Points-based character generation

[EvilDrGanymede]

I quite fancy trying to make a points-based chargen system for T20, making it somewhat more like GURPS chargen - spend X points on attributes, skills, feats etc. I want to include the prior history stuff to an extent, but I want to ditch levels, classes, and XP because I find them rather unnecessary, archaic and over-complicated.

Thing is, can I actually make this publicly available on the web anywhere if/when it's done(maybe submit it as a CotI article?), or would it be violating every OGL or IP law known to man?

 

[sinbadsam]

Well Doktor,

I would like to such a system addition.

As for the other points well depends upon which "side of the Force" you want to use.

Light Side go thru the needed things to get it "officially" sanctioned.

Dark Side generalize it like the "Complete Guide To Sex in ADND" was generalized to "the Complete Guide To Carnal Knowledge". TSR was unable to legally object to the Generalized version.

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

I think if I do get this little project done (shouldn't be *too* complicated, I imagine) I'll just email Hunter about it and ask

.

 

[Takei]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
I think if I do get this little project done (shouldn't be *too* complicated, I imagine) I'll just email Hunter about it and ask

.

You could even get it published as a CotI article. I'd certainly be interested in seeing it.

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Yeah, that's my plan, I think.

That said, this could be more complicated than I thought - but that's OK, I like a challenge.

What's the drill for submitting anything as a CotI article anyway?

 

[R_Kane]

Dr Gany,

Check out the new Green Ronin book Mutants & Masterminds. It is a d20 superhero book and IMO they do a nice simple job of a point-based, classless d20 system.

Basically the GM/Ref decides how many point to give the players and they are used to purchase attributes, skills and feats.

All Attributes start at 10 and cost 1 point per +1 (you can alos "sell down" your attributes to gain additional points)

Skills: 1 point per +1
Feats: 2 points
BAB: 3 points per +1
Saving Throws: 1 point per +1

There are also superpowers to buy, and you can take Weaknesses which each give you an additional 10 points to spend, a Defense score (eqiv. to AC I think, I haven't read through all of it yet) to buy ranks in, etc.

Also, they did away with HPs and now have a Damage Saving Throw (you make a Dmg ST vs an attack's damage DC)

Anyway, it woudl need some tweaking to fit a Traveller game (or another non-supers genre) but it looks like a good base to start from.

-Roger

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Yes, I heard about M&M and was wondering about how it worked. Don't really want to spend 20 quid on it though, since I don't like Supers games.

I was thinking of saying that you have 90 points to spend on the 8 attributes in T20. That gives you about 11 in each attribute if you apply the points equally, and you can get higher and lower by shifting the points around. Though this means you land up with characters that have stats hovering around 11, with not too much variation, which I'm not sure is a great idea. The M&M method (start with all stats at a level, then + or - from that) sounds a bit more sensible, but I don't want to nick ideas from that really

.

 

[graden1]

The d20 DMG has a point-based ability system which I've adapted to my T20 game. All abilities start at 8. Raising them costs points, as follows:

9; 1 pt
10; 2 pts
11; 3
12; 4
13; 5
14; 6
15; 8
16; 10
17; 13
18; 16

The basic starting points for D&D is 25; with T20's two extra stats, I'd raise that to 32 or 33 for about the same average scores. (12+) Racial mods are added *after* the points are spent. So base scores of 14 or less are relatively easy to get, but after that it gets expensive. Two things to keep in mind; T20 offers more opportunity to raise abilities than D&D (in my experience) and many characters will start with age penalties. On the whole, these effects don't quite cancel each other out during character generation. The PC's in my game tended to have a net gain of abilities during prior history. Individual results may vary.

Disclaimer: corrections are welcome, as all of the above is from memory.

Thanx heaps,

DGv2.0

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Mrp? Dang, I'll have to actually *read* my DMG one of these days - thanks for the pointer.

Though is material from the DMG covered by the open license, or is it just the PHB?

 

[graden1]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Mrp? Dang, I'll have to actually *read* my DMG one of these days - thanks for the pointer.

Though is material from the DMG covered by the open license, or is it just the PHB?

Hmm. Never thought about it. I'm not exactly a "legal eagle" myself, so I don't know much about the fine points of the open gaming license. Can't find the usual ogl page in my DMG, either. The point-based ability system is on pp19-20, though.

Laters,

DGv2.0

 

[Doug]

The system Digital Golem's describing sounds exactly what I'm going to use.

I hope my players can put up with the randomness associated with the Prior History, but I know for a fact they won't stand for random stat generation.

Cheers!

Doug Hare.

 

[Gallowglass]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Mrp? Dang, I'll have to actually *read* my DMG one of these days - thanks for the pointer.

Though is material from the DMG covered by the open license, or is it just the PHB?

IIRC Neither content from thr PHB nor DMG is directly covered by the Open Game License, it's the d20 SRD (and anything derived from it) that WotC have released under the OGL. And the d20 System Trademark License (the "other" license involved) specifically prohibits mentioning Character Generation. So, if I have read the relevant licenses and associated guides correctly, you can do a point-based Character Generation system, but ONLY under the Open Game License: i.e. you can't put the d20 logo on it or use the phrase "Compatible with the d20 System", or reference anyone elses stuff without EXPLICIT permission...

Have a look at what S&SS have done with Everquest, which is OGL NOT d20...