http://www.stuffoflegend.com This blog journals the history of the Legends RPG and various turning points in game design. June 28, 2009 ------------- I'm thinking of removing the signature traits that act as Disability buffers (Tough, Endurance, and Magic Source) and replacing them with a more generic/universal mechanic. First of all this would remove a few more signature traits, which I've been steadily moving away from as a general character creation mechanic except in cases where the character needs a **new ability** that isn't expressed in the normal rules, such as flight. Second, this would make these buffers, which seem essential, available to all characters instead of just those who managed to find a signature trait or two. The current idea is to use the character's Trait Lines as buffers. Each character would have 1 point of buffer for a particular kind of Disability per core trait. So a "Paladin" core trait / theme would act as a buffer against Taint, whereas a "kickboxer" core trait could act as a buffer against Fatigue. Players would simply assign each core trait to a kind of Disability, with each core trait acting as a 1-point buffer. So, a wizard with three trait lines all ties to wizardry would have a 3-point buffer for Drain. Perhaps the max buffer for any kind of Disability would be the length of the highest trait line. Alternatively, it could be the length of the smallest trait line, and some characters wouldn't use all of their core traits for buffers. June 16, 2009 ------------- I've redesigned Shields to be more interesting than just another piece of armor. I've also greatly reduced Load, in order to simplify Load and so that I can remove the signature traits that previously were required to reduce the load of armor and shields. Soldiers no longer need signature traits just to function. June 1, 2009 ------------- It's been a long time coming but I have some major updates to the character creation system. This new generation involves creating "Trait Lines". The way that players use traits remains unchanged, but this new trait structure ensures that broad ("core") traits have low Ranks and the specialty traits have higher Ranks. See the Sample Characters for lots of examples. This new system also virtually eliminates the need for Signature Traits, which will greatly simplify the system. I will be gradually culling out signature traits that are no longer needed. This solves several system issues that I've been attempting to resolve for years and it's a very exciting development. en-us Copyright 1994-2010 feedback@stuffoflegend.com http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?Characters In Legends, a character consists of a list of key traits based on a literary description. This is an overview of character creation. How to Create a Character ========================= 1. Grab a pencil and a blank piece of paper. 2. Write down your character's name and a literary description. This is his **Legend** (see below.) 3. Identify key concepts from the description and organize them by theme. These are **Traits** and **Trait Lines** (see below.) 4. Go play! Legend ====== The first step in creating a character is to describe him or her in vivid detail, painting a word picture. Start with a name and an epithet (one-liner) that sums up the general concept, such as "Epon, the tamer of horses". Follow with as many details as you can write down. Try to work quickly and stop when you feel you have enough to introduce the character and start playing--you can always add detail later. Here is a list of `sample character names`_. .. _`Sample Character Names`: http://www.stuffoflegend.com/ro http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?LegendaryItems Legendary Items are special in some way. A sword might be of extraordinary quality, enchanted, or carry a name made famous by the exploits of a bold hero. In fantasy role-playing games they are most often called "magic items", but the concept is more broad and pervasive in Legends. Characters are likely to acquire Legendary Items during the course of their adventures, such as recovering a flaming magic sword from a dragon's lair, a grimoire of spells from the tomb of a liche lord, or a shimmering shirt of mithril given as a grateful gift of service. Family heirlooms and custom-crafted gear can also be legendary items. While a character can carry many items, Legendary Items are much more strongly associated with the character and deserve to be highlighted in his legend. Instead of gaining a normal Trait, the character can gain a new core trait with the name of the item, such as "Flametongue" or "Dragonscale Armor". Legendary Items can grow in power along with the character. Like any core trait, the pl http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?wood.gif In Legends, a character consists of a list of key traits based on a literary description. How to Create a Character ========================= 1. Grab a pencil and a blank piece of paper. 2. Write down your character's name and a literary description. This is his **Legend** (see below.) 3. Identify key concepts from the description and organize them by theme. These are **Traits** and **Trait Lines** (see below.) 4. Go play! Legend ====== The first step in creating a character is to describe him or her in vivid detail, painting a word picture. Start with a name and an epithet (one-liner) that sums up the general concept, such as "Epon, the tamer of horses". Follow with as many details as you can write down. Try to work quickly and stop when you feel you have enough to introduce the character and start playing--you can always add detail later. Here is a list of `sample character names`_. .. _`Sample Character Names`: http://www.stuffoflegend.com/roleplaying/article?CharacterNames .. side http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?drayandir_tree.png In Legends, a character consists of a list of key traits based on a literary description. How to Create a Character ========================= 1. Grab a pencil and a blank piece of paper. 2. Write down your character's name and a literary description. This is his **Legend** (see below.) 3. Identify key concepts from the description and organize them by theme. These are **Traits** and **Trait Lines** (see below.) 4. Go play! Legend ====== The first step in creating a character is to describe him or her in vivid detail, painting a word picture. Start with a name and an epithet (one-liner) that sums up the general concept, such as "Epon, the tamer of horses". Follow with as many details as you can write down. Try to work quickly and stop when you feel you have enough to introduce the character and start playing--you can always add detail later. Here is a list of `sample character names`_. .. _`Sample Character Names`: http://www.stuffoflegend.com/roleplaying/article?CharacterNames .. side http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?Traits The first half of a character is his Portrait, and the second is a set of themes or "Trait Lines" developed over the course of many stories. This system ensures constant advancement for characters for every story, and allows items to be advanced like Traits. Traits ------ A Trait is a keyword that describes an important thematic concept for the character. Examples of Traits include big, strong, fast, ferocious, swordsman, healer, scholar, etc. A character is defined by his Traits. They represent who and what he is, his skills, temperament, physical (or magical) abilities, and what he can do. All character development consists of gaining Traits. Traits are central to the game, so choosing Traits that are both fun to roleplay and useful in the game is very important. Trait Lines ----------- Traits are grouped into "Trait Lines" that organize the Traits by theme. Core Traits ----------- Write your character's name in the middle or top of a piece of paper. Next, write down a few of the cha http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?hrothgar.png The first half of a character is his Portrait, and the second is a set of themes or "Trait Lines" developed over the course of many stories. This system ensures constant advancement for characters for every story, and allows items to be advanced like Traits. Traits ------ A Trait is a keyword that describes an important thematic concept for the character. Examples of Traits include big, strong, fast, ferocious, swordsman, healer, scholar, etc. A character is defined by his Traits. They represent who and what he is, his skills, temperament, physical (or magical) abilities, and what he can do. All character development consists of gaining Traits. Traits are central to the game, so choosing Traits that are both fun to roleplay and useful in the game is very important. Core Traits ----------- Write your character's name in the middle or top of a piece of paper. Next, write down a few of the character's most broad or defining traits such as "elf", "mercenary", "northman", or "wizard". You're l http://www.stuffoflegend.com/q?LegendsTech Legends Tech is a supplement for the Legends System for running science-fiction campaigns. This builds on the basic Legends System, which covers archaic weapons, adding futuristic weaponry and armor. You can also use this supplement with Legends of Magic if magic exists in your universe.