Adapting Third Edition Templates To Fourth Edition

[Otaku]

Please pardon the double post, but I made time to work on the templates and things suddenly just started "clicking". I was able to get all the Knight Template Lenses to the same 30 point cost. On top of the base Knight template, that means the total comes to 155 without having maxed out Disadvantages and Quirks. There was a different cost to this, however; I beefed up what the existing lenses gave, and there are some Skills that could be higher or lower if I wasn't trying to hit 30 CP on the dot.

Courtly Knight (+30 points): Add +1 IQ [20], Charisma +2 [10], Enemy (Political faction) (Medium-sized Group, 6 or less) [-10], Dancing (A) DX [2]-12, Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]-11, Falconry (M/A) IQ-1 [1]-10, Games (Chess) (E) IQ [1]-11, Politics (M/A) IQ [2]-11. This kind of knight should not be Illiterate.

Most of the changes here were because of my changes to the base Template. As I believe IQ 11 is sufficient as the baseline for a Courtly Knight, the +1 remains the same. I have added Charisma +2 as that seems appropriate (and maybe even necessary) for this kind of character. The Enemy Disadvantage I left untouched. While the Attributes are higher than the base Knight template I just posted, they're lower than in previous attempts; I decided to just spend more CP on the relevant Skills. I did add Diplomacy to the Skills from this Lens, and bought up to IQ. I believe Charisma would usually provide a bonus to Diplomacy rolls, but I might be reading RAW incorrectly. I might have to lower Charisma down to just one level, though, because this version of Courtly Knight currently lacks Leadership or Tactics.

General (+30 points): Add +1 IQ [20], Talent: War-Born Leader 2 [10], Bloodlust (12) [-10*], Leadership (A) IQ [2]-13, Strategy (H) IQ [4]-13, and Tactics (H) IQ [4]-13. Note: Talent adds +1/level to Leadership, Strategy, and Tactics (already included).

While the original version of this Lens does not include any bonus to IQ, since I have the base template at IQ 10, I decided the +1 fit here. The big change is replacing Charisma with War Born-Leader. While I normally favor the option from Basic over something from a supplement, this talent benefits multiple Skills important to the General Template. Speaking of which, Leadership and Tactics, originally present in the base Heroic Knight template but absent from my plain Knight template, were again added back in at this point.

Heroic (30): Add +1 DX [20], +1 IQ [20], +1 HT [10], -25 points of mental disadvantages chosen from Charitable [-15*], Code of Honor (Chivalry) [-15], Compulsive Behavior (Vowing) (12) [-5*], Honesty [-10*], Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10], Selfless [-10], Sense of Duty (Nation) [-10], Truthfulness [-5*], and Vow (Never refuse a request for aid) [-15]; Leadership (A) IQ-[1]-10, and Tactics (H) IQ [4]-11

Here's where I put the stuff I split off from the original base template. The DX still isn't as high as it once was, but because we've invested more points in Skills, it still results in Skill 15 where before it was Skill 14, Skill 14 where before it was Skill 13, etc. The same for IQ, though that did reach its old, previous high. To pay for this, more Disadvantage points had to be spent, but I just stuck in the more "heroic" Disadvantage options from the original template. Leadership and Tactics return here; it may seem odd that I'm only spending 5 total points on the two Skills, and that Tactics is now higher than Leadership but... well... I only had 5 CP left to spend.

I am wondering if Independent Income should be worked in, for a Heroic Knight who doesn't have to spend much time managing their estate. To the point I debated creating an Adventuring Knight template instead of or in addition to the above Heroic one.

Monster Slayer (+30 points): Add +1 DX [20], +1 PER [5], Overconfidence (12) [-5*] and Tracking (A) PER [2]-11. Choose one of Bow (A) DX+1 [4]-13, Crossbow (E) DX+2 [4]-14 or Sling (H) DX [4]-12. Choose one of Biology/TL3 (Zoology) (H) IQ [4]-10, Hidden Lore (A) IQ+1 [4] -11, Naturalist (H) IQ [4]-10, or Theology (H) IQ [4]-10. Specializations must be relevant to whatever it is you’re hunting and killing.

The Dragonslayer has become the "Monster slayer", in the spirit of genericization. If it doesn't sound too much like something else, I might just call it the "Slayer" Lens instead. I expect more out of a slayer of monsters, so the higher DX makes sense to me here. It also means all those highly trained combat Skills from the base Knight template go up by one, and that again makes sense to me. Noticing things is also more important, so PER gets bumped up as well. I left in Overconfidence, though I'm tempted to come up with a few alternatives to list and give the players a choice. I know it makes things a bit messy, but I decided to give our slayers a choice between Bow, Crossbow, and Sling for ranged weapons. I also give a choice in what kind of knowledge Skill the Monster Slayer has. If any of those skills don't make sense - I'm looking at you, Theology - then please, let me know. :)

Villainous (30): Add +1 DX [20], +1 IQ [20], +1 HT [10], -30 points of Mental and/or Social Disadvantages chosen from Bully [-10]*, Callous [-5]* or Low Empathy [-20]*, Enemy (Political faction) (Medium-sized Group, 6 or less) [-10], Greed [-15]*, Intolerance [Varies], Jealousy [-10], Lecherousness [-15*], Megalomania [-10] or Overconfidence [-5]*, Miserliness [-10], Obsession [-5 or -10]*, Sadism [-15]*, Secret [-5 to -30], Selfish [-5]*, or Stubbornness [-5], Diplomacy (H) IQ-1 [2] -10, Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4]-12, and Intimidation (A) WILL [4]-13 Note: Some of the Disadvantages may be off-limits to PCs; check with your GM.

Maybe it says something about me, but I'm pretty sure "villainous" knights are about as common as heroic ones. Granted, that is because a good (or is it bad?) Villainous knight can pass as a heroic one, but I digress. Getting away with being bad requires having a little something "extra", so I went ahead and added +1 to DX, IQ and Health. This Lens is using up -30 of the player's allowable Disadvantages, and that is on top of the -5 from the Duty found on the base Knight template. It may seem odd that I chose Diplomacy, Fast-Talk and Intimidate, and it is. I should probably reword it to spending 10 points on a choice between the three. Intimidation is the most obvious tool for a Villainous Knight, but Fast-Talk seems like a close second. Diplomacy may feel out of place, but a good bad guy, again, comes across as a good guy when they are able... or at least knows how to placate those with power over them when a plan fails.

Violent(+30 points): Add +1 ST [10], DX [20], +1 IQ [20], +1 HT [10], -30 points of mental Disadvantages chosen from Berserk [-10]*, Bloodlust [-10],* Fanaticism [-15], Flashback [Varies], Impulsiveness [-10]*, Overconfidence [-5]*, Phantom Voices (Diabolical) [-15], Sadism [-15]*, and Secret [varies].

This template began as a joke, but the more I think about it, the more I worry it is quite realistic. I've lived a sheltered life, but even I am at least dimly aware of how violence can change a person... or, alternatively, expose what lurks below the surface. In terms of spending more points, I just raised the template's base Attributes across the board. No new Skills, but once again I've already used up -35 (-5 from the base template) of the player's allowed Disadvantages. I think there's enough in this list that you could combine the Violent Template with not just the base Knight package, but with any one of the other templates. The violent, villainous knight is obvious, but a secret sadist in the king's court, a general broken by his wartime experiences, an otherwise heroic knight who sometimes takes things too far with their foes, or monster hunter who has become worse than what they slay... yeah, all those are quite plausible.