Confused on Dependents

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    • Confused on Dependents

      I admit here that this is probably a flaw in how I am reading the info in the book, but I am a little confused on the Dependent Vulnerability table in the Drawbacks section.

      What do each of the numbers mean going across the table?

      Example:
      10 - 20 + 30

      10 = ? (Is this the number of Drawback points awarded to the player's character in the first column?)

      20 = ? (This is how many character points the dependent is built on, correct? If not, then what is this exactly?)

      +30 drawback points = ??? (I think this is where I have the most confusion. Is this drawback points given to the dependent character?)

      So in other words, is the first row in the table for a character built with only 25 drawback points and no character points? If so, how exactly would that work?

      Help me Obi Wan Kenobi... you're my only hope.

      ----

      I also noticed something when looking over the costs of all the animal templates again in the character creation chapter. Most of the Paksin templates cost considerably less than the Vajrah and Sarpah templates. I'm not sure if that is intentional or simply just the luck of the draw given their animal abilities.

      In fact, I was surprised to see that the most costly templates appear to be the venomous Sarpah. So even templates for large or predatory Vajrah cost less than the venomous Sarpah.

      This is really just an observation on my part, but I am curious if the cost is because including venom in a character's arsenal throws a little more power in their direction during combat?

      Thanks,
      -=Targath=-

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Targath ().

    • RE: Confused on Dependents

      Hey there Targath!

      The idea of Dependents is that your character is essentially burdened by someone (or something) who requires your care and attention, causes you to use up your time, energy, and resources, and generally causes you to be disadvantaged to some extent because they need all of these things from you...

      The table represents the data used to determine how these Dependents are "made"... from the weakest and most vulnerable (at the top of the list, worth 15 points to your character as a Disadvantage), and the least vulnerable allowed as a Disadvantage (at the bottom of the list, giving you 0 points, though this can be changed by the Dependent Occurrence, seen in the next table)...

      So using the example you mention,...starting with a 10 point Dependent (perhaps a young child of 9-12 years or so, as a possibility, or maybe even a largely-disabled or mind-addled relative), you would need to "build" that Dependent using a total of 20 Story Points plus an additional 30 Story Points (giving you a total of 50 points to build the Dependent with) obtained by giving that Dependent enough Drawbacks that it would get 30 more points to spend building the Dependent "character" as an NPC, which the GM would then have you keep track of as necessary...(and perhaps have a copy of himself)...

      Then you'd need to decide what their "Dependent Occurrence" would be on the next table, which might change the amount of points you'd get from having this character as a Dependent... So, for instance, that 50-point NPC as your Dependent (including the 30 points of their Disadvantages) would give your character 10 extra Story-points to build your own character with, and you could actually make that Disadvantage worth 13 points total to you if you decided that the Dependent affected you negatively in the game 75% of the time you played (since it would give you +3 points)...

      So essentially it breaks down like this in that example:
      • You decide you want to get 10 or more points from a Dependent Disadvatage...
      • You then built the Dependent as an NPC with 50 Story Points (using a "stripped down" Animal Template as a base start)
      • Make sure you give that NPC no more than 30 points worth of Disadvantages themselves (possibly matching some of yours, since you may share the same past)
      • Decide ehat the Dependent Occurrence Frequency would be from the next table, then adjust the 10 base points that NPC Dependent is worth as a Disadvatage to you accordingly...
      • Keep a simplified Character Sheet write-up for that Dependent handy for reference by you and the GM during game-play...
      • Make sure to adjust the NPC's stats over time as you either change it or buy off that Disadvantage...



      A great example of this type of thing would be the characters from "Loan Wolf and Cub", a Ronin (masterless samurai) who is forced to flee with his 3-year-old helpless son after assassins brutally murder the rest of his family... The ronin is burdened with his son as a dependent throughout his adventures as he seeks revenge for the killings... I could imagine such a situation in Dárdünah quite easily, and would imagine that a child so young and helpless would be represented by a 15 point Dependent (the number of points you'd get as a character having such a responsibility), built with the 25 points gained only from that dependent having 25 points worth of Drawbacks themselves (being little more than a helpless toddler at first, most likely with the same powerful enemies you have, and possibly hunted)... Furthermore, such a young child might even be a burden 100% of the time in the game (requiring constant attention and care), and might further make that Disadvantage worth 6 more additional points (as per the next table), making it a 21-point Disadvantage for you (meaning it gives you a total of 21 points for having this responsibility in-game)...

      That ALSO means, of course, that you should expect the GM to constantly be creating situations that would require you to protect, care for, and otherwise deal with this burden throughout every session of game-play... The campaign you are playing in will no doubt seem to almost revolve around the issues pertaining to this Dependent....

      As far as your questions about the Animal Templates,...yep,...the Paksin Templates (despite the cost of Flight, in general), are often cheaper because they are relatively smaller and comparatively weaker to most Vajrah and Sarpah, and have fewer Animal Abilities...just as you mention... Add to that the fact that the armor and venom often employed by the other races is a VERY expensive thing, and I'm sure you can understand why there is such a variance in price...

      However,...if you dissect the Animal Templates by cost, you'll see that every Ability and Attribute is exact, and the cost of the Template as a whole reflects everything the Template gives you...

      Hopefully this helps!

      Scottie ^^
    • RE: Confused on Dependents

      Thanks Scott! That helps explain the dependents immensely. I figured it was just how I was reading the table that confused me on the drawback points.

      Also, nice to know about the cost difference in the templates.

      Somehow it seems funny to me that a Chicken - who appears to have the least expensive animal template - would be able to afford to spend more points on skills than all the others during character creation.

      Chicken power! :D
      -=Targath=-
    • RE: Confused on Dependents

      Originally posted by Targath
      Also, nice to know about the cost difference in the templates.

      Somehow it seems funny to me that a Chicken - who appears to have the least expensive animal template - would be able to afford to spend more points on skills than all the others during character creation.

      Chicken power! :D


      Ha hah!!!

      Yeah,...but in the end it all works out, because if everyone gets 150 points (let's say, as an example) to make their character, then once all the points are spent, whether you purchased a more expensive template (with more built-in Attributes), or a less expensive one (with fewer built-in Attributes), your character, and all his or her Attributes you've purchased, will be worth a total of 150 points, give or take the number set aside for spare Story Points to use later, and give or take any Disadvantages you've taken...

      An Animal Template is nothing more that a handy collection of all the Attributes and data we thought should be associated with that type of animal all put together in one handy package for easy reference... If there were no such thing as Animal Templates, and you had to buy all the Attributes on that Template separately, it would cost you the same amount...

      It all works out in the end! :D

      Scottie ^^