I
know some of you will think I am needlessly spoiling the pristine
simplicity of OEPT with these suggestions, but IMO the social
system of Tsolyánu is a very important aspect of the setting and
needs some recognition in character generation. The system I am
proposing will also give more variation between characters, and a
modicum of ‘realism’ should you be interested in such things.
Each character draws skills not just from the professional skills
list (OEPT page 20) but has a social class based list as well; these
rules replace the ‘Original Skills’ list on p18 of the DW
edition of EPT and the rules for gaining more on p421. Some skill
levels may be vacant, others may have more than one possible
skill. PCs may still acquire training in original skills from clan
masters at a suitable fee, and having sufficient social status
will of course help wangle this at a reasonable cost. |
|
| Initial
Skills and Gain per Level |
| Using
Skills |
| Literacy
Skills |
| Gaining
Stats |
| Skill
List by Social Class |
|
Nakomé
Barbarian |
|
Very
Low Clan |
|
Low
Clan |
|
Middle
Clan |
|
High
Clan |
|
Very
High Clan |
|
|
Initial
Skills and Gain per Level
You
no longer need all the previous skills on a list to gain the next
one, and you must take one skill from the social class table at
first level. When gaining levels through experience you gain +1
skill per level from any table your PC qualifies for, with a 50%
chance of gaining a second, and gain +1 max skill level. Thus if
you start as a Nakomé warrior, each further level you can choose
from the Nakomé list or the warrior list as you gain skills. If
you join a clan you get access to the appropriate clan level list
instead of Nakomé.
Priests and Sorcerers must be at least semi-literate; if
this means spending an initial skill on this talent, so be it; if
you do not have high enough stats to access the skill at your clan
level, you don't get into the temple school and you are relegated
to being a warrior despite your potential; caste systems can be
wasteful of talent.
| Max
skill level at 1st level |
| Primary
stat 50 or below |
3 |
| Primary
stat 51-75 |
4 |
| Primary
stat 76-90 |
5 |
| Primary
stat 91-100 |
6 |
| Number
of skills at 1st level (d100) |
| 1-10 |
2 |
| 11-30 |
3 |
| 31-70 |
4 |
| 71-90 |
5 |
| 91-100 |
6 |
|
| [Back
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|
Using
Skills
Most
of the time the GM can simply say the possession of a skill
enables a PC to do a given task, but from time to time it may be
appropriate to roll a skill check to see if a PC has succeeded.
The base chance of success depends on how difficult the task is
(duh!), the PCs level and a bonus for having a good score in a
stat that might be relevant.
Base
chance of success = 35% +5% per level with skill
, 0%
+ 3% per level with no skill
Difficulty
mod = +50% (doddle) to -50% or even more (heroically hard)
depending on assessment and/or whim of GM
Stat
mod = (Stat-50 /4) to give +/- 12%
Opposed
skills – each person rolls highest score that is still a
success wins.
|
Example:
Arjan
the Gladiator (Level 3 Warrior) has a bout coming up against
Yuth the N’lüss. Wanting to know how good this huge
foreign oaf is he asks about in the usual gambling dens –
the GM allows him to use his Streetwise skill – 35+15 =
50% - rates the task as hard as few people in town have seen
Yuth fight - -20% - and allows Arjan to use his Guile of 63
to help – (63-50)/4 = +3% = 33%.
Arjan
rolls 52 – he cannot find out anything about this guy. If
he had rolled very high, the GM could have decided that he
had failed so badly he got false information.
Still
looking for an edge, Arjan sneaks into Yuth’s training
yard. No stealth skill so Lev 3x 3 = 9%, average task 0%
bonus and using 78 Dex for +7% bonus = 16%. He rolls 18; as
he tries to nip in through a door he is spotted, recognised
and told to go away in no uncertain terms.
He
finally gets to see the man fight at an exhibition bout at a
nobleman’s banquet, and tries to spot any weaknesses.
Gladiator skill applies at 50%, hard task for -10% and
Intelligence of 40 gives -3%; total 37%. He rolls 30% -
Arjan reckons that though the barbarian’s wild N’lüss
claymore style is terrifying and brutal a quick man with a
shortsword could nip in under one of his wild swings and
deal him a death blow.
And
finally the bout. Each man sizes the other up and Yuth
swings, looking for a quick decapitation; Arjan spots his
chance and dives in… Each rolls on his Swordsman skill –
Yuth uses his Intelligence as a bonus to see if he spots the
ploy. Base success for a Level 4 Warrior is 55%, he has an
Int of 30 for -5%, he rolls 27, succeeding. Arjan is using
Swordsman skill with Guile as a bonus 50% +3% = 53%. He
rolls 37, also succeeding, and as he got higher than Yuth he
has the advantage – The GM awards him +2 to hit for this
round, but with Yuth on his guard any further attempt at
such feints on Arjan’s part will be at a penalty. The
shortsword jabs at Yuth’s wide leather belt as the
claymore whistles just over his head; this blow had better
count… |
|
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[Back
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|
Literacy
Skills
There
are three levels of literacy skill.
Illiterates
cannot work out what is going on in any piece of written
information except the most obvious and literal hieroglyphics.
Semi-Literate
people know a script well enough to make out what it says most of
the time. Roll Intelligence as a %age or as if Literacy was an
ordinary skill, which ever is higher, whenever they need to read a
document or inscription, but they will suffer modifiers if the
script is unclear, poetic rather than straightforward, or archaic,
cryptic, uses fancy calligraphy and flowery phrases as many Palace
documents do etc. People may be semi-literate in more than one
language.
Literate
people automatically read most writings in the script and a
document must be pretty obscure or fragmentary to force them to
roll. They can use their literacy skill to try and fathom out
codes and ciphers, read ‘Classic’ forms of the same tongue and
glean partial meanings from documents in similar scripts they
don’t know. A person who could read Engsvanyáli script could
have stab at reading Tsolyáni, Mu’ugalavyáni and Livyáni for
example, if he knew the spoken languages. |
|
[Back
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|
Gaining
Stats
At
each level gain roll %age dice
| 01-50 |
no
gain |
| 51-80 |
+1d6
points on random stat |
| 81-95 |
+5
points on stat of choice |
| 96-00 |
+10
points on stats of choice |
|
| [Back
to Top] |
| Skill
List by Social Class |
|
| Nakomé
Barbarian
Illiterate,
1d100Kt starting money
| 1 |
Labourer
(+1d10 Con, +1d10 Str, -1d10 Int, -1d10 Com) |
| 2 |
Speak
Tsolyáni |
| 3 |
Hunter
(+1d10 Dex, -1d10 Guile) OR Fisherman (+1d10 Str, -1d10
Guile) |
| 4 |
Streetwise
(if lived in Foreign Quarter 1 yr+) OR Mountaineer OR
Survival |
| 5 |
Potter,
Weaver, Net Maker, Carpenter, Sail Maker, Butcher |
| 6 |
Semi-Literate |
| 7 |
(if
at least semi-literate) Merchant, Ship Builder, Slaver
(+15x1d100Kt), (No literacy req.
for) Gladiator (if Warrior), Fletcher, Animal Trainer, Bird
Trainer |
| 8 |
Contacts
(Knows useful employers/contacts above him in status),
Barbaric Cunning (+1 on Saves) |
| 9 |
Fully
Literate |
|
| [Back
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|
Very
Low Clan
Illiterate,
1d20+20Kt starting money
| 1 |
Labourer
(+1d10 Con, +1d10 Str, -1d10 Int, -1d10 Com) |
| 2 |
Farmer
(+1d10 Con, -1d10 Guile) OR Fisherman (+1d10 Str, -1d10
Guile) |
| 3 |
Brawling
(+1 to hit if unarmed), Wrestling (can restrain people),
Slinger |
| 4 |
Logger,
Cart-Driver, Bricklayer, Miner, Tanner, Net-maker,
Mat-Weaver, Sweeper (covers all low grade servant
occupations) |
| 5 |
Semi-Literate,
Legionnaire (if Warrior, barracks
room social skills and working in a unit) |
| 6 |
Subservience
(Can crawl to superiors, +1d10 Guile) |
| 7 |
Guard
(if Warrior – can spot suspicious people) |
| 8 |
Foreman
(can boss lesser clansmen) |
| 9 |
Fully
Literate |
|
| [Back
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|
Low
Clan
Illiterate,
2d20+20Kt starting money
| 1 |
Labourer
(+1d10 Con, +1d10 Str, -1d10 Int, -1d10 Com) |
| 2 |
Farmer
(+1d10 Con, -1d10 Guile) OR Fisherman (+1d10 Str, -1d10
Guile) OR Apprentice (+1d10 Guile, -1d10 Con) |
| 3 |
Cart-Driver,
Peddlar, Baker, Barber, Bootmaker, Bricklayer, Carpenter,
Cook, Dyer, Mason, Paper-Maker, Potter, Sail-Maker, Tailor,
Weaver, Brewer, Wine-Maker, Wheelwright, Sailor |
| 4 |
Semi-Literate |
| 5 |
Crossbowman
(if Warrior), Bowman (if Warrior), Legionnaire (if Warrior,
barracks room social skills and working in a unit), Guard
(if Warrior – can spot suspicious people), Fletcher |
| 6 |
Subservience
(Can crawl to superiors, +1d10 Guile), Foreman (can boss
other clansmen) |
| 7 |
Sergeant
(if Warrior, command small group of soldiers, interprets
orders of superiors) |
| 8 |
Fully
Literate |
| 9 |
Negotiator
(can deal with social superiors on behalf of clan) |
|
| [Back
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|
Middle
Clan
Semi-Literate,
3d20+40Kt starting money
| 1 |
Farmer
(+1d10 Con, -1d10 Guile) OR Apprentice (+1d10 Guile, -1d10
Con) OR Clerk (+1d10 Int, -1d10 Str) |
| 2 |
Barber,
Bootmaker, Dyer, Glass-Blower, Grocer, Mason, Paper-Maker,
Perfumer, Tailor, Brewer, Wine-maker, Wheelwright,
Major-Domo |
| 3 |
Subservience
(Can crawl to superiors, +1d10 Guile) |
| 4 |
Fully
Literate |
| 5 |
Armourer,
Fletcher, Gold/Silversmith, Jeweller, Scribe, Accountant,
Ship-Builder, Sailor, Animal Trainer, Bird Trainer,
Legionnaire (if Warrior, barracks room social skills and
working in a unit) |
| 6 |
Sergeant
(if Warrior, command small group of soldiers, interpret
orders of superiors), Staff Officer, Supervisor (middle
manger in Temple or Palaces, -1d10 Con, +1d10 Int, +1d10
Guile) |
| 7 |
Merchant
(+15xd100Kt), Alchemist, Artist, Physician, Lawyer,
Navigator, Ship-Captain |
| 8 |
Etiquette
(deal with all social classes, +1d10 Guile, +1 Social),
Wealth (2d100 per level month income from clan businesses),
Money-Lender (if clan is involved in this trade
+100xd100Kt), Slaver (if clan is involved in this trade,
+100xd100+1000Kt) |
| 9 |
Scholar,
Collector, Author |
|
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|
High
Clan
Semi-Literate,
10d20+100Kt starting money
| 1 |
Educated
(Fully Literate, +1d10 Int, -1d10 Con) OR Squire (+1d10 Con,
-1d10 Guile) OR Noble (+1d10 Str, -1d10 Int) |
| 2 |
Fully
Literate |
| 3 |
Style
(+1d10 Com, +1d10 Guile, -1d10 Con,) Artist, Scribe,
Accountant, Merchant, Ship-Captain |
| 4 |
Sergeant
(if Warrior, command small group of soldiers, interpret
orders of superiors), Staff Officer, Supervisor (middle
manger in Temple or Palaces, -1d10 Con, +1d10 Int, +1d10
Guile), Duellist (Swordsman skill, plus etiquette and code
of duelling), Imperious (overawes low castes) |
| 5 |
Alchemist,
Astronomer, Astrologer, Scholar, Engineer, Architect,
Siegecraft (if Warrior), Interpreter, Jeweller, Arruché (if
Warrior, sword and dagger fighting style) |
| 6 |
Etiquette
(deal with all social classes, +1d10 Guile), Wealth
(5d100/level month income from clan businesses), Heirloom
(inherit useful magic or steel item), Seduction (min 50
Comeliness) |
| 7 |
Politics,
Diplomat (if have Interpreter AND Etiquette) |
| 8 |
Commander
(if Warrior, acts as field officer), Contacts (knows people
in Palaces and other positions of power) |
| 9 |
Strategist
(if Warrior) |
| 10 |
Title
holder (has inherited noble title of some kind), Fief holder
(administers family owned lands, business, house etc.
considerable income IF time devoted to working) |
|
| [Back
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|
Very
High Clan
Fully
Literate, 10d20+400Kt starting money
| 1 |
Educated
(Fully Literate, +1d10 Int, -1d10 Con) OR Squire (+1d10 Con,
-1d10 Guile) OR Noble (+1d10 Str, -1d10 Int) |
| 2 |
Style
(+1d10 Com, +1d10 Guile, -1d10 Con), Fop (+2d10 Com, -1d10
Int) |
| 3 |
Staff
Officer, Supervisor (middle manger in Temple or Palaces,
-1d10 Con, +1d10 Int, +1d10 Guile), Duellist (Swordsman
skill, plus etiquette and code of duelling), Imperious
(overawes low castes), Interpreter |
| 4 |
Arruché
(if Warrior, sword and dagger fighting style), Scholar |
| 5 |
Etiquette
(deal with all social classes, +1d10 Guile), Wealth
(5d100/level month income from clan businesses), Heirloom
(inherit useful magic or steel item), Seduction (min 50
Comeliness), Wastrel (1d10 x 5000Kt debt, +2d10 Com), Rake
(has 1d6 outstanding debts of honour, +2d10 Com) |
| 6 |
Great
Wealth (+5d100/level month income from clan businesses) |
| 7 |
Politics,
Diplomat (if have Interpreter AND Etiquette) |
| 8 |
Patron
of the Arts, Commander (if Warrior, acts as field officer),
Contacts (knows people in Palaces and other positions of
power) |
| 9 |
Strategist
(if Warrior) |
| 10 |
Title
holder (has inherited noble title of some kind), Fief holder
(administers family owned lands, business, house etc.
considerable income IF time devoted to working) |
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