In a recent campaign set in Gran March, I have been wrestling with the Military Service Component required of every male. I previous Gran March campaigns, I have really just by passed this. However, with the aid of documents found on the Gran March site (under Meta Game Docs for those interested), I decided that this should be a shaping experiance in each character's life.
As I cast about for an effective and fun way for characters to experiance military life, I stumbled upon the D20 Traveler system where they gain experiance and positive/negative experiances via a D20 rolling system.
I took the LG documents and wove those into a chart, and last Saturday we roleplayed 4 years of military service in one session. It was extremely popular with the players, even though one (of three) died and one was maimed.
The Question is, has anyone else worked with a system like this, and how did it work? How do experts and non adventuring classes gain xp in your games? Story Awards.
There are several factors one must first understand. A) Everyone in Gran March must serve in the Army. Again, the LG Gran March Site has an outstanding document on the Gran March Army, and it was used to create this chart. B) Character Class is a game mechanic, and the NPCs do not recognize them; C) As anyone in the military can attest, even if the military could read character classes, they probably do not care; D) This is rough.
First, every charater goes through basic training. In the Army Docs noted above, each charater, regardless of class goes through the same basic training. Each character will come away with a set of basic benefits, based on class.
For example.. all mages will get +1 in Ride Horse and +1 in Profession Soldier, +2 in Knowledge History, Tactics, Protocol and Logistics.
Fighters gain a +2 in Ride Horse, +3 Profession Soldier and +2 in one of the Knowledge skills above. They receive +1 in the other Knowledge Skills.
All characters leave with proficiency in Long Spear, Shortsword, Light Crossbow, and Shield. These points and benefits are all outside of the normal class benefits. Then they begin rolling: These are d20 rolls modified ONLY by Profession: Soldier. (exception: any roll can be modified by a character's bluff skill. However, the next roll has that modifier reduced from the roll). For every year in the military, every person receives 500xp. Thus most everyone will be 2nd level if they do nothing else.
The Nine Rolls
1) At the completion of Basic Training, a roll is made to represent a performance evaluation. This is a D20+ Prof:Soldier. The Roll will help/hurt both placement and assignment rolls later.
2) Then a roll is made to see if any training awards were received for achievement. This is a D20 modified only by Profession Soldier. With a sufficient roll, a character may receive a training medal to signify the fact that they excelled at riding (for example) and get an additional +1 to ride. A 25+ Roll will give the Skill Focus feat in a Fighter skill.
3) They then make a roll to determine their rank upon exiting Basic, either soldier, corporal, or in Rare cases Sargent. An initial roll of 25+ can kick the Character into Officer Training.
Once every character has accomplished this, they take the placement exams. This is the fun part: A character's abilities are broken down into three categories: Physical, Mental and Social. Each of these are modified by a skill, (physical: Prof: Soldier; Mental: Knowledge Arcane; Social: Profession: Any but Soldier) and the Performance Evaluations from roll 1.
4) Total these, and roll a D20 for each. Add the Roll plus the mods. Whichever one is highest is where the character is placed. If Physical is highest, the character is sent to active duty (unless they scored for officer training); If mental is highest then, the character is sent to the Mage School for sorting; Social places them in the Auxillaries (which is everything from cooks to combat engineers to musicians). A Bluff modifier can be added to this after the tallies are taken, but it will be taken off the Placement Roll.
Thus character can go to either active duty (most army) or advanced training (officer, mage or auxillary). Only on active duty can you receive awards for valor or xp. In advanced training, they roll similar to above, and can recive similar awards, such as +1 to Spellcraft for casters.
It is possible for a mage to be toting a spear or a rogue to be sent to the mage school. This represents the uncaring and sometime befuddled nature of the military.
Once a character is on Active Duty, they make a PLACMENT ROLL. This puts them on guard, caravan, garrison, March or Vanguard duty. Each has it's own rewards and risks.
They spend a year on this assignment. At the end they make a survival roll. This is a D20 Roll modified by level ONLY. If they fail, they roll on a special chart which has such items as Death, Maimed, Convicted of Crime, Dishonorably Discharged, Honorably Discharged. They can garner xp bonuses, medals, or special assignments.
Each assignment has modifiers for the next year's assignment. Also, different professions have different survival/reward/promotion DC's. Mages are rarely in the front, so their survival DC is modified by 4, but the Medal/Promotion rolls are also modified by 4 against them.
The system has a few other tweaks, but that is the core concept. In it's first run, one character died (having achieved 4th level), one was maimed (-1 to dex) and had achieved 3rd level, and the last was generally unchallenged, and was 2nd, almost 3rd level.
Now we are ready for adventure.
PS: there is also a muster out chart, and during the course active duty, you can get Influence Points (IPs) which can be used to purchase certain magic or mundane items as you progress through the military.
"What happene in your life" charts. I love those.
Reminds me of the Central Casting: Heroes of xxx books by Paul Jaquays. Anybody know those? They´re a bit too general though.
In Cyberpunk (and Warhammer RPG IIRC) you begin gameplay like that.
I have a few custom made charts for shadowrun from the web, but have never seen any for D&D. Except the tables in the City of Greyhawk box and the 1E Unearthed arcana, but they are more about where you're from and not what you did there..
I am going to make it available, though it is Gran March specific. I don't have a pdf producer at home, so it will take a few days till I can get it to the office.
I want to follow up with a question about non adventuring xp. How do other DM's advance non adventuring persons/npcs?
I divide NPC's into active, semi-active, and innactive.
Active NPC's are the equivalent of adventurers, and seek out risk and reward. They have a chance of dying roled yearly and the fastest advancement rate.
Semi-active NPC's are ones that are occasionally called upon to do some dangerous task. Typical opponants for the PC's are usually here (such as the Bonehaert). They only die if I decide it as a campaign event, and they have a medium rate of advancement.
Innactive NPC's train in their profession but very rarely encounter "real" situations. A professional soldier stationed in a fortress, for example probably does weapons training several times a week but could pass months or years without being in a real fight. They do not die but have the slowest advancement.
As a standard background advancement, I allow active NPC's to advance at the rate of one level per month divided by current level. That is, to go from first to second level requires 1 month, from second to third, two months, and so on. Active adventuring PC's in my campaign typically advance several levels a year at low level, and about one level per year after name level, so it is an approximate fit.
Semi-active NPC's get to advance at a rate of one level per year divided by current level. Innactive NPC's get one level per three years divided by current level. Occasionally I will boost the rate if normally semi-active NPC's become active (participants in the Greyhawk Wars, for example, might gain an automatic level).
Note that I enforce gp requirements for training as per the DMG1. The slow advance of semi-active and inactive NPC's assumes that they have more trouble paying for training than earning xp. For example, going from 2nd level to 3rd requires 3000 gp. Some army sargeant who has been killing goblins on patrols may well get the xp but have to save up years to pay for the training.
The system I use is different for NPC's that are henchmen and followers of the PC's. Followers I actually keep track of xp like any PC. In adventuring situations they get a half-share. In non-adventuring situations I give them a monthly standard xp award based on their level and activity.
Henchmen I don't keep track of xp and they don't get a monthly award. If they are involved in a fight or other situation that would award xp, I figure the award and use that as a % chance that they go up. It is all or nothing - there is a chance they can level after each encounter, but if they don't, they get no saved benefit. For example, a 1st level patrol of 10 henchmen fights off a standard wandering monster. They would get (say) 20 xp each. If they need 2000 for second level, then each of them has a 1% chance to level after the encounter. But if they don't go up, they get no xp.
Currently one of my PC's has a contract to train soldiers in the Perrenland military (she is doing it below normal training price).
Thus I have a big data base of levels of everyone in the military. From their base pay I calculate xp earned, and use that to figure the rate at which they advance. Then I roll the percents every month for low levels and every year for high levels to figure how many leveled. _________________ My campaigns are multilayered tapestries upon which I texture themes and subject matter which, quite frankly, would simply be too strong for your hobbyist gamer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mp7Ikko8SI
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