Saturday, August 17, 2013

Races for ACKS, part 1: The classics

I don't necessarily dislike race as class, and for sure ACKS has one of the best implementations of it. But you know, sometimes it isn't what I want. It's nothing wrong with me, and it's nothing wrong with ACKS, it's just good to have alternatives. So here's an alternative that I hope you'll find to your tastes. I'm not going to impose any class or level limitations on you because as far as I'm concerned, it's just not my place. Each race, in addition to their other benefits, has a list of proficiencies that they may treat as general or class proficiencies, whichever would be more beneficial at the moment.

Dwarves: Dwarves gain the effects (and extra XP cost) of having a Dwarf value of 0 added to their class. Due to their short stature, dwarves may never use two-handed swords or longbows, regardless of their Fighting Value.
Dwarven Proficiencies: Armor Training*, Caving, Craft, Dungeon Bashing, Dwarven Brewing, Engineering, Goblin-Slaying, Illusion Resistance


Elves: Elves gain the effects (and extra XP cost) of having an Elf value of 0 added to their class.
Elvish Proficiencies: Alertness, Beast Friendship, Familiar, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Swashbuckling, Wakefulness, Weapon Finesse

Halflings: Due to their short stature, halflings may never use two-handed swords or longbows, regardless of their Fighting Value. Few halflings are experienced in adventuring, so even player character halflings begin without the Adventuring proficiency and must purchase it at the cost of a single proficiency.

A halfling value of 0 adds an XP cost of 150

At Halfling 0, all halflings gain the following powers:
  • Like dwarves, halflings are Hardy people and reduce the target values for saves vs. blast/breath by 3 and the target values of all other saves by 4. 
  • Halflings are also strong-hearted and reduce the target values for saves against any sort of charm, fear, or mind-control effect by an additional 2 points.
  • Halflings have Keen eyes and gain a +1 bonus to attack throws when using thrown or missile weapons.
  • Outdoors, Halflings are tricky to spot, having the ability to seemingly disappear into woods and underbrush with a proficiency throw of 10+ on 1d20. In dungeons, a halfling who is motionless and quiet in cover can escape detection with a proficiency throw of 18+ on 1d20. 
Halfling Proficiencies: Adventuring, Alertness, Climbing, Combat Reflexes, Contortionism, Knowledge, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Skirmishing

Humans: Humans do not incur any additional XP cost, and furthermore they begin with one additional proficiency due to their natural capacity for learning. Humans do not have any additional racial proficiencies.

I dunno, this is just an idea I dashed off over the course of an hour for the hell of it so I wouldn't mind hearing some feedback about it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't read ACKS-are the proficiencies listed available proficienies or starting proficiencies? Because you gave Halflins 'Adventuring' after stating they have to pay for it. Not sure how it works so this question might not have any merit to it.

Also, I would be inclined to give Halfings a better than 18+ chance of hiding in dungeons.

Not sure of how Tolkien-ey your halflings are, but I would restrict Keen Eyes to aiding in throwing only. The 'stay-at-home' non-adventuring halflings don't really conjure up the image of having a bow (hunting) tradition. But everyone throws things when they are a lad (even girls).

Word Captcha word: aboosk--a sort of soggy book

Rachel Ghoul said...

They're available proficiencies.

Tolkien's hobbits maintain that when there was still a king they sent Archers to his aid on at least one occasion... and lest we forget how Grima Wormtongue met his end. So I'm comfortable with halflings using shortbows.

Holly Oats said...

It always amazes me how much some people know about Middle-Earth. The Hobbit's the only Tolkien book I could get into

Anonymous said...

I didn't mean to imply the couldn't use bows, just that they wouldn't be extra-good with them.

After all, it wasn't a company of halfing archers that helped the Rohirrim at Minas Tirith was it? :D

Rachel Ghoul said...

No, but then until the movies it wasn't a company of any kind of archers (except Gandalf and Eomer's reinforcements.)

Anonymous said...

I know, hence the :D.

Was just checking to see if you were susceptible to rage over Jackson's "Lucasing" of the books.

Rachel Ghoul said...

Also, at the Hornburg.

Anonymous said...

Yep. I always get my sieges mixed up. Probably why Castles & Crusades never quite did it for me.