Some questions from a Novus Newbie

[Ashtara]

Okay I've looked through the game book more now and made my first character and I have some queries to ask the minds of this fantastic game.

1) This is about Classes and the Combat Training Talents - Classes either have 1, 2, or 3 Hits Per Level. Are the listed Hits Per Level from the Combat Training I or II Talents listed in those classes that have those Talents. This question applies to Favored Combat Skills as well available to choose in the Class description. I ask because the Combat Training Talents say those with these Talents either gain 2 or 3 Favored Combat Skills (depending on if its CT I or II) and also the Hits Per Level. Are the CT Talents already factored into the Class information or are they separate?

2) What was your system for creating the Monster Stats in the Monster Chapter? I am asking because I want to create my own wonderful beasties to throw at my players and see them scream in their pants as their characters stand and fight --- or run away screaming home to their moms...

[Ashtara]

4) What are the official stat modifiers for Half-Orcs? In the copy I have of Novus the Half-Orcs have a total bonus of +6 and negative total of -3 which doesn't follow the paradigm of +5/-5 for all medium sized races. In the one I have they have -2 Charisma, +3 Con, +3 Str and -1 Wisdom.

[imported_Rasyr]

Okay I've looked through the game book more now and made my first character and I have some queries to ask the minds of this fantastic game.

1) This is about Classes and the Combat Training Talents - Classes either have 1, 2, or 3 Hits Per Level. Are the listed Hits Per Level from the Combat Training I or II Talents listed in those classes that have those Talents. This question applies to Favored Combat Skills as well available to choose in the Class description. I ask because the Combat Training Talents say those with these Talents either gain 2 or 3 Favored Combat Skills (depending on if its CT I or II) and also the Hits Per Level. Are the CT Talents already factored into the Class information or are they separate?

Yes, those are all figured into the class descriptions.

2) What was your system for creating the Monster Stats in the Monster Chapter? I am asking because I want to create my own wonderful beasties to throw at my players and see them scream in their pants as their characters stand and fight --- or run away screaming home to their moms...



I kept it relatively simple actually. Start with the monster's stats. Then give a bonus of +2 to all skills (as their background). Primary attack bonus gets and additional +2 while secondary gets +1 (usually this is melee as primary), with this bonus being applied to the few weapon skills that they are given DEF is the same as  PCs. The skills then get +1 per level that the creature has.

Some creatures get additional bonuses -- for example, Kobolds, being small like Halflings, get a bonus to DEF and Stealth

3) What was your system for creating new Classes? I want to create my own of these as well.



Again, I kept things simple. Each class gets 7 favored skills to start with (something like all instances of a single skill, such as Magecraft costs 2 Favored slots -- Combat Skills and Spellcasting are never made Favored in this manner). Then you give them approximately 25 points worth of class abilities. Although most of the classes are 25 points, there are a couple with 26 points and one with only 24 points. Try to keep it within that range.

I really like Novus and I want to create my own things for this game. Just by glancing through the Combat Moves I can see an entire Martial Arts combat sourcebook for this game. 



Glad that you like it. 

4) What are the official stat modifiers for Half-Orcs? In the copy I have of Novus the Half-Orcs have a total bonus of +6 and negative total of -3 which doesn't follow the paradigm of +5/-5 for all medium sized races. In the one I have they have -2 Charisma, +3 Con, +3 Str and -1 Wisdom.

Half-races follow a +/-3 paradigm normally, while the full-blooded raced follow the +/-3. Half-races also start with one extra language, and three racial abilities (culled from the abilities of both parents), although at a slightly lesser strength than the full-blooded.

Half-Orcs gain a bonus to Strength and Con from one of their racial abilities (already figured into those stat modifiers). However, the racial ability that provides that bonus to stats WILL be changing as I work to balance the races a little bit more (right now, Dwarves are slightly under powered and Half-Orcs over-powered) The change to the Sturdy Build ability will reduce the modifier to Strength by 1 point, and reduce the number of extra Hits that they receive from 10 to 5.

This will make their final stat modifiers be -2 Charisma, +3 Con (+2 Natural, +1 Sturdy Build), +2 Str (+1 Natural, +1 Strength), and -1 Wisdom

That clear things up any?

[Ashtara]

Yes very. Thank you for your answers. I appreciate it. 

[Ashtara]

Okay more on making  monsters:

1) How do you determine Hits for monsters - from looking at all of them these seem wildly across the board and not really influenced by level at all, same for determining Armor Rating. Does size play a factor in determining how you came up with the Hits for your monsters and animals? Or if they are Animals, Magical Beasts, Undead, Dragon, etc...does type of monster have an effect on the determination of Hits and Armor Rating?

I don't know if this has been caught yet but on page 77 with the Grimalkin (Devil) it has a 97 Attack Bonus with its Claws.

[imported_Rasyr]

Monster Hits -- I used the following formula (which brings up the fact that I do need to fix it...):

(Con stat * 2) + (level *(Con Stat Bonus + 5))

However, I need to adjust this so that it is as follows:

Con stat + 20 + (level *(Con Stat Bonus + 3))

This will reduce the number of hits that most creatures have (a few will increase hits).

Also, the Grimalkin should have an AB of 9 (it used to be 7 before I made the last correction, so that is essentially a "putting in the 9 without removing the 7" typo).

ARs were done by feel. Basically, I compared how tough I thought that their skin would be (compared to armor) and gave them that as their AR. Sentient beings, you will notice, have ARs determined by their actual armor worn .

[Ashtara]

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[samwise7]

You should put those formulas in the core rules too. 

[imported_Rasyr]

You should put those formulas in the core rules too. 



The second formula is how PCs determine hit points now (note: the 3 is actually a 1, 2, or 3 for players, depending upon how many hits they get per level).