To Catch a thief: post 2 Rolemaster

Post 2 in my "Making a thief in an assortment of different game systems." series.
Here is a link to Post number 1, featuring Pathfinder 2 Core. Including a general description of the project.

Here we are with Rolemaster.

Copyright 1982, 84, 85, 89.

General Design & Development: S. Coleman Charlton & Peter C. Fenlon Jr., Character Law Design: Coleman Charlton and Pete Fenlon

let's Roll:

This game has a life in my head. I remember seeing it back in the early 90's at a store called dragon's den. It was oddly packaged in a 3-ring binder format, (like some of the old monster manuals.) I leafed through it and read the critical hit tables and was instantly enamored with the game. however, it was several books, and none of them were cheap. I never owned it.

I did at one point own the "space Master" boxed set. the sci-fi sister to the fantasy game. I never played it. It was just too dense, just too hard to pull together for a kid used to paying Basic D&D.

Fast forward 20+ years and PDF's are pretty easy to purchase and old games are always popping back up. I have my hands on role master.

From the introduction:

"Rolemaster,.... is designed to be used as a complete advanced fantasy role playing (FRP) system or as individual component systems: Arms Law & Claw Law®, Character Law & Campaign Law"', and Spell Law®. It is suitable for experienced garners who want guidelines and material to inject into their own existing game systems and world systems, as well as for those who are looking for a realistic yet playable fantasy role playing system. It contains complete rules for handling most the situations that arise in FRP games. A variety of tables add a great deal of flavor and detail to a game without significantly decreasing playability."

 

Let me state right away. This older version of the game is not conducive to PDF. It took forever to make a simple level 1 character. Most of the frustration (and there were plenty) were not coming from the baroque rule set, but from maneuvering a non-bookmarked PDF. I found myself wishing for a physical copy more than once. Now that I have made one character it would probably go twice as fast if I were to make another. However, I still cannot say if I did everything correctly.

the basics are pretty straight forward. 

• Pick Race Get some attribute bonuses.
• Pick Professions: Determines how much each skill costs per rank, and what your prime requisite attributes are. 
• Pick a realm of magic, everyone has one...Even if my character below didn't embrace it.
  
  
• Roll attributes on d100, toss anything less than 20 roll again. these are your starting attributes.
• Raise both of your prime requisites to 90..
• Look at a chart to tell you what your attribute bonuses are. For example, a 99 is +20 while a 90 is +10
  
  
• Roll for each attribute on a chart to determine your maximum attribute potential. These numbers are the highest your attributes can go through character development.
• reference some of your attributes on a chart to get your number of Development. points.
  
  
• Spend development points on skills you learned before you started adventuring.
• Spend points again from your apprentice skills...
• Each skill rank gets you a +5-skill rank bonus.
  
  
• Add the skill rank bonuses and the attribute bonus together to come up with your total bonuses.
  
  
• figure out your hit points and defensive bonuses.
• Get equipment.
  
  
• Done.

I mean that really is pretty much it. It's no more complex than pathfinder was earlier in the week. The difference is that series of events send a person all over the PDF like a squirrel looking for nuts it hid last November. In that comparison the advancements in lay out Knowlege, and the advent digital publishing are incredibly evident. 30 years makes a big difference.

Design wise I think Rolmaster is clever and was way ahead of its time. 

The main Idea is that any character can learn anything, the player just needs to be willing to pay for it. So, thief can learn to use a pole arm, but it's going to cost. 

When a skill says 1/3 under cost that means it can go up twice in a level, the first rank costs 1 point and the second rank costs 3 points...
Want your warrior to sneak that's 2/5 For a thief it's cheaper at 1/3. 
Want a warrior to have a rank in spell casting that's 20 points flat for one rank! And the warrior can only get one rank per level.
For a wizard spell list are 1 point per level. A solid 20 times less expensive.

It's elegant, and once the reader learns to find chart 15.2.1 on page 45 it's really quite easy. The player can build out the character they want over time. Knowing quite clearly the tradeoffs they will have to make.
On the character bellow I left my points spent and all that showing. 

A new character buys 2 levels worth of skills Thier adolescent skills which they learned early in life, and their Apprentice sills which take them to level 1.

Here is the character... 
Extra comments in BLUE

Name: TERRY-THIEF OLOFSON
Thief, +2 Per level on all weapon attacks (Max of +40) This is a flat thief bonus.
Prime Reqs: Quickness and Agility (Auto increase to 90)
Magic Type: realm Mentalism I did not buy any rank in spell lists, so this is kind of pointless.

	Development?	Potential	Temporary / current	Notes
Strength		85	43	Bonus +5 (human)
Constitution	D	95	95	Development P (9) bonus on d100 +10
Quickness		90	90	Prime requisite upped to 90 from bonus +10
Agility	D	99	99	Development P (9) Bonus d100 +20
Intuition		95	53
Empathy		81	42
Memory	D	82	82	Development P (7) bonus on d100 +10
reasoning	D	92	76	Development P (7) bonus on d100 +5
Presence		92	82
Self-Discipline	D	42	42	Development P (5) Bonus +5 (Human)

Base Concussion Hits: CON/10 =9 + Body Development 3 levels = 25, for a Total of (34)
Total Hit Points: (38) Get your Con bonus as a % bonus to Hit Points... the game has a very roundabout way of saying that.

Offense Bonus: +2(Level Combat bonus) +25 daggers = Pluss 27
Defensive Bonus: +10 (armor and armor skill?) Armor type 9 (I'm still not sure how to figure armor and defense I need to re-read that section.)

RESISTANCE ROLLS: This character is weak to magic... generally.

ESSANCE 0
CHANNELING 0
MENTALISM 0
POINSON +10
DISEASE +10
TERROR FEAR: +5  

Round to soul departure 12 / I love that tis stat exists... if the character dies the party has 12 rounds to revive them or their soul leaves their body forever...based on race.
recovery multiplier 1
languages 2, (common and Elf)
Maximum number of hits average con 120

Skills: 37 Development points per level: (Adolecent and Apprenticeship development complete.)

Skill	Cost	Points spent. (2 levels)	Rank	Bonus	Attribute	Total
One handed edge	2.7	19	4	+20	+5 human	+25 OBS
One Handed Crush	4	0	0	-25	+5 human	-20
Two handed.	4	0	0	-25	+5 human	-20
bows	3/8	11	2	+10	+20 ag	+30
thrown	4	0	0	-25	+20 ag	-5
Pole arm	6	0	0	-25	+5 human	-20
Climb	2/5	2	1	+5	+20 ag	+25
Swim	1/3	0	0	-25	+20 ag	-5
ride	2/6	0	0	-25	EM	-25
Disarm Trap	1/3	5	3	15	In/ag +5	+20
Pick Lock	1/3	5	3	+15	In/ag/ RE +5	+20
Stalk and hide.	1/3	8	4	+20	+20 Ag	+40
perception	1/3	1	1	+5	IN	+5
Ambush	3/8	6	2	+10	Spec	+10
Linguistics	3/*	0	0	-25		-25
Adrenal move	2/6	0	0	-25		-25
Adrenal defense	20	0	0	-25		-25
Martial arts	3/7	0	0	-25		-25
Body development	3/7	13	3	+3d10		Rolled 9,9,7 =25
Soft leather maneuvers	1/*	5	5	+25	+20 Ag	+45?

The "Total Column is what I would be adding or subtracting to my rolls if I were playing this character. 
the character can sneak quite well.
Has good hit points.
Should NEVER ride a horse.
Good with a short bow.
Fair at picking locks and disarming traps. Will get better over time. Can use the ambush move which is basically backstab.

Equipment: i Just piece this together. I can do equipment more fully at another time... 

4 Daggers: 1hs/th  BF 195+ Fumble 01 Strength 18

Leather armor Breast plate AT 9