reverenddak wrote:
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I have a single question: what about the scribe, for example, that chooses to become a warrior?
Yeah, that was my main concern, and why I brought up tying those features to ability scores. Class choices, except for demi-humans, will likely be determined by ability scores (though not always.)
Colin's "occupations based on ability scores" might solve this.
Its not a bad idea at all, though it does start to get complicated. I like randomly determined occupations in part because it helps kick-start the creative process, and prevents players from just taking the obvious / munchkin-ish occupations (Mercenary! Cut Purse! Apprentice! Beadle!). There's something brilliant about a Scribe with an 17 STR and an 8 INT; coming up with a story to explain that is half the fun.
We could make a spreadsheet-style chart: every occupation listed down the right-hand column, and every attribute across the top row. Then assign D% ranges based on the likelihood of a PC with highest attribute X doing the occupation Y. Someone whose highest attribute is Intelligence will then have better chance at being a Wizard's Apprentice, while someone with a higher Personality would have a better chance of being a Minstrel, and so on. If a PC has a tie for highest attribute (ie 13 AGL, 13 Personality), then the player gets to choose from either attribute column. This would still leave room for incongruous occupations, but make them statistical outliers, but of course fantasy is full of Cinderella stories.
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...Seriously, since 0-level characters are "untrained" in any Class features, just let them try it like usual, but using d10s or -1d. Have everyone try to lay-hands with a d10, basically. Or "sneak attack" with a d10 (instead of the +1 thieves get at first level.) If the wanna-be thief can hit with the d10, totally give him that free crit that regular thieves get to enjoy. etc.
True enough.
Technically, I think a 0-level PC (we need to come up with a catchy name for them) could be considered 'trained' in some thief class abilities. Per the Skills chapter, you are either trained or untrained in a skill based on your 0-Level occupation. If a 0-level 'Cut Purse' isn't trained to picking pockets, then what is he trained for? This is where I think the D16 action die offers a nice intermediate training level.
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A deed die with a d2, it pretty brilliant, really. They can never pull it off, since you need a 3+. But it gets them in the habit.
Thanks! But I should clarified that, just like a Warrior & Dwarf classes, the d2 deed die will still be applied as a bonus to hit and damage. It'll make the tougher 0-level PCs a little more effective in combat: give'em just enough rope to hang themselves.
