Yes, it's another pony video. Deal with it.
From the uploader's notes:
Dear Oracle: today I learned that the best friends are the ones who drop by when you least expect it, and save you from a head-on semi truck collision.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
PDF
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
L5R Cosmology: the Fortunes
Continuing from this post....
Next up from the mikokami (divine nature spirits which inhabit every object) are the Greater and Lesser Fortunes. These are still kami in that they are spirits, but unlike the others they are neither tied to tangible things, nor can they be controlled. If we were use a western paradigm, these kami are gods.
There are seven Greater Fortunes, copied more-or-less from the Seven Lucky Gods of Japanese folklore:
It is this lack of morality which resulted in the necessary creation of Shintao, which provided a much-needed ethical basis for Rokugani society, and which is in fact the bedrock of their civilization. However, the complex interplay of Shintao, honor, and ancestor worship will have to wait for my next post.
Next up from the mikokami (divine nature spirits which inhabit every object) are the Greater and Lesser Fortunes. These are still kami in that they are spirits, but unlike the others they are neither tied to tangible things, nor can they be controlled. If we were use a western paradigm, these kami are gods.
There are seven Greater Fortunes, copied more-or-less from the Seven Lucky Gods of Japanese folklore:
- Benten, Fortune of Romantic Love
- Bishamon, Fortune of Strength
- Daikoku, Fortune of Wealth
- Ebisu, Fortune of Hard Work
- Fukurokujin, Fortune of Wisdom and Mercy
- Hotei, Fortune of Contentment
- Jurojin, Fortune of Longevity
They are attended and served by an array of Lesser Fortunes too numerous (more than a dozen and perhaps less than a hundred) to be listed here. By way of example, Inari, the Fortune of Rice, is subservient to both Daikoku (as wealth in Rokugan is measured in bushels of rice) and Ebisu (because farmers harvest rice). These Lesser Fortunes are somewhere between demigods and lesser gods in terms of power, and because of that, they are often more approachable (more human) than their greater counterparts. In this regard, the Lesser Fortunes are more like the Roman Catholic conception of saints: people you pray to in order to get things done, because they have the ears of the higher-ups.
Although the Fortunes are kami, the differences are evident. These kami have names; the mikokami do not. The Greater Fortunes represent abstract concepts, not concrete objects like "a campfire" or "the river." (Interestingly enough, many of the Lesser Fortunes do embody more specific concepts, like "rice" or "the seashore," further cementing the notion that they act as intermediaries between the concrete spirituality of Ningen-do and the abstract divinity of Tengoku.)
Perhaps most importantly, the Seven Great Fortunes represent human agency* in that -- unlike the O-kami of Lady Sun and Lord Moon, or the mikokami of the material world -- the Fortunes would not exist in a world without people, because there would be no reason for them so to do. In other words, the world works perfectly fine without the existence of a god of strength, or wealth, or compassion. It's only through the intervention of human desire -- hope, fear, love, jealousy, ambition, etc -- that these gods exist. In fact, it could be argued these gods are the creation of human emotion.
Perhaps most importantly, the Seven Great Fortunes represent human agency* in that -- unlike the O-kami of Lady Sun and Lord Moon, or the mikokami of the material world -- the Fortunes would not exist in a world without people, because there would be no reason for them so to do. In other words, the world works perfectly fine without the existence of a god of strength, or wealth, or compassion. It's only through the intervention of human desire -- hope, fear, love, jealousy, ambition, etc -- that these gods exist. In fact, it could be argued these gods are the creation of human emotion.
What's fascinating about the Seven Fortunes is that, much like humanity, they are neither inherently good nor inherently evil, and do not require moral conduct from their worshipers: Bishamon smiles favorably upon both an honorable Lion bushi and an honorless, tainted Crab, because both embody strength.
In fact, all kami are like this: just as Lady Sun's light nurtures the crops, her heat also ruins them.Too much water causes flooding, but not enough results in a drought. This amorality of both kami and their worshipers is important to understand, because it informs so much of Rokugani lifestyle. Specifically:
One can be a completely immoral, dishonorable ass, and the kami will still answer you as long as you pay them homage and say your prayers in the proper manner.
In fact, all kami are like this: just as Lady Sun's light nurtures the crops, her heat also ruins them.Too much water causes flooding, but not enough results in a drought. This amorality of both kami and their worshipers is important to understand, because it informs so much of Rokugani lifestyle. Specifically:
One can be a completely immoral, dishonorable ass, and the kami will still answer you as long as you pay them homage and say your prayers in the proper manner.
It is this lack of morality which resulted in the necessary creation of Shintao, which provided a much-needed ethical basis for Rokugani society, and which is in fact the bedrock of their civilization. However, the complex interplay of Shintao, honor, and ancestor worship will have to wait for my next post.
*Perhaps "human" is too limiting, what with the existence of self-aware races before the arrival of humans upon the face of Rokugan. Let's say "sapient" or "intelligent enough to have a culture."
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Pellatarrum: Broken River 2A
Broken River
Part 2A: In-Depth Explanation of the Math and Charts
by Mike (Rhishisikk) Kochis
Background
As I was going over My Runelord Ponies (My Little Ponies with Pathfinder elements) [Editor's Note: Mike, this is totally awesome and you need to tell me everything about it as soon as is possible], Erin brought to my attention that most people didn't understand the charts. Well, I don't like the charts – but I use them. So, things to know:
- Just because the charts say 12 level one experts doesn't mean Broken River HAS to have them; it just means that given the way I'm dividing the XP, that is how many the town could have. Think of it as a book of "class coupons" that you turn in as you make your NPCs rather than a mandate. Also, try to leave a few open for the person using your product. People have their own important NPCs, after all, and may even (gasp) be inspired by your work to improve upon it.
- I have to set these upper limits to avoid "Gygax City" syndrome. Notice how I constantly tell the reader not to rush into development? These are mistakes that I, myself, have rushed headlong into. So I attempt to squash the reader's impulses, and explain why that's a bad idea.
- I forget which world-builder article it was, but it suggested that only one in ten first level adventurers survived to second level, and only half as many to each level after that. So if a temple had a 9th level cleric, there would be two 8th level clerics, four 7th level clerics, eight 6th level clerics, and so on. This leads to – too many clerics to fit into the daggum temple. So my methods start at the bottom and work their way up.
- I always presume that no more than half the XP "carries upward". For those of you familiar with calculus (If you were, than those charts were a breeze, and you're just reading this for grins. Yes, you're very smart; if you eat a cookie every time you're smart, you'll die of complications caused by being grossly overweight.), this is the limit of 1/(2x) as x approaches infinity, which means (theoretically) we will use 100% of our XP. In practice, we've seen how it leaves bookoodles of XP for us to play with.
Basic Chart Terms
So let's take a look at our commoner chart:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 562 | 0 | 562 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 281 | 1 | 281 | 281 | 281 | 969 |
3 | 140 | 3 | 43 | 129 | 410 | 840 |
4 | 70 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 482 | 768 |
5 | 35 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 512 | 738 |
6 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 15 | 527 | 723 |
Level is the level of NPC that we are dealing with.
Base Number is the maximum amout of XP (in thousands) which we are willing to expend at that level for this class.
KXP Each is the amount from the player's handbook for a player to reach the experience level in the leftmost column. Note that we are using the FAST advancement track, and that I have rounded levels 2 and 3 to the nearest thousand XP.
Actual Number is the maximum number of persons we can have at that level. As noted earlier, we don't actually use every slot provided. This number is found by dividing Base Number by kXP Each. This number is rounded down at the halfway point, except for the highest level, which always has a minimum of one individual.
KXP Expended is how much XP we actually spent on NPCs of that level, multiplying Actual Number by kXP Each.
Total kXP Expended is just adding up all the values in the kXP Expended column. This helps us double check our math.
KXP Remaining is just what it sounds like; our total kXP minus the Total kXP Expended. This helps us move between stages – commoner to NPC classes; NPC classes to PC classes; other transitions.
So, now that we have our ground rules and our chart, let's go ahead...
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 |
We start with the empty chart, above. We know that half the XP in Broken River is going to be going to the commoners, so we start there. With 1250 population, there are 1250 kXP. Half of this amount is 625 kXP, which becomes our base number:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 |
Everyone "knows" that first level is 0 XP. Notice in the charts for NPC and PC classes, we actually apply an EL+1 modifier, so our 1st level characters with non-commoner class levels actually cost us 1kXP each.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 |
So there's no reason we can't have all 625 level one commoners.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 |
And with 625x0 = 0, we don't actually use any of our precious XP on just commoners.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 |
Remember that each level, we cut the available kXP in half:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 |
We are using the fast track for XP, so second level requires 1kXP:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 | 1 |
So again, no reason we can't have hordes of exceptional commoners who have reached level 2.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 | 1 | 312 |
But this does actually cost us XP.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 | 1 | 312 | 312 | 312 | 938 |
3 |
Now is where things start narrowing down from both ends, not just XP available. This gives us a believable logarithmic-style curve, where higher level characters become increasingly rare.
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 | 1 | 312 | 312 | 312 | 938 |
3 | 156 | 3 | 52 |
Notice that? A total of one sixth, not one half, of the previous level.
So filling out the chart gives us the following:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 625 | 0 | 625 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 312 | 1 | 312 | 312 | 312 | 938 |
3 | 156 | 3 | 52 | 156 | 468 | 782 |
4 | 78 | 6 | 13 | 78 | 546 | 704 |
5 | 39 | 10 | 4 | 40 | 586 | 664 |
6 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 15 | 601 | 649 |
Yes, we expend forty of 39 kXP at level 5; likewise, at level 6 we don't use all our XP. At level 6, we stop; we've found our highest level NPC of this class.
I hope that this helps to explain how the charts work (and yes, I realize that some of the values are different than those originally posted; hope the math errors weren't what was confusing y'all...)
[Math errors? Oh dammit. I just thought I was being innumerate again. Dear readers, I promise you that henceforth, Mike shall be required to show his work or else be flogged with licorice whips.]
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Don't just be a boob -- give the finger
Ladies, we need to talk for a moment. (Guys, please stick around, this will be relevant to you in a moment.)
Those of us who are active on social media are no doubt familiar with the various "cryptic status update" games which have been so very popular of late, the most recent being "I'm at X weeks and craving Y." Before that it was your shoe size in inches and how long it took you to do your hair, and before that it was... what? Color of the bra strap? Where you like to put your purse? These are all quite silly things, all done in the name of raising awareness for breast cancer.
Now I'll be honest with you: I'm not a big fan of these things. This is partially because I've lost loved ones to cancer, and therefore I don't find anything cute or jokey about it; and partially because these games seem to be coming at an increasing pace. Once a year is a fine thing. Once every 6 months, okay. But now it seems like there's been only 2-3 weeks between the "craving" meme and the "inches" meme, and whatever merit your message has is being lost in the noise of constant silly updates.
Another thing which bugs me is the lack of inclusion in these games. You want to make it a secret from men, have them keep guessing. Let me tell you: most guys just don't give a damn. They go "Oh look, the women are being cryptic again," and promptly ignore it to go about their business. In an effort to draw attention to a female problem, you are excluding half of your potential audience, and that exclusion really, really bothers me. We live in an exclusionary society already; we should strive to be more inclusive, not exclusive.
Before you think I'm a killjoy or a sourpuss, let me say that I am all for breast cancer awareness. I think it's safe to say that everyone in the developed world knows about the dangers of undiagnosed breast cancer, and the benefits to detecting and preventing it early. But there are two other cancers I'd like to see receive as much awareness as breast cancer does.
The first, of course, is lung cancer, the #1 cancer in America (and possibly the rest of the world, but I don't have access to that data). Lung cancer kills more people than cancers #2 and #3 combined, and it affects both genders equally.* I'd like to see more awareness regarding detection and prevention of lung cancer because it will potentially save more lives, although I admit that detection is a lot harder and less convenient than a mammogram.
However, the other kind of cancer I'd like to talk about is easy to detect, but it receives nearly zero publicity and awareness. (This is where you come in, boys.) I am, of course, talking about prostate cancer, the #2 killer of men. Not only is it right behind lung cancer, in some cases it's nearly as fatal! Did you know that in 2007, the fatality rate for prostate cancer in black men was nearly that of lung cancer? 52% versus 55.9%, according to the CDC.
But prostate cancer doesn't get nearly the press that breast cancer does. I'm not sure if that's due to the discomfort and embarrassment inherent in the manner of detection, or if it's because the prostate is an internal organ and therefore not as photogenic as a breast. Either way, I find it terribly unfair and exclusionary, because we all have men in our lives who matter to us: husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, lovers and friends.
Again, I reiterate: I'm not saying "Stop breast cancer awareness, pay attention to this instead," I'm saying "This seems to be working well for you, how about you share some of the love and publicity with other forms of cancer awareness?" Cancer is not a female-only problem, but to my eyes, and the eyes of many men I know, it seems like we are focusing our awareness only on the breast.
Lung cancer, at least, benefits from stop-smoking advertisements and the good work of the American Cancer Society, but I have yet to see any sort of media blitz or Facebook status update regarding prostate cancer. I think that needs to change. I would very much like to see some sort of awareness campaign for prostate cancer. Something like:
It's not especially catchy, I know, but it gets the point across, and it's the kind of low, crass humor that guys are likely to enjoy and pass along.
What do you think, readers? Surely I'm not alone in this sentiment, and there are people out there more skilled than I in marketing. We can do something about this, make it more visible in the public consciousness.
And I think having the public's eye focused on the prostate is something we can all get behind.
My sources:
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/toptencancers.aspx
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/cancersbyraceandethnicity.aspx
* Yes, I'm aware that a tiny percentage of men get breast cancer. While I wish them well, they still don't alter the statistics of lung cancer vs. breast cancer.
Those of us who are active on social media are no doubt familiar with the various "cryptic status update" games which have been so very popular of late, the most recent being "I'm at X weeks and craving Y." Before that it was your shoe size in inches and how long it took you to do your hair, and before that it was... what? Color of the bra strap? Where you like to put your purse? These are all quite silly things, all done in the name of raising awareness for breast cancer.
Now I'll be honest with you: I'm not a big fan of these things. This is partially because I've lost loved ones to cancer, and therefore I don't find anything cute or jokey about it; and partially because these games seem to be coming at an increasing pace. Once a year is a fine thing. Once every 6 months, okay. But now it seems like there's been only 2-3 weeks between the "craving" meme and the "inches" meme, and whatever merit your message has is being lost in the noise of constant silly updates.
Another thing which bugs me is the lack of inclusion in these games. You want to make it a secret from men, have them keep guessing. Let me tell you: most guys just don't give a damn. They go "Oh look, the women are being cryptic again," and promptly ignore it to go about their business. In an effort to draw attention to a female problem, you are excluding half of your potential audience, and that exclusion really, really bothers me. We live in an exclusionary society already; we should strive to be more inclusive, not exclusive.
Before you think I'm a killjoy or a sourpuss, let me say that I am all for breast cancer awareness. I think it's safe to say that everyone in the developed world knows about the dangers of undiagnosed breast cancer, and the benefits to detecting and preventing it early. But there are two other cancers I'd like to see receive as much awareness as breast cancer does.
The first, of course, is lung cancer, the #1 cancer in America (and possibly the rest of the world, but I don't have access to that data). Lung cancer kills more people than cancers #2 and #3 combined, and it affects both genders equally.* I'd like to see more awareness regarding detection and prevention of lung cancer because it will potentially save more lives, although I admit that detection is a lot harder and less convenient than a mammogram.
However, the other kind of cancer I'd like to talk about is easy to detect, but it receives nearly zero publicity and awareness. (This is where you come in, boys.) I am, of course, talking about prostate cancer, the #2 killer of men. Not only is it right behind lung cancer, in some cases it's nearly as fatal! Did you know that in 2007, the fatality rate for prostate cancer in black men was nearly that of lung cancer? 52% versus 55.9%, according to the CDC.
But prostate cancer doesn't get nearly the press that breast cancer does. I'm not sure if that's due to the discomfort and embarrassment inherent in the manner of detection, or if it's because the prostate is an internal organ and therefore not as photogenic as a breast. Either way, I find it terribly unfair and exclusionary, because we all have men in our lives who matter to us: husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, lovers and friends.
Again, I reiterate: I'm not saying "Stop breast cancer awareness, pay attention to this instead," I'm saying "This seems to be working well for you, how about you share some of the love and publicity with other forms of cancer awareness?" Cancer is not a female-only problem, but to my eyes, and the eyes of many men I know, it seems like we are focusing our awareness only on the breast.
Lung cancer, at least, benefits from stop-smoking advertisements and the good work of the American Cancer Society, but I have yet to see any sort of media blitz or Facebook status update regarding prostate cancer. I think that needs to change. I would very much like to see some sort of awareness campaign for prostate cancer. Something like:
"My doctor gave me the finger...
and I gave the finger to prostate cancer."
It's not especially catchy, I know, but it gets the point across, and it's the kind of low, crass humor that guys are likely to enjoy and pass along.
What do you think, readers? Surely I'm not alone in this sentiment, and there are people out there more skilled than I in marketing. We can do something about this, make it more visible in the public consciousness.
And I think having the public's eye focused on the prostate is something we can all get behind.
My sources:
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/toptencancers.aspx
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/cancersbyraceandethnicity.aspx
* Yes, I'm aware that a tiny percentage of men get breast cancer. While I wish them well, they still don't alter the statistics of lung cancer vs. breast cancer.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Pellatarrum: Broken River 2
Broken River
Part 2: NPCs
by Mike (Rhishisikk) Kochis
Okay, before we start on NPCs, you should know a few things about how I design my worlds.
Point one: The PCs should feel awesome compared to the NPCs. I've played too many games where the GM's precious NPCs stride large above the PCs, while they just watch. Conversely, I've seen a player (after convincing me to run a specific module) build a social-max character just to get the NPCs to resolve their own problems.
Point two: If the adventures don't threaten the NPCs, there isn't a point for the adventure. This one seems obvious, but if there are a dozen goblins attacking a town and the sherriff is an 8th level fighter... You see where that's really not something to worry the citizenry. The sherriff rides forth with a ranger, tracks down the 200 strong goblin tribe, and wipes them out. No adventure there.
Point three: Commoners should be common. I know, seems obvious. Now, look at your average town. Paladins and monks and bards and practically drowning in experts. If you're lucky, the town's undertaker and garbage collector are commoners. Nope. I've seen a town write up where an experienced farmer is a 4th level expert.
Now, given these three points, I am a HUGE fan of articles like "Aragorn was 5th level". Go ahead and follow that link, it's a good read. Now, realizing that the legendary figures that straddle the world and induce awe in commoners are (gasp) 5th level – we need to re-think our world design. Settlements are now the bright lights surrounded by a sea of chaotic darkness. Things that go bump in the night are scary.
Just the sort of environment for bold adventurers!
Where NOT to Start
Okay, it's Pellatarum. So we start at the church and the order of paladins, right? We'll just make an exception and have a 9th level cleric so the characters can get ressurected. So, if we make the head of the paladin order his cohort, we've got a 7th level paladin. This makes an equally experienced fighter head of our city watch, and – if you don't have your ruler out to smack me now, you haven't been paying attention.
Okay, so we start with the mayor, right? The NPCs cap out at 5th level, so he must be a 5th level aristocrat, with 5thlevel experts for our town smith, bricklayer, and so on. And we can put in 5th level trainers for each class – and again, you should already know this is also not our starting point.
Ah. Gotcha. So we start with our 5th level commoners, the most experienced farmer or mudmucker... Nope.
Where to Start: Commoners
As you've probably guessed, we start at the bottom, with first level commoners.
But don't get ahead of yourself. First, as a general rule of thumb, every settlement has 1k XP per population to divide among its NPCs. The temptation, as pointed out earlier, is to stat out our shining NPC "heroes" where we want them and leave the rest to first level. While not wrong, it does create a definite feeling of "has versus has-not" in the world.
For verisimilitude (a feeling of realism), I start at the bottom, and generally have fewer 2nd level in a class than first level, and so on in a tapering pyramid effect.
But, back to the meat and potatoes. Commoners should be common. About 90% common, in my opinion. Half of these should automatically be first level commoners; we'll be adding more back into the pool later. But just face it – at least 45% of your population is just – common. (Surprisingly low when compared to the real world, but let's not go there right now.)
So we have a total of 1125 commoners. About half (the automatic level ones) are 562. This gives us our "base number."
The General Math
Okay, we're going to be using this process a lot, so pay attention. Bookmark it and come back later. Open a second window with this part centered. Whatever you have to do. This is super simple, but is the core of how I design my NPC settlements.
Our base number is the number of level ones in any particular field. In the case of commoners, we have determined this number is 562. So half that number should be next level up, and so on, right? Almost right. Our number of level 2 commoners IS half of our base number (281), divided by the XP needed to reach that level, in this case, 1k XP, for a result of 281. So, our commoner chart looks like this:
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 562 | 0 | 562 | 0 | 0 | 1250 |
2 | 281 | 1 | 281 | 281 | 281 | 969 |
3 | 140 | 3 | 43 | 129 | 410 | 840 |
4 | 70 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 482 | 768 |
5 | 35 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 512 | 738 |
6 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 15 | 527 | 723 |
I know what you're saying. Two possible complaints: there's an exceptional commoner in town, and almost HALF the town's XP is gone with characters the PCs will probably never meet, never care about, and certainly never treasure. So let's deal with those in order.
The legendary commoner must be very powerful and experienced, right? So they must be – the mayor! Nope, and not because the mayor is an aristocrat. In most societies, the most experienced person will be one who is central to daily living, connected to nearly everyone, and a pillar of the community. Our "legendary" commoner is probably the town baker, or owner of the general store, or warden of the docks, or (gasp) the barmaid at the town's favorite watering hole.
As for half our XP limit being gone? Live with it or die. Ninety percent of the populace got fifty percent of the XP. They're getting shafted – let's move on.
Next: Other NPC Classes
Yes, yes, I hear you weeping for your 9th level cleric – you're not going to get him, not in this town. When your PCs goof up and die, they're going to have to travel to the capitol city, into the possible clutches of Seamus Gantry, nefarious 7th level commoner and clerk, in order to get their raise dead on.
But back to our NPC classes, of which we have four: aristocrat, adept, expert, and warrior. We have 723kXP to divide among them. So we give them half of what remains, right? Right? Okay, what you're experiencing now is called hyperventilating. You need to control your breathing.
Yes, we give them half the remaining XP. Now, now, stop crying. Actually, go ahead and let it all out now. It's okay. I can't hear you, and the words in this document can wait.
Okay, now that you've calmed down, there's two reasons for this. Firstly, and most importantly, unless the community is meant to defend itself without the adventurers (preposterous!), it shouldn't be brimming to the gills with player-classed NPCs. Secondly, as you'll see, they don't actually use all of their half.
First we divide the XP into equal parts of 20, dropping fractions. We'll see this again later, but for now, just know that our NPCs are only getting ten of these twenty shares, each of which is 34kXP. Why do this instead of just give them 362 kXP? It's easier to divide in pre-portioned shares, an idea that becomes SUPREMELY important when we get to PC classes.
So, who gets what? Well, I want aristocrats and adepts to be rare, so I only give each of them one share. We have a garrison structure in town, so I want many warriors to reflect that – five shares. This leaves three shares for experts, which also seems about right to me.
In order for our cascading math (above) to work right, we feed only half that XP into our base number. Here's where your mind is about to boggle again: to reflect how rare even these individuals are, I give them a +1EL adjustment for this calculation only. Yes, I feel that wince over the internet, and yes, it applies to PC classes also.
Anyway, this gives us a base number of 17, 17, 51, and 86, respectively. This makes our highest levels: 3, 3, 4 (or 3, if we round down), and 4. This falls within our expected power curve, and leaves us with 400kXP for our PC classes.
Erin has persuaded me to show the math (skip over these charts if you want, I'll be sticking them into an appendix on the actual design document):
Yes, yes, I hear you weeping for your 9th level cleric – you're not going to get him, not in this town. When your PCs goof up and die, they're going to have to travel to the capitol city, into the possible clutches of Seamus Gantry, nefarious 7th level commoner and clerk, in order to get their raise dead on.
But back to our NPC classes, of which we have four: aristocrat, adept, expert, and warrior. We have 723kXP to divide among them. So we give them half of what remains, right? Right? Okay, what you're experiencing now is called hyperventilating. You need to control your breathing.
Yes, we give them half the remaining XP. Now, now, stop crying. Actually, go ahead and let it all out now. It's okay. I can't hear you, and the words in this document can wait.
Okay, now that you've calmed down, there's two reasons for this. Firstly, and most importantly, unless the community is meant to defend itself without the adventurers (preposterous!), it shouldn't be brimming to the gills with player-classed NPCs. Secondly, as you'll see, they don't actually use all of their half.
First we divide the XP into equal parts of 20, dropping fractions. We'll see this again later, but for now, just know that our NPCs are only getting ten of these twenty shares, each of which is 34kXP. Why do this instead of just give them 362 kXP? It's easier to divide in pre-portioned shares, an idea that becomes SUPREMELY important when we get to PC classes.
So, who gets what? Well, I want aristocrats and adepts to be rare, so I only give each of them one share. We have a garrison structure in town, so I want many warriors to reflect that – five shares. This leaves three shares for experts, which also seems about right to me.
In order for our cascading math (above) to work right, we feed only half that XP into our base number. Here's where your mind is about to boggle again: to reflect how rare even these individuals are, I give them a +1EL adjustment for this calculation only. Yes, I feel that wince over the internet, and yes, it applies to PC classes also.
Anyway, this gives us a base number of 17, 17, 51, and 86, respectively. This makes our highest levels: 3, 3, 4 (or 3, if we round down), and 4. This falls within our expected power curve, and leaves us with 400kXP for our PC classes.
Erin has persuaded me to show the math (skip over these charts if you want, I'll be sticking them into an appendix on the actual design document):
Aristocrats and Adepts
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 706 - 689 |
2 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 697 - 671 |
3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 32 | 691 - 659 |
Experts
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 51 | 1 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 608 |
2 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 75 | 584 |
3 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 87 | 572 |
4 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 97 | 562 |
Warriors
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 86 | 1 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 476 |
2 | 43 | 3 | 14 | 42 | 128 | 434 |
3 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 146 | 416 |
4 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 156 | 406 |
Finally: Adventurers
Okay, first off, half of the NPC adventurers in my worlds die off before they reach first level. Yes, that means that we cut the XP in half, burying the rest in the graveyard. What sort of animal is that howling in the background? Well, whatever. Let's move on.
I like the idea of the "big four", or core, classes: fighter, rogue, wizard, and cleric. Only – this is Pellatarum, which plays more to sorcerers than wizards* (plus I want to have an Elemental Circle in town, one sorceror tainted with each of the four elements), so I make that substitution now. Each of the "big four" gets two shares.
The rest of the main "base" classes from the rules get one share each: bard, barbarian, ranger, druid, and wizard. Note that bard and paladin, due to extreme alignment and behavior code restrictions are actually moved down one category.
Expansion classes get half a share each: alchemist, cavalier, inquisitor, magus, monk, oracle, paladin, summoner, and witch.
And three "variant" classes just get punked – they may exist in my world, but don't deserve their own class. This list is: gunslinger**, ninja (rogue), and samurai (cavalier). If gunpowder exists in Pellatarum, maybe we go back and add a single gunslinger. The others are just retooling of their template classes, and just don't merit their own class in my campaign.
But wait! We have two shares left! I divide these evenly among the "big four", giving us base numbers of: 25 (12), 10 (5), 5 (2), and 0 (yes, the classes we aren't using get zero XP). In turn, this gives us generous numbers of our "big four" classes, a second level in each of the other classes, and a veritable plethora of level ones of all classes (except those we're not using) to distribute among our town.
Now, I know you're just reaching out to that third level cleric to put him in charge of the Temple of Light, and the second level paladin to run temple security. Sit on those hands. Sit on them! One big fallacy of world building is the tendency to put the highest level person in the slot with the most authority. Remember our discussion about the 6thlevel commoner? Still applies. So – hands off (for now).
And, for those who need them, the charts:
Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Sorcerer
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 201 - 198 |
2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 192 - 174 |
3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 168 - 150 |
Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Ranger, Wizard
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 145 - 125 |
2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 122 - 110 |
Alchemist, Cavalier, Inquisitor, Magus, Monk, Oracle, Paladin, Summoner, Witch
Level | Base Number | kXP each | Actual Number | kXP expended | Total kXP expended | kXP remaining |
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 108 - 88 |
2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 85 - 55 |
The Worm That Doth Corrupt
One final issue with this part of the process: notice how we have 55kXP left over? That goes to antagonists, those NPCs the PCs will hate, and want to kill, but can't. The tailor who sticks them with pins and calls them unholy sinners in front of the town council. The harlot blackmailing the town council. Those beggar-brat children who target the PCs every time they're on the "dirty side" of town.
But we'll get to those people later. Our next installment is on notable locations and NPCs -- now you finally get to touch those character-leveled NPCs.
EDIT: Due to confusion, Mike has explained his math and how the charts work here.
Editor's Notes
*I'm not sure where Mike is going with this, but he's promised me answers, so I'm content to let this play out.
** If firearms exist in Pellatarrum -- and I'm undecided if they do -- they were invented by the dwarves and are a closely-guarded state secret. Therefore, any PC gunslingers will be hunted and hounded by dwarf repo teams.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday Gunday: Effin' Fall
I'm feeling a bit lackadaisical today due to rain, headache, and family-in-the-path-of-the-hurricane drama, so I'm going to be lazy and post a wonderfully made video on the history of the FN FAL battle rifle.
But before I do:
(H/T to Weer'd World for the link)
But before I do:
- I'm not the only one to pronounce it "Effin' Fall," am I? It just seems cumbersome to say "Eff En Eff Ay Ell" all the time.
- The narrator doesn't make this mistake -- thankfully -- but just because something is fully automatic doesn't make it a machine gun, okay? The news makes this mistake all the goddamn time, and it really gets me bent out of shape.
- There's something really soothing about hearing a British voice narrating a documentary. Not sure why this is, but it's true.
Enjoy!
(H/T to Weer'd World for the link)
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