[Forge-main] [FRINGE] Unique Traits

[Ricardo Gladwell]

Hi All,

Sorry for being so quiet for so long. Things have been busy at work so, 
for the benefit of anyone who might still be reading this mailing list, 
I will start with some ideas I've had for unique traits.

http://freeroleplay.org/wiki/index.php/FRINGE%3A%20Basics/Unique%20Traits

Unique traits are the FRINGE equivalent of advantages and disadvantages, 
although they are more important than that, taking into account traits 
that are both beneficial and penalising, such as personality traits.

Unique traits are divided into the following categories:

* Advantages
* Disadvantages
* Reputations
* Persnality traits

Each trait consists of one or more *modifiers*. A modifier is an 
alteration to the rules, an advantage or a penalty that can apply in 
ceratin circumstances.

Modifiers
---------

There are several categories of modifiers used to construct unique 
traits, including:

Access Modifiers: or meta-modifiers, impart access to other traits, or 
restrict access to certain traits. For example, a Magic Ability unique 
trait would give access to other magic traits, but not necesarily impart 
any additional benefit. Access modifiers can be used to make other 
traits more expensive to buy.

Action Modifiers: give the character the ability to perform actions he 
could not normally perform, such as flying kicks, or prevent the 
character from making certain actions due to some innate disability, for 
example, blindmess.

Secondary Trait Modifers: increase or decrease permanent secondary trait 
scores. For example, the Toughness unique trait would increase the 
permanent Health of a character.

Roll Modifiers: increase or decrease the probability that certain 
actions will be successful. Generally, a beneficial roll modifier will 
give the player the ability to re-roll certain rolls in certain 
cicurmstances, usually in exchange for a temporary point of a secondary 
trait or an experience point. I haven't decided how negative roll 
modifiers will work, yet: perhaps doubling the difficulty costing the 
player a point of some temporary secondary trait to negate? For example, 
a Reputation might allow you to re-roll certain social rolls in certain 
circumstances.

What to notice from the above is that I have avoided from creating 
bonuses of penalties to rolls. This is very deliberate: addnig ergular 
+1/+5 bonuses to rolls will break the human-readable range design 
criteria. Instead, otehr methods of improving the outcomes of rolls can 
be used (e.g. re-rolling, difficulty doubling, etc).

The cost of a unique trait is determined by costing the individual 
modifiers that make up a trait and summing them. Each type of modifier 
will have its own costing scheme, to be devised...

Thoughts? Critcisms? Ideas?

Regards...

--
Ricardo Gladwell
President, Free Roleplaying Community
http://www.freeroleplay.org/
address@hidden