O.L.D. Playtest Document: Book I - Characters (October 2014)

[Primitive Screwhead]

Popped over

I missed a note from last night:

Mage III boon. Not all casters will want a familiar. I recommend changing to read 'either gain a familiar or select on of the following magical exploits' .. with a short list from the new magical exploits

 

[Morrus]

If they don't want something in a tradition, they'll take a different tradition, surely? The mage is a generalist familiar-user. Other traditions can be made!

 

[dekrass]

I have a few, somewhat random, thoughts on the document.

The diabolist, druid, and firemage all have MAG 3 in their prerequisites, and no mention of other traditions. I don't think any of the prerequisite entries in the magical traditions line up with the requirement of Mage III or Cleric III which is referenced elsewhere.

Is it intentional that you have to take several different traditions to become skilled enough to benefit from high quality weapons?

IME familiars are almost always forgotten or intentionally ignored. It would be nice to have a generalist mage-type caster without a familiar in the rulebook.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

If they don't want something in a tradition, they'll take a different tradition, surely? The mage is a generalist familiar-user. Other traditions can be made!

What if you want to be a fire-mage without a familiar...?

 

[RisTigger]

Can you clarify the exploit for Mage II. It just says you get a +1d6 for using one of the cardinal elements, it doesn't specify what for.

 

[Morrus]

Can you clarify the exploit for Mage II. It just says you get a +1d6 for using one of the cardinal elements, it doesn't specify what for.

That could be explained better; what I meant by it is you get the bonus if using a spellpath using the fire, air, earth, or water secrets.

 

[RisTigger]

That could be explained better; what I meant by it is you get the bonus if using a spellpath using the fire, air, earth, or water secrets.

Yes but what does that bonus apply to? Attack dice, damage dice? Every time you use the spell or for only specific things?

 

[Morrus]

Yes but what does that bonus apply to? Attack dice, damage dice? Every time you use the spell or for only specific things?

Attribute checks. Dice bonuses are always to attribute checks. So, generally, the MAG check.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Questions from one of my players!

I had some questions on Character creation, as I was going through my characters sheet:

1) Gold coins. The description on page 80 does not add up, or doesn't make sense. My GC attribute is 7. Am I supposed to roll 7d6 to start, or treat it like an actual attribute (making it 3d6)? If I treat it like an attribute, then the description is wrong, because it says that a GC of 4 is 3d6. It should be 2d6. Also, will a character EVER use their actual attribute if 3 x GC is more? I figure 3 * 7 * 20 is 420 gold. Rolling 3d6 will hardly ever get me to exceed this number. You'd have to have a VERY high GC attribute to not use the default.

2) The "Reactions" adder to Initiative seems funky on page 79. Will it actually give you 2d6 extra to your initiative if you take Reactions once?

3) Using MasterCraft weapons - buying a skill 3 times should give you mastercraft (not based on the normal progression). This is from page 109:

"However, you cannot take advantage of weapon quality greater than your skill level
allows. You must have taken a skill level the required number of times in order to reap the
benefits of a mastercrafted weapon – once for high quality, twice for superior quality, three
times for mastercraft, four times for artisan, and five times for unique. If you do not have
the required skill ranks, a weapon will perform as though it were the maximum quality
level you are able to use (so if you have 3 ranks in swords, and find an artisan-quality
rapier, it only performs as a mastercraft rapier to you)".

Fx: Agi 10 {4d6} Skill 3 {2d6} Artisen quality (4d6) = 10d6 attack

With regards to #3, page 16 talks about maximum values for skill dice being capped by the attribute dice pool. My assumption was that the skill die would also act as a cap to the weapon quality dice.
And again, higher quality armor just is, no skill requirement needed.

 

[Morrus]

Whoah, those page numbers are different to mine! Did I forget to upload a version?

1) GC is on page 82 in mine. Yeah, some legacy stuff there. Flat d6 per attribute point for that.

2) I'm not sure what's being referred to there. Page differences again, maybe. What section is this reactions thing in?

3) That's an accurate quote from the book, yep. Is there a question associated with it? I'm not clear what the question is!

You're right in that at present there are no armor skills in the system. I'm not averse to the idea; I just haven't written any yet!