Out Of Character

Mushgnome's Hobbet-centric PBP

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Post by acodispo » Wed May 11, 2022 12:09 pm

Re: Out Of Character

mushgnome wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 12:43 am
I'm making a scrapbook of Jennell Jaquays artwork for my upcoming Treasure Hunt campaign.
Those are both fantastic!
[f=47]Wilibald "Willie" Whitfoot, F1/T1 (M 12", AC 6, HD 1+2, hp 9/9, L) gambeson+helm, shield+warhammer[/f]
[f=59]Witherun [Agile Hero, MV 12′′, AC 6, HD 4, hp 16, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L] hide+helm, shield+dagger or bow[/f]

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Post by mushgnome » Fri May 27, 2022 1:11 pm

Re: Out Of Character

Can I pick your brains about a game balance/design question?

Imagine a world without any racial class/level limits. Dwarvish wizards, halfling high priests, and so forth.

1. Do you feel the three demihuman races (dwarf, elf, halfling) are equally "balanced"? Or does one stand out as being notably stronger or weaker than the others?

2. Do humans need a buff, to make up for losing their niche as "the race that can be any class"? If so, what do you suggest?

Here are my thoughts: 1) I think they're pretty close. My one concern is the halfling sling ability is maybe too powerful for a cleric or magic user; I might limit it to fighters. 2) I was thinking about simply starting human PCs at 2nd level. Is that too "powerful"? A less drastic suggestion is that demihumans have to use "3d6 in order" but humans can shuffle their stats in any order, to customize the kind of character they want to play.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by ehiker133 » Fri May 27, 2022 1:59 pm

Re: Out Of Character

mushgnome wrote:
Fri May 27, 2022 1:11 pm
Can I pick your brains about a game balance/design question?

Imagine a world without any racial class/level limits. Dwarvish wizards, halfling high priests, and so forth.

1. Do you feel the three demihuman races (dwarf, elf, halfling) are equally "balanced"? Or does one stand out as being notably stronger or weaker than the others?

2. Do humans need a buff, to make up for losing their niche as "the race that can be any class"? If so, what do you suggest?

Here are my thoughts: 1) I think they're pretty close. My one concern is the halfling sling ability is maybe too powerful for a cleric or magic user; I might limit it to fighters. 2) I was thinking about simply starting human PCs at 2nd level. Is that too "powerful"? A less drastic suggestion is that demihumans have to use "3d6 in order" but humans can shuffle their stats in any order, to customize the kind of character they want to play.
Refresh my memory... do demihumans get any race-specific stat bonuses?
If so, I've seen rule sets that just give humans an extra point or two to bump one of their own stats.
[f=47]Dougal Blackfoot (MV 9", AC 6, Lvl 4, HP 10/10) [/f]
[f=59]Goldwen (Sagacious* Abbess, MV 9′′, AC 6, HD 2+1, HP 9, FC 2 men, SV C3, L][/f]

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Post by mushgnome » Mon May 30, 2022 3:33 am

Re: Out Of Character

Good suggestion!

I'm uncomfortable with giving stat bonuses to humans, but I like the idea of giving humans more flexibility in how they use their stats. A couple of possible ideas:

1. Humans can rearrange their stats in the order of their choice.
2. Humans can choose their Prime Requisite. Humans can be charismatic clerics, wise fighters, dexterous magic users, or any other permutation.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by Scottenkainen » Tue May 31, 2022 3:16 pm

Re: Out Of Character

mushgnome wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 3:33 am
Good suggestion!

I'm uncomfortable with giving stat bonuses to humans, but I like the idea of giving humans more flexibility in how they use their stats. A couple of possible ideas:

1. Humans can rearrange their stats in the order of their choice.
2. Humans can choose their Prime Requisite. Humans can be charismatic clerics, wise fighters, dexterous magic users, or any other permutation.
I like option 1. Also, in my game, humans start with a free hireling or contact, while demi-humans don't know anyone useful in the area yet.

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Post by dtspurrier » Tue May 31, 2022 8:35 pm

Re: Out Of Character

looks good to me

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Post by mushgnome » Wed Jun 01, 2022 12:38 pm

Re: Out Of Character

Scott, I really like that! It makes demihumans seem a little more "exotic." Great idea.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by mushgnome » Fri Jun 10, 2022 8:20 pm

Re: Out Of Character

There was an obvious solution staring me in the face, to my question of "how to balance humans with demihumans, if there are no class/level restrictions."

The answer isn't to give extra racial abilities to the humans. It's to take racial abilities away from demihumans.

Dwarves, elves, and halflings give up their racial abilities. In exchange their class/level limits are removed.

Done! Sometimes the simplest solution is the most elegant.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

Posts: 2843
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Post by mushgnome » Fri Jun 10, 2022 8:32 pm

Re: Out Of Character

IT update:

I've been on Fedora for a long time, but felt like it was time to make a change. After upgrading my laptop every 6 months since 2017, from Fedora 27 to 36, I took the plunge, wiped it clean, and installed Debian Stable. If I play my cards right, Bullseye should last me the rest of my laptop's life cycle. It's bittersweet to think, this is probably the last big software update for my middle-aged laptop. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it should uneventfully ride Debian Stable off into the sunset, no drama...
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

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Post by mgtremaine » Sat Jun 11, 2022 12:09 am

Re: Out Of Character

Upgrading from release to release in debian is generally easy also. So good choice.

-Mike
[f=4]Wen the Pale, Elf Hero/Spellbinder (MV 12", AC 9, HD 4/2, hp 11/11, FC Hero, L) helm, bow[/f]
[f=47]Kiplyn Sorefoot, Hobbet Thief (Lv: 4 AC: 5 Hp 12) Leather+Shield+Dagger, Sling[/f]
[f=59]Tass Purrfoot (Agile Hobbet Varlet, MV 9′′, AC 7, HD 2, hp 8, FC 2 men, SV T7, N)[/f]

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