One of the strengths and weakness of the TFT system is the compactness of the attributes. The number of attributes is kept to a minimum by using the attributes often and this works well enough except in three situations.
The way TFT gets so much distance from its three attributes is that each attribute represents several separate but related aspects of the character. For example: ST has two primary uses in TFT, general strength and endurance. It is easy to argue that these aspects of a person are related, but are they absolutely connected?
DX's sub categories are accuracy and speed.
IQ is divided into memory and general intelligence.
With these optional rules it is possible to spend experience in order to improve these sub-categories of your attributes, while still retaining the basic relationships in a simple manner. The most difficult to improve aspect of each attribute is retained as the attribute while the other aspects of the attribute can be cheaply improved, turning the character into something of a specialist.
These improved sub-attributes will be shown by adding superscripts to the right of the attribute on the character sheet. Here after these sub-attributes will be called superscripts. A superscript is a MODIFIER to the basic attribute, which is used, in special circumstances.
The basic strength of these rules, is that one game mechanic improves all three of the above problems.
© 1997 - 2003 by Richard Smith
Superscripts are modifiers to attributes that help characters in special circumstances. They are purchased with experience points.
A superscript costs one half of an attribute ( round up ).
When totaling up attributes to see how much EP is needed to gain the next attribute each point of a superscript counts as half of an attribute. Thus, if your character has 34 att and +3 to memory you would need 125 EP to go up an attribute. If you had 34 att and +4 to memory you would need 250 EP to go up an attribute.
In campaigns that are larger than life, (cinematic in GURPS terms), I suggest that superscripts cost one third of an attribute.
The super scripts of the three attributes will now be defined.
| ST: |
The most difficult aspect of strength to improve is your power / hit points so this will be the basic attribute. If you wish to improve your endurance add a super script to the right of your ST. This attribute is used when ever you must take fatigue ST damage. If you must lose 5 fatigue and you have a +3 to fatigue you spend the fatigue from the pluses first, so you are only 2 closer to falling unconscious. Any further fatigue is treated in the usual fashion. Fatigue superscripts may be used to power magic items, help characters in exhausting runs or fights, and increase the duration that you can hold your breath. Wizards obviously, may power spells with fatigue superscripts. |
| DX: |
The hardest aspect of DX to increase is accuracy so your general accuracy costs the full amount. By adding a super script to the right of your DX you improve your speed. This is used when the DX order is being determined for options each combat turn. Thus if you had a12 adjDX with a +6 to speed, and your enemy has just a 17 DX, you would attack first (tho you would still need a 12 or less to hit).
In addition, anything that allows the character to do more than one thing in a turn, will be based on speed. So to fire
an arrow twice per turn will use speed. Talents that allow you to do extra stuff in a turn will require minimum speeds
as a prerequisite.Example:Snap Rise which allows you to stand up and attack in one turn has a minimum speed of 13. (That is your
adjDX + speed superscript must be 13 or more.)
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| IQ: |
Innate intelligence (which helps on IQ rolls to notice things, figure stuff out, and learn complicated spells and
talents is retained as the basic attribute. Memory is far easier to improve than general intelligence so it gains a super script which is placed to the right of IQ. The major use of this is for remembering additional spells or talents. Example:A +3 memory gives you 3 extra points that you can buy abilities (spells and talents) with.
This makes it possible to learn skills more easily than a whole sale improvement of general intelligence.
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It is possible for characters or races to gain negatives to their superscripts but normally player characters will have positive superscript modifiers.
They can be used to give further variety to monsters. For example Mummies move slowly, which allows PC's to attack before them. But when a mummy actually attacks or casts a spell, its accuracy is fair. Such a creature would have (say) a DX 12 with -6 speed superscript.
Goblins usually have a pretty tough time of it, so my goblin PC's start out with 3 memory superscripts.
Using these rules, MOST wizards will buy a few points of memory and fatigue. However if you want to make a wizard who is quite strong (perhaps he wants to use his Dad's great sword) then you may, and this strong wizard will behave differently from other wizards. For a modest increase in complexity, the number of possible characters grows fairly significantly.
| Kohemm the Wizard: | Att: 34 + 7 s.s. | |
| Human martial wizard | ||
| Stats: | ||
| ST 10 +5 (fatigue) | Abilities: | |
| DX 13 | Literacy* [1] | |
| IQ 11 +2 (memory) | Quarter staff (2) | |
| Climbing (2) | ||
| MA 10 | ||
| Staff Spell (1) 5 fST | ||
| Weapons: | Image (1) 1 fST | |
| Light Quarterstaff (1d) +1 die for staff spell. | Illusion (1) 2 fST | |
| Bronze Dagger 1d-1 (1d+2) | Sum. Wolf (1) 2+1fST | |
| Sum. Myrmidon(1) 2+1fST | ||
| 1 hex Shadow (1) 1 fST | ||
| Blur (1) 1+1 fST | ||
| Avert (1) 2+1 fST | ||
| Total Memory: 13 | ||
| (Note that Kohemm has the fatigue ST to pay for his expensive spells that require maintanence for several turns.) | ||