Post by bear on Sept 9, 2015 13:28:03 GMT
Basic Game System
It's a good idea to go to the Game System board and read over the basics of how our dice system works before you start building a character. That way most of this will make more sense to you.
Point Distribution
Our goal here at Oasis was to keep our homebrew system simple and easy to understand. With that in mind, we decided that we didn't want to have a whole bunch of different categories of points. Therefore, you get forty Creation Points when you make a character. There's no modifiers or math weirdness here; one Creation Point buys you one point in anything, straight across. To start, look over your Stats, the actual physical and mental attributes, and apply what points fit your character there. Note that only one Stat can be at five; the others can only be at four points, at most. All Stats start with one point in them at character creation, as shown on the sheet. Keep in mind not to dump all your points here; you'll need them later. Three points in a Stat is typically more than enough for most situations.
Once you're got your Stats worked out, take a moment and look at the Skills page. Skim it over, and look specifically at what Stats apply to what Skills. If you have enough points in a Stat, you might get a free point or two to put towards one of the Skills it's connected to.
When you've finished the Skills, take a look at your Willpower. Starting score is four, so you don't NEED more, but it's a good place to dump some points if they don't seem to fit anywhere else. Willpower has a variety of uses in the game, and more is always better, if you've got the points for it.
Gear
Gear comes in two flavors: Weapons and Armor. Both have classes rather than hard descriptions of exactly what they are. We want people to have full freedom of expression to describe their personal equipment however they want, just so long as it stays within the basic category. As an example, you're free to describe a Knife as everything from a gangster switchblade to a Damascus dagger, but don't go trying to say it's a two-handed broadsword.
There are three levels, or Tiers, of Gear in this game. Tier One is a very basic item, probably homemade, or possibly a quality item that's seen a lot of hard use. Tier One weapons and armor are better than harsh language and hope, but not by much. They cost one Gear Point. Tier Two items are well-made but not exceptional. The vast majority of weapons and armor in the Wastes fall under this category. These things are reliable and solid, and they'll get the job done. They cost two Gear Points. Tier Three is a step beyond that, representing the highest possible level of quality. Only master craftsmen can make an item like this, and if you get one, you'll be the envy of the Wastes. At four Gear Points each, it'll take a while to get outfitted with these, and you can't have them at character creation.
Gear is acquired with Gear Points. These don't have an actual in-game representation. Consider them some vague tracker of how much luck your character has in acquiring new items. At creation, you start with four Gear Points, and can use Perks to gain up to a total of six.
Perks and Flaws
These are optional things you can use to help mechanically represent a character concept. We want to keep them from being broken or overpowered, so you're not able to take too many. Everyone can take up to two points' worth of Perks without having to balance them with Flaws. If you want more Perks, you must take Flaws. Each point of Flaws taken gives you an extra Perk point, up to a maximum of five. The only exception to this rule are the very powerful Perks that we have listed as Game Changers. If you take one of those, it's all you get, AND you have to take a corresponding number of Flaws.
It's a good idea to go to the Game System board and read over the basics of how our dice system works before you start building a character. That way most of this will make more sense to you.
Point Distribution
Our goal here at Oasis was to keep our homebrew system simple and easy to understand. With that in mind, we decided that we didn't want to have a whole bunch of different categories of points. Therefore, you get forty Creation Points when you make a character. There's no modifiers or math weirdness here; one Creation Point buys you one point in anything, straight across. To start, look over your Stats, the actual physical and mental attributes, and apply what points fit your character there. Note that only one Stat can be at five; the others can only be at four points, at most. All Stats start with one point in them at character creation, as shown on the sheet. Keep in mind not to dump all your points here; you'll need them later. Three points in a Stat is typically more than enough for most situations.
Once you're got your Stats worked out, take a moment and look at the Skills page. Skim it over, and look specifically at what Stats apply to what Skills. If you have enough points in a Stat, you might get a free point or two to put towards one of the Skills it's connected to.
When you've finished the Skills, take a look at your Willpower. Starting score is four, so you don't NEED more, but it's a good place to dump some points if they don't seem to fit anywhere else. Willpower has a variety of uses in the game, and more is always better, if you've got the points for it.
Gear
Gear comes in two flavors: Weapons and Armor. Both have classes rather than hard descriptions of exactly what they are. We want people to have full freedom of expression to describe their personal equipment however they want, just so long as it stays within the basic category. As an example, you're free to describe a Knife as everything from a gangster switchblade to a Damascus dagger, but don't go trying to say it's a two-handed broadsword.
There are three levels, or Tiers, of Gear in this game. Tier One is a very basic item, probably homemade, or possibly a quality item that's seen a lot of hard use. Tier One weapons and armor are better than harsh language and hope, but not by much. They cost one Gear Point. Tier Two items are well-made but not exceptional. The vast majority of weapons and armor in the Wastes fall under this category. These things are reliable and solid, and they'll get the job done. They cost two Gear Points. Tier Three is a step beyond that, representing the highest possible level of quality. Only master craftsmen can make an item like this, and if you get one, you'll be the envy of the Wastes. At four Gear Points each, it'll take a while to get outfitted with these, and you can't have them at character creation.
Gear is acquired with Gear Points. These don't have an actual in-game representation. Consider them some vague tracker of how much luck your character has in acquiring new items. At creation, you start with four Gear Points, and can use Perks to gain up to a total of six.
Perks and Flaws
These are optional things you can use to help mechanically represent a character concept. We want to keep them from being broken or overpowered, so you're not able to take too many. Everyone can take up to two points' worth of Perks without having to balance them with Flaws. If you want more Perks, you must take Flaws. Each point of Flaws taken gives you an extra Perk point, up to a maximum of five. The only exception to this rule are the very powerful Perks that we have listed as Game Changers. If you take one of those, it's all you get, AND you have to take a corresponding number of Flaws.