Okay, how do racial package deals work?

[FenrisUlf]

Either I'm just dumb or I missed something, but I want to ask: how do racial package deals work when you're putting a character together? Do you just plonk down X anmount of character points and okay, you're a Drakine (or whatever), or must I buy the character's CHARs up to minimum levels or what?

 

Sorry to bug you with this, but it's been annoying me for a while & I'm hoping to get a definitive answer.

[MitchellS]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

You buy the characteristics up to whatever level they are recommended and you add the disadvantage onto your character sheet. The package does do not give you extra points and disadvantages. It's all part of the same 150 point character, not something extra.

[Lethosos]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

A racial package (such as the one defined in the book) is pretty much what would be the differences between an average member of that race compared to a human normal. This means that, say, your Elven package has like +2 DEX--you add +2 to your baseline DEX. That's it.

[Guest Black Lotus]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

Here's a link to a Racial Package Deal I personally created.

 

Super Mutant Racial Package Deal

 

(Ignore my custom Normal Characteristic Maxima, not normal for most package deals).

[Herolover]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

Currently package deals, including racial package deals, can be thought of as "minimum required templates." They are the minimum a person needs to be called an X.

 

For example. You decide that all Elves are weaker in strength, but are more dextrious, perttier and are allergic to apples. So you have Elves come with

-2 STR

+3 DEX

+6 COM

Physical Limitation: Allergic to Apples.

 

So the basic Elf is 8 STR, 13 DEX, 16 COM and all other stats are the same as humans except they have the disadvatage Allergic to Apples.

 

Points to buy the "Elf stats" and "Elf Disadvantages" still count against the ponts the player gets to spend. No freebies here.

 

Package Deals are no longer "deals" but instead are just packages or templates, but they have kept the name deals.

[Vondy]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

"Package Deal" is a misnomer.

 

A package is just a list of required buys and disadvantages a character with the package must take.

[Mister E]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

I like to consider the bonuses to stats from racial packages, to be Power versions of the stats, rather than just normal stats... that way they ignore Characteristic Maximums...because they are bought as Powers.

 

So... if elves have +2 to their DEX, then a player could buy up to 22 DEX without having to pay double for the 2 beyond 20.

 

This can be a major advantage, when every character point counts. Normal human's just wouldn't be able to do this, because they have no justification for buying stats as Powers.

[Herolover]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

I like to consider the bonuses to stats from racial packages, to be Power versions of the stats, rather than just normal stats... that way they ignore Characteristic Maximums...because they are bought as Powers.

 

So... if elves have +2 to their DEX, then a player could buy up to 22 DEX without having to pay double for the 2 beyond 20.

 

This can be a major advantage, when every character point counts. Normal human's just wouldn't be able to do this, because they have no justification for buying stats as Powers.

 

 

I used to think this way as well until I GM'd a Fantasy campaign. The problem with buying them as powers is that this leads to very unbalanced characters. Where one player has 175 points because he made an elf and another has 150 because he went with a human. If I was going to do that I would just say the package doesn't count against the points a player spends.

 

Example. You have a package with a +3 DEX. The person playing the package buys up to a 23 DEX. Normally this would cost 30+18 = 48 pts. However, because of the +3 DEX it only cost 30 points and they get 18 points for free.

 

Even if you say that the points don't count for above NCM the person could then have a 20 DEX by only spending 21 points instead of 30. Either way the person buying the package is getting free points. This can lead to players just looking at what package gives the most points.

 

That is just for DEX. When you start adding in somd of the other characteristics for packages you can easily get up into the 30-40 points because the player with the package doesn't have to worry about NCM.

 

Of course, if you have a really good group that doesn't mind difference in power level between characgters this could work.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

Okay, thanks all for the help.

 

But concerning minimum characteristics -- isn't it possible to make a member of a species who has below normal STR, INT, CON,, or whatever? I mean, you find that all the time with humans, both in fiction and in real life.

[MitchellS]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

Okay, thanks all for the help.

 

But concerning minimum characteristics -- isn't it possible to make a member of a species who has below normal STR, INT, CON,, or whatever? I mean, you find that all the time with humans, both in fiction and in real life.

Yes, then you just subtract the value from the character sheet. Hobbits, for example, are like -5 strength. So most hobbits have a 5 strength. If the player wants a 10 strength hobbit he just buys the strength back to 10, but he keeps the disadvantages from the hobbit package.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Okay, how do racial package deals work?

 

I used to think this way as well until I GM'd a Fantasy campaign. The problem with buying them as powers is that this leads to very unbalanced characters. Where one player has 175 points because he made an elf and another has 150 because he went with a human. If I was going to do that I would just say the package doesn't count against the points a player spends.

 

Example. You have a package with a +3 DEX. The person playing the package buys up to a 23 DEX. Normally this would cost 30+18 = 48 pts. However, because of the +3 DEX it only cost 30 points and they get 18 points for free.

 

Even if you say that the points don't count for above NCM the person could then have a 20 DEX by only spending 21 points instead of 30. Either way the person buying the package is getting free points. This can lead to players just looking at what package gives the most points.

 

That is just for DEX. When you start adding in somd of the other characteristics for packages you can easily get up into the 30-40 points because the player with the package doesn't have to worry about NCM.

 

Of course, if you have a really good group that doesn't mind difference in power level between characgters this could work.

Actually, the character only got 9 points for free because of the +3 Dex in the package they had to pay for. The difference is the amount above the NCM times the normal cost of the Characteristic.

 

However, you are right; it does cause a bit of point disparity. This is why I think all racial packages should be okayed by a GM, and the GM should make sure all racial packages are relatively balanced. I think considering the Package Characteristics as Powers is flavorful, and you should be looking out for abusiveness in any case. But to each his/her own.