Character creation clarification

[Chuckhazard]

Just got the core book and I'm having teouble with two things:

one, the character creation example says that passing the promotion roll makes the character a (4th something, can't remember exactly, but it corresponds to level 2 rank) However the rules state you enter your career at level 0, so the first successful promotion should bump you to rank 1 not 2. What am I missing?

Two, when it says apply a DM to a benefit roll, does that mean mustering out? Because there are "benefit" colymns on the rank tables as well.

Related to that, does tge mustering out benefit rolls happen at tge end of a career or the end of character creation? Sometimes it clearly says to apply a DM to any benefit roll not just one from this career. Can you save that DM and use it later then?

Thanks!

 

[Vargr]

Just got the core book and I'm having teouble with two things:

one, the character creation example says that passing the promotion roll makes the character a (4th something, can't remember exactly, but it corresponds to level 2 rank) However the rules state you enter your career at level 0, so the first successful promotion should bump you to rank 1 not 2. What am I missing?

Nothing, the chargen example has a typo. The character should have been promoted to Senior Crewman, NOT 4th Officer.

I guess now I know why some folk complain about Mongoose's editing skills...

Two, when it says apply a DM to a benefit roll, does that mean mustering out? Because there are "benefit" colymns on the rank tables as well.

Yes, a DM to a benefit roll is applied any one roll of the player's choice when his PC musters out/is kicked from that career.

The "benefit" colums on the rank tables (usually skills) are not benefits. They are simply something every character that attaining the rank earns automaticaly, no need for rolls.

Related to that, does tge mustering out benefit rolls happen at tge end of a career or the end of character creation? Sometimes it clearly says to apply a DM to any benefit roll not just one from this career. Can you save that DM and use it later then?

Benefit rolls happen at the end of each career using that career's tables and any modifiers gained during THAT career. You can't "save" benefit rolls or benefit rolls modifiers from one career to the other.


Lastly, I use a house-rule. The book says no PC can use the Money benefit table more than 3 times. I rule this to mean 3 times per career or mustering out proceadure, if you prefer.

So no PC with a single career gets more than 3 money rolls, but a PC with 2 careers could get as many as 6 (3 from each), assuming he earned enough benefits rolls on both careers.

 

[Chuckhazard]

Thanks! Couldn't be more clear. You were so good at that, I've got a few more :wink:

One, about skills... this is really hard for me to explain, so an example:

Medic has no specialties. You could get Medic (4).
Engineer has several specialties. Is it ever possible to get plain ol' Engineer (4), or do you have to take a specialty?

Two, many places in my book it says something like (Trade, pp58) "The amount of money raised is 100 Credits the Effect of the check per month." Is that blank space supposed to be a multiplier? The gap is there everywhere in the book, like the typesetter lost the * symbol. Or plus symbol. Or whatever.

Three, where's the errata? The MGP page http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpg/series.php?qsSeries=51 doesn't seem to have any errata for Traveller core. Is there an appropriate forum thread (I might expect a sticky somewhere) where information like this is codified, perhaps that these answers could be added to?

Thanks again!

 

[Matian]

In reverse order of your questions:

3) There isn't any errata. While the first run of the main rulebook had its faults, it wasn't enough to warrant replacing the whole thing (as with Mercenary and High Guard), or really worth posting a full errata of it. There ARE replacement deck plans at the bottom of the Traveller page, as that was the main trouble with the first printing. Honestly, other than a few annoying typos, you're pretty good. (You can check your printing versus the Deck Plan errata to see if you have the first or second printing.)

Besides, we're happy to help! See?

2) You have the right of it. I think it might be Brit-speak, as I've heard my English and Scottish cousins use similar phrasing when discussing multiplication. There's similar phrasing in English, but that gets into a linguistics discussion and very off-topic.

1) It is NOT possible to get "basic" Engineer 4. My understanding is that Medic is not used all that often, whereas Engineer is a vital skill, so having it divided helps game balance. You can also argue from an in-game perspective that doctors only have to deal with ONE complex machine, and engineers have to deal with five.

You can either go with that, or if you play a game with a lot of medic use, you can make specialties. I've done it before, and used First Aid/Field Medic, Surgeon, and Pathogens/Diseases. Personally, I think Medic *should* be a skill chain, but in my experience it doesn't get enough use in play to warrant it.

 

[BP]

#1) Skill specialties - yes you have to have a specialty! At level-1 pick a specialty and all others are at level-0 (no negative DM) or whatever level they were at.

Ex: So Army dude rank 0 (Private) gets rank skill of Gun Combat-1 and picks say (slug rifle). Automatically he also has Gun Combat (any others) at level-0 (so no -3 DM!).

Ex: Marine with Gun Combat (slug rifle) 1 gets Gun Combat (any) - so he can pick Gun Combat (slug rifle) 2 - or - say Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) 1 to go with his Gun Combat (slug rifle) 1. In effect, either a +2 DM for slug rifle or a +1 DM for both (either way +0 DM for all other personal gun related skill checks) [Edited to fix mistake pointed out by ShadowDrake]

#2) The pocket edition definitely has this error - the times ('x') sign is missing. Also the footnotes are missing (a PDF was on that MGP page).

#3) Errata - you're close - its called Players Guide :wink: - here.

Hope this helps (and I didn't screw things up too badly)!

 

[Matian]

#3) Errata - you're close - its called Players Guide :wink: - here.

I totally forgot about that! Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[ShadowDrake]

For #1), BP, I was the under the impression that since Lance Corporal gave Gun Combat 1, it would ONLY give you rank 1, it would not let you increase your rank 1 to a 2. See rulebook page eight, under the skill and training examples.

 

[BP]

(My pleasure Matian!)

P.S. removed a house rule suggestion to another thread - to avoid contaminating this one ...

 

[BP]

For #1), BP, I was the under the impression that since Lance Corporal gave Gun Combat 1, it would ONLY give you rank 1, it would not let you increase your rank 1 to a 2. See rulebook page eight, under the skill and training examples.

Ack - quite true! That was a poor example :? (glad I covered myself with the comment about screwing things up :roll

Thanks ShadowDrake I'll edit that one...

 

[Chuckhazard]

Thanks for the clarifications, I don't have anything else...yet. [/list]

 

[Vargr]

Who was it that said Traveller folks don't look out for each other? :wink: