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Old 03-11-2020, 08:20 AM   #11
TippetsTX
 
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Races are balanced in the game with well known racial disadvantages.

Chased by a dwarf? Drop your gold.
Disadvantages are fine, but several in the old and new rules (including this one) feel pretty one-dimensional. Plus you can't really quantify 'greed' in mechanical terms.
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Old 03-11-2020, 09:07 AM   #12
larsdangly
 
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I feel like the biggest constraint on player-character races with exceptional stats is that the core XP progression chart is so steep that they cannot realistically add any attribute points, whether or not you assign them an extra penalty. The most extreme example are giants, who start at ST 25 and really aren't ever going to gain another point of anything because their stat total is too high. Presumably we should interpret the higher ST giants as other races that aren't allowed to be PC's. Anyway, I feel like this is one area where the Legacy Edition rules made a relatively high level error. It would have been better to have XP scale with the rise above your base stats, and then use racial stat maxima and other special properties as your 'balancing'
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Old 03-11-2020, 09:14 AM   #13
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My fix to get to ST 40 giants.

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/house_rules.html#giants
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Old 03-11-2020, 09:48 AM   #14
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I feel like the biggest constraint on player-character races with exceptional stats is that the core XP progression chart is so steep that they cannot realistically add any attribute points...
True, but as you may recall Lars, I don't use the Legacy XP chart. Most of the variant rules I post will presume a less extreme XP cost escalation as well as higher total stat potential for all character types.

Which reminds me, I should probably update the thread covering my revised 'TFTe' XP progression to reflect the final figures we settled on.
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Old 03-12-2020, 07:56 AM   #15
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Additional thoughts about my gnolls...

I suspect the XP adjustment won't be necessary, since their Racial Traits seem to be internally balanced (i.e. going berserk is easy but their low IQ will make coming out of it pretty hard). Plus I'm considering giving them a negative reaction modifier as well as a cap on IQ (rarely higher than 9 or 10, but never more than 12).

From a campaign standpoint, gnolls are virtually unknown in Ptolus. They hail from the arid regions of Uraq far to the south and abhor the trappings of civilized society. They prey on the weak, often as slavers, and in combat prefer primitive but brutal weapons (spiked clubs and chains, barbed nets, hooked spears and axes, etc.).
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Old 03-12-2020, 08:29 AM   #16
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The sick winners in the new game are those damn Hobbits.

They remain at low XP costs for a long time with no caps or real drawbacks.

So I fix that:

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/house_rules.html#Halflings
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Old 03-12-2020, 09:25 AM   #17
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The sick winners in the new game are those damn Hobbits.
No halflings in my campaign, but I do have another race in their place...

FAEN
(picture something like the Gelflings from Dark Crystal)

ST 4, DX 12, IQ 8 plus 6 (30 points)

Racial Traits:
Strength of Spirit - Faen ST may not exceed 10 w/o magical enhancement, but the effective value is 50% higher for the purpose of 'fatigue' (i.e. 6 ST = 9 points available for spellcasting).
Amiable - Faen receive a +1 on any reaction roll with an intelligent creature or “normal” animal.
Keen Aim - Due to their excellent hand-to-eye coordination, Faen have +1 DX with all thrown weapons, slings or targeted spellcasting (missile spells).
Quick & Nimble - MA is 10 in spite of their small stature and they also enjoy +1 DX when performing agility-related feats (i.e. jumping, balancing, juggling, etc.).

Note: Because of their small size, they have a -2 DX when fighting giant-sized opponents in melee combat. On the plus side, giants have a -3 DX when attacking a Faen character. Human-size opponents have -1 DX to hit them.

Base MA: 10
Starting Age: 15
Size: Half-hex
XP Adjustment: None
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Old 03-25-2020, 05:52 PM   #18
KevinJ
 
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For my Goranth campaign only one of the races is native to the world and that is The People (old school 4ft tall dog-lizards). Every other race was brought to Goranth by the Outsider, who only wants to conquer Goranth. Each of the fantast races has a non-traditional 'background story' of how they came to Goranth and their new culture is only partly what they brought with them from their home world.

When they were introduced to the players, who are all People, they are the White Devil, Stone Folk, Norks, Gobblings, Orgs, and Grey Gobblings. They have yet to find humans, the Zards (a genetic off stoot of The People), ot The Lost (also off shoots of The People).
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Old 03-25-2020, 08:18 PM   #19
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...they are the White Devil, Stone Folk, Norks, Gobblings, Orgs, and Grey Gobblings. They have yet to find humans, the Zards (a genetic off stoot of The People), ot The Lost (also off shoots of The People).
I recall you mentioning this campaign before. Do the races all have the same stats/traits as ITL or did you customize them a bit?
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Old 05-09-2020, 08:01 PM   #20
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Adapted from Monte Cook's Ptolus setting (with a nod to Warhammer)...

SKAAVEN (Ratmen)
ST 5, DX 10, IQ 7 plus 6 (28 points)

Skaaven are much more than rats that walk upright and use tools. They are degenerate, conniving, repulsive, and malevolent creatures that revel in the misery of others and the spread of disease and filth. These so-called 'ratmen' live off the civilizations of other races. They use tools, weapons, clothing and armor, but only what they can steal from others. They eat almost anything organic, including the flesh of their fallen comrades. Hungry Skaaven will turn on each other cannibalistically without hesitation. Their life is harsh, painful, and (fortunately) short.

Racial Traits:
Feral HTH - Between their claws and razor sharp teeth, Skaaven are always considered 'armed' and deal +2 damage in HTH or unarmed melee.
Disease Carriers - A successful hit using their natural 'weapons' (except the tail) has a 50% chance of infecting their target (followed by a 3d save vs current ST) with some kind of disease.*
Tail Whip - Skaaven can use their semi-prehensile tails as a short 1-hex whip in their rear or side hexes. Since this counts as an attack, they are at -4 DX on both attacks if they also use a weapon that turn.
Repulsive Nature - Since most intelligent races associate the Skaaven with violence, disease and filth (legitimately so), their presence invokes a -3 on reaction rolls.

Base MA: 10
Size: 1-hex (though on the smaller side... between 4 and 5ft tall)

In my Ptolus campaign, Skaaven are only intended to be used as NPCs due to the extreme prejudice they receive.

*I'm currently using the rules for diseases presented in Hexagram #3.
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