Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Oduda 11-14-05, 08:42 AM	Disclaimer: This is in no way an "official" system or anything... it's just a neat idea I've been knocking around for a while. :P Came up that I started wondering what would happen if two PC's got together and made a baby. Obviously, the parents' scores are going to have some effect on the child's scores. However there is an element of randomness to it. So I set out to devise a system based on the good old 4d6 drop low that would allow for parents' ability scores to have influence but not dictate children's ability scores. Also, though the likelihood of higher or lower scores should increase or decrease, the possible range should be the usual 3-18. Rule #1: The Parents' Influencing Scores The parents' scores, for the sake of genetic rolling, should be the originally rolled scores with racial modifiers. Any other modifiers, such as points from gaining levels or feat adjustments, are acquired characteristics and are not inherited. (Refuting Lammarck's hypothesis, here.) Otherwise, obviously, each generation would keep getting more and more overpowered. Rule #2: The Process Step 1: In the order in which they are listed on the character sheet, list both parents' influencing scores, with modifiers, side by side, like so (I realize these scores are ridiculous. I designed them to demonstrate; they're just an example): Str - 8 -1 Str - 6 -2 Dex - 16 +3 Dex - 12 +1 Con - 12 +1 Con - 11 +0 Int - 14 +2 Int - 18 +4 Wis - 14 +2 Wis - 9 -1 Cha - 4 -3 Cha - 4 -3 Step 2: Next, add together the modifiers for each pair of scores, retaining which is which. Str - -1 - 2 = -3 Dex - 3 + 1 = +4 Con - 1 + 0 = +1 Int - 2 + 4 = +6 Wis - 2 - 1 = +1 Cha - -3 - 3 = -6 Step 3: a) For every 3 the modifiers are above one, add one roll of a d6 to drop. b) For the first 3 the modifiers are below one, drop to a simple 3d6. c) For every subsequent 3 the modifiers are below after -3, add 1d6 and drop the highest roll instead of the lowest. Str - -1 - 2 = -3 --> 3d6 Dex - 3 + 1 = +4 --> 5d6 drop 2 low Con - 1 + 0 = +1 --> 4d6 drop 1 low Int - 2 + 4 = +6 --> 6d6 drop 3 low Wis - 2 - 1 = +1 --> 4d6 drop 1 low Cha - -3 - 3 = -6 --> 4d6 drop 1 high Results Str - 5 + 3 + 6 = 14 Dex - 1 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 = 12 Con - 6 + 1 + 2 + 5 = 13 Int - 3 + 6 + 1 + 5 + 4 + 1 = 15 Wis - 5 + 2 + 3 + 5 = 13 Cha - 1 + 6 + 2 + 5 = 8 Congratulations! You just spawned a PC! Further advice: I would not recommend adding in any racial modifiers. One, with second generations this can get messy (what are the modifiers for a 1/4 elf?) and two, those modifiers are already figured in to the parents' scores; further modification is redundant. Also, have fun with it! Who says you have to stop at scores? Roll odds/evens for gender, d% to see if they conceive twins... the possibilities are endless!
Fithero 11-14-05, 09:12 AM	Thats a pretty damn good idea, i like it alot. Good work Oduda! :P Perhaps some sort of "alignment influence" should be created? :P Later
Blakeman101 11-14-05, 07:01 PM	I like the idea but the not adding racial mods seems weird because if you had a human/elf pairing or a human/orc pairing it would be a different race. A Human/Elf pairing would not lead to a dextrous human who was frail or a clumsy elf who was hardy it would make a half-elf.
Oduda 11-15-05, 01:35 AM	I like the idea but the not adding racial mods seems weird because if you had a human/elf pairing or a human/orc pairing it would be a different race. A Human/Elf pairing would not lead to a dextrous human who was frail or a clumsy elf who was hardy it would make a half-elf. A simple solution if this is your preference: 1) Remove the racial modifiers from the parents' influencing scores, if you feel this would make the results redundant. 2) Since race is no longer figured in to the original mix, go ahead and add in racial modifiers to the final set of the child's scores. This seems a much more direct way of handling the "race" issue.
Oduda 11-15-05, 01:50 AM	Perhaps some sort of "alignment influence" should be created? :P I had my thoughts on alignment. As a kind of experiment, a friend and I crossed his 1/2 orc barbarian with my halfling rogue (ye gods I feel sorry for that halfling, at both the birth and the conception...) just to see what we came up with. Both parents obviously were chaotic by nature. Yet the resulting scores were perfect for a monk.... Which raises an interesting question. No doubt many elements of one's personality are indeed hereditary, and I suspect tendencies towards certain alignments are no exception. However, that's not all that influences alignment. Also, some children are bound to rebel against what their parents taught them. It's a tricky matter, that. :confused: Please, if you have good ideas or suggestions, or even ways of your own to expand on this system, do share. :thinks: I'd love to find a way to figure alignment and its influence into the mix, but I'm not sure how I would do that.
Arwarman 11-15-05, 10:16 AM	What about if say... a Halfling/Gnome?... Half Orc/Half Elf (dirty...yes)
Oduda 11-16-05, 04:31 AM	Half Orc/Half Elf (dirty...yes) I like the way you think... :D I'd feel sorry for that kid. You'd think 1/2 orcs and 1/2 elves are outcasts enough, can you imagine a mix of orc and elf blood....