9. Role Creation

Not all permutations of the characters that players want to portray can necessarily be summed up in the three basic roles presented in Chapter One. This chapter explores the construction and implementation of more advanced and specilized roles.

The three heroic roles presented in Chapter One—adept, expert, and warrior—are intended to provide simple and easy-to-use frameworks for creating heroic characters. Much of the work of determining the hero’s traits is already done for you: simply choose the starting level, assign skill ranks, choose feats (and powers, for adepts), equip your hero, and you’re done.

Although True20 offers a lot of flexibility in terms of hero creation, some traits are relatively fixed, based on role. Two warriors of the same level, for example, share the same basic Combat bonus before things like ability scores and feats are taken into account. Likewise, two experts of the same level can be expected to have similar skill ranks, albeit modified by their respective Intelligence scores and choices in assigning those ranks to different skills. Options for mixing role levels provide more ways to customize, but only at higher levels where players have more than just one or two levels to apply.

For those who desire more individuality in their heroes, this chapter opens up the basic True20 roles, going “under the hood” to provide players and Narrators with the tools to create their own custom- designed roles. By following just a few simple steps, you can create virtually any role your concept or setting requires, giving you as many or as few roles as you want!

Note that the guidelines in this chapter are an optional expansion for True20 Adventure Roleplaying. Narrators who prefer the simplicity of using the three basic heroic roles can continue to do so. For those interested in the expanded options of role creation, read on.

Role Components

A role is made up of several components, including: the role’s core ability, Combat Progression, Skill Progression, Saving Throw Progression (in each of three saves: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will), Power Progression (if the role has access to supernatural powers), and access to feats. We’ll look at progressions first in terms of building new roles, and then at core abilities.

To create a role, choose Combat, Skill, Saving Throw, and Power Progressions that add up to a total cost of 5 points. Any fractional points

Combat Progression Cost Progression Cost
Fast	4 points
Medium	3 points
Slow	2 points
Very Slow	1 point

left over from this starting amount are discarded, so try to spend as much of the starting progression points as you can.

Combat Progression

Combat Progression determines how quickly the role’s Combat bonus improves. There are four progressions: Fast, Medium, Slow, and Very Slow.

• Fast Progression sets Combat bonus equal to the role’s level, like a warrior (so a 4th-level character in that role has Combat +4, for example).
• Medium Progression sets Combat bonus at three-quarters of the role’s level, rounded down, like an expert (so a 4th-level character in that role has Combat +3).
• Slow Progression sets Combat bonus at half the role’s level, like an adept (so a 4th-level character in that role has Combat +2).

  	Level	Combat Progression Fast Medium Slow	Very Slow
  1	+1	+0	+0	+0
  2	+2	+1	+1	+0
  3	+3	+2	+1	+0
  4	+4	+3	+2	+1
  5	+5	+3	+2	+1
  6	+6	+4	+3	+1
  7	+7	+5	+3	+1
  8	+8	+6	+4	+2
  9	+9	+6	+4	+2
  10	+10	+7	+5	+2
  11	+11	+8	+5	+2
  12	+12	+9	+6	+3
  13	+13	+9	+6	+3
  14	+14	+10	+7	+3
  15	+15	+11	+7	+3
  16	+16	+12	+8	+4
  17	+17	+12	+8	+4
  18	+18	+13	+9	+4
  19	+19	+14	+9	+4
  20	+20	+15	+10	+5

• Very Slow Progression sets Combat bonus at one-quarter the role’s level (so a 4th-level character in that role has Combat +1).

These progressions are shown on the Combat Progression Table, while the cost of each type is shown on the Combat Progression Cost Table.

Skill Progression

Skill Progression determines how many skills the role provides at 1st level, as well as how many skill ranks it provides each level thereafter. The starting skill, skill ranks, and their respective costs are shown on the Skill Progression Cost Table.

A role’s starting skills and skill ranks per level are always modified by the character’s Intelligence score, with a minimum of 1 starting skill and

Skill Progression Cost Skills/Ranks Cost
2	0.5 points
4	1 point
6	1.5 points
8	2 points
10	2.5 points
12	3 points
14	3.5 points
16	4 points

Option: Split Combat Progressions

You can choose to split up Combat Progression into Attack and Defense Progressions, allowing different progressions in each so you can create a role that’s strong on attack and weak on defense, for example, or a primarily defensive role that’s defensively strong, but doesn’t pack a big punch (weak offense). Simply divide the costs on the Combat Progression Cost Table in half (2 points for Fast, 1.5 points for Medium, 1 point for Slow, and 0.5 points for Very Slow) and pay for each progression separately.

You can also split Combat Progression into melee and ranged or armed and unarmed if you wish (note that “unarmed” is melee range by default—don’t split the progression twice), so a role can have a Fast Ranged Progression, but a Medium or even Slow Melee Progression. This might be suitable for an archer or marksman role, for example.

Don’t get caught up in splitting Combat Progression into too many categories. Be careful to watch out for players looking to “optimize” by giving their hero a split Fast Progression with a point-saving Slow or Very Slow Progression, then carefully avoiding any circumstance where the slower Progression would come into play.

Option: No Combat Progression

It’s assumed that True20 heroes always have at least some ability in combat—even the bookish scholarly types. You therefore normally have to choose at least Very Slow Combat Progression for a heroic role; only ordinaries completely lack one (page 118). The Narrator may allow the option of having No Combat Progression (and therefore a Combat bonus of +0 at all levels of the role) for a cost of 0 points, however, just like an ordinary.

Option: Finer Skill Progression

If desired, you can split Skill Progression into even finer categories: each interval in between the steps on the Skill Progression Cost Table is a 0.25 points increase. So 5 + Int skill ranks is 1.25 points, for example, 7 + Int is 1.75 points, and so forth. This allows for some “fine tuning” of individual progressions.

You can also potentially extend the Skill Progression, if you want, to create roles with a wealth of skill ranks (true jacks-of-all-trades). True20 has 28 base skills altogether; creating a role that can master virtually every skill (discounting skills with numerous specialties like Craft and Knowledge) with a Skill Progression of 20 (+ Int) is possible, but it would be all the role could do, since it would have no Combat or Power Progression!

1 skill rank per level. You may wish to require a minimum Progression of 4 (for 1 point) for heroes with Int –3 or lower in order to prevent min-maxing. In such cases, of course, you can argue that an Int –3 hero is going to need all the help he can get….

Skill Progression and Mixing Roles

Mixed-role heroes with different Skill Progressions simply add them together to determine their total skill ranks. A hero who starts out in a role with eight starting skills, then switches to a role with a Skill Progression of 4 gets four skill ranks to improve those skills, meaning she’s not going to be able to improve them all equally. Likewise, a hero who starts out with two skills and adds a level of a role with a Skill Progression of 8 gets eight more skill ranks and can definitely learn some new skills, since her level limits how much she can improve her existing ones.

Saving Throw Progression

Saving Throw Progression determines the improvement of your Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses. Toughness save bonus does not increase by role or level, only by the application of feats like Defensive Roll and Tough. There are four options for Save Progression; the first two have no cost and are the default for most roles. The other two options costs 0.25 points.

One Good, Two Normal

One of yoursaving throws follows the Good Progression, while the othertwo follow the Normal Progression. This option costs 0 Progression Points.

Two Medium, One Normal

Two of your saving throws follow the Medium Progression, while the third follows the Normal Progression. This option costs 0 Progression Points.

Three Medium

All three of your saving throws follow the Medium Progression. This option costs 0.25 Progression Points.

Two Good, One Normal

Two of your saving throws follow the Good Progression, while the third follows the Normal Progression. This option costs 0.25 Progression Points.

Medium

Normal

Level	Saving Throw	Progression Good
1	+2	+1	+0
2	+3	+1	+0
3	+3	+2	+1
4	+4	+2	+1
5	+4	+3	+1
6	+5	+3	+2
7	+5	+3	+2
8	+6	+4	+2
9	+6	+4	+3
10	+7	+5	+3
11	+7	+5	+3
12	+8	+6	+4
13	+8	+6	+4
14	+9	+6	+4
15	+9	+7	+5
16	+10	+7	+5
17	+10	+8	+5
18	+11	+8	+6
19	+11	+9	+6
20	+12	+9	+6

Save Progression and Mixing Roles

When determining the saving throw bonuses of a mixed-role character, use the base bonuses of the characters’ first role. For additional roles, subtract 2 from the role’s Good Save Progression and 1 from its Medium Save Progression to determine the amount to add. Normal Save Progressions add their full amount.

Example: A 4th-level adept (Good Will, Normal Fortitude and Reflex) also has two levels of warrior (Good Fortitude, Normal Reflex and Will). The adept role’s base save bonuses are Fortitude +1, Reflex +1, Will +4 for 4th-level. The warrior role’s are Fortitude +3, Reflex +0, Will +0 for 2nd-level. However, the Good Save (Fortitude) has its bonus reduced by 2 (to +1) before it is added. The Normal Reflex and Will saves are unaffected. The hero’s final base save bonuses (before factoring in ability scores) are Fortitude +2 (+1 adept, +1 warrior), Reflex +1 (+1 adept, +0 warrior), and Will +4 (+4 adept, +0 warrior).

If the same 4th-level adept also had two levels of a role that provided Medium Fortitude and Reflex saves and Normal Will saves, there would be no saving throw increase at all, since the two medium saves would be reduced from +1 to +0 and the normal save would be at +0. The hero would need a third level in the additional role to improve saves (adding +1 to each, after modifications).

Power Progression Cost	Progression	Cost
Fast	2 points
Medium	1.5 points
Slow	1 point
Very Slow	0.5 points
None	0 points

	Level	Power Progression	Fast	Medium	Slow	Very Slow
1	4	3	2	1
2	5	3	2	1
3	6	4	3	1
4	7	5	3	1
5	8	5	4	2
6	9	6	4	2
7	10	7	5	2
8	11	7	5	2
9	12	8	6	3
10	13	9	6	3
11	14	9	7	3
12	15	10	7	3
13	16	11	8	4
14	17	11	8	4
15	18	12	9	4
16	19	13	9	4
17	20	13	10	5
18	21	14	10	5
19	22	15	11	5
20	23	15	11	5

Power Progression

Power Progression determines a role’s ability to use supernatural powers, and how effective those powers will be. The default (for 0 points) is a Power Progression of None, or no access to powers at all. There are four Progressions allowing access to powers and determining power rank, as described on page 54, they are Fast, Medium, Slow, and Very Slow, similar to the Combat Progressions. Each Progression’s cost is shown on the Power Progression Cost Table while each Progression’s rank per level is shown on the Power Progression Table.

Power Progression and Powers Anyone with a Power Progression other than None can acquire a supernatural power in place of a feat in the same way the adept role does (page 19). The power’s rank is determined by the role’s Power Progression, as given on the Power Progression Table.

The power save Difficulties for role power progression are calculated as follows:

• 10 + key ability + one-half role level for Fast,
• 10 + key ability + one-third role level for Medium
• 10 + key ability + one-quarter role level for Slow
• 10 + key ability + and one-fifth role level for Very Slow.

All fractions are rounded down. So a Very Slow progression role has a power save Difficulty of 10 + ability until 5th level, when it becomes 11 + ability (with a maximum of 14 + ability at 20th level, when the fast progression role has a Save Difficulty of 20 + ability). For powers that have effects determined by adept level, such as Elemental Blast, use the listed power rank, minus 3, with a minimum level of 1.

Power Access

The adept role has access to potentially any supernatural power given in Chapter Four, provided the character meets the prerequisites of having and using the power. Power Progression is priced on the assumption of complete (or near-complete) access to powers in exchange for feats.

This option restricts the list of powers available to the role in exchange for an improved Progression with those powers. There are four categories of power access:

• Unlimited: This is the default (no adjustment in Power Progression); the role has complete access to the powers available in the setting, barring only those powers the Narrator restricts or chooses to make available on a case-by-case basis. Choose role’s Power Progression normally from the Power Progression Cost table.
• Broad: The role is limited to a broad group of no more than half the available powers, approximately 30 to 35 of them, with a unifying theme. A “psychic” role might be limited to powers that suit real- world ideas of telepathy and extra-sensory perception, for example. Shift Progression costs down one level on the Power Progression Cost table, so Fast Progression costs 1.5 points, and so forth, with Very Slow Progression costing 0.25 points.
• Narrow: The role is limited to a narrow group of no more than a quarter of the available powers (about a dozen or so). A “shaper” role might be limited to powers with “Shaping” in their name, for example. Shift Power Progression costs down two levels on the table, so Fast Progression costs 1 point while Slow Progression costing 0.25 points. Very Slow Progression is unavailable for Narrow power access.
• Singular: The role is limited to a single power, or perhaps two very strongly related powers. Shift Power Progression costs down three levels on the table, so Fast Progression costs only 0.5 point, and

  Option: Custom Feat Access

  An alternative option for feat access to is create a customized feat list for each role. This can become rather involved and it makes role creation more difficult. It can also be harder to balance, since it offers the opportunity to “cherry-pick” the very best feats and give the new role access to all of them at a bargain price. Narrators should consider carefully before allowing it, and may wish to come up with customized feat lists themselves rather than delegating it to the players.

  Option: Feat Progression

  The default for True20 roles is four starting feats plus an additional feat per level. If desired, the Narrator can allow a “Feat Progression” when designing roles, providing more feats than usual in exchange for deficiencies in other Progressions. The progression point costs for this are shown on the Feat Progression Cost Table. This adds some complexity and should be considered carefully. In particular, Narrators may wish to limit all roles with Power Progression to no more than one new power per level after 1st regardless of the number of available feats, in order to keep those roles from becoming too powerful too quickly.

  Medium Progression costs 0.25 points, with slower Progressions unavailable for Singular power access.

  If a power has a prerequisite the role’s Progression doesn’t include, then that power is generally unavailable to that role as well without specific permission from the Narrator.

  Generally, power access limits should be imposed by the Narrator, thus preventing players from choosing to “limit” their heroes to a Power Progression exactly like the set of powers they’d choose anyway. Keep in mind that True20 heroes are already somewhat limited in their Power Progression by the presumption that any heroic role has a maximum of 23 feats (4 at 1st level, plus one per additional level) over the span of 20 levels, making it impossible to learn all the powers of a broad group.

  Power Progression and Mixing Roles

  There are two options when mixing roles that have Power Progressions. The Narrator decides which option applies.

  The first and simplest option is that each role has its own unique Power Progression and power access that do not stack or operate together, even for mixed-role heroes. A hero who’s 5th-level in a Fast Power Progression role and 4th-level in a Medium Power Progression role has two power ranks: rank 8 for the first role and rank 5 for the second. The powers of the first role operate at rank 8 while the powers of the second operate at rank 5. They may even have different key abilities or lists of available powers (suitable for characters who mix power-types, such as a psychic/ sorcerer or a priest/wizard). This option works best when each Power Progression role has its own distinct power-set.

  The other option is to allow some or all of a mixed-role hero’s Power Progressions with access to the same powers to stack. When determining the total power rank for a mixed-role hero with stacking Power Progressions, use the base Power Progression of the first role. Reduce the Power Progression rank of any additional roles by 3 for Fast, 2 for Medium, and 1 for Slow before adding their ranks to the first role, leaving Very Slow Progression as-is. Using the aforementioned 5th-level Fast/4th-level Medium hero as an example, the base would be rank 8 (for the first, Fast Progression, role). The rank 5 for the second role is reduced to 3 (minus 2 for Medium Progression) then added to 8 for a total power rank of 11, slightly less than a 9th-level Fast Progression hero would have, but better than a 9th-level Medium Progression.

  Feat Access

  The three core roles in True20 each have access to their own specific types of feat: adept, expert, or warrior. All roles have access to general feats. During role creation, Narrators need to decide what types of feats customized roles can acquire.

  The default (costing 0 points) is general and one other category as best suits the role. A priest role with supernatural powers, for example, best suits the adept category, while an adventuring archeologist role is probably best suited to expert feats.

  Each additional category of feats costs 0.5 points, with access to all categories costing 1 point. Note that access to adept feats does not grant the ability to exchange a feat for a supernatural power; that requires a Power Progression (as described previously). Many adept feats are essentially useless to roles lacking a Power Progression. There’s no “discount” for this, it’s just how those feats work.

  Feat Progression

  Progression	Cost
  One feat per level	0 points
  Bonus feat every fourth level	0.25 points
  Bonus feat every other level	0.5 points
  Two feats per level	1 point

  Core Abilities

  Each role in True2o has a core ability, available only to those who take their first character level in that role. A hero who starts out as a 1st-level warrior has the warrior core ability; if she later acquires a level of adept, she doesn’t gain the adept core ability, because she didn’t start out as an adept.

  Core abilities provide a reason to choose one role over another as a starting role and help to differentiate mixed-role heroes; the warrior/ adept does not have the same in capabilities as an adept/warrior, for example, since they have different core abilities. The warrior/adept has Determination and can fight on against difficult odds while the adept/ warrior has the Talent and greater flexibility in the use of powers.

  The easy way of handling core abilities for custom created roles is to simply choose one of the three core abilities of the True20 heroic roles when you create a new role, as best suits the role’s concept. A mystic warrior might have Determination like the warrior role, while a martial artist has Expertise like the expert role, and so forth. This lessens the value of core abilities somewhat because they’re no longer unique. In True20 no two roles have the same core ability, but under this system, it’s quite likely multiple roles will provide the same one, providing less incentive to choose your first level in that role.

  New Core Abilities

  Alternatively, you may wish to create a new core ability for the new role. There’s no exact system for the design of core abilities. Instead, use the following guidelines and examples to help you design a suitable core ability.

  • Core abilities generally enhance the use of Conviction, either improving a normal use or allowing the hero to spend Conviction for an additional effect. This help to set a limit on how often the core ability can be used.
  • Core abilities are slightly more effective than feats since each hero only gets one, whereas roles accumulate many feats. A core ability generally shouldn’t do something that a feat already does.
  • Core abilities tend to focus on the role’s core, what that role is about. For example, warriors have Determination because a warrior is all about being able to fight and win. Experts have Expertise because they’re all about being skilled. Try to fit the core ability to the role’s core concept.
  • Core abilities that do not require the spending of Conviction are possible, but should be more limited and not generally under the player’s control. This allows the Narrator to decide how often the core ability comes into play and prevents it from being abused. Such “passive” core abilities usually involve resistance to some effect or condition. If it’s something the player can choose to “activate” in play, it should probably require the spending of Conviction.

  Sample Core Abilities

  Here are some sample new core abilities you can use in building new roles, or as examples when creating new core abilities of your own.

  Amazing Save

  Choose your Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throw; when rolling saves for the chosen saving throw, roll two dice and use the better of the two rolls. This core ability cannot apply to Toughness saves. If you spend Conviction to re-roll a save, roll only one die and compare it to the better of your original two rolls.

  Common Sense

  It may not be that common, but you’ve got it. Whenever you’re about to do something foolish or downright stupid, the Narrator must warn you, usually with something along the lines of “Are you sure you really want to do that?” Based on this, you may choose a different course of action. Common Sense doesn’t cost Conviction, but it’s also not under your control.

  Extraordinary Effort

  By spending a point of Conviction when you use extra effort, you gain any two benefits rather than having to choose just one. If you choose the same benefit twice, its effectiveness increases by 50%, giving +3 to a check bonus or tripling your carrying capacity or movement speed. For the Willpower benefit, you make two additional saves rather than one. You still suffer the fatigue of the extra effort normally.

  Higher Guidance

  Sometimes you just know things; there seems to be a higher power watching over you. You can spend a point of Conviction to ask the Narrator a direct question and get a truthful answer, although the Narrator’s reply may be brief (often just a “yes” or “no”). The Narrator may choose not to answer if it would adversely affect the flow of the game, in which case you get your Conviction point back.

  Higher Purpose

  You serve a higher purpose or calling. It might be a nationality, religion, philosophy, or anything else approved by the Narrator but it cannot be an achievable goal, such as “destroy the Lich King” or “wipe out crime in the city.” When faced with a challenge directly related to your Higher Purpose, you may spend a Conviction point to gain either two feats or a single power (with a Fast Power Progression equal to your total level) you can use for the duration of the encounter or scene. The feats or power are chosen when you acquire this ability and cannot be changed. If you ever abandon your purpose, you lose the use of this core ability. The Dedicated feat (page 45) is quite common for heroes with this core ability. Once chosen, your Higher Purpose cannot be changed.

  Option: Ability Progression

  As with feat progression, True20 assumes a standard progression in ability bonuses by level. This progression does not vary according to role in the core rules; all heroes progress at the same rate. You may wish to allow different ability bonus progressions for roles strongly focused on self-improvement, such as athletes who gain in Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution, rigorous scholars or academics who improve Intelligence and Wisdom, or public figures who focus on improving Charisma. The ability progression options are: Even if variable ability progressions are available, heroes are still limited to

  Ability Progression Cost

  Progression Cost

  +1 per six levels (default) 0 points

  +1 per five levels 0.25 points

  +1 per four levels 0.5 points

  +1 per three levels 1 point a maximum of +5 in an ability, modified by their background. Even a role that offers a +1 ability bonus per 3 levels, for example, can’t add the entire

  +6 bonus over 18 levels to a single ability! The Narrator may wish to impose other restrictions on ability progression bonuses to suit the game.

  Fearless

  You are completely immune to effects that cause fear (including supernatural powers like Heart Shaping) and to the effects of the Intimidate skill, unless the user’s total level is at least four greater than yours. You can also eliminate a fear-induced condition from an ally at any time by spending a point of Conviction and standing up to the source of the fear (often with a rousing speech or a simple statement like “We’re not afraid of you!”).

  Ultimate Trait

  Choose an ability score, skill, or saving throw; when making a check using that trait, you can spend a point of Conviction and automatically treat your die roll as a 20. Note this is not considered a “natural” 20, but otherwise works like a die result of 20. For example, if you have Ultimate Strength, you can spend a point of Conviction on a Strength check and just add 20 to your Strength bonus rather than rolling the die. Ultimate Abilities do not improve the use of skills based on those abilities; having Ultimate Strength doesn’t affect your Climb or Swim skill checks, for example, just raw Strength checks. This is true even when using a skill untrained, applying just the ability modifier.

  Ordinaries and Role Creation

  The Ordinary role is limited to Narrator characters and is not designed for balance compared to the heroic roles. In essence, Ordinary grants only a Skill Progression of 4 per level and doesn’t have a Combat, Normal Save Progression, (since Ordinary saves don’t improve with level) or Feat Progression.

  At the Narrator’s option, an Ordinary may choose to exchange a level of the usual Skill Progression for a different trait with a value of 1 Progression Point (that of the 4 + Int Skill Progression). So, for example, an Ordinary attaining 3rd-level could trade the usual skill ranks for that level for a general feat (the only category Ordinaries can access by default), a level of Slow Combat Progression, Good Save Progression, or Slow Power Progression (although the character would also need to exchange a level of Skill Progression for one or more powers to make use of this). This allows higher-level Ordinaries to gain some variety and one or two interesting “tricks” they may have picked up along the way.

  Note that you can achieve this effect just as easily (and more effectively) by giving the Ordinary one or more heroic role levels. This option is intended for minor tweaks to Ordinary progression. For an ex-soldier turned ordinary citizen, you’re still best off with a mixed-role Warrior/ Ordinary character.

  Some settings might even call for applying the Ordinary role to heroes, in order to limit their progression and make them less heroic and more, well, ordinary. This particularly suits genres like horror, where heroes are often otherwise ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances (see Chapter Twelve for details) and later acquiring levels in one or more heroic roles.

  The Heroic Roles

  Here’s a breakdown of the three heroic roles according to the Progressions in this chapter, showing how they are constructed. Use them as examples for creating new roles: Adept

  Combat Progression: Slow (2 points)

  Skill Progression: 4 + Int (1 point)

  Save Progression: Good Will, Normal Fortitude and Reflex (0 points)

  Power Progression: Fast, Unlimited (2 points)

  Core Ability: The Talent (page 19)

  The adept role’s clear focus is on powers, the role’s highest Progression, and on breadth of powers as well, since adepts have the entire power list to choose from by default. Their core ability supports this too, allowing them to use powers untrained and shrug off the fatigue of wielding their various abilities.

  Expert

  Combat Progression: Medium (3 points)

  Skill Progression: 8 + Int (2 points)

  Save Progression: One Good, Two Normal (0 points)

  Power Progression: None (0 points)

  Core Ability: Expertise (page 20)

  The expert is a good overall role. Its focus is on Skill Progression, which is good but not so high that the other Progressions suffer. A variant expert who’s more bookish and less of an adventurer might trade a Slow

  Combat Progression for an even better Skill Progression (12 + Int) or a Slow Power Progression (for a “dabbler” in supernatural powers with a lot of knowledge and supporting skills).

  Warrior

  Combat Progression: Fast (4 points) Skill Progression: 4 + Int (1 point) Power Progression: None (0 points) Core Ability: Determination (page 21)

  It’s no mystery where this role’s focus lies: the Fast Combat Progression says it all. The warrior has the ability to fight well, with a point invested in a decent Skill Progression to provide adventuring skills needed in the field. The warrior’s core ability is all about surviving the next fight and having an edge over less determined foes.

  Sample Customized Roles

  The following are examples of custom-built roles using the guidelines in this chapter. They are suitable for use alongside existing True20 roles. By way of example, these roles use some of the new core abilities described previously.

  Priest

  Combat Progression: Medium (3 points)

  Skill Progression: 4 + Int (1 point)

  Save Progression: Medium Fortitude and Will, Normal Reflex (0 points)

  Power Progression: Medium, Broad (1 point)

  Feat Access: Adept

  Core Ability: Higher Guidance

  The priest is a kind of fantasy generalist: a decent combatant with solid Fortitude and Will saves and access to a broad selection of supernatural powers suitable to the priest’s patron god or pantheon, usually including powers like Cure and Ward (against the faith’s enemies). Traditionally, priestly powers rely on Wisdom; priests use their Higher Guidance to help make wise choices for themselves and their allies.

  Martial Artist

  Combat Progression: Unarmed Fast (2 points), Armed Medium (1.5 points), using the option for Split Combat Progressions.

  Skill Progression: 4 + Int (1 point)

  Save Progression: All Medium (0.25 points)

  Power Progression: Slow, Narrow (0.25 points)

  Feat Access: Expert, with Improved Strike as a standard feat at 1st level.

  Core Ability: Amazing Reflex Save

  The martial artist is a specialized warrior focusing on unarmed combat, becoming a kind of “living weapon.” The role’s unarmed Combat bonus equals that of a warrior, although its skill with weapons lags behind. The role also has access to a narrow set of powers involving enhancing the body and unarmed abilities, including Body Control, Enhance Ability, Enhance Senses, Supernatural Speed, and Supernatural Strike.

  Holy Warrior

  Combat Progression: Fast (4 points)

  Skill Progression: 2 + Int (0.5 points)

  Save Progression: Medium Fortitude and Will, Normal Reflex (0 points)

  Power Progression: Medium, Narrow (0.5 points)

  Feat Access: Warrior

  Core Ability: Higher Purpose

  The holy warrior combines the martial skills of a warrior with access to a narrow set of powers suited to the role’s devotion to a particular deity or pantheon—essentially a narrow subset of the priest’s broad powers. Holy Warriors are better fighters than priests, but have fewer skills and less access to powers overall. They also lack access to power-modifying adept feats, having combat-oriented warrior feats instead. They’re front- line fighters against the enemies of their Higher Purpose.