# Combining Variants

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> Eek! Combining variants! Dual variants! Triple variants! That'd be so hard! Nah, don't sweat it. :) Combining variants can actually be a lot of fun.

> Variants can be combined for many purposes. One purpose is solely for the theme and playstyle of the two combined variants. For example, a Barbarian Hamster would be a zoomed warrior who can't use any magic (items/shrines/spells) and needs 2x strength to use equipment. This BAR-HAM would be a character that the player could make up a history for, rather than there being a pre-existing one.

> Or, say you have an Amazon. What if she used only cursed gear? She'd be a Beyond Naked Amazon, or BNAMZ for short. You could also be a Savage Gothic Druid who is a Kin of Albrecht with a streak of Beyond Naked Perfectionism as a Blood Guard of the Jedi Elitist Bushido Muscle Lycanthrope Shaman tribe that Lives off the Land of Draconian Ultra Pure Prohibition and has a job as a Wood Working Moorish Kamikaze Lemming that fears Y2K and channels that fear into Beast Mastery and being a Friend of Farnham! (24 Variants! ;) Let's string it all together:

SAVGOTHDRUKoABNPERFBGJEDSNOBWMLYCSHALoLDRAGUPROBWWMOORKAMLEMY2KBMFoF

> Now all you need is a name! ;)

> Seriously though, that last one was a joke. (Unless... Charis, you up to it? If you try it, I'll start one myself. I bet it'd die within minutes after entering dlvl 1. :)

> Also, some variants just cannot be combined so that they work well together, and combining too many variants won't work well together (see above ;). If a character was a Barbarian, he couldn't use any magic, so dual-classing him with a Thaumaturgist, who is a warrior that uses magic all the time, wouldn't work. Similarly, an Elitist (SNOB) Patron of Wirt wouldn't work well. A Patron of Wirt uses only items that Wirt sells, and a SNOB uses only uniques. A SNOB-PoW would have serious equipment conflicts, so essentially he'd either end up using uniques and buying things from Wirt whenever he could (even though he couldn't use the gear), or he'd be using Wirt's items and no uniques. The concepts conflict and don't combine well.

> Variants can be combined in other ways, not just for the restrictions. For example, you could wish to play as a favorite character from a book (or from tv, movie, game, or even history, etc.) but not want to be just like every other mage out there named "Merlin." So, select your role, and then decide which variants would best go together to embody that character. I brainstormed a few D1 dual and triple class variants for you. Feel free to disagree with any (or all) of my selections. They're just what sprang to my mind - you might have something else in mind! :)

> 1) Yoda: OLD-JEDI
> A Jedi Master nearly a milennia old. He'd definitely be a Sorcerer. The Geezer and a Jedi variant would fit here, modifying some rules a bit. Since Yoda will likely be melee-based, maybe allow Stone Curse (after 1st dot) and Teleport (for Telekill; not Transportation). And as for Yoda's weapon, perhaps allow swords and staves (Yoda's choice), as well as golden jewelry to help his To Hit. He wouldn't at all be easy, but he might be pretty fun. :)

> 2) Betelgeuse: Undead-EXO-III
> Betelgeuse, the Bio-Exorcist, a Warrior or Sorcerer seeking to exorcise the living rather than the dead. (Playing him as some sort of Undead variant (Vampire, Zombie, Skeletal Mage) and as an Exorcist could work.) Hmm, but who are the living that need Exorcism? Battle.net Cheaters! Playing him in public games would be the most fun, in my opinion. But remember, to be summoned one person needs to say his name three times. If one person says his name three more times, he has to leave! (Perhaps playing him as a "Three" variant may also work.) For this reason you may wish to not name him - Betelgeuse doesn't tend to broadcast his name, you know. You could name the character, "GhostWithTheMost," though that's likely too long. ;)

> 4) Beavis & Butt-Head: Nerd-Thug
> Ah, who could forget these two moronic scamps? I see them definitely as a Nerd/Thug combination, Sorcerer class. They weren't female, and they don't have the strength of a Warrior, so Sorc fits. They were outcasts, hence Nerd, but they were also punks, hence Thug. Get a friend to play the Beavis to your Butt-Head, or vice versa.

> 5) Maxwell Smart: RNG-??? / MGKT-???
> When Kaos strikes, Agent 86 strikes back! Isn't that right, 99? Enter Maxwell Smart, Control's bumbling secret agent who always seems - by some unfathomable twist - to come out on top. I see him as a Warrior class; a Ranger (or maybe a Mage Knight), using a gun on enemies who are far away, but switching to fists when they come into melee range. (A shield would be good so he could block - he did have martial arts training.) Or, if you're a real psycho, make him a Moor instead of a Ranger. In addition to his ranged persona, he'd also be a ??? (a Chameleon) able to blend in with his surroundings by assuming a different identity (one of four or more spare identities) with every new game. (He is a secret agent, afterall.) You could even have a Rogue MAR-??? (or MGKT-???, or ARC-???) to be his partner, Agent 99.

> 6) Indiana Jones: SNOB-LOL
> Warrior class most likely, I think of Indy as an Elitist Living Off the Land. He always had rare artifacts on hand, thus SNOB, and he always had to tough it out once he started on an adventure, thus LOL. I'd picture him with a certain love of Flails, somewhat symbolizing his trusty whip. And, though he is a SNOB, I might allow him to use a non-unique Flail should he find a perfect one. Due to Warrior's crappy To Hit, he'd likely be able to use perfect +To Hit (preferably Gold, so as to be SNOB-like) jewelry as well.

> 7) Hannibal Lectre: MM-PERF-???
> Sorcerer class would fit Hannibal best. He likes to get his hands dirty, so Muscle Mage would be fitting. (MM could also stand for "Mastication Mage" since he likes to eat his victims.) He does not put up with sub-par things and is very picky, thus the Perfectionist would also be fitting. Seeing how he likes to eat his victims, perhaps Life Steal weapons would always be used (once found). Finally, when he is free he blends in with his surroundings so that he is not recaptured, thus the Chameleon (???) aspect.

> 8) Robin Hood: RNG-PAL/PDN-DROW
> The generous hero Robin Hood! A good heart and a strong bow are his trademark. He'd be a Ranger (thus Warrior class), using bows most frequently, and on occasions when he fights hand-to-hand perhaps Robin would prefer to use a quarter staff instead of a blade. A Paladin variant (either the PAL, PDN, Rand'al's Paladin, or a hybrid of the bunch) could symbolize his good heartedness. Because he is secretive, the DROW variant could work - he needs a disguise to go out in public. In this case, the DROW aspect would be his Outlaw side rather than an Elven heritage. (Or perhaps both, if you'd like an Elven Robin. ;)

> 9) Gabrielle: MONK-AMZ/JAMZ-BUD
> Xena's sidekick, Gabrielle, comes to life as an Amazon (or Jungle Amazon) who wields a staff as her main mode of attack. She at times makes use of other weapons, but her weapon of choice is surely the staff. Being a kind and selfless person, perhaps the Connoisseur (BUD) variant would also fit her theme.

> 10) Joan of Arc: MED-PAL/PDN-IMH
> Joan of Arc seems kinda like a Medium (MED) to me, claiming to have spoken with a deity. Seeing how she dressed in knightly attire, she'd make for a good Paladin as well. To top her off, I'd make her an Immortal Hero. She was a martyr, and permanent death could represent this.

> 11) Q: BNW-LNP-Tourist
> Q: is the official interviewer of the Sylvan Cliff's. He is cursed with having no skill to speak of, and having to interview potentially dangerous (and often highly irritating) individuals. Due to this cursedness, he is a Beyond Naked Warrior (as Q: is not skilled in the use of magic or archery).

> Being an interviewer, he must go where the big name people are (Tourist). He seeks out those with famous names (Lame Name Patrol) and asks them any question that pops into his head! (Within reason, however, as Q: is always wary of being PK'd! Note that this questioning is done in place of harassing them for having lame names.) Because his job is naturally dangerous, he will only conduct interviews when he is not in town - that way the interviewee can dispatch him if they become sufficiently annoyed. Once slain, Q: considers the interview over unless he is resurrected. Q: is not above pleading for mercy.

> Q: must always speak in questions, or in normal sentences ONLY if he is directly leading up to asking a question. He becomes very offended when somebody asks him a question, and will inform them just who the interviewer really is. Q: is very flighty at the sight of Lemmings.

> 12) Cheater: PERF-KoA-GMB
> Ah! If you've ever played a BAR you know what it's like to play stupid, so this role shouldn't come too hard to you. But before we go further: You'd do no actual cheating with this character. (Also this doesn't require that you twink him - please don't. ;)

> Cheaters are PERFectionists. They obsess about "best." The Cheater character would obsess about having the "best" gear - that is, the gear that requires the least amount of skill to use. He'd also obsess about having it of the best base type! The stats on the item don't matter one bit, but the stickler is that the item positively MUST be of the highest base type possible.

> Armors must be FPM as soon as possible - or NLP optional for mage. Shield should be Tower/Gothic. Weapon: Bastard Swords (or Grandfather - THE best ever!)/Long War Bows/War Staves. Helm should be Crown/Great Helm as quickly as possible. To limit the amount of skill needed to play he'll favor Apoc staves very highly and very much loves being a tank.

> Kin of Albrecht they are, though not the role - merely in gameplay. (Rules are still observed, of course.) The part of this variant that fits the Cheater is the restriction on entering the Cats or Caves: Cheaters would MUCH rather piggyback than do any WORK! :P

> Compulsive Gamblers (GMB) put more at stake than just money. Since they have no knowledge of shrine effects, they'll use every single one that they come across!

> The cheater role adds a few challenges itself. Playing it is simple, but because you ARE a cheater you have no knowledge of many things. No strategy: telekill, doorways, use one weapon type vs everything, don't retreat (unless potions completely gone), item recovery is "impossible" to you (whine for res instead; or leave game in tears), walk right into mobs, etc. Also, you must play public games as often as possible. (Private games are used only when someone invites you into one for a duel or some other silly purpose.)

> You also must believe everything people tell you and you trust everybody. If someone says there's a cow level, it becomes your quest to FIND it. If someone PKs you, (optional) you become a PKK and wander from game to game searching for PKs. You also like to duel, because your gear is the best there is. :p