From: leet@acsu.buffalo.edu (Brian D. Leet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: Re: net.rpg: Character Stats (LONG)
Date: 17 Nov 92 23:13:55 GMT
Organization: UB

Well there is some basic interest I guess so here is an excerpt from a 
system I've been toying with:
(I'll try to justify each area and then give an example or two so hit n when 
you've read enough :-) )
Stats:
  Physical:
    Strength:
      Power, Build, Speed
    Toughness:
      Endurance, Resistance, Pain-threshold
    Dexterity:
      Accuracy, Agility, Flexibility
  Cognitive:
    Reasoning:
      Logic, Comprehension, Faith
    Wisdom:
      Intuition, Charisma, Perception
    Knowledge:
      Memory, Experience, Studiousness
  Energy:
    Magic:
      Invocation, Alteration, Channeling
    Psychic:
      Equilibrium, Synchronicity, Essence
    Innate:
      Control, Force, Focus
No scores may be < 0.  Scores will fluctuate through life.
No score may be greater than 1 1/2 * a subscore +1.  Nor may
a subscore be more than 1 1/2 times +1 over a score.  Always
round down on the 1/2.

I see this system as being used in one of three primary ways:
1>  Take the whole thing.  For you number-crunching power gamers,
    hers your chance to define 39 stats for your characters.  Probably 
    a lot more than most of us want to deal with though.
2>  Take a particular level.  For those who like minimalism and freedom
    to create their characters personality you just use the three at the
    top level.  For more detail choose one of the other levels.
3>  Define those required for your campaign/genre leaving room open for the
    others later.  Maybe use all the most detailed physical stats but leave 
    the other two as just cognitive and energy.  Start manipulating subdiv-
    isions of those stats if required later in the campaign.

Advantages to the overall system as I see them:
  You are only using what parts of the system you are interested in such as a
certain level but it does give you a basis of comparison with other campaigns
using the same tree structure.
  Provides some standard stat description while still covering most genres 
fairly completely.
  Describes stats in an entirely quantified form (ie they are all integers).

I make a couple of assumptions in this system.  The first is that whatever 
mechanics are used they can all build from a single stat system.  The second
is that various parts of the game would be designed as seperate "modules"
such as a melee combat module, super power module, etc.  Each defining their
own skills nad special rules.  The final assumption is that rules are made
to be broken :-).  Special campaigns may add new stats etc. and maybe someone
will have a score that isn't so close to the one higher on the tree from it,
but these are exceptions not the rule.

Ok for a general explanation of the stats system:
  I chose the top three to describe the three most basic types of human inter-
action.  I happen to also think that in general some combination of these 
stats is used in detail to describe a genre.
  The sub-catagories under Physical are very straightforward.  (Note that I 
use build to represent sheer bulk.  Perhaps bulk would be a better term.  
Humans have a higher build than halflings.)
  Cognitive describes all conscious mental processes.  Logic is ability to 
construct logical thought sequences (mechanical aspects of that), Comprehension
is ability to understand the concepts, and faith is the ability to take and
operate on some information effectively without seeing it proven.  I put faith
under reasoning because I feel it is much more an aspect of how you reason 
than anything else.  Intuition is your ability to gain a feel for a situation, 
while perception is the ability to notice details.  Charisma is your persuasive
ability and is grouped in this area because sucha great part of persuasion is
based on reading your audiences reactions.  Memory is the quality of your
memory, (ie how accurate it is etc.) while experience is just a measure of 
your lifes experiences (in general) experience is a stat that for the average
peasent would increase generally linearly over their lifetime.
  Energy is the final arbitrary category that handles that para-normal and
supernatural aspect of so many role-playing games.  The three subcategories
deal with what I felt to be the three most commonly utilized types of super-
natural phenomenon.  Magic is just that, your standard D&D type magic and shows
the characters mastery of the various common forces of such.  Psychic deals
with more "spiritual" elements.  Equilibrium would be characters self-balance
synchronicity would be how "in tune" they are with the world around them and
essence deals with the strength and purity of their "self" (for lack of a 
better term).  These could be used to help describe many Oriental disciplines
for example.  Finally innate is set up to deal with your super-power or
special ability type characters.  Control is how much control they have over
innate abilities, force is how strong those abilities are (unless otherwise
defined), and focus is how well they can focus "pin point" the use of their
abilities.

As I have written this I cam up with a good example of why I htink this system
works well overall.  A group of players has a campaign based on net.rpg and
is playing a fast-paced nail-biting campaign about a group of biblical 
scholars in a modern university.  So they decide to use one physical stat and
one essence stat but the nine lowest level cognitive stats.  After a 
particularly interesting and intense evening of research into the experience
of christians in the Roman gladiatorial combats (and a bit too much to drink)
they decide to try it out themselves.  No problem!  Just pick up the bit on
melee combat and maybe the section on gladiatorial combat.  They can either
just use physical for all the related skill roles or they can now expand 
their character sheets a bit and list more of the physical stats.  They are
all equal to physical for now, but who knows, maybe they'll make a habit of 
this.  (When superman comes to visit they'll be similairly non-phased.)

For those of you who read all this, thanks :-).  I'm interested in hearing 
responses/criticisms, esp. of how I set up Energy.  
							Brian
Newsgroups: rec.games.design