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character point buy system
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<blockquote data-quote="Alzrius" data-source="post: 6435381" data-attributes="member: 8461"><p>Thanks. It was fun to do.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I presumed that you meant to include the improved versions of those abilities as well; my mistake there. That said, it still only saves you 9 CP, since the improvement to uncanny dodge is only worth 3 CP due to the specialization that it fails against opponents four or more levels higher than you.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Does it? I'm skimming his system, but it seems highly complex; I'm having a hard time figuring it out.</p><p></p><p>That said, it can be made to work in <em>Eclipse</em> too (one of the main features of the system is that it's flexible enough to accomplish a particular result in multiple ways - it depends on what sort of character concept you have in mind (e.g. not just what they do, but how they do it), and what you and the GM can agree upon; no point-buy system should, in my opinion, ever be handed out <em>carte blanche</em>).</p><p></p><p>As it stands now, the build I posted above (minus the improvements to evasion and uncanny dodge) cost 693 CP, or 189 CP more than you have to spend in a 20-level build. So how can you fix that?</p><p></p><p>First, let's reduce the d12 Hit Dice down to d6 at each level. Since a d6 costs only 2 CP per level, that's a gross save of -120 CP. Since we don't want to lose out on the hit points though, let's buy <strong>Augmented Bonus</strong>, with the <strong>Improved</strong> and <strong>Advanced</strong> modifiers, which have a total cost of 18 CP altogether, so that you can apply your Strength bonus (in addition to your Con. bonus) to your hit points at each level. Since the average of a d12 is 6.5, and the average of a d6 is 3.5, you'll be able to make up the difference in hit points this way so long as you have a Strength of at least 16. That gives you net savings of <strong>-102 CP</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Next, let's cut those skill points in half, to 40 skill points spent, for a gross save of 40 CP. Now, take <strong>Fast Learner</strong> for a cost of 6 CP (which grants you 1 CP per level), and specialize it for double effect/may only be spent on skill points. You're now earning 2 skill points per level for free, which makes up the difference of those 40 you removed before. Now, take <strong>Adept</strong> for 6 CP, which lets you pick four skills, and buy ranks in them at half-price (e.g. one half skill point per rank; or alternately, two skill ranks per point spent). This essentially means you can pay 40 skill points for 80 ranks' worth of skills, so long as you keep it to the four skills you designated, for a total savings of another -40 CP. Of course, you're probably not going to choose to just max out four skills and not take any ranks in any other skills, so to be conservative we'll count this as -20 CP, and reduce the skill points you purchased directly to 20, costing you only 20 CP.</p><p></p><p>To summarize the above paragraph, you've reduced your direct skill point purchases from 80 to 20, and bought 12 CP of additional abilities, for net savings of <strong>-48 CP</strong>, even though you're earning the same number of skill ranks as you were previously.</p><p></p><p>Finally, let's take a role-playing restriction. Suppose your character learned his myriad skills because he was the Chosen One who trained directly under the tutelage of the Great Spirit of the Mountain. Of course, the Great Spirit didn't train you for nothing - he's expecting great things from you! That means that every so often, you'll have to perform quests, rituals, and various ardurous undertakings for him. This is represented by taking <strong>Duties</strong>, which grant you a free 2 CP per level, for net savings of <strong>-40 CP</strong>. (This is also part of the unspoken social contract between GMs and players when the players take a disadvantage, restriction, duty, or some other drawback for their character - the player agrees that this sort of thing is going to come up with a degree of regularity, while the GM agrees not to make it too onerous or burdensome; exactly where the line is is something that they'll have to work together to figure out.)</p><p></p><p>So 693 CP, with -190 CP worth of cost-savings, brings you down to a grand total of <strong>503 CP</strong>, almost exactly on target!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Alzrius, post: 6435381, member: 8461"] Thanks. It was fun to do. I presumed that you meant to include the improved versions of those abilities as well; my mistake there. That said, it still only saves you 9 CP, since the improvement to uncanny dodge is only worth 3 CP due to the specialization that it fails against opponents four or more levels higher than you. Does it? I'm skimming his system, but it seems highly complex; I'm having a hard time figuring it out. That said, it can be made to work in [i]Eclipse[/i] too (one of the main features of the system is that it's flexible enough to accomplish a particular result in multiple ways - it depends on what sort of character concept you have in mind (e.g. not just what they do, but how they do it), and what you and the GM can agree upon; no point-buy system should, in my opinion, ever be handed out [i]carte blanche[/i]). As it stands now, the build I posted above (minus the improvements to evasion and uncanny dodge) cost 693 CP, or 189 CP more than you have to spend in a 20-level build. So how can you fix that? First, let's reduce the d12 Hit Dice down to d6 at each level. Since a d6 costs only 2 CP per level, that's a gross save of -120 CP. Since we don't want to lose out on the hit points though, let's buy [b]Augmented Bonus[/b], with the [b]Improved[/b] and [b]Advanced[/b] modifiers, which have a total cost of 18 CP altogether, so that you can apply your Strength bonus (in addition to your Con. bonus) to your hit points at each level. Since the average of a d12 is 6.5, and the average of a d6 is 3.5, you'll be able to make up the difference in hit points this way so long as you have a Strength of at least 16. That gives you net savings of [b]-102 CP[/b]. Next, let's cut those skill points in half, to 40 skill points spent, for a gross save of 40 CP. Now, take [b]Fast Learner[/b] for a cost of 6 CP (which grants you 1 CP per level), and specialize it for double effect/may only be spent on skill points. You're now earning 2 skill points per level for free, which makes up the difference of those 40 you removed before. Now, take [b]Adept[/b] for 6 CP, which lets you pick four skills, and buy ranks in them at half-price (e.g. one half skill point per rank; or alternately, two skill ranks per point spent). This essentially means you can pay 40 skill points for 80 ranks' worth of skills, so long as you keep it to the four skills you designated, for a total savings of another -40 CP. Of course, you're probably not going to choose to just max out four skills and not take any ranks in any other skills, so to be conservative we'll count this as -20 CP, and reduce the skill points you purchased directly to 20, costing you only 20 CP. To summarize the above paragraph, you've reduced your direct skill point purchases from 80 to 20, and bought 12 CP of additional abilities, for net savings of [b]-48 CP[/b], even though you're earning the same number of skill ranks as you were previously. Finally, let's take a role-playing restriction. Suppose your character learned his myriad skills because he was the Chosen One who trained directly under the tutelage of the Great Spirit of the Mountain. Of course, the Great Spirit didn't train you for nothing - he's expecting great things from you! That means that every so often, you'll have to perform quests, rituals, and various ardurous undertakings for him. This is represented by taking [b]Duties[/b], which grant you a free 2 CP per level, for net savings of [b]-40 CP[/b]. (This is also part of the unspoken social contract between GMs and players when the players take a disadvantage, restriction, duty, or some other drawback for their character - the player agrees that this sort of thing is going to come up with a degree of regularity, while the GM agrees not to make it too onerous or burdensome; exactly where the line is is something that they'll have to work together to figure out.) So 693 CP, with -190 CP worth of cost-savings, brings you down to a grand total of [b]503 CP[/b], almost exactly on target! [/QUOTE]
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