[freeroleplay] Re: Character Generation
- From: Pitt Murmann <pm@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: freeroleplay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 23:40:46 +0200
On 06. Sep 2005, at 21:28, Edward Terry wrote:
[Everything is a skill.]
There would only be a few things which could not be acquired through
play. In most systems, the ability to use spells (or psionics or
superpowers) is probably one of these.
Do supernatural abilities necessarily have to be innate? What keeps a
character from Awaken such powers, either during the game session or
beyond?
From a storyteller's perspective, these abilities might have always
been present, for instance because the character is actually {a, the}
Chosen One, but it takes the Right Moment - an event, a constellation
of stars, a tax rate to exceed - to trigger this kind of personal
evolution. On the other hand, external factors can always be called
upon: gods, the passing of ley lines, nexus points, vortexes, abduction
by aliens, to render a character prone to whatever Change. By the way,
I am not talking distinctive character levels here, but plot and story
devices only, or maybe the expenditure of experience or drama points
from the player's side.
Samuel Penn wrote:
Many Pools
The other way is to have several pools to build characters from. So,
you
might get 10 points to spend on attribute, 20 to spend on skills and
5 to
spend on attributes. 1 point of attribute might be 'worth' 3 or 4
skill
points - there doesn't need to be a balance since one can't be spent
on
the other.
This method implies, more or less, a common Level regarding the very
being of characters. It will be difficult to put a shoggot, a space
marine and a longbow man in the same Party (Temporarily Cooperative
Group), regardless of how Generic the rules set might be. Given the
finding of this level, it considerably simplifies the complexity of how
to look at the split sub categories. Divide and conquer at its best.
Ars Magica is an example of this. Attributes are rolled, you then get
skill points from a template you choose, then you get 10 points to buy
virtues (advantages) with. In this case, the mechanics change between
the
pools - one is random, one you choose a single option, and the final
ones
you buy several options, up to a point limit.
Ars Magica version 3 to 5 works completely without random factors, thus
putting the decision of how to build a character entirely in the hands
of the players. Attributes are basically rated between -3 and +3 with
incremental costs (above zero) and incremental gains (below zero).
Certain Virtues and Flaws allow you raise an attribute above +3 or
lower it below -3. Apart from that, you have 7 attribute points to
spend.
Skills (and the amount or lack of points thereof) actually depend on
your character's age, which to decide is mostly up the player, too.
However, like with Marc Miller's Traveller, a high age imposes natural
risks to a character's health and well-being.
The amount and combination of Virtues and Flaws, that is, advantages
and disadvantages, a player can pick for her character depends on the
character's importance in the story to be. Central characters, like
magi, are permitted more traits, and are even encouraged to spice up
their uniqueness by selecting as many fitting characteristics as
possible. Virtues and Flaws have to be evenly balanced. The initial
amount of points is zero.
Regards,
- PM
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