marcellus praxis

A point based character creation system including ads/disads and cost for power would indeed be a serious improvement to the BRP system. For the cost of being able to use magic: - in a setting where magic needs a specific training the cost has to be high so 10pt is probably a good starting point - in a setting where everyone may use magic the cost may be 0 You may even extend this to superpowers: - in a setting where there are few supers, to have superpowers cost xxx points This gives indirectly xxx points of bonus to heroes without superpowers ( you may rule that superskill, defense and unarmed combat are not superpowers )

For playing supers, the lack of subdual damage system in BRP may be a serious issue. Otherwise, IMHO, BRP with ads/disads and a vast array of powers could compete with M&M...at least in term of game system.

Thank you. I 've found your spreadheet vey useful.

Claudius, it is on page 260 of the BRP rules, under the helmet entry. Well, after your replies and some thoughts i will probably, for my Middel'Earth conversion of the "Tiers Age" game: - use the fixed armour rule with no hit location - use the optional rules HP=SIZ+CON - use fate points rules ...to reduce the lethality of the game.

Your interpretation of the rules makes perfectly sense using the hit location system. This is accuratly described page 260 under the helmet entry. However, i would like to use a fixed armor system with no hit location. Since lacking a helmet implies -1 or -2 armor penalty, i think adding an helmet on an armour with no head protection ( for instance plate armor of page 259) will conversely add +1 or +2 to the armor value . This is fully consistent with the armor value for the knight NPC of page 363 ( 10 armor described as full plate and heavy helmet ),ant that seems to confirm my analysis. My original concern was to know if it makes sense to use fixed armor value without hit location system. Your answer may indicate that you don't recommend this.

Thanks. Your recommandations make sense.

First, thank you for your good work, i will probably use some of your ideas in my own middle -earth campaign( to be soon translated in BRP since I'm tired of the '"tiers age" game system ). Second, what I look for is a clue for scaling in power: what is the % of Aragorn in Combat, of Gandalf in Magic,of ....hem, Sauron? In others words , what is the power scale ? I originally intended to use MERP/Rolemaster in a quick and dirty way: take the OB and convert it as a skill %. For instance, Aragorn should have ( using this crude rule ): 185% in the short sword. May be not so bad (as a comparison in MRQ Lankhmar, Fafhrd has 170% in sword ). What is your advice about this?

Unfortunately, 8 point is without head coverage. Heavy helmet adds 2 points for a total of 10 (which is consistent with the NPC knight armor described in BRP). Since i wish to convert PC from the game "Tiers Age" where combat is not very lethal, the use of random armor bothers me. I think I will use the fixed value armor along with the "aiming" rule which allows to ignore armor if you make a difficult combat roll. In fact i don't really know if this aiming rule applies for creatures. I remember a RQ borderland campaign where we couldn't injure giant frogs except by making a critical! A Nigthmare! So, i think i will accept aiming against creatures....

Hi everybody, Well, since i'm new on this forum, i assume i can ask a stupid beginner question : in the new BRP the armor may have a constant value ( ala Runequest ) value or a random value ( ala Elric/Stormbringer). Unfortunately these values do not correspond well to each other: for instance, 8 pt of constant protection ( plate armor ) corresponds to 1D10 random protection ( average value 5.5 ). Traditionally, constant armor is associated with random hit location ( RQ2/3 ) and random armor with major wounds ( Elric/Stormbringer ). However i intend ( for role playing in Middle Earth ) to use fix armor and major wound. Do you have any advice on this? Thanks.