Does every other DM out there stick to one system, one world, or one genre?
In my youth as a DM/GM I ran a LOT of different games (heavy on the D&D of course) -
Dungeons & Dragons - White Box Edition
Basic Dungeons & Dragons (Basic thru to Immortals Rules & Rules Cyclopedia)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition
Dungeons & Dragons - Third Edition
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5
Castles & Crusades (which counts as D&D for me at least)
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Hackmaster (up to 4th, I don't really rate the new Hackmaster Basic)
Call of Cthulhu (I stopped running it around 5th Edition, though I do have the excellent D20 rules)
Chill (Pacesetter)
Dark Conspiracy (AWESOME Fluff, OK system)
Star Trek (Fasa)
Star Trek (LUG)
Star Trek (Decipher)
Traveller
Traveller 2300
Twilight 2000
Mythus - Dangerous Journeys
Lejendary Adventures
Metascape - Guild Space
Mechwarrior - The Battletech RPG
Shadowrun (1st thru 3rd Edition, not keen of 4th Edition)
Marvel Super Heroes
DC Super Heroes
Silver Age Sentinels (my personal favourite Supers game)
Golden Heroes (a FANTASTIC Supers Game IMHO - despite its flaws)
Star Wars (West End Games - still one of the BEST RPG's ever written)
Star Wars D20 (NOT the Saga edition, I really don't rate it at all)
I own a lot of RPG's besides - but the above are the ones I have actually run games for. But these days, I don't know why the "song" of Fantasy RPG's is calling me more and more.
I don't know whether its my inherrant romantic nature, or my Love of all things fantastical (in part thanks to my Mum) - but its there.
My RPG Book Shelves looks like a D&D Library, but (not unusual for me - as I like to write my own) very few Scenarios. I find bought Scenarios very "constricting" - they aren't written with your players (or their characters and any relevant backstories) in mind.
I wonder if any other "Veteran" DM/GM's feel the same, are they narrowing their focus - or is it the other way around, are they spreading their wings?
The "Realm" of Dungeons and Dragons has always been "Home" to me, and I imagine it always will . . . .
Showing posts with label New Rules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Rules. Show all posts
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Starfleet Training, Skills, & the Seige Engine
If you are reading these notes, I am going to make the assumption that you are familiar with Castles and Crusades and the Siege Engine system.
There are little or no changes to the Siege Engine, and how it works – but there are benefits to being a trained Star Fleet Officer.
One of the main changes to the rules as written (an addition in actuality) is that a natural “20” always succeeds, and a natural “1” always fails.
Utilization of the rules below requires a reasonable amount of Games Mastering skill – do not be too generous with what constitutes a “Class Task”, by the same token do not be to strict over what comes under the heading of “Star Fleet Training”.
When performing a task that counts as a Class Task, twice (2X) the Characters Level is added to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt is attempting to Negotiate Peace between the Anticans and the Selae – Negotiation counts as a Command Skill so he gets to add +12 (twice his level of 6) to the Roll.
When performing a task that does not count as a Class Task, but comes under Star Fleet training protocols – the Characters Level is added to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt is attempting repair the Transporter Station, Chief Enginer “Taff” Jones is unconscious and Kurt needs to site to site transport himself onto the Bridge in an attempt stop the Romulan Pirates that have invaded his ship. Kurt is not an Engineer, but all Star Fleet personell have at least some training in this field so he gets to add +6 (his Level) to the Roll.
If the Task comes outside the province of Star Fleet Training altogether – but is still within the realms of possibility that the Character might “know” how to do such a thing, he may still attempt the Task – but with no bonus for his level applied to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt attempting to beat a Ferengi at Tongo in order to get information out of the Ferengi, he is familiar with the game as he spent time stationed on a Deep Space Station. Tongo is a Charisma Based test the GM reasons, so Kurts base Challenge level is 15 + the Ferengis level of 3. The Ferengi passes his Tongo test, now its over to Kurt - should Captain Kurt roll 18+ he stays in the game for another turn, if the Ferengi had failed his Tongo test - Kurt would have won outright!
Next - Federation Character Classes
There are little or no changes to the Siege Engine, and how it works – but there are benefits to being a trained Star Fleet Officer.
One of the main changes to the rules as written (an addition in actuality) is that a natural “20” always succeeds, and a natural “1” always fails.
Utilization of the rules below requires a reasonable amount of Games Mastering skill – do not be too generous with what constitutes a “Class Task”, by the same token do not be to strict over what comes under the heading of “Star Fleet Training”.
When performing a task that counts as a Class Task, twice (2X) the Characters Level is added to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt is attempting to Negotiate Peace between the Anticans and the Selae – Negotiation counts as a Command Skill so he gets to add +12 (twice his level of 6) to the Roll.
When performing a task that does not count as a Class Task, but comes under Star Fleet training protocols – the Characters Level is added to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt is attempting repair the Transporter Station, Chief Enginer “Taff” Jones is unconscious and Kurt needs to site to site transport himself onto the Bridge in an attempt stop the Romulan Pirates that have invaded his ship. Kurt is not an Engineer, but all Star Fleet personell have at least some training in this field so he gets to add +6 (his Level) to the Roll.
If the Task comes outside the province of Star Fleet Training altogether – but is still within the realms of possibility that the Character might “know” how to do such a thing, he may still attempt the Task – but with no bonus for his level applied to the roll.
Example – Captain Kurt attempting to beat a Ferengi at Tongo in order to get information out of the Ferengi, he is familiar with the game as he spent time stationed on a Deep Space Station. Tongo is a Charisma Based test the GM reasons, so Kurts base Challenge level is 15 + the Ferengis level of 3. The Ferengi passes his Tongo test, now its over to Kurt - should Captain Kurt roll 18+ he stays in the game for another turn, if the Ferengi had failed his Tongo test - Kurt would have won outright!
Next - Federation Character Classes
Monday, 24 May 2010
Medical Aid in the 24th Century
There are certain liberties taken with this part of the rules, the simple reason being to keep the game going – if characters end up dead or incapacitated after one fight – where’s the fun in that! So I’ve made healing (and thereby Medi-Kits and Doctors) rather more powerful.
All Healing and Medical Treatment are dependent on the Star Fleet Equipment at hand as well as the Skill of the individual using them. As I mentioned in the “Seige Engine and Star Fleet Training” section, a Doctor gets +2 on the Roll when attempting a Medical Procedure, whilst a Star Fleet Officer would just get +1 per Level – and wouldn’t be able to achieve as much as a Star Fleet Doctor could.
The Challenge Rating is ALWAYS calculated as following –
Hit Points = to the number of Hit Points you want to heal.
Life Points = to 2 x the number of Life Points you want to heal.
Modifiers
No Medi-Kit = +2 to the Challenge Level for Medical Staff, +4 for all other Star Fleet Personel.
Example – Captain Kurt wants to heal 7 Life Points to the Ferengi Spy to bring him around. There is no Medi-Kit. The GM rules its an Int based Task for Kurt. Luckily Kurts Int is Primary, so the Challenge Base is 12. +4 for No Medi-Kit, and +14 for the Life Points Kurt needs to heal. This gives a final Challenge Rating of 30! Fortunatley in these rules a 20 always succeeds (and a 1 always fails) so Kurt needs to roll a Natural 20 to revive the Ferengi! But if he rolls a natural ‘1’ the Ferengi could be in a lot of trouble . . . .
Medi-Kit = +2 to all Medical Rolls
Runabout or Long Range Shuttle Medi-Bay = +4 to all Medical Rolls
Starship/Starbase Sick=Bay = + 8 to all Medical Rolls.
All Healing and Medical Treatment are dependent on the Star Fleet Equipment at hand as well as the Skill of the individual using them. As I mentioned in the “Seige Engine and Star Fleet Training” section, a Doctor gets +2 on the Roll when attempting a Medical Procedure, whilst a Star Fleet Officer would just get +1 per Level – and wouldn’t be able to achieve as much as a Star Fleet Doctor could.
The Challenge Rating is ALWAYS calculated as following –
Hit Points = to the number of Hit Points you want to heal.
Life Points = to 2 x the number of Life Points you want to heal.
Modifiers
No Medi-Kit = +2 to the Challenge Level for Medical Staff, +4 for all other Star Fleet Personel.
Example – Captain Kurt wants to heal 7 Life Points to the Ferengi Spy to bring him around. There is no Medi-Kit. The GM rules its an Int based Task for Kurt. Luckily Kurts Int is Primary, so the Challenge Base is 12. +4 for No Medi-Kit, and +14 for the Life Points Kurt needs to heal. This gives a final Challenge Rating of 30! Fortunatley in these rules a 20 always succeeds (and a 1 always fails) so Kurt needs to roll a Natural 20 to revive the Ferengi! But if he rolls a natural ‘1’ the Ferengi could be in a lot of trouble . . . .
Medi-Kit = +2 to all Medical Rolls
Runabout or Long Range Shuttle Medi-Bay = +4 to all Medical Rolls
Starship/Starbase Sick=Bay = + 8 to all Medical Rolls.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Hit Points, Life Points, Combat, & Death
We all know about Hit Points in RPG’s, and in Star Trek there is little difference – they represent the characters durability and resiliance.
Reduction to your hit points can take many forms - Fatigue, Malnutrition, Grazing hits in Combat, or even some gribbly Alien Disease (Andorian Shingles for example).
In this set of rules we also have "Life Points" - they are important in this Star Trek RPG as they help draw the line between "Grazes" and "Hits".
Life Points are exactly that, the “Life” of the Character. Your Life Points are equal to your Characters Str+Con+Dex divided by three – plus your Level.
Example – Captain Kurt is 6th Level, and has 52 Hit Points. His Str is 14, his Con is 16, and his Dex is 18. 14+16+18 = 48, 48/3 = 16. 16+6 (for Kurts Level) = 22. Captain Kurt has 22 Life Points. When he advances to Level 7 he will have 23 Life Points.
Combat & Damage
Both Close Combat and Ranged Combat are worked out slightly differently in these Star Trek Roleplaying Notes, mainly because of the lethality of 24th Century Weapons – but partly due the the lack of Armour and therefore an Armour Class.
If the intended Target of the attack is aware that the attack is coming, you roll to hit as usual (applying all the usual modifiers for range, level, skill etc – you roll to hit, and the intended victim then rolls a standard Combat Based Reflex Test (Reflexes Score + 1D20).
If the Attacker rolls a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If the Target rolls equal to the Attackers roll, they take a “graze” and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the Victim of the attack takes that many Hit Points of Damage to their Hit Points.
If the Target rolls higher than the Attackers roll, they successfully avoid the attack – and take no Damage.
If they fail the Roll, they take “Hit” Damage and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Damage is applied directly to your Characters Life Points (see -10 HP and Death).
If a natural “20” is rolled, not only does the Victim take Life Point Damage – but he is also “stunned” for a number of Rounds equal to half the Damage taken. Medical Aid can reduce this.
If the intended Target is unaware of the Attack, the Attacker instead rolls against the targets Reflexes.
If the Attacker rolls a “1” to hit, the Shot automatically misses.
If the Attacker rolls equal or lower than the Targets reflexes score - the victim of the Attack takes a “graze” and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Victim takes that many Hit Points of Damage to his Hit Points.
If you roll more than the Targets Reflexes, the Victim takes “Hit” Damage - the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points (see -10 HP and Death).
If a natural “20” is rolled, not only does the Victim take Life Point Damage – but he is also “stunned” for a number of Rounds equal to half the Damage taken. Medical Aid can reduce this.
The above rules also apply to attacks/effects that target an Individuals Toughness (in the case of Radiation, Explosions, and Diseases) and Willpower (in the case of Psychic, Illusionary, and Fear based attacks) as well.
Stun Attacks
Weapons which stun ALWAYS affect the targets Life Points, this is only temporary damage and should be noted on the sheet as such. Stun Damage is recovered at a rate equal to the characters Con Bonus +1 each round (with a minimum of 1 point recovered each round), when this temporary damage is reduced to Zero the character recovers conciousness. Medical Aid can speed this recovery.
If the intended Target of the attack is aware that the attack is coming, you roll to hit as usual (applying all the usual modifiers for range, level, skill etc – you roll to hit, and the intended victim then rolls a standard Combat Based Reflex Test (your Reflexes Score + 1D20).
If you roll a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If you roll equal or lower than the intended victims roll, the Stun "grazes" the target and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the victim makes a Toughness Save with a Challenge Modifier equal to the amount of Stun Damage Rolled. If passed the target is not stunned and takes no effect from the shot, if failed the victim takes that many Points of temporary Stun Damage to his Life Points.
If the intended Target rolls higher than the Attackers roll, they have successfully avoid the attack – and take no effect from the Shot.
If the Victim fails the Roll, they take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points.
If a natural “20” is rolled, the Stun Damage is doubled.
If the intended Target is unaware of the Attack, the Attacker instead rolls against the targets Reflexes.
If you roll a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If the Attacker rolls equal or lower than the Targets reflexes score, the Stun "grazes" the target and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the victim makes a Toughness Save with a Challenge Modifier equal to the amount of Stun Damage Rolled. If passed the target is not stunned and takes no effect from the shot, if failed the victim takes that many Points of temporary Stun Damage to his Life Points.
If attacker rolls more than the Targets Reflexes Score, the Victim take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points.
If a natural “20” is rolled,
If attacker rolls more than the Targets Reflexes Score, the Victim take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points - and the Stun Damage is doubled.
-10 HP & Death
In a lot of D20 based RPG’s, normally when a Character reaches -10 Hit points he dies almost immediately. In these Star Trek notes its somewhat different . . . .
When a Character reaches Zero HP he is battered and exhausted, after that point – all Damage is applied directly to the characters Life Points rather than applying “graze” Damage to his Hit Points.
Losing Life Points
When a character takes Damage to his Life Points there are consequences, these are listed below.
If a Character is reduced to half his Life Points (or less) he must IMMEDIATELY make a Constitution Saving Throw – the difficulty is ALWAYS 18 regardless whether the Characters Constitution Score is Primary or Secondary. If it is failed, the Character passes out. If it is passed, the Character stays Conscious – and must continue making Constitution Saves every Round until his Life Points are healed and passes the Consciousness barrier (more on healing later).
If the Character continues taking Damage, and reaches Zero Life Points he must make another immediate Constitution Save (again Difficulty 18 regardless) and if failed the Character expires and must be resuscitated within minutes or the Character Dies permanently. If passed he must continue making Con Saves each round. However, the difficulty of the Save increases by 2 each time he passes (the poor fellow is dying after all) until the he receives medical aid or finally expires.
Death Saves Table
Initial Save vs. Death – 18+
After1 additional Round – 20+
After 2 additional Rounds – 22+
After 3 additional Rounds – 24+
After 4 additional Rounds – 26+, and so on . . . . .
Next - Medical Aid in the 24th Century
Reduction to your hit points can take many forms - Fatigue, Malnutrition, Grazing hits in Combat, or even some gribbly Alien Disease (Andorian Shingles for example).
In this set of rules we also have "Life Points" - they are important in this Star Trek RPG as they help draw the line between "Grazes" and "Hits".
Life Points are exactly that, the “Life” of the Character. Your Life Points are equal to your Characters Str+Con+Dex divided by three – plus your Level.
Example – Captain Kurt is 6th Level, and has 52 Hit Points. His Str is 14, his Con is 16, and his Dex is 18. 14+16+18 = 48, 48/3 = 16. 16+6 (for Kurts Level) = 22. Captain Kurt has 22 Life Points. When he advances to Level 7 he will have 23 Life Points.
Combat & Damage
Both Close Combat and Ranged Combat are worked out slightly differently in these Star Trek Roleplaying Notes, mainly because of the lethality of 24th Century Weapons – but partly due the the lack of Armour and therefore an Armour Class.
If the intended Target of the attack is aware that the attack is coming, you roll to hit as usual (applying all the usual modifiers for range, level, skill etc – you roll to hit, and the intended victim then rolls a standard Combat Based Reflex Test (Reflexes Score + 1D20).
If the Attacker rolls a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If the Target rolls equal to the Attackers roll, they take a “graze” and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the Victim of the attack takes that many Hit Points of Damage to their Hit Points.
If the Target rolls higher than the Attackers roll, they successfully avoid the attack – and take no Damage.
If they fail the Roll, they take “Hit” Damage and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Damage is applied directly to your Characters Life Points (see -10 HP and Death).
If a natural “20” is rolled, not only does the Victim take Life Point Damage – but he is also “stunned” for a number of Rounds equal to half the Damage taken. Medical Aid can reduce this.
If the intended Target is unaware of the Attack, the Attacker instead rolls against the targets Reflexes.
If the Attacker rolls a “1” to hit, the Shot automatically misses.
If the Attacker rolls equal or lower than the Targets reflexes score - the victim of the Attack takes a “graze” and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Victim takes that many Hit Points of Damage to his Hit Points.
If you roll more than the Targets Reflexes, the Victim takes “Hit” Damage - the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points (see -10 HP and Death).
If a natural “20” is rolled, not only does the Victim take Life Point Damage – but he is also “stunned” for a number of Rounds equal to half the Damage taken. Medical Aid can reduce this.
The above rules also apply to attacks/effects that target an Individuals Toughness (in the case of Radiation, Explosions, and Diseases) and Willpower (in the case of Psychic, Illusionary, and Fear based attacks) as well.
Stun Attacks
Weapons which stun ALWAYS affect the targets Life Points, this is only temporary damage and should be noted on the sheet as such. Stun Damage is recovered at a rate equal to the characters Con Bonus +1 each round (with a minimum of 1 point recovered each round), when this temporary damage is reduced to Zero the character recovers conciousness. Medical Aid can speed this recovery.
If the intended Target of the attack is aware that the attack is coming, you roll to hit as usual (applying all the usual modifiers for range, level, skill etc – you roll to hit, and the intended victim then rolls a standard Combat Based Reflex Test (your Reflexes Score + 1D20).
If you roll a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If you roll equal or lower than the intended victims roll, the Stun "grazes" the target and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the victim makes a Toughness Save with a Challenge Modifier equal to the amount of Stun Damage Rolled. If passed the target is not stunned and takes no effect from the shot, if failed the victim takes that many Points of temporary Stun Damage to his Life Points.
If the intended Target rolls higher than the Attackers roll, they have successfully avoid the attack – and take no effect from the Shot.
If the Victim fails the Roll, they take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points.
If a natural “20” is rolled, the Stun Damage is doubled.
If the intended Target is unaware of the Attack, the Attacker instead rolls against the targets Reflexes.
If you roll a “1” to hit, the Attack automatically misses.
If the Attacker rolls equal or lower than the Targets reflexes score, the Stun "grazes" the target and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon – the victim makes a Toughness Save with a Challenge Modifier equal to the amount of Stun Damage Rolled. If passed the target is not stunned and takes no effect from the shot, if failed the victim takes that many Points of temporary Stun Damage to his Life Points.
If attacker rolls more than the Targets Reflexes Score, the Victim take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points.
If a natural “20” is rolled,
If attacker rolls more than the Targets Reflexes Score, the Victim take Stun Damage with no way of avoiding it - and the Attacker rolls the Damage rating of the Weapon and the temporary Damage is applied directly to the Characters Life Points - and the Stun Damage is doubled.
-10 HP & Death
In a lot of D20 based RPG’s, normally when a Character reaches -10 Hit points he dies almost immediately. In these Star Trek notes its somewhat different . . . .
When a Character reaches Zero HP he is battered and exhausted, after that point – all Damage is applied directly to the characters Life Points rather than applying “graze” Damage to his Hit Points.
Losing Life Points
When a character takes Damage to his Life Points there are consequences, these are listed below.
If a Character is reduced to half his Life Points (or less) he must IMMEDIATELY make a Constitution Saving Throw – the difficulty is ALWAYS 18 regardless whether the Characters Constitution Score is Primary or Secondary. If it is failed, the Character passes out. If it is passed, the Character stays Conscious – and must continue making Constitution Saves every Round until his Life Points are healed and passes the Consciousness barrier (more on healing later).
If the Character continues taking Damage, and reaches Zero Life Points he must make another immediate Constitution Save (again Difficulty 18 regardless) and if failed the Character expires and must be resuscitated within minutes or the Character Dies permanently. If passed he must continue making Con Saves each round. However, the difficulty of the Save increases by 2 each time he passes (the poor fellow is dying after all) until the he receives medical aid or finally expires.
Death Saves Table
Initial Save vs. Death – 18+
After1 additional Round – 20+
After 2 additional Rounds – 22+
After 3 additional Rounds – 24+
After 4 additional Rounds – 26+, and so on . . . . .
Next - Medical Aid in the 24th Century
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Star Trek RPG Notes Part Two - Armour Classes & Saving Throws
Armour Classes are gone (especially as most weapons in Star Trek could vaporise almost any Armour), and is replaced with a characters “Reflexes” Score.
Note - As a “rule of thumb” Federation Training NEVER leaves a Cadet with a Dex Attribute ranked at less than Secondary.
Standard “Fantasy” RPG saves are Illogical in the Star Trek Setting – so more applicable saves are required - The "model" is take from 3.5 D&D.
Reflexes
Reflexes is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Dex ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Dex as a Primary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 12, whereas choosing Dex as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 10, and choosing Dex as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 8.
Toughness
Toughness is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Con ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Con as a Primary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 12, whereas choosing Con as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 10, and choosing Con as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 8.
Willpower
Willpower is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Wis ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Wis as a Primary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 12, whereas choosing Wis as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 10, and choosing Wis as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 8.
As per the standard C&C Rules all saves can (and generally are) modified by Challenge Ratings, opponents level, and encountered creatures hit dice.
Next - Hit Points, Life Points, Combat, & Death
Note - As a “rule of thumb” Federation Training NEVER leaves a Cadet with a Dex Attribute ranked at less than Secondary.
Standard “Fantasy” RPG saves are Illogical in the Star Trek Setting – so more applicable saves are required - The "model" is take from 3.5 D&D.
Reflexes
Reflexes is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Dex ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Dex as a Primary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 12, whereas choosing Dex as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 10, and choosing Dex as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Reflexes of 8.
Toughness
Toughness is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Con ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Con as a Primary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 12, whereas choosing Con as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 10, and choosing Con as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Toughness of 8.
Willpower
Willpower is calculated as following -
“Base” + your character level + Wis ‘Base’ + Racial Bonus (if any)
Choosing Wis as a Primary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 12, whereas choosing Wis as a Secondary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 10, and choosing Wis as a Tertiary Attribute yields a base Willpower of 8.
As per the standard C&C Rules all saves can (and generally are) modified by Challenge Ratings, opponents level, and encountered creatures hit dice.
Next - Hit Points, Life Points, Combat, & Death
Monday, 17 May 2010
Expanded Attributes, Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary
Presented over the next few Blog Posts will be the “bare bones” of the System, it uses Castles & Crusades at its core – and makes particular use of the “Seige Engine” Mechanic.
Star Fleet Personnel
Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Attributes
Star Fleet Personnel
It is the intention of these notes that the Game "Group" be centered around Teams of Star Fleet Personnel – Star Fleet produces some of the finest Officers, Explorers, and Scientist in the Star Trek Universe. If there seems to be sufficient interest I may do rules for civilian characters too.
How you “set up” your Games is entirely up to you, your Players could be the Bridge Crew of a Starship – or maybe made up of the Command Team of a Deep Space Station on the very Edge of Federation Space.
Attributes
Star Fleet Personnel are generally healthier and in better condition than most in the 24th Century, that combined with the fact they don’t train Half-Wits means character generation will be slightly different.
All Attributes are generated on 2D4+10 giving a range of 12-18, this yields much higher scores than the standard 3D6 of C&C – but is a more realistic treatment of the 24th Centuries finest in my humble opinion.
Expanded Attribute Chart
With the Alien Races, better Nutrition, and impeccable Health Care of the 24th Century, come (possibly) higher attributes - hence an expanded attribute chart.
Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Attributes
In Castles & Crusades the Primary Attribute concept is introduced, challenges associated with a Primary attribute are set at 12+. All other attributes have the base challenge levels set at 18+.
There are no averages, no middle ground - you are either talented at something or you struggle - base challenge level being set at 12+.
This “no middle ground” really doesn’t sit-well for Star Fleet Personell – they are better trained that that! So here we introduce the idea of Tertiary Attributes.
The idea behind this is simple - rather than all other attributes being set at 18+, Secondary attributes have a base challenge level of 15+, and Tertiary have a base challenge level of 18+.
All Star Fleet Personnel pick three Primes, two Secondary’s, and one Tertiary. Civilians pick two Primes, three Secondary’s, and one Tertiary. This way Star Fleet Characters are as well trained as they should be, and you get a better “spread” of numbers, further exemplifying Star Fleets training program.
However, ONE of your choices still has to be the Prime of the Class you have chosen.
So, to sum up –
• Star Fleet Personnel – 3 Primes, 2 Secondary’s, and 1 Tertiary.
• Civilians – 2 Primes, 3 Secondary’s, 1 Tertiary.
• One of your Primes MUST belong to the Class chosen.
• Prime Challenge Level – 12+
• Secondary Challenge Level – 15+
• Tertiary Challenge Level – 18+
Next - Armour Classes & Saving Throws
Star Trek
A while ago I expressed a desire to write some rules for Star Trek Roleplaying, after writing a STUPIDLY detailed and OVERLY complex set of character generation, background creation, and skillset rules I realized that had all been done before.
So, I re-thought everthing . . . .
Why have a seemingly endless list of skills when Castle & Crusades SEIGE Engine facilitates everything. Characters in the Star Trek Universe are remarkably well trained, if you give them a Bonus for their "Field of Expertise" (Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine, Security, etc), allow them to attempt Tasks involving Starfleet Training/Operations with no penalty, and only really penalize them on rolls involving Non-Starfleet Tasks you not only make things a lot simpler (allowing for more roleplaying rather than "roll" playing) but actually replicate the "high-end" skill levels of such well rounded and extremely well-trained individuals.
Of course I had to change combat a little, Armour Class is gone - with Phasers, Disruptors, and other high-energy weapons; personal armour becomes pointless. Now there is a Reflexes Stat, which not only covers Reflex saves (much like 3rd Edition D&D) but serves as the "target number" for all attacks.
So, over the next few weeks I will be posting these rules on my Blog - if they prove popular I may even do a website for them!
Next - Expanded Attributes, Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary
So, I re-thought everthing . . . .
Why have a seemingly endless list of skills when Castle & Crusades SEIGE Engine facilitates everything. Characters in the Star Trek Universe are remarkably well trained, if you give them a Bonus for their "Field of Expertise" (Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine, Security, etc), allow them to attempt Tasks involving Starfleet Training/Operations with no penalty, and only really penalize them on rolls involving Non-Starfleet Tasks you not only make things a lot simpler (allowing for more roleplaying rather than "roll" playing) but actually replicate the "high-end" skill levels of such well rounded and extremely well-trained individuals.
Of course I had to change combat a little, Armour Class is gone - with Phasers, Disruptors, and other high-energy weapons; personal armour becomes pointless. Now there is a Reflexes Stat, which not only covers Reflex saves (much like 3rd Edition D&D) but serves as the "target number" for all attacks.
So, over the next few weeks I will be posting these rules on my Blog - if they prove popular I may even do a website for them!
Next - Expanded Attributes, Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
NoticingThings and Perception Checks
In Castles & Crusades Where a character, and not a player, has had an experience that could impact upon present circumstances - a Wisdom based attribute check is often involved.
Wisdom checks often help resolve unclear circumstances through hunches or gut feeling. Wisdom is also used to determine surprise, and when allowed - to spot something not normal about a situation.
This is one of the rare instances where the 12/18 (Primary/Secondary) rules (sorta') fall down.
This means that EVERY character (and always Clerics and Druids) with Wisdom as a Prime Attribute will always be at an advantage in these sort of situations.
It is an easy problem to resolve however, if you look at these sort of Perception checks in a slightly different way.
A Character (Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Wizard, Thief or whatever) has training in such things - whether it be spotting potential threats, noticing subtle things about an opponents demeanor, or sensing an ambush - and such training would 'stem' from the Characters Prime Attribute.
So, the simplest method to adopt for resolving such tests would be to use the Classes designated Prime Attribute - Wizards would use Intelligence, Clerics would use Wisdom, Fighters would use Strength - and so on.
This way every Character would be on an equal footing with no one having a distinct advantage (beyond their Attribute Scores) over anyone else.
Wisdom checks often help resolve unclear circumstances through hunches or gut feeling. Wisdom is also used to determine surprise, and when allowed - to spot something not normal about a situation.
This is one of the rare instances where the 12/18 (Primary/Secondary) rules (sorta') fall down.
This means that EVERY character (and always Clerics and Druids) with Wisdom as a Prime Attribute will always be at an advantage in these sort of situations.
It is an easy problem to resolve however, if you look at these sort of Perception checks in a slightly different way.
A Character (Fighter, Ranger, Cleric, Wizard, Thief or whatever) has training in such things - whether it be spotting potential threats, noticing subtle things about an opponents demeanor, or sensing an ambush - and such training would 'stem' from the Characters Prime Attribute.
So, the simplest method to adopt for resolving such tests would be to use the Classes designated Prime Attribute - Wizards would use Intelligence, Clerics would use Wisdom, Fighters would use Strength - and so on.
This way every Character would be on an equal footing with no one having a distinct advantage (beyond their Attribute Scores) over anyone else.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
A New Way of Looking at Skills
I ended introducing skills to my C&C Games mainly because players wanted them, I love the C&C system as a whole but the general concensu was folks wanted a little more "definition" to their characters. After pinching skill systems that didn't really "fit" (a mixture of AD&D 1st and 3.5 Editions) I came up with a new approach.
Here's how I've being doing it - its been working quite well for the last couple of Months.
This is a way for the use of skills in C&C games to 'fit' a little better with the Siege Engine System - so it’s possible to actually still use both approaches - allowing characters to attempt pretty much anything whilst maintaining a more structured approach - with appropriate Challenge Ratings of course.
This would still allow a Fighter to attempt to pick a lock (for example) - he just wouldn't have much of a chance of succeeding (IMHO as it should be).
I personally believe that rather than have a long static list of skills, the players should choose skills that fit their character concept and with the help of their CK – and come up with their own list of skills and their descriptions.
Skills would still have ranks of sorts – and these levels are ‘rated’ like any characters attributes –
• Tertiary (the lowest skill level)
• Secondary (average skill level
• Primary (the highest skill level)
Like class skills, the character applies any appropriate attribute bonus to the task at hand - strength when shoeing a horse, or dexterity when making a horse-shoe – both would be considered to come under the skill heading of blacksmithing, but you would require strength for one and manual dexterity for the other. But unlike class skills, you don't add your class level in a 'straight' manner.
• Primary skills get a +1 bonus per level
• Secondary gets +1/2 levels
• Tertiary gets a +1 bonus per 3 levels
Your base challenge rating is determined by skill 'level' – level 3/Primary = 12, level 2/Secondary = 15, and level 1/Tertiary = 18. This in turn has a Challenge Rating applied by the Myth Master determined by the individual circumstances for that particular use of the skill.
As rule of thumb - the Number of slots a Character has for his Secondary Skills are equal to –
Characters (INT+WIS) + Characters Starting Age/10 (round up).
Skill Level / Cost to "buy" at First Level
Tertiary (18 ) / 2 point
Secondary (15) / 4 points
Primary (12) / 6 points
Skill Level / Cost to "buy" after First Level
Tertiary (18 ) / 3 point
Secondary (15) / 6 points
Primary (12) / 9 points
Example - Brother Kydric has 26 ‘Slots’ to spend on his Secondary Skills – and he decides to spend 6 Slots on Healing. Giving him the Healing secondary skill at Level 3/Primary, his base challenge difficulty for all tests involving his Healing secondary skill is set at 12.
I set the costs for buying new skills as higher after the character has begun his "career" to make it more difficult later on in a characters development - mainly to stop PC's being "bogged down" with huge lists of skills.
A Character gains Secondary Skill points at every ‘Odd’ level (3rd, 5th, 7th and so on), the points he gains are equal to his Class Prime attribute modifier (whichever is higher) +1 (with a minimum "gain" of 1 Secondary Skill point).
To make the check, the character performing the skill simply rolls a d20 and adds his appropriate modifiers - the difficulty is set by his skill level (either 12, 15, or 18) plus any challenge rating added by his CK.
So if a character is level three, has a dexterity of 15 (the appropriate attribute in this example), and his skill level is 3/Primary – when using the Weapon Smith secondary skill they are allowed a +4 to their roll.
In some instances the use of skills causes another to make a saving throw. In this case, the character, monster or non-player character makes a saving throw but modifies the roll by a -1 for each level of skill the character has (-1 for Tertiary, -2 for Secondary, and -3 for Primary).
This is also adjusted further for any attribute modifiers. When a saving throw is called for, the character’s level or monsters hit dice also affect the roll.
Furthermore, as mentioned above - there are always circumstances than need some modification beyond that mentioned above.
Unusual circumstances, the weather and pure chance can come into play to effect the chances of success. In addition, the difficulty of the situation also adjusts the roll.
Its fairly straight forward, fits in with the concept of primes - and doesn't screw up the SEIGE Engine system.
Here's how I've being doing it - its been working quite well for the last couple of Months.
This is a way for the use of skills in C&C games to 'fit' a little better with the Siege Engine System - so it’s possible to actually still use both approaches - allowing characters to attempt pretty much anything whilst maintaining a more structured approach - with appropriate Challenge Ratings of course.
This would still allow a Fighter to attempt to pick a lock (for example) - he just wouldn't have much of a chance of succeeding (IMHO as it should be).
I personally believe that rather than have a long static list of skills, the players should choose skills that fit their character concept and with the help of their CK – and come up with their own list of skills and their descriptions.
Skills would still have ranks of sorts – and these levels are ‘rated’ like any characters attributes –
• Tertiary (the lowest skill level)
• Secondary (average skill level
• Primary (the highest skill level)
Like class skills, the character applies any appropriate attribute bonus to the task at hand - strength when shoeing a horse, or dexterity when making a horse-shoe – both would be considered to come under the skill heading of blacksmithing, but you would require strength for one and manual dexterity for the other. But unlike class skills, you don't add your class level in a 'straight' manner.
• Primary skills get a +1 bonus per level
• Secondary gets +1/2 levels
• Tertiary gets a +1 bonus per 3 levels
Your base challenge rating is determined by skill 'level' – level 3/Primary = 12, level 2/Secondary = 15, and level 1/Tertiary = 18. This in turn has a Challenge Rating applied by the Myth Master determined by the individual circumstances for that particular use of the skill.
As rule of thumb - the Number of slots a Character has for his Secondary Skills are equal to –
Characters (INT+WIS) + Characters Starting Age/10 (round up).
Skill Level / Cost to "buy" at First Level
Tertiary (18 ) / 2 point
Secondary (15) / 4 points
Primary (12) / 6 points
Skill Level / Cost to "buy" after First Level
Tertiary (18 ) / 3 point
Secondary (15) / 6 points
Primary (12) / 9 points
Example - Brother Kydric has 26 ‘Slots’ to spend on his Secondary Skills – and he decides to spend 6 Slots on Healing. Giving him the Healing secondary skill at Level 3/Primary, his base challenge difficulty for all tests involving his Healing secondary skill is set at 12.
I set the costs for buying new skills as higher after the character has begun his "career" to make it more difficult later on in a characters development - mainly to stop PC's being "bogged down" with huge lists of skills.
A Character gains Secondary Skill points at every ‘Odd’ level (3rd, 5th, 7th and so on), the points he gains are equal to his Class Prime attribute modifier (whichever is higher) +1 (with a minimum "gain" of 1 Secondary Skill point).
To make the check, the character performing the skill simply rolls a d20 and adds his appropriate modifiers - the difficulty is set by his skill level (either 12, 15, or 18) plus any challenge rating added by his CK.
So if a character is level three, has a dexterity of 15 (the appropriate attribute in this example), and his skill level is 3/Primary – when using the Weapon Smith secondary skill they are allowed a +4 to their roll.
In some instances the use of skills causes another to make a saving throw. In this case, the character, monster or non-player character makes a saving throw but modifies the roll by a -1 for each level of skill the character has (-1 for Tertiary, -2 for Secondary, and -3 for Primary).
This is also adjusted further for any attribute modifiers. When a saving throw is called for, the character’s level or monsters hit dice also affect the roll.
Furthermore, as mentioned above - there are always circumstances than need some modification beyond that mentioned above.
Unusual circumstances, the weather and pure chance can come into play to effect the chances of success. In addition, the difficulty of the situation also adjusts the roll.
Its fairly straight forward, fits in with the concept of primes - and doesn't screw up the SEIGE Engine system.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Allowable Classes & Multi-Classing Revisited
I’m one of these people who’s brain is constantly churning, and of late I’ve been thinking about trends for Demi-Human (I’ve always preferred the term Demi-Human rather than Non-Human) characters.
As you know, I’ve always preferred to have Class/Level Limits on Demi-Humans – but a lot of people find them unrealistic and want to know why such limits should be imposed.
Level Limits, are they realistic? Allowed Classes – should Demi-Humans be allowed any Class – or should they be restricted?
Allowable Classes by Race
Paladins are restricted to Humans only – such things are a Human concept and utterly alien to Demi-Humans.
Knights (or Cavaliers if you prefer) remain the province of Humans, Half-Elves, and Elves.
Barbarians are restricted once more, only Humans and Half-Breeds such as Half Orcs and Half Ogres are allowed. Dwarves live underground and Halflings are too mild mannered to be so “barbaric” (for want of a better term).
The Illusionist is no longer just the province of Humans and Gnomes – with Elves being as Magical as they are, its illogical not to allow them to pursue the Illusionist Class should they want to.
Monks are traditionally a Human based Class, but I think it’s fair to open the Class up to Half-Breeds – as traditionally Monasteries take in waifs and strays from time to time. HOWEVER I would put certain restrictions on those Half-Breed players wanting to play any such Character as a Monk – perhaps using the Attribute minimums from the original AD&D Players Handbook.
Magic Users (or Wizards if you prefer) are still restricted to Humans, Elves, and Half Elves. As in the original D&D Dwarves were inherently non-magical, and Halflings lack the discipline for hours of study – it makes perfect sense that the Magic-User Class be restricted.
Bards are a special case, the original Bard Class was a complex undertaking. I actually allow both the original and a more modern Bard Class in my Games. Though the “modern” Bards are referred to as Troubadours. Members of the original Bard Class should be restricted to Humans, Elves, and Half Elves – whereas Troubadours can be of almost any Class/Race combination.
Gnomes have no real changes or surprises, to be frank – I think they are fine as they are.
Thieves, Assassins, and Acrobats are good “as is” to be frank – no tampering is needed.
After much thought, here is the basic allowable “Class by Race” Table. You will note certain Classes are still prohibited.
| | Human | Half Elf | Half Orc | Half Ogre | Elf (All) | Dwarf | Gnome | Halfling |
| Fighter | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å |
| Ranger | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Paladin | Å | Ω | Ω | Ω | Ω | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Knight (Cavalier) | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Magic User | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Illusionist | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Å | Ω |
| Cleric | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å* |
| Druid | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Å | Å |
| Thief | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å |
| Assassin | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å | Å* |
| Acrobat | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Å | Ω |
| Monk | Å | Å | Å* | Å* | Ω | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Bard (Original) | Å | Å | Ω | Ω | Å | Ω | Ω | Ω |
| Troubadour (Bard) | Å | Å | Å* | Å* | Å | Å | Å | Å |
Å – Class freely allowable for that Race.
Å* – Requires a good back-story and/or DM’s approval. Such Characters are rare, or generally aren’t seen outside of that Races Homelands or wouldn’t naturally take up that Class.
Ω – Class strictly prohibited for that Race
Levels, Experience Points, and Race Restrictions
The more I think of it, the more Level Restrictions for Single Classed Demi-Humans seem silly. There are arguments that Training would not be made so readily available to Demi-Humans in a human centric world. However, when the Experience Points/Level System was originally laid out – the points a character earns to advance in Level were called “Experience Points” not Potential Advancement Points (or whatever) they are a measure of a Characters “Experience” during his adventuring life.
I’ve always allowed characters to advance upon attaining the required XP, as it represents the characters advancement through adventuring and having “experiences” – I’ve also allowed ALL Classes to earn XP during non-adventuring down time (much as Magic Users do when doing research) through meditation, training, and other non-adventuring activities (as a rule of thumb, use learning patterns and XP awards along the lines of those given to Magic Users doing spell research) thereby allowing characters to advance in Level through training, rather than just adventuring. This of course uses up large amounts of a characters financial resources, forcing them to adventure to garner more wealth. In doing it this way, I’ve found it more realistic and more interesting for my players (some have even written stories about their characters exploits between part adventures).
My recommendation is that a single Classed Demi-Human not be restricted as to how high he might rise in Level, and that such restrictions only come in if a Demi-Human Multi-Classes.
Why I think most people will be wondering . . . . .
A Top Surgeon becomes a Top Surgeon because he “specializes”, if her were a General Praticioner he might be able to perform basic surgical procedures, but he will never be as accomplished as a Surgeon.
Likewise, a Single Classed Fighter should be able to advance to a point where he will simply out-Class a Multi-Classed Fighter – who’s focus and attentions are split on more than one Class.
Rather than make Level restrictions the domain of Racial leanings, it is now based purely on “how many balls” your character has in the air at one time.
This of course allows Humans to Multi-Class, something Gary Gygax was in favour of in his Castle Zagyg notes for Castles & Crusades. Furthermore, it allows (if the Demi-Human is single Classed) for a Demi-Human to change Classes during his career and Dual Class.
However, once a Demi-Human (or Human for that matter) has chosen the Single-Class path – he may never Multi-Class.
Multi Class Restrictions
If a Character belongs to Two Classes, he (or she) may never advance to more than 15th Level in each Class. This maximum Level may be modified by the “Exceeding Level Limits“ chart.
If a Character belongs to Three Classes, he (or she) may never advance to more than 12th Level in each Class. This maximum Level may be modified by the “Exceeding Level Limits“ chart.
No character my Multi-Class with more than Three Classes.
Furthermore, certain Classes are restricted when it comes to Multi-Class choices.
You may never Multi-Class with the Paladin or Knight (Cavalier) Classes, the restrictions placed upon them by their “Code” prevents anything but the utmost dedication to their calling.
The only Multi-Class options for Barbarians are Thieves, Clerics, or Druids. Multi-Class Barbarian/Clerics and Barbarian/Druids fulfil the role of Shaman within the Barbarian Tribes. Multi-Class Barbarian/Thieves are just an obvious choice thanks to the stories of Conan and Thongor.
Bards are a Class that requires “Dual Classing” so may never be a Multi-Class choice.
Troubadours Multi-Class most effectively with Thieves, Assassins, or Magic-Users. Though almost any combination is possible.
Here are specifics about the interaction of the restrictions and abilities of Multi-Classed Characters.
Gnomish Multi-Classed characters are (for example) limited to Leather Armour in order to cast spells, while Elven Multi-Classed Characters are not. These restrictions reflect the particular nature of the Demi-Human races.
It is a general rule however, that a Cleric/Fighter may always use edged weapons.
When belongs to more than one Character Class, any Experience Points gained by the character will be divided evenly between those classes, once the character can no longer progress in one of the classes this splitting of XP ends – and the XP is given in its entirety to the Class the character may still advance in.
Restrictions
· Multi–classed characters use the least restrictive Weapons list for their classes.
· Multi–classed characters use the most restrictive Armour list of their classes.
· Multi–classed characters cannot combine abilities**
· Starting gold is determined by rolling for each class individually, combining the results and dividing that by the number of classes the character has.
**For example – With regards to a Multi Classed Fighter/Thief/Bard - the Fighter’s extra attack means that the character can make an extra normal attack but NOT use that extra attack make a Back Attack, or to “Inspire”.
When a Multi-Classed Character begins his career or advances in one of his or her classes, hit points are determined by rolling the appropriate die (D4 for Wizards and Illusionists, D6 for Rogues and Assassins, etc.), dividing by the number of Classes involved (so two for a Cleric/Thief, or three for a Fighter/Cleric/Wizard, for example), and adding the appropriate constitution modifier.
Dual-Classing
In order to switch from one class to another, the Character must have an ability score of 15+ in the Classes Prime Attribute of the original Class, and of 17+ in the Prime Attribute of the new Class.
The character retains his or her Hit Points.
He or she can use the particular abilities of the original class, but doing so can cause the character to halve all experience points that would be gained from using the original Classes Abilities (as determined by the GM) as XP Earned from utilizing the abilities of the previous Class cannot be applied in full to the new one (although a the Character can still learn from these experiences). This restriction applies until the character has advanced in the new Class to a Level at least one higher than was attained in the original Class.
When the character begins the process of learning a new class, he or she gains the Abilities of the new Class as a First Level member of that Class, and all Experience is applied to progressing in the new class. The Character gains no additional Hit Points until reaching a Level in the new Class one Level higher than in the original Class, after which time the Character’s Hit Points advance as per the new class.
Unlike Multi-Class characters, certain Dual-Classed characters cannot perform the functions of several different classes simultaneously. So, for example, an Elven Fighter/Wizard could cast Arcane Spells while wearing Armour, but a Human Dual-Classed Fighter/Wizard would have to remove his or her Armour to do the same thing. However, with dual-classed characters, any combination of classes is possible, provided the character qualifies in terms of Primary Ability Scores and can comply with any relevant Alignment and Race restrictions. An individual with very high Ability Scores could therefore play a Cleric/Paladin or a Wizard/Illusionist.
If a Multi-Class option is taken, and the Prime Attribute for that class is a Secondary Attribute - then a 10% tithe is placed upon all EEP (or XP) that is applied to that class (so deduct 10% before applying it to your EPP/XP total for that class) – if a Multi-Class option is taken, and the Prime Attribute for that Class is a Tertiary attribute - then a 25% tithe is placed upon all EEP/XP that is applied to that class (so deduct 25% before applying it to your EPP/XP total for that class).
Now the 25% penalty might seem harsh, but it’s there for a reason – to DISCOURAGE a player from taking a Class with a Tertiary Attribute – JUST BECAUSE HE (OR SHE) can – we've all encountered such discommodious players.
Restrictions
· Dual–classed characters take the best to hit bonus of their classes.
· Dual–classed characters use the least restrictive weapons list for their classes.
· Dual–classed characters use the most restrictive armour list of their classes.
· Dual–classed characters cannot combine abilities***
***For example – With regards to a Dual Classed Monk/Troubadour - the Monk’s extra attack means that the character can make an extra normal attack as allowed by the Monk Class - but NOT use that extra attack to use the Troubadour’s “Inspire” ability.
Skills & Saves for Multi-Class /Dual Class Characters
When it comes to Saves and Tasks involving your Level, you simply use the appropriate Class Level.
For Example – Aladon is about to Pick a Lock. Aladon is a 3rd Level Thief/2nd Level Wizard. He would use his Rogue Level when rolling to pick the Lock. But to make an INT based Saving Throw vs. a Spell – Aladon would use his Wizard Level as INT is a Wizards Prime Attribute.
Exceeding Level Limits
Multi-Classed Characters with extremely high scores in the ‘Prime’ Attributes of their Classes can exceed their racial maximum levels. In the case of Multi-Class characters, the additional Levels only apply for the Prime Attribute of the class in question having a Secondary Attribute in a Class of choice offers no additional Levels.
Additional Levels for having high Prime Attribute Scores
| Attribute Score | Additional Levels |
| 14 | +1 |
| 15 | +2 |
| 16 | +3 |
| 17 | +4 |
| 18 | +5 |
| 19 | +6 |
| 20 | +7 |
| 21 | +8 |
For example – "Kalar the Holy" is a Fighter/Cleric and is limited as such to 15th Level in both Classes. However his Wisdom is 18, and his Strength is 17 - this means that Kalar can reach 20th Level as a Cleric, and 19th Level as a Fighter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
