RPG and Math

Getting game mechanics to work properly, you have to come to some basic decisions. How complex are you willing to let your system get?

When it comes to adding mental abilities to an RPG, you get complicated. So, it's best to simplify. I thought I'd done good by this axiom, but it seems I was too hasty in that conclusion. After discussing character generation, a friend of mine came up with a solution that should have been obvious to me.

I'm using Ranks as the base for any trait. Apply a 3.5 multiple to any rank to get its derived Value. For attributes this is very straightforward. However, when it comes to skills, things were getting hairy. I was applying a +1 Rank for any trait that was 3 Ranks higher than a related trait. This seems simple at first, but when you've got 10 traits that have a range from 1 to 8, it gets really difficult to manage. The logistics become complex.

So, instead of adding ranks to ranks, this player suggested I add the ranks from the attributes to the Value (without the 3.5 multiple). This was staring me right in the face, and I didn't even realize it.

Related skills should offer some skill bonus, and for a symmetry bonus to work it would have to be applied a slightly different way than attributes. We came up with adding only a +1 Value for any skill 5 ranks or more. But now that I think about it, perhaps adding a +1 for every 3 Ranks in a complementary skill. Something to ponder.