What were trollslayers b4 they took the oath?

They don't like to talk about it..

"They don't talk about it…"

That sums it up quite well. Slayers don't talk what they have done before. But usualy they had normal everyday jobs. A Mason whos collum didn't hold and a cave in killed some dwarfs, a brewer whos beer turned toxic. These dwarfs don't usualy last long as a Slayer as they arent that good at fighting. On the other hand a dwarf who has some power in him will likely stay a while in the slayer path until he find a worthy oponent.

Also it is completely legal that a dwarf PC will turn to the slayer career if he has shown cowardice or his friends have died through his actions. Also he wouldn't then be this stereotype Slayer with ST 5 T 5 and onyl intimidate and weaponskill. As a GM I would allow it as an imediate career change with no career end bonus or experience costs.

Slayers were anything from runesmiths to thanes, from engineers to cobblers.

Their past is of little importance once they've taken the oath, from then on it's all about dying with as much honour as one can manage.

They don't like to talk about it. Gotrek (who is about as good an example as any) hasn't told his to Felix as of yet, and they have traveled together for a very very long time. It was however given glimpses of why in beastslayer but he still hasn't told anyone. The only one's that knows for certain why he has taken the slayer oath is the oath keeper(I think they named him that) back at slayer keep. Hence why they need to get Snorri back to the slayer keep since he has forgotten(and thats the worst thing that can happen to a Slayer) so he can once again know why he started on the Slayer path.

They used to be dwarves

It's a good point, Em.

In some ways, it's kind of weird that you can play a slayer as their first career. No one starts as a slayer; it's at least the second thing a dwarf does.

Right now the career really only allows someone to be knowledgeable about fighting, where they may have previously had some other trade. It may be interesting to consider adding a more benign skill to the career skill list (like Tradecraft) for the first slayer career. Or maybe allowing the purchase of out-of career skills at chargen (this may be the better option).

It has always been my preference (both in this an previous editions) to make Troll Slayers a second career. Basically create any dwarf and then at some point in your campaign do something that would be justification to take the slayers oath. This can be planned ahead with your GM or, probably more fun, try and hide your plans from the group until the event happens.

I guess the point of my question is this:

Pre-trollslayer dwarfs come from various backgrounds (which means they may or may not have the skill-set, strength, and abilities that a trollslayer possesses).

Does one take the trollslayer oath and /suddenly/ forget all of their previous skills, grow a vertical mullet, grow giant muscles and BOOOM! You're a trollslayer?

It's something that has bugged me about this game from the beginning. Trollslayers only have 4 career skills. Not only does this make them even more boring (one-trick-overplayed-cliche anyone?), but it fails to indicate what the trollslayer did before he took the oath.

I'd propose that the trollslayer be granted a 5th career skill, be anything that the player chooses to represent what the character did before he took the oath.

jh

I'm thinking it may be better to have those skills come up in char-gen. It doesn't make much sense for a 9XP slayer to suddenly purchase Charm because they used to be a merchant.

As an alternative, consider that 1st career slayers must choose another career* and can only purchase starting skills from that list rather than the slayer career options. That way you start with a dwarf that has a past, and who is learning to be a slayer.

* alternatively, you could just have a standard set that can handle most options.

Yes, for sure, they would need to train on it at the beginning in order to gain it.

jh

I like the idea of allowing one out of career training at the beginning. It's simple and non-destructive. But it feels incomplete.

My prefence might be to disallow Slayer as a first career. I'm sure someday to run a game starting everyone with 15 xp and on their second career, whih would also solve it.

But this thread makes me think a better route would be to make a starting character as normal and then immediately before play transfer to Slayer.

In my current campaing the Troll Slayer was a coachman. I planned an scenario where there was the possibility for the dwarf to be deeply ashamed (I knew the player would like to play a Troll Slayer). Everything went wrong, so after it he took the slayer path.

On the other hand, for players starting right away with the Troll Slayer career, the best will be to ignore the character creation rules and just pick up one or two skills at the normal career skill cost to build his background.

I think it depends on when the Trollslayer became a Slayer and took the oath. Some dwarves are older, having worked in a career and then taking the oath.

A first career slayer, IMO, means they are young. Most likely a "teenager" dwarf who has probably not actually held an actual "career" before taking the oath.

Most dwarves are raised learning the basics of fighting, in order to fight off the encroachment of Orcs and Goblins upon their Holds. They may or may not have begun any training for an apprenticeship yet, which would explain the combat-oriented focus of starting career Slayers.

I reckon they were Dwarves who were caught not drinking the crappy frothy bit at the bottom of the beer tankard and wham!!! Instant dishonour!!!

That or they said something friendly to an elf.