Utilisation of Step Six (step 6) in your games?

[pulpcitizen]

Just posting this quesion out of curiosity, and not seeking support for any hypothesis.

What I would like to know is who does or doesn't use Step Six in character creation in their games, and why you do or do not (whichever is the case)?

I see a lot of potential in the system for alternative ways of viewing the Step Six bonuses, and I am working on something specific as a result, so I am interested in any 'live' experience.

PS I posted the title with Step Six/step 6 to make future potential seraches easier. There was method in my madness.

[MrJealousy]

Use it. Seems like a lot of points (+20% in 13 skills) but I think of it as experience that your character got while they were a child, stuff that their parents taught them.

[Arch0n]

We're using it with slight modification as "background skills," divided into noble, warrior, scholarly, underworld, and wilderness upbringings.

[Al.]

Use it. Seems like a lot of points (+20% in 13 skills) but I think of it as experience that your character got while they were a child, stuff that their parents taught them.

I use it. Have loved it since first seeing in Elric! I see it the other way. The personality skills are what a character is good at / interested in separate and independent from their parents and upbringing.

It doesn't quite sit right with me how many skills are common to two or more of the personality types. Having said that I've never managed to come up with a better one and the catchall customised option means that I do not really need to.

Al

[pulpcitizen]

Thanks for replying guys (and any more insights welcome). :thumb:

I have to acknowledge a vested and ulterior motive in posing the question, as I have been working up an idea based on a broad range character motivations/archetypes for something I am trying to cook up.

I suppose the question is whether or not the perosnality approach - or similar alternatives - are useful for GM's and players or if most just disregard them. Maybe i should have done a poll.

[frogspawner]

I don't use Step 6. But I do use personality stuff, via variant Personality Traits rules for PCs.

That way they have to earn advantages by actually behaving in-line with their chosen personality, rather than being given loads of freebie extra skills just for saying they will...

[Turloigh]

Depends on the game.

As a rule, I won't be using them for the most part. It's an additional step in character creation that takes time to explain and then to complete. If I want the PCs to be more skilled, I can give them more base skill points.

In my homebrew RQ, I don't use them. In this particular game, I feel a character should have access only to a limited skill set depending on his background, and should work a little to (l)earn skills beyond that.

For a more pulpy, high-powered game where characters aren't as specialized, Step 6 is perfectly suitable. Our current Hellboy/Van Helsing-inspired, 4-color-supers/action-horror-mix is such a game.

[Turloigh]

We're using it with slight modification as "background skills," divided into noble, warrior, scholarly, underworld, and wilderness upbringings.

Oooh, interesting. Care to share?

[Arch0n]

Oooh, interesting. Care to share?

Sure. Here's my step 6 - each player picks one of the following six.

1) The character was born into the warrior class and raised to the profession of arms. Add 20 points to Brawl, Craft (war-craft), Climb, Dodge, Insight, Jump, Ride, Swim, Search, Throw, Weapon, Weapon, Wrestle

2) The character was brought up in an order militant or warrior-monastery. Add 20 points to Art, Auran Empire, Craft, Distant Lands, Dodge Insight, Language (Classical), Natural World, Physik, Potions, Scribe, Weapon, Weapon

3) The character grew up on the frontier as a hunter, herder, or outlander. Add 20 points to Climb, Distant Lands, Dodge, Insight, Listen, Natural World, Navigate, Ride, Sailing, Swim, Track, Trap, Weapon

4) The character grew up in the criminal underworld or on the streets of a major city. Add 20 points to Craft (Sleight of Hand), Conceal, Disguise, Dodge, Hide, Insight, Listen, Pick Lock, Sneak, Trap, Streetwise, Track, Weapon

5) The character was apprenticed to a scholar or sage at a young age and grew up around books and learning. Add 20 points to Auran Empire, Bargain, Craft, Distant Lands, Evaluate, Insight, Language (Classical), Natural World, Physik, Potions, Scribe, Search, Weapon

6) The character was born into the high nobility and raised at court. Add 20 points to Art, Auran Empire, Bargain, Carouse, Craft (war-craft), Evaluate, Fast Talk, Insight, Oratory, Language (Classical), Listen, Ride, Weapon

7) The character is one of the elven-folk. Add 20 points to Art, Distant Lands, Craft, Dodge, Insight, Hide, Higher Mysteries, Language (Elven), Natural World, Ride, Sneak, Weapon (bow), Weapon (sword)

Note that this can play it in one of two ways, depending what profession the character takes. You can end up with a "dual class" character (if, say, their profession is warrior while they take wilderness from above) or you can end up with a really elite, focused 100%+ character...

p.s. Auran Empire is our setting's equivalent to Young Kingdoms, Higher Mysteries = Million Spheres, and Distant Lands = Unknown Kingdoms. Sneak is Move Quietly.

[Turloigh]

Sure. Here's my step 6 - each player picks one of the following six. (snip awesome)

Nifty. Thanks for posting.

You know, this is one of those "Why didn't I think of this"-moments...

[Tywyll]

Just posting this quesion out of curiosity, and not seeking support for any hypothesis.

What I would like to know is who does or doesn't use Step Six in character creation in their games, and why you do or do not (whichever is the case)?

I see a lot of potential in the system for alternative ways of viewing the Step Six bonuses, and I am working on something specific as a result, so I am interested in any 'live' experience.

PS I posted the title with Step Six/step 6 to make future potential seraches easier. There was method in my madness.

I used it when I first ran vanilla BRP over the summer. I was familiar with the Elric! system so recognized the option and just rolled with it. I also used the 10xInt (ala Cthulhu minus EDU) and the Profession skills.

I found the characters to be quite powerful. The only thing that 'limited' them was their 75% cap, of which they had several focused skills at. Since I had thought I was running a fairly 'gritty and low powered' game by picking Normal level, I was surprised at how capable the characters were. Realized I hadn't quite thought giving everyone an additional 260% worth of skills through as well as I should have...

As it is now, I would only use Step 6 if I wanted the characters to be very skilled and effective across the board. If I wanted less powered characters, I'd leave it out. I've also considered allowing 'non-powered' character to take some or all of Step 6s bonus to compensate for their lack of ability compared to Powered characters, but I haven't settled on that exactly.

I think that if I did go with Step 6 I might leave out the Intx10 step, but I suppose that would depend on the style of campaign, not sure.

[pulpcitizen]

You have inspired a solution a problem I was trying to work around, Tywyll. Thanks you. :thumb: