proficiencies, defaults, and the starting character

[turgon]

I have a question involving the above.  I created my first character last night and it went a little haywire.  Specifically,  I put priority A into proficiencies (probably a mistake).

I put 8 points into brawling.  (Brawling 8) and noticed that it defaulted to Knife 6, Wrestle 6 -- it should have been 7 but defaults max at 6.  So I put one point each into knife and wrestle to daise them to 7 each (spending 10 of my 14 points).  I then spread out the other points until I basically had a relatively high score in almost every proficiency.  Is this correct? Or should I have spent the proficiency points before checking on defaults?

As interpreted,  14 prociency points are a deceptively "powerful".  

Any clarification will help

[Jake Norwood]

turgon-

You did it exactly right. Yes, Priority A proficiencies are very powerful. You aren't creating a "beginning" 1st-level type here, but a trained and lethal hero...TROS is deadly, and you'll need all the help you can get.

Jake

[Brian Leybourne]

You did it exactly right. Yes, Priority A proficiencies are very powerful. You aren't creating a "beginning" 1st-level type here, but a trained and lethal hero...TROS is deadly, and you'll need all the help you can get.

PLUS, remember that Sorceror vagaries come out of proficiency points as well. If you want to play a sorceror character, you would be well advised to have priority A in Proficiencies, so you have enough for all your spell vagaries and some skills in fighting.

In fact, given that you'll usually be using B for race, and C in proficiencies only gives you 6 points, I would hazard a guess that ALL human sorcerors in tRoS will have an A in Proficiencies.

Hey Jake, that's a good question - in the table, C in Proficiencies gives you 6 points, but the sample character uses 7 (plus another one because of his country or origin making 8). I can't refer to the book to check, but I'm pretty sure that's right, I remember asking about it before but don't think it was ever answered. Is it suypposed to be 6 or 7?

[turgon]

turgon-

You did it exactly right. Yes, Priority A proficiencies are very powerful. You aren't creating a "beginning" 1st-level type here, but a trained and lethal hero...TROS is deadly, and you'll need all the help you can get.

Jake

I'm going to have to keep that in mind from now on.  I didn't make the character that I'd imagined, instead I built a killing machine...  I have not played the game, but gifts and flaws seem fairly underpowered.  For anyone who has played,  are they?

[Jake Norwood]

Hey Jake, that's a good question - in the table, C in Proficiencies gives you 6 points, but the sample character uses 7 (plus another one because of his country or origin making 8). I can't refer to the book to check, but I'm pretty sure that's right, I remember asking about it before but don't think it was ever answered. Is it suypposed to be 6 or 7?

Um, actually I did answer that one. Go with the text in the actual description. That flaw in the example has now been fixed... I guess that what happens when you're lazy and let someone else write the CharGen example... :P

Jake

[Lyrax]

Gifts and Flaws are NOT underpowered.  Especially if you make your own gift...

[Lance D. Allen]

Even Minor Accuracy can make the difference in a fight... Major Accuracy can mean the difference between life and death for your opponent. I've yet to actually use my Flaw (Major Sleep Disorder) in play, but I can sense that it will be a real pain in the butt, just by imagining the situations where it will apply.

[The_Fey]

In fact, given that you'll usually be using B for race, and C in proficiencies only gives you 6 points, I would hazard a guess that ALL human sorcerors in tRoS will have an A in Proficiencies.

I would really hesitate to every make such a large generalization as saying that ALL of the Gifted have priority A in proficiencies.  For as few and far between as the Gifted are, there wouldn't be that level of consistency between them all.  Some wizards are much more powerful (proficiencies at priority A)....but some, maybe even lots of them due to the sheer nature of magic and the bad PR, would probably have lower priorities for their proficiencies.

But speaking even more generally for all the inhabitants of Weyrth, it seems to me that this is a very varied world, and that there are relatively few constants uniting the people of the world.  I mean, they can't even decide if Xanar was the world's worst villian, or its potential savior.  What are the odds that any group (especially a group that is hunter and persecuted and is forced to hide away as much as possible and have little to no contact with others of their kind) would have a level of unity and consistency that would result in that kind of game mechanic?

Done rambling now.  :P

[Bob Richter]

turgon-

You did it exactly right. Yes, Priority A proficiencies are very powerful. You aren't creating a "beginning" 1st-level type here, but a trained and lethal hero...TROS is deadly, and you'll need all the help you can get.

Jake

I'm going to have to keep that in mind from now on.  I didn't make the character that I'd imagined, instead I built a killing machine...  I have not played the game, but gifts and flaws seem fairly underpowered.  For anyone who has played,  are they?

Minor gifts give you little bonuses. Major gifts give you big bonuses. Same, but reverse for Flaws.

Mostly, I find there just aren't ENOUGH of them. :)

[Jaif]

I have a player who took major sleep disorder for his character.  However, he asked (and I allowed) that it be "can't be woken up".  No sound on earth is going to waken him, and you'd actually have to do real damage if you wanted to try to get him up.  Consider:

- If there's a fight at night, he's probably a dead man.
- If the PCs want to move on limited rest (e.g. sleep 4 hours and go), they essentially have to tie him to a horse.  He won't wake up.
- He's got first watch.  He'll still take his full 8-hours afterwords.

As for gifts, I second accuracy.  Imagine all those people, not dressed in head-to-toe sheet metal, who have a neck or elbow exposed.  Both of those are position 4 on the appropriate cutting tables, so if you have major accuracy and a random slicer, you're going to hit the weak spot every time.  Believe me, hits to these locations are very likely to end the fight.  Oh, groin's a '4' also.

Many of the others are very campaign dependant (allies, patron); I further tend to believe a number of them become 'undervalued' by RPG groups who tend to trivialize many basics.

For example, in a world without landmarks, where maps are either non-existant or crappy, it should be amazingly difficult to make cross-country trips w/o a guide or very good skills.  Most people tend to ignore that, and just let everybody head whatever direction they want.  If you pay real attention to travel, though, than absolute direction is a life-saver.

The social ones are another.  Things like good looks, reputation, and "true leadership" are practically omnipotent in human society, but people in games tend to undervalue these (IMO).

-Jeff

[Brian Leybourne]

In fact, given that you'll usually be using B for race, and C in proficiencies only gives you 6 points, I would hazard a guess that ALL human sorcerors in tRoS will have an A in Proficiencies.

I would really hesitate to every make such a large generalization as saying that ALL of the Gifted have priority A in proficiencies.  For as few and far between as the Gifted are, there wouldn't be that level of consistency between them all.  Some wizards are much more powerful (proficiencies at priority A)....but some, maybe even lots of them due to the sheer nature of magic and the bad PR, would probably have lower priorities for their proficiencies.

No, I was talking about players creating characters. Making a human sorceror and only having 6 points to spend on vagaries and weapon styles would be stupid IMO (to say the least) and lead to a weak sorceror who would die very quickly in his very first combat.

Brian.

[Bob Richter]

In fact, given that you'll usually be using B for race, and C in proficiencies only gives you 6 points, I would hazard a guess that ALL human sorcerors in tRoS will have an A in Proficiencies.

I would really hesitate to every make such a large generalization as saying that ALL of the Gifted have priority A in proficiencies.  For as few and far between as the Gifted are, there wouldn't be that level of consistency between them all.  Some wizards are much more powerful (proficiencies at priority A)....but some, maybe even lots of them due to the sheer nature of magic and the bad PR, would probably have lower priorities for their proficiencies.

No, I was talking about players creating characters. Making a human sorceror and only having 6 points to spend on vagaries and weapon styles would be stupid IMO (to say the least) and lead to a weak sorceror who would die very quickly in his very first combat.

Brian.

That's why Sorcerors don't belong in combat. :)

Er...and that's what Lightning is for?

[Lyrax]

A friend of mine just made a sorceror w/ 6 proficiency points, and, although we have yet to really test him, it's not THAT bad.  You see, because he put his "A" priority into stats, the man has a SP of 13!  Not too shabby, if you ask me.

[Jake Norwood]

And it won't take but a few games to build up his spells.

Jake

[Jaif]

Heck, play the child just becoming a sorcerer.

A-Stats Physical 5 (st, to 3), Mental 5 (MP, Per 6, WP 4)
B-Gifted
C-Skills
D-Familiar (Here kitty kitty kitty!)/Little
E-Social
F- No Vagaries!

You'll have a bit of fun buying off little as you grow older (hopefully not too fast<g>).

If you want, switch E&F and be an orphan w/a proficieny in thrown weapons or sling and 1pt in vision.

-Jeff