Land Outcast
Explorer
Anybody designed a Lifepath mechanic for D&D? (if so, care to share?)
Lifepath
- Thread starter Land Outcast
- Start date
Nine Hands
Explorer
Have you tried to dredge up a copy of the old Atomik Lifepath (I assume you are talking about a Cyberpunk/Mekton/Fuzion style lifepath). Its very generic and should work for most games out there.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Land Outcast
Explorer
Similar, best way to explain it is to link one such which I found after opening this thread -and which with small modifications can work for D&D-. When you've got a blank page and a blank mind, 'tis quite useful.
http://www.paper-dragon.com/2026/lifepath.html
Nine Hands
Explorer
Nifft said:
The Lifepath was more than just a single background. Instead you rolled every year (or more) and it gave you an idea of what your character did before the game started...
Back in the day, there was a PDF called Atomik Lifepath (which I have a copy of, its an excellent resource and would be great if someone created a very generic one for most RPGs).
Here's a completed Lifepath for an NPC in my Robotech game...
2011 – Stowed away in secret underground military facility by her father who worked on the Grand Cannon project. He is killed by Dolza’s Grand Fleet. Dorleen feels it is her duty to follow in his footsteps and signs up with the RDF. She flubs her exams test due to a string of late nights with her boyfriend, qualifying as a vehicle technician. The RDF brings her aboard, not knowing her true talents.
2012 – Serves with the RDF in South America as part of the Armored Cavalry Scout Division, fixing scout tanks. She spends some time cross training on Destroid repair, she is an eager and brilliant student.
2013 – Dorleen’s base in South America is attacked by Zentraedi terrorists. She was inside the cockpit of a Gladiator when the attack happened, working on the Protoculture Control System. The mecha moved on her command and she was able to help defend the base. She is offered a chance to train in the Destroid program and accepts.
2014 – Dorleen is imprisoned for 2 months on charges of Manslaughter, when her Gladiator misfired its Grenade Launcher killing 5 civilians while on duty in Monument City. One of the civilians killed was involved in an argument with her the night before. After a thorough investigation, it was found that the gun malfunctioned and the charges dropped.
The brother of one of the civilians (Andreil Vonchkinko) is still after Dorleen. He is a former EBSIS soldier, who now traffics in military hardware in South America.
She finishes training and is assigned to the South American Sector once more. Her tour of duty is filled with conflict, pushing her skills to new heights.
2015 – Dorleen is offered a position as a Battloid pilot in the Global Military Police by a friend of her father. She accepts and becomes a full fledged agent. It is found again that she has hidden talents for she makes a good agent.
Dorleen’s next year with the GMP is rocky, she is sent to gather intel on a company that is possibly selling material to the Steel Wind malcontent band. She meets and falls in love with Sean Nichols, one of the employees (he was not considered a threat at the time). Sean has been smuggling parts to the Steel Wind Malcontent Band for almost a year. When she figures this out, she confronts him with it at gunpoint. He does the same and after a long tear filled conversation, Sean places his gun to his head, killing himself. Dorleen is hospitalized for 3 months recuperating from the trauma.
2016 – Dorleen is assigned to as a Robotechnology Overseer for Platoons 8 and 9 for the 3rd ATAC Training Company out of Monument City
Dorleen has a thing for spy movies, she collects them all. Likes to play cards too (bridge, hearts, spades, and even poker).
This was created from a rough framework from the Lifepath similar to this. I don't have a good before and after from one character though.
2010
Major Windfall -- Learn vital clue from past (parents where Internationalist Spies!!!)
You make a Friend (partner)
2011
Adventure of a Lifetime – Traveled world
You make an Enemy – a childhood enemy?
2012
Terrible Accident – Hospitalized for 18 months
Major Windfall – Reaping Rewards (Willed something)
2013
Climatic Adventure – Forged in Fire
You make an Enemy – A rival
2014
You Get Lucky – Acquire a Talent
Major Windfall – Groundbreaking Success (Titanium Medal of Valor)
2015
Disaster Strikes! – Hunted by the Law? (false charges)
Adventure of a Lifetime – Inhospitable Conditions
2016
You Get Lucky – Nominated for a Membership (Promotion)
Land Outcast said:
I'm telling ya LO, its gonna be up to the community to come up with it. Search as I might, I cannot find one anywhere.
Maybe someone will speak up with a resource. If not, I'm in for ideas on developing one here in the community. I have both the original Cyberpunk 2020 book and the Mekton book, as well as the R.Talsorian Champions New Millennium system book, which also had a lifepath. We can style it after that (which we always enjoyed). All we'd need is some good ideas for converting to to something D&D appropriate.
Just say the word..
Nifft said:I shall say the word "Wiki". This kind of table-based thingy will be much better if multiple editors can work on it.
Start it up and post a link. I'm in.
-- N
Ask, and yee shall receive
Disclaimer 1: NEVER have I made a Wiki entry so excuse the inability to make it look good. I hope that you all can make it look better.
Disclaimer 2: I just got it started. Lots of work to be done there. Hopefully there is enough in the general outline to get things rolling.
llamatron2000
First Post
didn't hero builder's guidebook have a decent like, base lifepath system?
Here's a proposed mechanic for how many times you roll on the chart. It could also let's say....handle story mechanics during extended downtime(which happens quite frequently in my games, since my players enjoy taking active parts in local politics, and getting land.)
For the sake of simplicity, one should probably round ages up or down to the nearest number.
humans hit a new age group an average of every 20 years after 15. Roll age/5 + level times.
dwarves hit a new age group an average of every 70 years after 40. Roll age/10 + level times.
elves hit a new age group an average of every 80 years after 110. Roll age/20 + level times.
gnomes hit a new age group an average of every 50 years after 40. Roll age/10 + level times.
1/2 elves hit a new age group an average of every 35 years after age 20. Roll age/5 + level times.
1/2 orcs hit a new age group an average of every 15 years after 14. Roll age/3 + level times.
halflings hit a new age group an average of every 25 years after 20. Roll age/5 + level times.
examples:
Reinhilde, the human swashbuckler is 19 years old, and level 1. She rolls five times. Four, for 19 years, rounded to 20/5, and then an extra for being a level 1 fighter, meaning she's had more experiences than most.
A year of adventuring passes, she reaches level 3, and there's an extended downtime. She comes back at age 27, and she cashes in her XP for a fourth level. What she did in the meantime would be resolved by rollling 8 years downtime, rounded to 10/5, +1 level. 2 rolls on the table.
Here's a proposed mechanic for how many times you roll on the chart. It could also let's say....handle story mechanics during extended downtime(which happens quite frequently in my games, since my players enjoy taking active parts in local politics, and getting land.)
For the sake of simplicity, one should probably round ages up or down to the nearest number.
humans hit a new age group an average of every 20 years after 15. Roll age/5 + level times.
dwarves hit a new age group an average of every 70 years after 40. Roll age/10 + level times.
elves hit a new age group an average of every 80 years after 110. Roll age/20 + level times.
gnomes hit a new age group an average of every 50 years after 40. Roll age/10 + level times.
1/2 elves hit a new age group an average of every 35 years after age 20. Roll age/5 + level times.
1/2 orcs hit a new age group an average of every 15 years after 14. Roll age/3 + level times.
halflings hit a new age group an average of every 25 years after 20. Roll age/5 + level times.
examples:
Reinhilde, the human swashbuckler is 19 years old, and level 1. She rolls five times. Four, for 19 years, rounded to 20/5, and then an extra for being a level 1 fighter, meaning she's had more experiences than most.
A year of adventuring passes, she reaches level 3, and there's an extended downtime. She comes back at age 27, and she cashes in her XP for a fourth level. What she did in the meantime would be resolved by rollling 8 years downtime, rounded to 10/5, +1 level. 2 rolls on the table.
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