I was thinking that the D20 creature rules were a bit too complicated for my tastes. I mean, surely there must be a way to make easy to use (and easy to create) creatures, and still have them compatible in a D20-like environment. What do you think?
Quote from: ZalmoxisI was thinking that the D20 creature rules were a bit too complicated for my tastes. I mean, surely there must be a way to make easy to use (and easy to create) creatures, and still have them compatible in a D20-like environment. What do you think?
If you know someone who owns the Spycraft 2.0 rulebook, borrow it and take a look at the NPC creation rules.
I've said for a long time that the best thing that could happen to d20 was some good mook rules. Something to reduce a foe to a 1 line AD&D style statblock. That would be awesome. Full stats for the big baddies of course, but if we have 7th level PCs does it really matter what every orc's spot check is?
Quote from: MaddmanI've said for a long time that the best thing that could happen to d20 was some good mook rules. Something to reduce a foe to a 1 line AD&D style statblock. That would be awesome. Full stats for the big baddies of course, but if we have 7th level PCs does it really matter what every orc's spot check is?
Exactly. It's very frustrating for someone like me who likes to create the more colorful information on creatures but HATES doing the stats.
Quote from: CyclotronIf you know someone who owns the Spycraft 2.0 rulebook, borrow it and take a look at the NPC creation rules.
I have the first version somewhere... I never though of using that as a basis for creature generation. Does the 2.0 book differ from the original in how it handles NPC's?
Quote from: ZalmoxisDoes the 2.0 book differ from the original in how it handles NPC's?
Yes. By quite a bit.
In the new rules, you have a few numeric bonuses... Initiative, Attack, Defense (AC), Resistance (one bonus for all Saves), Wounds/Vitality or Damage Save (depending on whether they are a special character or a mook), and Competence (one bonus for all Skills).
These numbers are rated with a roman numeral from I to X. V is average. Each level in one category adds +1 xp to the award for the creature... An Initive bonus of IV, for example is worth +4 xp.
There is also a list of special abilities that can be added, and each has an accociated xp bonus or penalty.
You only need one block of stats like this for each type of NPC.
To creat the actual stats, you cross reference a set of charts (the only bad part of this, in my opinion), looking up the roman numeral for each stat against the NPC's "Tier" (much like DR). You can have Tier 1 mook ninjas that are easy to kill in droves, or you can use the same set of stats to create a Real Ultimate Tier 5 Ninja who will flip out and cut off the heads of the entire party while flying through the air.
Once you've got the basic stat block prepared, coming up with stats for any level of NPC is a piece of cake... I can generate stats for all the NPCs in a Spycraft 2.0 mission in less than 15 minutes.
Here's some of the stats from one my latest Star Wars/Spycraft adventures...
QuoteLinda Barnes, Pelagian Operative (Technician) +47 xp
Init +1; Atk -1; Def 12; Res +1; V/WP 4/14; Comp +3; Skills: Computers +4, Electronics +3;
Wealth: 3/3/3; Weapons: None; Gear: Laptop Computer (PR4); Vehicle: Landspeeder;
Qualities: class ability (trap door 1/session), Meek (-8), non-combatant, specialty (Geek) talented (Cunning).
Frrflin, Mrllsti Private Investigator (Investigator) +70 xp
Init +1; Atk +1; Def 11; Res +1; V/WP 6/18; Comp +2; Skills: Investigation +4, Search +3;
Wealth: 3/3/3; Weapons: Blaster pistol (1d8+1, 1/20, 6S48, 14, 20'); Gear: Comlink (PR 2), 3 x Cal II; Vehicle: Landspeeder;
Qualities: improved vision, inferior attribute (Str -4, Con -2), natural attack (Claws I, 1d4), specialty (Investigator), superior attribute (+4 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha), talented (vigilant), undersized (Small).
Lamuir Police (Police Officer) +62 xp
Init +1; Atk +1; Def 12; Res +1; Dam +7; Comp +2; Skills: Intimidate +4, Notice +4;
Wealth: 4/4/4; Weapons: Blaster pistol (1d8+1, 1/20, 6S48, 14, 20'); Gear: Comlink (PR 2), 4 x Cal II; Vehicle: Landspeeder;
Qualities: feat (QCB Basics, Gunslinger's Eye, Marksmanship Basics).
Mecetti Thugs (Thug) +33 xp
Init +1; Atk +0; Def 12; Res +1; Dam +8; Comp +2; Skills: None;
Wealth: 3/3/3; Weapons: Blaster pistol (1d8+1, 1/20, 6S48, 14, 20'); Gear: None; Vehicle: None;
Qualities: specialty (criminal).
Very interesting. I'm going to have to pick that up.
Quote from: ZalmoxisVery interesting. I'm going to have to pick that up.
One of the things I really like about it is the fact that you can make someone who is really good at one thing, without necessarily being good at other things... You could, for example, make a master locksmith who has a +12 bonus to Open Locks and Disable Device, but only a +4 on all the other skills and no combat ability to speak of whatsoever.
Quote from: CyclotronOne of the things I really like about it is the fact that you can make someone who is really good at one thing, without necessarily being good at other things... You could, for example, make a master locksmith who has a +12 bonus to Open Locks and Disable Device, but only a +4 on all the other skills and no combat ability to speak of whatsoever.
I'm curious at how it will port over to make something like, say, a chimera. Or a centaur. Eventually I want to get the stats down to bare bones, and add some descriptive text. This is imperative to me because I want to create ashitload of creatures in a short amount of time and have them be interesting but not too frickin complicated.
Quote from: ZalmoxisI'm curious at how it will port over to make something like, say, a chimera. Or a centaur.
I don't have the rulebook with me, at the moment, but I know the chapter includes stats for an Alien, an Andorid, a Zombie and a Vampire. They've also got special NPC Qualities for aminals, too...
When I get some free time tonight, I'll take a peek, and see if I can emulate stats for a Chimera and Centaur, to use your suggested examples. I'll even time myself, to see how long it takes.
Quote from: CyclotronI don't have the rulebook with me, at the moment, but I know the chapter includes stats for an Alien, an Andorid, a Zombie and a Vampire. They've also got special NPC Qualities for aminals, too...
When I get some free time tonight, I'll take a peek, and see if I can emulate stats for a Chimera and Centaur, to use your suggested examples. I'll even time myself, to see how long it takes.
You frickin rock. :)
I looked over at the AEG forums and saw a bunch of statted creatures... all I need now is the rules for NPC creation and I think I'll be off to a good start.
Here we go...
I converted the Chimera. My goal was to emulate the D&D Chimera's abilities as closely as possible at a Threat Level of 7 (roughly the equivalent of CR 7 in D&D terms) in Spycraft 2.0.
It took me a little less than 20 minutes, including typing and formatting... a little bit longer than expected, since I had to do some cross-referencing between the Monster Manual and the Spycraft Rulebook to make certain I was getting the stats right.
Chimera (Animal -- 115 xp)
Init II; Atk IX; Def IX; Res VII; v/wp X; Skills: Sneak I, Notice V;
Wealth: None; Weapons: None; Gear: None; Vehicle: None;
Qualities: augmented (1 x Caliber III*), camouflaged (plains), flight (60 ft.), hulking (large), improved hearing, improved scent, improved vision, low-light vision, natural attack (bite IV, claws II, gore III), superior attribute (+8 Str, +6 Con).
*Caliber III Gadget: Attack, 4d6 fire, cone (10 ft. blast).
Now that I've got the basics for a Chimera down, I can plug in the stats from the charts in the Spycraft book, and get a Chimera appriate to challenge a party that's anywhere from 1st to 20th level...
For 1st level Characters...
Chimera (Animal +115 xp)
Init +0; Atk +2; Def 13; Res +2; v/wp 8/22; Skills: Sneak +1, Notice +3;
Wealth: None; Weapons: None; Gear: None; Vehicle: None;
Qualities: augmented (1 x Caliber III*), camouflaged (plains), flight (60 ft.), hulking (large), improved hearing, improved scent, improved vision, low-light vision, natural attack (bite 2d6, claws 1d6, gore 1d8), superior attribute (+8 Str, +6 Con).
*Caliber III Gadget: Attack, 4d6 fire, cone (10 ft. blast).
One and a half minutes.
For 20th level Characters...
Chimera (Animal +115 xp)
Init +3; Atk +25; Def 30; Res +12; v/wp 150/30; Skills: Sneak +10, Notice +20;
Wealth: None; Weapons: None; Gear: None; Vehicle: None;
Qualities: augmented (1 x Caliber III*), camouflaged (plains), flight (60 ft.), hulking (large), improved hearing, improved scent, improved vision, low-light vision, natural attack (bite 2d6, claws 1d6, gore 1d8), superior attribute (+8 Str, +6 Con).
*Caliber III Gadget: Attack, 4d6 fire, cone (10 ft. blast).
For 7th level Characters (standard for a D&D Chimera)...
Chimera (Animal +115 xp)
Init +1; Atk +9; Def 18; Res +5; v/wp 53/25; Skills: Sneak +4, Notice +8;
Wealth: None; Weapons: None; Gear: None; Vehicle: None;
Qualities: augmented (1 x Caliber III*), camouflaged (plains), flight (60 ft.), hulking (large), improved hearing, improved scent, improved vision, low-light vision, natural attack (bite 2d6, claws 1d6, gore 1d8), superior attribute (+8 Str, +6 Con).
*Caliber III Gadget: Attack, 4d6 fire, cone (10 ft. blast).
So there you go. After a 20 minute initial investment on a modestly complicated monster, it takes about 7 minutes to generate 3 different stat blacks for three different levels of encounter... And that includes the time I took yelling at my kids to get ready for bed.
:D
Thanks for that, Cyclotron. :)
I can't wait to get the rule book and learn the nuts and bolts of it, but from what I see so far I like it a lot.
Quote from: ZalmoxisThanks for that, Cyclotron. :)
I can't wait to get the rule book and learn the nuts and bolts of it, but from what I see so far I like it a lot.
Be aware that SC 2.0 is OGL... Many of the rules are different enough from standard D20 that a lot of modifications to those NPC rules would have to be made before you could strictly use them with D&D and the like. The basic concept is sound, however, and it would really streamline DM preparation time, if you could adapt them.
Also, take a good look through a copy of SC 2.0 before you decide to buy it. It's not a rulebook for everyone... It's a very dense rulebook, and it's a little bit expensive, if you pay full price.
That said, in my very personal opinion, it's one of the best RPG rulebooks that's come out in a very long time and I have had no regrets having spent $40 for it.