Though a friend of mine described this once as "the path to acrimony", and perhaps rightfully so, has anyone out there ever run characters based on the players' stats?
I really, REALLY want to do this, but coming up with "fair" (by which I mean 'won't piss anyone off too badly') way to determine stats is tough. Charisma is, as always, the real sticky wicket.
I'm less concerned with class types, since there'd be no wizard then, for example, but base abilities is neat.
This has always been a Failure- FROM THE DAWN OF TIME.
Just don’t do it.
When I was 13 I put that stats of everyone in my class on the front of my art folder. I was belligerently harassed for giving myself 16 charisma and almost beaten to death for given the class bully 3 Intelligence and Wisdom.
If you try to do it, all that’s gunna happen is arguments over how smart strong or wise people are.
If you pull it off you are playing with people so amazing that they should be out saving the world instead of playing D and D. And if they are indeed playing D & D instead of saving the world then they have lied on their Wisdom. Unless they save the world when not playing D and D.
In any case - Here are my Stats.
STR- 14 Dex 16 Con 18 INT 16 Wiz 18 Chr 20
I am a 25th level Dungeon Master.
Yeah, our group did this too in hi school back in the 80's. We ran thru a scenario like "Red Dawn", where insurgent paratroopers hit our school and we had a few minutes in all the confusion to get down to the mom n pop gun store in the little town and steal some stuff and I remember getting me a chainsaw!! Go go Leatherface.
Anyway, we ended up making 'base 10' characters and one of our group was super strong so he was 18 STR(as if) and one guy could juggle 5 objects, so he got DEX 18 and we went from there. Like the other guy said, WIS and INT and CHR bring up some bad blood (and that was during the time of the comeliness score, so there were arguements over that, too). Anyway, it was pretty fun once we got past that character sheet-thing. IIRC, the paratroopers were in our small town to wreck the water supply of a bigger town to the south of us...LOL!
If your group can get past that point, it was pretty fun to do the things that we weren't allowed to do...stealing cars, blowing stuff up REAL GOOD!, and in my case...chainsawing paratroopers! YAY!
About two weeks after that, we found both Battletech and Steve Jacksons Car Wars, so that ended that fix for a while.
Generally I think this is a bad idea - that said you in fact can probably get away with it by not choosing the stats. Give everyone a point buy of some kind and tell them to arrange the stats as they think there personal stats are in respects to themselves. Then everyone has equal stats and the stats reflect their own personal take on themselves. Of course your going to get a bit of a fantasy based on what people wished they had or are deluded into believing they have but its better then having acrimony and hard feelings.
There are several online "tests" that will give you your DnD stats, alignment, class, and race.
Apparently, I'm a LN Elf Sorcerer with a Cha and Wisdom of 18, and an Int and Con of 14, and the rest are around 12.
Go figure, eh?
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I really, REALLY want to do this, but coming up with "fair" (by which I mean 'won't piss anyone off too badly') way to determine stats is tough. Charisma is, as always, the real sticky wicket.
If you can't find a fair way to do more realistic stats, but still want to go on with statting your players, you could try a compromise by using a standard array of scores for everybody and arranging the stats based on the person's actual characteristics.
The DMG gives an Elite Array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8 at the beginning of the Characters chapter. If you assigned those same stats to everybody, it wouldn't exactly reflect their real-world stats, but the strongest player(s) would still be the strongest characters, the fastest player(s) would still be the fastest characters, and so on.
Not in D&D, but we did once have some sessions of Cyberpunk 2020 where we were playing ourselves...aged accordingly to year 2020.
Those personal history tables were especially fun :)
Cannot remember the stats but I was a fixer.
Here I go...
Ultradan
Level 3 Aristocrat (I'm an Administrative Technician)
Str.: 13 (I used to bodybuild)
Con.: 11 (I still play floor hockey)
Dex.: 8 (I'm somewhat overweight now)
Int.: 14 (I have a 139 I.Q.)
Wis.: 12 (I sometimes act without thinking, but mostly make sound decisions)
Cha.: 14 (I DM, love to tell stories and friends with almost everyone I meet)
There... I think that's pretty accurate. Just a regular old NPC!
Ultradan
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I don't really agree with the doom-sayers here, it really breaks down to how you handle it. Well, that and players who aren't so self-deluded that they will be getting an 18 each and every stat.
I've mentioned the RPG TimeLords in another thread, but briefly, it's a game that lets you use yourself as a character. They have very a good objective/subjective test process that was used to determine your skills in a non-confrontational way. We had a huge amount of fun and enjoyable frustration (the 'agonizing because you gave a crap' kind that looking back on was pretty damn fun) with the game. It's also good because here is a neutral third party telling you what your stats are. That puts the character generation squarely on the shoulders of some nameless individual(s) in a company, and not on you.
TimeLords was put out by Blacksburg Tactical Research Center. http://www.btrc.net/html/eaba.html (about 1/3 down the page)
K, I would love to know the websites for those stat generators. . . the Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma debate was very common among my old groups.
Anyway. here are my perceived stats, in the UltraDan format:
Chris Wissel, 1st level Commoner/2nd level Expert
Str 7 (70 lbs. is my maximum load)
Dex 9 (this would be less if not for my video game experience)
Con 10 (This is dropping - I blame Chicken Wings)
Int 14 (former Mensa member, but at the bottom of the scoring barrel)
Wis 9 (Beer tastes good)
Cha 10 (No cohorts for me. . . I AM the cohort)
I would like to take more levels in Expert, but I'm having trouble finding a good job right now.
The DMG gives an Elite Array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8 at the beginning of the Characters chapter. If you assigned those same stats to everybody, it wouldn't exactly reflect their real-world stats, but the strongest player(s) would still be the strongest characters, the fastest player(s) would still be the fastest characters, and so on.
Well, the thing is that all of our players are also involved in Western Martial Arts to some degree, so most of us actually know how to use swords already in real life. I'm currently working on Salvatore Fabris's 1606 manual, for example.
In fact, the main reason I always want to do this is that I get really frustrated sometimes playing a character who is worse in a fantasy game than I am in real life. The "Elite Array" is more like "Not That Mediocre Array". Obviously I can't cast spells or anything of the sort, but I can knife fight and hit a moving target the size of a quarter with a rapier. My D&D group has comparable skills in different arenas and different degrees. We could probably figure out what feats we'd have based on things we've actually done-- I can void my body to have a thrusting attack miss me by an inch, so shouldn't I have Dodge? If I can use a rapier and smallsword simultaneously, I can probably claim two-weapon fighting, etc.. Character and level would actually be really easy to figure out overall, but the basic stat conversion remains the bugbear, so to speak.
Part of my desire here is to use our group as a squad of rival NPCs for the players to be vexed by, which I think would be utterly hilarious. The shotokan black belt who uses a katana would make a perfect ninja, etc..
Here I go...
Int.: 14 (I have a 139 I.Q.)
Ultradan
Int 14 (former Mensa member, but at the bottom of the scoring barrel)
You smarties are selling yourself short.
Just over 2% of the human population has an IQ of 139 or higher. Translated into the 3d6 system, that's a high 16.
- rob
INT high
WIS low
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Anyway. here are my perceived stats, in the UltraDan format:
Chris Wissel, 1st level Commoner/2nd level Expert
Str 7 (70 lbs. is my maximum load)
Dex 9 (this would be less if not for my video game experience)
Con 10 (This is dropping - I blame Chicken Wings)
Int 14 (former Mensa member, but at the bottom of the scoring barrel)
Wis 9 (Beer tastes good)
Cha 10 (No cohorts for me. . . I AM the cohort)
But you do score an 18 on Humility and Humor, so, paraphrasing Carl Spackler, ya got that goin' for ya...which is nice.
Some of my friends and I actually did this when we started playing, and with no hard feelings (and not too much bluffing).
Saern
Wizard 3 (Why not include the spellcasting classes? This is me in game terms, and in game, people can be wizards)
Str 8 (Long hours of reading don't build muscles)
Dex 10 (Like the average person, I'm, well, average here)
Con 11 (I almost never get sick)
Int 16 (GPA 3.98; Ask me about Cosmology)
Wis 15 (I hate to feel like I'm bragging, but I think I'm qualified)
Cha 10 (Again, I'm just average here)
Someone asked for a generator page....
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=18114051962113041969
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=15065983258789143295
My stats are: STR 14, CON 16, DEX 15, INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 14
And yeah, qualifying for Mensa puts you at INT 16 easily. Probably 17 if you do the math.
Here I go...
Int.: 14 (I have a 139 I.Q.)
Ultradan
Int 14 (former Mensa member, but at the bottom of the scoring barrel)
You smarties are selling yourself short.
Just over 2% of the human population has an IQ of 139 or higher. Translated into the 3d6 system, that's a high 16.
- rob
INT high
WIS low
Yes, but they still shelled out the $40 to take the test.
;)
GGG
Hmmm... after seeing the rest of the stats presented here, I think I was being overly conservative. Try this:
Str 8, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 12
We did this in second edition once. We would compare our physical attributes to athletes and such, and the Mental attributes to the skills and knowledge we were experienced with.
But consider PC's are heroes that are above the average human or commoner, and are your players above the average commoner. To me the people in life that might be above an average human physically would be athletes and mentaly would be nobel prize winners etc..
any ways here is what I would consider my self:
I have played musical instruments for over 16+ years and have lots of useless and usefull knowledge.
Str 13 (I have done body building and look at the lift over head and off of ground stats and compare that to what you players can do)
Dex 10 (i'm not nimble, fast runner but str might play more there)
Con 16 (I had the flu once for like 8 hours thats it well and drinking boy can I spend a lot to get drunk)
Int 12 (Not a genius but I do know a lot)
Wis 8 (I haven't done a whole lot in life so I don't have many skills that rely on my awareness)
Chr 16 (I have entertained thousands and gotten some jing for it too, And they liked it)
I have done the online quizzes too and thats about what they picked for me too but I'm more like an elf and duel classed as a wizard or paladin
Yes, but they still shelled out the $40 to take the test.;)
GGG
I used my SAT scores to join, so I paid nothing for a test. Of course the $55 yearly fee. . . um, never mind. :)
That was interesting...I took that online test and I ended up with
STR 13
DEX 11
CON 11
INT 12
WIS 13
CHA 11
I feel that's pretty accurate. Anybody need a cohort? It sure is comforting to know that if any of my players rolled up a PC with those stats, they would call him "worthless".
Hmm. In "Ultradan Format" I'd say I'm something like:
Tramarius CR 1/8 (Yeah, I'm mostly harmless. LOL!)
Commoner 2/Slacker 2 (it's a "prestige" class, don't ya know?)
Str 8 (can lift 60 lbs. overhead with little effort so I'm extrapolating — no idea about my max load)
Dex 12 (I'm fairly nimble, but if I took the archery challenge without my glasses* I'd be Dex 5)
Con 11 (rarely get sick, but don't do enough cardio to run for long)
Int 12 (I know a thing or two — one being that I'm not the brightest bulb on the Great Marquis)
Wis 14 (might be conceit, but I'm highly pragmatic and greatly value common sense)
Cha 9 (not unnattractive or unfriendly, but I can be aloof, and I'm not very outgoing)
* It's a good thing Spot and Listen checks are based on Wis and improve with age (Rich Berlew says so).
I checked out Azhrei's links, but didn't bother with the tests. For the mental one I haven't the faintest idea what my IQ is, and for the physical one I have no clue how much I can benchpress (what's a "military press"?). One of my gym-frequenting friends once told me that a reasonably fit person should be able to benchpress their own body weight at least once. Any of you former/current body-builders care to comment?
On a related note, a few months ago I was wondering how the "lift over head" rules for Str compared to real weight lifters. I did some surfing and stumbled across a QuickTime clip (from 2003, I think) of American 12-year-old Jenny Sawyer (weighing <100 lbs.) performing a 75 kg. (165 lbs.) snatch. By our rules that's a 12-year-old girl with a Str ~14. Gah! I am such a weakling! BTW, I believe I found the clip at benn.vectorx.org, but the site is down as I'm writing this, so I can't be sure.
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The online tests supplied earlier gave me these results. I cannot absolutely certain of their accuracy, but I really like the idea of using such a test to resolve this situatuation. If I ever run a gam where we simulate ourselves in the game, this is the attribute determination method we will use.
Int : 12
Wis : 11
Cha : 12
Str : 12
Dex : 14
Con : 14
Tam
Ok, did the tests above and somehow the results didn't seem very trustworthy...
Str ? (no clue whatsoever what I benchpress, probably average)
Dex 7 (I am a bit inflexible, yes, but seven? Must be the fact that I don't perform sports...)
Con 11 (sounds ok)
Int 14 (haven't done any official IQ test or SAT but sounds quite close to correct)
Wis 12 (I admit I am bit out of tune from world sometimes)
Cha 4 (ok, the test bugs, I am definitely not cha 4).
Someone asked for a generator page....
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=18114051962113041969
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=15065983258789143295My stats are: STR 14, CON 16, DEX 15, INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 14
Holy Batsmokes, Batman! Those are better stats than the best stats I've ever rolled.
Cha 4 (ok, the test bugs, I am definitely not cha 4).
There's no way that's correct. . . but on the other hand, you have much more charisma than the average Zombie.
There's no way that's correct. . . but on the other hand, you have much more charisma than the average Zombie.
Cha 4 (ok, the test bugs, I am definitely not cha 4).
Whee :)
But I started to wonder about some of the questions...like do I have many friends? What does that mean? I have four or five close friends and many people I occasionally spend time with...but still, I also like being alone and usually keep distance so I answered "no". So apparently I am ranked as a person who has spent her past ten years in sunless cellar devoid of human contact...
But I started to wonder about some of the questions...like do I have many friends? What does that mean? I have four or five close friends and many people I occasionally spend time with...but still, I also like being alone and usually keep distance so I answered "no". So apparently I am ranked as a person who has spent her past ten years in sunless cellar devoid of human contact...
Does that mean that you're one of the masses of Everquesters :)
Mine are: 10 Str, 12 Con, and 14 Dex 15 Int, 13 Wis, 16 Cha, which I guess makes me a bard. Cool.
Holy Batsmokes, Batman! Those are better stats than the best stats I've ever rolled.Someone asked for a generator page....
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=18114051962113041969
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=15065983258789143295My stats are: STR 14, CON 16, DEX 15, INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 14
Becareful of what you say... He probably rolled a 1% and is a psionic too!
(yuk-yuk!)
Ultradan
That online test is so basic, most people could game it and get all 17s with little effort.
I got: Str 10, Con 8, Dex 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8
A more personal stat block:
Ghetoren: CR 6 Rogue2/Fighter1/Expert3
(yes, I've stolen things, ok?) (In modern terms, just about everyone reasonably educated/trained has levels of Expert)
Str 9
Dex 13 (SCA Combat Fencer/Hvy. fighter - so yes, I have actual class levels!)
Con 8 (Asthmatic, unfortunately, and my lung capacity sucks)
Int 15 (IQ-148, college educated)
Wis 14 (Minored in Philosophy, heh heh)
Cha 12 (semi-leader in several volunteer fields)
Skills: Due to modern education, everyone would have more skill points than a typical character (unless you're a dullard)...
Feats: Dodge, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Rapier), Weapon Finesse (Rapier)
Class Proficiencies: All Simple & Martial weapons, all armor & shield
M
Holy Batsmokes, Batman! Those are better stats than the best stats I've ever rolled.Someone asked for a generator page....
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=18114051962113041969
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=15065983258789143295My stats are: STR 14, CON 16, DEX 15, INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 14
Becareful of what you say... He probably rolled a 1% and is a psionic too!
(yuk-yuk!)
Ultradan
Hehehehe! I *wish* I were that lucky! I'd rather have a couple levels in sorcerer for True Strike, but hey. :) That'd really pay off in spades. My physical stats seem about right; I've lost a lot of my old conditioning from when I was a wrestler, but there was a time when 50 one armed pushups was easy. ::sigh:: I'm pretty much still riding that out as far as it'll take me.
I'd probably be a Swashbuckler/Duelist; not sure on level but my last fencing tournament had 80+ people in it and I made the semifinals with an 11-1 record, later that week we did melee in a forest (Pennsic, anyone? Pennsic?) and I stayed engaged in combat for about 30 minutes before I got hit for the first time, so I'm guessing I'm low to mid teens. I haven't deflected an arrow yet and therefore cannot claim Duelist 10. That is my dream. :)
I'd say all modern people would get Education as a free bonus feat since we all have to go through basic schooling. The other feats... I'd have to spend some time on it. I'm starting to think this is more and more doable. The only obvious fiction would be the increase in ability points with each level. I know some 18 STRs, but I doubt they'll ever be 20s, no matter how much they train.
But I started to wonder about some of the questions...like do I have many friends? What does that mean? I have four or five close friends and many people I occasionally spend time with...but still, I also like being alone and usually keep distance so I answered "no". So apparently I am ranked as a person who has spent her past ten years in sunless cellar devoid of human contact...
I can so relate. Maybe, just for kicks, I should've finished that test; I might've gotten Cha 3. I don't bandy the word "friend" about lightly. I have acquaintances that number in the dozens (hundreds?), but have found that the greatest number of friends I can juggle at any time averages about six. IME friends tend to borrow things (like money) or ask for favours. I value my privacy and rarely — if ever — burden friends with my problems. Naturally, I expect the same courtesy in return.
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I did the okcupid tests, then I pulled out my old TimeLords character sheets. All in all, I thought the okcupid tests were a fairly weak indicator, but I can admit bias toward the TimeLords tests.
Okcupid
STR 11 (I was probably a 12 at one point, but riding a desk takes it's toll)
DEX 11
CON 9 (damn blasted allergies)
INT 13
WIS 12
CHA 11
TimeLords (set up a little different from the D&D settings, obviously)
Strength 12 (although this was a decade ago, I probably am currently at 11)
Dexterity: 12 (reasonably good at darts & archery, manual dexterty tasks)
Intelligence: 14
Constitution: 10
Willpower: 11 (closest to the WIS stat)
Bravado: 16 (would equate to Bluff, Persuasion, Intimidate. I'm pretty good at thinking on my feet. How do you become a good liar? Start out as a bad liar and work you way up.)
Appearance: 13 (This isn't straight Comliness, it's a combo of Comliness and CHA. I'm definitly not Brad Pitt, but I do a lot of public speaking...mostly, teaching soldiers and school kids about archaeology and generally keep them engauged.)
Perception: 13 (Good observational skills are important in my job)
Stamina: 9
Power: 7 (potential magical or psionic aptitude, if I remember correctly. I'm not very 'force-sensitive')
In game terms, I would probably qualify as an 6th level Expert. My prime skills would be Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Ancient History), Knowledge (Geography), Gather Information (I'm a pretty effective researcher, although, in terms of my profession it would be an INT based skill), Alchemy (I do a fair amount of chemical preperation for conservation of artifacts), Profession (scribe), and Profession(cook).
I would like to work toward the Royal Explorer Prestige Class :P
K, I would love to know the websites for those stat generators. . . the Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma debate was very common among my old groups.
http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/terragf/