The Labyrinth · Legacy archive
Character creation
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Character creation
#1To find out how well the prototype system works (and more crucially: what to modify) it'd be useful if people could generate example characters and report back with suggestions on how the system should be modified to create more balanced characters.
This is the first way I have devised for creating characters... -
Random method...
#2This comes closest to the standard way of doing things
You begin with:
Brawn: 1d20+40 XP
Intellect: 1d20+40 XP
Agility: 1d20+40 XP
Charisma: 1d20+40 XP
Decide (based on these scores) on a character class, which determines your main skill. Now exchange these XP for skill points via Kassil's exchange rates:
...for the main category:
0-20: 1-for-1
21-40: 2-for1
41-60: 3-for-1
61-80 4-for-1
81-100: 5-for-1
With other groups being:
0-20: 2-for-1
21-40: 4-for-1
41-60: 8-for-1
61-70: 16-for-1
Use the skills suggested in the threads on this board, and post up any further ones you wish to invent. This should give you a basic character, and the embellishments (background, personality, etc.) are left up to you. -
Deterministic method...
#3This method is tailored towards players who have a good idea of what character they wish to play.
You have a total of 200+4d20 XP to exchange (via Kassil's exchange rates) with skills, no restrictions on category.
This method allows people to build the character with exactly the abilities they want. -
Character creation
#4Blue-Cap Mage*: Alharin the Righteous
HP: 5
CP: 15
Sinew: 10
Swimming: 15
Accuracy: 15
Falling: 10
DP: 5
Balance: 10
Magical Ability: 15
Reading/Writing: 15
Language (Ancient Semarin): 10
Elementary Summoning: 5
Magic Missile: 5
Sleep: 5
*Blue-Cap is the school of magic associated with abjuration.
Critique: The scores are all too low. There's very little chance of his spells working, for example. I think the die rolls need to be constructed differently. In fact, I've got an idea... -
Character creation
#5Having seen the difficulties with rolling up a character with this method, I'd recommend a complete change of tack...
Instead of categorising the skills into brawn, intellect, etc. just assign each player a fixed number of XP to distribute between non-categorised skills, and don't worry about character class affecting "main skills": why should it be fixed from the outset that a character is destined to be a wizard, a fighter, etc.?
Instead, the character can specify two or three skills which they wish to excel in, and they use the "main skill" exchange rates for these skills.
ephemeralstability! -
Character creation
#6Instead, the character can specify two or three skills which they wish to excel in, and they use the "main skill" exchange rates for these skills.
That's it. This way you can even define your own class, or is it something different, than a few skills known quite good?
Good, for it puts less limitations on the players. Perhaps add a few common, of-the-shelf PCs like that wizard or fighter, for inspiration.
THE place for my undercover ninja/accountant. -
Character creation
#7Or, if we want a bit of a randomfactor for character creation, we could assign starting points thus: 200+4d20
And personally, I'd suggest not following my exchange rate for starting characters, but rather only for experience earned in the course of the game itself. XP points are likely to go a bit farther that way. -
Character creation
#8But the XP isn't supposed to go too far! Bear in mind these are only 1st level-equivalent characters we're talking about. I think the way to give them more skills is not to confuse the matter by using different conversion tables, but to use the same exchange rates, and give them a larger lump sum of XP to begin with.
ephemeralstability! -
Character creation
#9Could work well enough, I suppose.
The main thing I wonder is thus: are these adventurers, trained in their profession of choice, as it were? Or the classic peasent farmers who decided to try swing a sword and throwing a spell?
The former, I could see the XP going a bit farther at first; the latter, I could see not confusing the issue with categories to skills, and simply placing it as a general roup of skills, with each characte being allowed to choose three or so as the primary skills. -
Character creation
#10That would depend entirely on who the player wanted to create. The system should be sufficiently versatile to cope with both eventualities (which it isn't yet!).
I'll try and come up with some ideas over the weekend,
ephemeralstability! -
Character creation
#11On consideration it does seem like we'll need to introduce a concept of level, but I think this is possible without leaving behind the idea of continuous development.
Each character begins at 1st level with a basic amount of XP (say 100+4d20). This XP they can spend on 1st level skills (HP, CP, DP, swimming, etc.) at a 1-1 exchange rate, up to a certain maximum skill score (say 20%). They can choose three special skills which they can increase further to say 30% (still at a 1-1 exchange rate).
To attain 2nd level they must achieve 20% in 5 different skills and 30% in all three special skills.
At the 2nd level, they have access to 2nd level abilities, which have an exchange rate of 1-2. Increase any 1st level skill beyond 30% and it becomes a 2nd level skill. The maximum for 2nd level skills is 30%, though special skills can be increased to 40%.
This continues: 3rd level skills become available after they achieve 30% in five non-special skills and their special skills reach 40%. Third level skills have an exchange rate of 1-3 and any non-special second or first level skill taken to a score of 30%+ become 3rd level.
Gaining XP is done during the adventure, and skills deemed by the DM to be continuous can be incremented during the adventure, but those skills which require a teacher or time to practice must be "bought" out of game-time (although they can by all means be roleplayed).
Here is a table of levels and requirements to attain those levels:
1st Level: Starting
2nd Level: 20% in 5 skills + 30% in three special skills
3rd Level: 30% in 5 skills + 40% in three special skills
4th Level: 40% in 5 skills + 50% in three special skills
5th Level: 50% in 5 skills + 55% in three special skills
6th Level: 55% in 5 skills + 60% in three special skills
7th Level: 60% in 5 skills + 65% in three special skills
8th Level: 65% in 5 skills + 70% in three special skills
9th Level: 70% in 5 skills + 75% in three special skills
10th Level: 70% in 7 skills + 78% in three special skills
11th Level: 70% in 10 skills + 80% in three special skills
12th Level: 75% in 5 skills + 82% in three special skills
13th Level: 75% in 7 skills + 85% in three special skills
15th Level: 75% in 10 skills + 87% in three special skills
16th Level: 78% in 5 skills + 90% in three special skills
17th Level: 78% in 7 skills + 92% in three special skills
18th Level: 78% in 10 skills + 94% in three special skills
19th Level: 80% in 5 skills + 96% in three special skills
20th Level: 80% in 10 skills + 98% in three special skills
Is this too complicated? I don't think it's too bad if you sit down and think about it for a bit. It incorporates all the different criteria we've discussed so far: difficulty, rate decreasing for higher scores, specialisation instead of character class, requirements for a broad base of skills (not just high HP and CP). -
Character creation
#12The system of gaining skills at certain levels strikes me much of the system Earthdawn uses to advance characters. It left the players a good amount of room to personalize their characters, although, they had a greater number of requirements to advance, so many characters had to get a high level of useless skills, like rope use or the like, just to advance. If the ratio of skills available to the skills needed at a level isn't to high, characters can develop in a much more free form manner.
Hope that wasn't too confusing.
I already have a character in mind for this development, my biggest concern is, will it be too much trouble if my character can't read, write, talk, or communicate outside of body language? -
Character creation
#13Combined with a relatively undefined area of what actually amounts to skills helps a bit, also...
I like the way that looks, Eph. Here later I'll try generating a character using it and see what we get... -
Character creation
#14Agar! I think such a character would be brilliant to play! I mean obviously you'd have to be careful online...
:: Agar jumps up and down vigorously ::
Jim What's that Agar, you think we should?
:: Agar jumps up and down vigorously to indicate that the players definitely shouldn't ::
Jim Ah, OK.
But yeah! It'd be like roleplaying charades. Great idea!
ephemeralstability! -
Character creation
#15Grendel the dog looks down the tunnel and growls.
Stupid Fighter: "C'mon lets go in!"
Grendel the dog looks at Stupid, whines and cocks his head.
Stupid Fighter: "Oh c'mon, boy! There's nothing in there!"
Grendel the dog sits down and gives a short growl.
Stupid Fighter: "Don't you think I can handle myself?"
Grendel the dog gets up, walks over to Stupid, and pees on his leg.
And that is how my character would go. -
Character creation
#16That would prove to be an interesting game! I think it's a great idea. It'd be interesting to see a non-speaking character develop and express a personality through their actions.
eph!