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Character creation (also character generation / character design) is the process of defining a player character in a role-playing game. The result of character creation is a direct characterization that is recorded on a character sheet. This may include a representation of the character's physical, mental, psychological, and social attributes and skills in terms of the specific game's mechanics. It may also include informal descriptions of the character's physical appearance, personality, personal back-story ("background"), and possessions. [1] [2] [3] [4] Games with a fantasy setting may include traits such as race, class, or species. Character creation is the first step taken by the players (as opposed to the gamemaster) in preparation for a game.
Character advancement refers to the improvement of a character's statistics later in the game. The player modifies existing statistics and adds new traits, usually by spending experience points or gaining a new experience level. Character advancement typically uses similar rules as character creation. [1] [5] Changes during character advancement are incremental.
The process of creating a character requires making decisions about the character's attributes and skills. Each game includes its own procedures for making these decisions.
The decision may be predetermined by the rules. This may be according to a formula or a table that maps one or more predetermined statistics to a specific choice for another.
The decision may be made by the game master prior to character creation.
Some games and campaign settings offer pre-generated character options for beginners or players who prefer to start playing more quickly. [6] [7] [8]
Random choices are made by rolling dice and either using the result directly or looking it up in a table, depending on the decision that is to be made. A random generation system allows the full range of values to be generated for each statistic, leading to diversity among newly generated characters. However, players have little control over the scores.
For example, in some editions of Dungeons & Dragons the player rolls 4d6 and adds the highest three numbers to generate an ability score (attribute value) from 3 to 18. In the first editions of the Stormbringer role playing game, the character's race and class both are determined by rolling 1d100 and looking up the result in the appropriate table.
The player makes decisions within defined restrictions. These restrictions may allow players to distribute a number of character points among various statistics. In a point distribution system, higher scores cost more points per level than lower ones, and costs may vary between statistics within a category. Usually, there is an upper and lower limit for each score. Additional constraints may apply, depending on the game system.
Examples for systems that use point distribution to determine statistics are the Hero System (including its predecessor Champions ), GURPS, the World of Darkness series, and the Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game with its unusual auction system. Some Dungeons & Dragons editions also have an optional point buy method for determining ability scores.
As used for example in the Traveller, Empire of the Petal Throne and Harnmaster RPGs or some cRPGs such as Mount & Blade and Darklands, this technique models a character's life prior to becoming an active adventurer. The player chooses family origin then makes further decisions at specific life "checkpoints" such as early education, young adulthood, or "tours of duty" in various careers. Each stage applies modifiers and gives the character the opportunity to develop skills, advantages, and possessions, or to suffer setbacks and disadvantages. In some cases, a player may run through repeated career cycles to sacrifice character youth for additional skills, experience and material advancement. Levels of randomization and player agency vary depending on the specific system.
Determining numerical values comprises several steps that are not always distinct:
Example: In Castle Falkenstein , abilities are the only type of statistic. Each player gets the same pre-defined set of scores (1a) and can freely choose (1b) which abilities to assign them to (2). In addition, higher scores can be bought by balancing them with a number of low scores (3).
Games that don't use point distribution to determine all statistic values use different methods for different types of statistic. For instance, there may be a few attributes with an assigned value each, but a large number of customizable skills. Here are some examples of different methods:
Some creation systems use a mix of point-distribution and random generation; most common among these are variant rules that allow, for instance, the alteration of the initially random stats by taking a reduction of one trait in order to increase another.
Another form of adjustment are racial or occupational ("class") modifiers. In many games, certain statistics are slightly increased or decreased depending on the character's race and sometimes profession. In Dungeons & Dragons, for example, non-human races typically increase one ability score by two (on a scale of 3 to 18) while another is lowered by the same amount. In Stormbringer 3rd edition, nearly all nationalities (subraces) cause adjustments of some or all attribute scores by an amount that is usually randomly determined and has a range of up to two-thirds of an attribute's initial value. In point-distribution systems, these modifiers generally contribute to a race's "point cost", while in other systems, it is up to the race's designer to balance different races against each other (if this is desired).
To speed up and simplify the character creation process, many games use character templates. These are sample characters representing genre-typical archetypes. Templates can be completely ready-made or only define the statistics necessary for a character to fill a particular occupation or dramatic role. For instance, a thief should know how to move quietly, pick locks, disarm traps, and climb walls.
In some games, these templates are only an optional character creation aid that has no prescribed effect on the rest of the game. They can be flexibly modified according to the game's character creation rules or ignored altogether. This is generally the case in games that try to give the player as much control over the character creation process as possible. (Examples are Shadowrun or GURPS.)
Other games use templates as a mandatory tool to provide direction and limitations to character creation and development. This character class concept was introduced by Dungeons & Dragons. It is now used in all d20 System games and has been adopted by many others, such as Palladium Books' Megaversal system .
The Generic Universal Role Playing System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games. The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by Steve Jackson and published in 1986, at a time when most such systems were story- or genre-specific. Since then, four editions have been published. The current line editor is Sean Punch.
The Ringworld science fiction role-playing game was published by Chaosium in 1984, using the Basic Role-Playing system for its rules and Larry Niven's Ringworld novels as a setting.
Tunnels & Trolls is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. The second modern role-playing game published, it was written by Ken St. Andre to be a more accessible alternative to Dungeons & Dragons and is suitable for solitaire, group, and play-by-mail gameplay.
The Fantasy Trip (TFT) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game designed by Steve Jackson and published in segments by Metagaming Concepts starting in 1977 and culminating in 1980. In 2019, Steve Jackson Games republished it as The Fantasy Trip Legacy Edition.
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experience points are generally awarded for the completion of objectives, overcoming obstacles and opponents, and successful role-playing.
A role-playing video game, role-playing game (RPG) or computer role-playing game (CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character immersed in some well-defined world, usually involving some form of character development by way of recording statistics. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games and use much of the same terminology, settings, and game mechanics. Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replay value and immersion. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences.
In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations.
In role-playing games (RPGs) and war games, a saving throw is a roll of dice used to determine whether magic, poison, or various other types of attacks are effective against a character or monster. The term was first used in Donald F. Featherstone's book "War Games".
Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor is an interactive fiction video game written by Brian Moriarty and released by Infocom in 1987. It was one of the last games in the Zork series developed by Infocom. It signified a notable departure from the standard format of Infocom's earlier games which relied purely on text and puzzle-solving: among other features, Beyond Zork incorporated a crude on-screen map, the use of character statistics and levels, and RPG combat elements.
In most tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), an initiative system determines in which order player characters and non-player characters take their actions, to avoid confusion on when a character gets to act. These derive from RPGs roots in tabletop wargaming, where similar systems are used. Rules for initiative vary from game to game, but often follow one of a few common methods:
Shatterzone is a space opera role-playing game by West End Games. The game went out of print in 1997 after the company went bankrupt. The game is now back in print, owned and published by Precis Intermedia.
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Role-playing games (RPGs) have developed specialized terminology. This includes both terminology used within RPGs to describe in-game concepts and terminology used to describe RPGs. Role-playing games also have specialized slang and jargon associated with them.
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice. Some games use different terms to refer to an attribute, such as statistic, (primary) characteristic or ability. A number of role-playing games like Fate do not use attributes at all.
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, game mechanics and dice rolls determine much of what happens. These mechanics include:
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes (MSPE) is a tabletop role-playing game designed and written by Michael A. Stackpole and first published in April 1983 by Blade, a division of Flying Buffalo, Inc. A second edition was later published by Sleuth Publications in 1986, but Flying Buffalo continues to distribute the game. In 2019 a new revised Combined Edition of MSPE was published by Flying Buffalo which brought the different material from the previous editions and included additional new rules and expansions to the original rpg. MSPE's mechanics are based on those of Tunnels and Trolls, with the addition of a skill system for characters. A few adventure modules were also released for MSPE.
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Player's Option: Skills & Powers is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
A tabletop role-playing game, also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a set formal system of rules and guidelines, usually involving randomization. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise, and their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.
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