Post by Mutant Lord: William McAusland on Apr 18, 2013 9:51:12 GMT -8
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:02 am
we've asked this question in our group given the lack of abilities for pure stock humans.
here are a couple of ideas I’ve been pondering:
1) adaptability- when a pure stock player gains a rank he gets 2 rolls on the advancement chart and picks the one that suits him.
2) wealth. it's mentioned in the pure stock description, but, nothing is translated into character generation. so, my idea is that, unless they are an escaped slave, pure stocks are considered one level higher for beginning equipment. which would bring wealthy adventurer into play. it's fully described, but, there is no way a starting characters to access it.
i really need to stop reading the rulebook before i go to sleep as i wake up in the middle of the night with more ideas......
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:37 pm
Yeah, pure stocks are a bit challenged, especially at low rank before they uncover some of the relics that they can fit into or inject. Many relics, especially medical ones, don't work on humanoids with mutant or non-human DNA. In some ways, having pure stocks as possible characters is a baseline, a character type that allows players of stranger characters to compare themselves to a normal person. Pure stocks do get a 10 point bonus to their traits and two rolls on 1-11, but this hardly compares to having heal touch, a force field and an energy blade, or a armored sheathing and assault rifle for an arm like a cyborg might.
As for their wealth, on table1-4, pre-game caste determination, the odds of a pure stock startling as a slave are remote, while the odds of being a technician high. Again, not really enough for most players to want to be old kind, but still something.
This is after all the mutant epoch, and so for most people, playing a mutant or cyborg or beastial human is what it is all about. I myself like to play ghost mutants or severe mutants, but cyborgs are a blast, too.
That said, I like the house rules you created for creating a pure stock character and will add them there on the House Rules page the next time we do a site upgrade. Thanks for sharing those.
WM
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:49 am
no question about mutants and cyborgs being a blast. i've just tried to give the pure stock a little more variety for those who roll one up. as for the wealth, C.H.U.D. and i have decided that fully armed should be the limit of the equipment level increase.
all the other races are pitch perfect. you did a great job laying out the mutations and cybernetic attachments.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:10 am
Thanks, Madwill,
Sometimes I think of pure stocks like first edition D&D wizards, with d4 hit points, not many spells at first level... but growing in power as they gain rank. In many ways, a technician character can become like a mighty wizard, especially if he can reprogram robots to serve him, pilot helicopter gunships, make bio-engineered pet battle beasts, etc. Of course, a mutant or cyborg could also have technician skills, but this is much rarer.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:09 am
WillMcAusland wrote:
Thanks, Madwill,
Sometimes I think of pure stocks like first edition D&D wizards, with d4 hit points, not many spells at first level... but growing in power as they gain rank. In many ways, a technician character can become like a mighty wizard, especially if he can reprogram robots to serve him, pilot helicopter gunships, make bio-engineered pet battle beasts, etc. Of course, a mutant or cyborg could also have technician skills, but this is much rarer.
That's a very good analogy. pure stocks are the subtle, long-term class.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:33 am
the new excavator caste has really gone a long way in giving pure stocks an advantage starting out.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by Blood axe » Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:47 am
Dare I say it.....
In Gamma World I had PSH have a bit more knowledge of the Ancients, be recognized by some robots or computers, only have them get full effects of medicine, etc,etc.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:54 am
I agree that many relics and medical wonders designed with a pure stock human body in mind, would have better results and in some cases not even work on a mutant, or else be potentially hazardous. Probably the most potent relic there is is powered shell class armor, which won't fit a mutant with an odd body shape, extra limbs and such.
As for actual role playing, having mutants treated as little more than pets or beasts of burden by the PSH inhabitants of some community might make playing a pure stock worthwhile, so too, some people may only share resources and information with fellow pure stocks.
A list of pure stock benefits is probably a good idea.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by Nolinquisitor » Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:34 pm
That is a very good thread. Until now I assumed the purestocks to be just pure vanilla human thrown into a mad world and kudos to the player who wanted to play one (I know I would).
With this thread, I kind of see the purestock in a new light. Taking into account some more non mechanic perks, the interest of playing a purestock can be raised.
So a possible list of traits for purestock could be:
- Adaptable: I like the idea of allowing human to be more flexible when advancing. I'll use that in my game. If the idea of rolling twice of the Rank Gain Bonus Matrix table is too much, maybe give them some EF bonus (i.e. +10%). (*Kudos to Madwill here.)
- Social Regard: That's an awesome idea. Giving purestock human a certain racial higher status will give them a tangible social edge over the other guys. Maybe purestock are the only one who can climb the social ladder or can bring stability (or apparent stability) to society and that's why they are perceived as more trustable or important.
- Affinity with the Old Era: Most of the high-tech relics of the past were design with them in mind, so I think I'll give penalties to non-purestock or bonuses to purestock depending on the relics. That's also a good reason to play a human. For example, a heavy battle shell armor from the past could be used by a mutant but its biometrics recognition will only recognize a purestock human. So a purestock using the same armor could access its voice recognition, onboard computer and AI, laser rangefinder and targeting help system, cooling system, etc. That alone should convince more players to play purestock in my group.
Just my thoughts.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:36 pm
In my own adventure parties, about a quarter of the characters turn out to be pure stocks and they don't seem to get annihilated any quicker than the cyborgs or mutants. My cyborgs tend to run out of batteries or ammo by third rank, while mutants tend to be shot at first when meeting purists or robots who see them as vermin. My favorite characters however, always seem to be mutants, since from rolling them up to playing them, they have a lot of options and variables, and no two are alike. My pure stocks tend to be technicians or some sort of martial artists, medics, snipers or other specialized team member, and invaluable to the mission as well as when interacting within a mixed race community.
by madwill » Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:02 am
we've asked this question in our group given the lack of abilities for pure stock humans.
here are a couple of ideas I’ve been pondering:
1) adaptability- when a pure stock player gains a rank he gets 2 rolls on the advancement chart and picks the one that suits him.
2) wealth. it's mentioned in the pure stock description, but, nothing is translated into character generation. so, my idea is that, unless they are an escaped slave, pure stocks are considered one level higher for beginning equipment. which would bring wealthy adventurer into play. it's fully described, but, there is no way a starting characters to access it.
i really need to stop reading the rulebook before i go to sleep as i wake up in the middle of the night with more ideas......
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:37 pm
Yeah, pure stocks are a bit challenged, especially at low rank before they uncover some of the relics that they can fit into or inject. Many relics, especially medical ones, don't work on humanoids with mutant or non-human DNA. In some ways, having pure stocks as possible characters is a baseline, a character type that allows players of stranger characters to compare themselves to a normal person. Pure stocks do get a 10 point bonus to their traits and two rolls on 1-11, but this hardly compares to having heal touch, a force field and an energy blade, or a armored sheathing and assault rifle for an arm like a cyborg might.
As for their wealth, on table1-4, pre-game caste determination, the odds of a pure stock startling as a slave are remote, while the odds of being a technician high. Again, not really enough for most players to want to be old kind, but still something.
This is after all the mutant epoch, and so for most people, playing a mutant or cyborg or beastial human is what it is all about. I myself like to play ghost mutants or severe mutants, but cyborgs are a blast, too.
That said, I like the house rules you created for creating a pure stock character and will add them there on the House Rules page the next time we do a site upgrade. Thanks for sharing those.
WM
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:49 am
no question about mutants and cyborgs being a blast. i've just tried to give the pure stock a little more variety for those who roll one up. as for the wealth, C.H.U.D. and i have decided that fully armed should be the limit of the equipment level increase.
all the other races are pitch perfect. you did a great job laying out the mutations and cybernetic attachments.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:10 am
Thanks, Madwill,
Sometimes I think of pure stocks like first edition D&D wizards, with d4 hit points, not many spells at first level... but growing in power as they gain rank. In many ways, a technician character can become like a mighty wizard, especially if he can reprogram robots to serve him, pilot helicopter gunships, make bio-engineered pet battle beasts, etc. Of course, a mutant or cyborg could also have technician skills, but this is much rarer.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:09 am
WillMcAusland wrote:
Thanks, Madwill,
Sometimes I think of pure stocks like first edition D&D wizards, with d4 hit points, not many spells at first level... but growing in power as they gain rank. In many ways, a technician character can become like a mighty wizard, especially if he can reprogram robots to serve him, pilot helicopter gunships, make bio-engineered pet battle beasts, etc. Of course, a mutant or cyborg could also have technician skills, but this is much rarer.
That's a very good analogy. pure stocks are the subtle, long-term class.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by madwill » Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:33 am
the new excavator caste has really gone a long way in giving pure stocks an advantage starting out.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by Blood axe » Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:47 am
Dare I say it.....
In Gamma World I had PSH have a bit more knowledge of the Ancients, be recognized by some robots or computers, only have them get full effects of medicine, etc,etc.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:54 am
I agree that many relics and medical wonders designed with a pure stock human body in mind, would have better results and in some cases not even work on a mutant, or else be potentially hazardous. Probably the most potent relic there is is powered shell class armor, which won't fit a mutant with an odd body shape, extra limbs and such.
As for actual role playing, having mutants treated as little more than pets or beasts of burden by the PSH inhabitants of some community might make playing a pure stock worthwhile, so too, some people may only share resources and information with fellow pure stocks.
A list of pure stock benefits is probably a good idea.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by Nolinquisitor » Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:34 pm
That is a very good thread. Until now I assumed the purestocks to be just pure vanilla human thrown into a mad world and kudos to the player who wanted to play one (I know I would).
With this thread, I kind of see the purestock in a new light. Taking into account some more non mechanic perks, the interest of playing a purestock can be raised.
So a possible list of traits for purestock could be:
- Adaptable: I like the idea of allowing human to be more flexible when advancing. I'll use that in my game. If the idea of rolling twice of the Rank Gain Bonus Matrix table is too much, maybe give them some EF bonus (i.e. +10%). (*Kudos to Madwill here.)
- Social Regard: That's an awesome idea. Giving purestock human a certain racial higher status will give them a tangible social edge over the other guys. Maybe purestock are the only one who can climb the social ladder or can bring stability (or apparent stability) to society and that's why they are perceived as more trustable or important.
- Affinity with the Old Era: Most of the high-tech relics of the past were design with them in mind, so I think I'll give penalties to non-purestock or bonuses to purestock depending on the relics. That's also a good reason to play a human. For example, a heavy battle shell armor from the past could be used by a mutant but its biometrics recognition will only recognize a purestock human. So a purestock using the same armor could access its voice recognition, onboard computer and AI, laser rangefinder and targeting help system, cooling system, etc. That alone should convince more players to play purestock in my group.
Just my thoughts.
Re: Why be a Pure Stock?
by WillMcAusland » Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:36 pm
In my own adventure parties, about a quarter of the characters turn out to be pure stocks and they don't seem to get annihilated any quicker than the cyborgs or mutants. My cyborgs tend to run out of batteries or ammo by third rank, while mutants tend to be shot at first when meeting purists or robots who see them as vermin. My favorite characters however, always seem to be mutants, since from rolling them up to playing them, they have a lot of options and variables, and no two are alike. My pure stocks tend to be technicians or some sort of martial artists, medics, snipers or other specialized team member, and invaluable to the mission as well as when interacting within a mixed race community.