Dungeons & Dragons Next Will Emphasize Fast, Easy Character Creation
- Thread starter JonB
- Start date
So... templates?
The thing I love about RPGs is coming up with interesting characters within a stereotype, giving them a background and a goal to try and achieve.
The thing I love about RPGs is coming up with interesting characters within a stereotype, giving them a background and a goal to try and achieve.
I've always thought that's the way to go. When I create a character, the nuts and bolts numbers, abilities and skills, and equipment and money... that's the easy part. I play several different systems and I don't consider any of them (well, maybe Palladium) to have character creations that are too long. The fun part is background, personality, goals, and skeletons in the closet. I always give the GM something that he can use in my characters backstory. Usually not to my benefit (they generally use it to screw with me, but when I GM I do the same,) but it creates a more personal adventure for me AND my comrades.VoidWanderer said:
Deadlands (my favorite pnp game) has a great character creation process. It's class and level-less with plenty of character type "templates" to give new players an idea of what a type of character may need. A gunfighter will have fairly different skills than a mad scientist or a priest, but then again there's no reason a preacher can't be fast with with a .45. You just might have to sacrifice a couple of other things for the skills. But where Deadlands shines in character creation in 3 sections. First is a section called Edges and Hinderances where you can beat your character up with flaws to boost other abilities. Edges help you, and properly role-playing Hindrances is worth xp. Second, in drawing for ability scores (a deck of cards is used) some of the cards worth the best scores come with random problems of their own (a more powerful starting character may wind up with a dangerous supernatural foe, or a mysterious unlucky streak... etc.) And thirdly, each character sheet has a section called "My Worst Nightmare." That's EXACTLY what it sounds like and any good GM makes it manditory.
But the best part about roleplaying games is character creation O.O
I must admit that I never played D&D. Back in the day the go-to fantasy pen & paper RPG was The Dark Eye / Realms of Arkania and I stuck with it - particularly it's 3rd edition - since then. Stopped getting new supplements when they completely revamped the thing for the 4th - one of the changes was, by the way, a streamlined character creation.
I must admit that I never played D&D. Back in the day the go-to fantasy pen & paper RPG was The Dark Eye / Realms of Arkania and I stuck with it - particularly it's 3rd edition - since then. Stopped getting new supplements when they completely revamped the thing for the 4th - one of the changes was, by the way, a streamlined character creation.
You see and I find it to be exactly the opposite. The more niggling little details you have to choose for your character the more it just becomes a pile of numbers, this has always been my issue with Pathfinder/3.5. Making characters in those systems takes so much combing through books and weighing feats and gear against each other that it can take hours by the end of which you have to remind yourself who the hell you were in the first place. Give me a game like Fate or Numenera with a sparse handful of mechanical choices to make and a lot of room for whatever personality and back story you want to bring to it any day of the week.ZamielTheHunter said:
If every choice you made for your character was a feat, skill or piece of gear, I can't say you are much of a role player.Valderis said:
NOT ON MY WATCH.
Just kidding. It wouldn't hurt, I've DM'd several D&D campaigns and specially with new players, it was a pain. Often it took the whole first session just to create the sheets, which frankly isn't that appealing to convince the players to come a second time.
I just hope this won't mean generic chars like it did on 4th, for what I've heard. Aaaaand well if it does, who's gonna love my 3.5 books, if not me?
They ended up with, among maaaany many others, a mule, a wagon, and several barrels full of ale.
That, and of course the mythical 10ft wooden pole, which for some reason somebody buys every single campaign (playing with different people).
Just kidding. It wouldn't hurt, I've DM'd several D&D campaigns and specially with new players, it was a pain. Often it took the whole first session just to create the sheets, which frankly isn't that appealing to convince the players to come a second time.
I just hope this won't mean generic chars like it did on 4th, for what I've heard. Aaaaand well if it does, who's gonna love my 3.5 books, if not me?
You kidding? One of the most hilarious sessions I've had DM'ing D&D was this one when I started going over every single item aviable for purchase in the general goods of the D&D player book. They started fighting over what and who should buy every little piece of crap that seemed remotely useful.Scars Unseen said:
They ended up with, among maaaany many others, a mule, a wagon, and several barrels full of ale.
That, and of course the mythical 10ft wooden pole, which for some reason somebody buys every single campaign (playing with different people).