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I would recomend BESM 3 if you can get a copy of it. It is as rules lite or rules intensive as you like, can either be used as class based, or classless, and is just darn fun to play.I was looking for that on Amazon. The only copies left are being sold by the price gougers. :(
That's too bad. It looks like it's not even avalible in PDF form from Drivethrurpg.com or the White Wolf store.
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Hmm, well I was kind of working on an RPG a long time ago. I like inventing games that have a strong sense of story in them. I invented a freeform rpg game a long time ago I called STORIES. Story Telling Online Roleplaying Interactive Entertainment System. It was designed for those in character chat and bulletin board games like Red Dragon Inn.
Anyway, if I were to design an RPG, I think I would want it to really evoke romance, beauty, adventure, and I have been strongly influenced by Heroes of Might and Magic II.
So....
Barbarian
Knight
Warlock
Wizard
Necromancer
Sorceress
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* Barbarian - a culture not class
* Bard - For my game idea this fits well
* Cleric - once again rather nice espcially if they do not have heavy armor
* Druid - Possibly
* Fighter - Yes
* Monk - No I would like to stick to one themed area and forcing a monk to fit just isn't in me.
* Paladin - Probably not
* Ranger - Probably not
* Rogue - Yes
* Sorcerer - No
* Wizard - Yes
* A varient of a warrior mage class.
* Alchemist - Yes
* Inquisitor - Maybe, more likely to change it into a warrior mage type class with a few minor tweeks
* Witch - Maybe PRC for a Druid
* Oracle - Npc class at best
* Cavalier - No
* Summoner - No
* Duelist - Added in for flavor and to take the place of the monk for a speed based base class.
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* A hitty class
* A sneaky class
* A magic class
That would be it for me. 3 "Classes" - then within each options to turn your character into anything themed - and perhaps hybrids. Players can call their final class whatever they like. For example. A "hitty class" that lives outdoors and has heaps of woodsy skills = A Ranger.
I think "classes" are very limiting and I would take more of the approach that say True20 took.
S.
So....
Barbarian
Knight
Warlock
Wizard
Necromancer
Sorceress
Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between the Warlock, Wizard, Necromancer and Sorceress?
For classes I would have:
pirate
ninja
dragon
hulk (tank?)
jedi
mentalist
suit/tech
mage
that's just me though.
Seriously though, I would use the four archetypes of warrior, mage, face, and sneak with primary and secondary classes.
A dnd fighter for example would be warrior/warrior, but a paladin would be warrior/face. A cleric is a face/face but a bard is face/mage.
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Well, each of the spellcasters have their own mechanic which makes them unique. The Sorceresses for instance can access star magic and life magic. The Warlocks can access death magic and elemental magic. The Wizards can access star magic and elemental magic. And the Necromancers can access death magic and dark magic.
So the five types of magic are Star, Life, Elemental, Death, and Dark. These are kind of like Pathfinder schools of magic. And each spellcaster can choose to "specialize" in one of the two schools they can access.
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Well, each of the spellcasters have their own mechanic which makes them unique. The Sorceresses for instance can access star magic and life magic. The Warlocks can access death magic and elemental magic. The Wizards can access star magic and elemental magic. And the Necromancers can access death magic and dark magic.
So the five types of magic are Star, Life, Elemental, Death, and Dark. These are kind of like Pathfinder schools of magic. And each spellcaster can choose to "specialize" in one of the two schools they can access.
So they aren't so much separate classes as specialist types of Magic-User?
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There are other mechanics involved. But that's the main difference. The ways in which they gain their spells and powers is also unique to the class. But a Life Sorceress would be very different from a Star Sorceress. As would a Star Sorceress and Star Wizard. But a Star Sorceress and Star Wizard would be able to see eye-to-eye more than a Star Sorceress and an Elemental Wizard. Likewise, an Elemental Wizard would understand an Elemental Warlock better than a Death Warlock. So there are similarities, but different mechanics and spell mechanics.
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I found some notes for this game. So here's the difference between the mechanics/styles of the spellcasters.
The Sorceress's magic is a natural gift. It awakens on its own or can be awakened by a special ritual with fey creatures. The Phoenix, in particular, serves the magic of Life and assists sorceresses who have difficulty awakening their gift. Many such sorceresses choose the Path of Life, though some pursue the Star magic. As a Sorceress is wounded, her magical abilities suffer as it is bound to her blood specifically.
The Wizard's magic is learned by ancient tome and scroll. He or she spends years studying the lore of Stars or the Elements. The Wizard studies a spellbook to maintain his powers on a daily basis, often forming pacts with spirits of the air to aid in his magical research. Wizard's towers aid wizards who seek to empower their Star magic by astrological observation.
The Warlock's magic is forged into his body by dark rituals and bonds with powerful evil creatures, often demons, devils, or foul dragons. He must honor this dark pact daily by sacrifice of blood, gold and precious gems, or through some other agreed upon sacrifice.
The Necromancer's magic is born upon the winds of death. Most Necromancers find that undeath suits them better than death, they seek it eagerly. A Necromancer gains his power from death, so he must kill a living creature daily to power his magic. Dark magic requires even stronger sacrifices.
... lots of stuff, mostly ommitted because in spoilers ...
The longer the post and more detail the better. More ideas mean better perspective especially since I haven't had much experience outside of the DND universe. I'm kind of making it up as I go and tapping every resource I can get my hands on. Thanks for sharing.
Seriously though, I would use the four archetypes of warrior, mage, face, and sneak with primary and secondary classes.
If "face" represents the charismatic character then he won't fit. I am dumping the CHA stat and replacing it with something useful (probably luck). I want to reserve charisma for role playing purposes only. The other archetypes are definitely in though.
Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between the Warlock, Wizard, Necromancer and Sorceress?I suggest dress sense.
lol
Well, each of the spellcasters have their own mechanic which makes them unique. The Sorceresses for instance can access star magic and life magic. The Warlocks can access death magic and elemental magic. The Wizards can access star magic and elemental magic. And the Necromancers can access death magic and dark magic.
So the five types of magic are Star, Life, Elemental, Death, and Dark. These are kind of like Pathfinder schools of magic. And each spellcaster can choose to "specialize" in one of the two schools they can access.
I gotcha now. This is actually close to what I was thinking. Haven't finalized anything yet but I was considering splitting mages by the following.
Fire Mage - Fire, speed, teleport
Water Mage - Cold, water, slow/hamper
Earth Mage - Acid, power, burrow, metal, buff
Air Mage - Electricity, fly, gas
Black Mage - Death, undeath, destruction, negative energy, dark
White Mage - Healing, resurrection, bless, light
Obviously I'd have to think of better names than "Water Mage" because that's just frakkin' cheesy. I'm sure I missed some profiles that typically get grouped with each element (ala Shugenja) but you get the point. The Black Mage is, of course, the Necromancer.
My magic system isn't really conducive to the universalist type Wizard like we're used to in DND/PF. Magic, even healing and flying and such, is unlimited so I definitely have to make sure that almost every magic user doesn't just cherrypick the same best spells. So I'm definitely with you on the specialist mage thing.
There are other mechanics involved. But that's the main difference. The ways in which they gain their spells and powers is also unique to the class. But a Life Sorceress would be very different from a Star Sorceress. As would a Star Sorceress and Star Wizard. But a Star Sorceress and Star Wizard would be able to see eye-to-eye more than a Star Sorceress and an Elemental Wizard. Likewise, an Elemental Wizard would understand an Elemental Warlock better than a Death Warlock. So there are similarities, but different mechanics and spell mechanics.
Interesting idea. I'm not sure if my game design would be able to handle such diversity though. Different mechanics for each spell caster would be tough to pull off especially since I'm trying to make a very fast paced game where looking up rules and even spell descriptions are kept to a minimum. If my game were more d20-like, I'd certainly be hip to the idea.
By the way, what is star magic?
And thanks for everyone's input. Keep it coming if you got anything you want to share.
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Star Magic is basically the divination and enchantment schools. There's more to it than that, of course. Star Magic deals with fate, magical bonds, enchantments, divinations and the like. It's far more subtle than the Elemental Magic, which is mostly pure combat spells.
Life Magic is healing magic.
Death Magic is basically the necromancy school with some death spells.
Dark Magic is a combination of illusion and mental domination spells. It would include shadow magic, darkness spells, and spells like Weird and Nightmare.
Star Magic is basically the divination and enchantment schools. There's more to it than that, of course. Star Magic deals with fate, magical bonds, enchantments, divinations and the like. It's far more subtle than the Elemental Magic, which is mostly pure combat spells.
Life Magic is healing magic.
Death Magic is basically the necromancy school with some death spells.
Dark Magic is a combination of illusion and mental domination spells. It would include shadow magic, darkness spells, and spells like Weird and Nightmare.
I was guessing Divination. Wasn't thinking Enchantment though. Cool. I get your breakdown a little better now.
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One of the other games I came up with has some interesting base classes as well. Actually, this is more of a campaign than a new game, but the mechanics are different enough it might be considered one. This is my Fallen Empire campaign, in which magic (as we know it) has been lost.
So the base classes are:
Crusader (similar to a Paladin)
-Most crusaders have been raised, taught, and trained by a religious organization. Others have experienced a type of epiphany or spiritual event which has led them to pursue a devotion or religion.
-Mechanics: Inner Fire, Combat, Skillful Strike
Enchanter (not an Enchantment Specialist)
-Enchanters come upon their abilities suddenly and without warning. Like sorcerers, they are called out to by faeries or other mystic creatures. They often have strange dreams in which they travel between the worlds. It is often upon awakening that an enchanter's powers are fully active. An entire village or small town may find themselves beneath an enchanter's thumb, eager to fulfill his or her every desire.
-Mechanics: Magical Music. Mystic Music, Social Proficiency, Enchanting Melodies.
The Enchanter could be held similar to a bard, but it is slightly weaker in combat and more proficient in magic. The Enchanter has a close connection to the mystic realm.
Landwalker (a terrain specialist)
-Landwalkers choose their apprentices by observing youth who then interact with natural beauty and splendor. If the youth acts in a respectful way, a potential candidate is found. Such children vanish from their homes only to return later as an advisor for the coming storm season.
-Mechanics: Some Spells. Terrain abilities. Fast Movement.
Lunar Priestess
-Those that join the ranks of the lunar priestesses rarely are trained to do so. It is an inner calling, a response to some moment of natural and wondrous beauty, that causes many to seek out the path of the lunar priestess.
-Mechanics: Inner Fire. Moonlight abilities. Spells.
Marshal (not the Miniatures version)
-Those devoted to the path of warfare are known as marshals. Strength, honor, and discipline are his tools. In the heat of battle, the marshal's knowledge of combat allows him to take the full force of the enemy's attack. He can even hold them at bay as his companions call upon their inner forces to bring forth magic of mystical enchantments.
-Mechanics: Combat Style. Bonus Feats. Surges.
Mystic Guardian
-The faeries' friend. The gnome's redoubt. The mystic guardian stands for all that is good and beautiful in the natural and mystical realms. She has mastered focus on the mysic realm which few other-worlders have ever imagined possible, and from this focus gains knowledge and inspiration.
-Mechanics: Inner Fire. Ritual Combat. Elemental Summons.
Savage
-In the wilderness beyond the citadels and the farmlands they protect, there are some who have learned to survive on their own and to embrace their own animal natures for survival in a harsh climate. They have learned to deal with the dangers of the wilderness.
-Mechanics: Divided Path, Animal Spirit, Battle Cry.
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Savant
-In a world that has lost most of its access to spells, divinations, artifacts, and enchanted items, the savant stands out as a bright diamond in a pit of coal. Here is one who continues to master the secrets of spellcraft even when it seems impossible. Such savants, however, are mentally strong in this one regard, training their minds beyond conception to comprehend the magical world around them. They are both weak and too strongly focused to perceive much else around them.
-Mechanics: Spells. Arcane Knowledge. Metamagic.
(Probably as close to the wizard as you'll get.)
Seamonger
-A class that does better in the water or sailing than on dry land.
-Mechanics: Swim Speed. Sea Fighting. Water-infused Magic.
Seeker (similar to a Cleric)
-Mechanics: Faith, Spells, Option: Path of Sun (Solar Brotherhood)
Sorcerer (closer to a Warlock than an actual Sorcerer)
-Mechanics: Sorcerous Blast, Familiar or Voices in my Head, Blood or Moon abilities.
Specialist (similar to a Rogue)
-Mechanics: Weapon specialization. Skill specialization. Chosen Destiny. Bonus Feats.
By the way, what is star magic?
$75 million opening weekend. Domestic, baby!
I'm going to switch gears here for a second. Since everyone is so kind and in the sharing mood, let's talk about races. Personally, I'm terribly bored with the standard Dwarves and Elves and would actually prefer to do something like what Arcana Unearthed did. Any suggestions on what would make good core races that aren't so played out?
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Races: I actually devised six new races for use with the Knights & Sorceresses campaign. I later altered them for use with Arcana Evolved with racial levels.
Glitterling - A tiny flying orb of light.
Darkling - A small cursed shadow creature.
Alari - A humanoid born in extremely high climes and drawn to air magic. Fairly arrogant. At higher racial levels, the Alari have wings.
Undomi - An aquatic humanoid race, but not necessarily required to remain in aquatic environments.
(I forget the name of the earth-based humanoid race, but of the four elemental races, they were the kindest and most helpful.
Ritaran - A humanoid race with fire in their veins and a natural unsocial disposition that makes interaction with other races (and indeed others of their kind) difficult.
Seriously though, if you want to play around with races, I suggest getting a copy of Arcana Evolved. That book presents several different races that I think are much more entertaining than the typical dwarves and elves. It really does act as a sort of guidelines for veering off the path.
Seriously though, if you want to play around with races, I suggest getting a copy of Arcana Evolved. That book presents several different races that I think are much more entertaining than the typical dwarves and elves. It really does act as a sort of guidelines for veering off the path.
I recently picked up a copy of Arcana Unearthed on the cheap ($8) which has pretty much the same content. Unfortunately, the newer Arcana Evolved runs about $47 on Amazon for a used copy.
I love the idea of the giant race and can see using that. I was never a huge fan of half-orcs. Not sure about the others yet but it's interesting stuff none-the-less and definitely a good source for ideas.
If you are dumping CHA and leaving it to role playing, why not dump WIS too? It is difficult for a player to play their character wiser than they are themselves. Might as well leave that one up to role playing as well.
Charisma is already gone. Rolling is for fighting and skills, not for role playing. Your character is as charismatic as you play him. I've replaced it with Luck, mostly for simmetry, unless I think of something better.
Obviously your game, so your decision, but why not remove Intelligence and Wisdom as well? If you only want people who are good at playing in character to succeed at what you call "role playing", should it be any different for people who want to play smart or wise?
I'm not saying to make make all roleplaying be based on 1d20 + cha mod (and skills or other modificers), but your way of thinking is one that has always annoyed me as being somewhat "elitist".
EDIT: And I see CourtFool above has made a similar comment...
If you are dumping CHA and leaving it to role playing, why not dump WIS too? It is difficult for a player to play their character wiser than they are themselves. Might as well leave that one up to role playing as well.
Wisdom has an in-game mechanic tied to it. It's your will power and protection over your mind just like constitution protects your body. Skills are typically tied to your intelligence and for good reason. It makes sense.
Charisma has no in-game mechanic and covers almost all of the situations that I've always associated with role-playing. Bluffing, gathering info, diplomacy, sensing motive (even though it's WIS in d20) etc. are things that I'd rather play out instead of just rolling the dice to see what the outcome is. Other CHA based skills are not even valid IMO (Use Magic Device should be INT) and Perform is just a relabled Profession. It could just as easily be Profession (Dancer) instead of Perform (Dance). It also leads to too much, "HA, I got a 33 on my Sense Motive! I know if he's lying or not." that I could just really do without. I want to keep 'em guessing.
And, of course, I could always leave STR, DEX/AGI and CON completely up to their imagination as well. :)
If you only want people who are good at playing in character to succeed at what you call "role playing", should it be any different for people who want to play smart or wise?
Remember that I'm tailoring this game to my group's preferences. We tend to play this way anyway. If someone stumbles all over their words while lying to an NPC, he isn't going to believe you no matter how high you roll. Unfortunately, if you roll low on a Diplomacy check, it doesn't seem to matter how diplomatic you role-played it. The way we play is pretty incompatable with the way the CHA stat works in d20.
I'm not saying to make make all roleplaying be based on 1d20 + cha mod (and skills or other modificers), but your way of thinking is one that has always annoyed me as being somewhat "elitist".
You touched on my personal beef with CHA in d20. The big question is when do you role-play a scenerio and when do you roll-play it? Why are my precious attribute points going towards something that is only used half of the time when it comes into play? This blurry line causes problems/situations in my group that I'd prefer to get rid of.
I'm not saying that my way is right and I won't look down on anyone who doesn't play the way we do. I know it probably came off as elitist but I was really only talking about the game I was working on and not role-playing games in general.
Wisdom has an in-game mechanic tied to it. (...) Skills are typically tied to your intelligence and for good reason./QUOTE]
I thought that might be your reasoning, but you already said you're not using a d20 basis for your system so why confine yourself to that?
Heck, you can combine Wisdom and Intelligence, since it's a fine line anyway. Just call it Mentality or something. Play a high one like Forrest Gump (High Wis/Low Int) or Einstein (High Int/Couldn't Match Socks*), but they can have the same mechanical effects.
*I made that up but it sounds like it could be true.
You're asking the wrong question.
If you're designing an RPG, what do you want characters to do?
Technical concerns about the character design process flow from that question's answers.
Absolutely. And ask: Is it necessary to design a whole system? Has one been made to match my needs?
Maybe you just want experience in designing games, which is a great thing. To get there, you should know that there are other design considerations. Read this wiki page on game design. It should help you figure out the questions you should be asking yourself.
...no, that's not the question at all. That's answering a later question, "And how do they do it?"
I'll buy that for a dollar.
I recommend that you provide a different 3d6-ability for spellcasting. Perhaps something called Power, if any of the spellcasters might be considered origially Charisma-based spellcasters.
Wisdom has an in-game mechanic tied to it. (...) Skills are typically tied to your intelligence and for good reason.I thought that might be your reasoning, but you already said you're not using a d20 basis for your system so why confine yourself to that?
Heck, you can combine Wisdom and Intelligence, since it's a fine line anyway. Just call it Mentality or something. Play a high one like Forrest Gump (High Wis/Low Int) or Einstein (High Int/Couldn't Match Socks*), but they can have the same mechanical effects.
*I made that up but it sounds like it could be true.
Your guy's suggestion is a possibility. I'm a little nervous about simplifying the system too much. I could also combine the three physical stats together into Physical. This causes some problems when it comes to differentiating classes apart. Keeping the stats separate makes it a lot easier to make classes play differently.
You're asking the wrong question.
If you're designing an RPG, what do you want characters to do?
Technical concerns about the character design process flow from that question's answers.
Absolutely. And ask: Is it necessary to design a whole system? Has one been made to match my needs?
Maybe you just want experience in designing games, which is a great thing. To get there, you should know that there are other design considerations. Read this wiki page on game design. It should help you figure out the questions you should be asking yourself.
I have a feeling that Savage Worlds is going to be the closest thing to what I'm looking for. I'll find out whenever my Explorer's Editions arrives. If it fits well enough, I might just use it as is but I'm mostly just expecting to borrow from it. We'll see.
Yes, part of the fun is trying my hand at designing an RPG. I've designed a lot of games in my life. I just don't finish many of them. :S
It would be sweet to design the perfect RPG (for my group) though.
If you want to write a game, the veeeeeery first task to to establish the goal of the game. The OP hasn't even set out a goal, so deciding the set of possible player roles is premature.
I have a goal, I just haven't stated it, at least, not all in one place or made it obvious. My original question was of a much smaller scope. I've kind of smurfed my thread into something bigger than it was originally intended to be (not that that's a bad thing).
My goal is to design a calculation-light fantasy RPG that fits well with mine and my group's interests and play style. I want it to be nearly as flexible as the DND/PF we've been playing while fixing some critical issues like battles that take an hour and a half to finish. It's hard to quantify 10 years of gaming with these guys to everyone though. I'm kind of going on intuition for a lot of this.
I think D6 is really a great starting point.
How magic/supernatural powers are implemented can be up to you.
I think it would be quite possible to graft a Feat system onto it, covering both situatinal/limited bonuses to skills, or unique abilities
(unique ways to use skills or get more out of them, or magic/ supernatural abilities)
I think that would do alot to give it the mechanical 'crunch' players coming from 3.x would expect, while working off a very quick & smooth mechanical base.
If anybody knows of any gamesystem ALREADY doing this, please mention it! :-)
My main issue with Star Wars D6 was one Force skill being able to substitute for EVERY other skill - which is only viable in a cinematic context and where players are happy with the GM having total control over their character's progression, and of course the lack of Feats made everything rather 'flat' vs. the options opened up by Feats in 3.5. ...That of course streamlines the game and focuses things more on character concept and story rather than mechanical "builds" (which is good IMHO), but more varied combat is good too... I think that can easily be solved by giving higher DCs to pull off certain "maneuvers" and the like, while retaining the stream-lined gameplay.
My goal is to design a calculation-light fantasy RPG that fits well with mine and my group's interests and play style.Which is...?
D&D is a biiiiig game, in that it's trying to allow players to work toward many different goals all in one game, possibly all in one campaign. I get the idea you're aiming smaller, which is fine, but I don't know which subset of the D&D set you're aiming at, so I can't do anything but guess at what you're trying to do.
Not necessarily. I do understand that I'll miss a few things here and there but I have access to just about everything that you can do in DND. It won't all be developed as I am simplifying the system a lot but there's a lot of filler in there that just isn't needed. Once I finalize a standard mechanic for the game and get the numbers to jive, the rest is just piece work. A lot of pieces, yes, but we'll snap those on as they come up. Even d20 doesn't cover everything. I don't need to design out high level dragons right now. I can start with simple goblins and crunch some numbers to see if I think they'll scale.
I think D6 is really a great starting point...
It probably is. I've heard a lot of good things about the system. It's just not the mechanical direction that I'm going for.
I think D6 is really a great starting point...It probably is. I've heard a lot of good things about the system. It's just not the mechanical direction that I'm going for.
Cool. I just wanted to mention the possiblity of D6 + Feats, which would give a bit more 3.x type customizability than D6' standard incarnations.
Share whatever you come up with!
Cool. I just wanted to mention the possiblity of D6 + Feats, which would give a bit more 3.x type customizability than D6' standard incarnations.
I probably should since a couple of us just went in on a crap ton of d6s since we always seem to run low on those. Do people eat these things or something? :)
Share whatever you come up with!
Will do.
If you only want people who are good at playing in character to succeed at what you call "role playing", should it be any different for people who want to play smart or wise?Remember that I'm tailoring this game to my group's preferences. We tend to play this way anyway. If someone stumbles all over their words while lying to an NPC, he isn't going to believe you no matter how high you roll. Unfortunately, if you roll low on a Diplomacy check, it doesn't seem to matter how diplomatic you role-played it. The way we play is pretty incompatable with the way the CHA stat works in d20.
Hence me saying, your game, your decision.
But you still didn't address my question. If Mr. Stutterer can't play a character with high bluff skill, why should Mr. Moron (pardon the term) be able to play a scholar? I believe both should (though it is easier for Mr. Stutterer to play a character with a high Cha than for Mr. Moron to play a character with a high Int.
When should you roll for a cha-based skill and when should it be RP? Good question. In my game (and that's not the "right" way, necessarily), I ask people to act out their interaction and then give a bonus to the skill check, if they act it out well. Sometimes I even give them an automatic success. But if the player is Mr. Stutterer from before and he can't string a sentence togehter, he can still at least hope the die + skill modifier is good enough.
Which brings us to this: The aim of RPGs, besides having fun, is to play characters who are different from ourselves. When I'm a player, I would rather play a nimble rogue or a strong barbarian than the overweigh nerd with no agility whatsoever that I am in real life.
[Joking]But perhaps players in your group can't play characters with a certain Str score, unless they can benchpress the max lift from the Encumberance table for that Str?[/joking]
But you still didn't address my question. If Mr. Stutterer can't play a character with high bluff skill, why should Mr. Moron (pardon the term) be able to play a scholar? I believe both should (though it is easier for Mr. Stutterer to play a character with a high Cha than for Mr. Moron to play a character with a high Int.
Knowledge isn't a role-playing excercise. If I/we did this, it would turn the game into one where you were forced to meta-game. You kind of have to tell your player things that they should absolutely know, allow them to make rolls for things they might know if (usually by request) and remind them that just because they know something (maybe a powerful monster that they encountered in another campaign), their current character does not.
I understand where your coming from though. People don't pretend to be dumber just because they have a low INT unless it's really low.
When should you roll for a cha-based skill and when should it be RP? Good question. In my game (and that's not the "right" way, necessarily), I ask people to act out their interaction and then give a bonus to the skill check, if they act it out well. Sometimes I even give them an automatic success. But if the player is Mr. Stutterer from before and he can't string a sentence togehter, he can still at least hope the die + skill modifier is good enough.
Which brings us to this: The aim of RPGs, besides having fun, is to play characters who are different from ourselves.
This is cool and I'm glad that it works for you. It just doesn't work well for us. Usually CHA based skills get the lower of two checks, the roll and the role. It's a fundamental flaw in the way we play the game.
Now this doesn't mean that you have to be charismatic in real life in order to play a charismatc character. You just have to role-play that you are. Basically, I'm just going to have my group choose the charisma level that fits best with their character concept and play it out that way. If you are a brutish barbarian or something, you are not going to be very good at diplomacy or gathering information but you'll be intimidating for sure. If you are the debonnaire swashbuckler, you'll be the opposite.
Tying CHA to stats just seems to pigeon hole certain classes into the party leader or face. I don't see any reason why a straight up fighter can't fill this role without allowcating a bunch of points on an attribute that give him no mechanical benefit (although Dazzling Display helps a little in this regard).
Another thing we tend to do (probably wrong) is that low level character have much less ability to influence others until they gain a lot of notoriety. Famous people have more influence just because they are famous, even if they aren't very charismatic.
There are too many factors that go into "charisma" that I'd rather just split it off from the six basic attributes and leave it more up to the player and DM to handle however they see fit. If I replace it with something like Luck, at least it gives it the mechanical benefit of rerolling bad rolls which is useful for every class...
unless someone has a better idea for the sixth stat?
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Races: I actually devised six new races for use with the Knights & Sorceresses campaign. I later altered them for use with Arcana Evolved with racial levels.
Glitterling
Creatures of light and magic, glitterlings are tiny beings of light. They generally keep to themselves and do not appear to larger creatures.
Racial Traits:
+2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution
Glows as the spell light as a constant ability which cannot be suppressed.
Size: Tiny (with all appropriate bonuses and disadvantages)
Flight: 60 ft, perfect maneuverability
Darkling
Seemingly made of shadow with glowing red eyes, these medium humanoids generally appear only at night or in dark places such as deep, gnarled forests or dark caves. They have been known to work with evil Ritara.
Racial Traits:
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
+4 racial bonus to hide checks, when in shadows
Shadow armor provides +1 natural armor.
Darkvision, 120 ft.
Alari
Seemingly human, but with pale ivory skin and light blue silvery eyes, Alari are air elemental humanoids continually surrounded by breezes and light winds. Alari live in the high mountains within towers of stone and crystal. They generally remain aloof.
Racial Traits:
+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
Size: Medium
Air Resistance 2
Electricity Resistance 3
Low light vision
Distance vision (Can see 25% further than other races in normal light conditions)
+4 racial bonus to Perception checks.
Theras
Small rocky earth elemental humanoids, the theras are well loved by humans and undomi. With warm brown eyes and golden skin, they resemble diminutive humans. Theras live intermixed with humans and undomi.
Racial Traits:
+2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity
Size: Small
Earth Resistance 2
Acid Resistance 3
Darkvision 60 ft.
+4 racial bonus to Heal checks.
Undomi
Seemingly human but with silvery white skin and deep sapphire eyes, undomi are water elemental humanoids. They can be found in the arctic regions of any continent, or along warm seashores, and mix easily with human and theras societies. Undomi fear fire.
Racial Traits:
+2 Wisdom, -2 Strength
Size: Medium
Water Resistance 2
Cold Resistance 3
Vulnerable to Fire
Lowlight Vision
Underwater breathing a number of minutes per day equal to HD.
Ritara
Ritara have ruby red skin and glistening coal black eyes, fire elemental humanoids. A flame emerges from the top of their heads, instead of hair. Ritara prefer secluded settlements on volcanic plains or in dry desert regions. Ritara are greatly afraid of water and cold environs.
Racial Traits:
+2 Strength, -2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Fire Resistance 5
Vulnerable to Cold and Water
Darkvision, 60 ft.
Power Attack as bonus feat.
Cool stuff. Playing a Glitterling would definitely be a different experience.
DM: You find a wand.
Glitterling: I pick it up.
DM: You don't have any arms.
Glitterling: Oh...yeah.
Actually glitterlings can absorb magic items, weapons, and so forth into their bodies and use them as normal. I guess I should have pointed that out in the race description. :P
Ah, that makes sense.
Although, I'm not sure which way I like better. :)