...about my love for pen & paper role-playing games, and my quest to find the perfect one.
The newest episode of the podcast went live, and I can now embed it into the blog. So if you want to list, just click this button:
In this episode, we discuss character backgrounds. I like them short and emergent, while James is in favor of slightly longer and more defined ones.
Apparently James likes longer episodes, too, because this one is 21 minutes long.
I’m writing this in Austin, Texas, so this will be a quickie.
When I go running I think about things. Often it’s stuff for my RPGs—either rules or adventures. Lately it’s been a lot of stuff for Lucky 7. Now that there’s only three attributes, I think that calls for changes in the way to generate attribute scores.
The old methods were in these posts:
Most of these are just the old methods update, but there’s a new one.
This method has the most player agency. Depending on the player involved it might be super quick, or it might take an eternity of agonizing decision making. Some players using this have the habit of making the same character every time.
Step 1: For each of the three attributes, assign any value between -2 and +2.
Step 2: Twiddle with the assignments until sum of all three attributes equals +1.
Step 3: There is no step 3!
This method is the fastest of the bunch, but has the least player input. It’s good for simulating the feel of old school role-playing.
It also has the least character diversity, as it’s impossible to generate a character with a very good score (+2), a good (+1) score, and a very bad (-2) score.
Because it’s so quick, it’s particularly good for making characters when a new player shows up unexpectedly, or to replace a PC that was killed or captured.
This method uses this attribute table:
| d3 Roll |
d6 Roll |
d12 Roll |
Attribute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 2 | 1 – 4 | Physical |
| 2 | 3 – 4 | 5 – 8 | Mental |
| 3 | 5 – 6 | 6 – 12 | Spiritual |
Step 1: All attributes start at 0.
Step 2: Roll a and refer to the table above. Add 1 to the corresponding attribute.
Step 3: Same as step 2. Note: You could just combine this with the previous step by rolling two dice at that step instead of one.
Step 4: Same as step 1, but instead of adding, Subtract 1 from the corresponding attribute.
That’s it!
Example: I’m making a new character. Starting attributes are P: 0, M: 0, S: 0. I roll 3d6 and get:
The character starts the game with:
This is more complicated than method #2, but is provided for those who want the “purity” of generating all possible character types randomly.
This uses the same attribute table as Method #2.
Step 1: Each of the three attributes starts with a value of -2.
Step 2: Roll 7 dice (7d6 is easiest, but any combination of d3, d6, or d12 works).
Step 3: Referring to the attribute table, add 1 to the attribute indicated by each die.
Step 4: In the unlikely1 that an attribute would be raised above +2, assign the +1 to a different attribute instead. Roll randomly if you can’t decide.
Example: I’m making a new character. Starting attributes are P: -2, M: -2, S: -2. I roll 7d6 and get:
The character starts the game with:
This is really the simplest of the bunch. The name was James' idea.
Step 1: Roll 1d20. Reroll any result of 19 or 20.2
Step 2: Refer to the table below.
| 1d20 | Physical | Mental | Spiritual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | -2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | -1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | -1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| 10 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| 11 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | -2 |
| 15 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 16 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 17 | 2 | 0 | -1 |
| 18 | 2 | 1 | -2 |
Example: I’m making a new character. I roll 1d20 and get a 14. The character starts the game with:
The methods above are all designed for player characters, and will result in a character whose sum of attributes is equal to +1. A totally random method could result in stronger or weaker characters. The level of randomness is well suited for non-player characters. If you want to go full old school, you can use this method for player characters, too.
Step 1: Roll 4d2-6. Assign the total to Physical.
Step 2: Roll 4d2-6. Assign the total to Mental.
Step 3: Roll 4d2-6. Assign the total to Spiritual.
Example: I’m making a new character. I roll 4d2-6 for Physical and get 0. I roll again for Mental and get -1. Rolling one more time I get a +1. The character starts the game with:
That’s it for this week. The post was originally about the new Method 3. It works, but the way it worked in my head was better then in reality. I might not keep it.
Which method did you like the best?
This will happen about once per seven characters.↩
If you really want to avoid re-rolls, you could roll a d6 and a d12. If the d12 is between 1–4, the d6 roll is unmodified; if the d12 is between 5–8, the d6 roll gets a +6 modifier; if the d12 is between 9–12, the d6 roll gets a +12 modifier. No rerolls, but I don’t think the added complexity is worth it.↩
At the beginning of last month I wrote 3 methods for generating attribute scores in Lucky 7. This week I’d like to give two more methods. Maybe it’s one method with a option.
Whatever.
This gives a good blend of diversity and player agency. Disadvantages are that it involves player decisions which might slow things down, and you you need this silly chart:
| 1–3 | 4–6 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -2, -2, -1, +2, +2, +2 | -2, -2, ±0, +1, +2, +2 |
| 2 | -2, -2, +1, +1, +1, +2 | -2, -1, -1, +1, +2, +2 |
| 3 | -2, -1, ±0, ±0, +2, +2 | -2, -1, ±0, +1, +1, +2 |
| 4 | -2, -1, +1, +1, +1, +1 | -2, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1, +2 |
| 5 | -2, ±0, ±0, +1, +1, +1 | -1, -1, -1, ±0, +2, +2 |
| 6 | -1, -1, -1, +1, +1, +2 | -1, -1, ±0, ±0, +1, +2 |
| 7 | -1, -1, ±0, +1, +1, +1 | -1, ±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, +2 |
| 8 | -1, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1, +1 | ±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1 |
Step 1: Roll a 1d6 and 1d8 and cross reference on the silly chart.
Step 2: This gives a group of attribute scores. Assign each score to the attribute of your choice.
This is a variation of the above that removes player agency for the benefit of speed.
Step 1: Roll a 1d6 and 1d8 and cross reference on the silly chart.
Step 2: For each of the scores, roll 1d6 to determine where to put the score. If that attribute has already been assigned a score, re-roll:
| Roll | Attribute |
|---|---|
| 1 | Strength |
| 2 | Intelligence |
| 3 | Wisdom |
| 4 | Constitution |
| 5 | Dexterity |
| 6 | Charisma |
What do you think? Is that too complicated?
It came to me as an easier way to make more diverse characters. It made more sense using only 3 attribute scores (which is where I think I’m taking Lucky 7). With three scores the silly chart only has 4 entries instead of 16.
If I decide to commit to three attributes instead of 6 that will be another post.
Speaking of other posts, James gave me an idea for a future posts. He wants me to discuss original weapon damage (where every weapon did 1d6) vs later weapon damge (where each weapon does its own damage like 1d6 or 1d8). That will be in a few weeks, I think.
As you know, I like to use modifiers as attribute scores. You also know that I’m trying to simplify Unlucky 13 to become Lucky 7. I ran into a problem.
Crowfield’s attribute modifiers were based on those of D&D in the mid-1980’s. As a refresher:
| Attribute Score | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 18 | +3 |
| 16–17 | +2 |
| 13–15 | +1 |
| 9–12 | ±0 |
| 6–8 | -1 |
| 4–5 | -2 |
| 3 | -3 |
When you roll a d20, a +3 modifier shifts the chance of success by 15%.
In U13, a +3 gives a 20.8% advantage—the equivalent of +4 on a d20. That was a little bit of a drift, but I was willing to live with it.
L7 uses 1d12. Because of that a +3 is a 25% shift—exactly the same as a +5 for a d20 roll. That’s too much drift for my taste. It’s time to reign it in.
On a 1d12, a +2 is a 16.6% shift—close to a d20’s +3 (a 15% shift). So our +3 to -3 range now becomes +2 to -2.
You could simply do it the same way I was doing the U13 attribute rolls, but using 2 dice instead of 3, though I’m not sure how the curve would look. Instead I’m proposing a different approach, aimed at players like James because James is a munchkin.
In this context, that term comes from a hilarious 1985 USENET post about different player types. In it we have these gems:
Favorite Melee Weapon:
Real Men use Broadswords/Bastard Swords/Pole Axes
Real Role-Players use Rapiers and Main-Gauches
Loonies use Stage Knives
Munchkins use whatever gives the most plussesFavorite Missile Weapon:
Real Men shoot Long Bows/Composite Bows
Real Role-Players shoot Crossbows
Loonies shoot Twinkie Bazookas
Munchkins shoot whatever gives the most plussesFavorite Alignment:
Real Men are Lawful Good
Real Role-Players don’t use alignment
Loonies are Amoral Silly
Munchkins are whatever gives the most plussesFavorite God:
Real Men worship Humakt/Orlanth
Real Role-Players worship Issaries/Lhankor Mhy
Loonies worship Hare Krishna
Munchkins worship whoever gives the most plusses
Okay—I’m exaggerating just to tease James a little. He is not really a munchkin. He likes to engage NPCs in dialog. He likes to have a backstory for his character. He likes to find the adventure’s plot. But he does have munchkin tendencies when creating a character. Specifically he hates having a low attribute score. Dice-generated scores annoy him unless the mechanic is skewed to prevent low scores. His favorite is 2d6+6—this gives an average score of 13 for a +1 bonus per attribute! Very munchkiny.
So to make him happy, but not make me cry, I’ve decided that PC’s will have an “overall” +1 bonus.
This method is the fastest of the bunch, but has the least player input. It also has the least character diversity. Using this method you will likely end up with two good (+1) attributes and one bad (-1) one. There’s a slightly less chance of getting either one very good (+2) score and one bad one. There’s a very small (2.8%) chance that you’ll get one good score and no bad ones.
Because it’s so quick, it’s particularly good for making characters when a new player shows up unexpectedly, or to replace a PC that was killed or captured.
This method uses this attribute table:
| Roll | Attribute |
|---|---|
| 1 | Strength |
| 2 | Intelligence |
| 3 | Wisdom |
| 4 | Constitution |
| 5 | Dexterity |
| 6 | Charisma |
Step 1: All attributes start at 0.
Step 2: Roll 1d6 and refer to the table above. Add 1 to the corresponding attribute.
Step 3: Same as step 2. Note: You could just combine this with the previous step by rolling two dice at that step instead of one.
Step 4: Roll 1d6 and refer to the table above. Subtract 1 from the corresponding attribute.
That’s it!
This method has more player input than the previous one, but it slower. It’s good for new characters that are generated away from the table if you want them to have some randomness.
To avoid repeating myself, this method uses a 2d6 attribute roll:
Step 1: Make a 2d6 attribute roll.
Step 2: Select which attribute to assign that roll to. Note: Once an attribute has a score assigned, it is “locked” and can not be changed until step 6.
Step 3: Select another attribute and assign it the “inverse result.” The inverse result of -1 is +1, the inverse result of +2 is -2, etc. The inverse of 0 is 0. Alternate rule: If you roll +2 your GM might allow you to assign -1 to two attributes instead of -2 to one attribute. The same applies to a roll of -2, or course.
Step 4: If four or fewer attributes have been assigned, go to step 1.
Step 5: If exactly five attributes have been assigned, assign a 0 to the final attribute. Note: This will only occur if you used the alternate rule in Step 3.
Step 6: Once all 6 attributes have been assigned, select one attribute and add one to it’s value. Note: You can not raise an attribute above +2.
This method has the most player agency. Depending on the player involved it might be super quick, or it might take an eternity of agonizing decision making. Some players using this have the habit of making the same character every time.
Step 1: For each of the six attributes, assign any value between -2 and +2. The sum of all six attributes can not exceed +1.
Step 2: There is no step 2!
That’s it for this week.
Which method do you like the best? I think they all have their uses, depending what you’re trying to achieve.
Next week will probably be a modification to Crowfield’s spell casting rules.
A couple of weeks ago I reported on my first session of a solo hexcrawl. The problem that I ran into was that D&D wilderness encounters are not “leveled” like dungeon encounters. This means that all the monsters I ran into were beyond my ability to deal with. This is why wilderness adventures were considered part of D&D “Expert” Set and started when the characters were fourth level.
I thought about some solutions to the problem:
That last thought reminded me of my Traveller style character creation rules. That is a way to “legitimately” start with a higher level character. So this week’s post will be me making a character with those rules.
When I wrote the rules I intentionally made them for original D&D with no house rules. But I will be using at least three house rules:
Because my rules weren’t written with the modifications in mind, I’ll have to make adjustments “on the fly.”
The first step is to generate the attribute scores. As mentioned above, I’m combining 2 house rules. Together they’ll work like this:
That’s how it will work. Let’s do it.
All six stats were a “0,” which is rather boring. I was hoping this wouldn’t be a common occurrence, so I ran the math. There was less than a 10% chance of that happening.
My strategy for the childhood phase was to put the first +1 into strength—Matias is a fighter after all. If I were to get a -1, it would go into intelligence because that’s where the original character had a -1 modifier.
If I were to get really lucky, a second +1 would go to constitution (again, to match the original character). A third would go to dexterity to help his armor class.
That was the plan. The dice had different ideas:
| # | Roll | Attribute | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 (-1) | Intelligence | Matias de Aurélio previously had a -1 for INT, so this made sense. |
| 2 | 4 (0) | Wisdom | According to my plan, either wisdom or charisma would be a 0. I’m saving charisma in hopes of another +1. As the son of a noble, Matias should have some charisma. |
| 3 | 2 (0) | Dexterity | Darn, I was really hoping for a +1 here. |
| 4 | 1 (-1) | Constitution | Ugh. I wasn’t expect another -1. I reluctantly put it here. Hopefully I’ll get a +1 in Adolescence to put here. |
| 5 | 1 (-1) | Charisma | Another -1? WTF? |
| 6 | 2 (0) | Strength | I was really hoping for a +1 for STR, but at least is wasn’t another -1! |
This tells me that as a child, Matias wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He was also a little sickly and not very well liked. I imagine that his mother was the snobbish and doting kind. As the only noble family in the village, she felt that it would be “beneath his station” to socialize with the other children. She also felt that one of the locals were smart enough to educate a local, so she took care it herself, albeit poorly.
I was hoping to roll a +1–I figured I was due one by now, but it didn’t happen. Again all six results were 0. I ran the numbers again. Yes, there’s only an 8.8% chance of all zeroes.
At least there’s no hard decisions.
| Attribute | Modifier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | ±0 | Average |
| Intelligence | -1 | Below Average |
| Wisdom | ±0 | Average |
| Dexterity | ±0 | Average |
| Constitution | -1 | Below Average |
| Charisma | -1 | Below Average |
I don’t talk about it much, but I have what I call the “Mercy Rule.” If the sum of a character’s modifiers is negative, I allow them to re-roll the lowest score. If the lowest scores are tied, they can pick which one to replace. If the the sum is still negative, then we do it again.
I like how it leads to cases where a character’s highest stat is something the player never considered.
I don’t invoke the Mercy rule if it looks like the player was intentionally making decisions that lead to such a low score.
At a sum of -3, I definitely qualify!
I rolled a +1–finally! I decided to put that into CON.
| Attribute | Modifier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | ±0 | Average |
| Intelligence | -1 | Below Average |
| Wisdom | ±0 | Average |
| Dexterity | ±0 | Average |
| Constitution | +1 | Above Average |
| Charisma | -1 | Below Average |
My modifiers now sum to -1, so I’m entitled to another Mercy Roll.
I rolled a 0. As I mentioned before, the original character had a -1 for intelligence, so it makes sense to put this one into charisma.
| Attribute | Modifier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | ±0 | Average |
| Intelligence | -1 | Below Average |
| Wisdom | ±0 | Average |
| Dexterity | ±0 | Average |
| Constitution | +1 | Above Average |
| Charisma | ±0 | Average |
My sum of modifiers is now exactly zero, so I don’t qualify for another Mercy Round.
Traveller assumed that most characters are in military careers. Even those that aren’t are treated as if they are. Every character goes through their adult life in 4 year chunks called “terms.” Each term you learn new skills or gain attribute boosts. That means each term that your character serves, the more powerful they get. So why not just max out your terms to get an uber-powerful character? Traveller controls this in three ways:
My system uses versions of #1 and #2, but not #3.
Instead of Re-enlistment rolls we use “Continuation rolls.” If you roll too low, you can’t continue. If you roll too high you are forced to continue.
We use a form of aging tolls.
Instead of survival rolls, we use Bane rolls. If you roll too low on the Bane roll, something bad happens. Maybe you lose a level, maybe an attribute is dropped, maybe you find a cursed sword or armor. You get the idea.
Enough talk about Traveller. We’ll talk about the other things as we get to them. Let’s begin!
Matias is 16 years old as his first adult phase begins.
The first roll in each phase is a “level up” roll. The number needed varies by character class, but if you roll this number or higher, then you go up a level. I rolled a 10, so Matias is now a 2nd level fighter!
If you roll high enough on the Boon roll, something good happens. Maybe you gain a talent. Maybe an attribute increases. Maybe you gain a magic item.
In this case, I rolled a 1, so no boon for Matias.
We already talked about the Bane roll. I rolled a 12, so I avoided a Bane.
As I mentioned, every term is 4 years in Traveller because it’s based on military enlistments. My fantasy game isn’t based on the military, so each adult phase is a variable number of years. Matias is a fighter, so I roll 1d8. I get an “8” so Matias is now 24 years old. That’s less than 31, so there will be no detrimental effects.
The continuation roll is the same for all classes–simply roll higher than your current level. Matias is a 2nd level fighter, so I need to roll 3 or higher. I roll a 5. I get to continue if I want. And I do want…
| Name: | Matias de Aurélio |
|---|---|
| Age | 24 |
| Class/Level | Fighter/2 |
| Hit Points | 9 |
| Strength | ±0 |
| Intelligence | -1 |
| Wisdom | ±0 |
| Dexterity | ±0 |
| Constitution | +1 |
| Charisma | ±0 |
| Talents | — |
| Purpose | Roll | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level up | 3 | No | Darn! |
| Boon | 11 | YES | Based on other tables, the boon was a level in the Observation talent. |
| Bane | 6 | No | Yay! |
| Aging | 8 | Age: 32 | 8 again? Grrr! |
| Continuation | 10 | YES |
Because I rolled so high for both terms, my character is now over 30. Had I made average rolls, I could have gone another term and still not have been this old. The dice hate me today.
Anyway, every term that ends at age 31 or over, we need to see if the vigor of youth has started to fade. We roll to see if strength, dexterity, and/or constitution decline. The rules I wrote are based on actual attribute scores, so we’ll wing it.
The concept is that higher attribute scores are more likely to fade than lower ones. We’ll roll a standard U13 roll, but using the inverse modifier. That is a +1 will be a -1 and vice versa. On a roll of 14 or better, nothing changes. On a 12 or less the attribute drops by 1. On a 13… let’s cross that bridge if we come to it.
| Attribute | Roll | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 14 | No change |
| Dexterity | 20 | No change |
| Constitution | 16-1=15 | No change |
So maybe the dice don’t hate me that much. I managed to survive this term with no bad effects.
| Name: | Matias de Aurélio |
|---|---|
| Age | 32 |
| Class/Level | Fighter/2 |
| Hit Points | 9 |
| Strength | ±0 |
| Intelligence | -1 |
| Wisdom | ±0 |
| Dexterity | ±0 |
| Constitution | +1 |
| Charisma | ±0 |
| Talents | Observation |
I don’t want to risk another bout of aging rolls, so I’m ending the character creation here.
The final step is starting gold. Instead of the normal 3d6 × 10 gold pieces, fighters1 get (3 + # of adult phases)d6 × 10 gold pieces. I roll a 22, so Matias will get 220 gold.
I enjoyed this exercise. I think that these house rules worked well together. While the character wasn’t as powerful as I was hoping, it’s a good character. I also know something of his backstory. I already wrote about his childhood. Clearly he had an adventure in his first adult phase that caused him to level up. Maybe he went to battle with his father the knight. That got him the experience to work as a spy for the thane during his second adult phase, and that’s how he picked up the Observation talent.
I think that I will tweak the “Traveller” style rules to work with the Crowfield house rules and it will be the official character generation method for Crowfield. Maybe I’ll turn it into a web app.
As for the initial problem, I think Matias is still too weak to handle the wilderness on his own. He does have some extra gold now, so maybe he can get some hirelings. Either way, I think I will “level” the wilderness around the portal.
Thieves get more; clerics less.↩
This was originally part of another post that I'm working on. That post is already pretty long, though, and this material stands on its own. It was written with OD&D in mind, but it should work with most retroclones.
The idea here is to follow a character's growing process (through their stats) instead than rolling the stats all at once. Hopefully, the interplay of die rolls and player decisions will help form a narrative about the characters journey from birth to adulthood.
In this system, stats are rolled in three phases.
This phase is where the person has the least control. It represents what they're born with.
Roll 1d6 for each stat, in order:
This is the stage of life where a character is starting to develop their own interests and personality. Yet, as a child, there are still decisions being made that are beyond his control.
Roll 1d6, and pick the stat you want to assign that roll to. Once a roll is assigned to a stat, it's locked in place, and can not be changed.
Repeat the same process five more times, until all 6 stats have been assigned
The character is rapidly approaching adulthood. He is the master of his destiny, if the dice are willing.
Roll 6d6, all at once. Assign each die to the stat of your choice.
James is sitting down to make a new character. He's hoping to play a fighter named Jackal. Let's see if the dice agree!
James picks up the d6 and records the results:
STR: 5
INT: 3
WIS: 6
CON: 4
DEX: 2
CHR: 2
Jackal is strong and wise for his age, but clumsy and has a bad disposition.
James will be rolling 6 times, making 6 decisions.
His first roll is a 2. He doesn't want to drive down his already low Dexterity or Charisma, so it won't go in either of those. He's hoping for a high Strength, so he rules that one out as well. He doesn't need a high Wisdom, so he's going to put the 2 there.
His next roll is a 1. Ugh. Following the same logic as above, he chooses Intelligence and hopes that the rest of the rolls will be higher.
Third roll is a 6--he was hoping a six would come up. Without thinking twice he puts it into Strength.
Fourth roll is also a 6! James pats his lucky dice. Constitution, Dexterity, and Charisma are left. While a high Constitution would be nice, he's worried about having a low Dexterity, so he puts it there.
Fifth roll--a 4. Pretty middle of the road. He could use it to bring his charisma up to normal levels, but he decides to play it safe and put it into Constitution. "Charisma is a dump stat, anyway," he says.
The last roll is a 1. No decision to make here, it has to go into Charisma. He's not happy about the 3, but he's relived that it didn't end up in Constitution.
Here's how things are looking:
STR: 5 + 6 = 11
INT: 3 + 1 = 4
WIS: 6 + 2 = 8
CON: 4 + 4 = 8
DEX: 2 + 6 = 8
CHR: 2 + 1 = 3
At this stage, a 2-4 are low, 5-9 are average, and 10-12 are high. Jackal is strong, a bit on the stupid side, and not very likable at all. James decides that Jackal was born with a unsightly facial defect (hence the low Charisma at birth). During childhood the other children of the village would bully him, making him anti-social. The bullying led to frequent fights, where is superior strength made him feared by the others.
James feels like he's getting a good grip on the character. He rolls the last 6 dice: 5, 5, 2, 1, 1, 4.
He's going to use the 5's on Jackal's Strength and Dexterity. The 4 will bring Intelligence close to average. The low rolls get put into Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Str: 11 + 5 = 16
INT: 4 + 4 = 8
WIS: 8 + 1 = 9
CON: 8 + 2 = 10
DEX: 8 + 5 = 13
CHR: 3 + 1 = 4
James is pretty happy with the character. He would have preferred a better Charisma, for sure, but he knows that the low score can be a catalyst to tell interesting stories about his character.
Instead of using d6's, use a d4 in Phase I and a d8 in Phase 3. This still gives a range of 3-18, with an average of 10.5.