#2: Catfolk, Druids, and Dragonfolk
In our last installment, we discussed an easy way to make human characters with the features of DCC nonhuman classes, and creating non-humans with human classes. This time, we will take those ideas a step further, and create some “new” classes by making simple changes to the existing ones.
You can find the previous article here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/388338/GLOSS-1-DCC-Demihuman-Classes-in-a-Sword–Sorcery-Campaign
The four character classes in the DCC Core Rulebook do a great job of covering most character archetypes, but what if you have a player interested in something a little more outlandish? Other popular games include such options as cat-people, dragon-people, and more; how as a DCC Judge do you approach people coming to your game with the expectation that such options should still be available?
One method, of course, is to simply say no, and this approach is certainly a valid one. For many, part of DCC’s appeal is its back-to-basics approach, and allowing stranger options certainly seems to violate this ethos. But for those open to allowing some of the more out-there options, we present the following.
Catfolk: A Simple Reskin.
The easiest approach to creating a new class is to simply take an existing one and file off the serial numbers. For example, let’s look at catfolk. Catfolk tend to be stealthy and quiet, with an ability set that shares many features with that of a thief but without the same degree of specialization and slightly greater combat ability
Sounds a lot like a halfling, actually.
So this one is easy: all we need to do is use the halfling class but re-fluff it as a catfolk. We can call it a tabaxi or a rakasta or whatever we like; we can say it favors the jungle or the underground or gentle wooded hills or rooftops and alleys; we can say it’s Medium size instead of Small, but at the end of the day the Halfling’s game mechanics match a catfolk pretty near operfectly. If we change its size description and boost its speed to 30 (or even 40), we’re pretty much there.
Druids: The Difference A Spell List Can Make
Another easy way to create a new class is to change what spells are available to it. The Cleric is a great all-around divine follower in DCC, and the class does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of a martial-focused bruiser in the service of their god. Your choice of a Lawful, Chaotic, or Neutral deity impacts your weapon availability as well as the creatures affected by your Turn Unholy ability, which are both pivotal to the character’s role and abilities.
One thing the choice does NOT affect, however, are the spells available to the cleric, and making minor changes to the spell list can have a major impact on how the class feels. For example, say a player wants to play a Druid character, which is a classic archetype of fantasy fiction and gaming. In keeping with the traditionally Neutral outlook of the Druid class, it makes sense for us to look at the Neutral deity options in Chapter One of the Core Rulebook. A Neutral deity grants access to slings, staffs, and swords, which cover the classic weapon options of the Druid (inasmuch as a Longsword makes a fine Scimitar, which traditionally has explicitly been allowed to the Druid class). The creatures affected by a Neutral cleric’s Turn Unholy ability include mundane animals as well as perversions of nature such as slimes, all of which make sense for a Druid to have power over.
Lacking in the standard options for a Neutral deity, however, are two signature Druid abilities: the ability to summon animals and the ability to change form. We can address both of these abilities simply by borrowing two spells from the Wizard spell list: animal summoning and polymorph. In both cases, any roll too low to create an effect simply count as a Failure and therefore cause or increase the chance of Disapproval, in keeping with the way Cleric spells work.
In fact, we can add a spell of each level to the new Druid list if we like:
| Spell Level | Spell Name |
| 1 | Animal summoning |
| 2 | Fire resistance |
| 3 | Water breathing |
| 4 | Polymorph |
| 5 | Hepsoj’s fecund fungi |
These simple additions can make the character feel distinct from other Clerics, even Clerics of Ildavir the goddess of nature. If you like you can restrict the Druid’s armor to non-metal only and make other, similar changes, but simply changing adding a few spell options can really make all the difference by itself.
Dragonfolk: the power of signature Mighty Deeds
Another popular character option is a humanoid dragon. Similarly to the catfolk above, we can use one of the standard classes to do most of the heavy lifting here. Mythological and classical fantasy dragons generally live underground or in desolate places, love treasure in the form of gold and jewelry, and are able to use breath weapons to sprew fire, cold, and other effects.
Looking at the DCC core classes, the Dwarf seems like a good candidate as a starting point. With their martial focus, infravision, and their ability to sniff out gold and gems, a Dwarf is a logical and easy reskin to a draconic character.
One thing the Dwarf lacks, of course, is a breath weapon. We could devise and entirely new mechanic to handle such a feature, perhaps based on the scorching ray spell, or maybe even allow the character to cast one spell (like scorching ray) as a stand-in for the breath weapon. What might be an easier option, however, is taking advantage of the Dwarf’s Mighty Deeds and the concept of a Signature Deed. Formulating a breath weapon attack as a Mighty Deed has several advantages: it allows flexible use of the ability not constrained by arbitrary limits, allows the ability’s effectiveness to scale as the character increases in level, and uses a mechanic already included in the game so there is no need to develop, or for players to learn and fumble with, new game mechanics.
Below are examples of dragonfolk breath weapons formatted as Mighty Deeds.
Breath Weapon: A dragonfolk druid gains a special Mighty Deed, available only to dragonfolk: a breath weapon. The specific effect of the breath weapon depends on its type, as described below. You can use these examples to guide developing breath weapons for other types of dragonkin; for example, Cold serves as a template for cone-type breath weapons like Acid and Fire serves as a template for line-type breath weapons like Lightning.
| COLD | |
| Roll | Result |
| 3 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cone of super-freezing air 10’ long and 10’ wide at its base. All creatures within the cone take 1d3 damage and have a -2 penalty on their next action unless they succeed on a Fortitude save against the dragonfolk’s attack roll. |
| 4 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cone of super-freezing air 10’ long and 10’ wide at its base. All creatures within the cone take 2d3 damage and have a -5 penalty on their next action unless they succeed on a Fortitude save against the dragonfolk’s attack roll.. |
| 5 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cone of super-freezing air 10’ long and 20’ wide at its base. All creatures within the cone take 2d6 damage and lose their next action unless they succeed on a Fortitude save against the dragonfolk’s attack roll. |
| 6 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cone of super-freezing air 20’ long and 20’ wide at its base. All creatures within the cone take 2d10 damage and are encased in ice and immobilized for 1d6 rounds unless they succeed on a Fortitude save against the dragonfolk’s attack roll.. |
| 7+ | The dragonfolk breathes out a cone of super-freezing air 20’ long and 20’ wide at its base. All creatures within the cone take 2d10 damage and are encased in ice and immobilized for one hour unless they succeed on a Fortitude save against the dragonfolk’s attack roll. |
| FIRE | |
| Roll | Result |
| 3 | The dragonfolk breathes out a line of billowing flame 5’ long and 2’ wide, affecting one target. The target creature takes 1d6 damage and must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or catch fire, taking an additional 1d3 damage. |
| 4 | The dragonfolk breathes out a line of billowing flame 5’ long and 2’ wide, affecting one target. The target creature takes 2d6 damage and must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or catch fire, taking an additional 1d6 damage. Flammable objects on the target (e.g., scrolls or tomes) have a 25% chance of catching fire unless protected. |
| 5 | The dragonfolk breathes out a line of billowing flame 10’ long and 5’ wide, affecting up to two targets. The target creatures take 2d8 damage and must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or catch fire, taking an additional 1d6 damage. Flammable objects on the target (e.g., scrolls or tomes) have a 50% chance of catching fire unless protected. |
| 6 | The dragonfolk breathes out a line of billowing flame 10’ long and 5’ wide, affecting up to two targets. The target creatures take 2d10 damage and must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or catch fire, taking an additional 1d6 damage per round for 1d3 rounds. Flammable objects on the target (e.g., scrolls or tomes) have a 50% chance of catching fire unless protected. |
| 7+ | The dragonfolk breathes out a line of billowing flame 10’ long and 5’ wide, affecting up to three targets. The target creatures take 2d10 damage and must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or catch fire, taking an additional 2d6 damage per round for 1d3 rounds. Flammable objects on the target (e.g., scrolls or tomes) have a 75% chance of catching fire unless protected. |
| SLEEP GAS | |
| Roll | Result |
| 3 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cloud of yellowish gas 5’ in diameter, affecting one target. The target creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or be dazed for one round, suffering a -2 penalty to all rolls during that time. |
| 4 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cloud of yellowish gas 5’ in diameter, affecting one target. The target creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or be dazed for one round, suffering a -5 penalty to all rolls duringthat time. |
| 5 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cloud of yellowish gas 5’ in diameter, affecting up to two targets. The target creatures must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or fall asleep for 1d6 rounds. The targets can be awakened through normal means. |
| 6 | The dragonfolk breathes out a cloud of yellowish gas 10’ in diameter, affecting up to two targets. The target creatures must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or fall asleep for 1d6 minutes. The targets can be awakened through normal means. |
| 7+ | The dragonfolk breathes out a cloud of yellowish gas 10’ in diameter, affecting one target. The target creature must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw against the dragonfolk’s attack roll or fall asleep for 1d6 hours. While normal sleep can be interrupted by normal means, this supernatural sleep can be disrupted only via dispel magic or similar cancellation effects. |