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Re: (TFT) Starting character point levels.



Sorry but I totally disagree. Scott said it was a one shot game. Some of the absolutely very best times I have had playing Melee has been using high point teams in combat with other high point teams. Very powerful characters wielding great swords one handed vs. wizards summoning 4 hex dragons in a free for all arena combat is a great way to spend an evening. Starting with low point, beginning characters are great if you are playing a role playing style campaign game, but I always thought many people were missing a great way to play this game by only playing that way. (As a side note I've also run Melee this way at many conventions tournament style with great success.)

This system gives you a lot of strategy planning your team. Do you spread your bonus points evenly across all of your characters or do you pump all of your points into one super hero and leave all of you other characters as cannon fodder? And when you play with wizards it even gets better with squads of summoned gargoyles fighting bears and 4 hex dragons. You can also do creative things with the arena such as a king of the hill scenario or have many obstacles to move around in and hide, always good for the archers.

Here's how my group picks characters for a one nighter:

Procedure: Pick 5 characters from below. (Example: 3 Men and 2 Dwarves.) Note that all races either have special abilities and/or limitations. Lightly write down their starting scores for STR, DEX, and IQ. Also write down their MA.

Add to each character the Individual Extra Points for that character. Add these points however you wish to STR, DEX, and IQ, but not MA. You can not transfer these points to your other characters. (Example: When finished with this step the total of STR + DEX + IQ for each human character on your team would now total 32 points.)

Add up the listed Total Beginning Character Points for all 5 characters and subtract from 200 to calculate your Bonus Points. These extra bonus points can be distributed between STR, DEX, and IQ and added to any or all of your characters in any way you wish. No attribute can exceed 30 (except a Giants and a Trolls STR) and you can not add to MA. (For a longer game start play with 8 characters each and subtract your Total Beginning Character Points from 320 to get your Bonus Points.)

Choose two weapons (a shield counts as a weapon) for each character. Everyone starts with a dagger. (See the statistics concerning Giants and Trolls for their weapon restrictions.) Choose armor for each character (if the race gets armor), and adjust DEXband MA according to your armor choice. No one can take Fine Plate. (Exception: see humans special ability.)

Concerning Wizards: Metal impedes the use of magic. Wizards are at a -4 DEX to cast spells if they are wearing or carrying anything made of metal (armor and weapons included). A wizard must constantly study the art of magic and does not have the time to train in the use of weapons, therefore all wizards are at a -4 DEX to use any weapon other than his staff.

Men			Total Beginning Character Points: 32
STR: 8   DEX: 8   IQ: 8   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 8  	
In mass combats only men can wear fine plate, limit one suit of fine plate for every 5 men in your team.

Elves		Total Beginning Character Points: 32
STR: 6   DEX: 10   IQ: 8   MA: 12   Individual Extra Points: 8   	
In mass combats can not be teamed with orcs, goblins, hobgoblins or trolls.

Dwarves		Total Beginning Character Points: 32
STR: 10   DEX: 6   IQ: 8   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 8   	
Dwarves get an extra +1 damage when they hit with an axe, hammer, or mace. In mass combats, a dwarf faced with a decision about whom to fight will always choose orcs and/or goblins over any other races. In mass combats can not be teamed with orcs, goblins, hobgoblins or trolls.

Hobbits		Total Beginning Character Points: 30
STR: 4   DEX: 12   IQ: 8   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 6   	
Hobbits get an extra +3 DEXbadjustment for missiles, missile spells, and thrown weapons and do an extra +1 damage when they hit with them. Larger opponents (men, orcs, dwarves, etc.) are at a -2 DEX to hit a hobbit due to their small size.

Orcs			Total Beginning Character Points: 32
STR: 8   DEX: 8   IQ: 8   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 8   	
Armor: Skin stops 1. In mass combats can not be teamed with elves or dwarves.

Goblins		Total Beginning Character Points: 30
STR: 6   DEX: 10   IQ: 8   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 6   	
Armor: Skin stops 1. In mass combats can not be teamed with elves or dwarves.

Hobgoblins	Total Beginning Character Points: 30
STR: 10   DEX: 6   IQ: 6   MA: 10   Individual Extra Points: 8   	
Armor: Skin stops 1. Big, slow, extremely stupid goblins. In mass combats can not be teamed with elves or dwarves.

Giants: 3-Hex	Total Beginning Character Points: 41
STR: 25 DEX: 9 IQ: 7 MA: 10 Individual Extra Points: 0 (No maximum STR) (DEX/IQ 10 maximum) In mass combats you can only have one giant on your team. Giants only use clubs and shields and they never wear armor. Their DEXband/or IQ can not be raised above a 10 but their STRbhas no maximum. They do not start with a dagger.

Troll: 3-Hex	Total Beginning Character Points: 41
STR: 23 DEX: 10 IQ: 8 MA: 10 Individual Extra Points: 0 (No maximum STR) In mass combats you can only have one troll on your team. Can not be teamed with elves or dwarves. Trolls do not use weapons or armor (no dagger to start with), instead they fight with their claws, use Club 1H damage based on STR for damage. A troll heals 1 point of damage at the end of every turn that it still has STR left with the exception of fire, fireball or lightning damage.

You can download a pdf file of the above page at my web site:

http://www.diagramsolutions.com/TFTDownloads.html

Hope this helps,
David


On Dec 21, 2005, at 10:46 PM, pvk@oz.net wrote:

I too agree with previous replies.

For an ongoing game, it's most satisfying to start pretty low, like at 32.
Starting out with powerful characters tends to leave players not really
knowing how their characters got experience, which often doesn't work as
well unless they are experienced players.

For a one-off combat session, though, you might want to give them a few
more points. 35 sounds reasonable. Alternatively, plan ahead for the
eventual player deaths, and what characters they can take over after that.
I had a lot of fun playing just Melee when I first got into TFT, just
seeing who could stay alive in an arena career, starting everyone at 32
and going on with mainly duels. Very few survived to gain much experience.

Also remember, unless I'm mistaken, that humans are supposed to average
30, meaning that's a common value, and many are lower. Some gladiators may
also be injured before a fight, and allies may be available - strength
lies in numbers.

PvK


On Wed, December 21, 2005 7:23 pm, John J Hyland wrote:
I agree.  That is what hobgoblins are for.

If you really want them to fight 32 point characters, and not die 50% of the time, you'll need to start them a few points higher. 35 pts should
probably do the job at that level they can utilize better equipment to
stop an extra point and do an extra point and still hit more often than a
32 pointer.

But gladiatorial combat is ALWAYS dangerous in TFT, which is one of the
reasons I like it so much.

John


-- Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca> wrote:
I would start them off with 32 points.
Just make sure to toss Hobgoblins and
other reasonably easy fights at them.

That way when they reach 40 attributes
they will appreciate it!

Rick

On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 18:08, Scott Haley wrote:
I may write a TFT adventure for my friends.  I'm thinking of a one-
shot thing in which they'd play a group of gladiators.  I wonder if
it would be a good idea to start them with more points than the
standard rules for new characters.  My concern is that their
characters won't last long in the arena.  What do the experienced TFT
game masters out there think?

--Scott
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