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1001 Nights variant: character backgrounds

Game rules - homebrew

Checking on the Coriolis Discord, I read that the publishers are OK with players recreating tables, figures and data from the RPG source material where the only purpose is the facilitation of playing their game and I hereby promise this is my only intent with this article. Here I've taken the Year Zero Engine to modify the Coriolis rules for my own games - Doctor Weather
For information on my purposes and guiding principles behind these rules, please see my 1001 Nights variant summary and analysis: '1001 Nights' system variant.  

Origin

 
Empathy skills & specialisations bonusesCharacters gain +1 to +3 (GM discretion) bonuses to empathy skills and their specialisations when dealing with people of their own origin (Zenithian, First-come and potentially humanite)
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Upbringing

 
Empathy skills & specialisations bonusesCharacters gain +1 to +3 (GM discretion) bonuses to empathy skills and specialisations and to other circumstance-relevant skills when dealing with people of their own upbringing and when acting as their upbringing demands, for example Privileged can get attention of a crowd better and Plebeians can hide in crowds more easily
Cultural skill adjustmentsCharacters receive up to 3 dice adjustments where their upbringing would control their knowledge and education - for example, plebeians might gain a +1 bonus to storytelling but a -1 penalty when reciting poetry   These could vary by planet and culture though, and are left to the GM to agree specifics with their players
 
Defines starting 'social status'Privileged: 6
Stationary: 4
Plebeian: 2
  Notes:
  • Upbringing no longer controls starting attributes, skills and talents - this is now controlled by Age
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Social status

 
The good side of statusCharacters will be able to give orders to anyone of a lower social status and can expect them to be carried out under normal social circumstances
The bad sideCharacters with higher social status will be expected to use that power to benefit society: they will be the people that the crowd looks to for solutions to whatever problem is going on - if they can't live up to this then they lose status
Modifiers Character creation: bonuses and penalties from origins and concepts should be applied to social status instead of reputation, unless reputation seems more sensible and the GM agrees   Gameplay: in-game actions should be reflected in a character's social status; where someone constantly acts in an uncivilised manner they might lose a point of status; where someone gains the respect of their community through an quality or achievement they might gain a point
Starting birrThis is the same as in the Core Rules, and hopefully balances with the extra responsibility higher statuses have - I take responsibility as the GM to make this happen in my encounters: the higher up you are, the stronger the focus is on you to solve problems and the lower down, the easier it is for you to vanish in the crowd
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Reputation

 
A measure of fame or infamy This is a copy of Forbidden Lands' reputation stat   Can be fame or infamy: and might be treated differently depending on the cause:
  • A celebrity might be famous in higher social circles but infamous amongst fans of their shows, who treat them as their character and they always play the villain
  • Aladdin might be famous amongst the poor people he helps but infamous to the merchants he robs in order to do so
Begins at 0...Usually 0 but concept bonuses to social status might be better applied to reputation with the GM's agreement
Increases with playThe GM can reward a group - or 'reward' them - based on actions in game that have a noticed effect on a group of people
Reputation is circumstantialA character or group will have more than one reputation with different parts of the Horizon:
  • The star of the Plantation Owner's Daughter will have a high reputation with all systems that broadcast the show but perhaps none elsewhere
  • If this same star is also an explorer on Menkar then they would have a separate reputation just for Menkar, dependent on their exploits there
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Age

 
AGEDETAILS
ADULT
(~ 18 - 59 years)
Apply the base stats:
  • Attributes: 14 points
  • Skills: 16 (considering 18 for play-testing)
  • Talents: 1 (...not including Icon and Group)
YOUNG
(~13 to 17)
Trade up to 3 points of attributes for bonus talents chosen from the following list on a 1 for 1 basis:
  • Cute and charming: +2 to Empathy skills when dealing with adults
  • Small size: +2 to Agility skills when there not enough room for an adult to comfortably move
  • More advantages that come with being a child needed
...where you gain the attribute points back on the way to ~18 years old and lose the talents, again on a 1 for 1 basis each time
OLD
(~60 and older)
Use the base stats but then apply:
  • -1 to Power or Co-ordination
  • +1 to Wits or Empathy
  Gain 4 skill points for each of these negative 'talents' you're prepared to adopt:
  • -2 to a skill in a particular circumstance through a medical condition
  • More ideas needed to describe the problems of growing older...
  Notes:
  • Variations in a character's starting social status (reputation as was) are disconnected to this part of character-gen, as social status is now internally balanced
  • Starting birr is still a function of social status
  • Age ranges would likely vary with the society a character comes from
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Relationships

 
No longer in useBut to be honest, a GM could bring it back as a standalone module easily enough, as it only affects role-play and XP
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Main: 1001 Nights variant overview Related

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Cover image: islam by Quentin088

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