ATS: Dwarven Emotional Range

[MeTekillot]

What do you think?

[Synthesis]

I think if you're playing a dwarf with an extended emotional range, you're really playing a human with mild OCD and a sweet bench press 1RM.

[Cerelum]

Nothing I read in help dwarf says they can't have any emotion, except for Fear.  Dwarves aren't supposed to be affected by fear, essentially they are fearless.  Now they might be surprised, worried, but not fearful.

Happy, Sad, Smug, whatever I think it's all fair game.  But if threatened to be murdered, worry might come across their mind, but not shitting their pants fear.

[azuriolinist]

From the helpfile on Dwarven Roleplay:

If a horde of raiders surround an unarmed dwarf, the dwarf will still be thinking about how they can free the slaves (or whatever the focus is), and so this supersedes any sort of anxiety, fear, panic, or other emotions relating to anything other than the focus.

So, gathering from that bit, that's not to say dwarves are entirely emotionless. But if the emotion(s) a dwarf is feeling isn't at all related to their focus, a dwarf typically shouldn't be sparing more than a moment on it. There is something more important to them, after all.

A dwarf would never do something at odds to their focus. In the same helpfile mentioned above, it states: "A dwarf will never do something contrary to their focus, ever." A dwarf's focus is everything to them. Every thought and action revolves around their focus.

[Dar]

The real question is how infallible are dwarves. Can a dwarf fail their focus due to the weakness of their character, spiral into self-guilting depression and spend their entire days drinking themselves stupid? Is that physiologically impossible?

[molecricket]

Focuses don't really come off as something that can be failed. If a dwarf's focus is to master every fighting style in the Known and then they lose every single limb on their body, then yeah, that might be an example of a focus that can't be achieved. But usually I'd imagine any setback that doesn't make it physically impossible to continue on wouldn't dissuade a dwarf from continuing to work towards that focus.

I can't imagine a dwarf doubting their ability to achieve their focus. Maybe they could recognize that their current circumstances make it difficult, but the idea that they won't somehow achieve their focus would be unthinkable to a dwarf.

[azuriolinist]

The real question is how infallible are dwarves. Can a dwarf fail their focus due to the weakness of their character, spiral into self-guilting depression and spend their entire days drinking themselves stupid? Is that physiologically impossible?

IMO, a dwarf's focus is as inherent to their being as self-preservation instincts are to a living being (human or otherwise). That their focus is always the priority -- even over fear, which is an integral aspect of self-preservation -- would suggest this.

So I don't believe a dwarf would be capable of failing their focus due to a lack of will. I do think it'd make more sense for a dwarf to fail their focus because of errors in planning, mistakes, and/or their circumstances going beyond their control. Enough of that happening and I could see them developing a sense of hopelessness at the thought of their focus. This could possibly lead towards depression. Seeing as dwarves can develop a dislike for others due to a lack of focus, their lack of success in their focus might develop into self-dislike.

[Hauwke]

Focuses don't really come off as something that can be failed. If a dwarf's focus is to master every fighting style in the Known and then they lose every single limb on their body, then yeah, that might be an example of a focus that can't be achieved. But usually I'd imagine any setback that doesn't make it physically impossible to continue on wouldn't dissuade a dwarf from continuing to work towards that focus.

I can't imagine a dwarf doubting their ability to achieve their focus. Maybe they could recognize that their current circumstances make it difficult, but the idea that they won't somehow achieve their focus would be unthinkable to a dwarf.

They can still bite!

[Miradus]

"Supersedes" (from the helpfiles) doesn't mean "cancels out".

It might be, "I'd love to sit here listening to your jokes all day but I've got to go become the greatest swordsman in the Known."

Or it might be, "Yeah, kryl are scary but you don't get to be the greatest swordsman in the Known by not fighting them."

These are dwarves. Not Vulcans. Not androids. There's also got to be a bit of individuality to them or otherwise they're all clones. Recently I saw one dwarf talking to another and they said that one was a jerk and one was fun to be around. Yeah! Because they're two different individuals! Just short, really strong, hairless individuals with a psychological defect (or advantage, if you choose). What? Are you going to player complaint if you see a dwarf get angry or crack a smile in the tavern?

I also don't generally play the dwarf as knowing their focus, or even knowing that dwarves have a focus. And it would never be something I'd waste time talking about with a HUMAN. That's a private matter for dwarves.

As a dwarf, I'm always trying to work towards a focus. It might look extremely circuitous to an outsider. Yeah, I want to establish my own merchant house, but that requires me to be good at fighting and if I'm going to be fighting then I need to join the Byn and if you're going to bother to do anything then do it well so why wouldn't I also want to be the Byn sergeant for the next five years? Plenty of time to build that merchant house when I retire as a rich and famous mercenary. Probably even bring me extra business."

What I tend to not do though is waste time. "Glad I could sit in the tavern for awhile but I'm sure that armorer has finished mending my chitinous jock strap so I've got to be going." "Oh, look, a Kadian fashion show is going on. I guess I'll go in and look. That might help me make some connections for later on when I become the first dwarf to have kanked the Highlord's daughter."

Find a purpose for your activities and it will help inform the scene. Whether the purpose gets talked about or not, it still fills out the character.

I still love my dwarves, but I find it harder to play them of late.

[Riev]

On the few instances I've played a dwarf, I've broken down their "focus" into a lot of achievable goals, and I found that helps me as a player focus on their next goals.

Dwaren Focus: Build a statue of the Most Revered Tektolnes.
Sub foci may include:
Meet Tektolnes
Learn about what kinds of stone stand the test of time
Learn how to chisel stone
Make statues of other people/races to practice technique
Meet people who carve stone and learn their techniques
Find an artist, or become one, who can paint a picture of someone to make a statue of, so they don't need to pose
Learn clayworking first, to learn how to shape and posture things


So, everything you do involves some of those sub-foci. If you're surrounded by raiders, your fear should be "If they kill me I'll never get to meet Tektolnes!" or "I was on my way to the Garrison to meet with a Kadian sculptor and these idiots are in my way. What if I don't make it?"

So there's range for emotions, but as stated earlier, your emotions are still built around your focus. IMO, in the above focus scenario, the dwarf may not even know their focus is to create a statue OF Tektolnes, until they've created a few statues and none of them were "impressive" enough. Surely a statue of Tektolnes would be impressive... I wonder if anyone has ever painted his likeness....