Into the Odd has just STR, DEX and WP (willpower) - half the normal game stats and with just one mental attribute. Given that the player - rather than the character sheet - generally provides a PC's real intelligence, I think there's a very good case for boiling down mental attributes in particular, to encourage role-playing rather than rolls.
Idle Doodler has been discussing his ideas for an RPG stat-line in a couple of recent posts, so I thought I'd get my main idea down here. I'm toying with the idea of replacing INT, WIS and (maybe) CHA with a single KNO stat representing knowledge.
Why? Well, on most of the occasions that I have players test a mental attribute in Whitehack or The Black Hack, the roll hinges around knowledge to some degree. Does the wizard understand the runes on the tomb door? Can the lizardman make anything of the troglodyte language? Can the thief come up with a plausible explanation of why he's in this room? So I think knowledge covers those rolls better than intelligence (which might come with otherworldliness) or wisdom (which seems to cover common sense or an understanding of human nature rather than learning or general knowledge).
And I think KNO might replace CHA fairly well too. Charisma often seems a slippery concept in games as it can cover persuasion, intimidation, distraction and seduction, among other things. A hulking brute who's tongue-tied but heavily armed and armoured might not need eloquence to persuade the goblins to let him past. And the silver-tongued sweet-talker might charm a tavern server but struggle with skeptical guards. Using a knowledge stat throws the sweet-talking or intimidation back onto the player, but would allow the GM to provide prompts for a successful KNO roll when inspiration falters.
It might go something like this:
Player: I shout at the guards."This is an impertinence! I demand to be let in!"
GM: They shrug ..
Player "I'm ...". Can I roll a knowledge check?
GM: "Sure"
Player: Success!
GM: Verlan Ottuk, the Duke of Yelt's right-hand man, is in town. He's known for his brusque manner and unassuming dress ...
Player: "I'm Verlan Ottuk. Your master shall hear of this!"
GM: The guards look uncertain and stand aside.
Of course, the GM could also have the guards make an KNO roll to see if they swallow it. And you could have opposed rolls Whitehack style - the higher wins, as long as it's equal or below the KNO stat. And you could apply advantage and disadvantage to reflect local conditions. Also, vivid roleplaying might entail advantage too.
There would be lots of fun to have with fumbles and criticals as well. A 20 on the player's part might mean that the real Verlan Ottuk is already taking tea with the guards' master. Or, more in a more subtle yet insidious twist, it might mean that he is expected, and so the PC is ushered straight into the master's presence (assuming that that isn't what the PC wants). A critical (the stat number itself in Whitehack) might mean that the PC is expected and shown to "their" rooms.
One thing KNO doesn't cover is spell resistance. But I don't really see how INT or WIS do that either. Into the Odd's WP obviously does. I'm tempted to see spell resistance as physical (i.e. it's harder to mind-control an ogre than an orc), but there's certainly something to ponder here.
Another positive for KNO is that it's natural for the stat to increase as players see more of the world. I almost wonder whether PCs start with 3d6 but non-adventuring types (local guards, villagers, monsters, etc.) might generally be assumed to have 2d6 - so an average of 7. Or perhaps everyone starts with 2d6 and PCs gain an extra point per level. Wizards might get a 3d6 roll, I suppose. Such assumptions might boost the ability of players to attempt more scams, ruses and mountebankery. And I'm all for that.
Ooh, I like this idea! Perhaps there is scope for using it similarly to Beyond The Wall's campaign creation: a player describes a location their character may have seen, learned or heard about, and elaborates a little bit. Using an attribute appropriate to their relationship to the location (e.g. Intelligence if they read about it, Wisdom if they saw it in the distance, Charisma if they've picked up rumours), the GM rolls a check for them in secret to see how accurate their knowledge is, which adds an extra element of interest when the party eventually visits that location.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the player could be asked to come up with a piece of info themselves with which the character might talk their way past the guard. The Knowledge roll then determines whether their intel is of any use, or whether they've been fed a yarn somewhere down the line. Thus giving the players a chance to do a bit of active world building and giving the GM the fun of being surprised each session.
I must look at Beyond the Wall again. I bought the PDF planning to play it with the kids, but they seem to prefer the monster-infested take on Blood Meridian that they've turned our Whitehack and TBH games into (much skinning and scalping and taking of grisly trophies)!
ReplyDeleteYes: anything that lets the players do a bit of world-building is a good thing, I think. Whitehack has that built in with its "slots" and "groups". So the Knowledge stat could work both ways: as a means through which the player can ask for a prompt from the GM; and as way for the player to add something to the world, subject to a successful roll.
Or, if it's a particularly good idea, whatever the roll! Then the GM can come up with another thing to alter the effect of the first thing.
DeleteYes, quite. That's a really good point. So if the player invents Verlan Ottuk, claims to be him and bawls "Your master will hear of this!", a failure would indicate a response like "We know Master Ottuk and he's a head taller than you" while a natural 20 would be a shout from behind the guards of "I AM Verlan Ottuk! Seize that imposter!"
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