Help with Character planning and optimization and tactics?

[Gavinfoxx]

Hi there, I'm hoping for some minor Character Optimization help for a game I'm in.

Here's the important info. NOTE: I HAVE EDITED THIS POST AND MOST OTHERS IN THE THREAD TO SHOW NEW INFORMATION!!:

130 points
-30 disadvantages maximum

Iron Age tech level, maybe some steel age. I have equivalent of "$1000" in purchase options, if that helps. Note: there ARE significantly higher tech levels in the setting; we are playing in Hyboria, so we might go up against someone with much better armor than we have access to.

Generally Gritty / Viking / Mostly non cinematic. Some minor cinematic moves might be available, but only on a case by case basis.

Only the first level of the defense talents are available, but you can buy all three.

Martial arts styles aren't in play as restrictions, but they do exist. I can choose a la carte techniques, but only things that are culturally appropriate.

So far, the "Low Tech" rules are not in play, as far as I know.

The campaign shows that the character generally fights in a small squad or in duels, not in a shield wall at war or anything.

So far (pending rewrite) The character is a Huscarl with Patron 2, in order to get access to all-important maille armor and some social benefits (the armor is his lord's, not his, and if he does good work, the lord might replace damaged equipment should something like that happen...)

Character is required has to have spear / shield at rank one, because of cultural training. A point should be placed into the viking spear and shield style somehow.

The "everyman" weapons are seax/spear/axe/dagger. The "status" weapon is the one handed sword.

I want the character to focus heavily on sword and shield fighting, with some other stuff that would be expected of "The strong guy".

Strength maximum might be up to 18. Otherwise the normal human limits on attributes are in play.

I'm very interested in the stuff in the martial arts book, but I am more interested in getting a small set of useful maneuvers/skills/perks/etc., and using a small set of things to handle as many melee combat situations as possible.

What would you all suggest I do? Where should I put perks and techniques and such? I would really like some help figuring out a character with these requirements!

Edit again:
Here's a google docs link for what I have so far, tentatively...
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...thkey=CK-ZpP4G

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

Should I spend my 15 points in advantages after Patron in Combat Reflexes?

...Wait, do you have a hard cap of no more than 30 points in Advantages? That makes no sense...

[BaHalus]

130 points for atributes and skills then.

hmmm...

DX 13, IQ 13, 10 points in skills.

:D

[Gavinfoxx]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

...Wait, do you have a hard cap of no more than 30 points in Advantages? That makes no sense...

EDIT: THIS POST IS WRONG. There is no advantage cap.


That's what I meant with "+30 advantages". My hard cap is 30 points. Did I say that that the wrong way?

I REALLY need help with skills. I think I have to buy sword and shield fighting, and maybe something to enable me to get a little more variety of martial arts skills into it somehow??

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

I think I have to buy sword and shield fighting, and maybe something to enable me to get a little more variety of martial arts skills into it somehow??

Are you using Styles in the campaign?

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

That's what I meant with "+30 advantages". My hard cap is 30 points. Did I say that that the wrong way?

Not so much said it the wrong way as...that makes no sense at all. Are you sure that's what your GM meant?

And if it is, do Attribute increases count in that, or not?

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

I REALLY need help with skills. I think I have to buy sword and shield fighting, and maybe something to enable me to get a little more variety of martial arts skills into it somehow??

What do you mean 'martial arts skills'? And consider whether you actually need the style...it may be beneficial, but make sure you're thinking about exactly what you get out of it.

You say you want to primarily use sword (Broadsword skill, I assume?) but also need Spear skill for cultural reasons. How good at Spear do you need to be? That may be a point sink.

Do you ride a horse? Do you fight from a horse? (I'd guess no to the latter.)

And what kind of tricks are you interested in? Some can be worthwhile, but 'pointy end goes in the other guy' takes you a long way too. Raising more than one or two techniques of a single skill is probably a waste.

[Nymdok]

Sword and shield is an excellent choice.

I do however urge you to consider axe/shield as a viable alternative. You still do great swing damage, they are dirt cheap, and you can throw it if you have to :)

For advantages, I always recomend High Paint Threshold and Combat Reflexes for the Frontline fighter types. They are the Siamese Twins of Melee Combat Bad-Assery. That covers 25 points easy, find some other minor Ad that you like for 5.

Skills (Combat):
Axe or Sword,
Shield,
Fast Talk,
Thrown weapon of some sort,
Fast Draw

Skills (Non-Combat)
First Aid,
Area Familiarity,
Boating/Crewman,
Survival,
Navigation,


That oughta sort most of your points out :)

Nymdok

[Gavinfoxx]

EDIT: This part is wrong and depreciated
(((I don't know how I am supposed to say it.

The things under the "Advantages and perks" Header, where I tentatively put Combat Reflexes (15) and Patron 2 (15) can only equal 30. So 15 + 15 = 30. What's the right way to describe this restriction?

)))

And by martial arts skills, I mean stuff like Sword and Shield, Counterattack Broadsword, or Thrust Broadsword Vitals, or stuff like that. Stuff from the martial arts handbook? I think he's using the styles as written in the Martial Arts book, but I MIGHT be able to do something to get "Sword and shield fighting" to be more inclusive, if I pay for it somehow...?

I'm interested in using the shield in an interesting way, figuring out how to 'Beat' in a way that's useful (I don't understand those rules, but I like the idea of using strength to knock his shield or sword away), pummelling for close combat, targeted attacks to disable the opponent's ability to fight or defend themselves, and targeted attacks to drop enemies, I guess. Maybe some counters or something, but not a lot in that?

No horse, by the way.

[Kazander]

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

I don't know how I am supposed to say it.

The things under the "Advantages and perks" Header, where I tentatively put Combat Reflexes (15) and Patron 2 (15) can only equal 30. So 15 + 15 = 30. What's the right way to describe this restriction?

It does. The problem you're seeing is disbelief on the part of other 'forumites', as this is a Highly Unusual restriction.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

I don't know how I am supposed to say it.

The things under the "Advantages and perks" Header, where I tentatively put Combat Reflexes (15) and Patron 2 (15) can only equal 30. So 15 + 15 = 30. What's the right way to describe this restriction?

Again, the problem is not that you're communicating this badly, it's that it is such a bizarre constraint I'm disbelieving. (As Kazander explains)

I guess that means attributes are not so constrained, which is good. You'll want some ST...

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

And by martial arts skills, I mean stuff like Sword and Shield, or Thrust Broadsword Vitals, or stuff like that. Stuff from the martial arts handbook? I think he's using the styles as written in the Martial Arts book, but I MIGHT be able to do something to get "Sword and shield fighting" to be more inclusive, if I pay for it somehow...?

Styles do less than you seem to think. The only things a style does in general is give you the benefits of your Style Familiarity perk, and let you count the points spent on its Skills and Techniques toward Style Perks. There's no reason you can't have Skills or Techniques outside your style(s).

Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx

I'm interested in using the shield in an interesting way, figuring out how to 'Beat' in a way that's useful (I don't understand those rules, but I like the idea of using strength to knock his shield or sword away), pummelling for close combat, targeted attacks to disable the opponent's ability to fight or defend themselves, and targeted attacks to drop enemies, I guess. Maybe some counters or something, but not a lot in that?

Just having the shield on your arm is useful. It gives its DB to all your active defenses, even if you have no skill with it. That's probably the most important thing it does. It's likely that the shield block will be your best defense against missile weapons, though, since it's easier to raise than Dodge.

I suggest going for the Shield Wall Training perk and using a large shield. They're nice.

Beat is probably not very much use, because your ST isn't going to be all that much higher than your DX, and Beats aren't as useful as Feints all things being equal.

Pummeling is a very specialized thing to train. You probably want to just use it at default, if you even actually need it.

Are the rules from Low Tech in play? They may make a big difference if you're facing armored human opponents, particularly for Targeted Attacks.

You've also just got too many Techniques floating around. Each technique costs a point per level (often plus an extra one for the first level). If you raise 4 techniques, you'd do better just raising the base skill one level because that raises all uses of the skill. Techniques are good for one or two favorite tricks. If you do all of them alike, just buy up the skill instead.