Adolescent Packages/Racial Bonuses? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Adolescent Packages/Racial Bonuses?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jul 31, 2005 9:01:21 Ok guys. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. I haven't really started working on it, but now I think I might start. I'm setting up my own rulebooks, including a DM's Guide, Player Handbook, Monster Manual, Spell Laws and Magic Treasures books. I'm basing it on a combination of OD&D and RoleMaster. But besides that, right now I was thinking of setting up a section in the player handbook regarding humans.

1)My first idea has to do with Humans in the Known World and eventually around the world. I'm not sure if any Gaz's cover this idea but what kind of skills should characters get automatically just for being born in a country. Like in Glantri, could an exceptionally smart fighter learn a level or 2 of spells? And have a skill that would allow him to identify a spell that was being cast before it is. Obviously in Darokin there is the merchant class, but if a character is not a merchant and is in fact a cleric, could he start out with skills in appraising gems or jewelry? I would like to start a listing of all nationalities and cultures of the humans that would have something different or special they would have knowledge in. We can ignore the cultures who are just normal, if there are any. I don't think people from Karameikos should be grouped together, there are Thyatian and Traladarans. Different cultures brings different upbringings. You guys ever thought about doing this? Could be useful for my own rule books, but anybody could use them.

2)My other idea was setting up some kind of bonus system. Now in RoleMaster the racial bonuses stats in more diverse than in D&D. There are 10 stats instead of 6. The RoleMaster uses a system of 1-100, while D&D is closer to 1-20. But in RoleMaster, races get bonuses to stats that don't apply to the actual Stat score. For Example:
The player rolls his stats and ends up with a 93 for Agility (the equivalent of a 15 for Dexterity in OD&D). This would give him a +10 bonus in RoleMaster (+1 in D&D). Now as an elf he gets an additional +10 for just being an Elf. So in effect his real bonusfor Agility is +20. His stat would then appear as Agility=93 (+20), while a human with the same Agility roll would have Agility=93 (+10). Of course we can discuss this in D&D terms which would appear like this Dexterity=15 (+3) for elves; and for humans Dexterity=15 (+1). My whole question rounds down to this. Should specific human cultures get any kind of bonuses in certain stats? Like a man from a Norse type culture might get a bonus +1 to his strength and constitution. You guys have any ideas? Maybe an Alphatian or Glantrian gets a +1 to Intelligence due to better education? A Darokinian for Charisma?

Any recommendations you guys have would be most appreciated.
#2
havard
Jul 31, 2005 16:01:47 Its been years since I last played RM, but I kinda like what WotC did with the Eberron setting: A list of skills, feats, and a class which defines each culture. While you can chose to play a typical individual from that country, you can also chose not to. so the packages are more like guidelines than anything else. Might work for RM as well...

Håvard
#3
Cthulhudrew
Jul 31, 2005 20:47:10
1)My first idea has to do with Humans in the Known World and eventually around the world. I'm not sure if any Gaz's cover this idea but what kind of skills should characters get automatically just for being born in a country.

Several of the Gaz's cover similar things- off the top of my head, Gaz5: Elves of Alfheim, Gaz6: Dwarves of Rockhome, Gaz7: The Northern Reaches, Gaz11: The Republic of Darokin, and possibly Gaz9: The Minrothad Guilds all mention something like this. Gaz11 mentions the possibility of giving demihumans (with longer lifespans) bonuses to several craft skills to start, to reflect their age and experience. Gaz7 gives a listing of skills that are likely to go with certain types of backgrounds, as well as an extensive list of generating history for a character, which might provide some bonuses/penalties to certain skills. Gaz5 has skills that all elves have, as well as Clan specific skills that they have.

Like in Glantri, could an exceptionally smart fighter learn a level or 2 of spells?

You're not using 3.5, but they have some feats that simulate such things, such as a feat that allows for the casting of several different cantrips that can only be taken at 1st level. Something similar would probably work for what you are looking for.

And have a skill that would allow him to identify a spell that was being cast before it is.

3.5 has a Spellcraft skill that would allow for this sort of thing; offhand, in OD&D there is the Mysticism or Ceremony skill which would probably allow for identifying Divine magic, and I'd say either the Magical Engineering or some sort of Knowledge (spellcraft) skill you could make up would cover the same for non-clerical magic.

I would like to start a listing of all nationalities and cultures of the humans that would have something different or special they would have knowledge in. We can ignore the cultures who are just normal, if there are any. I don't think people from Karameikos should be grouped together, there are Thyatian and Traladarans. Different cultures brings different upbringings. You guys ever thought about doing this? Could be useful for my own rule books, but anybody could use them.

I've got some notes on this, that I've been developing for a 3.5 translation of the setting. I'll dig into them and give you some further thoughts on this.
#4
zombiegleemax
Aug 06, 2005 11:45:53 Cool. Thanks guys. I'll have to dig out my Gaz's and start going through them again. I remembered some stuff from some of those. I don't have all the Gaz's though. I'll have to work at getting the ones I'm missing once my money becomes available. This idea basically came from MERP antually.

I guess I should get some books for 3.5 and take a look at those guidlines. The Eberron setting has 1 book or is it broken into multiple ones. I haven't even paid that setting any mind. I guess I handicap myself by sticking adamantly to Mystara. Nah, but I'll look into that Eberron thing.

Once I complete these books, I'll post them up here on the forums for anyone interested in them. My combat system is a little slow, but it is realistic and makes even a sword fight with a goblin dangerous for anyone.
#5
culture20
Aug 06, 2005 23:35:56 2E has spellcraft too; it's a wizard/cleric proficiency, but anyone can take it by just spending an extra proficiency slot. I've seen thieves take it, but never a fighter (might be a good idea in a country of mages though).
#6
zombiegleemax
Aug 07, 2005 21:06:26 I used to allow thieves in OD&D to learn spells if they could get their hands on a spellbook or scrolls. They were limited to being able to cast spells like a magician at 1/4 his current level. I don't want to go that route again, except through multi-classing.
#7
culture20
Aug 08, 2005 22:06:08 Ah, spellcraft (the skill) only allows the user to know _about_ spells, not cast them. Most usefull for mages and clerics, it allows them to sometimes determine a spell being cast (assuming its casting time is long, or its material components are readily visible), know what spells are well-known in a particular area, etc. Other classes could find this skill worthwhile if they are living amongst mages.

"Let him keep his pearls and owl feathers, but confiscate the amber rods, bat fur and guano, and sulfer." - Border guard of Glantri inspecting a foreign mage's goods.
#8
weasel_fierce
Aug 09, 2005 0:44:02 If you like rolemaster combat, but the speed is worrying you, you may find Runequest or Stormbringer more to your liking.

My Drakar och demoner / Runequest mixture campaign uses a LOT of mystara elements, and it works out fine.
#9
zombiegleemax
Aug 09, 2005 6:16:45 I haven't heard of Runquest or Stormbringer. Is there any links to sites where I can look at them a bit? Bringing another game in might not be bad since I'm bringing in concepts from the Street Fighter RPG now for Mystics, too.
#10
weasel_fierce
Aug 09, 2005 11:15:46 You can propably find a review or three at www.rpg.net.
Basically, it uses % rolls for most things, skills improve through using them, rather than killing monsters, and combat is extremely lethal

Drop me a PM, and I can email you our (heavily houseruled) version as a PDF

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jul 31, 2005 9:01:21	Ok guys. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. I haven't really started working on it, but now I think I might start. I'm setting up my own rulebooks, including a DM's Guide, Player Handbook, Monster Manual, Spell Laws and Magic Treasures books. I'm basing it on a combination of OD&D and RoleMaster. But besides that, right now I was thinking of setting up a section in the player handbook regarding humans. 1)My first idea has to do with Humans in the Known World and eventually around the world. I'm not sure if any Gaz's cover this idea but what kind of skills should characters get automatically just for being born in a country. Like in Glantri, could an exceptionally smart fighter learn a level or 2 of spells? And have a skill that would allow him to identify a spell that was being cast before it is. Obviously in Darokin there is the merchant class, but if a character is not a merchant and is in fact a cleric, could he start out with skills in appraising gems or jewelry? I would like to start a listing of all nationalities and cultures of the humans that would have something different or special they would have knowledge in. We can ignore the cultures who are just normal, if there are any. I don't think people from Karameikos should be grouped together, there are Thyatian and Traladarans. Different cultures brings different upbringings. You guys ever thought about doing this? Could be useful for my own rule books, but anybody could use them. 2)My other idea was setting up some kind of bonus system. Now in RoleMaster the racial bonuses stats in more diverse than in D&D. There are 10 stats instead of 6. The RoleMaster uses a system of 1-100, while D&D is closer to 1-20. But in RoleMaster, races get bonuses to stats that don't apply to the actual Stat score. For Example: The player rolls his stats and ends up with a 93 for Agility (the equivalent of a 15 for Dexterity in OD&D). This would give him a +10 bonus in RoleMaster (+1 in D&D). Now as an elf he gets an additional +10 for just being an Elf. So in effect his real bonusfor Agility is +20. His stat would then appear as Agility=93 (+20), while a human with the same Agility roll would have Agility=93 (+10). Of course we can discuss this in D&D terms which would appear like this Dexterity=15 (+3) for elves; and for humans Dexterity=15 (+1). My whole question rounds down to this. Should specific human cultures get any kind of bonuses in certain stats? Like a man from a Norse type culture might get a bonus +1 to his strength and constitution. You guys have any ideas? Maybe an Alphatian or Glantrian gets a +1 to Intelligence due to better education? A Darokinian for Charisma? Any recommendations you guys have would be most appreciated.
#2 havard Jul 31, 2005 16:01:47	Its been years since I last played RM, but I kinda like what WotC did with the Eberron setting: A list of skills, feats, and a class which defines each culture. While you can chose to play a typical individual from that country, you can also chose not to. so the packages are more like guidelines than anything else. Might work for RM as well... Håvard
#3 Cthulhudrew Jul 31, 2005 20:47:10	1)My first idea has to do with Humans in the Known World and eventually around the world. I'm not sure if any Gaz's cover this idea but what kind of skills should characters get automatically just for being born in a country. Several of the Gaz's cover similar things- off the top of my head, Gaz5: Elves of Alfheim, Gaz6: Dwarves of Rockhome, Gaz7: The Northern Reaches, Gaz11: The Republic of Darokin, and possibly Gaz9: The Minrothad Guilds all mention something like this. Gaz11 mentions the possibility of giving demihumans (with longer lifespans) bonuses to several craft skills to start, to reflect their age and experience. Gaz7 gives a listing of skills that are likely to go with certain types of backgrounds, as well as an extensive list of generating history for a character, which might provide some bonuses/penalties to certain skills. Gaz5 has skills that all elves have, as well as Clan specific skills that they have. Like in Glantri, could an exceptionally smart fighter learn a level or 2 of spells? You're not using 3.5, but they have some feats that simulate such things, such as a feat that allows for the casting of several different cantrips that can only be taken at 1st level. Something similar would probably work for what you are looking for. And have a skill that would allow him to identify a spell that was being cast before it is. 3.5 has a Spellcraft skill that would allow for this sort of thing; offhand, in OD&D there is the Mysticism or Ceremony skill which would probably allow for identifying Divine magic, and I'd say either the Magical Engineering or some sort of Knowledge (spellcraft) skill you could make up would cover the same for non-clerical magic. I would like to start a listing of all nationalities and cultures of the humans that would have something different or special they would have knowledge in. We can ignore the cultures who are just normal, if there are any. I don't think people from Karameikos should be grouped together, there are Thyatian and Traladarans. Different cultures brings different upbringings. You guys ever thought about doing this? Could be useful for my own rule books, but anybody could use them. I've got some notes on this, that I've been developing for a 3.5 translation of the setting. I'll dig into them and give you some further thoughts on this.
#4 zombiegleemax Aug 06, 2005 11:45:53	Cool. Thanks guys. I'll have to dig out my Gaz's and start going through them again. I remembered some stuff from some of those. I don't have all the Gaz's though. I'll have to work at getting the ones I'm missing once my money becomes available. This idea basically came from MERP antually. I guess I should get some books for 3.5 and take a look at those guidlines. The Eberron setting has 1 book or is it broken into multiple ones. I haven't even paid that setting any mind. I guess I handicap myself by sticking adamantly to Mystara. Nah, but I'll look into that Eberron thing. Once I complete these books, I'll post them up here on the forums for anyone interested in them. My combat system is a little slow, but it is realistic and makes even a sword fight with a goblin dangerous for anyone.
#5 culture20 Aug 06, 2005 23:35:56	2E has spellcraft too; it's a wizard/cleric proficiency, but anyone can take it by just spending an extra proficiency slot. I've seen thieves take it, but never a fighter (might be a good idea in a country of mages though).
#6 zombiegleemax Aug 07, 2005 21:06:26	I used to allow thieves in OD&D to learn spells if they could get their hands on a spellbook or scrolls. They were limited to being able to cast spells like a magician at 1/4 his current level. I don't want to go that route again, except through multi-classing.
#7 culture20 Aug 08, 2005 22:06:08	Ah, spellcraft (the skill) only allows the user to know _about_ spells, not cast them. Most usefull for mages and clerics, it allows them to sometimes determine a spell being cast (assuming its casting time is long, or its material components are readily visible), know what spells are well-known in a particular area, etc. Other classes could find this skill worthwhile if they are living amongst mages. "Let him keep his pearls and owl feathers, but confiscate the amber rods, bat fur and guano, and sulfer." - Border guard of Glantri inspecting a foreign mage's goods.
#8 weasel_fierce Aug 09, 2005 0:44:02	If you like rolemaster combat, but the speed is worrying you, you may find Runequest or Stormbringer more to your liking. My Drakar och demoner / Runequest mixture campaign uses a LOT of mystara elements, and it works out fine.
#9 zombiegleemax Aug 09, 2005 6:16:45	I haven't heard of Runquest or Stormbringer. Is there any links to sites where I can look at them a bit? Bringing another game in might not be bad since I'm bringing in concepts from the Street Fighter RPG now for Mystics, too.
#10 weasel_fierce Aug 09, 2005 11:15:46	You can propably find a review or three at www.rpg.net. Basically, it uses % rolls for most things, skills improve through using them, rather than killing monsters, and combat is extremely lethal Drop me a PM, and I can email you our (heavily houseruled) version as a PDF