High NPC stats

[ZobMan]

Hi all - my first post

Just got hold of the new traveller rules, and preparing my first game. Really looking forward to it but have a quick (newbie) question.

Looking through the scenarios in S&P, and 'type-S', most NPC stats seem to be way better than the characters my group have generated. It seems pretty rare to have a stat below 8, and they're generally above 10 in the key areas for their profession.

Am I missing something? It seems difficult to really boost stats using only the 'personal development' rolls and the odd implant. Or do you tend to let PCs roll a few sets of stats rather than making them play with a character averaging 7 per stat?

 

[atpollard]

That's one of the best questions that I have ever seen asked.

It cuts to the core of the issue of whether published 'stuff' follows the same rules as the rest of us AND the issue of whether Traveller Characters are average people in extraordinary circumstances or Superheroes.

I, too, look forward to a response from one of the writers ... and I've been Travelling since the 1980's.

 

[Jame Rowe]

Well, when I do it, I've decided that if I (as a ref) ever do character generation with a game group, I'd let them use a +1 Attribute to increase any other that's less than 6; they couldn't increase it to more than 8, though.

 

[ZobMan]

Thanks for the replies guys

I'm not sure I get your drift Jame Rowe, but I guess you're talking about switching points from one stat to another?

My question is not a thinly-disguised complaint though. I obviously have no problem with traveller characters being either ordinaries or superheroes - for me that's up to the players and GM to decide before the campaign, and there are loads of ways to balance it out to get the power levels you want, either by re-rolling, making several characters, plain old fudging etc.

I was just a bit surpised that the adversary NPCs all looked so dangerous, and wondered if I'd got something wrong during chargen as its my first game. The 'vanilla' 4-5 term characters we generated had comparable skills, but far worse stats than pretty much every NPC I've come across in the supporting material.

 

[Delerium]

Generally I let players generate 2 seperate sets of stats and they then just choose one set to use.

Reasoning is as follows:

There is little point in developing/playing a character that is likely to die either during character generation or the first time they are hit with a pellet gun. Smart players know this and can just choose a low-survivability career and deliberately kill of weak characters easily enough.
Just wastes time and depresses people.
So, this way, at least they get a slightly better fighting chance.


I always assume player characters are exceptional or unusual in some way. Wouldn't be much fun playing Mr Joe Average on his daily exploits in the office now would it?

 

[Shiloh]

Me, I let people reroll til they get a decent set of stats. Generally only takes a couple of rerolls. I don't like making them play gimps (unless they want to), and every stat counts in Traveller. I'm pretty strict about the time served bit though. If they fail survival rolls, they're out of that career, and their "life path" as CyberPunk 2.0.2.0 would put it just gets twistier and more interesting.

 

[Captain Brann]

Hi
I have yet to run the game as my players are still in a D&D campaign, the Drow War.

However I was thinking of using 3d6 and drop the lowest one for each roll. This should give you a more balanced character and I assume that players are above average or they would stick to the normal job and not gamble with there futures.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Zob, I have noticed the same thing. If you generate characterstics using 2D straight up, there should be SOME that are below 7 (and not just Edu and Soc).

Many of the NPCs have higher stats. This can be caused by a couple of things:

1. Character development Charts within the careers allow the NPC's stats to be increased, at the expense of skills

2. A non-standard method (like those described above) is being used and not explained.

3. The Author made up the NPCs to fit the roll without actually rolling a career.

Personally, I think it is probably #3, but I have no proof of that. The authors probably just make the stats and skills what they want for the particular situation. Since you don't want ALL of your bad-guys to have a Dex of 5, as the author, you make it 7 or 8 so that they are competent in all areas against the PCs.

 

[lurker]

Hi all - my first post

Hi Zobman. Welcome to the Forums.

...and they're generally above 10 in the key areas for their profession.

There is a decent chance (would a math whiz please give figures) that one of your characters stats would have a +1 DM 9, or even 10 for a characteristic. It is up to the player, and a bit of luck, to chose a career where this is the key area of their profession.

It seems pretty rare to have a stat below 8,...

Easy to accomplish using one off the alternate, less random methods of chargen.

Am I missing something? It seems difficult to really boost stats using only the 'personal development' rolls and the odd implant.

You may be missing that the default chargen system is random and the NPCs in these adventures are not random.

Looking through the scenarios in S&P, and 'type-S', most NPC stats seem to be way better than the characters my group have generated.

In Signs and Portents 57, the Starchild Traveller scenario, the Zhule Sodality strike Squad has high stats/characteristics. Since this is an elite group of combatants, they should be exceptional individuals. From their skills, this elite group of soldiers wouldn't have a clue how to handle themselves in any almost any other situation. Adventurers tend to be a bit more rounded, even if it is just level 0 skills from homeworld and basic training (unskilled DM -3 verses level 0 DM of +0 = DM difference of 3!). this very narrow set of skills, and very low number of skills, continues in Signs and Portents 58, the Starchild Traveller conclusion. Lyliian does have high characteristics and 14 skills, but again, the skills are very narrow - mostly all combat.

I believe using the alternate chargen Point Allocation system you could have a group of similar characters. They may have trouble in a long campaign without a more rounded set of skills.

In Signs and Portents 59, Fair Game, Jenson and Seth, the captain and co-pilot, have high stats/characteristics and a decent set of skills but the rest of the crew have average stats. Anderson also has high characteristics and plenty of skills. Zolo has high characteristics and many combat skills.

I tend to agree that these are pretty powerful NPCs.

Or do you tend to let PCs roll a few sets of stats rather than making them play with a character averaging 7 per stat?

Personally, a character averaging 7 per stat should be very playable, depending on their skills.

1) I tend to let someone with well below a 7 average set of stats/characteristics reroll if they request it before the 5th stat is rolled. [For those of you who think that you should take whatever you roll and live with it, I used to do this, but when the stats are low the character usually committed suicide by going into a very dangerous profession and using iron man rules so that they would die and a new character could be generated. Allowing the reroll saves time during chargen.]

2) You could use the Select skills chargen option, or a modified version for just one table, so that players could select the characteristic that needs a little help from the Personal Development table.

My thoughts:

If it were not for the fact that low stats usually also means low skills [less likely to get advanced, roll successfully on events, and have multiple terms in a career without a mishap] I would say tough it out and just take whatever stats you get.

It can be just as fun role playing a characters deficiencies as their proficiencies. It may not be much fun if you know that you will be overwhelmingly successful in everything you try.

---
More comments, perhaps slightly veering off topic:

I agree that adventurers are not average 9 to 5, run of the mill people. IMO, this should already be built into the chargen system and not need to be house ruled. This is a chargen system for adventurers. IMO, an adventurer should have at least one stat that has a +1 DM, which I think is very possible (where is that math whiz with the figures?). Someone with low stats/characteristics average can still be an adventurer if they have some skills and know their limits. Let the other characters and NPC hirelings fill the gaps.

Traveller is supposed to be fun. There is nothing wrong with adapting methods/house rules of enhancing enjoyment of the game. I believe the rules are good enough that those who want to 'play by the rules' can do so too.

There is nothing wrong with helping out the group by playing a character who will be wearing a red shirt.

 

[iainjcoleman]

The probability of a Traveller character having at least one stat above 8 is 85.8%. SO the vast majority of characters will have at least one DM of +1 or higher.

 

[ZobMan]

OK guys thanks for the responses (especially lurker :shock: ).

Bottom line seems to be I'm not missing anything and that default random stat generation might need tweaking if I want exceptional adventurerers.
I do like the idea of PCs (and their adversaries) being above average - it makes for a more dramatic/stylish narrative, and keeps the players happy.

As my favourite line in the traveller rulebook says 'traveller is about people doing stuff' - it's not about 'people trying to do stuff and comically failing'. At least not all the time...

 

[Icarium]

My group doesn't like totally random CG, though they don't mind a bit of it. If you want more control and slightly 'higher' characters, I suggest something similar to what I'm doing. I give:

1) 5 'Rerolls' on any rolls involved in character generation, from characteristics to career paths.
2) 3 'Automatic Numbers' for any career path table, like Benefits or Skills or Life Events or so on.

Characters tend to be better, but not excessively so. Works for us.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

The probability of a Traveller character having at least one stat above 8 is 85.8%. SO the vast majority of characters will have at least one DM of +1 or higher.

But, by the same statistics, shouldn't there be an 85% chance that at least one characteristic will be at -1DM? THAT is what we rarely see in the NPCs.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Or do you tend to let PCs roll a few sets of stats rather than making them play with a character averaging 7 per stat?

I'd make 'em chuck 2d6 for each stat, in order.

And that's it.

You got a 12 fot Dex?

Deep joy.

You got a 2 for Int?

Tough.

 

[ZobMan]

lol, that is cruel. Very cruel. I might just do that. Or at least bluff them that I'm going to do it.

One of the guys made up a completely random character, random stats and rolling for random careers each term. It actually turned out surprisingly well...