Charles Gray
First Post
Hello all. I've been working on a "Kid" class for an upcoming product, trying to make children playable without A. making them useless,and B. without leading to the 12 year old fourth level smart hero who can run rings around half of the adults in the area. Here's the very first blush of the "Kid" class. Note that there are some clunky bits in it, but any comments would be welcome.
Also, note that I know that adding adult levels is a bit more involved than the typical level up-- but rather than include modifiers for the kid class that would be hitting whenever you entered into combat, I decided to stick with a process that woudl mostly come into play during leveling up, which in most groups to my expereince doesn't actaully take place during game time.
The Kid class:
Children do not suddenly become skilled adults with the ring of a gong—the process of growing up is a long one, and the child gradually gains the information and skills that he or she needs to make her way in the world. The child exists in his own world, separate from, but subordinate too, the adult world, where slang, fads and small secrets gain the importance adults assign to major international crises. In the world of Children’s crusade, sometimes the two are indistinguishable….
Requirements:
Must be under 16. After age 16, the character can no longer take any levels in this class, and the special leveling out rules come into play. See below.
Ability: Dexterity helps avoid getting hit, which is important to a kid, while Charisma can be used to…explain why a 12 year old is out at 2:00 AM next to a building that is currently burning down…
Hit Die: Kids gain 1d4+1 hit points per level. The constitution modifier applies.
Class features: At odd levels, the character selects a Kid Feat from the following trees. Some Kid Feats have pre-requisites, and no Kid Feat can be taken more than once unless the description allows it.
Action Points: Kids get a number of action points equal to 3+1/2 their level, rounded down, at first level and every time they attain a new level in this class.
Bonus Feats: Kid’s can only pick feats from the list below, this includes both bonus feats and feats gained through normal level increase.
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive, Blind Fight*, Brawl, Cautious, Confident, Combat Martial Artist*, Combat Reflexes, creative, Defensive Martial Arts, Elusive Target, Dodge, Educated, Endurance, Focused, Guide, Improved initiative, Iron Will*, Lightning Relfexes, Low profile, Meticulous, Nimble, Personal Firearms Proficiency+, Renown, Run, Stealthy, Simple Weapons Proficiency+, Stealthy, Studious, Toughness, Trustworthy.
+: Can only be obtained by children older than 12.
*: Can only be taken by children older than 15.
Kid feats: Incomprehensible. Seen but not heard. Who, me?, Clique leader, Precious, Clueless parents.
Skill points: 2+int modifier, or (2+int modifier)x4 at first level.
Professions:
Kids are very limited in their choice of professions. The may only take those professions that are open to individuals of their age, or the new professions of Latent Psychic, young student, or Abandoned.
Multi-Classing: Most adult skills require far more education and skill than children possess. The basic skills may only be taken by someone who is 15+, and fall under the leveling out rules. All advanced classes are barred from those under 15, save for those classes that are specifically noted as being open.
Leveling out:
As children grow older, they gain many abilities that are adult in nature—but equally, many abilities that stood them in good steed as a child are no longer accessible—18 year olds cannot look innocent in the same way that a 8 year old can!
Thus, with the exception of certain advanced skills (noted below), when a child gains a new basic or advanced class, he must replace a level of kid with it. Each “level” comes off the top, or the last level gained in the Kid class. Kid feats are (obviously) replaced by the bonus feat or talent gained in the new class. Skills may be shuffled, in that the player may deduct the number of skill points gained by his new class and re-apply them to any allowable skills.
Hit points are rolled normally, with the exception that 5 hit points (the total possible in the kid class) are deducted from the hit points rolled for the new class. If the total is zero or less, than the total hit points remain unchanged (they are not reduced). No extra hit points for constitution bonuses are added, unless the characters constitution went up, in which case only the increase is counted.
Finally, the character level remains the same—if a character is a Kid 6, and gains one level of Smart hero, then the total remains 6, only he is a Kid 5/Smart 1 hero.
However: Once a kid has taken a basic level, he can NEVER gain another level in Kid. The process of growing up has set in, and it’s impossible to keep a foot in both worlds, however much some 40 year olds try.
For example:
Shiela is now 15 and has grown up. Originally a Kid 5, she gains enough XP to go to 6th level, but chooses to add a level of Smart hero, becoming a Kid 4/ Smart 1. Taking her kid level “off the top”, she replaces her kid feat with the Smart heroes first level talent. She rolls 1d6 and gets a 1, which means her hit point total doesn’t change. She gets 12 points of extra skills to play with, and adds 7 “new points” and can change around the five points she earned from her kid levels.
Finally, Shiela cannot gain another level in Kid, ever again. Like it or not, she’s moving into the adult world.
Level BAB Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Class feature.
1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Kid Feat
2. +1 +0 +3 +0 Bonus Feat
3 +1 +1 +3 +1 Kid Feat
4 +2 +1 +4 +1 Bonus feat
5 +2 +1 +4 +1 Kid Feat
6 +3 +2 +5 +2 Bonus Feat
7 +3 +2 +5 +2 Kid Feat
8 +4 +2 +6 +2 Bonus Feat
9 +4 +3 +6 +3 Kid Feat
10 +5 +3 +7 +3 Bonus Feat
Also, note that I know that adding adult levels is a bit more involved than the typical level up-- but rather than include modifiers for the kid class that would be hitting whenever you entered into combat, I decided to stick with a process that woudl mostly come into play during leveling up, which in most groups to my expereince doesn't actaully take place during game time.
The Kid class:
Children do not suddenly become skilled adults with the ring of a gong—the process of growing up is a long one, and the child gradually gains the information and skills that he or she needs to make her way in the world. The child exists in his own world, separate from, but subordinate too, the adult world, where slang, fads and small secrets gain the importance adults assign to major international crises. In the world of Children’s crusade, sometimes the two are indistinguishable….
Requirements:
Must be under 16. After age 16, the character can no longer take any levels in this class, and the special leveling out rules come into play. See below.
Ability: Dexterity helps avoid getting hit, which is important to a kid, while Charisma can be used to…explain why a 12 year old is out at 2:00 AM next to a building that is currently burning down…
Hit Die: Kids gain 1d4+1 hit points per level. The constitution modifier applies.
Class features: At odd levels, the character selects a Kid Feat from the following trees. Some Kid Feats have pre-requisites, and no Kid Feat can be taken more than once unless the description allows it.
Action Points: Kids get a number of action points equal to 3+1/2 their level, rounded down, at first level and every time they attain a new level in this class.
Bonus Feats: Kid’s can only pick feats from the list below, this includes both bonus feats and feats gained through normal level increase.
Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Attentive, Blind Fight*, Brawl, Cautious, Confident, Combat Martial Artist*, Combat Reflexes, creative, Defensive Martial Arts, Elusive Target, Dodge, Educated, Endurance, Focused, Guide, Improved initiative, Iron Will*, Lightning Relfexes, Low profile, Meticulous, Nimble, Personal Firearms Proficiency+, Renown, Run, Stealthy, Simple Weapons Proficiency+, Stealthy, Studious, Toughness, Trustworthy.
+: Can only be obtained by children older than 12.
*: Can only be taken by children older than 15.
Kid feats: Incomprehensible. Seen but not heard. Who, me?, Clique leader, Precious, Clueless parents.
Skill points: 2+int modifier, or (2+int modifier)x4 at first level.
Professions:
Kids are very limited in their choice of professions. The may only take those professions that are open to individuals of their age, or the new professions of Latent Psychic, young student, or Abandoned.
Multi-Classing: Most adult skills require far more education and skill than children possess. The basic skills may only be taken by someone who is 15+, and fall under the leveling out rules. All advanced classes are barred from those under 15, save for those classes that are specifically noted as being open.
Leveling out:
As children grow older, they gain many abilities that are adult in nature—but equally, many abilities that stood them in good steed as a child are no longer accessible—18 year olds cannot look innocent in the same way that a 8 year old can!
Thus, with the exception of certain advanced skills (noted below), when a child gains a new basic or advanced class, he must replace a level of kid with it. Each “level” comes off the top, or the last level gained in the Kid class. Kid feats are (obviously) replaced by the bonus feat or talent gained in the new class. Skills may be shuffled, in that the player may deduct the number of skill points gained by his new class and re-apply them to any allowable skills.
Hit points are rolled normally, with the exception that 5 hit points (the total possible in the kid class) are deducted from the hit points rolled for the new class. If the total is zero or less, than the total hit points remain unchanged (they are not reduced). No extra hit points for constitution bonuses are added, unless the characters constitution went up, in which case only the increase is counted.
Finally, the character level remains the same—if a character is a Kid 6, and gains one level of Smart hero, then the total remains 6, only he is a Kid 5/Smart 1 hero.
However: Once a kid has taken a basic level, he can NEVER gain another level in Kid. The process of growing up has set in, and it’s impossible to keep a foot in both worlds, however much some 40 year olds try.
For example:
Shiela is now 15 and has grown up. Originally a Kid 5, she gains enough XP to go to 6th level, but chooses to add a level of Smart hero, becoming a Kid 4/ Smart 1. Taking her kid level “off the top”, she replaces her kid feat with the Smart heroes first level talent. She rolls 1d6 and gets a 1, which means her hit point total doesn’t change. She gets 12 points of extra skills to play with, and adds 7 “new points” and can change around the five points she earned from her kid levels.
Finally, Shiela cannot gain another level in Kid, ever again. Like it or not, she’s moving into the adult world.
Level BAB Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Class feature.
1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Kid Feat
2. +1 +0 +3 +0 Bonus Feat
3 +1 +1 +3 +1 Kid Feat
4 +2 +1 +4 +1 Bonus feat
5 +2 +1 +4 +1 Kid Feat
6 +3 +2 +5 +2 Bonus Feat
7 +3 +2 +5 +2 Kid Feat
8 +4 +2 +6 +2 Bonus Feat
9 +4 +3 +6 +3 Kid Feat
10 +5 +3 +7 +3 Bonus Feat
