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Old 01-02-2022, 09:44 AM   #1
Bill_in_IN
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
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Default Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Back in the early 80's, a guy in our group liked having a giant as his character.

He was willing to live with the limitations on DX and IQ because he was extremely lucky with dice. That was evident in every game that he played.

Since he traveled with humans mostly, our GMs (me and another friend) on occasion, would make a chance roll of 1:6 to allow him to cash in EXP toward INT or DX. It didn't take is long to require the GM make those rolls.

When this guy played Risk, he could attack you with 1/3 of your troops and win without losing hardly any of his troops.
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Old 01-02-2022, 10:28 AM   #2
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Here are my notes on the changes. The trampling rules have also changed, but I haven't explored the differences in sufficient depth to determine if giants are better or worse at fighting humans than before.
https://www.hcobb.com/tft/legacy_first.html#giants
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Old 01-02-2022, 11:05 AM   #3
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

The new Legacy XP progression rules severely hinder their long-term use as PCs. Basically, the player can expect to see very little character growth due to starting at 41-points and being limited to IQ7 talents for several years of gameplay (assuming no magical intervention).

That said, if the player is OK with a massively strong character whose stats probably won't change, they can make for very interesting party members with all sorts of logistical challenges to compensate for their size and strength advantages.
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Old 01-02-2022, 11:10 AM   #4
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

I think the experience and advancement rules are so far from being suitable for such characters that you really need to introduce a house rule specific to giants. i think you would not be far off by having one flat cost for each point of DX and IQ, up to their stated limits, and another cost for raising ST, perhaps along the lines of the wizard Mana costs. The end result will be that very experienced giants are still limited in talents and dex but monstrously strong, like the more powerful trolls or medium-sized dragons.
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Old 01-02-2022, 11:49 AM   #5
Bill_in_IN
 
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Wow!

I've posted two threads about alternative races for character play and have found that the new TFT has neutered...I mean, nerfed...them.

It makes me want to contact the widow of my deceased friend and dig through his stuff to find all of the original books.

Did they let a bunch of elitist D&D loyalists rewrite the rules on races. They always hated the openness of TFT with respect to non-human play characters.
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Old 01-02-2022, 01:11 PM   #6
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Well, PC giants are only really 'nerfed' in the progression sense, but that is due to a change in one of the game’s core assumptions which effects any character who attempts to grow beyond 40 attribute points.
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Last edited by TippetsTX; 01-02-2022 at 01:44 PM.
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Old 01-02-2022, 01:55 PM   #7
hcobb
 
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Boosts to Giants in Legacy:
  1. They have two new IQ 7 talents, and really ought to take both.
  2. Their MA was increased by two hexes.
  3. The revised trampling rules might be better for them?
  4. If they wish their IQ up to 10 then there are some new talents that can be very useful.
  5. There are several cases where low DX isn't quite as deadly as before.
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Old 01-02-2022, 02:12 PM   #8
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill_in_IN View Post
Wow!

I've posted two threads about alternative races for character play and have found that the new TFT has neutered...I mean, nerfed...them.
How are starting giants nerfed? They have the same starting stats.
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Old 01-02-2022, 07:28 PM   #9
Bill_in_IN
 
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
How are starting giants nerfed? They have the same starting stats.
They don't seem to be nerfed as beginning characters. Perhaps, handicapped in exchanging EXP for attributes. However, another post implied that similar changes also apply to other races as their attribute totals increase in the new ITL.. I have to take that at face value until I get my TFT Legagy Edition that I just ordered. I may fork out the $35 for the PDF.
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Old 01-02-2022, 07:52 PM   #10
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Default Re: Giants as Playing Characters -- Your thoughts?

I find the PDF very useful. Being able to do a text search is wonderful.

It didn't help me find the weight of reptile men today, sadly. Took me to the right page, however, but I didn't look at the right paragraph. That may, just may, be on me.
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