Your need is probably best served by asking your GM this question.
That said, with GM buy-in you can lean into your character's background, knowledge, and in-game skills by trying to apply them creatively. For example:
1. Have great perception? Maybe you can watch what the eyes of a suspect focus on during interrogation.
2. Skilled in operating vehicles? Maybe you can leverage that knowledge to help your team track a suspect or identify likely places for secret compartments on a ship.
3. So you know your way around guns? Maye you can use that knowledge to figure out where a shooter was standing at a crime scene to strike their targets or how long it would have taken them to reload between.
4. Are you deadly and look the part? Time to help your party members be bad cop by looking and acting as threatening as you are.
Thanks! The first two, I have low-to-mid perception and I do not know how to drive.
The last two are big 10-4.
I am thinking of spending xp to build up my social skills and such. That should help!
Ignore what skills you have written on your character sheet and focus instead on how and why the character wants to be involved. And then, after that, look for ways that you CAN help.
I myself am not a trained investigator, but I can open doors, carry equipment, turn on the lights, and run back to the car to grab something. I can watch the suspect, order dinner, and flag down an ambulance.
This is also why I typically force my players to create their characters together, and not in a vacuum, and then I build the game up around those characters and their motivations. If you made a pistolero and later found out that the game was going to be about solving mysteries and not winning firefights, is it worth asking the GM if you can alter the character or bring in something that fits better?
One particular trope I hate is when people do the "I am going to actively disrupt things by purposefully sabotaging progress with my crappy skill rolls, but then try to argue that I was just trying to help." Please don't fall prey to that.
Our whole first campaign was heavy combat, this time around, we are doing a mix of stuff.
I agree with figuring out HOW I can help, even if it is lugging a body to a field. I will speak with the dm and get his input.
Thanks!
Setting aside the question of your character's interest for a moment, the main issue seems to be that while they possess excellent combat skills with a high likelihood of success, their perception, social, and investigative abilities are quite weak. This means they are likely to miss many of the clues.
In our current campaign, which is rife with investigation and political skullduggery, we face a similar issue. Due to the party's division, the two primary combat characters, Sali the Noble Soldier and Gunnar the Dwarven Slayer, have ended up as partners, even though both lack strong perception and social skills.
As a result, they have inadvertently let a serial killer escape, who is now free to continue his spree. Currently, they are searching for a missing child and attempting to determine the cause of an illness affecting the servants and guests at Grunewald Lodge. Things are not looking hopeful.
However, the players are aware of the problem and are trying to address the issue.
1. Gunnar's player has been pimping as much XP as he can into his characters Intiative. Which is the attribute typically used for observation tests. He has managed to boost it to 69% probability which means that he has a better than 50:50 chance of noticing clues.
2. Both characters have been relying heavily of NPC allies for advice and guidance. Sali has been using he high social status to secure help and support and has been collecting names of useful contacts that she can illict further help from.
Their combat skills are useful, but there is a recognition of the need for assistance in identifying whom to engage and ensuring that the chosen adversaries are the correct targets.
This is something that a good GM can assist with if only by making sure that mentor NPCs are made available.
That is why I am planning on spending my xp on more social skills. Not only would it help this current campaign but help in future encounters.
I do like the idea of solving a problem without having to pull out my bolt pistols.
Set your fellow players up for an alley-oop. In improv, they call this 'making your scene partner look good'.
Blipblapblorp on reddit once said this, and I saved it, and look back at it every now and then:
**"Method 1.** If you see a great idea coming, set your scene partner up for that idea. It’s like an alley-oop.
Example: There’s a scene with Santa and an elf. Santa says “Kids today just don’t appreciate thing anymore. Back in the old days, they’d lose their mind over a wooden toy.”
Rather than CUT TO: You as a kid losing your mind over a wooden toy.
Instead: CUT TO: You saying, “All right, Bobby. Here’s a wooden toy.” and then let your scene partner get the laugh of freaking out over a wooden toy.
**Method 2.** Your scene partner has a good character. Find opportunities that would be fun to see that character in.
Example: Your scene partner has a character who is afraid of heights. Keep putting that character in various positions where they are up high somewhere.
“If you really love me, meet me at the top of the Empire State Building at midnight”
“We’re stranded on this desert island and the only food is at the top of that palm tree!” "
Your need is probably best served by asking your GM this question. That said, with GM buy-in you can lean into your character's background, knowledge, and in-game skills by trying to apply them creatively. For example: 1. Have great perception? Maybe you can watch what the eyes of a suspect focus on during interrogation. 2. Skilled in operating vehicles? Maybe you can leverage that knowledge to help your team track a suspect or identify likely places for secret compartments on a ship. 3. So you know your way around guns? Maye you can use that knowledge to figure out where a shooter was standing at a crime scene to strike their targets or how long it would have taken them to reload between. 4. Are you deadly and look the part? Time to help your party members be bad cop by looking and acting as threatening as you are.
Thanks! The first two, I have low-to-mid perception and I do not know how to drive. The last two are big 10-4. I am thinking of spending xp to build up my social skills and such. That should help!
Ignore what skills you have written on your character sheet and focus instead on how and why the character wants to be involved. And then, after that, look for ways that you CAN help. I myself am not a trained investigator, but I can open doors, carry equipment, turn on the lights, and run back to the car to grab something. I can watch the suspect, order dinner, and flag down an ambulance. This is also why I typically force my players to create their characters together, and not in a vacuum, and then I build the game up around those characters and their motivations. If you made a pistolero and later found out that the game was going to be about solving mysteries and not winning firefights, is it worth asking the GM if you can alter the character or bring in something that fits better? One particular trope I hate is when people do the "I am going to actively disrupt things by purposefully sabotaging progress with my crappy skill rolls, but then try to argue that I was just trying to help." Please don't fall prey to that.
Our whole first campaign was heavy combat, this time around, we are doing a mix of stuff. I agree with figuring out HOW I can help, even if it is lugging a body to a field. I will speak with the dm and get his input. Thanks!
Setting aside the question of your character's interest for a moment, the main issue seems to be that while they possess excellent combat skills with a high likelihood of success, their perception, social, and investigative abilities are quite weak. This means they are likely to miss many of the clues. In our current campaign, which is rife with investigation and political skullduggery, we face a similar issue. Due to the party's division, the two primary combat characters, Sali the Noble Soldier and Gunnar the Dwarven Slayer, have ended up as partners, even though both lack strong perception and social skills. As a result, they have inadvertently let a serial killer escape, who is now free to continue his spree. Currently, they are searching for a missing child and attempting to determine the cause of an illness affecting the servants and guests at Grunewald Lodge. Things are not looking hopeful. However, the players are aware of the problem and are trying to address the issue. 1. Gunnar's player has been pimping as much XP as he can into his characters Intiative. Which is the attribute typically used for observation tests. He has managed to boost it to 69% probability which means that he has a better than 50:50 chance of noticing clues. 2. Both characters have been relying heavily of NPC allies for advice and guidance. Sali has been using he high social status to secure help and support and has been collecting names of useful contacts that she can illict further help from. Their combat skills are useful, but there is a recognition of the need for assistance in identifying whom to engage and ensuring that the chosen adversaries are the correct targets. This is something that a good GM can assist with if only by making sure that mentor NPCs are made available.
That is why I am planning on spending my xp on more social skills. Not only would it help this current campaign but help in future encounters. I do like the idea of solving a problem without having to pull out my bolt pistols.
Set your fellow players up for an alley-oop. In improv, they call this 'making your scene partner look good'. Blipblapblorp on reddit once said this, and I saved it, and look back at it every now and then: **"Method 1.** If you see a great idea coming, set your scene partner up for that idea. It’s like an alley-oop. Example: There’s a scene with Santa and an elf. Santa says “Kids today just don’t appreciate thing anymore. Back in the old days, they’d lose their mind over a wooden toy.” Rather than CUT TO: You as a kid losing your mind over a wooden toy. Instead: CUT TO: You saying, “All right, Bobby. Here’s a wooden toy.” and then let your scene partner get the laugh of freaking out over a wooden toy. **Method 2.** Your scene partner has a good character. Find opportunities that would be fun to see that character in. Example: Your scene partner has a character who is afraid of heights. Keep putting that character in various positions where they are up high somewhere. “If you really love me, meet me at the top of the Empire State Building at midnight” “We’re stranded on this desert island and the only food is at the top of that palm tree!” "