steeldragons
Steeliest of the dragons
Something came into my brain last night as I was attempting to go to sleep. Mulling things over from the bevy of threads in recent weeks: the Roles threads, the Temperature of Rules and other "how should D&D:TNG be presented" threads, Racial Bloat, returning to AD&D threads, the "Player Abilitiy" threads and several others...stewing together with my own interest/thoughts on "Basic/B-X" and AD&D...and I came up with this as a concept for game framework and/or presentation...
The Game/Rule/All-Fours Lists.
I'm thinking it is a good way for a) for NEW players to be introduced by presenting thigns in "bite-sized" chunks, b) for "old" players to harken back to some simpler way of playing and c) just cuz I thought it was a neat way to simplistically "package" things like race, class, abilities...maybe even alignment as an "optional" element for character creation.
We start at the very beginning....it's a very good place to start...with, essentially, the Basic game.
4 Races
Human
Elf
Dwarf
Halfling
4 Classes
Cleric
Fighter
Magic-user
Thief
Humans may be any one of the four classes.
Elves may be: (4) Fighter, Magic-user, Thief or Ftr/MU
Dwarves may be: (4) Cleric, Fighter, Thief or Ftr/Cle
Halflings may be: (4) Cleric, Fighter, Thief or Ftr/Thf
I think this all goes back to a certain flavor, some might say "grittiness", of the game. Offering players options without being endless options/option "bloat."
Abilities, I didn't really decide on, but was thinking something one of the following:
option 1: use the normal 6 abilities with the 4d6, drop the lowest, arrange as desired method.
option 2: like option but keep all 4 rolls, making the max available scores 24 instead of 18.
option 3: 4 Abilities (roled in the same 4d6 method as either options 1 or 2, gotta keep those 4's reoccurring
Strength: a combo of physical strength and Constitution. Important for Fighters.
Agility: Dexterity, reflexes, balance, important for thieves or anyone using/specializing in missle fire.
Mental: a combo of Intelligence and Wisdom, essential for any/all spellcasters for the working of magic, capacity for learning languages and new skills, etc...
Persona: for those who like having a "Charisma" score/using noncombat skills that may be better/more outgoing than their "real life" personality.
Constitution basically gets relegated to the realm of Saving throws...Someone with a high Strength will make better physical/Fort saves. Someone with a high Mental will make better saves vs. magic. Someone with high Agility will make better Reflex checks/saves (the Con. example there being something like having the fortitude to maintain one's balance in a dodgy situation or something)...not really clear on how the concept of Constitution might translate in "Persona", but you get the idea.
Saves would be integrated from the 3e model:
Fortitude: for strength feats and concerns, fighting poison, exhaustion, etc.
Reflex: for agility based-feats and concerns, climbing, dodging area effects, breath weapon saves, etc.
Will: for Mental feats and concerns, avoiding or breaking free of enchantments, maintaining concentration for "combat casting", etc.
...and I'd need to come up with a fourth, based on/around Persona....which might also prove useful against charms, maybe...didn't get too far into that before fallign asleep.
Thieves Abilities would be broken down something like this:
Stealth: throwing together your Move Silently and Hide in Shadows.
Thievery: yer Pick Pockets, Open Locks, Finding/Removing/Avoiding traps are all lumped in together here.
Acrobatics: playing on the thieves' Agility, rolling together things like the Tumbling NWP, Dodge, balance for walking on tightropes or high narrow ledges, etc...Climb Walls might be considered in this category?
Sneak Attack: expanding on ye olde "Backstab" but incorporating things from other editions like increased damage for "Flanking" and "Attacks of Opportunity."
You start with 40% in each and gain 40% per level to place as you like to allow players to tailor their "thief" as an "Acrobat" (self-explanatory) or "Cat Burlgar" (higher Stealth and Thievery, let's say) or "Street Urchin" (pour it all into Thievery with a lil left over for Sneak Attacks?) or whatever other roguish archetype you like.
[Optional] Alignment (borrowing from 4e, as I understand it and imposing my own general ethical views, of course):
Good: Life is precious. Others matter. Working toward the defense and increase of "Good" in the world is important to me and necessary for the betterment and stability of the world.
Neutral: maintaining the Balance of the world, not looking to harm anyone per se, but sometimes "bad things" (stealing, killing, etc.) are necessary but you wouldn't feel guilty about it. That's life.
Evil: MY life is precious and the only thing that matters. What's good for others does not concern me. Killing, stealing, blackmail, kidnapping...they're all just means to an end (most commonly MY betterment).
Extremist: either "Ultimate" Good or "Ultimate" Evil, whether you view.define those as "Lawful or Neutral Good" or "Neutral or Chaotic Evil" is something (a code of conduct) you work out with your DM.
That seems like a good place to start. Detail getting characters from 1st to [naturally] FOURTH level.
Like I said, in theory, get someone into the game fast and easy and familiarize with the rules without tons of confusing options.
--Steel Dragons
The Game/Rule/All-Fours Lists.
I'm thinking it is a good way for a) for NEW players to be introduced by presenting thigns in "bite-sized" chunks, b) for "old" players to harken back to some simpler way of playing and c) just cuz I thought it was a neat way to simplistically "package" things like race, class, abilities...maybe even alignment as an "optional" element for character creation.
We start at the very beginning....it's a very good place to start...with, essentially, the Basic game.
4 Races
Human
Elf
Dwarf
Halfling
4 Classes
Cleric
Fighter
Magic-user
Thief
Humans may be any one of the four classes.
Elves may be: (4) Fighter, Magic-user, Thief or Ftr/MU
Dwarves may be: (4) Cleric, Fighter, Thief or Ftr/Cle
Halflings may be: (4) Cleric, Fighter, Thief or Ftr/Thf
I think this all goes back to a certain flavor, some might say "grittiness", of the game. Offering players options without being endless options/option "bloat."
Abilities, I didn't really decide on, but was thinking something one of the following:
option 1: use the normal 6 abilities with the 4d6, drop the lowest, arrange as desired method.
option 2: like option but keep all 4 rolls, making the max available scores 24 instead of 18.
option 3: 4 Abilities (roled in the same 4d6 method as either options 1 or 2, gotta keep those 4's reoccurring
Strength: a combo of physical strength and Constitution. Important for Fighters.
Agility: Dexterity, reflexes, balance, important for thieves or anyone using/specializing in missle fire.
Mental: a combo of Intelligence and Wisdom, essential for any/all spellcasters for the working of magic, capacity for learning languages and new skills, etc...
Persona: for those who like having a "Charisma" score/using noncombat skills that may be better/more outgoing than their "real life" personality.
Constitution basically gets relegated to the realm of Saving throws...Someone with a high Strength will make better physical/Fort saves. Someone with a high Mental will make better saves vs. magic. Someone with high Agility will make better Reflex checks/saves (the Con. example there being something like having the fortitude to maintain one's balance in a dodgy situation or something)...not really clear on how the concept of Constitution might translate in "Persona", but you get the idea.
Saves would be integrated from the 3e model:
Fortitude: for strength feats and concerns, fighting poison, exhaustion, etc.
Reflex: for agility based-feats and concerns, climbing, dodging area effects, breath weapon saves, etc.
Will: for Mental feats and concerns, avoiding or breaking free of enchantments, maintaining concentration for "combat casting", etc.
...and I'd need to come up with a fourth, based on/around Persona....which might also prove useful against charms, maybe...didn't get too far into that before fallign asleep.
Thieves Abilities would be broken down something like this:
Stealth: throwing together your Move Silently and Hide in Shadows.
Thievery: yer Pick Pockets, Open Locks, Finding/Removing/Avoiding traps are all lumped in together here.
Acrobatics: playing on the thieves' Agility, rolling together things like the Tumbling NWP, Dodge, balance for walking on tightropes or high narrow ledges, etc...Climb Walls might be considered in this category?
Sneak Attack: expanding on ye olde "Backstab" but incorporating things from other editions like increased damage for "Flanking" and "Attacks of Opportunity."
You start with 40% in each and gain 40% per level to place as you like to allow players to tailor their "thief" as an "Acrobat" (self-explanatory) or "Cat Burlgar" (higher Stealth and Thievery, let's say) or "Street Urchin" (pour it all into Thievery with a lil left over for Sneak Attacks?) or whatever other roguish archetype you like.
[Optional] Alignment (borrowing from 4e, as I understand it and imposing my own general ethical views, of course):
Good: Life is precious. Others matter. Working toward the defense and increase of "Good" in the world is important to me and necessary for the betterment and stability of the world.
Neutral: maintaining the Balance of the world, not looking to harm anyone per se, but sometimes "bad things" (stealing, killing, etc.) are necessary but you wouldn't feel guilty about it. That's life.
Evil: MY life is precious and the only thing that matters. What's good for others does not concern me. Killing, stealing, blackmail, kidnapping...they're all just means to an end (most commonly MY betterment).
Extremist: either "Ultimate" Good or "Ultimate" Evil, whether you view.define those as "Lawful or Neutral Good" or "Neutral or Chaotic Evil" is something (a code of conduct) you work out with your DM.
That seems like a good place to start. Detail getting characters from 1st to [naturally] FOURTH level.
Like I said, in theory, get someone into the game fast and easy and familiarize with the rules without tons of confusing options.
--Steel Dragons
Adventures take on larger scale, moving from "delve into the dungeons and get your feet on the ground" to take on "saving the world and inter-realm conflicts if not full on war". Leaving off the PCs at the precipice of "ye olde name level" to begin their next "tier"/set.
