BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat

BattleTech Game Systems => A Time of War => Topic started by: ChaoticTabris on 25 July 2018, 02:06:44

Title: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: ChaoticTabris on 25 July 2018, 02:06:44
I'm reading my way through character creation and i'm curious about one thing. Can a character use flexible XP, left-over points from optimization or additional xp from picking extra negative traits to buy-off a negative trait?

Example: Say my character has the Capellan Confederation Affiliation from the core ATOW book, that means he gets Compulsion/Paranoia from the Afilliation. This trait does not have an opposite trait. Can I use XP later on the Character Creation process to remove the Compulsion or does that mean that every Capellan character is paranoid?
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: guardiandashi on 25 July 2018, 10:18:19
yes you can buy off negative traits if you choose to.

the big difference between life modules and point buy, is that via life modules you can endup with more than the 10% of negative traits if you want.

I will also say that it mentions in the architypes section that you can also tweek some of the traits if you don't like the default ones by substituting an equivalent point trait.

so lets say for the sake of argument that you replace paranoid with an equivalent point cost enemy, or addiction because you feel like its a better fit for your character concept. note this would have to have the gm approve it, but it should be fairly easy as long as the value is the same.
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: monbvol on 25 July 2018, 10:55:37
The 10% cap for point buy has been errataed out.

But yes you can buy off negative traits with xp.
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: BiggRigg42 on 25 July 2018, 17:41:37
The 10% cap for point buy has been errataed out.

But yes you can buy off negative traits with xp.

Really? I have the corrected second printing, and the 10% cap is still there for point-buy. This must be some recent errata. How many printings of AToW have there been?
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: monbvol on 25 July 2018, 19:44:51
Yup, Paul ditched that June 2017.

Dev (kinda ) errata.

P. 88

"The maximum number of XPs that can be gained using this
method is equal to 10 percent of the XPs originally allotted to the
character’s design, regardless of whether the player is using the
points-only or Life Modules method."

CHANGE TO:

"The maximum number of XPs that can be gained using this
method is equal to 10 percent of the XPs originally allotted to the
character’s design, though this limitation only applies to the Life Modules method."

Paul

And:

And also:

p. 89:

DELETE this sentence:

"The
same 10 percent of the character’s starting XP Pool applies to
gaining XPs in this fashion."

Paul
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: Daryk on 25 July 2018, 20:37:44
Ah, missed that (having just spent the last hour looking up the errata and comparing my hard copy and 2017 second printing while you were posting this).

EDIT: And perma-banning point buy in any game I run on this basis.
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: BiggRigg42 on 25 July 2018, 20:39:31
Oh, cool! Now I can use AToW to make a GURPS character!!!
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: Paul on 25 July 2018, 21:40:15
EDIT: And perma-banning point buy in any game I run on this basis.

You do realize you can put whatever limits you want on the players, right?

Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: monbvol on 25 July 2018, 21:54:12
I also find if a GM is doing their job right even a little beyond 10% does start getting uncomfortable for that character.
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: Daryk on 26 July 2018, 03:12:47
You do realize you can put whatever limits you want on the players, right?
Yep, and that's one of them.

EDIT: Just fixed a bad tag...
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: BiggRigg42 on 26 July 2018, 16:19:37
You do realize you can put whatever limits you want on the players, right?


I'm just going to print this off and tape it to the back of my GM screen: LMAO JK.
Title: Re: Can you "buy-off" a negative trait with left over points from life modules?
Post by: Paul on 26 July 2018, 20:44:29

I'm just going to print this off and tape it to the back of my GM screen: LMAO JK.

It can be needed when you have a player who tries to shackle a GM with the rules. The system should make RP easier and more fun. If it doesn't, it's an obstacle, not a constitution.