Indulge me for a minute

[ShaneNINE]

My gaming group is currently playing Exalted. I think it's cool. The other players and the GM are giddy stupid happy over it. So when it's my turn to run a game, they're asking me to run a more traditional fantasy game based on a similar idea: the PCs are somehow 'more' than average joes and have to fight the minions of evil. Not quite super heroes, but certainly more powerful, faster, stronger, etc, than an average human.

I'd like to use TROS for this cause 1) the magic system would be great for this, 2) it's pretty similar to Exalted so it'll be easy to switch over to. What I'm wondering about is how to elevate the PCs stats and skills and such to make them 'exalted'. Any ideas? I'm somewhat leaning towards just increasing physical attributes and leaving it at that. What do you think?

Just as an example of how much 'more' a super PC would be, let's take an average joe who becomes 'exalted'. Now he can jump 15' straight up, he can clean and press 1000 lbs and deadlift 2000 lbs. He can run 100 yards in 5-8 seconds. He can heal about 4 times as fast as a normal human. He can catch/dodge an arrow. He can survive a 50' fall. His skin can absorb as much damage as a boiled leather.

[Lance D. Allen]

Um.. Wow. Well, it'll change the feel of TRoS quite a bit if you decide to run this sort of game with it, but if you want to, that's entirely up to you. I imagine you'll enjoy the system anyhow. How to go about it, though?

Now he can jump 15' straight up, he can clean and press 1000 lbs and deadlift 2000 lbs. He can run 100 yards in 5-8 seconds. He can heal about 4 times as fast as a normal human. He can catch/dodge an arrow. He can survive a 50' fall. His skin can absorb as much damage as a boiled leather.

It might behoove you not to play with attributes so much as add the special abilities you mention here for the Exalted...

1. Increase the jumping multiplier to allow similar jumps. Stronger Exalted will be able to jump higher, weaker Exalted won't be able to jump *quite* so high, but 15' will be the happy medium.

2. Same with the lifting modifiers. It won't make them so much stronger as just give them abilities to use their strength to more effect.

3. Cut the healing times to a quarter.

4. Anyone can dodge an arrow if they see it coming in time.. As for catching it, just make it a maneuver.

5. Decrease the falling damage so that 50' is pretty survivable (do they still get hurt though?)

6. Give them a +2 AV (the value of boiled leather) on top of their TO. This only applies to resisting damage, though.

Alternately, you can explain how excited you are about TRoS, and see if they'd be willing to play it as is. The gritty feel of the game would be a change when they start to feel burned out by Exalted (which they will, I'm sure.. All games do it eventually, even the ones which make you giddy stupid happy) Make sure they know up front how deadly it is (run them through a few mock duels, etc.) before you begin play, and make sure they understand the importance of their SAs. If they begin play with these things in mind, they will not hit the major pitfalls that often turn players off of TRoS. (ie, a messy, horrible and unexpected death, and a lack of advancement of their character)

It's entirely up to you, however.

[Mokkurkalfe]

Just give them 60-70 points to buy attributes from, and beef up the priorities.

[Jake Norwood]

I say give them 3 or 4 A priorities, then B, C, etc. to fill out the character. On top of that, do the multipliers for Book 5 that Wolfen set up (pretty cool, BTW). That'll keep them from being downright gods, but they will be pretty hard to deal with. Heck, let us know how it goes, and I might run something like it sometime.

Jake

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

I have an alternate suggestion. Have them make up characters completely as usual in the TROS system, then toss in some more points for Sorcery Proficiencies. You can diddle the points as you see fit (allowing some people to have more, some less, depending on other Proficiency points, etc).

All of the "superhuman" stuff you describe would then be set up as per usual using magic. Read the chapter carefully - you'll find that one can embed spells into one's own body, ready to go off when the circumstances dictate, with no need to "cast" it on the character's part. Use the rules that permit the characters to begin with several Formalized spells, and I think that covers the needs of play that you described.

Best,
Ron

[Mike Holmes]

I would just do development as normal, and then give them a 30 point bonus to the number of stat pointsselected. Say that's the effect of being exalted. If you give more priorities at high level, then you end up with more Elves, and Nobles. Which doesn't seem to match the effect.

By adding to the stats, you allow for the same range of characters as previous, as players can still put a lower priority in stats if they like.

Mike

[ShaneNINE]

Um.. Wow. Well, it'll change the feel of TRoS quite a bit if you decide to run this sort of game with it

Clarification: I'd use the rules, not the setting. The setting would be of my own creation.

Thanks for all the good advice. I have a few months yet to put the campaign together, but as I do I'll likely come here to ask for help and suchlike.

[Lance D. Allen]

Clarification: I'd use the rules, not the setting. The setting would be of my own creation.

That is what I assumed. However, the rules themselves give TRoS a lot more of it's feel than the setting does; The setting's just a good backdrop.