Adding Characteristics

[Zen Infidel]

So, I've been busy preparing to run my first game of Traveller, and I've been toying with the idea of characteristics I might add to the game when it occurred to me that it might be interesting to run Traveller with the full complement of World of Darkness characteristics, wherein mental, physical, and social characteristics are broken into three categories each: intelligence/wits/resolve, strength/dexterity/endurance, and Presence/Manipulation/Composure.

Can anyone think of a reason why one would not want to do this? It seems to me that it makes more nuanced mechanics possible.

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic, and this would enable such, Wits + Composure (as WoD uses) or Wits + Dexterity (as I prefer).

I'm curious what other referees think of this idea.

 

[F33D]

As I don't use the 3I setting I dropped Soc & added Wil (Willpower)

 

[Hopeless]

I've been wondering about either replacing Social with Charisma or adding Charisma in addition but have been including Psi to function as Willpower ignoring the reduction rules but its been mostly used as a dump stat for the player characters so far with the only Psion having a Psi rating of 6 which is the highest any of the pcs have.

 

[Greylond]

Can anyone think of a reason why one would not want to do this? It seems to me that it makes more nuanced mechanics possible.

Simplicity? Historically Traveller has only had the 6 stats for simplicity. Most things can be done with these. If you, and more importantly your players, prefer a more complicated system then go for it. I'd hesitate springing a complicated system on new players. I'd also hesitate springing a system on players who didn't know that you'd modified the system.

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic, and this would enable such, Wits + Composure (as WoD uses) or Wits + Dexterity (as I prefer).

I'm curious what other referees think of this idea.

Perception/Noticing things in MgT is a Recon roll, usually modified by Int.

 

[alex_greene]

So, I've been busy preparing to run my first game of Traveller, and I've been toying with the idea of characteristics I might add to the game when it occurred to me that it might be interesting to run Traveller with the full complement of World of Darkness characteristics, wherein mental, physical, and social characteristics are broken into three categories each: intelligence/wits/resolve, strength/dexterity/endurance, and Presence/Manipulation/Composure.

I'm curious what other referees think of this idea.

I like the idea. You'd still have to make sure that the health is based on Strength, Dexterity and Stamina, but otherwise it looks good. You'd have to change around some of the modifiers to certain tasks - e.g. Manipulation goes with Deception, Wits with Streetwise, Presence or Manipulation with Persuade, and so on.

An interesting conversion, though.

 

[Infojunky]

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic.
.

Missed reading the Recon skill I see.....

 

[rust]

Can anyone think of a reason why one would not want to do this?

Yes, several reasons. One is that I would hesitate to make major
changes to a system until I know it well enough to understand the
consequences of these changes. Since characteristics and their mo-
difiers are the base for the entire skill system, and all examples in
the rules use the traditional six characteristics, changing things can
lead to quite a bit of confusion until GM and players have learned
the ropes of the modified system. Another reason is that I am lazy,
and I would hate to have to convert all the NPCs used as examples
in the rules or as important NPCs in the published material to a dif-
ferent system. Yet another reason is that I am not at all convinced
that added characteristics would really be worth the effort, for me
the six traditional characteristics offer enough flexibility to handle
all situations.
That said, if you want to change the system, go ahead. The rules
are the author's proposal, they are no laws you have to follow.

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic ...

In Traveller perception is a skill use, not a characteristic. There are
skills like Investigate ("keen observation") and Recon to handle the
perception tasks.

 

[Zen Infidel]

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic.
.

Missed reading the Recon skill I see.....

I didn't actually miss it, but I didn't really make the connection that this works as the general perception mechanic. When I read it, it did occur to me that it could be used as a general perception roll.

 

[Infojunky]

I didn't actually miss it, but I didn't really make the connection that this works as the general perception mechanic. When I read it, it did occur to me that it could be used as a general perception roll.

Lots of the skills are like that...

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Why not just use the WOD RPG?

 

[Zen Infidel]

Why not just use the WOD RPG?

Well, that's a valid point. But I think I prefer the d6 system to their d10 system. It could just be bias but it feels more organic to me. Also, the skills in Traveller are tailored to a sci-fi game, whereas the WoD rpg's skills are not.

 

[alex_greene]

Not much room for Occult skill in Traveller, and there's no Zero-G skill in the WoD. Also Investigation in the WoD is more like Recon than Traveller's Investigate skill.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Can anyone think of a reason why one would not want to do this? It seems to me that it makes more nuanced mechanics possible.

To me, some of the characteristics, such as resolve and composure, are something better left to role playing. I'm a big fan of more role playing and less rolling.

Also, I noticed that the Traveller mechanic seems to be missing a perception mechanic, and this would enable such, Wits + Composure (as WoD uses) or Wits + Dexterity (as I prefer).

I think the use of multiple characteristic DMs instead of just one would "break" the current task system.

 

[alex_greene]

Oh, I don't know. I enjoy the whole idea.

Retain the old 2d6 per characteristic, use the DMs from Traveller Core Rulebook, so you get a character with, say,

Intelligence 7(+0) Wits 9(+1) Resolve 8(+0)
Strength 9(+1) Dexterity 7(+0) Stamina 12(+2)
Presence 12(+2) Manipulation 6(+0) Composure 8(+0)

Skills run from 1-5, with specialities, and there's a target of 8 or higher to roll in both WoD and Traveller, with scale of success or failure based on how much higher or lower than 8 you score ...

Suddenly, you get nuances in task checks you haven't seen in Traveller.

Gentle persuasion, Persuade, Manipulation, 1-6 minutes, Average(+0)

versus

Fast talk, Persuade, Wits, 10-60 seconds, Difficult(-2)

Different methods, different task checks, and where one character might excel at the first, the other (with the higher Wits score) might shine at the latter, even if they both have Persuade-4.

Just doing my Devil's Advocate bit here, as a fan of both systems.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

I've been wondering about either replacing Social with Charisma or adding Charisma in addition but have been including Psi to function as Willpower ignoring the reduction rules but its been mostly used as a dump stat for the player characters so far with the only Psion having a Psi rating of 6 which is the highest any of the pcs have.

Traveller has stats already for alternate social interaction. Each has its own rules for how it should be used within a species and cross-species.
The stat you are looking for is called Influence (Inf) and appears in the Judge Dredd book. There it is used by Judges to (naturally enough) to influence perps and others who do not instantly acknowledge the authority of Judges in the first place. Ordinary citizens do not have this stat. Soc is still around and Judges have it too, though the Judges have assigned Soc based on position. Street Judges have a 10 and it goes up to 13 for Chief Judge. But the rules say Judges mostly don't need Soc. I figure it's used outside of their jurisdiction.

I would suggest make up your own! Define how and when it can going to be used. As a simple rules thing, I would keep the characteristic DM standard like the other stats.
For myself, I converted the D20 SRD over to Traveller. I added Influence as the standard sixth stat and mix interaction with that or Soc as needed. For Fort, Will and Ref resistance rolls I use Endurance, Education (Instinct for animals) and Dexterity and call it a day. But that's me.