[Swordbearer] Point-buy system for chargen and initial skills

[Lev Lafayette]

Some time ago I posted the beginnings of an alternative chargen method
for Swordbearer, which included a pool of Fate/Drama Points for starting
characters which would improve their chances of generating the sort of
character that they would want.

It was pointed out to me however that whilst this was fair enough and
now a fairly normal component in 'narrativist' games, I hadn't really
changed the main perceived problem which was the game was heavily into
random-dice rolling for chargen and initial skills.

Developing a point-buy system for Swordbearer is fortunately remarkable
easy.

Firstly, determine what power level your game is for. Fifty points is
good for realistic characters, seventy five for heroic characters, and
one hundred for superheroic characters.

Assign these points to Strength/Mass, Agility, Intelligence, Social
Status and Age. The points allocated to age is doubled and added to ten.

Distributed evenly, a 'realistic level' character built on fifty points
will give you 10 points in all characteristics and an starting character
age of 20 years.

Also, instead of dicing for Experience based on age, a formula can be
used to generate similar results. Swordbearer gives 1d6 Experience for
starting characters for every ten years of Age with an average bonus of
+1 to the total for average intelligence. 

The following generates values very close to the averages in Swordbearer
without leaving the PCs at the mercy of bad die rolls.

(INT + (AGE -10)/5

So a character with 10 Intelligence, aged 20 years will receive (10
+10)/5 = 4 Experience Points. A character with 15 Intelligence, aged 30
years, will receive (15+20)/5 = 7 experience, and so on. 

Allocating initial skills is a bit trickier. The Swordbearer rules say
that the benefits gained are dependent on both the type of skill (craft
skills, are easier to learn), whether a character is specialised in the
skill sphere, and the current rating. Further, if the character is
specialised in only 1 sphere, they receive an extra 1d6 experience
points.

For example, if a character is specialised in the Craft sphere and their
current skill level is under 59% or less, then 1 Experience Point will
give the character an addition 3d10%. However nearly all other skills at
the same level will provide an addition 2d10%. 

One simple solution to part of the problem which appeals to me is to
simply get rid of the 'single-specialisation' option. All characters
must take at least two specialisations, one for their environment (town,
country - and I'll make a nominal suggestion for the future development
for city and wilds environs) and one specialisation for their occupation
(fighting, magic, stealth, craft, administration, magic, general
knowledge - although aesthetically it would probably make sense to roll
magic and general knowledge into one).

The second suggestion is to flatten the difference between rates that
the different skills are learned. It is better, I feel, that all skills
are treated as if they are equally valuable; and if they are not being
used in 'actual play' in such a manner, then the GM should develop
scenarios so that they are!

Assuming a specialised sphere each experience point provides the
following:

A 10% bonus to a specialised skills that is under or equal to 60%
A 5% bonus to an unspecialised skill that is under or equal to 50%
A 5% bonus to a specialised skill that is over 60%
A 'yes' skill rating to an appropriate specialised skill (e.g., magic
skills).

Two experience points will provide

A 5% bonus to an  unspecialised skill that is over 60%
A 'yes' skill rating to an appropriate unspecialised skill (e.g., magic
skills).