Crutch Character: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"Sir Jagen is a [[Paladin]]: the champion of Altea! I’ve never met him, but [[Badass Grandpa|I hear he’s strong as an ox despite his age]]. Still, you can’t have a champion like him do everything; that’s not fair to all your would-be future champions! [[Lampshade Hanging|Let our other units fight and gain experience, or you may find yourself in a real fix down the line]]."''|'''A villager''', ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]'', on Jagen}}

 

 

Crutch characters, however, are player characters (typically available early on) who start out powerful enough to [[One Man Party|carry your party to victory on their own]], but who [[Can't Catch Up]] with the increased powers of newer enemies or their fellow characters, or because they simply leave the party at some point (possibly because they are [[The Mole]]), or [[Big Guy Fatality Syndrome|they are]] [[Plotline Death|killed]], forcing the player to somehow come up with a replacement. Worse, without [[Leaked Experience]], the crutch may actually cripple your party if you lean on them too heavily - if they leave, or if their diminishing returns make their [[Empty Levels|levels empty]], then you've functionally wasted experience points that could have made other characters powerful.

Characters who are [[An Adventurer Is You|the Jack]] may often fall into this category, particularly in non MMORPG games.

 

{{examples}}

 

** Furthermore, most games give you a powerful character early on who's already undergone his class change. These characters qualify as crutches for two reasons. First of all, while they can easily slaughter the entire army on earlier stages, they'll only get one XP for killing them, leaving the rest of your party under-developed. Furthermore, their stats are relatively low for their class and level. A common tactic is to take away their weapons and just use them to take shots.

*** Some characters manage to avert this though - sometimes, a pre-promoted character may have good enough bases or growths that they remain feasible late-game. Some characters like Wolf and Sedgar in the DS games are prepromoted, but actually become [[Magikarp Power]]. (Low base stats, best growths in the game.)

** From the same game, Sialeeds starts out as a useful ranged fighter/mage, but since she has only one rune slot, which is permanently equipped with a relatively weak Wind Rune, she gets less useful later on. {{spoiler|(This is probably the game's way of subtly discouraging dependence on her, so that her [[Face Heel Turn]] about halfway through the game doesn't cripple your party.)}}

** Suikoden in general has a few [[Crutch Character|Crutch Characters]]. The second game has Jowy, the main character's best friend with which they can perform the single best unite in the game, and who gets the Black Sword Rune {{spoiler|until he betrays you and joins Highland, though he does come back for the battle against Gorudo later on}} and the more recent ''[[Suikoden Tierkreis]]'' gives you Citro Village's best warrior Dirk for the first dungeon, who is several levels higher than Sieg, Marica, and Jale and does more damage, though once they start gaining levels, and become Starbearers, he is quickly outclassed. {{spoiler|He ends up betraying you, too. In an interesting variation, though, he betrays you BECAUSE he's a [[Crutch Character]] -- his entire complex boils down to 'they're stronger than me, it's all the fault of those books, MUST BURN'.}}

[[Category:Video Game Characters]]

[[Category:Crutch Character]]