| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Thumbs
Acolyte
4 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:12:24
|
|
I need some help with a game mechanic and hopefully you guys are willing to help mme out. I am about to start a new campaign. I want to start the campaign with my PCs knowing what classes the are. I am thinking to allow them to pick their own races. I want their actions to determine what class they become. How should I run the actual game? The PCs will not be starting out with any character sheets. I want the party to start the adventure and they have complete amnesia. They can't even remember their own names. I am going to handle their stats by starting them all at regular stats at 11 and, depending on how they play their characters they will begin to get stat points. Like someone who fights at the vanguard all the time, then their strength and constitution will increase. Where are the faults in my plan. (luckily I do not play with any rules lawyers, they just roll when and what I tell them to roll. Their trust in me and my games is complete)
|
"I think rain is wet, but then again, I think fish is nice so who am I to judge." - God |
|
|
Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:21:20
|
Don't give stat points out. Instead, start them with 10s in all stats, modified by racial adjustments, and one level in an NPC class(I suggest expert, and make it the same class for all of them). When they are ready to become full adventurers, apply the following set of modifiers to their stats: +4, +4, +2, +2, +0(there should be a -2 there too, but it's hard to justify their stats going down), and give them all their first levels in whatever class is appropriate. The only problem with this is skill points, which can be solved in one of two ways.
I-give them the first Hit Die skill point multiplier(x4) in their first PC class level, even though it's their second level
II-allow them to redistribute their skill points from their NPC class level once they take their level in a PC class. Be careful to only allow them to redistribute their scores, though, and use the skill point formula with their old score.
You might want to allow them to repick their feat, too.
The reason to use this is so that they're still statistically balanced and rules-compliant(it avoids nearly all the headaches you'll encounter), while still giving you the results you want. When they have only NPC class levels, count them as having a CL of 1/2, and then a 1 with their first PC class level. |
Edited by - Arivia on 17 Jan 2006 04:23:27 |
 |
|
|
Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:30:14
|
Err, this is problemactical type of play.
If you let the characters have starting equipment, they will tend to know what they are, also spell casters not knowing they need to meditate for spells will put them at a great disadvantage.
The basic flaw I see is spell casting, anyone can hit a person with hand or weapon, however one needs to know how to cast a spell.
Feats concerning combat or skills as class might be done this way for detemining if one is ranger, fighter, perhaps even bard or theif. You might even sqeeze in a Sor by somebody trying to cast a spell (but not knowing they can).
Another flaw will likely be your players will try to become the class they want, hard to totally remove player knowledge from a player after all. The resulting DM descion of declaring a thief a bard could unpset the players.
You also run into identity problems.
"Hi what is your name?"
"I do not know, what is your name?"
"Now that you mention it, I do not know my name either."
It can be an interesting RP concept, however implimentation persents many problems. How much do they not know, do they forget world history, do they even know gods exist, do they know about magic, orcs, goblins, etc.? How much do they know and not know? |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
|
|
|
Thumbs
Acolyte
4 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:36:35
|
| Those are some pretty good ideas. You mentioned a lot of things that I had not thought of. One question though, why us Experts or any other classes? And how will I do that when they have no character sheets? And I was going to let their actions decide their advancement in feats and skills in the same manner as their stats. Do you think I should go with your automatic progression or have their actions handle stats. And I COULD decrease some of their stats if they rarely use that stat, but it WOULD have to be in a sincere neglection of the stat (such as a barbarian who basically just swings his weapon when he is told to. He would probably lose points in INT if that was the case. |
"I think rain is wet, but then again, I think fish is nice so who am I to judge." - God |
|
|
|
Thumbs
Acolyte
4 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:42:28
|
I REALLY like the idea of them casting spells but not realizing it. Plus, I want my PCs to gravitate towards the classes they want to play, so, IN THEORY, their characters would begin to behave in that manner. I have already solved the problem of their equipment. And, as far as names go, they can just make them up in game instead of out of game. And I would think that would have rudimental knowledge of the world (who the Gods are and things like that)
What do ya'll think of those ideas.
And...I REALLY appreciate ya'll helping me out. |
"I think rain is wet, but then again, I think fish is nice so who am I to judge." - God |
|
|
|
Dhomal
Senior Scribe
USA
565 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 04:52:12
|
Hello-
Well - I dont see it as *quite* as big of a problem - an interesting idea too!
I think that possibly the players can just 'do' things - and those that tend to hang back a bit - well - maybe they will be the casters - especially if they think out their problems. That would show intelligence.
Also - as I understand it - and thats not necessarilly a lot - Amnesia can rob a person of varying levels of memory loss. Sometime I guess - its almost total memory loss - with a person needing to re-learn language, etc from ground zero.
Some people just forget a large chunk of time - say - from their childhood to present - so their names would be remembered.
Some people suffer a form of shorter-term memory loss - where they wont remember - say - the last few days.
As I recall in the dim memory of the distant past of my gaming experience - there were a couple of modules produced that used a similar non-leveled PCs starting out as a concept. Sorry I can't add anything to that - perhaps one of the more learned sages will be able to provide more information.
BTW - I'm curious as to how this works out!
Dhomal |
I am collecting the D&D Minis. I would be more than willing to trade with people. You can send me a PM here with your email listed - and I can send you my minis list. Thanks!
Successfully traded with Xysma! |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 06:01:18
|
quote:
Originally posted by Dhomal
As I recall in the dim memory of the distant past of my gaming experience - there were a couple of modules produced that used a similar non-leveled PCs starting out as a concept. Sorry I can't add anything to that - perhaps one of the more learned sages will be able to provide more information.
BTW - I'm curious as to how this works out!
Dhomal
One of the Super Endless Quest novels also did something like that... I don't recall the title, but it was set in Dragginglance. Your character had amnesia, and, depending on the choices you made, either turned out to be a fighter and a prince or a thief. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
|
|
|
George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 06:37:03
|
Wasn't the FR adventure set in the Korinn Archipelago, north of the Moonshaes, such a creature also? N4 Treasure Hunt was what it was called IIRC ...
-- George Krashos
|
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
|
|
|
Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 14:05:33
|
Why not give them all trials, each one based on a certain stat, and evaluate their performance on each one. Almost like a 'tutorial' on some computer games.
Give each of them a few different ways of solving (e.g. by combat, by stealth, by diplomacy, by cunning etc) and depending on how the party (and each individual) copes, assign them their stat bonuses.
I.e. in the maze, one person does quite poorly, another figures out a good plan, so of the +4 +4 +2 +2 +0 Arivia said, give the poor one a +0 in wisdom and the sensible one the +4.
Then either let them pick their class, or assign it based on their abilities.
One way to introduce magic users into the options are to give a few wands out (or a choice of starting equipment) and have them all able to use weapons/scrolls/wands with equal ease until the trials are over.
For the sake of making the trials as varied as possible (and accounting for the fact some of them will lose or gain abilities once the trials are over, for example the one that becomes a fighter will no longer be able to use scrolls), why not have the 'trials' all in their minds?
What I mean by that is, have them wake up 'after' the trials have taken place, to find that although they still don't know who they are or where they are, they are all together and have taken part in a group 'dream'
Here is something I wrote a while ago in plans for trials in unlocking a powerful spellbook. You can use it or not as you see fit
Trial of Might: Undecided yet
Trial of Swiftness: Undecided yet
Trial of Endurance: All damage is subdual. Adventurers must fight series of increasingly tough opponents. Will end with adventurers all being knocked unconscious, but they are magically restored and told whether they have passed or not.
Trial of Sense: Adventurers must get through a maze, defeating monsters along the way, as the ceiling slowly comes down. Certain walls can be shifted by the party, some shift on their own. Some walls can be destroyed by magic only, some by physical damage only.
Trial of Knowledge: Puzzles to beat, first are the elementals that must be beaten in the correct order (Water, Fire, Air, Earth). Clues to order given by a riddle. If done in correct order all are lvl 3, if fire is picked first all are lvl 6, air 9, earth 12.
Then there is a mathematical puzzle of some sort (something simple like filling a cup with a certain amount of water, or a game of Nim, where there are a number of items, players take it in turns to remove 1 2 or 3 items, the person to pick the last item loses)
Trial of Compassion: Adventurers given a case and must decide who is the guilty party, and then give judgement. If they choose incorrectly their judgement is imposed upon them. If they judge unfairly then they are also put on trial as collaborators.
Trial of Teamwork: Goal is to understand team mates better, they each get transformed into another class and are locked away separately, where they must find each other and work their way to the middle of the dungeon.
|
|
|
|
Thumbs
Acolyte
4 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 15:46:05
|
| You guys are awesome, I really appreciate all of this. |
"I think rain is wet, but then again, I think fish is nice so who am I to judge." - God |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
need some help
