Classless system

MadDog

Mongoose
We are trying out a classless system one of the players here came up with. I thought it was kind of interesting.

START---
Taking a page from the Mutants and Masterminds system, I'd like to make a point buy. Yes, that means a remake (at least slightly) of all the characters. Also, experience is a lot different. At the end of each session, you'd get a point or two or five to spend. You can bank them to save up for a jump to the next level (10 points for access to the next level's abilities) or you could just spend them to up a skill or stat immediately.

1st level characters get 100 points (this assumes a 32 point stat buy using Living Greyhawk rules)

Race:

Selected as normal--no point cost, the skills and abilities are free

Class:

There are no classes; however, characters get a 1 point discount is the class ability they buy is from a favored class (for example, a Zamorian can buy sneak attack for 4 points vice 5 point since Thief is his favored class)

Characteristics
VALUE COST
8 0
9 1
10 2
11 3
12 4
13 5
14 6
15 8
16 10
17 13
18 16

Hit Points

D4=1 point
D6=2
D8=3
D10=4

Level:
Each level past 1st costs 10 points.

Saves: (may not exceed normal maximum for level--+4 at 3rd Level)

+1 Save for 3 points

Base Attack: 7 points per

Defense Bonus: 7 points per (this gives you +1 for Dodge AND Parry)

Magic Attack 7 points per

Skills Ranks 1/1

Feats 3 points each

Class Abilities 5 points each (4 points for abilities from favored class; all class abilities must be purchased in order of progression; note that Simple/Martial Weapon Proficiencies and Armor Proficiencies are Class Abilities)

A few rules in effect:
- you cant buy more BAB/MAB/Defense that a character of your level could have from the perspective of the best class for that trait (so at 4th level the best BAB you could have is +4, the best MAB is +2 and the best defense is +3)
- you cant buy a class ability that has a prerequisite unless you buy the prerequisite (so you cant buy Sneak Attack +2D6 unless you have Sneak Attack +1D6)
- you cant buy class abilities unless you are the proper level (so you coulnt buy Crimson Mist unless you were second level).
- At the moment we are playing 1st levels get 100 points, and +40 points per each further level.
END----

We are having some fun with this, and the conversion of the regular system to the classless comes out about the same. THe characters tend to be more focused, less broad.

Mad Dog
 
Hey, don't go to all that trouble! Just use TSR's original Conan game. It has no classes, and you can make any kind of character with any kind of abilities you want. Here's the original Talent list for my game:

http://www.dunder.com/Conan/ConanTalentPools.html

I have drastically expanded this game. So if you have any interest, let me know, I can help you out. Also, here is the original Resolution Table. It's been through 20 years of use, but it's still kicking monster butt.

http://www.dunder.com/Conan/ConanResolutionTable.html

I have expanded this also. I think this is a great system; although in it's original publication, it seemed a little childish. The underlying mechanics are good, and I recommend this game if you really have a need to create a classless system.

I plug where I can.
 
I read the Conan RPG once and it seemed a bit underdeveloped.

Anyway, for the classless system, dont forget that things such as armor and weapon proficiency are class abilities.

So, a soldier would have simple, martial, 2-weapon, light armor, medium, heavy, and shields, for a total of 35 points of class abilities (28 if played by a race with soldier as the favored class).

Mad Dog
 
Way ahead of you, the moment Second Edition Mutants and Masterminds came out, I made (non-magic wielding) Conan characters from it, straight up, no system changes. Why bother making the changes?
 
I read the Conan RPG once and it seemed a bit underdeveloped.

Yes, it was. I am redesigning the entire game system. Click on my www button in a few weeks, and I should have much of it up for you to check out, or not.
 
I seem to have lost track here. Is Mutants & Masterminds the same system as TSR Conan? It uses Talents? It has a Resolution Table? If it is the same system, I would like to get it, if I could find it still that is.
 
dunderm said:
I seem to have lost track here. Is Mutants & Masterminds the same system as TSR Conan? It uses Talents? It has a Resolution Table? If it is the same system, I would like to get it, if I could find it still that is.

You are lost because you are still living in the 80s. :) They are talking about a gamesystem which implements a classless version of d20.
 
Well (and your right I am lost in the '80s), I want to find and get that game. I think "classes" for RPGs were invented in the '70s, they're thirty years out of date. :)

Really, don't you guys know that d20 is not new? It's like Coke coming out with Classic Coke, and everybody says, "hey, something new!"

What is "new" for the d20 system, are skills and feats. Other RPGs had all these things in skads, before d20 got 'im. That's one of the reasons I got away from D&D, was because it was very limiting to role-play.

But go ahead with your fantasy that you are playing a "new" RPG. By the way, not even your "new" hit point system is new for Conan, David Hargrave came up with that a few years after Gary Gygax published D&D. That's way back in the '70s. Click on this link if you don't believe me:

http://www.dunder.com/Arduin/
 
dunderm said:
Well (and your right I am lost in the '80s), I want to find and get that game. I think "classes" for RPGs were invented in the '70s, they're thirty years out of date. :)

Really, don't you guys know that d20 is not new? It's like Coke coming out with Classic Coke, and everybody says, "hey, something new!"

What is "new" for the d20 system, are skills and feats. Other RPGs had all these things in skads, before d20 got 'im. That's one of the reasons I got away from D&D, was because it was very limiting to role-play.

But go ahead with your fantasy that you are playing a "new" RPG. By the way, not even your "new" hit point system is new for Conan, David Hargrave came up with that a few years after Gary Gygax published D&D. That's way back in the '70s. Click on this link if you don't believe me:

http://www.dunder.com/Arduin/

Hello Dunderm,

:roll: Wow. Where to begin? First of all, I do share in your beliefs that the TSR Conan RPG system was a good system back in the '80s for a Conan setting. Much better than the D&D system at the time. I have all the materials and ran them all...and then they ran out of money on the project and the campaign ended. You should leave it that way.

d20 is a completely new and revamped system that has taken many of the good things from other systems and previous versions to come up with a great role playing set of rules. It did much more than add skills and feats. It is a much more realistic set of rules and with all the additional material published out there, you can tweak it for your campaign without much work to create any type of role playing system you enjoy. Mongoose did just that for Hyboria and it works Great! The combat system alone (AoO, combat feats, sneak attack, etc.) is completely different from your Dad's D&D.

We can go on for hours or days debating what is better about every game system out there. But, let's face some facts here. It just would not be worth converting everything over to a completely different game system. The time investment is just not worth the reward. Mongoose is providing anyone who has an interest in running or playing Conan with a wealth of pre-generated material in a system developed specifically for Hyboria. Why go a different direction?

Classless systems make no sense. It is a game. Games need structure to manage the rules. Otherwise chaos reigns and DM's are hopelessly trying to maintain consistancy. Classes exist and that is just a fact. In the real world, accountants have different skills than police officers, etc. What makes them good at their jobs is practice with the skills that are necessary for the job.

I do like your Conan stuff. It is very interesting and I enjoy reading it; but it just will never get used. Too much good Mongoose d20 Conan stuff to run.

HLD
 
Har har, nice cut and paste from a long time ago from a different thread. I've since bought the "new" Conan RPG pocket edition from Mongoose. It's ok, but not fantastic. Sure, it borrows rules from other games and tries to make skills and feats work (some of which are redundant). The Combat section borrows movement, or so it seems to me, from the Star Wars miniature game (I have Mechwarrior, Mage Knights, Lord of the Rings, Hero Clicks, Axis&Allies, and as I just mentioned, Star Wars miniature games). Diagonal movement counts 1, 2, 1, 2, but the moves are pretty much the same. Even the line of sight is done the same, and squeezing. I played The Fantasy Trip, way back when (I'm 46 years old, and am mentally 18 :D ), and it had a real good movement system. They used hexes and megahexes (seven hexes). But I still find systems that combine miniature combat with RPG too cumbersome and inflexible. All those rules for cover, obstacles, and such, leave me cold. Read it all before, did it all before. Not one new thing there.

Skills offer nothing new. Feats seem a lot like abilities for a miniature wargame. One thing for sure, everything is tied to race and class, requires arduous level advancement, and limits play, IMO.

As far as converting other modules to my game system? Simple as pie, do it all the time. When I add a skill, ability, feat, attribute, quality, or what have you (I just use the word Talent to represent them all), I don't have to worry about class, race, or level, because I don't use any of those as delimiters.

Yes, TSR Conan was a failure. But I do not believe for one second it was due to poor game mechanics, just competition from TSRs own d20 system. You have to pick one and everyone knew d20 and it had all the modules. Too bad, I think everyone lost out.

I've not told anyone to quit playing the d20 system, I get around to playing all the different system, just for something new. I plan to play the OGL Conan myself. My point is that although they did a decent job of putting all those rules together (and a real plethora of rules they have there), it will never equal to the smooth ease of play I have with Talent RPG. IMO
 
dunderm said:
The Combat section borrows movement, or so it seems to me, from the Star Wars miniature game (I have Mechwarrior, Mage Knights, Lord of the Rings, Hero Clicks, Axis&Allies, and as I just mentioned, Star Wars miniature games). Diagonal movement counts 1, 2, 1, 2, but the moves are pretty much the same. Even the line of sight is done the same, and squeezing.

Actually, WOTC owns the Star Wars miniature game system and they developed for 3.0 long before it came out. But, I see your point. Many of the new miniature games use the grid system now. I believe d20 3.5 has to use a grid system for combat and movement or you probably should be playing something else. The grid system w/miniatures is not for everyone I guess.

I have played both systems and I really believe that the d20 can give you far more detail(the more, the better for me) than most other systems. It does not work for all settings (I am still looking for the perfect system for LOTR) but Mongoose really has done a nice job in Hyboria. The TSR Conan system is a great system for beginning role players. It is fast play, fun but not detailed enough for hard core gamers. If you found a way to expand it, great. Let us know when you run a campaign. I would be interested to hear about it.

BTW, I am 40 and going on 16 so we are in the same camp! Keep up the great stuff on your site. Thanks!

HLD
 
dunderm said:
I think "classes" for RPGs were invented in the '70s, they're thirty years out of date. :)
Absolutely right.

High Lord Dee said:
d20 is a completely new and revamped system that has taken many of the good things from other systems and previous versions to come up with a great role playing set of rules. It did much more than add skills and feats. It is a much more realistic set of rules and with all the additional material published out there, you can tweak it for your campaign without much work to create any type of role playing system you enjoy. Mongoose did just that for Hyboria and it works Great! The combat system alone (AoO, combat feats, sneak attack, etc.) is completely different from your Dad's D&D.
This is true, but only if you compare d20 to older versions of (A)D&D. See below.

High Lord Dee said:
Classless systems make no sense. It is a game. Games need structure to manage the rules. Otherwise chaos reigns and DM's are hopelessly trying to maintain consistancy. Classes exist and that is just a fact. In the real world, accountants have different skills than police officers, etc.
I beg to differ. Classes are not realistic at all, nor are levels. There are lots of other games out there that work without them and, IMHO, work better than any version of d20. I have played classless systems all my life, and I never heard of anyone encountering the "chaos" you refer to.

I recommend both of you to try RuneQuest, frex (which is my favourite). You can learn any skill you like, if you can find a teacher - just as in real life. IRL, an accountant has different skills than a police officer, because he has learned those skills, not because he necessarily belongs to an "accountant" class.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I guess since I started this thread, I ought to throw my 2 cents in.

I see classes as a conveninent package for commonly used skills, abilities and class features.

The classless system is fun and seems to lead to players with about the same value, although more focused and less broad. Time will tell if its abusive.

Mad Dog
 
I believe classes help to create characters quickly, particularly for newbies. But they should be used only to give definition to a character, not to restrict skills or any other abilities. Once you have a good idea what sort of character you want, you should let them pick whatever abilities they feel they need to be that character. IMO.

I have most of the original RPGs, including Chaosiums's RuneQuest. Some of the features of this '80s game, are used in a large majority of RPGs today. Progression in skills were actually based on how often you used the skill during the game. All skills had a base percentage chance you had to roll under to have success. Anyway, no levels.

I will put together a list of RPGs (I have around 100), that use levels or not. Someone may have done this already, but I want to do it for the fun of it (I'm buggy that way).
 
MadDog said:
Was RuneQuest ever available as a free PDF ?

Mad Dog
Never, to my knowledge. And I'm afraid it's highly unlikely it ever will be.
I can give you hints where to look (ebay being the obvious one) and what exactly to look for, but you won't get it for free.
 
Back
Top