Generating Characteristics

[Hunter Rose]

Hi,
I never played Runequest and I was interested in some of the game mechanics. I downloaded the srd, but it gives no instructions on how to generate characteristics. Am I missing something?

 

[Deleted_Account]

"Normal people":
2d6+6 for int/siz.
3d6 for all other attributes.

"Heros":
Roll an extra d6, and drop the lowest.

 

[weasel_fierce]

as a piece of recommendation, dont do the "add a die and drop" for size and possibly intelligence. You end up with really high scores that way

 

[Mugen]

Rolling an extra dice is specially silly for SIZ and INT, as the less dice you roll, the more it will increase the average value rolled.

Personnally, I use the following dice for human characteristics :

STR/CON/DEX/POW/CHA : 2d6+3

INT/SIZ : 2d6+6

It allows me to letplayers roll 8 x 2d6 and assign the 7 best rolls to the characteristics they want.

For non-human characters, I'd make them add (species average value-7) to the 2d6 roll.

 

[gamesmeister]

Rolling an extra dice is specially silly for SIZ and INT, as the less dice you roll, the more it will increase the average value rolled.

Not if you're rolling several dice and picking the best two - in that case, the more dice you roll the better.

 

[algauble]

Rolling an extra dice is specially silly for SIZ and INT, as the less dice you roll, the more it will increase the average value rolled.

Personnally, I use the following dice for human characteristics :

STR/CON/DEX/POW/CHA : 2d6+3

INT/SIZ : 2d6+6

It allows me to letplayers roll 8 x 2d6 and assign the 7 best rolls to the characteristics they want.

For non-human characters, I'd make them add (species average value-7) to the 2d6 roll.

I think you'd tend to get underpowered characters this way... no scores above 15 for str con dex pow or cha?!!??

Cthulhu Dark Ages' method would work well in MRQ: Take 100 points and divide as you wish, but no score can be below 3 (8 for int and siz) or above 18. Since CDA has more stats than MRQ, this method would produce slightly stronger PCs for MRQ, which is a good thing, since MRQ PCs made by the rules as written are supposed to have high stats.

 

[Adept]

Cthulhu Dark Ages' method would work well in MRQ: Take 100 points and divide as you wish, but no score can be below 3 (8 for int and siz) or above 18. Since CDA has more stats than MRQ, this method would produce slightly stronger PCs for MRQ, which is a good thing, since MRQ PCs made by the rules as written are supposed to have high stats.

This is a far more enjoyable way of generating a character, but some people insist on throwing the dice.

With the "allocate points method" you can actually think up a character first, and then try to realize him/her with the rules.

 

[weasel_fierce]

on the downside, you never get something unexpected

 

[B_Steele]

Not to mention you always have someone playing something that is mysteriously good at all the skills they want to be good at, instead of having to work at things through the game.

I prefer random stats in all things, if only because I enjoy a challenge when I get a seriously sub-standard character.

Bry

 

[Halfbat]

I prefer random stats in all things, if only because I enjoy a challenge when I get a seriously sub-standard character.

Yep. I must admit, most of my players prefer a semi-random state, too. Get the stats, then think about what they can do, and I let them shuffle a stat around. Particularly as MRQ isn't quite so stat dependent* (bar DEX) than other systems or even previous RQ. The skills then shape the character.


*:good thing: