Samsara:Character generation

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CHARACTER GENERATION

Classical Mode: Point-buy method

The players are given a pool of points appropriate to the level of ability desired for the game. The cost of attributes and abilities is equal to the sum of the numbers that comprise it. Thus, a 3 anything costs (3 2 1=) 6 points. Negative modifiers add that many points to the starting pool. If no points are spent, the modifier is 0.

Motives, as both plus and minus numbers, cost nothing. Each character should have at least one, but probably no more than three, unless you want extremely conflicted characters. Similarly, the player and the GM should work out the motive modifier; as mentioned before, this can be seen as a type of tactical choice. A character with a high motive will be driven strongly and grandly passionate, while one with more modest motives will be of a cooler temperament.

Below are some suggested starting point totals, tied to a description of competency, and a suggested spread of those points for a character with the default 12 attributes (the numbers will need to be changed if you use the more simplified attribute schemes):

• Bold Adventurer: 10 Pts.

This would build a character with 1 in six attributes and 1 in four abilities.

• Competent Adventurer: 30 pts.

This would build a character with 2 in six attributes and 2 in four abilities.

• Hero: 72 pts.

This would build a character with 3 in six attributes and 3 in 6 abilities.

• Great Hero: 120 pts.

This would build a character with 4 in six attributes and 4 in 6 abilities.

• Super-Hero: 210 pts.

This would build a character with 5 in six attributes and 5 in 8 abilities.

The point-spreads are very tentative. A game emphasizing skills might require more points. A game deemphasizing skills, would allow more points to go toward attributes, so that the Hero might have only two abilities, each at 3, with three attributes at 2, six attributes at 3, and one at 5.

Also remember that the cost of modifier increases exponentially, so that it is much easier to buy numerous, small modifiers. 10 points will buy ten, 1 modifiers, but only one 4 modifier. The point totals given are merely a starting place.

Variation: Straight Numbers

To create more powerful, more flexible characters, the cost of modifiers could be changed to equal only the cost of the modifier itself. Thus a 4 would cost 4 points, rather than 10. This will not only make the points go much farther, but it will also encourage higher modifiers, because the curve is gone. It also makes character generation a lot simpler, for the math-shy.

Romantic Mode: Themes

In the Romantic Mode, each character has a number of Themes. These could be professions, backgrounds, or just stylistic descriptions. The character can be assumed to possess any attribute, ability, and Motive relevant to that Theme with a modifier equal to his theme modifier. Thus “Brash Pilot 1” can be assumed to have piloting skills, knowledge of his ship, PER, DEX, QWK, and maybe some general athleticism, as well as a propensity for barging into situations instead of thinking them out (Motive); all of which function at 1. Some more examples:

• Wolfish Barbarian
• Street fighter
• Hardened mercenary who has seen it all
• Decadent noble
• Student of Occult Philosophy
• Resentful Servant of the Dark Gods
• Dashing Captain of the Guard
• Last of the Old Ones
• Relentless hunter of evil
• Grew up a street urchin
• Clean-limbed fighting man of Virginia
• Spent time as a wizard’s apprentice
• Doomed prince of an ancient empire

These Themes will need to be tied-into the game world, so they can’t be standardized (grim gunfighters don’t make too much sense in Middle-Earth). The more iconic and archetypal the Theme is; the more broadly applicable. The more focused and world-specific the Theme is, the easier it is to know what is and isn’t appropriate to that Theme.

As a general guide-line, a Theme should have both an adjective and a noun; a prepositional phrase or dependant clause is also good. More than two adjectives or one clause, on the other hand, is probably over-doing it. Conjunctions are also highly discouraged unless you want to have characters whose parents were aliens and are themselves top scientists and also karate experts and learned magic from a friendly elf and are best friends with the President of Uruguay.

The GM and the players will decide how many themes each character has and the general level of competence for the characters. The Theme modifier will be set by the competency level of the game. For example:

• Bold Adventurer: 1 Theme at 1
• Competent Adventurer: 2 Themes at 2
• Hero: 3 Themes at 3
• Great Hero: 4 Themes at 4
• Super-Hero: 5 Themes at 5

If the GM allows 3 themes in a hero game, then each theme is at 3. If a player elects to take a theme more than once, each addition adds 1 to the modifier. This is a potentially tricky option and should be considered deeply. For instance, “Super-badass” taken four times to the exclusion of all else might be problematic in many games.

Variation: Point-buy Themes

A type of mixing between the two methods would be to allow the characters a pool of points to be spent on themes howsoever they like. This will give greater variety to the modifiers and to the number of themes. Thus, a particularly socially-mobile character might have “Ex-Gladiator 3”, “Cunning Merchant 2”, and “Rising Politician 1”. The size of the pool can be determined by competency level. For example:

• Bold Adventurer: 1 pt.
• Competent Adventurer: 6 pts.
• Hero: 18pts.
• Great Hero: 40 pts.
• Super-Hero: 75 pts.

As always, the number of points should be altered as the group sees fit.

Variation: Making it up as you go along

For the truly freeform, you could have themes without worrying too much about what they actually cover. Then, whenever a character enters a contest, the player could suggest that a particular theme might apply to this struggle. This would shorten character generation and would likely avoid those situations where a character who is supposed to be a “Dashing Swordsman” forgot to include “acrobatics” as part of his Theme. The converse, of course, is that this option might involve GM-Player negations that occur right as the action is about to start. Thus, this option would be more appropriate for groups that know each other well.

One could extend this option even further, and allow the player the option to leave one or more Themes undetermined at the start of play. At any point (and hopefully a dramatic one), the player could then elect to determine a Theme. This might work very well for games about somewhat mysterious characters. For example, the Sly Rogue finds himself confronted by some arcane writings and instruments, as part of his latest haul. His player might say, “You know, it’s been a long time, but in my youth, I served as an apprentice to a drunken, washed-up wizard. Maybe I can recall enough to recognize these things.” He has just determined a previously undisclosed Theme.

This variation will require cooperation and negotiation between players and GM even more than the less ambitious version. But using it would make discovery of the character an integral part of play.

Contents

Main Page

1.Fundamentals

2.Contests

3.Modifiers and the Character

4.Attributes

5.Abilities

6.Motives

7.Checks

8.Character Generation

9.Samsara Points

10.Long Term Play

11.Examples of Play

12.Appendix A - Ultramundane Abilities

13.Appendix B – Settings