Question about character attribute totals and break downs among PCs?

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

My notes on the Monk
https://www.hcobb.com/tft/SRD_TFT.html#Monk

Some good ideas for character types on that page.

[hcobb]

Death Test with UC III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgMf4mTBeGQ

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by Skipper2921

As for my thoughts on attributes. The increased cost of attributes doesn't bother me too much. If it easy to get to high dexterity and IQ points, we can quickly get to the point where checks against them rely upon automatic failures. I'm not sure I like that. However, I think the cost for gaining talents through experience points is too high with the LE attribute table. I like gaining talents once I get a character to 34/35 attribute total. Has anyone looked at 200 experience points for a talent point? It seems that would allow a character to add basic talents, that don't require high IQ, that make them more survivable in the story. It also pushes the talent/attribute decision lower. Yet, if a character wants to become an expert/master at nearly anything, it requires an IQ 11 to 14, which will require significant experience expenditures on attributes.

I have adopted a somewhat different paradigm from that presented in the Legacy rules (see here), but I am using a similar low-cost structure for basic talents. Most 1-pointers are 250 XP in my game.

As far as dealing w/ higher stats, the rules already provide a solution for that... add more dice. If you're running games where PCs have adjDX scores in the mid-teens, for example, then it would be reasonable to challenge them w/ opponents who have advanced defensive abilities requiring a 4/DX roll instead of 3.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by phiwum

I had a PC start with UC III, but unfortunately the player didn't stay with us long enough to give a good evaluation of that strategy.

We couldn't see that one coming [/sarcasm].

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by phiwum

Some good ideas for character types on that page.

I concur. Good ideas.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by Skipper2921

Well, this thread has taken a couple turns. I guess that can be expected for a thread that started with four questions :-)

Bill, as we have discussed, because of the many obligations present in a working life, I mainly play programmed adventures or individual arena type experiments solitaire. I've recently started exploring the various intelligent races as characters. Right now, I'm thinking about a gargoyle character - obviously centered on combat skills.

As for my thoughts on attributes. The increased cost of attributes doesn't bother me too much. If it easy to get to high dexterity and IQ points, we can quickly get to the point where checks against them rely upon automatic failures. I'm not sure I like that. However, I think the cost for gaining talents through experience points is too high with the LE attribute table. I like gaining talents once I get a character to 34/35 attribute total. Has anyone looked at 200 experience points for a talent point? It seems that would allow a character to add basic talents, that don't require high IQ, that make them more survivable in the story. It also pushes the talent/attribute decision lower. Yet, if a character wants to become an expert/master at nearly anything, it requires an IQ 11 to 14, which will require significant experience expenditures on attributes.

Last hcobb, thanks for the idea, another good experiment. I will say, at first look, since the 40 attribute points is required, starting with a higher strength and a weapon talent might need to rely less on the rest of the party in the early stages. of course, that is what makes for a good experiment :-)

I concur with your thoughts about keeping the attributes from getting to high but I believe that the classic TFT prevented that if a GM didn't throw out EXP like candy. The Classic TFT EXP award system as well as the alternatives expressed in the House Rules Forum will keep down attribute bloat even by following the 50 to 100 EXP award per session suggested in ITL. If that's ones base with a little room for more or less based upon feats and/or bad deeds, then the new TFT EXP guidelines are just simply ridiculous.

The Legacy TFT EXP award system is intellectually dishonest. Instead of trying to fool everyone of us players that must be ASSumed to be stupid by making it mathematically impossible, they should have just said that no human sized character is allowed to go above 40 attributes. That would have been the honest thing to do. Instead, it's like we were gas lighted by politicians.

[old_bear]

So I know that my opinion is probably in the minority here, but I never saw the problem with "super-powered" characters. One of the things that I don't like about the new TFT is the revised rules for experience points and character growth. I always loved the thought of characters surviving to become "legendary" in some area, whether it was basic attributes or overall combat prowess.

But, nearly all of my play back in the day was solo, so I might not understand some aspect of "attribute bloat" that makes it bad for group play. (insert shrug emoji here)

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by old_bear

But, nearly all of my play back in the day was solo, so I might not understand some aspect of "attribute bloat" that makes it bad for group play. (insert shrug emoji here)

Only one opinion here as well, but from the perspective of two decades of intense group play. And we never saw "attribute bloat" either. Only a couple characters reached the 40 point area, but no further. And we played a couple or three years under the original rule of 100 XP for each next attribute point. Never really understood the fuss about attribute bloat.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

Only one opinion here as well, but from the perspective of two decades of intense group play. And we never saw "attribute bloat" either. Only a couple characters reached the 40 point area, but no further. And we played a couple or three years under the original rule of 100 XP for each next attribute point. Never really understood the fuss about attribute bloat.

I think that some GMs gave out EXP more liberally than others.

We had a very small group that around or over 50. All others ranged mostly from 32 to the low 40s. There was a few in the mid 40s. This was over a period of over 15 years.

As a GM, I had no problem accommodating all of them. Although, I did insist that the super heroes stay out of standard play. I would come up with scenarios just for them. Large scale battles were easy to accommodate all at once. The elites have their way of finding each other on the battlefield especially if the GM makes sure that the NPCs do just that.

I believe the Legacy TFT EXP system is lie. They wanted no characters above 40 attributes but were too chicken to write it that way and be accused of being the fun police. So, they made the math do it for them for cover.

Of course, we will probably find that the definition of Super Hero will change for each individual. At what attribute total does a character become a Super Hero?

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by Bill_in_IN

Of course, we will probably find that the definition of Super Hero will change for each individual. At what attribute total does a character become a Super Hero?

60 points! Although, once the average attribute score exceeds 15/16, the game changes and there's nothing wrong with that.