streets learning the talents to be a Rogue...
And let's be real, who plays a PC to *not* be someone special?
One is born with sorcery, but not a sorcerer. Having innate magical energies is not innately understanding how they are shaped or controlled. That still takes learning and experience and by the time a sorcerer is already level 1, they've already gained some fundamental mastery over their powers.
And just because one can become a cleric (or a warlock at any age,) maybe there is a reason why we don't see the landscape littered with 9-year-olds throwing around divine magic. Presumably, the divine magic also takes training, which I suspect represent, often, years of education and devotion before the temple starts giving you divine magic. And likely many rogues did grow up on the streets "learning the talents to be a rogue" and the consequences of that is that they are now a level 1 rogue.
The PCs in D&D are already special. They are already naturally better than 99.9% of the world's population by virtue of existing.
I suppose the DM is OK with it, and that it fits in the setting. D&D isn't an RPG-system "rigged" for child-PC's, but I could certainly have allowed it in my campaign if it sounds cool.
So here's some tips from my experience:
Stay away from the early teens (like 13-15ish). Basically stay away from the worst "rebuild" period. At this age teenagers learns how to be social with EACH other. Trying to RP that in a campaign can easily lead you into the "horrible teenager trap".
End of "childhood" like 11-12 can work quite well. You can play on a lot of the childish "extremes", but you are old enough to at least cope with the world around you, and have discovered that you are not the sole center of existence. It's also a quite "sad" age, since it marks the end of childhood and transition into a new period of life. Stranger things season 1 is a modern good example of protagonists in this age.
At the "end" of the teens (like 16-19) can also work fine, but in some settings, this might actually be adults. Kids this young have been sent to wars (for ages). It's not that long ago, these were considered adults. Creating a character at this age, make him a "rebel". Youths don't take the truths for an answer, they still believe they can change the world.
Ludo ergo sum!
I think that Child characters are very hard to play. I play a young adult That is past the adult age of her race but still pretty young. If you ask me, That is the golden age.
"If you ever ask a wizard to list the books they've read recently, prepare to be there for a solid week. " - Original.
Grammar Cult
Bow down to Cats! (Cult of Cats)
I'll admit that I didn't read through everyone's reply. Someone may have addressed this already.
Keep in mind that the role of a teenager in today's world/timeline/society is extremely different than in your typical medieval fantasy time period. Regardless of how disciplined and mature a 13yr old is today, what is required of them and what they do is not even close to what it was 800 years ago.
A teenager's role in a society where you have to defend against goblins, build walls, carry water, hunt, provide for the sick and elderly, and most importantly, figure things out when you have about 30 more years to live is a whole different discussion. Teens these days don't have that. Sure they have their own things to deal with, but it's just different. You'll be climbing up hill and never figuring it out if you think of the teens we all see and know and try and find a place for them in something like Dark Sun.
All things Lich - DM tips, tricks, and other creative shenanigans
First of all know this is an old thread I'm unearthing but I felt like I had some things to say.
I just created a child character and I can see where you're coming from but I feel that given the right handicaps some classes can make sense for a kid. The character I just made is an 11 year old human ranger. I felt that ranger fit him because he is growing up pretty much on his own in a forest area. He has practiced tracking humans because they are often nearby and he likes to follow them and eavesdrop as any kid would, or maybe even steal some food off. I left the other favored enemy spot empty as I felt that he wouldn't have learned to track anything else besides some small animals that he might hunt for food or something. I also made his favored terrain the terrain he lives in and navigates all day everyday. I've given him very low strength because he's just a kid and high charisma because people adore children and are easily charmed by them. I even went back and modified some of his skills because even though they made sense with his ability scores they didn't make sense with the fact that he is just a child. I didn't build him to be good I built him to be a fun and interesting character to play.
As for later on as he grows I will continue to tweak and modify his character as he learns new things. I'm even thinking about multiclassing him eventually as if maybe one of the seasoned adventurers in his party took him under their wing and taught him the ways of their class or something.
And also is dnd isn't a game that has to make total sense all the time. I think as long as the party is having fun if someone wanted to make a super skilled kid it shouldn't really matter to anyone else.
One thing I might do is to play them as a level 0 character and to lessen some of their stats. If you are young enough, your STR, INT, WIS, CON and DEX are not necessarily set, as you are still growing. You may not have much of a background to even list, whereas someone playing a Rogue with an orphan background or a fighter with a hunter background has more of a storyline for why they have the stats they do. So when you start developing your character to the point that you are choosing a class, that could be an improvement of some of the primary stats needed for that class. Pretty much fits the fantasy trope of "character/party takes in younger child, starts teaching said child their ways..."
A guy overwhelmed by two orcs and dies... That sounds like a normal citizen.
You can play a child. Why not? In this game humans are fighting housesized monsters. This is fantasy. And some classes are making more sense for a child. Like a sorcerer. (Are your genes really poppig up in adulthood? )
I as an GM would allow it. If...
You aren't asking for a decade long class training. And everyone at the table is ok with a child party member.
Everything affects them more; this may be their first time experiencing early level events, and that’s going to cause those events to stick with them longer and determine their behavior more. For instance, they might have been instructed in fighting, magic, or sneaking since an even earlier age, but the first encounter of the campaign may be their first time actually killing something, it won’t be “been there, done that” for them.
I agree mostly, most backgrounds don't make sense for a younger character like sage, soldier, and acolyte. however some backgrounds only make sense for a kid/tween/teen like urchin and feylost,
take characters like Gon Freecss probably an outlander for example, he was not tortured and trained like killua, and didn't even have zushi's training, when thay met and he was equal to killua and superior to zushi.
DRAGONS!!!!!!!
I am Dart. I am a little platinum faerie dragon who is a member of the DragonClub (look it up on dnd beyond)
you can see stuff like this in characters like Deku and later Kota Eri Katsuma and Mhaoro from my hero academia. Deku looked up to All-Might who encourage him to become a hero
SPOILER ALERT.
Kota detested anything Hero-related. Due to the premature deaths of both his parents, Kota had developed a cynical and jaded view of Heroes. He believed that his parents abandoned him by choosing to work as Pro Heroes, unable to comprehend that they had died noble deaths in trying to stop a rampaging villain, but changed when deku saves him from Muscular. similar story for the others.
DRAGONS!!!!!!!
I am Dart. I am a little platinum faerie dragon who is a member of the DragonClub (look it up on dnd beyond)
I would say it depends on the class. A child pc probably works best with sorcerer, because it’s not really tied to training to use weapons or learning spells. Rogue also works. I’d say paladin and barbarian are a no-go, fighter could work but it should probably be dex-based. Monk works. Cleric and Warlock probably work. Ranger makes enough sense.
Tl;DR Class wise everything really works except Paladin and Barbarian
Hi Chat