I learned something this weekend.

[Wasahbe Green]

One of the guys I normally play with DMed a 1st edition D&D to Savage Worlds conversion of one of Gary Gygax's original modules.  Last week, he ran a playtest past our group and asked us all to whomp up a SW conversion of a 7th level 1st edition character for the module.
 
I consulted with one of the other players, who is a DM in his own right.  My idea was a Cleric of Rudd, the Greyhawk goddess of Gambling, Luck and Skills.  Rudd doesn't allow heavy armor for her clerics, so I decided to push up agility instead, for the sake of dodge and roll. After I had twinked up a lucky acrobatic skills wonk that Rudd would be proud of, the guy I was swapping ideas back in forth with pointed out I was two edges away from an excellent thief. We were on a dungeon crawl searching for treasure. There would be healing scrolls provided. Having someone thief-like with some magic might not be a bad idea.
 
So I went back and swapped a few things out, dropping aggressive magics and replacing them with powers that would help the party to read any languaage, detect magic, avoid traps and such.  For weaponry I chose a spear and rapier, both of which improve parry (armor class), while the spear also gives a reach bonus.  I was also given a spider mask, which let the PC spit out webbing (as per the web spell) by the DM.
 
All this meant my PC was in no way a heavy hitter, but was darn hard *to* hit.  Basically I had a Divine version of the Arcane Trickster.
 
I had a ball, dispite playing a 'support role'.  I was the scout, I climbed things and tossed down ropes for the rest of the party, I detected the magic runes and checked for tracks and trusted my luck.  At one point my character ran ahead and was trapped by a chimera who was bored of being coopted into being a treasure guardian and tried to threaten me, telling the PC that the party was going to be the monster's playthings.  My character piped up "Double or nothing?" and persuaded the monster that a sure thing wasn't any fun, why not play hide and seek?  And got away when the chimaera's heads got into an argument with themself over the idea.
 
So, yesterday I sat in on the game we had playtested.  The guy who took my character was clearly reluctant to take the lead, dispite being the only party member with night vision.  He let someone else do the initial climbing, dispite being a great acrobat.  He didn't check for runes or tracks or run ahead.  He played cautiously and carefully. And was rolling for suck.  I got up and left.
 
And then, I found out later, the complaining began.  The character was useless.  No offensive magic.  Sucky weapons.  WHY would anyone trick out a PC this way?
 
This is the same sort of mentality that I ran into when I was DMing and set up a scenerio to reward clever use of skills and items provided instead of raw power.  Toward the end, we got new players, and they NEVER checked or planned ahead.  They would shove the magic key into a pouch. never thinking of it again, then complain when they found the magic door and nothing they could do would batter it down.    
 
I have a lot to think about.
 
But I know one thing:  Fortune Favors the Bold!  Go Rudd!

[kedamono]

Sounds like the player was used to FPS in video games. I bet he makes bricks and didn't realize that thieves aren't fighters. I don't think even if you had a writeup explaining how the character what the character was designed for would have helped.

So, did you make a seasoned or veteran level character for this Mel?

[Wasahbe Green]

Sounds like the player was used to FPS in video games. I bet he makes bricks and didn't realize that thieves aren't fighters. I don't think even if you had a writeup explaining how the character what the character was designed for would have helped.

So, did you make a seasoned or veteran level character for this Mel?

45 XP -- basically a non-music Bard
Half-Elf
AB: Miracles, Cleric of RUDD
Lucky
Acrobat
Thief
Jack of All Trades
Magic:
  Speak Languages
  Legerdemain
  Detect / Conceal Arcana
  Teleport

[kedamono]

45 XP -- basically a non-music Bard
Half-Elf
AB: Miracles, Cleric of RUDD
Lucky
Acrobat
Thief
Jack of All Trades
Magic:
  Speak Languages
  Legerdemain
  Detect / Conceal Arcana
  Teleport

Ah, a veteran thief!

From the looks of that, he's a lover, not a fighter.  :

I've run a couple games in the Freeport setting, and I created characters across the spectrum as part of the city watch: Bricks, fencers, and conmen. My last foray into Freeport was an adventure called "Goodhobbits" and dealt with the Hobbit Mafia making inroads on the Freeport gangs. The mainland mafia was known as "The Finger of Baggins" and one of its main operatives, one Cheldon De Moche. He evan had de cheazy French ax-cent!

Cheldon was built on 60 points. I gotta run another Freeport with those characters again.

[Wasahbe Green]

When I originally conceived the character, it was to be Tabaxi, based on the Rakasha (sp?) template.  Which would have given natural weaponry.  When the DM said 'no' to critters from the Monstrous Manual, I had to decide whether to trim skills to free up points to put into fighting.  

Overall, however, I was happy with the decision I made.  Teleport turned out to be a bust, though.  Should have taken bolt with the 'Magic Missle' trapping or Summon Bodyguard or Havok instead.

The main reason to make a character like this is to always have something to do.  In combat you may be hanging back with the healing scroll, scoping out the chance for the perfect shot if it comes open, but in town or when traveling, you're always in play.

[BruceSheffer]

The main reason to make a character like this is to always have something to do.  In combat you may be hanging back with the healing scroll, scoping out the chance for the perfect shot if it comes open, but in town or when traveling, you're always in play.

What an excellent point.  I also heartily recommend that players make characters that haven't been min/maxed for power (one trick ponies) but are instead merely competant in a number of areas.  Be sure to tell the GM this was your intent though.  Some of them assume that a 5th level mage will always have fireball.