weasel_fierce
Mongoose
So how powerfull guys do you like ?
Talk to me!
THis is also a good place to share house rules for character creation
Talk to me!
THis is also a good place to share house rules for character creation
Power of starting characters in your game ?
- Thread starter weasel_fierce
- Start date
Typically I like to start RQ characters off as relative novices. I've found that if the players can develop the characters themselves they tend to identify with them better then if I start the character off with a lot of pre-existing experience and an already developed background.
My latest game is going to be a departure in that I'm converting existing experienced characters from RQ 2/3 over to MRQ. Hopefully since the players are all old timers and survived the D&D to AD&D to RQ 2 to RQ 3 transitions they will adapt accordingly when their beloved characters suddenly change once more (if 20 years between RQ3 and MRQ can be termed "sudden").
My latest game is going to be a departure in that I'm converting existing experienced characters from RQ 2/3 over to MRQ. Hopefully since the players are all old timers and survived the D&D to AD&D to RQ 2 to RQ 3 transitions they will adapt accordingly when their beloved characters suddenly change once more (if 20 years between RQ3 and MRQ can be termed "sudden").
Trifletraxor
Mongoose
Always start of with novices. I feel powerful characters should have a long history and a developed personality.
SGL.
SGL.
frogspawner
Mongoose
Novice lay members, straight off the farm, with skills in the 20-30% range preferably.
RosenMcStern
Mongoose
Vivamort said:
Have you already done the conversion or are you just planning it? I would be rather interested because my group has characters from a 10-year long campaign that we think cannot be converted. But we may be wrong. There is also the not-so-trivial issue of the cults being rather different and devised for the Second Age (no lunars!).
Just for variety - I usually start off characters a few steps above the game system default. The main reason for this is i don't have the time to run long campaigns anymore, so they tend to be very episodic, or one-offs and mini-campaigns of up to a dozen sessions. Therefore I like to get to the action with characters that are appropriate to the challenge I'm setting in that particular game.
Shadow Queen
Mongoose
Id have the normal way to start peep off
RosenMcStern said:
I've converted the characters but we haven't logged a lot of playing time yet. I didn't have much problem with the tranformation from RQ3 with a bit of rule tinkering (using some suggestions I've read on the forum - thanks all
) but I don't run a Glorantha-based game so I avoided the no-Lunars problem. I used the tried and true (or tired and overused depending on your point of view) GM trick of having the PC's sucked through a Nexus gate and deposited in a place where their magic operates differently and the same gods are worshipped but in slightly different form (A key player is an Orlanthi so this explained the changes to the Orlanth cult). Despite the fact that I'm not running in Glorantha, I'm lifting material liberally from COG I and II, and MOG in addition to Legendary Heroes, the Companion, and the MRQ core book. (Heresy I know but I look at it as God-Learnering the God-Learners so to speak). So far I've gotten really positive feedback. If your players are experienced enough and want to try something new this is definitely worth considering.
I like competent characters. I've done the farmboys from village X beginning too many times to really find it interesting.
In our games we usually have a character creating system that ties skill levels to the character's age. Basically we create a character (consept and story), and then put numbers on paper to portray that character.
Very young characters are only interesting if they have something extraordinary in them. I guess my ansver is that the power and competense of the characters is entirely dependent on the characters.
In our games we usually have a character creating system that ties skill levels to the character's age. Basically we create a character (consept and story), and then put numbers on paper to portray that character.
Very young characters are only interesting if they have something extraordinary in them. I guess my ansver is that the power and competense of the characters is entirely dependent on the characters.
I personally like starting a character from scratch, with no prior experience at all. But, with RQ, that means that you fail and miss most of the time and it takes ages to reach a point where you succeed most of the time.
Starting a character at about 50% is a reasonable compromise. I wouldn't want to start with higher skills than that.
My favourite character, Soltak Stormspear, started as a roll up in RQ2 with no previous experience and ended up as a Rune Lord Priest of Orlanth, Companion to an Orlanthi Hero with skills in the 90-250 range, not that skills mean particularly much. So, he developed quite a bit over the years.
Starting a character at about 50% is a reasonable compromise. I wouldn't want to start with higher skills than that.
My favourite character, Soltak Stormspear, started as a roll up in RQ2 with no previous experience and ended up as a Rune Lord Priest of Orlanth, Companion to an Orlanthi Hero with skills in the 90-250 range, not that skills mean particularly much. So, he developed quite a bit over the years.
I like the boys from the farm idea if the GM can make interesting low level adventures. If he can't give me access to valuable info, interesting opportunities to creating new friends and allies, and give me a lot of opportunities to build up my skills, then I prefer to run a higher level character and just get on with the adventure.
I could do this over and over and over again (campaign after campaign - not adventure after adventure) and it would still be fun for me, as long as the adventures are creative. (Don't give me orcs - or trolls- or dragonnewts - or renegade ducks time after time -- there are plenty of other interesting encounters in Glorantha). Watch the movie Pumpkinhead for an interesting beginning adventure idea that might work with a Jack O Bear. I don't particularly care for creature features at low levels, but they could be interesting and fun if developed well.
I would rather have the fun of building my character up from scratch, but if the GM hasn't taken the time to flesh out the local area really well, develop some interesting NPCs, local customs and superstitions, etc. and the adventures are sketchy and poorly thought out, it's really kind of a waste of time. I like lots of action with a low risk factor at these levels. Chases, exploration, some encounters with higher level characters, small skirmishes, and interesting roleplay are all good. If the GM seems bored with this and ready to get on with some high level action and beefy opponents, then I definitely don't want him to start me out low level.
The first adventure I run with MRQ is going to be interesting and detailed. All of the characters are going to start out anywhere from 14 to 18 and they will be able to gain clues and get into places adults would normally not be able to go (or may have the good sense not to go). As much information and resources as they can possibly gain will be required years later when they are in their 20s - 30s. There are several different groups who might take an interest in these characters. How well they do at low level adventures, etc. will affect how much help these groups will later give to the characters and which organizations might be willing to accept them as initiates or journeymen.
I could do this over and over and over again (campaign after campaign - not adventure after adventure) and it would still be fun for me, as long as the adventures are creative. (Don't give me orcs - or trolls- or dragonnewts - or renegade ducks time after time -- there are plenty of other interesting encounters in Glorantha). Watch the movie Pumpkinhead for an interesting beginning adventure idea that might work with a Jack O Bear. I don't particularly care for creature features at low levels, but they could be interesting and fun if developed well.
I would rather have the fun of building my character up from scratch, but if the GM hasn't taken the time to flesh out the local area really well, develop some interesting NPCs, local customs and superstitions, etc. and the adventures are sketchy and poorly thought out, it's really kind of a waste of time. I like lots of action with a low risk factor at these levels. Chases, exploration, some encounters with higher level characters, small skirmishes, and interesting roleplay are all good. If the GM seems bored with this and ready to get on with some high level action and beefy opponents, then I definitely don't want him to start me out low level.
The first adventure I run with MRQ is going to be interesting and detailed. All of the characters are going to start out anywhere from 14 to 18 and they will be able to gain clues and get into places adults would normally not be able to go (or may have the good sense not to go). As much information and resources as they can possibly gain will be required years later when they are in their 20s - 30s. There are several different groups who might take an interest in these characters. How well they do at low level adventures, etc. will affect how much help these groups will later give to the characters and which organizations might be willing to accept them as initiates or journeymen.
weasel_fierce
Mongoose
If you really want to do the "boys from the farm" style, just dont give the players their 100 skill points. You get defaults, culture and profession bonus and thats it 
Maybe 10 points extra to one skill as a personal specialty.
Then of course, you'd want to speed up advancement a bit
Maybe 10 points extra to one skill as a personal specialty.
Then of course, you'd want to speed up advancement a bit
I am running a Transformers game with my Runequest book, modifying classes and backgrounds, and creating a new armoury and campaign, not ot mention creating a setting.
At some point I would like it to be published, but this is not likely to happen, but nevertheless I will create the rules to share with transformers fans, nevertheless, on to the point.
I create Seasoned advventureers with four additional points to put into stats. I have played Cthuilhu for about three years and lvoe % systems, but the example character in the book is useless. I meam his stats are very low. A lot of my RPGing friends have come to hate the % system becasue their starting character were so low on stats and their rolls were so bad that it took them 10 rounds to hit anything in combat.
At some point I would like it to be published, but this is not likely to happen, but nevertheless I will create the rules to share with transformers fans, nevertheless, on to the point.
I create Seasoned advventureers with four additional points to put into stats. I have played Cthuilhu for about three years and lvoe % systems, but the example character in the book is useless. I meam his stats are very low. A lot of my RPGing friends have come to hate the % system becasue their starting character were so low on stats and their rolls were so bad that it took them 10 rounds to hit anything in combat.
weasel_fierce wrote:
That’s a good idea for something different. But, I am treating kids as a sort of profession. I think they would have better climbing and athletic skills, and I had to separate some skills because kids develop in them at different rates. So I give Acrobatics 10%, Climbing 40%, Dodge 20%, Swimming 45% (the starting village is on a river), Move Quietly 15%, Perception 25%, Animal Lore 25%, Hide 55%, Conceal 30% at age 12.
They can also have a special hobby Craft, Ride, Tracking, or Survival at 10%. Optionally they may choose one of the hobby type skills above (such as Animal Lore or Climbing – but not Perception or Dodge). The hobby skill will not decrease as other skills do because of age.
Players roll d4 and add the result to 11 for their starting age. Kids lose 5% per year (on their birthdays) in Acrobatics, Climbing, Dodge, Hide, Move Quietly, Perception, Swimming until they reach their professional basic skill bonus at age 15. So a character who showed himself to be an explorer by his choice of using skills would gain +20% in World Lore and Two of Language, Lore (Astronomy), Lore (Geography), Shiphandling (Viking longships), and Survival, if he began at age 15, but his Perception would go down to 5%, and he would lose Acrobatics, his Climbing would go down to 20%, he would lose Dodge, Swimming would go down to 25%, etc.
Of course, if the kids use their skills often, they may not lose them (by virtue of them increasing by experience). And any other skills they use will increase as well, so that by the time they are 15, they will have more experience than the average beginning player (which is what you would expect if the kids were adventurous types.)
Yes, and of course experience rolls would come a bit more often (based on the idea that children learn faster than adults). I am toying with the idea that they will not lose any points in a year if they increase a skill by at least 5% (meaning that they would keep their base skill and increase it by 5%, as well), but I'm not sure about that yet. It would cause players to want to use those skills often just to keep them, but that may not be a bad thing. It will encourage players to use subterfuge rather than force.
I am having a problem with parents, though. The children should not be tied to parents who want to know where they are. On the other hand I want them to be part of the community (know the butcher, baker, candlestick maker, and be able to talk with them without fear of being rounded up and taken home, etc.) and I haven’t quite worked out a solid reasoning for this. I've thought about the orphan idea (the village doesn't have an orphanage- a culture thing) and I've thought about the street waif idea, but I don't like that. I don’t want to divert the thread too much with this, but any suggestions would be… helpful.
That’s a good idea for something different. But, I am treating kids as a sort of profession. I think they would have better climbing and athletic skills, and I had to separate some skills because kids develop in them at different rates. So I give Acrobatics 10%, Climbing 40%, Dodge 20%, Swimming 45% (the starting village is on a river), Move Quietly 15%, Perception 25%, Animal Lore 25%, Hide 55%, Conceal 30% at age 12.
They can also have a special hobby Craft, Ride, Tracking, or Survival at 10%. Optionally they may choose one of the hobby type skills above (such as Animal Lore or Climbing – but not Perception or Dodge). The hobby skill will not decrease as other skills do because of age.
Players roll d4 and add the result to 11 for their starting age. Kids lose 5% per year (on their birthdays) in Acrobatics, Climbing, Dodge, Hide, Move Quietly, Perception, Swimming until they reach their professional basic skill bonus at age 15. So a character who showed himself to be an explorer by his choice of using skills would gain +20% in World Lore and Two of Language, Lore (Astronomy), Lore (Geography), Shiphandling (Viking longships), and Survival, if he began at age 15, but his Perception would go down to 5%, and he would lose Acrobatics, his Climbing would go down to 20%, he would lose Dodge, Swimming would go down to 25%, etc.
Of course, if the kids use their skills often, they may not lose them (by virtue of them increasing by experience). And any other skills they use will increase as well, so that by the time they are 15, they will have more experience than the average beginning player (which is what you would expect if the kids were adventurous types.)
Yes, and of course experience rolls would come a bit more often (based on the idea that children learn faster than adults). I am toying with the idea that they will not lose any points in a year if they increase a skill by at least 5% (meaning that they would keep their base skill and increase it by 5%, as well), but I'm not sure about that yet. It would cause players to want to use those skills often just to keep them, but that may not be a bad thing. It will encourage players to use subterfuge rather than force.
I am having a problem with parents, though. The children should not be tied to parents who want to know where they are. On the other hand I want them to be part of the community (know the butcher, baker, candlestick maker, and be able to talk with them without fear of being rounded up and taken home, etc.) and I haven’t quite worked out a solid reasoning for this. I've thought about the orphan idea (the village doesn't have an orphanage- a culture thing) and I've thought about the street waif idea, but I don't like that. I don’t want to divert the thread too much with this, but any suggestions would be… helpful.
Arlaten wrote:
Quire wrote:
The stereo-typical fantasy child hero (Tom Sawyer, for instance) seems to have unusually keen perception, agility, stealth, ability to hide, in comparison with adults. However, as they get older, they seem to lose some of that skill. They turn their attention to more adult pursuits, and their abilities in physical areas wanes. It doesn't mean that they can't have it anymore. It just doesn't seem to be a natural ability. They have to train it to keep it. I thought I would play on that idea to create a different kind of adventurer for characters as a background.
These unusually high abilities would help them to avoid danger (they lack high combat skills, for instance). As they get older they 'trade off' the younger abilities for Lore Skills, Magic Skills, Combat Skills, etc.
So while the characters are exploring their setting and learning the basic skills of an adventurer, they have they unusually high abilities to allow them to do something interesting.
My idea is that if they keep training these areas, those areas will stay high. If they get interested in other things, like most adults do, the physical abilities will probably go back to a 'normal' state for whatever profession they enter. However, because of their training and experience they will start out with higher scores, overall, than most beginning adventurers do. I thought it might be a challenge, and something different than the typical low level adventures like fighting off a band of Trolls or signing on as caravan guards.
Also, in my adventure there is an opportunity to get something that will be of great value to solving a puzzle they will encounter when they get older. I designed it so that most adults would not be able (or even interested) in running the encounter, but kids could. At least some of the group need to have these skills in order to survive.
Quire wrote:
The stereo-typical fantasy child hero (Tom Sawyer, for instance) seems to have unusually keen perception, agility, stealth, ability to hide, in comparison with adults. However, as they get older, they seem to lose some of that skill. They turn their attention to more adult pursuits, and their abilities in physical areas wanes. It doesn't mean that they can't have it anymore. It just doesn't seem to be a natural ability. They have to train it to keep it. I thought I would play on that idea to create a different kind of adventurer for characters as a background.
These unusually high abilities would help them to avoid danger (they lack high combat skills, for instance). As they get older they 'trade off' the younger abilities for Lore Skills, Magic Skills, Combat Skills, etc.
So while the characters are exploring their setting and learning the basic skills of an adventurer, they have they unusually high abilities to allow them to do something interesting.
My idea is that if they keep training these areas, those areas will stay high. If they get interested in other things, like most adults do, the physical abilities will probably go back to a 'normal' state for whatever profession they enter. However, because of their training and experience they will start out with higher scores, overall, than most beginning adventurers do. I thought it might be a challenge, and something different than the typical low level adventures like fighting off a band of Trolls or signing on as caravan guards.
Also, in my adventure there is an opportunity to get something that will be of great value to solving a puzzle they will encounter when they get older. I designed it so that most adults would not be able (or even interested) in running the encounter, but kids could. At least some of the group need to have these skills in order to survive.
So your reasoning this out with interpretation of characters behaviour from fictional books, not real life?
It does not make snese really. If you have a child that continues to do something, say karate, from a young age, he will be not so great starting off, maybe not as good as others who start after him at a higher age, but when he hits 18 or 16 with years of traning under his belt and his body trained, he will kill most others his age.
Not that I'm saying you have to be training all your life, but if you swim from a young age, say going to the pool once a month on average a year, you will only get better, no way you'll get worse unless you actually do nothing at all.
If the character is a child and is advenutring continuously, they should not lsoe those skill points.
It just does not make sense. I'm not having a go at you or anything, but this is my 2 cents on the matter.
It does not make snese really. If you have a child that continues to do something, say karate, from a young age, he will be not so great starting off, maybe not as good as others who start after him at a higher age, but when he hits 18 or 16 with years of traning under his belt and his body trained, he will kill most others his age.
Not that I'm saying you have to be training all your life, but if you swim from a young age, say going to the pool once a month on average a year, you will only get better, no way you'll get worse unless you actually do nothing at all.
If the character is a child and is advenutring continuously, they should not lsoe those skill points.
It just does not make sense. I'm not having a go at you or anything, but this is my 2 cents on the matter.
duncan_disorderly
Mongoose
Mage said:
If they are adventuring continuosly then they are earning improvements which will (or should) counter the reduction caused by aging. In RQ2/3 where improvments are tied more directly to skill use this would be more obvious. in MRQ they might spend all the adventure using these "child boosted" skills, but still choose to increase other skills which will not be subject to this adjustment.
