Am I doing this right?

[beachhead1985]

I am trying to figure out character creation in ATOW well enough that I could guide players through it. My immediate goal is to create this guy.

Basic character concept is that he is one of those individuals referenced  in TRO 3025; infantrymen who captured a battlemech. He isn't literally one of the 2 or three from the original fluff, but that is my idea. Essentially he is in a periphery infantry unit and captures a mech from a pirate force, house unit or from somewhere else and strikes out on his own as a merc.

Concept:   The Muscle; Infantryman with a captured mech                        
      Age: 27                     
XP Pool:   5000      600                  5600
                           
Affiliation:   Major Periphery State                        5500
      100 XP                     
      English 40XP                     
      Equipped -50xp                     
      800 XP 100x8 attributes                     
      Perception 10xp                     
                           
Stage 1                           
   BACK WOODS                        
   Module Cost: 290 XP                        5210
   Raised in the country (or in other remote parts of human                        
   space where amenities are few and far between), the back                        
   woods life leaves one hardy, but unrefi ned and uneducated.                        
   Prerequisites: Any affi liation; STR 4+, BOD 5+                        
   Fixed XPs: [Attributes] STR (+100 XP), BOD (+100 XP), RFL                        
   (+75 XP), INT (–25 XP), CHA (–50 XP); [Traits] Equipped (–50                        
   XP), Fit (+100 XP), Illiterate (–75 XP), Toughness (+75 XP),                        
   Wealth (–75 XP); [Skills] Language/Affi liation (–5 XP), Martial                        
   Arts (+10 XP), Melee Weapons (+10 XP), Navigation/Ground                        
   (+10 XP), Perception (+5 XP), Running (+10 XP), Survival/Any                        
   (+15 XP), Tracking/Wilds (+10 XP)                        
   Flexible XPs: +25 XP each to any two Attributes or Traits                        
                           
Stage 2                           
   BACK WOODS                        
   Module Cost: 500 XP                        4710
   Isolated from the conveniences of modern society, a                        
   back woods teenager lives a survivalist’s life, but tends to                        
   fi nd interacting with so-called normal society a far greater                        
   challenge than any danger on the fringes of human space.                        
   Prerequisites: None                        
   Fixed XPs: [Attributes] BOD (+60 XP), WIL (+70 XP), INT (–20                        
   XP); [Traits] Animal Empathy (+50 XP), Good Hearing (+40 XP),                        
   Introvert (–20 XP), Wealth (–20 XP); [Skills] Climbing (+30 XP),                        
   Medtech (+20 XP), Melee Weapons (+20 XP), Perception (+45                        
   XP), Protocol/Affi liation (–15 XP), Small Arms (+20 XP), Stealth                        
   (+40 XP), Survival/Forest (+25 XP), Tracking/Wilds (+30 XP)                        
   Flexible XPs: +125 XP                        
                           
Stage 3                           
   Military Enlistment (720 XP + Field Costs)                        3990
   Where military academies represent the upper crust of military                        
   training, military enlistment represents the much more common                        
   standard, employed by interstellar realms and individual worlds alike                        
   to train the majority of their ground troops. Focused on conventional                        
   forces, such as infantry and cavalry, these training centers—found on                        
   any world or in any realm that maintains a standing defense force—                        
   lack the sophisticated training programs that turn out MechWarriors                        
   and aerospace fi ghter pilots, but still produce quality support troops                        
   for any army.                        
   Prerequisites: None                        
   Automatic: [Attributes] STR (+125 XP), BOD (+125 XP), RFL (+100 XP),                        
   WIL (+100 XP), CHA (–100); [Traits] Equipped (+50 XP), Rank (+100 XP);                        
   [Skills] Swimming (+20 XP); [Flexible XP] (+200 XP)                        
   Fields                        
   Basic (+0.5 years): Basic Training, Basic Training (Naval)                        
   Advanced (+1.5 years): Cavalry, Infantry, Marine, Medical Assistant,                        
   Police Offi cer, Scout, Ship’s Crew, Technician/Military                        
   Special (+1 years): Police Tactical Offi cer, Infantry/Anti-’Mech, Special                        
   Forces, Technician/Aerospace, Technician/’Mech, Technician/Vehicle                        
                           
      Basic Training         120xp            
         Prereq:   Rank trait, INT 3, WIL 3               
         Career/Soldier                   
         Martial Arts                   
         MedTech                   
         Navigation/Ground                  
         Small Arms                  
                           
      Infantry       144xp               
      Requires: Basic Training Field                      
      Acrobatics/Free-Fall                     
      Artillery                      
      Climbing                      
      Comms/Conventional                      
      Support Weapons                      
      Tactics/Infantry                     3726
                           
Stage 4                           3026
   TOUR OF DUTY                        
   Module Cost: 700 XP (Periphery affi liations)                        
   Prerequisites: Must have at least one Military Skill Field.                        
   Time: +3 years                        
   Fixed XPs: [Traits] Connections (+25 XP), Choose Equipped                        
   or Vehicle (+100 XP); [Skills] Career/Soldier (+50 XP), Martial Arts                        
   (+40 XP), Navigation/Any (+40 XP), Protocol/Affi liation (+40 XP)                        
   Periphery Only: [Attributes] +50 XP to any one Attribute;                        
   [Traits] Enemy (–50 XP), Toughness (+50 XP); [Skills] Interest/Any                        
   (+20 XP), Leadership (+15 XP), Medtech (+30 XP), Negotiation                        
   (+25 XP), Perception (+15 XP), +150 total additional XP (+25 XP                        
   each assigned to a maximum of six Skills the character possesses                        
   from his Military Fields)                        
   Flexible XPs (All Tours of Duty): +100 XP            


So how am I looking so far? Is my math right? from here I should allocate my attributes, right?            

[Maelwys]

Well, I'd be careful of posting everything exactly from the book...

First off, your Affiliation. Which major Periphery State? I know the subAffiliations are technically optional, but the point cost of the Affiliation takes into account the subAffiliation's points, so you might as well use one (why they do it that way and then call them optional I have no clue).

Also, the 800 points to each Attribute and the 20 to LAnguage/English, Language/Any and Perception come from your pool, so you'll need to subtract that as well.

My suggestion is to do it step by step, like I did in the A True Daughter of Terra Thread. If you try to jam it all together its just going to get complicated.

Figure out all the points you get from your Affiliation and Universal points. Write them down.

Then figure what you get from the First Module. Add those to what you got from the Affiliation and Universal.

Then do the same for the second Module. Add what you get there to what you already have, creating a running total.

[beachhead1985]

Well, I'd be careful of posting everything exactly from the book...

First off, your Affiliation. Which major Periphery State? I know the subAffiliations are technically optional, but the point cost of the Affiliation takes into account the subAffiliation's points, so you might as well use one (why they do it that way and then call them optional I have no clue).

Also, the 800 points to each Attribute and the 20 to LAnguage/English, Language/Any and Perception come from your pool, so you'll need to subtract that as well.

My suggestion is to do it step by step, like I did in the A True Daughter of Terra Thread. If you try to jam it all together its just going to get complicated.

Figure out all the points you get from your Affiliation and Universal points. Write them down.

Then figure what you get from the First Module. Add those to what you got from the Affiliation and Universal.

Then do the same for the second Module. Add what you get there to what you already have, creating a running total.

Wait, I GET points from my affiliation? I thought I spent points on my affiliation? What are the universal points?

There has got to be an easier to understand way to do this.

[Maelwys]

I think you're making this harder than it has to be. Everything in the Life Module has a cost and a benefit.

You subtract the costs of the Affiliation, Universal Points and Life modules from your pool (5000 normally), then you add what the Affiliation, Universal Points and Life Modules give you to your character.

So when you start your character, you have 5000 in your pool, and your character has 0 experience everywhere.

Then you pick an Affiliation (in this case ,we're going to say "Major Periphery State" with a SubAffiliation of "Circinus Federation").

So you subtract 100 (the module cost) from your pool. Then to your CHARACTER, you add everything from the Major Periphery State: Circinus Federation Affiliation to your character.

So after this first step, your pool would be 4900, and your character would have

100 to Strength
75 to Body
-100 to Int
70 to Wil

-75 to Illiterate
-200 Reputation
300 Toughness
-125 Wealth
-50 Equipped

Three skills (Chosen from a selection) at 20 (for the argument, lets say Martial Arts, MedTech and Small Arms)

Universal points are the points that all characters have to purchase (100 to each attribute, 20 to Language/Affiliation, 20 to Language/Secondary (or English) and 10 to Perception. (You can find this on page 52, under "Universal Fixed Experience points).

So after you spent the points from your pool on your Affiliation, and added the XP from the Affiliation block to your character, you would subtract 850 points from your pool (8 attributes at 100 each, 50 points from the 3 skills) leaving your pool now at 4050, and then add to your character 100 points to each attributes, and 20 to English, 20 to another Language (or English) and 10 to Perception.

Your character now looks like this (a running total from the Affiliation and Universal Fixed Points)

Strength 200
Body 175
Dexterity 100
Reflexes 100
Intelligence 0
Willpower 170
Charisma 100
Edge 100

-75 to Illiterate
-200 Reputation
300 Toughness
-125 Wealth
-50 Equipped

Language/English 20
Language/Secondary 20 (or you could put these points to English instead, giving your character Language/English 40)
Perception 10
Martial Arts 20
Medtech 20
Small Arms 20

Next you would pick a Stage 1 Module. You would subtract the "Module Cost" from your pool, and then you'd apply all the fixed and flexible XPs to your character.

Any of this helping?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

What are the universal points?

Those are the mandatory 850 points you must spend to begin the process.  100 in each stat, 20 in language/english, 20 in language/another, and 10 in perception.  the main affiliations cost 150 points each, so by the time you're ready for stage 1 you've already spent around 1000 points.

[beachhead1985]

Any of this helping?

Yes, immensely!

I do not understand why everything is in XPs though, it is confusing. And why not just start me out with 4000 points, starting stats and affiliation for free? with a crappy affiliation giving me back some points and a great one costing extra?

The (-) attributes (?) those are the buyoff costs for later, right? Those are not extra points I get back in my XP pool?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The (-) attributes (?) those are the buyoff costs for later, right? Those are not extra points I get back in my XP pool?

If I understand the question, the answer is 'both'.

If you make a Draconis Combine character and get the Wealth -50xp trait in Stage 0.  It will cost 50 xp to buy it off it stays that way throughout the life paths.  If you do not buy it off, it will actually GIVE you 50 more xp when you hit the optimization process, as it must go to -100xp as that's the minimum negative level for the Wealth trait.

[Maelwys]

the main affiliations cost 150 points each, so by the time you're ready for stage 1 you've already spent around 1000 points.

Eh, only the House's affiliations cost 150. All the rest are different amounts. Easier to just go with specific examples instead of generalities.

Yes, immensely!

Good to hear.

I do not understand why everything is in XPs though, it is confusing. And why not just start me out with 4000 points, starting stats and affiliation for free? with a crappy affiliation giving me back some points and a great one costing extra?

Probably because its easier this way. Only the Great House's Affiliations are the only ones that are 150. Its better to do it the way they do because that way it works the same along every step of character generation. You start with a pool. Then you subtract from that pool the cost of the Affiliation, and add the Affiliation's bonuses to your Character. Then you do the same for the Universal Points, and the same for all the Life Modules. Its all the same process.

Why its all XP is because that's the way it was designed. Everything is just XP.

The (-) attributes (?) those are the buyoff costs for later, right? Those are not extra points I get back in my XP pool?

Right, the only time you get XP back is when you purchase fields. Those negatives are just XP modifiers that impact the final value of the stat.

[Jimmyray73]

This stuff reads like stereo instructions

[Maelwys]

Nah, its not really that bad, though the post-Life Module stuff can be a little confusing.

[William J. Pennington]

Here's how I build a character.

read through the Life paths for guidance or inspiration on a certain location or career. (optonal)

Then--simply write down all of the attributes you want, and cost

Write down all the skills you think you should have, and the level you think they should be at.  Buy the right skill groupings for an academy/school if you've decided that is your background.

Take the positive traits you want Take the negative traits you think are approprite

Total up the points.  if you are under..then go back and add stuff.  If you are over, trim it.

Really, its far quicker and than actually bothering to write down everything from the paths. 

[Maelwys]

So you basically do the points buy version of character generation. Its not a bad way of doing it and definitely lets you tailor the character to what you want.

I like the additional little oddities that crop up from the Life modules system. Things I wouldn't have thought of, or wouldn't have taken if it weren't for the modules (like the WoBM MW I'm making...I never would've put some of the skills as high as I did without the Life Modules prompting it).

[William J. Pennington]

So you basically do the points buy version of character generation. Its not a bad way of doing it and definitely lets you tailor the character to what you want.

I like the additional little oddities that crop up from the Life modules system. Things I wouldn't have thought of, or wouldn't have taken if it weren't for the modules (like the WoBM MW I'm making...I never would've put some of the skills as high as I did without the Life Modules prompting it).

I do reccomend reading through them, but I've always help skill levels as to be a GM and player decision.  As a GM, I usually tell the players what skill and target number caps are going to be.  Point buy is simply more intuitive and far faster than doing the paperwork chore.