3e class stat generation and progression (fwd)
Lord Stevil the Parakeet Shaman
I didn't finish my thought. :) Let me try this again.
On 19 Jan 2000, Larry Mead wrote:
> :> Most non-random sytems don't allow such oddities.
>
> : You can easily have a random point distribution without varying the total
> : number of Ability points a chracter has. I do.
>
> Why? Describe it please.
Okay. Characters in my (recently nonexistant) campaigns have 75 points to
distribute, but every Ability point above 16 costs two points -- so an 18
will cost 20 (16 + 4) points. This makes extremely high stats rare, and
min/maxers will end up with fewer total points.
To distribute randomly, roll 4d6, drop lowest, and assign as desired or
put results in order. (At your option, 3d6 across, 6+2d6 across, or
whatever may be used.) Sum the results, with every pip above sixteen in
an Ability counting as two points. If the total is less than 75, assign
each Ability a number from 1 to 6 and roll to assign the remaining points.
(If there are only a few remaining points, roll 1d6 for each point and
distribute; if there are lots of points left, you might want to assign
them in increments of 1d4.) If there are more than 75 total points,
simply do the reverse of above: randomly subtract points from the
Abilities.
Say I roll 12, 14, 16, 9, 11 and 10, which is a total of 72. Pretty close
-- only three off the mark. I distribute the numbers in (2E) order:
Str 12 Int 9
Dex 14 Wis 11
Con 16 Cha 10
I then assign each ability a number from 1 through six (also in order),
and roll 1d6 three times; 2, 4, 6. The extra points go into Dex, Int and
Cha.
1. Str 12 4. Int 10
2. Dex 15 5. Wis 11
3. Con 16 6. Cha 11
At this point, any racial Ability adjustments are applied. (Looks like
these stats would make a pretty good thief or archer character.) =)
I know this system's a little awkward, but it's a good way to maintain
party balance while keeping randomness.
--Lord Stevil the Parakeet Shaman
The Parakeet's Nest: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/3484/
"I always found them both ugly and obnoxious little girls, although their
very banality certainly adds a bit of spice to the prospect of inflicting
carefully designed abasement and foul predatory abuse upon their squirmy
pink flesh." -- Ken Pfeiffer, on the Olsen Twins
Taylz the Genius
In other words, a stat of 3 costs 6 points (1 + 2 + 3 = 6), and one of 13
points costs 91 points. Characters have 475 points to distribute. At level
up, characters get 5 more points. Just an idea; I haven't tried it out yet.
But it does a good job of discouraging ultra-high attributes while encouraging
normal ones. It also allows for gradual progression.
Lord Stevil the Parakeet Shaman
I like what you're going for here. The only problem I can see with this
is calculating the points needed for Abilities; you might want to have a
chart on hand that lists the point value for Ability scores to speed up
character creation for you players and yourself. Also, why not make it an
even 500 points instead of 475? 25 extra points won't even buy an Ability
at a 5, so I don't think it'll be unbalancing. (See some of my posts on
this thread to see how I distribute points, if interested.)
I especially like the fact that the possibility of Ability progression
exists, though at 5 points per level it's unlikely anyone will increase
anything until they've hit level 10+ (though this might be what you're
going for). The way I work Ability improvements uses a variant on the
Player's option: Skills & Powers character point rule. If you're not
familiar with this book, characters get character points as they advance,
with which they can buy/increase weapon and non-weapon proficiencies, use
for rerolls, etc. (S&P suggests that DMs hand out from 2 to 5 character
points per level, depending on taste and desired power level; 3 IMC.
However, I've introduced an optional rule that allows you to spend a
number of character points equal to the Ability to raise it it by 1 point,
up to race maximum or 5 above its base, whichever is lower. Like your
system, this encourages characters to increase their low stats before
maxing out their high ones. Plus, there need to be a system in place for
to account for characters becoming more physically fit, wiser, etc.,
during their adventuring careers.
For illustration, below is the minimum number of levels a character needs
to advance before increasing an Ability of a certain rating (starting from
a base of 0 character points, and assuming that all available points are
spent on Ability increases).
3: 1 level
4-6: 2 levels
7-9: 3 levels
10-12: 4 levels
13-15: 5 levels
16-19: 6 levels
Though this might seem high-powered to some, keep in mind those character
points spent on Abilities can't be used on weap or non-weap profs, which I
make heavy use of in my game.
--Lord Stevil the Parakeet Shaman
The Parakeet's Nest: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/3484/
"Oh please! Crystal meth is *so* 1992. The popular club drugs these
days are all single letters - E and G and K. Meth is definitely the
choice of pink trash (i.e., gay white trash)." -- Alex Elliott
Taylz the Genius
<<I like what you're going for here. The only problem I can see with this
is calculating the points needed for Abilities; you might want to have a
chart on hand that lists the point value for Ability scores to speed up
character creation for you players and yourself.>>
Sounds like a good idea. Couldn't hurt anything....
<<Also, why not make it an
even 500 points instead of 475? 25 extra points won't even buy an Ability
at a 5, so I don't think it'll be unbalancing. (See some of my posts on
this thread to see how I distribute points, if interested.)>>
I was considering that. See, my system was desgined to allow a character of
three 13s and three 12s, approximately. But 500 points sounds okay.
<<I especially like the fact that the possibility of Ability progression
exists, though at 5 points per level it's unlikely anyone will increase
anything until they've hit level 10+ (though this might be what you're
going for).>>
Naw. Now that I think about it, you're right: progression would be slow. But
I don't want people walking around with a bunch of 18's. How about, say, 15 or
25 points per level? 50 seems too high....
Sounds cool.