TW:2K/Darklands Style Character Generation

[3catcircus]

I've been mulling allowing my players to take a single level of an NPC class as "0th level" - commoner, aristocrat, expert as part of their "before I became an adventurer" background and it got me thinking about the Twilight:2000 (v2/2.2) and Darklands (CRPG) style character generation where you could continue "levelling up" prior to beginning play.

In TW:2K, you could take additional 4-yr "blocks" of a particular career/profession so long as you didn't roll a result indicating war has started. In that system, it is completely skill-based and you could get additional skill ranks per career after the first set for that career. For example, a PC could have gone to college, joined the State Police and spent 8 years as a state police officer prior to war and being drafted. He'd get the following skills: Undergraduate Degree - gain ranks up to your EDU attribute, but no more than 3 ranks in any one skill. State Law Enforcement: Armed Martial Arts 1, Interrogation 1, Observation 1, Small Arms (Pistol) 2. Second term as state police he'd get up to 5 ranks in any of the state police skills listed, as well as others that could be gained in subsequent terms. Then, war would start, he'd get drafted, and get the first term skills for boot camp and whichever branch/arm of the service he was drafted into.

Anyone think this would be a viable method of creating 3.x D&D characters? Instead of gaining BAB, Saves, or some class abilities, these'd have to be skills, but otherwise it seems reasonable enough. Maybe, class abilities and feats that don't lend themselves to being skills could be the things that you gain upon levelling up? It also allows "skilled" characters without having to start play at a high level.

 

[Rabelais]

Maybe, but... why not just play Twilight 2000?

One of the things we've done in our game is do away with Class Skills. They're boring. If I want to have a fighter that's good at picking locks... or GOD FORBID Talk to somebody, then I'll play it.

Personally though, I liked the Original Twilight 2000... It took 2 hours to create a character that died with a single Small Arms (head) shot, but by god it was a blast.

Remember KRAKOW!!

 

[trancejeremy]

Traveller was the first game that did that, I think.

Anyway, I guess it could work, but basically that sort of generation system conflicts with that of a level system. Sorta the point of level systems is so you know how roughly competent a character is. With this, even if you just apply it to skills, it starts to muddle the waters.

In this case, the example character should really be at least 3-5th level. Probably a level of Expert from school, then 2-3 levels of Warrior from being a cop for 8 years.

 

[3catcircus]

I think one of the things I forgot to mention is that in both Darklands and TW:2K, after the first couple of career blocks, the character starts to lose points from physical attributes (much more quickly than the aging rules in D&D). I think that this *might* offset the fact that they are more competent than a 1st level character built using standard D&D rules.

I guess I wonder how to use this style of chargen while still maintaining the semblance of a level-based system.

 

[3catcircus]

Maybe, but... why not just play Twilight 2000?

One of the things we've done in our game is do away with Class Skills. They're boring. If I want to have a fighter that's good at picking locks... or GOD FORBID Talk to somebody, then I'll play it.

Personally though, I liked the Original Twilight 2000... It took 2 hours to create a character that died with a single Small Arms (head) shot, but by god it was a blast.

Remember KRAKOW!!

After all (at least with V2/2.2), TW:2K *is* the one true D20 system... (to paraphrase Diaglo), or at least the 1st to call it a D20 system.

Frankly, I prefer the TW:2K D20 system over d20. No need to worry about assigning a specific DC since the value to beat is based upon the PC's own skill level instead of an arbitrary number.