Are we going to create a character today? Sure we will. How about your average rogue/thief type character? Let’s do it. Remember, all these numbers are probably gonna change drastically between now (completely unplaytested and completely unproofread) and release time.
What do I want my rogue to do? Control, Protect, Support? Not “roguey” enough. We’ll go Duel primary, Smash secondary. At the moment, this matters little, since I’m just throwing ideas down and assigning arbitrary point values to them.
This gives the character 30 Character Points (used for attributes), 40 Talent Points (to gain new features), and 50 Feat Points (for advancing abilities she already has). Right now I’m just doing attributes using 4e’s point buy. Since we’re not codifying race, and just letting players define that themselves, there aren’t racial modifiers. Go ahead and make that brainy orc if you want! That said, this rogue is a halfling. Certain halflingy things will have to happen. Let’s call her Lidda, for some familiarity.
Earned Character Points will be spent using the same point buy, with every step above 18 costing 5 points. So the character question as you advance will be whether to save up points for your prime attribute, or shore up low attributes with cheap advancements. Lidda’s attributes are:
| Str 12 (+1, cost 2) | Con 12 (+1, cost 2) | Dex 18 (+4, cost 16) |
| Int 14 (+2, cost 5) | Wis 10 (+0, cost 0) | Cha 14 (+2, cost 5) |
Ok. We’ve got a primary and secondary career. We’ve got attributes. That means we can calculate Defenses! This is still really up in the air, since I’m not sure how to handle armor, and how to handle attack skills.
| AC 17 (10, +4 Dex, +2 Duel, +1 Smash) | Fort 12 (10, +1 Con, +1 Smash) |
| Reflex 16 (10, +4 Dex, +2 Duel) | Will 12 (10, +2 Cha) |
We’re gonna spend some Talent Points now. Forty of them. I did this just by writing down what I wanted, then assigning values to them. But you’ll do it with tables which outline point values. I’ll get there.
| Talent | Flavor | Effect | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantaged Defense | Halfling Second Chance | Spend 5 Adv to reduce an enemy’s attack by 5. | 5 |
| Improved Counterattack Defense | Halfling Nimble Reaction | Step up Advantage against Counterattacks. | 3 |
| Signature Attack | Sly Flourish | Each Feat Point spent (on this attack only) is worth 10. | 4 |
| Signature Interaction | Thieves Cant | Each Feat Point spent (on this interaction only) is worth 10. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Melee Finesse | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Ranged Finesse | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Skullduggery | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Deceit | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Notice | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
| Skill Training | Streetwise | Gain a +3 skill bonus and are considered trained. | 4 |
Don’t worry. If this ever goes to Kickstarter, I’m definitely making a character builder app. Feats next! With fifty points to spend, let’s see what we can get for Lidda.
| Feat | Flavor | Effect | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantaged Damage | Sneak Attack | Spend 1 Advantage to deal 3 extra damage on a hit. | 9 |
| Multiple | Sly Flourish | 20 FP to spend. (Not done for this exercise.) | 2 |
| Multiple | Thieves Cant | 10 FP to spend. (Not done for this exercise.) | 1 |
| Greater Weapon | Rapier | Step up Melee Finesse damage +2. (to a d8) | 8 |
| Specific Skill | First Strike | Gain +4 when using Notice for Initiative rolls. | 2 |
| Skill Focus | Melee Finesse | Increase skill bonus by +2. | 3 |
| Skill Focus | Skullduggery | Increase skill bonus by +4. | 6 |
| Skill Focus | Deceit | Increase skill bonus by +2. | 3 |
| Skill Focus | Notice | Increase skill bonus by +2. | 3 |
| Skill Mastery | Skullduggery | Step up Advantage for Skullduggery rolls. | 4 |
| Skilled Attack | Hidden Feint | Spend 1 Advantage from Skullduggery for +1 on your next attack. | 9 |