PDA

View Full Version : Character Creation Variant: Nationality and Class Skills



Scalenex
2007-01-03, 10:12 PM
In the D&D game I'm running, I made nations count more. I abolished Common and gave all human nations their own language but I made Speak Language a class skill for all classes. You can say whatever you like about abolishing common being good or bad. Whole regions share languages so only very large nations have their own language. I did add a bonus to go along with the relative penalty of eliminating Common.

Each nation has a skill they are renown for. If the skill is cross-class for a character. That skill becomes a class skill for any character from that nation. If they already possess the skill as a class skill they gain a +2 bonus when using it. A member of any race can in theory be a member of any nation, even the Elven Empire has a strong minority of humans and half-elves. Also, the skill bonus reflects growing up in a place, not being a citizen of it. Losing or gaining citizenship does not effect your national skill. Here are some examples:

Elven Empire: My worlds elves are mostly Grey Elves (the stuck up, sagely, city builders), they gain the knowledge of their choice as a their national skill, usually Arcana.

Brettonia: Stolen from Warhammer for those familar with that game, they are renown for their cavalry. Their land breeds the best horses and the best horsemen, Ride is their national skill.

Ophidia: Their nation is ruled by a machiavellian vampire. Intrigue is rife on all levels of this Lawful Evil dominated nation, so people are very distrustful of others and tightlipped. Gather information is their national skill.

Etrurian Tiny Kingdoms: These city states share a common culture but are frequently at war and making and breaking deals with each other. Diplomacy is their national skill.

Amstrea: This tiny coastal nation is sandwiched between the world's super powers (the first three) and is the neutral hub where most trade between these nations take place. Amstreans recieve an extra bonus language.

Avalnia: Over years, a number of sorcerers claiming descent from dragons have intermarried enough to keep their bloodlines strong with enough sorcerers born to them that they are able to maintain a nobility backed by birthright and mystical power. This Etrurian city state gets Spellcraft as their national skill instead of Diplomacy. Even the common people have to be somewhat aware of arcane magic here.

Kamarak and the Dwarven Kingdoms: Kamarak is a nation on the edge of the frontier where humans and dwarves live together fairly harmoniously. Thus the humans have been influenced enough by the dwarves to get the national skill that the scattered dwarven city states get, their choice of either Knowledge (dungeoneering), or Craft (metal or stone)

The frontier: No nations exist in the frontier but there are many scattered settlements which have to be self sufficient so most people work two jobs. Even those who go on to be adventurers don't lose this self reliance, they can choose any Craft or Profession as their national skill.

Uncivilized: This includes wood elves, and barbarians, and most monstrous humanoids, they get Survival.

I have more but you probably don't need my whole world. I created my own pantheon and my own dragon species which you can see in my old post here.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30196

What do you think of national skills? Viable? Too powerful? Too weak?

Dhavaer
2007-01-03, 10:15 PM
Maybe you could make them like occupational skills, a class skill or a +1 bonus if it's already a class skill.

icke
2007-01-04, 11:40 AM
Also You have to be careful which skills You assign as national skills, spellcraft or survival for example are more powerfull in most games than any proffession.

Also, keep Speak Language a cross-class skill. Learning a language is difficult enough to deserve the expense of at least two skill points. Also, the ability to learn languages quicker than others is a speciality of the bard class, don't take it away from them...

Rainspattered
2007-01-04, 01:19 PM
Ophidia? Yuan-Ti don't come from there by any chance, do they? Or, are we just operating on Snakes=Deceit symbolism?

Anyway, I don't think this is really too powerful, or there's any problem with it. To icke, I'd like to point out Gnomes versus Half-Orcs, in terms of player races. Nationality imbalance will be totally insignificant compared to how broken the races already are.

Scalenex
2007-01-04, 10:59 PM
Ophidia? Yuan-Ti don't come from there by any chance, do they? Or, are we just operating on Snakes=Deceit symbolism?



I wanted to create at least one evil diety that was worshipped publicly. So I made it a Lawful Evil Diety based on Set, as protrayed in Conan the Barbarian and Vampire: the Masquerade. There is a strong division between teh martial and mystic lore sects of the Setite priesthood. Set worship is the official religion of Ophidia. Isis (who I made Chaotic Good for these purposes) is the main religion of the Ophidian underground movement. So yes, I am aware of the snake symoblism in the name.

Bobbis
2007-01-04, 11:22 PM
I use a similar system in my game. There are nine different locations to hail from, and they each recieve a +1 competence bonus to three skills as well as an additional benefit. (Additional benefits range from free proficency with one simple or martial weapon, to know direction at will as a full round action, to 5% off the listed price of any good.)

icke
2007-01-05, 06:56 AM
To icke, I'd like to point out Gnomes versus Half-Orcs, in terms of player races. Nationality imbalance will be totally insignificant compared to how broken the races already are.

Does that mean one should break it even more?

Scalenex
2007-01-05, 11:50 PM
Does that mean one should break it even more?

Smart Ass Answer: Two wrongs always make a right.

Real Answer: I think he means that an imbalance in national skills could cause the adjustment to balance a race problem and if it unbalanced a race in further it would be insignificant.

mikeejimbo
2007-01-06, 03:32 PM
I think if your PCs are fine with it, it's a great idea to rid of Common. I think it makes for a more realistic portrayal of a non-modern society. The skill bonuses are just happy...well, bonuses.

Matthew
2007-01-09, 04:18 PM
Yeah, I ditch Common in my Home Brewed Campaign. I wouldn't make Learning Languages a Class Skill, though. Perhaps a good option would be to grant Bonus Feats in addition to Bonus Languages. If you come from X you get Y. Skill Focuses or things like Stealth are a good option. So, for instance, a Character from Amstrea would have the Bonus Feat Skill Focus (Diplomacy). Just a thought.

icke
2007-01-10, 07:48 AM
You might want to look at the character creation process of the Wheel of Time RPG, they pretty much have the same problem(nationality instead of races) and grant... uh, can't remember the details, skill bonuses, extra feats, stuff like that. Look it up, it might help You.

Scalenex
2007-01-10, 12:44 PM
Everyone in my group save the guy who played an Elf and dwarf played someone from the same nation which gave them Ride. Handy because they said they wanted a game with a fair amount of travel.