Topic: Stat Bonuses

[Nejira]

Hiya, just read Character Law for RMC and I have an question regarding the bonuses gained from stats.

I been toying with spreading out the stat bonuses for high stat ratings. IMO why not spread out the bonuses on more steps instead of keeping them clustered? From what I can tell there is no difference between a stat 25-74 with regards to the bonus, and another big range is 75-89.

So I took the bonuses and spread them out across the range of stats.

EG:
39-59...........+0
61-63...........+1
63-66...........+2
64-69...........+3
70-72...........+4
73-75...........+5
...etc

Now being (relatively)new to RM, I dont know if this will change something with the core of the system. So my question is: will this make any difference (other than me feeling its more even spread out)?

/Nejira

[Moriarty]

The distribution will be harder to remember for players, especially as they get older


Seriously, there is an option in one of the RM2 companions, I think it's called "smooth stats" or similar. We tried this once, for the same reason you did but in the end we found that the added detail, in this particular case, wasn't worth the increase in complexity.

Basically, every time a stat changes you have to look up what the new bonus is, and that turns out to be annoying and cumbersome. With the 75/90/95/98/100 division, at least there is a chance of it staying in memory...

There is one other thing I can think of right away, and that is stat modifications, such as this background option from RM2/C:

Increase one stat by 2 or three stats by 1 each; both temporaries and potentials (to a maximum of 101).

The above special is only worth something (sometimes) because the +1 or +2 stat can be worth a great deal (+5 or +10 bonus).
If you do the 'smooth' stat bonus thing, specials like this one become sort of worthless all of the time (but you could always decide to deal with that as well, of course, by changing or removing such specials).

[Nejira]

Thanks for your reply Moriarty,
My idea was to limit stat changes to every fourth or so instead of once per level. I only played RMFRP and the having to reroll stats every level became cumbersome, having to redo all the skills and OB/DB. My players wernt too keen on the idea especially when their characters reached their max potential, then there only was one way to go and that was down.

I am mostly concerned that I may be messing something up, as I am not exactly an veteran Rolemaster. And yes I know, dont go playing with rules, I guess I cant help myself

[PiXeL01]

We have always used the Smoothed Stat bonus table and a system during Stat Gains which allows a chance for your potentials to increase as well.  I think there is something similar in Companion 4

[Cormac Doyle]

Its actually in Companion 1

[Nejira]

These companion books are they for an older version of Rolemaster?
And can you still get them?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

They are for RM 2nd Edition (which is what Rolemaster Classic is based on -- there are only a few differences between the two).

And mostly ebay is where you are going to find these. However, The Guild Companion is working on creating a PDF version of Rolemaster Companion I and it will be available in the near future.

[Balhirath]

We have always used the Smoothed Stat bonus table and a system during Stat Gains which allows a chance for your potentials to increase as well.  I think there is something similar in Companion 4

I always used them too. Perhaps it's a danish thing 

[Cormac Doyle]

Guildcompanion will be releasing RoCo1 soon

[arakish]

A version my wife and I used is a simple equation.

Stat Bonus = (StatTempScore - 50) ? 2, round off.  For stat scores over 100, then add an additional +1 for each point >100.

Thus, a 97-98 = +24; 99-100 = +25; 101 = +26; 102 = +27; etc.

rmfr

[Marc R]

That's roughly the "Linear Stat" equation in RoCo1

[arakish]

Yes.  It is.  But it is something my wife and I invented before I bought the RMC1.  When we saw it published...

rmfr

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

I often had the same problem... I would come up with an idea for RM2, and then I would find a book that already had a variation of that idea in it....   

It was spooky sometimes....

 

[Marc R]

More of a pain was extracting PP and DP from the stat in the same linear manner.

Temp-70/10
Temp/10

are probably the two closest to working linear functions for those two. . .the PP one is a little off.

[arakish]

More of a pain was extracting PP and DP from the stat in the same linear manner.

Temp-70/10
Temp/10

are probably the two closest to working linear functions for those two. . .the PP one is a little off.

We had those also...  To requote the stat bonus, but removing the quote tags...

Stat Bonus = (StatTempScore - 50) ? 2, round off.  For stat scores over 100, then add an additional +1 for each point > 100.

Thus, a 97-98 = +24; 99-100 = +25; 101 = +26; 102 = +27; etc.

Development Points = (all 10 Temp Scores summed) ? 10.

Until RMC2, we also had developed numerous skills.  When RMC2 came out, we found that it only added about 20-30 new skills to the list we had.

Power Points = [listed stat refers to the Temp Score] ((SD+Em+In+Pr) ? 5) ? (PPDev ranks + 1), round off.

Of course, the Power Points was only good for the world my wife and I created.  Even before I purchased RMC1, we had spell using chars develop a skill called Power Points Development.  We figured, if one develops their body (hits), why wouldn't a PowerUser also have to the develop their power?

Soul Points = (all 10 Temp Scores summed) ? 25, leave as is.

We used Soul Points to depict how many of the creatures on Udava could actually suck the Life Force out of a person.  Some could do it only by their mere presence.

I often had the same problem... I would come up with an idea for RM2, and then I would find a book that already had a variation of that idea in it....  

It was spooky sometimes....

 

Very spooky sometimes...

rmfr