My True20 "DUH" moment :)

[DnDChick]

[gushingfangirlmode]
I was tinkering with some of my True20 house rules tonight and I had a minor epiphany.

I had been working on adding a 4th role, called the Professional. Like the Expert, the Pro would be mostly skill-focused -- basically an Expert with the Adept's combat bonus. I wanted this role to model fantasy silk-clad merchants or modern era tweed-jacketed bespectacled professors of ancient history or futuristic computer geeks. You know ... guys who wouldn't know which end of a sword to hold or which way to point a gun. To me, the 3/4 level combat bonus of the Expert was still a bit too high for my tastes to model such non-combative characters.

I wracked my brain trying to come up with something to give the Pro that would make it significantly different from the Expert that a player might actually want to take it.

Finally, tonight, I had the DUUUuuuuuhhhhh moment I needed. A 4th role is not required. The Expert fills the role nicely, and all you need to do to make a non-combative Expert is simply to stay on concept and stick with skill-based and General feats, and not take the Weapon Training feat. The -4 non-proficiency penalty takes care of the non-combative part of it all. Without Weapon Training, the Expert needs to be 7th level in order to have a +1 to hit (not including Dex, of course). I don't need another role to urge character concepts in a certain direction ... True20 as written can do all I need it to do.



All this goes to show me that, more and more, True20 is most definately the system I have been looking for.

[/gushingfangirlmode]

[Steve Kenson]

Welcome to the club, DnDChick.

Interestingly enough, the print edition of True20 will include something like that "4th role" you mention: an option for "ordinaries" who basically gain nothing but skill ranks as they go up in level: no Combat bonuses, saving throw bonuses, or feats. It's intended for building the strictly ordinary folk who populate most worlds who happen to have more than a modicum of skill, without quite the same issues raised by having a "20th level Commoner".

But, as you so clearly point out, the right kind of expert also does very well as a middle-ground between "highly skilled" and "competent adventurer." Not all experts (nor adepts, for that matter) are the adventuresome type, and choose their skills, feats, and powers accordingly.

[DnDChick]

Thanks!

It all comes down to the fact that I realized that, except for the Warrior, weapon proficiencies are not automatically handed out like they are for classes in D&D.

The Expert as a non-combative hero like the ones I described are still not completely overwhelmed in combat because the combat bonus in its entirity adds to Defense. Even though "Professer Tweed" can't fire a gun he can still effectively dive for cover when he needs to.

[langeweile]

another idea for your modern setting ("medieval" merchant will for sure know how to use a sword...):

tailor the setting that way, that the heights of skills are considered power-equivalent (you know, theoretical quantum mechanics, computer hacking, etc...), maybe give apropriate bonuses on that skill-powers.
and trust me, i know from personal experience, that those things are already a little magical

[FickleGM]

Nice revelation and implementation. I haven't been able to play True20 for months and quite frankly, I miss it...(my players want to stick with D&D).

I do want to pick up the book, though, and look forward to seeing the "commoner" style role. I can't stand the NPC classes in D&D...

Anyway, just wanted to throw a comment out there and hold out hope that I will be able to run True20 in the near future...I miss you True20...

[Citizen Arcane]

Thank you DnDChick!

When True20 first came out, a bunch of people on the ENWorld boards were trying to come up with a fourth role to cover scientist types. I could not, for the life of me, convince them that this was unnecessary. But you have given a very nice and succinct rational for the lack of a need for a fourth class.

Well done!

[DnDChick]

Thanks for the kudos, guys. That is exactly why I posted it. I saw some of those threads as well!

I think the problem I was having stems from the fact that it seems incongruous to a D&D player that a timid scientist and a mystical Shao-lin monk would be made from the same role in True20. But actually, the character's role isn't nearly as important as what you do with it. Even though you have access to Weapon Training and, as an expert, all of those feats that were converted from D&D monk class abilities, you don't have to use them. Find a concept for the Expert and stick with it.

This is why I like True20 so much ... the open ended character design. You don't *need* a slew of archetypical classes for every game world. You don't need rules or class features to force characters into one role or another.

Just stay on concept and pick skills and feats that fit what you want to do, and you're in business.

Don't want a combat-capable Expert? Then don't make one!


Edit: I think I will post this over at EnWorld too!