Call of Cthulhu is one of the oldest and most popular TTRPGs in the world. It plays very differently from Dungeons & Dragons. The players don't control epic heroes who face down evil with a sword in hand. Instead, they play relatively mundane investigators who happen to stumble into their worst nightmare.

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Call of Cthulhu character creation is very different from Dungeons & Dragons. However, that doesn't need to be daunting. Although it is a whole new game, it's easy enough to get started with. There are a handful of tips that can help even first-time players make effective characters.

10 Combat Skills Aren't Useful In Many Campaigns

An investigator being menaced by Cthulhu in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Combat is a central part of many TTRPGs, including D&D. Violence is the main solution to most problems. This isn't the case in Call of Cthulhu. Humans are weak and fragile compared to the monstrosities of the Cthulhu Mythos. Call of Cthulhu combat is quick, dangerous, and lethal.

In most Call of Cthulhu campaigns, encounters won't be violent. Investigators are encouraged to sneak past threats, flee from danger, or research the proper way to take down a monster. Having a character who can brawl or fire a gun may help to deal with cultists. It won't do much to stop Hastur the Unspeakable.

9 Have An Occupation In Mind Before Distributing Characteristics

A group of Investigators of different occupations in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Call of Cthulhu characters don't have a class like in D&D. Instead, they have a relatively mundane occupation. In Call of Cthulhu, the players control journalists, detectives, historians, scientists, and more. A character's occupation describes the skills that they're likely to increase at first and determines how many skill points they get.

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In Call of Cthulhu, Characteristics are the equivalent of ability scores. A player uses them, and their occupation, to determine starting skill points. As such, a player knows to put a lot of points in Education if they want to play a journalist. This gives them four times their Education Characteristic for skills. It's worth checking the Investigator's Handbook's exhaustive list of occupations for more ideas.

8 High Power Helps Keep A Character Sane

Edward Pierce on the front cover of Call of Cthulhu 2017 video game

Call of Cthulhu doesn't just use hit points to determine characters' health. Interacting with the horrors of the universe can take a toll on a character's mind. As such, Sanity is a major part of Call of Cthulhu. The more Sanity a player has, the less likely they are to react poorly to the horrifying events around them.

It's fairly easy to give a character high Sanity. It's derived from their Power Characteristic, which also determines magical ability. If a character has high Power, then they have high Sanity. This is most important in long-running campaigns, but high Power can help keep a character alive and functional even in a brief one-shot.

7 Spread Out Skills Across The Team

Three investigators exploring in Call of Cthulhu RPG.

Skills are the main way player characters interact with the world in Call of Cthulhu. Almost any time a player does something with a chance of failure, they will roll one of their skills. As such, a character's main build will come from the skills they have available. This can evolve over the course of a campaign. During character creation, however, it will largely be down to a character's occupation.

As such, it's helpful to work together with fellow players during character creation. Players will want to coordinate to make sure that at least one character can drive, one can use a library, one knows about the occult, and more. It's not good to come across an obstacle and have nobody with a good chance of overcoming it.

6 Learn If The Campaign Uses Pulp Or Standard Rules

A group of Investigators gunning down monsters in Pulp Cthulhu Call of Cthulhu RPG

Typical Call of Cthulhu uses horror and investigation-focused rules. The game centers around using skills to solve a mystery rather than blasting through problems. Characters are fragile and best served running from their problems. However, there is also a Pulp Cthulhu variant of the rules that some Keepers use.

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In Pulp Cthulhu, action and violence become far more frequent. Characters become far more survivable, and can even use their Luck to survive fatal incidents. It's helpful to know which rules and style a game is using because the two have different character creation and reward different sorts of characters.

5 A Character's Size Has Advantages And Disadvantages

Cthulhu looming in front of an investigator in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Size is one of Call of Cthulhu's Characteristics. It doesn't do much on its own, but it interacts with other Characteristics to determine a number of other attributes. For instance, Size and Strength are used to determine a character's damage bonus with unarmed attacks or melee weapons. Size and Constitution determine a character's hit points.

However, Size also comes with its downsides. The higher a character's Size, the higher their Strength and Dexterity need to be to avoid a slow movement speed. Similarly, some routes and hiding places are only available to characters below a certain Size. This can mean the difference between life and death in a chase. A player has to balance Size with other attributes to be safe.

4 Don't Buy Skills Too High At First

Soldiers opening a vault in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Call of Cthulhu uses a simple resolution mechanic. Skills have a value between 0 and 100 and a player has to roll below that number on a d100 to succeed. As such, it's easier to work out a character's odds of success in Call of Cthulhu than in other games. This can lead players to try and set their skills as high as possible.

However, a character doesn't need to start with skills in the 70s or 80s to be functional. They can spread their skills around to make a more well-rounded character. Call of Cthulhu has a number of ways to help characters with rolls. Characters can Push failed rolls to have another chance. The Keeper can award Bonus Dice for favorable circumstances. Characters can even use Luck to improve their rolls. With Call of Cthulhu's character advancement system, lower skills are also more likely to improve faster.

3 A Character's Age Comes With Trade-Offs

Investigators of different ages in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Age is something a player has to choose for their Call of Cthulhu character. However, it's more than just a storytelling or aesthetic choice. A character's age is a mechanical stat. There are rules listed for character ages from 15 to 80. These involve trade-offs, making characters better at some things and worse than others.

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Young adult characters are all-rounders. As characters get older, they subtract points from their physical Characteristics and Appearance but get chances to improve their Education Characteristic. This can result in more skills. The youngest characters, before the age of 20, have less Education and lower physical Characteristics, but have a chance to roll a higher Luck score.

2 Certain Skills Are More Useful Than Others

A group of investigators exploring a horror scene in Call of Cthulhu RPG

Most Call of Cthulhu skills have their use in an investigation. Accounting, Intimidation, Locksmith, and more can all help characters learn more about a situation. However, there are some skills that come up much more frequently than others. If it makes any sense, it's good for a character to have points in some of these.

For instance, Stealth can be invaluable. If something vicious is looking to hunt down Investigators, hiding is often a better choice than running or fighting. Library Use is required for almost any in-depth research. Listen helps characters eavesdrop on suspicious characters. Spot Hidden helps characters notice and pick up clues.

1 Make Good Use Of Personal Interests

Darkwater in the Call of Cthulhu 2018 video game

A Call of Cthulhu character's occupation determines most of their skills in character creation. However, they don't determine all of them. Characters also get skill points equal to twice their Intelligence Characteristic. They can put these into any skill, including those their occupation doesn't allow.

This lets players flesh out their characters, with their backstories and personal lives affecting their abilities. Players can also use these additional skill points to make their character more well-rounded. A few personal interest skill points in social skills, Swim, or Drive can make an Investigator that bit more useful while also rounding out their personality.

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