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Character Creation Modifications

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Sun, 2012-07-15 19:38

NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture

Character Creation Modifications

While AGI is clearly the strongest non-Socialite/Hacker multiclasser, you can't easily make a Maxed Combat + Hacker character without spending more points than are required in Active Skills. You usually conserve/spend 150CP on the AGI's Computer skills, leaving 250 to spend. That isn't going to max Fray, Perception, Infiltration, and 2 Combat skills. I'm going to buff the Hyperelite, Fall Survivor, and Reinstantiated backgrounds. Suggestions? Other backgrounds to buff? Suggestions on how to do so?

—

As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.

Tue, 2012-07-17 00:33

Tyrnis

Re: Character Creation Modifications

Why do you want to buff them? The infolife background is the only one that's really out of whack. As I posted in another thread, my houserule for infolife omits the half and double cost modifiers (since those are what really messes things up), keeps the other drawbacks, and adds in +15 infosec, +10 programming, +10 research to the +30 interfacing they already get, which puts them in the 40 - 45 point overall benefit range, depending on whether you consider 'can't purchase psi' to be a drawback worthy of points or not. Re-instantiated is 5 points less beneficial overall, Isolate 1 point, and the ones marked 40- included morph restrictions that aren't factored into their point value. If you do buff them, make sure to buff them all relatively equally. The other backgrounds, so you can compare point values and buff accordingly: (40) Drifter: 40 points of advantages (32.5) Fall Evacuee: 35 points of advantages, 2.5 points of drawbacks (-2500 credits) (40-) Hyper-elite: 40 points of advantages, morph selection restrictions. (39) Isolate: 40 points of advantages, 1 point of drawbacks (-10 rep) (40-) Lost: 60 points of advantages, 20 points of drawbacks (social stigma, mental disorder), morph selection restriction (40) Lunar Colonist: 40 points of advantages (40) Martian: 40 points of advantages (40) Original Space Colonist: 40 points of advantages (35) Reinstantiated: 50 points of advantages, 15 points of drawbacks (edited memories for 10, -5k credits for 5) (40) Scumborn: 40 points of advantages (60-) Uplift: 60 points of advantages, morph selection restriction (uplift only) EDIT: Corrected Fall Evacuee and Uplift.

Mon, 2012-07-16 04:13

DivineWrath DivineWrath's picture

Re: Character Creation Modifications

I don't like how the infolife background can increase or decrease effective cp depending on how you spend them at character creation. I feel that it encourages munchkinism. Instead I house rule that any character selecting the infolife background must spend at least 100 cp on computer related skills (I may increase that minimum later if I feel it isn't good enough), as it is unlikely they could have developed without learning those skills.

Mon, 2012-07-16 13:02

Tyrnis

Re: Character Creation Modifications

I'm inclined to agree -- I tend to encourage skills with numbers based on the description chart as opposed to just aiming for the highest possible, so mechanical incentive to push for an 80 in multiple skills isn't something I care for. That said, I think a requirement to spend 100 points in computer skills isn't ideal, either, because it basically forces them toward the hacker path, and while I think that's something that should be pretty natural to them if they decide to focus on it, I don't think it should it should be mandatory. They already get +30 to interfacing, which is really the only _essential_ skill for an AGI. An AGI techie might not have much beyond a basic level of programming to nanofab parts, and a combat AGI might not program or do research much at all, and they can't put very many more points into interfacing than they already have.

Mon, 2012-07-16 22:22

Decivre

Re: Character Creation Modifications

Tyrnis wrote:
(42.5) Fall Evacuee: 45 points of advantages, 2.5 points of drawbacks (-2500 credits)

I only see the Fall Evacuee having 35 points in bonuses (20 for two skills at 10, 15 for bonus moxie), which would put the background's value at 32½, not 42½. Also, uplifts have 60 points in bonuses (two +10 skills, two +20 skills).

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2012-07-17 00:31

Tyrnis

Re: Character Creation Modifications

Decivre wrote:
I only see the Fall Evacuee having 35 points in bonuses (20 for two skills at 10, 15 for bonus moxie), which would put the background's value at 32½, not 42½. Also, uplifts have 60 points in bonuses (two +10 skills, two +20 skills).

You're right. Not sure where I got the other +10 on Fall Evacuee, and I'd missed that it was _two_ skills at +20 when I looked at Uplifts. Fixed in the original post.

Tue, 2012-07-17 16:56

NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture

Re: Character Creation Modifications

Tyrnis wrote:
The infolife background is the only one that's really out of whack.

During some playtesting, I realized that AGIs have a nasty disadvantage: Networking is a Social Skill. All that gear acquired by rep? Not for you. Contacts? Nope. Need a new morph in a hurry? Got cash? Anyways, I felt this mechanic was interesting enough, that I created a (sorta) counterpoint to it. You will see when I tweak it a little.

—

As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.

Tue, 2012-07-17 17:12

Decivre

Re: Character Creation Modifications

NewAgeOfPower wrote:
During some playtesting, I realized that AGIs have a nasty disadvantage: Networking is a Social Skill. All that gear acquired by rep? Not for you. Contacts? Nope. Need a new morph in a hurry? Got cash? Anyways, I felt this mechanic was interesting enough, that I created a (sorta) counterpoint to it. You will see when I tweak it a little.

Even that isn't a grand penalty. At best, it means that an AGI [i]starts out[/i] terrible at social skills. However, there is one aspect you forget… the ability to get huge discounts on computer skills means that the cognition aptitude is not as useful for them (why get the aptitude when lowering the aptitude means more discounted skill points?). This means that an AGI can invest more points in the savvy aptitude (which is not penalized), and have a higher innate ability with social skills. Sure, 30 savvy still doesn't equate to great social talents, but it does mean less to spend in Rez to become good at social skills. You really want to optimize, try this out. Go for exceptional aptitude in savvy and max it out at 40 (perfect for being an infomorph). Since your computer skills at 80 are a mere 19 points away from max, you can put your cognition at 11 and be assured that with 19 more points in it, you'll max out computer skills AND cognition simultaneously by spending your Rez exclusively in cognition when trying to raise your computer skills. Then with 40 in savvy, nearly every faction will give you one networking skill at either 60 or 70 (some will give you another one at 50). Plus you might be able to use the wild bonus skills to raise social skills as well. Not so bad now, is it? The easiest way I've found to balance out AGI is to simply give them a +10 in each of Research, Infosec and Programming, then take away the whole half/double thing. It puts them in line with every other background.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2012-07-17 17:48

NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture

Re: Character Creation Modifications

Campaigns tend to end before people accrue more than 200 rez... Just saying. Raising Cog will cost more than 14 points per point of COG... since your profession/knowledge skills are likely to be COG in addition to your basic haxor skillz Still, for teams with an Acquisitor™ the AGI can overcome many of his disadvantages...

—

As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.