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I saw a question like this before, but no answer yet.

travisarcher

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What are the starting stats? Elhoim asked "What can you define in the character creation? Name, profession and stats? The starting number for all stats is 4 and you can add 16 points, right?" And as a follow up, when you add skill points, will it cost more points when you get to high percentages like Fallout? If so, please remember to base the increase on the base value, not the current value like fallout. e.g. Drink a beer to decrease your skill below 100 and then add skill points, and when you sober up, the skill is 110% or something. And if you have books or something like that to increase skills, please make sure there is a fixed and limited supply. I started my first fallout character with Small guns, Repair and Science tagged, and felt like it was a waste with the easy access to books for all of those skills. Thanks.
 

Jasede

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
Didn't you mention you get some special benefits if you have a stat at 10? Can you elaborate on that or am I just misremembering?

Also, does putting a stat from 9 to 10 at creation cost as much as putting it from 4 to 5? If there's a special benefit for ten, that last point should be more expensive.

Also, with six stats and the minimum of 4, you only really get 16 points to distribute. [which is enough, I think, though maybe you should consider making 3 the minimum, so the player feels he has more freedom in distributing stats, since he'd get to distribute 22 that way].
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
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Jasede said:
Didn't you mention you get some special benefits if you have a stat at 10? Can you elaborate on that or am I just misremembering?
Yes. In my opinion, 10 is a "heroic", way above average stat, and thus should be rewarded, especially since it represents a sacrifice in some other areas of character development.

From another thread:

Without making a sound, you pull out a knife and expertly throw it. The knife stops in midair as if hitting an invisible barrier and falls to the ground. Oh well... worth a shot.

Without saying a word or reacting in any way, the mage turns around slowly, until his eyes find you. Suddenly you realize that you don't really want to kill him. His life is important to you somehow and you must do whatever it takes to protect him from other assassins.

1. Guard the mage
2. [intelligence] Even though you feel nothing but an obsessive desire to protect the mage at all costs, you know that your will is no longer your own. There must be a way out.

if 2:

1. [intelligence] Try to resist. Block all the emotions and focus on a simple task: take a step toward the mage.
2. [perception] It must be his eyes. Lower your hood over your eyes and fight blind.
3. [charisma] Two can play this game. Lock your eyes with the mage's eyes and try to force your will on him. (works only if Cha = 10 ) *

if 2:

1. You feel better. The desire to protect the mage fades. It's time to finish the job.
2. Try something else. (go to the previous step)

if 1. You hear a sound to your right.

1. Take a step to the right and swing with your dagger.
2. [perception] It's not a sound a man would make. Most likely it was something he threw to distract you. Keep moving toward the mage.
...

If your Cha is 10 you get Personal Magnetism trait; it works like a Jedi Mind Trick. It won't take you everywhere, but it will make a lot of things fun.

These are not the droids you are looking for.
....

Also:

I've gotta tell you though, my friend, you are very efficient. I'm surprised I've never heard about you. *Judging by the way Cado is looking at you, that was a question*

What do you mean?

I mean that you've appeared out of nowhere and casually spent a small fortune dealing with the guild most people prefer to stay clear of. Something isn't what it seems.

1. Are we doing business or not, Cado?
2. [persuasion]Few things are these days, Cado, but that's not the reason to act paranoid.
3. [Personal Magnetism] You can trust me, Cado.

If 3. I trust you, <charname>. We'll deliver your ore shipment to Maadoran.

Also, does putting a stat from 9 to 10 at creation cost as much as putting it from 4 to 5? If there's a special benefit for ten, that last point should be more expensive.
Going to 10 means creating weak spots somewhere else.

Also, with six stats and the minimum of 4, you only really get 16 points to distribute. [which is enough, I think, though maybe you should consider making 3 the minimum, so the player feels he has more freedom in distributing stats, since he'd get to distribute 22 that way].
I'm actually considering reducing the overall number of points to 38. As for your suggestion, I would have to decline politely.
 

JrK

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What is the stat distribution then? If 5 is average you'll always end up with a char that's above average in most stats. The mean is 6,6666...., is this high for one stat?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
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4 is the minimum. It represents basic, barely developed abilities. <4 represents people who are unfit to go adventuring due to some serious mental and physical illnesses. So, the real spread is 4-10, which makes 7 the average stat, not 5.

Basically:

4-5 Weak
6 Below Average
7 Average
8 Above Average
9 Pretty Damn Good
10 AWESOME!!!
 

Jasede

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut I'm very into cock and ball torture
So you can't play a hideous person or a cripple... hm. Oh well. [Not that that is fun, my 6 CON kobold wizard (2 Hp / level) used to die a -lot- in P&P]
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
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4 out of 10 is hideous enough, don't you think?

Edit: a character with CON 4 will be very high maintenance in the "keeping the bastard alive" department. HPs are determined during the character creation and are never increased. So, a character with 4 points in Constitution will have 25 hit points. A single swing of a bronze 2H axe in power attack mode is 8-20. Two good hits are you are gone. Of course, good armor will prolong your existence up to 4-5 good hits, but that doesn't change the point.
 
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Wouldn't you like to know!
EDIT * 2:

Never mind. I was being extraordinarily stupid. :P

I saw the part about the distribution of stats at the bottom of one of the earlier posts.

*sigh*

---
Vault Dweller said:
Also, with six stats and the minimum of 4, you only really get 16 points to distribute. [which is enough, I think, though maybe you should consider making 3 the minimum, so the player feels he has more freedom in distributing stats, since he'd get to distribute 22 that way].

I'm actually considering <b>reducing the overall number of points to 38</b>. As for your suggestion, I would have to decline politely.

I like the bold part. It would make stat distribution even more of an issue, especially since, from the other threads, stats play such an important part in your starting skills.
 

Astromarine

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Jan 21, 2003
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Would anyone mind if I write a 50-line post about how AoD is using a misleading, imbalanced scale? How people have the expectation that tho whole range of numbers is available, and a 5 is an average score?


;)
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
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@ Edward_R_Murrow: Yes.

@ Astro: My first thought when I wrote "5 isn't the average" was "Oh, shit!"
 

JrK

Prophet
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Messages
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Location
Speaking to the Sea
Vault Dweller said:
4 is the minimum. It represents basic, barely developed abilities. <4 represents people who are unfit to go adventuring due to some serious mental and physical illnesses. So, the real spread is 4-10, which makes 7 the average stat, not 5.

Basically:

4-5 Weak
6 Below Average
7 Average
8 Above Average
9 Pretty Damn Good
10 AWESOME!!!

Sounds like a pretty damn good distribution then. I advise against lowering the stat points seeing that the average is slightly below average with 40 points.
 

Mayday

Augur
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Poland
In the mage encounter you've described above, first choice: is the second option even available if your PC has low Intelligence?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
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No. If you are stupid, you don't understand what's happening to you.
 

Mayday

Augur
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Messages
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What about other situations? Let's say there's an opportunity that allows to employ persuasion:
1)Very Low persuasion- you don't even get the option
2)Low persuasion- you see the option but it doesn't work
3)Medium persuasion- 50% chance
4)High- 75%
5Very high- 100%
That's off the top of my head. Is it something like this?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
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Messages
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Each skill check option has a set value attached to it. In other words, you don't roll a random number to succeed, and there is no need to save and reload, trying to get lucky.

So, anyway, let's say a certain line's requirement is 50. The line will be shown when your skill is [skill req]*0.9, i.e. 50*0.9=45. If you see the line among your options but fail, you'll know that you are close.
 

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