basic speed +.25 available?

[Not]

Do I have to buy Basic Speed in 20-point increments?

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Not

Do I have to buy Basic Speed in 20-point increments?

Nope. You can buy +0.25 for 5 points ending up with fractional values if desired. Speed has its greatest value if you end up with a whole number because that translates directly to Move. But you could, for example, boost a 6.00 to 6.25 to get a boost in the initiative order. (Your PC would act before anybody with speed 6.00 or lower.) See Adventurers, p. 11, for further details.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Not

Do I have to buy Basic Speed in 20-point increments?

Nope! From Adventurers, p. 11: "Delvers can increase Basic Speed for 5 points per +0.25, or reduce it for -5 points per -0.25."

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Dalin

Nope. You can buy +0.25 for 5 points ending up with fractional values if desired. Speed has its greatest value if you end up with a whole number because that translates directly to Move. But you could, for example, boost a 6.00 to 6.25 to get a boost in the initiative order. (Your PC would act before anybody with speed 6.00 or lower.) See Adventurers, p. 11, for further details.

Above all, it translates directly to Dodge. Dodge is an amazing defense.

[Dalin]

It's also fairly common to sell fractional increments back (so to speak) to regain points from unused speed. The Barbarian, for example, starts with DX and HT of 13, which produces Basic Speed 6.5. The template begins by reducing speed to 6.00 which gains ten points to spend on other things. One option on the list of advantages would be to boost Basic Speed up by +1.00 or +2.00 for 20 points per level. In this way, you never end up with a fractional speed.

[Kromm]

Yes, details are up to the player!

I know players who always go for X.00 because they just want the Basic Move and Dodge, and see fractions as wasteful; this is the stance taken by all of the official templates. I also know players who always go for X.25 because they want to get the jump on all those Dodge-optimized characters who act at X.00. And I know players who let Basic Speed fall where it may because they find tweaking it too fiddly.

As the rules say, "Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: Anyone can raise these, subject to certain limits. Maximum ST, DX, IQ, HT, Will, or Per is 20; HP or FP can be at most 1/3 higher than ST or HT, respectively; Basic Speed can't exceed its figured value +2; and Basic Move can be at most +3 over its figured value." Swashbucklers are exceptional, and may raise Basic Speed by up to +4 over its figured value.

[Not]

Originally Posted by Dalin

It's also fairly common to sell fractional increments back (so to speak) to regain points from unused speed. The Barbarian, for example, starts with DX and HT of 13, which produces Basic Speed 6.5. The template begins by reducing speed to 6.00 which gains ten points to spend on other things. One option on the list of advantages would be to boost Basic Speed up by +1.00 or +2.00 for 20 points per level. In this way, you never end up with a fractional speed.

I was looking at the Barbarian. I had a mad notion to start with HT+4, then I walked it back to HT+3 with an additional BS+.25 to top off move and dodge, but the template offered whole number increments. Either way, that's one healthy barbarian!

[Anders]

HT 16 is pretty much the same as Unkillable. You will not drop from damage until you die.

[ArchonShiva]

Note that selling down Basic Speed counts against your disadvantage limit, so if you want to max out available points long-term you might want to avoid that because once you buy back to get the next whole number you’re usually not getting other disadvantages.

Most GMs will let you later convert +0.25 Speed into +1 HT [5] or DX [15], though.

As an optional rule, you can hold off on rounding off Move until after encumbrance, which lets (e.g.) Moves 6.25 to 6.75 become Move 5 at Light Encumbrance instead of 4. Going from Basic Speed 6.75 to Move 4 because of a 20% penalty feels *quite harsh*.