[Runequest] Characteristics

[Tom Cantine]

Some time ago, perhaps on this very list, I mentioned a completely 
unworkable mechanism for subjective/objective APP, dividing up the 3D6 
into three separate 1D6 variables, representing species, cultural, and 
subjective ratings.

The species rating would be available to anyone who was familiar enough 
with the species to appreciate its ideals of beauty. Likewise the 
cultural rating. The subjective rating is in the eye of the beholder, 
and is rolled anew for each person who meets the character.

So, for example, a human with generally recognized natural beauty 
(generally well-formed features, etc.) might rate a 5 or 6 on the 
species die. Every human, and every being familiar with humans, would 
include this die in their perception of this character. Someone who 
didn't really know humans well enough to appreciate human ideals of 
beauty would not include this die.

The cultural die would reflect cultural ideals, which may vary within a 
species. Again, someone familiar with that culture would include this 
die in their assessment, while someone unfamiliar with the culture 
would not. (This wouldn't simply be ethnic costume, but would include 
preferences of actual body type and features, as well. Some human 
cultures value plumpness, others a more svelte figure, for example).

Finally, the subjective die represents the personal preferences of the 
beholder, and varies from viewer to viewer.

So, for example, I meet Sparky the Troll, and I roll 1D6 for my own 
perception, and get a 5. I'm not familiar with trolls or their cultural 
ideals, so I don't see that he's of average looks for a troll (3) and 
has particularly fashionable tusk-carvings and scar patterns (6). To 
me, he's an ugly 5. My companion Harley, who's lived among the Storm 
River Valley trolls (who eschew tusk carvings and prefer a more erect 
posture), is able to perceive the species die of 3, but just doesn't 
get the tusk-carving think, and rolls a 3 for his personal perception, 
so Harley sees Sparky as a 6 APP.  Sparky looks in the mirror for the 
first time, rolls a 2 for his personal perception of himself, but also 
includes the other two dice, for a total of 3+6+2=11. He thinks he's 
average looking for a troll.

Now, let's take a supermodel. Perhaps she has 6 for species and 6 for 
culture dice. I look at her, and roll a 1, and you look at her and roll 
a 6. I think, "Meh, she's all right," while you think "Wow!". I mean, 
I'll not say she's ugly, 13 is pretty good, but I don't know what 
you're all worked up about.

Meanwhile, take a very plain person, with 1 for species and culture 
dice. I might yet roll a 6 for my personal subjective die, and see her 
as an 8. Sure, no raging beauty, but not bad, not by a long shot. You, 
who roll a 1 on the subjective die,  can honestly say some trolls are 
better looking.


Anyway, totally unworkable, but I like playing around with numbers and 
seeing how they play out.

On 14-Apr-08, at 7:19 AM, Styopa wrote:

> APP being so totally subjective, as well as being dependent on 
> culture, health, even hygiene, I've always used it functionally as CHA 
> anyway - I think there's a definite role for 'force of 
> personality'...although I've never quite been able to rationalize it 
> precisely with the real-life analogue of POW, which occasionally 
> described by analogy to "high POW = the person that everyone notices 
> when they enter the room"
>
> As with most stats, once one starts to overanalyze it, it's seen to be 
> intertwined with other stats such as INT, CON, STR, etc. so maybe that 
> overlap is irrelevant.  I've never particularly bothered to resolve 
> it, certainly.
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