General Alternative Characteristic Generation

[Gray Lensman]

As anyone used a variant of the standard 2d6 in order characteristic generation?

I have been considering 1d6+6 arrange to suit for my game but thought I would ask if anyone else has done something similar or another alternative.

I just can't stand the thought of "adventurers" with a characteristic of 2 or 3, unless they got it as a result of injury/aging.

 

[aramis]

As anyone used a variant of the standard 2d6 in order characteristic generation?

I have been considering 1d6+6 arrange to suit for my game but thought I would ask if anyone else has done something similar or another alternative.

I just can't stand the thought of "adventurers" with a characteristic of 2 or 3, unless they got it as a result of injury/aging.

12 d6, arrange in pairs as desired.

 

[Gray Lensman]

Should have thought of that one myself since I did something similar for BECMI many times.

 

[aramis]

Should have thought of that one myself since I did something similar for BECMI many times.

If you want to push up the scores, allow one reroll of any 1's on the first throw, before pairing those off, or add 2 or 3 extra dice...

 

[Fovean]

2D per stat, arrange as you like, one single re-roll for a 5-.

For “epic” games 3D per stat, drop lowest, arrange as you like. One single re-roll for a 4-.

 

[Quint]

I use the standard system, but then before careers, I have a certain floor for the various stats based on TL - based on the idea of ongoing, genetic advancements, nutrition, etc.

If someone wanted a "bad stat" I'd let them have it, probably with some other bonus involved. One of my favorite Traveller characters had horrible STR & END, so I played him as a being confined to a grav-chair due to a rare congenital condition.

D.

 

[BwapTED]

I kind of like the idea of a future in which many people have been exposed to alien pathpogens,power plant radiation, cosmic rays, tainted atmospheres, etc.
Medicine has improved a lot at the higher TLs, but the challenges it must overcome have also increased as humans have settled away from their homeworld.
Nothing else is quite as good for us as Earth was before we jacked it up with centuries of industrial pollution and other environmental damage.

 

[Brandon C]

Roll 3D per attribute, keeping the two highest.

It doesn't prevent a 2 or 3 but does make them less likely.

 

[kilemall]

Intentional suicide by scout career was a thing in my gaming fraternity not to mention moaning, so I've gone with regular 2d6 per char but for every 2 stats below 7 I allow 1d6 to be rolled and added to one of the low stats.


You can still get a 'weaker' character or good characters with flaws, but the stat or two the player really invests in won't be abysmal.

 

[McPerth]

I allow my players to either roll 2d6 per stat or 4d6, droping the highest and lowest dice (their choice about which method to use). This way, players use to be more average in stats, making extremes quite rare, for good and bad.

 

[Ulsyus]

Have you tried the alternative from T5 that uses the characteristics of parents to help derive the attributes of their progeny?

 

[The Pakkrat]

Genetics Attributes

Have you tried the alternative from T5 that uses the characteristics of parents to help derive the attributes of their progeny?

I did that with Relict Clone Qithka01 Cannagrrh. Using her pattern mother's base genetics (the first die rolled on certain stats), the daughter came out frighteningly more Dexterous and Enduring, two traits that scared those that suspected the Dame had returned despite suspicious rumors that Zirunkariish had tapped BeastMasters to enhance the Relict Clone.

So, tangent aside, yes.

 

[Gray Lensman]

I personally don't use and never will use T5. Simple reason is I will never spend another dime on rpg stuff.

Long reason: I own every single thing by all publishers for CT, MT, TNE, T20. and about half of MgT1 and T4 (and that is just traveller stuff, D&D is on par with that). I have more than enough stuff to build any kind of campaign I want/need. Especially when you factor in homebrew as well.

 

[Gray Lensman]

12d6 pair as desired arrange to suit

Round one
Die rolls = 1,4,5,6,2,3,4,4,6,3,1,1
1+6=7
1+6=7
1+5=6
2+4=6
3+4=7
3+4=7

Round two
Die rolls = 6,1,1,5,5,2,5,6,1,1,2,4
1+6=7
1+6=7
1+5=6
1+5=6
2+5=7
2+4=6

Round three
Die rolls = 1,3,6,3,6,3,1,5,5,6,3,2
1+6=7
1+6=7
2+6=8
3+5=8
3+5=8
3+3=6
Obviously I paired low rolls with high rolls. And I only did it three times which is not truly enough to get a good sample but the trend seems to be average scores (or slightly above). All three are eminently playable but while I do want to lower the chances low scores I don’t to eliminate high scores.

12d6 pair as desired arrange to suit rerolling ones ONCE.

Round one
Die rolls = 2,5,2,6,6,2,3,3,4,2,3,2
2+6= 8
2+6=8
2+5=7
2+4=6
2+3=5
3+3=6

Round two
Die rolls = 2,2,3,4,2,2,5,5,3,4,2,1
1+5=6
2+5=7
2+4=6
2+4=6
2+3=5
2+3=5

Round three
Die rolls = 5,5,6,2,2,2,3,6,2,5,2,4
2+6=8
2+6=8
2+5=7
2+5=7
2+5=7
3+4=7

Funny how rerolling ones once gave me both the best and the worst sets. The vagaries of fickle dice ;D

Just once for grins and giggles … 6+1d6. Die rolls = 5,1,2,4,5,1
6+5=B
6+5=B
6+4=A
6+2=8
6+1=7
6+1=7

WOW, you can be whatever you want! This is the kind of thing I am looking for even though I don't want to totally eliminate the chance of the odd low score.

3d4 arrange to suit
7
6
5
8
7
5
Hmm … Meh!

3d6 drop lowest
6,6,2 = C
1,3,2 = 5
4,2,6 = A
1,3,6 = 9
5,6,4 = B
5,1,2 = 7
This looks like my best bet. Doesn’t completely eliminate low scores but increases the chances of good scores.

Of Course the Danged Die are known to be fickle at the worst times ;D

 

[MichaelSTee]

Slightly off-topic: The other day I was driving home, and thinking about Traveller. It's a long commute, and sometimes I don't want to listen to talk radio. So I pull up behind this guy in a convertible and happen to look at the license plate: BC98F8
My first thought was, Wow! He rolled well!

 

[coliver988]

I do the roll 2D6 straight for each characteristic, then 1 extra 2D6 roll they can use to replace any other roll. Sometimes it does not make a difference.

Then in actual character generation, for skills they roll then pick off any of the available tables. It allows them to get closer to what they want. Muster out is as-is, pure chance and decide before rolling for cash or benefits.

For me personally, when rolling NPCs, I do it straight old school. I like the entire random process - it helps me get a "feel" for the character that is somehow different than a point-buy or other system. I've always hated playing pre-gens as I don't want to change the PC behavior as to what it is "supposed" to be. Of course, 90% of my PCs are pretty much just plain extensions of me anyway it seems. Although 1 time I did roll up a very gung-ho marine that was shoot first and don't worry about the questions...

 

[Gray Lensman]

Last night I had to make a series of saving throws (D&D) d20 roll, I rolled 3, 7, 1, 17, and 5. Ficke freaking things they are.

Talked to rest of group, we are going to roll with 3d6 drop lowest and see how it goes.

 

[BRJN]

For the mostly-Mongoose rules character I just created, use 2d6 but re-roll anything with a -2 or worse modifier. Since I proceeded to roll three 12s in a row (honest!), I also thought about a rule for "too good" stats.

 

[Daidoji Dave]

Roll 2d6 in order, recording individual die rolls in pairs. Then, choose: either arrange to suit, or re-roll all 1s and keep in order.

Intentional suicide by scout career was a thing in my gaming fraternity ...

I still consider that a feature, not a bug. Get a hopeless character, pay a small tax of time to get to re-roll, or maybe you get lucky on skills and survival and decide to play him after all. All part of the game.

Mustering out and entering play when you fail a survival roll is the most frustrating house rule I've ever encountered. It massively increases the disparity between characters. I once got stuck playing a one term scout alongside the stereotypical retired Admiral golden boy because our GM decided there'd be no death in char-gen, and no starting over.

Have you tried the alternative from T5 that uses the characteristics of parents to help derive the attributes of their progeny?

Ha ha, no.

 

[Enoki]

My long time alternative for the basic character values has been to generate like 200 to 300 using a spreadsheet and let everyone choose off that list then go about rolling for terms, branch of service, skills, etc.
That has worked rather well as they can choose the character with numbers they think will work well for them.