Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brokenheart" data-source="post: 6109203" data-attributes="member: 6721644">Hey all,I've been reading through the SRDs looking at varous npcs and pcs, and thinking to myself...how do real life folks measure up? What if I want to design a campaign without the over-the-top heroic stuff and have it more nitty-gritty, forcing the players to be more strategic and think more..rather than just rush in. How would a real life soldier, doctor, or carpenter measure up in terms of levels and abilities? I've read several articles, including the Alexandrian. It's proven to be fun to try and stat up people I know or have met, as well as fictional characters from favored books. I find it odd that average people would always have 10's and 11's across the board...by the carry and lift chart, I'd have a strength of 14 (lifting 175 overhead...a man can push-press.) So, in wanting to design a more horror-based, nitty-gritty campaign, I will try and figure it out. I don't really see how, though, that experience level in itself, could be a measure of the best of anything..A level 3 character, such as say a carpenter with the appropriate skills, "feats", abilities could easily reach a skill point of 20+. level 3--7 skill ranks, skill focus (3), ability of 18 (4) plus a helper (aid another, +2), manuals (+2), well-made tools (+2-3)..20. 25 is typically the highest DC. Yes, 18-20 is typically seen as theheight of human ability, and I was trying to model the "best" afterall. So, why would the best neccessarilybe at level five? What if you have a level five whom has no skill ranks over 5, and has no ability over 14..no skill focus. What is he the best at? Being a jack of all trades or a mish-mash of this and that? Even a level 3 with an ability of 16 can reach 20, with the right build up. I think that the characters largely depend upon ability, take an expert with an intelligence of 18 (at level 3),and compare it to an expert with an intelligence of 14 (at level 5) and compare them.. 70/58, a difference of12 points..however, if you count the bonus on knowledge skills/etc, 12 of them, it makes a larger difference118/82. Yes, one can take more skill ranks, but what with the appropriate feats, extras..either can get to 20+. Also, the higher intelligence bonus makes up the difference on an intelligence-based skill. So, all in all,wouldn't ability make the greater difference? Wouldn't ability really dictate the best or most-able? The same implies to games of sport or characters such as a police officer or a soldier. Example, the world's best shootercould be modeled as a level 3 with the appropriate feats, an 18 in dexterity, as well as a highly well-made rifleplus equally well-made ammunition, add in the appropriate feats, considering the use of a scope, tripod, positioned either crouched or prone, add in a spotter, highground, etc..and you can get up to a total of 17-19.Also, the example above works with warriors as well -- level 3 with 18 vs level 5 with 14 -- who wins? 3+4 or 5+2..hehe..they are almost equal, except in that a melee'er with 18 will have 2 points more in damage, or 4 with a two-hander while a shooter with 18 dexterity will have 2 more points in initiative and defense. Ability.Of course, a level 5 with 18 would be even better, I'm just saying that character level in itself really doesn't seem to hold up to describing the "Best of the Best", ability does a better job of that in my own humble opinion. So, as far as I can see it, a level 3 with a high ability (18+) can easily represent what could be considered the "best" in a given field. A character can be level 5 or 6, but without an appropriate and high ability, it looses alot of it's bluster. I find that a point-buy of 18-20 with a level limit of up to 5th, MAYBE 6th,can define a game or campaign which could be much more nitty-gritty and fun. Especially if you want to makegood use of magic-user/warrior types. --Also, I've noticed some folks trying to model LOTR...hehe..good luck with that. But I will say, you could do so with up to 5-6 levels. The key would likely be in abilities. Notice the difference between a certain grey-wearing wizard before he takes the white...when his wits aren't "dulled by the halfling's leaf". A 5th level fireball, in myown humble opinion, is pretty flippin' nasty. A 5th level caster, in my opinion, does have quite a bit of power,however, the higher his int/wis/or cha can play a heavy role in determining how powerful...afterall...one fireball is bad..but 3 is much worse.</blockquote>

Verification