Could I get examples of a dwarven focus?

[bookie]

Self explanatory, although I am not dead yet with my first character I do like the idea of playing a dwarf when that finally does happen. I just wouldn't know what to pick for a focus so I would love to hear the focus other players have used so I can see an idea as to what a focus can be.

[bcw81]

Remove the use of the color purple in all clothing worn in the South.

The best way of going about this would be to go up to everyone you find and rip the purple shirts off of them. (Bonus points if it's Lady Templar Hardnosette.)


While that one was semi-serious, I've always hard a tough time coming up with unique dwarf concepts. Some of the better ones I've seen were among the lines of "Start a trading company" and "Become the best ____ in the Known World".

[BleakOne]

Dwarven foci can be anything from becoming the best at something (hunting, fighting, eating, drinking, crafting, make-up use, spice smoking, and so on) to performing some obscure or difficult task (be spoken to be Muk Utep, rebuild the North Road, become Queen of the Gith, and so on).

Also, a dwarven focus doesn't need to have an actual end. A dwarf with the focus to be in perfect physical form would never 'succeed' in his focus, he'd just keep working at achieving and then keeping what he considers 'perfect' form.

Edit to include some examples:
- Own the perfect collection of rocks/skulls/herbs.
- Learn to read.
- Be accepted into a Desert Elf tribe
- Eat the perfect pie
- Raise an excellent family
- Find out why dung forms into piles (this one's a joke  )

A focus need not be actually obtainable either. A dwarf could have a focus to become to world's best swordmaker, even if he has no talent or ability in that area.

[bookie]

so it can literally be anything then? aslong as the dwarf strives for something?

[BleakOne]

As long as it makes sense to your dwarf and isn't a simple, easy task, it can be as far as I know.

If your dwarf completes a focus, his mind will soon turn to a new, harder and more 'epic' goal, and on and on.

[manipura]

There was a good post someone made about this.  Breaking down a dwarf's focus into possible steps s/he might take or something like that.  
I'm going to try and find it because I am not at all familiar or comfortable with playing dwarfs but this post really explained how you might tackle the whole focus thing.

Edit to add:

Well now, that was easier to find than I thought.  Was a more recent post than I thought it was.  
Anyway, I think this post is a nice description of how a player might look at approaching a dwarf's focus.

Here's an example thought path of how I might pursue this example focus.

Focus: Being the greatest swordsman in the Known.
Actual Elements:
 Skill with swordsmanship.
 Recognition.
 There can be only one.

Steps to achieve:

Skill with Swordsmanship:
 Establish what improves skill with swordsmanship.
   Inquire with those likely to have some knowledge what improves skill with swordsmanship.
   Currently known: Practice, learning from others, a well-balanced weapon. Pursue these.
   Theories: Exercise. A diet rich in ocotillo bulbs. Music, specifically rhythmic. Investigate and test these claims. Keep the effective.
Recognition:
 Tell stories of my accomplishments as a swordsman and hire others to tell stories of my accomplishments as a swordsman.
   Get such stories in the first place: accomplish swordsman-related things.
 Present myself as a great swordsman.
   Determine what results in people perceiving a great swordsman (taste in weaponry, elaborate sheathes, impressive pants). Acquire it.
 Authority: Determine who has the authority to decide who is the greatest swordsman.
   When these people recognize my talent as a swordsman, or are dead and replaced by the more perceptive, I will have accomplished my goal.
There can be only one:
 Smear the reputation of other swordsmen so they are not recognized as better than I.
 Once I have learned all I can from a teacher, if they remain better than me, arrange for their death or discredit.
 Seek out knowing who others think the best swordsman is. Learn from them, surpass them, or kill them.
 Discourage others from seeking the title. Since I wish to be the best swordsman, encourage the use of axes.

Results are a dwarf who likes to chat with people about swords, puts them down as an inferior weapon and brags about how they did amazing things with them anyway, and disparages other swordsmen. He might be into fashion or weaponscrafting or food or spice or music - but, really in the same sense that Arm and D&D get me into bonecarving, or anthropological research; it's very much tied back to an obsession, he happened to hear about how music can really put you in the mood to fight better and is therefore doggedly pursuing this investigation. Never not thinking about how what is going on applies to focus. If it can't apply to what he's interested in the words/experiences just go in one ear and out the other. On the other hand, has at least a brief interest in anything that possibly could, to establish if it does.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I can actually talk about this character since it's been over a year, I just won't use his name or other names.

My one dwarf's Focus was "To take a bath."  He came very close to attaining it, would say he probably did... but I stored him at the end of it all as I felt the story was done.

He was a dwarf that went about trying to figure out first how to get a bath, his first thought was to join a Noble house, well... that didn't last long as no one would take him.  Noble's take baths, so maybe I can work it that way.  Naaa...  Next step, Merchants likely take baths, so lets join a Merchant house.  Ahhhh, this was during the good times of Midge, so he had heard the greatness of Midge, so he joined Salarr.  At this time, not everyone was hunters and there were actually Guards in Salarr.  So my dwarf became a recruit Guard and trained hard, he knew he would have to do good to get them to let him take a bath.  He became a guard, a bunch of people died around this time, so very sad, lots and lots of great Salarri.  This was a setback, and he pushed forward... ended up he got in good with the Agent at the time, who knew he wanted a bath, promised him one if he did good.  Became a Merchant Trainee... yes, a dwarf as a Merchant Trainee from a guard.  This was when he was going to be rewarded with his bath as he was doing good.  I decided to store around this time, it was also a very slow time, so it was time to end his story.  It was a fun one in which he may or may not have completed his Focus.  I like to feel he did.

Dwarves are a very fun race to play if you get a good feel for how to play them.  Stubborn, dedicated, and extremely hard headed.  Many that that dwarf was around knew it, but damn was he good at what he did.

[spicemustflow]

While that one was semi-serious, I've always hard a tough time coming up with unique dwarf concepts. Some of the better ones I've seen were among the lines of "Start a trading company" and "Become the best ____ in the Known World".

Honestly, those "mundane" dwarven foci are the ones that make most sense in the game world. The unique ones just make the dwarf in question look like a nutcase.

[racurtne]

Honestly, those "mundane" dwarven foci are the ones that make most sense in the game world. The unique ones just make the dwarf in question look like a nutcase.

No matter how you swing it, Dwarves are pretty much nutcases. But yes, I agree. Not all have the outward appearance of how obsessive their internal monologue probably is.

[Reiloth]

To discover a cure to death.

To understand racism.

To reconfigure all the statues in their likeness.

[Patuk]

How come nobody's mentioned this helpfile yet?

[Large Hero]

I advise you not to pick an extremely broad focus that can be used to justify any action. Remember that the focus is a restriction, and use that as a structure for your dwarf's mind.

For example, I think this dwarf is boring:
Focus: become the world's best hunter.
"I can sit and talk at the bar all day because I might talk to a more skilled hunter there."
"I can become a skilled cook because I can use the money to buy better hunting supplies."
"I should learn to speak Allundean because I might need to hunt an elf one day."
"I should walk to Red Storm in the middle of this sandstorm because the worlds best hunter needs to be able to survive in a sandstorm with no mount."

It's easy to become what is basically a human with a strong interest, and the mental gymnastics to rationalize actions can become silly.

I think it's better to keep in mind that this is an alien mind with a level of OCD no human could match. Narrow your focus and give specific actions deadly, ultimate imperative. Absolutely -needing- to do a specific action -now- creates much more interesting RP than "I want to do something, I dunno what, but it'll help my focus in a roundabout way."

A dwarf isn't someone who thinks, "oh, that seems like it could help me be a better hunter, I'll do that."

They're someone who sits in their apartment, staring at a wall while they utterly convince themselves that if they don't get those special barbed arrows -today- and start practicing with them -today-, its going to ruin my progression as a hunter and everything I do from now on will be wrong and I will get those fucking arrows now if I have to kill someone for them.

[ShaLeah]

No matter how you swing it, Dwarves are pretty much nutcases.

This. They ALL think they're sane though, everyone else is crazy. I can't hang with their OCD.

[bookie]

While that one was semi-serious, I've always hard a tough time coming up with unique dwarf concepts. Some of the better ones I've seen were among the lines of "Start a trading company" and "Become the best ____ in the Known World".

Honestly, those "mundane" dwarven foci are the ones that make most sense in the game world. The unique ones just make the dwarf in question look like a nutcase.

I don't think that is really the case. From what I understand once a focus is set the dwarf becomes obsess with that focus


I think it would be crazier for someone to be obsessed with a mundane thing then a big overall dream

[spicemustflow]

I don't. If you have a family of dwarves, one is obsessed with being a perfect armor maker, one with being the best protector for his family and one with accumulating insane amounts of wealth, that group can function reasonably well.

Now, think of a clan of dwarves who all want to paint the moons in different colors.

[slvrmoontiger]

Would something like:

Objective: To find a merchant in Tuluk that sells teapots and buy one and put the teahouse out of business.

Be an appropriate Dwarf Focus?

[bcw81]

Would something like:

Objective: To find a merchant in Tuluk that sells teapots and buy one and put the teahouse out of business.

Be an appropriate Dwarf Focus?

That's a bit too narrow for my taste. I would suggest: "Put the Lucky Ghatti out of business with my own Teahouse."

[slvrmoontiger]

Would something like:

Objective: To find a merchant in Tuluk that sells teapots and buy one and put the teahouse out of business.

Be an appropriate Dwarf Focus?

That's a bit too narrow for my taste. I would suggest: "Put the Lucky Ghatti out of business with my own Teahouse."

Sorry this was a partial joke.

[seidhr]

Some good tips here, just thought I'd chime in.  When approving apps, we (staff) like to see more thought put into a focus than "to become the best at <coded skill>."

P.S. this includes foci that give the player an excuse to twink out their combat (to eradicate all gith from the Known, etc.) or other skills.