Character Generation

Introduction

Bardic Tales is a system that attempts to create as realistic and feasible a role-playing environment as possible. Characters are defined both by their skills and statistics representing attributes of the character.

Before skills are taken into consideration each character is represented by nine primary statistics (stats), four persistent primary attributes, and many secondary stats. In theory all the stats are perfectly balanced and no stat is inherently superior to another in its value to a player. Although this may not be entirely true the system is close enough that one may generate characters under that assumption

Character's qualities and physical and mental capabilities- their fundamental qualities, both physical and mental- are called Statistics in Bardic Tales. Henceforth, statistics will be referred to as stats.

There are nine primary stats in Bardic Tales. There are five physical and four mental. We (the authors as we like to refer to ourselves :-) understand that this is a gross oversimplification. However, it is designed to be playable without the use of a computer processor. Some argue that we have already failed in this :-) Nonetheless, nine primary stats seems to be a workable number. There are also four primary attributes which can impact the secondary statistics.

The five physical stats are: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Agility, and Build. The four mental stats are: Aura, Drive, Discernment, and Intelligence. The four primary attributes are: Race, Sex, Height, and Age.

The primary stats (for most humans) are on a scale of 3-23. It would be dangerous to have a character with a statistic lower than 7, and extremely costly to get a statistic over 18.

Other parts of the character makeup you will hear discussed in this process are level factors (LVF), which are the cumulative pools generated from a set of similar skills and stats. This models skill and stat cross-over effects. Another is secondary stats, which are statistics derived from the primary stats, the LVFs and the specific support skill for that secondary stat. These further define the character's attributes (perception, movement, and endurance are examples).

A character is generated by choosing statistics from a pool of points. These statistics (stats) are the basic attributes of the character and are the framework upon which the character is based. Then, once stats are determined, it is possible to create the Skill Pool. This pool, based on stats (and, at Game Master's discretion, age), is used to create the skills the character has acquired in his pre-run life. The character's skills will shape their profession and their abilities.

Both the stat pool and the skill pool can be used to buy advantages and disadvantages. These are inherent (dis)abilities, (dis)aptitudes, or differences in the character that cannot be covered by skills or stats.

Skill points can be transferred directly from the stat pool to the skill pool but skill points in the skill pool cannot directly purchase stat points except by purchasing the Enhance <STAT> skill for the appropriate stat.

There are some changes from genre to genre to reflect different skill needs and levels of play.

Character Generation Checklist

1. Work with GM to establish available cultures, races, backgrounds, and starting context for the characters.  GM gives players the starting stat pool and the skill pool formula. 

2. Come up with a character concept

3. Select initial primary attributes: race, gender, age and height

4. Purchase primary stats: STR, CON, AGL, DEX, AUR, DRV, DSC, INT, BLD

5. Establish SKILL POOL (based on GM-provided formula and influenced by INT and DSC). 

6. Buy Skills, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Packages

7. Work with GM on Background to establish starting money, equipment, and starting situation given what you have established.

8. Create name, family description, early background, adult history (if applicable) and personality of your character

9. PLAY THE GAME!

Selecting Primary Attributes

In this section we will describe the primary attributes and their details.

Attributes are not (usually :-)) alterable in game play except through magic, extreme technology, or surgery. They are a decision made once during character generation and then set.   Attributes are chosen by the player not purchased. 

Height, Race, Sex and Age are all parts of the character’s story that the player chooses and then uses as part of the character creation process.   This is a story building exercise not a mathematical exercise. Use the math and the formulas to make the character real and sensible but- in partnership with the GM- shape it as fits your story.

Race (RAC)

Race is the character's genotypic background. It is loosely defined and is malleable at the discretion of the GM. In game terms race is a package of modifications to stats and attributes that define the character in a particular way. In some campaigns race may be linked to cultural, political, and/or historical forces and paradigms that the character will then have to deal with. Some GMs will not deal with race modifications.

Racial, gender, and skill-based stat modifications are added as a LINEAR modification after stat and skill pool have been used. Also note that racial packages do not have to be a zero sum- but if they lean more to plus, then the remainder must be bought as an advantage, and if they are negative, they will be taken as a disadvantage. This requires some thought by the GM because the GM must weigh the value of secondary stat modifiers against the stat and skill pool.

Examples:

Viking: +3" HGT; +2 BLD

Pygmy: -6" HGT; -2 BLD

Grey Elf: +6" HGT; +4 INT; -5 BLD; -4 CON; ;-4 STR; +5 AUR; +1 DSC; -20 MDF; +20 MAP

COST: 0

Mountain Dwarf: -24" HGT; +5 BLD; +4 CON; +4 STR; - 5 AUR; -4 AGL; +40 MDF; +2 PAB; +10 MAB; -20 MAP, -10 SCF

COST: 5 point advantage

Sex (SEX)

[GM Warning: This is a loaded topic- if the GM wishes race and sex can be optional rules!]

Sex is the character's biological sex.  It is selected by the player.  For humans there are only two choices: male and female. Hermaphrodites, Trans characters and Undecided must choose which package to choose.  If they do not wish to choose any character can default to the human female base- which is zero modifiers.

[GM Note: strictly a mechanics question- not your character's gender or sexual choice]

The default package is a human female. Human males are: +4" HGT; +2 STR; +3 BLD; -2 DEX, -2 AGL,-1 DSC, +0.5" MVM, -0.5 MAP

Height (HGT) and Weight (WGT)

Age (AGE)

A character can choose their age but please remember the system is designed so that newly generated characters start on a relatively equal footing.  So please do not tell your GM: “Since I am an 800-year-old Elf how come I haven’t mastered the art of sword yet?”.  (S)he will come up with a great story for why not and you may not like it! J

Using an AGE MODIFER is at the GM's discretion. We (the Game Designers) do NOT use Age modifiers and actually recommend staying out of this can of worms since there is so little definitive evidence as to the exact pros and cons of advanced age until the 40s in human beings and it is so impacted by health, level of physical and mental activity, how well the person kept up their body, etc., that it is foolish to try and generate an accurate model at this level of granularity.   Also there are 20 year-olds far more skilled and experienced than 60 year-olds.  Then there are 60 year-olds who have done nothing with their lives and suddenly invent whole new careers, companies and do more in five years than they did the rest of their life. Each person seems to have their time – we are starting this story when you are starting ONE of yours.    You can have a back story and be a grizzled veteran but for whatever reason (your old and have slowed down, you’re drinking again, your wounds from last year’s battle are still plaguing you) you will have the effective skills of a first level character.  If your back story is that you were a master swordsman that is okay- you can have your progression be the slow recovery of your former glory, or your memory can slowly be returning as the spell that took you down fades away.  The story is yours to create but your skills and capacities must operate inside the rules for the Game to be fair and fun for everyone.

RECOMMENDATION: Have the character interested in AGE mods buy skills using their stat pool and take it off their physical stats.

Selecting Primary Statistics

In this section we include a short description of each stat, what LVF(s) they are associated with, and the skills that enhance them. Stat-enhancing skills cost double the normal cost of a skill, give 1 STAT point per two ranks, and apply to a single stat.

It is important to remember that these- although more granular and specific than some systems- are abstractions that are trying to create usable, playable, and generalized descriptions that describe how and to what extent a character can influence the world or be influenced by it.

Acquiring Skills

Managing Advantages and Disadvantages

Wealth

WLT Wealth is financial power. (1997 dollars specific) The base wealth is 5,000 dollars in savings and a salary of 25,000 dollars a year. The base also includes an apartment and a vehicle worth about 10,000 dollars. If you don't own a vehicle you can trade that in for 5,000 dollars of savings.

Each level in wealth is worth plus 5,000 dollars in savings, and +15,000 dollars a year salary. Each level in wealth also gives you 2 "wealth points". If you are taking the Disad “Poverty”, then all these numbers are reversed except that you only lose 5,000 dollars in salary per level.

Every two wealth points allows you to have a higher level of home. You can buy another home for 4 wealth points, an apartment for 2, a small apartment for only 1. You can buy hovels at half point a piece... The levels of home are: none, hovel, small apartment, apartment, small house, large house, estate, mansion. A car can be improved, or purchased, at 10,000 dollars per wealth point. If you wish you can turn each wealth point into 5,000 dollars in cash. Remember, that means you are living in an ordinary apartment and have a cheap car if you use all of them. Also, the levels of houses are relative.... an extravagant apartment with all sorts of electronics and nice furniture is like a small house.

Status

STA Status is the character's position in his society. It affects how much of the financial and material base the character has access to, and how much NPC support the character can receive. It affects Native Culture Lore, Native Language, Streetwise, and the financial and material base for the character. Every level of status will gain you a "wealth point"(see above) and +10% to the mentioned skills. Every negative level will make you lose a wealth point or 2,500 dollars in savings.

Appearance

APP Appearance is the character's beauty and attractiveness to members of the character's race and society. It affect's physical reaction rolls. The positive levels are: attractive, very attractive, beautiful, stunning. The negative levels are: unattractive, very unattractive, ugly, hideous. Improve APP is a CTF skill.

Eidetic Memory (EM)

Level Cost Description

1 Standard Aptitude Cost (SAC) +20 to INF save; + 1 to XPM

2 SAC +40 to INF save; + 2 to XPM

3 SAC +60 to INF save; +3 to XPM

EM Eidetic Memory is specific to physical, mental, or magical (includes KI). The main difference lies in the application of the eXPerience Modifier.   XPM can be applied to the others at half.  Physical to mental, mental to magical, etc. and vice-versa.

Aptitudes

An aptitude is a proficiency with a particular skill or set of conditions. Each level bought gives 5% to the skill success chance and +1% to XPM in that area- the broadness of the area is set by the type purchased.

For Psionic and Magical skills in some campaigns (GM discretion) a level or two in Aptitude is required to use those skills.  For instance, in the Author’s High Fantasy campaign the Wizard Package requires Level 3 in Sorcery Aptitude and Level 2 in Mage Born.

Type Cost Description

Type I Standard Advantage Cost (SAC)/Level Specific Skill

Type II 2*SAC/Level General Area, Skill and sub-skills

Type III 5*SAC/Level Level Factor wide enhancement

Packages

Packages or Culture, Education, and Class Templates are packages of skills that simulate a cultural, educational, or professional background. They exist to make it easier for people to have realistic and well-rounded skill lists. They include the skills that seem to be the basics for that profession, background, or educational level. They are only guidelines. The GM should be flexible in administrating these.

To create a package:

1. Put together the list of skills that fit the concept you are trying to model.

2. Then add the RANKs for each skill.
   Keep in mind as a guideline that it is rare to have a skill above a 2 or 3 in a package. 

3. Then total the cost for the skills and divide it by 0.5 or.75 (rounding up), depending on the type of package. This is the cost of the package.

{GM Note: This could lead to abuse by power gamers so be careful. Make sure the package does cause the player to be well rounded in that area.}

The author recommends using the package templates in the character sheet workbook as a starting point.

Packages can be taken more than once.  If one takes cumulative packages (either sequential packages like high school, college, masters, doctorate or just repeating the soldier or ranger package for example) you add the XP per skill from the package on to the skill as if you had gotten the XP during a run. 

Background/Cultural packages are half cost and typically have 1200 XP worth of skills in them. The first one- the character's ONE and only native culture package- is free.

{GM Note: Remember that people get +30 to their native language and culture, +15 to R/W Native language, and +15 to their Native Streetwise.}

Educational packages are also half cost. They range from 900 to 3200 XP worth of skills in them. Scope is typically one type of education: high school, college, master's degree, doctorate, post-doctorate.

Professional packages are at 3/4 cost. A solid professional package will have a range of around 3000-4000 XP worth of skills in them but could be as low as 1300 XP and as high as 5800 XP.  This is assumes that this is the person's main deal.  It is the closest Bardic Tales comes to having a class.

Players are encouraged to make their own packages and submit them to the GM for approval. In general, a package encompasses a highly structured period of training or experience. Sample packages can be seen in the Culture Package, Education Package, and Class Package tabs on the Character Sheet Workbook.  Some packages have pre-requisites, and some have a lower repeat cost because if you have already bought it and it included Advantages and Disadvantages you do not re-purchase those.