Character Creation System, Just a few thoughts Options

[Zolhex]

My Character Creation System

Priority_Race__Magic_____Attributes__Skills__Resources

A______________________Full Magician_________30______________50_________1,000,000

B__________Shapeshifter__Adept/Aspected______27_______________40__________650,000

C__________Meta/Variant____________________24_______________34__________150,000

D__________Human_________________________21_______________30___________50,000

E_________________________________________18_______________27___________10,000

Shapeshifters as characters: Shapeshifters as either an Adept/Aspected Magician you assign priority C to magic. Also because of a Shapeshifters natural bestial nature during character creation Shapeshifters receive no more than 10,000 in resources no matter what priority is chosen. Shapeshifters start the game with an Essence of 8 and a Magic rating of 8 but only if magically active other wise magic rating is 6. Also you only assign points to physical attributes once then add in human/animal modifiers. Shapeshifters can never get Cyber/Bioware.

GM’S please note there is less than 1% of the world’s population that is known to be Shapeshifters because of this it is suggested you not allow very many players to be Shapeshifters.

Starting Spell Points

Starting spell points have a maxium of 50. Additional spell points cost 15,000 each.

Full Magician_________30
Aspected Magicians___35
Physical Adept________6

Racial Modifications

Race____Modifications

Dwarf___+ 1 Body, + 2 Strength, + 1 Willpower
________Thermographic Vision, Resistance to any disease or toxin
________(+ 2 Body for diseases or toxins resistance tests only)

Elf______+ 1 Quickness, + 2 Charisma
________Low Light Vision

Ork_____+ 3 Body, + 2 Strength, - 1 Charisma, - 1 Intelligence
________Low Light Vision

Troll_____+ 5 Body, -1 Quickness, + 4 Strength, - 2 Charisma, - 2 Intelligence
_________Thermographic Vision, + 1 Reach for Armed/Unarmed combat,
_________Dermal Armor (+ 1 Body for damage resistance tests only)

This post has been edited several times changes will occour from time to time till I am satisfide with it. feel free to chime in and thanks in advance.

This post has been edited by E.O.T.L.F.: Dec 12 2003, 10:40 PM

[Zolhex]

Ok this was nicely spaced out to be easy to read but apparently these boards don't like spaces.

[BumsofTacoma]

If you were going to modify trolls for anything like that it would be running modifier. The quickness has to do with not just running but over all movment. I think the -1 qui is just to show that maybe there reaction time just isnt what the average is, and maybe has something to do wih a trolls genetics, maybe signals from the brain just arent as fast as the average human. they do have a -2 to intelligence as well, that doesnt mean that they are all retarded, but that they got screwed in the genetics department in that area, and there brains dont develope as well as a human. perhaps Signals arent sent as fast thus the slower reaction time and quickness?


did that make anysense to anyone but me?

[Zolhex]

Um dwarfs have the only running modifier that is different x2 everyone else gets a x3 so if you are thinking that they get a higher or lower running multiplier they don't and as to trolls being less developed I can agree with the mental side of that arguement (althought a - 2 to 2 attributes is a bit much) they are considered to be much more developed physically. But hey that is just how I see it.

[Fortune]

So Trolls, with their overall +5 to Attributes would be the race of choice in your games then? In my opinion, if you are going to take away one of their balancing features, you should replace it with something of equivalent value.

[Tanka]

That's why I liked the way it was in SR2. Every race (except human) had a combined total of 3 modifications.

Dwarf: +1, -1, +2, +0, +0, +1
Elf: +0, +1, +0, +2, +0, +0
Ork: +3, +0, +2, -1, -1, +0
Troll: +5, -1, +4, -2, -2, -1

Metavariants and others don't really count, as those weren't in the base rules.

[Glyph]

Interesting. Most GMs who want to change the power level use the point system and add more points/change a few costs. Changing the Priority system is a lot more work, although it probably makes it easier on the players.

Looking at it game balance-wise:

Shapeshifters get shafted - they are practically unplayable under the Priority system, and even your more generous allocations across the board don't change that much. 26 points (23 if they are awakened in any way) does not go far when you are buying points for 9 Attributes. You seem to want 'shifters to be very rare, though, so you might consider weak 'shifters to be a good thing.

Trolls and elves are priority: C for a reason. It is not so much the total bonuses, but what they get bonuses for. Elves make great full mages, and trolls make fearsome fighting machines. Putting them at Priority: D is giving the players quite a bargain. Try it, though. Maybe with your group, it won't be a problem. If they seem to be picking elves and/or trolls a lot, though, then you might want to look at it again.

You've powered up the Priority system, but you haven't fixed its main problem - a mundane human is screwed over. If you are playing a mundane human, magic and race are D and E. If you are playing a mundane metahuman, race and magic are D and E. So since they cost the same, will you play a human - or play an elf and get +3 in Attribute bonuses?

[Tanka]

My thoughts exactly. Every mudane can now be a metahuman with no worries about losing some points because they had to pick something at a lower priority. Instead they can take Resources A, Attributes B, Skills C, Race D, and Magic E, be a meta, and have no worries.

Edit: Oh, and that's also why I like SR2. Meta is Race C all the time. Race A if you want them to be really rare (and give them another karma pool at chargen). Then their magic stuff is shifted down by one level so as to still allow full mage metas.

[BumsofTacoma]

I dont see where your getting the -2 to skills? I most likely wrote poorly or just didn't understand you. I do both a lot. I over complicate things sometimes.

I was just saying to represent your theory that big people walk faster, that wouldn be quikness as much as it would be running mod.

dwarves have lower running mod because they have short legs, you could argue that a trolls is higher because they have longer legs if you really wanted to.


Yes trolls tend to be superior physically, but, well, I would keep the -1 quickness.

basded on my prior argument.

Maybe the brain is less developed (-2 intelligence) thus the thought proccess slowed, and pehaps even the sending of brain signals to the muscles, thus the -1 quickness.

I only said that again because i was trying to make it more clear incase I previosly wrote poorly.

But hay its only my opinion, to be taken, agreed with, or bashed as you like. :D

:edited to to poor writing skills :S

[Zolhex]

[Zolhex]

[Ol' Scratch]

[Zolhex]

Wow they screwed shapeshifters in 3rd didn't know that mostly play by core rules so had not read up on shapeshifters. not only do you have to pay for physical attributes twice they lowered some of the bonuses dam!!!!!!!!! thanks for the heads up.

[Tanka]

[Lilt]

Hmm. I like the idea of trolls being slightly faster runners than their quickness attribute represents. Would a x4 running multiplier be that bad? What about x3.5?

[BumsofTacoma]

sounds good to me man, 3.5 would do, but hay, dwarves get shafted a full point so why shouldnt trolls get a full point :D

[Lilt]

The x3.5 was just a suggestion for if people thought x4 was too much. IMHO: I don't know. :wobble: Should maximum quickness trolls really be faster than maximum quickness humans, elves or orcs? Actually I think I'll say yes as bears and such are faster than humans and they're big...

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Zolhex]

Ok speaking on the concept of big cats vs. small cats if size does matter then how do you explain cheetahs? you know the fastest cat of them all. just a comparison of big vs. small like you were doing.

[Ol' Scratch]

Trolls are the dwarfs of giantdom. Check out their picture; their legs are relatively short and stubby compared to the rest of them, just like a dwarf. That's why their Running Modifier is only x3; the equivalence of a human. If they were proportional to a human, they'd likely have a x4 or possibly higher Running Multiplier.

I don't think they should also be penalized with a Quickness penalty, however. While they may be slow at movement, I don't see why their actual manual dexterity would be any worse, especially when using tools and equipment of the appopriate size and design (hence the +25% cost increase). Larger people also tend to have a superior ability to maneuver around because they're much more aware of their spatial problems. While a normal sized person can walk easily through a hall, a large person like a troll can do the same, but is subconsciously moving his body in such a way so as not to disturb anything as he does so.

Applying a penalty when trying to perform actions not designed for trolls makes a lot more sense to me, but not when using things as appropriate to their size. I don't see why they'd have any more trouble aiming a pistol or, especially, wearing armor; an average troll takes a Combat Pool hit just by putting on some Armored Clothing.

[Tanka]

[Austere Emancipa...]

I was specifically not addressing the movement speed of those animals, only how...

[Zazen]

[CoalHeart]

On a side note of the previous talking about trolls should get an extra multiplyer on thier running.

I say no. They already have the potential to be the fastest runners around for the least amount of Karma. They have the highest Body which means they can raise athletics to the very highest most efficently if you look at it from a karma cost point of view. Not to mention they'll have ungodly running endurance, several miles probably before they even start to get tired.

So I don't think they need a running speed bonus multiplyer.

P.S.
Also would affect jumping, lifting, swimming and various other athletic activities.


Edited to add P.S.

[Siege]