Posts tagged "characters"

April 2019 update and devblog

Hello, I hope you're well! It's time for our monthly update, albeit a little early to get ahead of the Easter weekend, and we've got a few interesting items to cover this time. 

 

Character Creation Streamline

The system to create characters has been gradually pared back over the last few years, as we looked for an easy way to cover the process, and we're doing it again! 

Firstly, the Buff Points system to determine Attributes is being simplified. No longer will you have the diminishing returns of the current system to contend with - instead, you gain 1 Attribute point per Buff Point you spend, but with a maximum of 10 points to one Attribute, and a default amount of 22 Buff Points to spend. I went over the numbers to ensure this was a reasonable amount, and for humans, it yields 4 13's and 2 12's, if one was to average out the numbers. This new system does make it easier to min/max, but because most characteristics and skills require the combination of 2 Attributes, maxing one out isn't as dominate as you might hope, and of course the other Attributes suffer as a result. I've updated the character build example to reflect this change.

Next, there's a revision of the Background system. There are currently two stages (really three, if you count the baseline race bonuses), which are Background and Career. They each received separate skill points, usually 30 for Background and 20 for Career, to show that some skills weren't as developed as ones you'd learned earlier in life. 

The Career stage has been removed, and the ability to pick custom skills to flesh out your character is now folded into each Background. All skills at this step get 30 points (assuming the standard adult age category), eliminating the need to add separate numbers to separate skills. To balance the backgrounds better, they now have fixed skills (as before) bolstered by a varying number of freely chosen skills. Some backgrounds are more fixed than free, and some are very free indeed, but suffer for this in other ways.

So you just pick a Background, pick a few freely chosen skills (if offered), and add 30 points to everything. Done! This system will yield slightly higher starting numbers, which is a good thing as the lower numbers at the start meant a lot of swing-and-miss fights. Characters start out a little more competant now, which isn't a bad thing at all.

 

Imperial Units

One requested feature for Sabre has been the addition of imperial units, which are commonly used in the US and UK. I quite like using metric myself, but can see this would be an impediment to the system being enjoyed in those countries, so instead of creating a separate manual with imperial units, I've opted to put them alongside their metric versions throughout the manual. 

Anything with a metric unit will be followed by an imperial unit, usually in brackets. In the scifi system, vehicle templates have separate kph and mph areas, and all conversion tables list both types side by side. But there's a little twist to this alteration, to do with the combat grid. 

Typically, one square has been equal to 1 metre, but instead of having some realistic but increasingly complex conversion process, I've opted to list most combat-related measurements in 'squares'. Squares represent 1 metre of you're playing metric, and 1 yard if you're using imperial. This way, the grid stays easily understandable, and special effects, ranged attacks etc. all have their listed range in Squares instead of metric or yards. You just think of Squares as whatever suits the system you're using. Easy (I hope!) 

 

Threat Levels

We've added some more nuance to the Threat Level calculation in the scifi system, as after extensive playing we've found that plasma damage, perforate effects, and damage that bypasses AP altogether are more powerful than first thought. So, they have specific calculations that are added to the table, along with an easier way of calculating the effects of baseline damage - the first 10 points was awkwardly calculated as +1 for the first 6, and another +1 for the next 4, before settling on +1 for every two points. Now it's just +1 for every two points of damage you deal in one attack - halving makes it easy!

 

Separating the Manual

I still plan to put the starship section in its own manual, but decided to get the previous items out of the way first. It'll need cover art and I want to expaned on some of the details within. My apologies to those suffering slow loading times on their tablets, I'll get to it next month :)

 

Scifi Intro Module(s)

I've completed the module, including a nice cover, and I'll be playtesting it next week with my usual group. After we see how it goes, I'll make any changes it needs and then it'll be online shortly thereafter. The 2nd module, dealing with starships, is now under way, and I'll be test-playing that the week after the 1st module, and once I've made a cover for it, it'll go online as well. These are both free mods that should go a long way to explaining more of how the scifi system works, now that development is slowing as systems fall into place and prove themselves both fun and usable :)

That's all we have this month, I hope to have both intro modules released before the next update. I hope you give the character creation system a whirl and see what you think about the change! Peace.

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The Besiary and Encounters manuals have been updated with imperial conversions and general corrections of old or erroneous data.

 

v1.11 Scifi Manual

Core Changes:

* Revised the method for applying Buff Points to Attributes during character creation. 22 Points, no more tiered point calculations, just add straight on (max of 10 per Attribute).

* Removed the Career stage of character creation, and simply folded extra skill options into each background.

* All backgrounds have been revised with the new system, some with more fixed skills than others. Some other bonuses have been revised as required.

* Added Imperial units alongside metric units. Revised some of the numbers along the way, such as boat speeds, some species height etc. 

* Added the concept of 'Squares', used to denote either metres or yards on a combat grid map, and for abilities which list a range, whichever is preferred.

* Technical Skills are now simply referred to as Tech Skills.

 

Threat Level Calculations

* Adjusted the Threat Level table to better reflect Perforate, Plasma and Psychic damage, as well as a separate entry for collision, radiation and electrical damage.

* Added calculations to the ship TL table for perforate & plasma damage, and raiation/electrical/collision damage.

* Half of Energy AP also counts along with Partial Block bonus on TL table.

* Veiran joins Shifter on the Threat Level table for being able to function below 1 HP.

 

Other Stuff

* 'Power Spike' is now a modern era powered melee weapon under the Swords category.

* 'Laser Sword' is now called 'Light Blade', under the Blades category.

* 'Plasma Sword' is now Huge in SIZ, damage increased.

* 'Laser Blade' is now called 'Laser Scythe' under the swords category.

* Concentration effects are now re-rolled every time the subject tries to break free of the effect, instead of going back to the original roll.

* Mentioned that the Seduction skill usually has a -20% penalty when used against members of the same sex, subject to GM's determination on a case-by-case basis.

* Added 'Lockbreaker Bomb' to modern explosives.

* 'Sleep' is now correctly listed as C1 duration in the quick detail table.

* Weapons with the Explosive trait now have their range listed with them.

* After posession, veirans are dazed for 1 minute.

* 'Suggestion' psychic power has had its short description text corrected.

* Compensator Barrel Mods no longer reduce range.

* Silencer and Suppressor Barrel Mods no longer reduce range, impose -2 damage instead.

* Clarified that a Remote Control device requires the use of Robotics or Electronics for robots/turrets/minidrones.

* Powered armour now has an in-built Computers skill for resisting hacking attempts. 

* 'Neural Programming' talent can now also be applied to powered armour.

* Bioweapon 'Contagious' option now stacks its bleed effect with each success. Which is really gross after a few rounds.

* Removed old 'Magnify' psi discipline entry.

* Replaced missing text on streamlined starship hulls.

* Added 'Extra Command' robot upgrade for clockwork and steam robots.

* Circuits only take 8 hours to make each in an Industrial Fabricator.

* Mentari hull bonus is now +10% to stealth and halves the round by round capacitor cost for cloaking devices.

* 'Bend light' discipline now correctly lists its activation as 1 action.

* 'Psi Shield' now grants +5 AP per spirit spent.

* 'Brawler' background event now gives the option to add skill points to Martial Arts.

* 'Hardlight Shield' can now be mounted on a longarm or heavy weapon, allows Block reaction with a penalty.

* 'Remove Viewing' discipline now specifies it doesn't reveal a target's location, only that you can see them.

* Added 'Psychic Mastery' talent.

 

v2.92 Premium Edition Fantasy Manual

Core Changes:

* Revised the method for applying Buff Points to Attributes during character creation. 22 Points, no more tiered point calculations, just add straight on (max of 10 per Attribute).

* Removed the Career stage of character creation, and simply folded extra skill options into each background.

* All backgrounds have been revised with the new system, some with more fixed skills than others. Some other bonuses have been revised as required.

* Added Imperial units alongside metric units. Revised some of the numbers along the way, such as boat speeds, some species height etc. 

* Added the concept of 'Squares', used to denote either metres or yards on a combat grid map, and for abilities which list a range, whichever is preferred.

 

General Tweaks

* Added a table near the start of character creation to show how to lay out your skills on the character sheet.

* 'Wall of Ice' spell no longer has invulnerability to mundane weapons.

* 'Brawler' background event now gives the option to add skill points to Martial Arts.

* 'Sleep' spell is now correctly listed as C1 duration in the quick detail table.

* Mentioned that the Seduction skill usually has a -20% penalty when used against members of the same sex, subject to GM's determination on a case-by-case basis.

* Concentration effects are now re-rolled every time the subject tries to break free of the effect, instead of going back to the original roll.

 

 

v1.76 Basic Edition Fantasy Manual

Core Changes:

* Revised the method for applying Buff Points to Attributes during character creation. 22 Points, no more tiered point calculations, just add straight on (max of 10 per Attribute).

* Removed the Career stage of character creation, and simply folded extra skill options into each background.

* All backgrounds have been revised with the new system, some with more fixed skills than others. Some other bonuses have been revised as required.

* Added Imperial units alongside metric units. Revised some of the numbers along the way, such as boat speeds, some species height etc. 

* Added the concept of 'Squares', used to denote either metres or yards on a combat grid map, and for abilities which list a range, whichever is preferred.

 

General Tweaks

* Added a table near the start of character creation to show how to lay out your skills on the character sheet.

* 'Brawler' background event now gives the option to add skill points to Martial Arts.

* 'Sleep' spell is now correctly listed as C1 duration in the quick detail table.

* Mentioned that the Seduction skill usually has a -20% penalty when used against members of the same sex, subject to GM's determination on a case-by-case basis.

* Concentration effects are now re-rolled every time the subject tries to break free of the effect, instead of going back to the original roll.