Random Traits: Advantages, Disadvantages, etc.

[Henchman99942]

Howdy.

I am making a random traits chart for everything from increases and decreases in Basic Attributes and Secondary Characteristics to acquiring new Advantages and Disadvantages. I would like something other than a simple one-each listing, something where more common traits would occur with more likelihood on the chart. While it would be cool to have such a chart for any and all tech levels and genres, I am looking for something that would apply specifically to a near future cyberpunk campaign.

Basically the premise is that the PC is putting themselves up for genetic and cybernetic experimentation, -aka- becoming a Lab Monkey. It costs 5 points to buy a roll on the Lab Monkey chart. The chart is only slightly skewed to yield positive traits. Additional buys are at a -1 to the roll, so multiple tries become self defeating.

My question is, has anyone done something like this before and, if so, do you still have your charts? I don't want to put anyone out. But if you already worked on something similar, I would appreciate the sharing.

-Thanks.

[Captain Joy]

I generally figure that the greater (or more negative) the cost of the advantage (or disadvantage), the less likely it is to come up. Something like that might get you started.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I generally figure that the greater (or more negative) the cost of the advantage (or disadvantage), the less likely it is to come up. Something like that might get you started.

Yeah. Given that it takes 5 points to roll, I would give it an offset bigger than 5 though. As it's random, the average result should be better than if you pick something yourself.

I don't think the values of the (dis)advantages follow a normal distribution, so getting the math to work is a bit tricky. You can pad things with pure stat changes.

I think you need two rolls, one for how many points, and then one for the specifics.

[dfinlay]

I tried something like this for a game. It didn't work out very well. Playing a character with a crippling disadvantage or even an advantage that doesn't fit your image of them isn't so much fun. When even one player is resenting something like that, it becomes not fun for anyone. Similarly, if one player got a huge edge, it can seem unfair or unfun to others who didn't.

If you're going to do this, I'd make all of the traits fairly small and make sure all of the possibilities have an upside and that each possible roll will be useful and fun to play in spite of the downside for every niche that's appropriate for the game. Additionally, I would recommend some form of mulligan whereby if a player doesn't like their roll, they can roll again (either just once or at the cost of a few CP and probably just for a trait of the same point value). I'd even recommend that each possible roll have the same point value.

[ArchonShiva]

It's a bit tangential, but the original In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas (the game that SJG licensed to create In Nomine) had power tables built like DF treasure tables (roll three dice, get a result from 1-1-1 to 6-6-6), and frequently allowed you to roll two dice and pick the first digit, so you had a choice between five wildly different powers (1xx were all attacks, 2xx resisted powers, 3xx defenses, 4xx utility and 5xx resources and allies, I think. 6xx were disadvantages, either for when you rolled 3 dice, or were forced to roll 2d6 for a limitation)

Straight up random is terribly annoying to a lot of people, but picking between five often us optimal choices added a lot of colour (and a dose of silliness). It's possibly the most fun (fun, not best) character creation system I've seen, and almost the only random one I enjoy.