Generalist/Specialist background choice at character creatio
Posted: Monday, 21st January 2019, 11:34
The idea is, when choosing a background, the player can choose the generalist or specialist version of the background. The difference between the two is starting stat distribution: generalist gets 4 4 4; specialist gets current background stat values (abyssal knight and wanderer don’t get a choice because AK is already 4 4 4 and Wa is random)
My rationale is as follows. In theory, backgrounds are ‘starting kits’ that don’t determine subsequent character build. In practice, the distribution of starting stats for various backgrounds can severely limit build choices, especially in conjunction with certain species.
The most obvious example is wizard, whose extremely low strength make hybridization difficult. At the same time, though, wizard has the highest Int of any background, and a player who wants to play a pure caster from the beginning might value the three extra starting Int compared to other mage backgrounds. So lopsided background stat distribution can be positive or negative depending on the player’s goals for the character.
By allowing the choice between generalist and specialist, we preserve the best of both worlds: backgrounds really can be starting kits that don’t pigeonhole a character, but players who want to pigeonhole their character statwise can still do so. This is a meaningful choice, with neither being obviously ‘better’ than the other, since it depends on player preference and the kind of character they’re trying to create.
The cost is one extra layer of complexity at character creation.
My rationale is as follows. In theory, backgrounds are ‘starting kits’ that don’t determine subsequent character build. In practice, the distribution of starting stats for various backgrounds can severely limit build choices, especially in conjunction with certain species.
The most obvious example is wizard, whose extremely low strength make hybridization difficult. At the same time, though, wizard has the highest Int of any background, and a player who wants to play a pure caster from the beginning might value the three extra starting Int compared to other mage backgrounds. So lopsided background stat distribution can be positive or negative depending on the player’s goals for the character.
By allowing the choice between generalist and specialist, we preserve the best of both worlds: backgrounds really can be starting kits that don’t pigeonhole a character, but players who want to pigeonhole their character statwise can still do so. This is a meaningful choice, with neither being obviously ‘better’ than the other, since it depends on player preference and the kind of character they’re trying to create.
The cost is one extra layer of complexity at character creation.