DCC Half-Elf Class

So, I’ve seen over the years a call for a half-elf class on various DCC forums, but I haven’t yet seen anything that was a great fit for my players or campaign.  The problem with racial classes is they have to fit a new niche and be reasonably dramatic or powerful to compare to the base four classes of Warrior, Wizard, Thief or Cleric.

So what makes a half-elf unique in its own right, and worthy of playing?

Well, going back to the original D&D and AD&D materials for inspiration, it’s easy enough to give half-elves a little bit of infravision, some resistance to sleep and paralysis, and heightened senses, but that doesn’t make a great class on its own.  However, I remember our ongoing 3E campaign years ago where a player took the Factotum class … it was a jack-of-all-trades and it could fake a little bit of everything.  That feels right for a half-elf.  A little bit of spellcasting, a little bit of skill-fu like a Thief, a little bit of fighting ability.

So the first thing I did for the class was establish a ‘Versatility Die’ … so a half-elf can try anything with a d12 not a d10 as the baseline … so picking locks, identifying strange fungus, reading languages, using scrolls, the whole works.  I believe this makes the half-elf skillful without adding a lot of complication.  As the Versatility Die increases at higher levels, the half-elf gets reliably better at these things – never as good as a Wizard or Thief, but certainly better than any other class.

Versatility isn’t enough to justify a class though, and isn’t ‘fun’ or dramatic, so throw in some spellcasting (not as good as an Elf, but again a reasonable amount to make the class fun).  I bumped up the Half-Elf saving throws to improve Reflex, and I bumped down the multiple action dice and critical hit roles but only marginally.  For another class perk, I set the Luck modifier bonus to be added to pretty much anything, allowing some customization for those rare high Luck half-elves.  I also added a few half-elf backgrounds, but you could always have a half-elf use a Human background if you chose.

Finishing up, I really blanked on level titles – anyone got any suggestions?  I’ll happily throw them in here.

Ultimately, my Half-Elf feels a bit like a thief/wizard combination, but branches into some unique areas making it what I think will be a playable class.

Got any comments, ideas, or thoughts?  Drop me a line at archadethered@gmail.com 

 

HALF-ELF

Half-elves are the offspring of a human and elf, and while somewhat rare, are accepted in both human and elven communities.  The Arkenwood has several half-elves in their community from relationships developed in the Market Grove.

     Half-elves are more muscular, resembling humans at a distance, but are often fair of features with slightly pointed ears and occasionally strangely hued irises or hair.

     Hit Points: A half-elf gains 1d8 HP per level.

     Weapon Training: A half-elf is trained in the following weapons: club, dagger, handaxe, longbow, longsword, shortbow, shortsword, sling, spear, and staff.  A half-elf can wear any armor they choose, although it may interfere with their spellcasting.

     Alignment: Being caught between communities and cultures, half-elves tend to be neutral in alignment, but lawful or chaotic half-elves are not unheard of.

     Infravision: A half-elf can see in the dark up to 30’.

     Versatility: Half-Elves have the longer lifespan and natural aptitude to excel at a number of tasks.  Rather than use 1d10 for unskilled checks, a half-elf uses their Versatility Die instead.  This can be used for all skill checks not covered by their background.  This also allows a half-elf to attempt any Thief skills such as attempts to Sneak Silently, Read Languages or Use Magical Scrolls.  On any skill check, add the appropriate Attribute Bonus as normal.

     Magic: Half-elves have dabbled in magic from their elven upbringing.  Half-elf spells are determined randomly like a wizard and their casting check is based on Intelligence modifier and their level has a half-elf, and all spells have the chance for Mercurial Magic as a Wizard’s spells might.

     Caster level: Caster level is a measurement of a half-elf’s power in channeling a spell’s energy. A half-elf’s caster level is his level as a half-elf. For example, a 2nd-level half-elf has a caster level of 2.

     Resistances: Half-elves gain a +2 bonus to save against magical sleep and paralysis.

     Heightened Senses: Half-elves are more observant than humans. All half-elf characters receive a +2 bonus to detect secret doors.  Moreover, when simply passing within 10 feet of a secret door, elves are entitled to a check to detect it.

     Languages: At 1st-level, a half-elf automatically knows Common and the elven racial language.  A half-elf knows one additional language for every point of Int modifier. Additional languages are randomly determined as specified in Appendix L.

     Action dice: A half-elf’s action dice can be used for attacks or spell checks at any level. At 6th level, a half-elf can cast two spells in a single round, the first with a d20 spell check and the second with a d14; or he can make two attacks, the first with a d20 attack roll and the second with a d14; or he may combine an attack with a spell check.  Note that the results of mercurial magic supersede the action dice, so a half-elf with a particularly high (or low) spell check die from mercurial magic uses that result instead (with his total actions still limited by his level).

     Luck: With their versatile heritage, half-elves have the opportunity to pursue any calling they wish. At first level, a half-elf’s Luck modifier may be applied to any of the following: a spell check on one spell of their choosing, one skill of their choosing, attack rolls to hit with one weapon type of their choosing, or one saving throw (Fortitude, Reflex or Will) of their choosing. That modifier does not change as the elf’s Luck score changes.

Table H-1: Half-Elf

Level	Attack	Crit Die/Table	Action Dice	Versatility Die	Known Spells	Max Spell Level	Fort	Ref	Will	Title
1	+1	1d6/II	1d20	1d12	1	1	+1	+1	+1	Wanderer
2	+1	1d6/II	1d20	1d12	2	1	+1	+1	+1	Sellsword
3	+2	1d8/II	1d20	1d12	3	1	+1	+1	+2
4	+2	1d8/II	1d20	1d14	4	2	+2	+2	+2
5	+3	1d10/II	1d20	1d14	5	2	+2	+2	+3
6	+3	1d10/II	1d20+1d14	1d14	6	2	+2	+3	+3
7	+4	1d12/II	1d20+1d16	1d16	7	3	+3	+4	+4
8	+4	1d12/II	1d20+1d20	1d16	8	3	+3	+4	+4
9	+5	1d14/II	1d20+1d20	1d16	9	3	+3	+5	+5
10	+5	1d14/II	1d20+1d20	1d20	10	4	+4	+6	+6

Table H-2: Zero-level occupations for half-elves

Occupation	Weapon	Trade Good
Half-Elf Busker	2d3 knives (as daggers)	Brass pot for donations
Half-Elf Hunter	Shortbow	1d3 animal pelts
Half-Elf Messenger	Staff	Scroll case and 1d3 sheets parchment
Half-Elf Sellsword	Shortsword	Helm
Half-Elf Woodsman	Handaxe	1d3 days of cured meat
Half-Elf Trapper	Knife (as dagger)	Brace of coneys