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Traveller style character creation for D&D?

Started by mAcular Chaotic, November 21, 2016, 03:10:17 AM

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mAcular Chaotic

November 21, 2016, 03:10:17 AM
Has anyone ever done something like this?

I was thinking it would be really cool to generate characters that way, rolling them up through various stages of life and having the potential of them dying along the way.
Battle doesn\'t need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don\'t ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don\'t ask why I fight.

jeff37923

#1
November 21, 2016, 03:29:42 AM Last Edit: November 21, 2016, 03:33:54 AM by jeff37923
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;931831Has anyone ever done something like this?

I was thinking it would be really cool to generate characters that way, rolling them up through various stages of life and having the potential of them dying along the way.

d20 Traveller did this. It was pretty complicated, but you ended up with an average 8th level character with a wealth of background to be used.

EDIT: If interested, you can download the free T20 Lite rules here and try them out. There is only one character class available, The Merchant, but it will give you an idea about how it worked.
"Meh."

Dirk Remmecke

#2
November 21, 2016, 04:11:31 AM
You may want to take a look at Beyond the Wall.

It's not exactly Traveller-style (and your character can't die during creation) but it is life-path creation for D&D, with random events that influence skills and attributes.
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TrippyHippy

#3
November 21, 2016, 04:25:22 AM
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;931831Has anyone ever done something like this?

I was thinking it would be really cool to generate characters that way, rolling them up through various stages of life and having the potential of them dying along the way.

In the sense that you can Level Up, to a degree, yes.  

You could add in a system of life events for each level earned, and have risks/rewards accrued. Of course you already have Background tables, so there is an element of this here too.
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DavetheLost

#4
November 21, 2016, 07:55:56 AM
Beyond the Wall is definitely worth a look. Attributes, skills, spells, life history all generated by means of life path tables. It just doesn't have the risk of characters dying.

mAcular Chaotic

#5
November 21, 2016, 08:58:59 AM
I want that risk!

But maybe if I study these other systems I can just add my own results with death.

I like the push and pull between trying to get more development for your character and the risk that you might go too far and lose them.
Battle doesn\'t need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don\'t ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don\'t ask why I fight.

Willie the Duck

#6
November 21, 2016, 02:48:50 PM
It would work fine as a replacement for the normal low-level funnel. The question becomes: what variable outcomes do the characters get based on the rolls? In 3e, for instance, it would be easy. It helps choose what class to pick each level, what skills or feats to take, and then award xp, gp, and maybe magic items per "tour." For other editions, a lot of these things don't work as well.

5 Stone Games

#7
November 21, 2016, 05:38:38 PM
Traveller D20 has a life path system that is compatible with D&D .

You'd need to tweak it a little but in the end its still class/level and might work.

mAcular Chaotic

#8
November 21, 2016, 06:42:36 PM
Quote from: 5 Stone Games;931919Traveller D20 has a life path system that is compatible with D&D .

You'd need to tweak it a little but in the end its still class/level and might work.

Is it available anywhere?

I didn't think of gaining levels, but skills and such... but levels makes sense I suppose.
Battle doesn\'t need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don\'t ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don\'t ask why I fight.

Larsdangly

#9
November 21, 2016, 11:39:55 PM
I created a game like this. I'm pretty sure it is good, but haven't had a chance to play it with a group, so its really just one of the semi-infinite number of vanity home-brew games we all have lurking on our hard drives.

Just Another Snake Cult

#10
November 22, 2016, 12:08:01 AM
Back in the very late 80's/early 90's there was a series of "Generic fantasy" supplements called Central Casting that tried to do something very much like that. You literally rolled up your character's life year by year. IIRC they pretty much sucked if you used them for their intended purpose (Every single character turned out a gonzoid half-god lost prince raised by clown-assassins who was sexually abused as a kid but gained a talking pet racoon. Really. I'm not exaggerating.) but they were somewhat useful as a a collection of random tables that harried DMs could use for NPC names, random villages, etc. Sorta a less-cool precursor to Vornheim.
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Krimson

#11
November 22, 2016, 12:42:04 AM
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;931955You literally rolled up your character's life year by year. IIRC they pretty much sucked if you used them for their intended purpose (Every single character turned out a gonzoid half-god lost prince raised by clown-assassins who was sexually abused as a kid but gained a talking pet racoon. Really. I'm not exaggerating.) but they were somewhat useful as a a collection of random tables that harried DMs could use for NPC names, random villages, etc. Sorta a less-cool precursor to Vornheim.

I've played some Sci-Fi games like this. Maybe FASA Trek, very possibly Aliens. Though in those cases, it was your service record being rolled. I guess it depends on how gonzo you want to make your tables.

I like this idea. I'd suggest to make a few and then sort them into level ranges, maybe adjusting so I could form parties. :D A resource like this would be awesome for making NPCs on the fly.
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estar

#12
November 22, 2016, 09:23:37 AM
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;931924Is it available anywhere?

I didn't think of gaining levels, but skills and such... but levels makes sense I suppose.

It is in the form of SciFi20
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/34/QuikLink-Interactive-Inc/subcategory/129_7888/SciFi20-Rulebooks?

Note that the lifepath system works by awarding XP not levels.

David Johansen

#13
November 22, 2016, 10:10:26 AM
So, let's see, you'd roll every 1d6 years for survival, advancement (level up), magic items, renoun, and possibly continuance if you want different levels of character.  D20 under attribute rolls.  Constitution for survival, Prime Stat for advancement, Intelligence for magic item, Charisma for renoun, and Prime Stat for continuance.

Magic Items are determined using the table in the DM's guide.  You could probably roll for henchmen on Charisma.
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mAcular Chaotic

#14
November 22, 2016, 03:05:28 PM
Quote from: jeff37923;931835d20 Traveller did this. It was pretty complicated, but you ended up with an average 8th level character with a wealth of background to be used.

EDIT: If interested, you can download the free T20 Lite rules here and try them out. There is only one character class available, The Merchant, but it will give you an idea about how it worked.
> downloads d20 Traveller
> opens up PDF
> wolf man on the cover

That is not what I expected from this game lol.
Battle doesn\'t need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don\'t ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don\'t ask why I fight.
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