Re: Bargle versus Merlin

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:08:19 +0000

Methinks you should pick up the Black Peaks, that we may adventure there again. I wanted to cram issues into my RPG, but I couldn't wrap my head around what little I saw. Thanks for bringing this up as a D&D option.

Bargle versus Merlin

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:53:23 +0000

I was paging through GAZ 7: The Northern Reaches, which was published in 1988, over lunch today. On page 9 of the players' book, it introduces an almost exact duplicate of Pendragon's trait system. The breakdown is as follows:

Cautious	v	Rash
Modest	v	Proud
Peaceful	v	Violent
Generous	v	Greedy
Courageous	v	Fearful
Reverent	v	Godless
Forgiving	v	Vengeful
Energetic	v	Lazy
Honest	v	Deceitful
Trusting	v	Suspicious
Loyal	v	Unreliable
Dogmatic	v	Open-Minded

The author uses different names than Pendragon in most cases, but the concepts are still there.

To generate your traits, lawful characters roll 12 + 1d6, neutral characters roll 6 + 1d6, and chaotic characters roll 2d6 and apply the results to the left side of the table. The right side makes up the difference. I find this kind of odd, because I don't necessarily relate chaotic behavior with laziness or open-mindedness.

To test traits, the player rolls a d20 and if the result is equal or lower than the trait, the character is strongly influenced by it. If not, the character falls onto the other side of the axis.

There are even racial, cultural, and class modifiers, just like Pendragon. For example, Glantrians are -3 Reverent and -2 Dogmatic; Elves are +2 Honest, -2 Modest, and +2 Cautious; and Fighters are +3 Courageous and -3 Cautious.

This system works great in Pendragon, but I'm not sure if it would add much to the Dungeons & Dragons experience. At its very basic, it could be useful when players get deadlocked in making a moral decision. "Should we torture the goblin to find out where the treasure is? Let's roll against Forgiving and Generous to find out."