Template for Generic Heroquest Character Backgrounds

[epweissengruber]

I am hoping to run a Heroquest setting with heavy player input.  That means generation of homelands, professions, common magic, etc.

I am hoping to have fairly experienced characters too, ones that will have undergone growth in careers, religion, whatever.

So I have set out blocks of Backgrounds, each of which is composed of 5 Abilities, with the 3 styles of magic reflected in more specific lists (of spell/grimoire/formulary/spirit/afinity/feats) and the growth of the higher religious ranks reflected by the appropirate new abilities.

Each player will select a Homeland, Profession, Common Magic, Practice/Cult/School Keyword, and General Block.  After that, they can choose 3 more "Background" blocks.

The number of abilities will be a little smaller than that developed in the Heroquest rules.  That is deliberate.  I want more focus and not so much grainy detail.

Comments?

Homeland
1  Skill/Knowledge
2  Skill/Knowledge
3  Skill/Knowledge
4  Survival
5  Personality

Common Magic
(decide if feat, spell, talent, charm)
1
2
3
4
5

Profession
1 Practical Skill
2 Practical Skill
3 Practical Skill
4 Knowledge
5 Personality


Practice
1 Knowledge of
2 Relationship to person/place
3 See Spirit
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 Selection of Spirits (3-5)


Cult
1 Knowledge of
2 Relationship to person/place
3 See Daimon
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 3 Affinities

School
1 Knowledge of
2 Relationship to person/place
3 See Essence
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 5 standard blessings, 3 special blessings, 2 curses

Apprentice
1 Relationship to
2 Knowledge of
3 Personality
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 2 Basic Grimoires w. 5 spells each/Or formulary w. 5 spells

Adept
1 Relationship to
2 Soul Sight/Spirit Face/Essential Vision
3 Otherworld Access Ability
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 Devote Status/1 specialized grimorie  w. 5 spells/2 Practice Spritits

Adept Master
1 Relationship to
2 Lead ceremony
3 Create/control follower
4 Personality/Skill/Knowledge
5 Devote w. Secret/1 secret grimoire w. 5 spells/Fetch and other Shamanistic Skills

General Block

If you want any specific possessions, followers, etc., then use a generic block to flesh out your character

1
2
3
4
5

Remember, each key word has a rating

Can take allies

[epweissengruber]

Mark, we won't have to remake your character.

[Mike Holmes]

So blocks are replacing keywords? The idea being that there'll be fewer abilities, meaning greater focus?

Well, I'm probably biased, since I like the "grainy detail." But I think you lose a lot here. It's not just the details from the keywords...it's the notion that the keyword encompasses everything under the keyword. Meaning that a player can't get an ability at keyword level for free.

If you are allowing this sort of expansion of abilities under keywords, then all you're doing is making short sample keywords. Which is non-problematic, but not really a change from the normal method (other than the specificity with which you've designed the blocks). Often my samples are shorter than the ones in the book - with the understanding that there are probably lots of abilities left unstated.

Given that these are supposed to be experienced characters, why no room for more potential magic keywords? Multiple initiations, Adepts who have studied at more than one school, Animists belonging to more than one practice? And, as always, what about characters who do not belong to any such (are just spiritists, lay worshippers, etc)?

Here's an easy way to deal with this. Have each character have 3 "general" blocks, each of which can be taken as any sort of keyword. So a character might have another profession, or have spent a lot of time in another culture, enough to merit a keyword. Or, again, have more magic. Or just have more "general" stuff. Or any other sort of keyword like the Traveler keyword from the book. (You can even make a character with an exotic race spend a keyword on their species, if exotic).

It's a good balance, makes for characters who feel more broadly experienced, and allows for a wide variety of character types.

Mike

[epweissengruber]

Each of these blocks is a keyword, starting at 17.  I then give the players 25 points to distribute among their keywords to simulate prior experience.  That done, the players have 20 - 40 points to distribute among the individual abilities.  These rules are meant to give players high-powered characters from the get go.

[sebastianz]

Each player will select a Homeland, Profession, Common Magic, Practice/Cult/School Keyword, and General Block.  After that, they can choose 3 more "Background" blocks.

If I counted correctly, that would be a total of 8 blocks, so 8 keywords, right? Each keyword comes with 5 abilities so that is 40 abilities. And, as blocks are keywords, that is only the listed abilities. That is not really less abilities than using the normal rules. Also, 25 points to improve keywords appears to be to few points, considering there are 8 keywords to improve.

So, did I count right: eight keywords?

Sebastian.

[Mike Holmes]

At some point we need to do a thread solely on how much advanced experience produces what sort of character.

What I did to create "Experienced Veterans" was to add 30 keyword levels, no more than 20 to any one keyword. And, yeah, I have fewer keywords using mostly just the standard ones. But I'm not sure that he's really out of line, Sebastian. That is, OK, so maybe he doesn't raise 5 keywords at all. That's not all that unusual. I often have players completely ignore their homeland keyword, for instance. In any case, because he has no cap on spending, his characters can actually have higher keywords than those in my game. It just means a very, very specialized character. I force a tad more breadth, is all. I think it works on that level (though I'd give a few more levels, yeah).

20-40 points for abilities, however...Any cap there? I gave out 100 points, no more than 25 on any one ability. And I thought I was being very conservative. I mean, spread the points you give out over two of your keywords, and that's only 2-4 points per ability.

So, let's do the min-maxing. I have Warrior 17 to start, add 25 to it, so that's a 2W2 keyword. I then add my 20 points, all to one ability, then I have 2W3. 2W4, if you have 40 points and allow them all to stack. That would make for one very, very "pointy" character. Sure he's deadly with a sword or some one ability. Heroically good. But outside of those 5 abilities, he's a 17 at everything else (or 13). That's pointy.

In my version, characters can max out with keywords at 17W, and abilities at 2W2 as well (more if the character was played previously). Possibly five abilities at 2W2. Others in Keyword at 17W. Others in another keyword at 7W. Remainder at 17 (or 13). That's a lot broader.

The "balanced character" for your system has most abilities at 2W or so. In mine they have more like 8W. For the same number of abilities. So my system is somewhat promoting spreading out (or at least not incentivizing stacking as much).

Just some analysis on what these methods produce.

Mike

[soru]

One thing you could do is treat the standard starting characeter having 4, not 3, keywords.

homeland 17
profession 17
magic 17
narrative 13

In other words, the 'hundred words' is a pseudo-keyword, and so can be raised by spending keyword points.

Altenatively, the safest way, balance-wise, to handle advanced experience is just to specify the 4 numbers involved, say 1W17, 1W7, 1W5, 19, and let player pick which keyword has which value.

Then they can create an advanced magical specialist, dedicated professional, significant political figure or just someone who has had important events happen to them.

[Vaxalon]

Are you sure you mean 1W17?

[soru]

yes, it was a transcosmic entity game...

[Mike Holmes]

As Willy Wonka might say:

"Strike that...reverse it...thank you."

Mike

[epweissengruber]

I have found that 4 to 5 keyword blocks with 5 - 8 Abilities per block provides the right combination of detail and focus for convention games.  The players didn't have to plough through long lists of concepts or entites with which they were unfamiliar.

Also, having a "stuff everyone can do in this genre" block and allowing players to distribute a set of values however they wish also worked to provide unity of Color between characters.


(Frex: Spacer Keyword @ 19: sub abilities were use beam weapon, use technology, resist pain, knowledge of galaxy, and hand-to-hand combat.  They then distributed the following values among the subabilities of the Keyword -- 3w2, 18w, 13w, 3w, 3w)

The variety of abilities in the martial arts game (long strike, throw, etc-- all variously named) gave the martial artists an edge against mooks with only a "Brawl" ability.  The martial artists found many neat ways to kick butt while the mooks were penalized for repeating actions.