Re: CF: Race, Reputation and other suggestions

[dragonm <dragonm@leech.org>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Lembark
To: dragonm
Sent: 10/26/99 7:37 PM
Subject: Re: CF: Race, Reputation and other suggestions

 
> P.S. To All: US West claimed to have dispatched the last technician to
> complete installation of my ISDN line at home as of yesterday morning.
> Yesterday evening, it still didn't work.  So I continue to have no
access
> from home, and so I'm left to contributing nothing but sound and fury
here.
> I WILL, however, get my ISDN installed and begin contributing code
again, if
> I have to take US West's CEO hostage to do it...

thank your favorite deity that you don't have Ameritech :-)

-----Begin Response-----
I used to have Ameritech, so I'm familiar with their technical ability
as well.  Is there any Baby Bell in the country that isn't incompetent?

So far, I was told the tech was supposed to have finished the last of
the installation as of yesterday morning.  Last night, it STILL didn't
work.  So presumably that didn't happen.  On and on it goes...  On a
lighter note, my e-mail is supposed to transition back to Unix in a
little over two weeks, so my reply quoting will be sane again.
----------

see if this seems reasonable to you:


	human (basic issue)
	barbarian (higher str, limited int, wis, pow).
	elf
	dwarf
	quetz.
	fireborn
	wraith
	orc	-- basically human w/ lower int/wis/pow stats and immune
to poison or something.
	troll	-- basically quetz. w/ lower int/wis/pow stats and max
con of 30.

-----Begin Response-----
To this list, I would add one more:

Ogre
               Start stats     Stat Max      Stat Rate of Change*
    Strength:  very high       highest       fast
   Dexterity:  low             medium        medium
Constitution:  very high       very high     medium
Intelligence:  very low        low           very slow
      Wisdom:  very low        medium        slow
       Power:  low             medium        very slow
   Charisma+:  very low        low           very slow

*Bearing in mind our primary stat rate of change is significantly lower
overall than many in the genre.
+While we're still using it.

The line to be added to chapter 2 of the Player's Handbook would look
something like this:

       STR DEX CON INT WIS POW CHA
Human:  0   0   0   0   0   0   0
 Ogre: +7  -1  +6  -10 -8  -2  -8

I'm sure it would take some tweaking, but that's the general idea.
Basically an ogre is a very strong, very robust creature that can get
fairly agile as he gets older.  He's dumb as a box of rocks, and will
never be much smarter, but what magic spells he can learn, he learns
well and can cast often.  He's capable of being devout, but it's rare
and difficult, ogres being rather elemental.  His social skills can be
summarized as "not much."

As for your suggestions, I like Orc.  Orcish immunity to substances
poisonous to creatures associated more with the Lighter Side of the
Force, so to speak, is well known and well accepted.  I'm not so sure
about basing Troll off of Queztalcoatl, though.  Trolls aren't THAT
stupid, so maybe the INT and WIS ratings should be closer to -7, rather
than -10.  Also, a very common trait of trolls in various legends is a
phenomonal recovery rate after being physically damaged.  I'm not sure
how to reflect this in the existing system.  I'd suggest an added racial
modifier to the proposed rest system, to allow races to recover at
different rates.

----------

given the limited shades of distinctin between races
i don't know if half-elf, half-dwarf make any real
sense.

-----Begin Response-----
The point of the half-elf distinction wasn't so much to vary stats as to
vary NPC reactions.  There are proposals on the the table with no vocal
opponents to improve NPC artifical stupidity (AI), provide starting
cities for each race dominated by that race, and to replace the largely
useless Charisma stat with a reputation system.  All of these proposals
work together to fuel numerous significant interactions.  A half-elf
might have a distinct advantage over a regular human in an elven city,
or a distinct disadvantage, depending on whether we choose to go with
the "half-elf as half-brother" mythos or the "half-elf as abomination"
mythos.  Both are common, and can be counterbalanced by a corresponding
advantage or disadvantage in the other species' city.

I would leave half-dwarf out, though.  In every mythos I'm familiar
with, dwarves have always been rather exclusive in their breeding
habits.
----------

after that join whchever guilds seem to make sense and
go for it.  guessing most everyone would join the 
fighters guild to learn how to at least handle a weapon
and priests guild to learn praying and join a cult.

-----Begin Response-----
If it is necessary to be instructed in order to learn how to handle a
weapon, I don't think that instructors should be available exclusively
to guilds.  Maybe the quality of instruction is better, or the price is
cheaper because you're already paying guild dues, or the style taught is
different, but non-guild instructors should be available.

Joining a priest's guild doesn't make sense at all to me.  If you want
to become a priest, you apply at a temple of the specific god, rather
than joining a generic guild.  Praying should be available without
having to join a guild or become a priest, without perhaps having the
same effectiveness or access to all of a god's prayer responses if
you're not a priest.

DM

(I hate Exchange.  I wrote out this response, and the Internet glitched,
so when I tried to send it, it got eaten.  This is an inferior
recreation of that highly polished piece.  <light sarcasm>  I very
nearly lost it, as well.  @#$^@#$% Microsoft and #$^@!#$%@# Verio.)
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