Possible RP useage

[Cadeyrn]

Now I'll first say that I've been ditering whether or not to even bring this up, but finally deciding it can't hurt here goes.

I've been playing EB since 0.74, so it's been a while. Not long after 0.8 I began to try and find a decent way to combine the wealth of historical knowledge with my hobby of role-playing. It was only a few months ago that I found a system, apart from freeform, which to my mind could work somewhat without to much in the way of timewasting number crunching. Sure the system was originally created for, of all things, superhero role-playing, but it's flexible enough to be used for pretty much anything if one can tolerate a certain degree of grainuality.

I've been using the system for a while to simulate a wide range of different characters and posting the statistics on a different forum, the systems own sponsored forum as a matter of fact, and gained some measure of recognition amongst the different individuals involved in simular activity. The main reason for this recognition is the fact that I tackle historical figures and troops, both because I like doing it and because I figure I might as well spread a little bit of increased knowledge about the past and possibly increase peoples interest in it.

What I'm slowly, somewhat ramblingly coming to here is that I figure since I've used more than a little from EB in my work I might as well share it with you. Almost all of the Historical figures I've given statistics come from at least around the time leading up to and during the EB time-frame and geographical area, so why not let the experts pick at what they can in the builds and formats.

I know that hardly anyone, if anyone at all actually, here on the forum is going to be familiar enough with the system itself to help with the mechanics of it, but the historical knowledge is certainly something I could use a bit of help with. I'd rather be corrected by experts here than go about spreading, well I suppose false will have to suffice, information. If anyone desires a specific character or warrior type made I'll likely have a shot at it.

A few examples of the work I've done thus far, I'm still working on a decent set of Historical Notes to include.
Cyrus the Great: I felt he deserved to get a bit of recognition given the fact that there's a couple of 300 builds to be seen.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Kurush Wusurg – Cyrus the Great (50<60 years old) PL 11 – 283pts

“O man, whoever you are and wherever you come from, for I know you will come, I am Cyrus who won the Persians their empire. Do not therefore grudge me this little earth that covers my body.” – Inscription on the Tomb of Cyrus the Great
“He eclipsed all other monarchs, either before him, or since. No matter whom he conquered, he would inspire in them a deep longing to please him, and to bask in his good opinion. They found themselves longing to be guided by his rulings – his, and no one else’s.” – Xenophon, Athenian soldier, mercenary, and historian (431 – 355 BCE)
Abilities – 58pts
Strength 18 +4
Dexterity 14 +2
Constitution 17 +3
Intelligence 20 +5
Wisdom 23 +6
Charisma 26 +8

Saves – 20pts
Toughness +9/+6 (+6/+3 Flatfooted)
Fortitude +7
Reflex +8
Will +16

Combat – 52pts
Attack +14
Damage +7 (Sword/Bow)
Defence +12 (+6 Flatfooted)
Grapple +18
Initiative +6

Feats – 76pts
Accurate Attack
All-out Attack
Ambidexterity
Assessment
Beginner’s Luck
Benefit 20: Status [Emperor of Persia, King of Kings, King of Arkkad, King of the Medians, King of Babylon, High-Autocrat (?) of Ionia, King of Lydia, High Chief of the Saka, a dozen or so other titles, including Favoured of the Gods]
Connected
Contacts
Defensive Attack
Defensive Roll 3
Eidetic Memory
Endurance
Environmental Adaptation 2: Steppe, High Altitude
Equipment 4
Fascinate 2[Diplomacy] [Perform: Oratory]
Favoured Environment 2: Mounted
Improved Aim
Improved Block 2
Improved Critical: Bow
Improved Critical: Sword
Improved Disarm 2
Improved Initiative
Improved Pin
Improved Throw
Inspire 5
Leadership
Luck 2
Master Plan
Move-by Action
Power Attack
Precise Shot
Redirect
Second Chance 4 [Diplomacy] [Sense Motive] [Bluff] [Ride]
Startle
Takedown Attack
Teamwork
Track
Weapon Bind
Well-Informed

Equipment – 18ep
Armour [Protection 3] – 3ep
Sword [Strike 3, Mighty, Improved Critical] – 5ep
Bow [Blast 3, Mighty 4] – 10ep

Skills 308/4=78pts
Acrobatics 8 (+10)
Bluff 12 (+20)
Climb 8 (+12)
Concentration 8 (+12)
Diplomacy 15 (+23)
Escape Artist 8 (+10)
Gather Information 15 (+23)
Handle Animal 8 (+16)
Intimidate 12 (+20)
Knowledge: Arcane Lore 6 (+11)
Knowledge: Behavioral Science 8 (+13)
Knowledge: Business 12 (+17)
Knowledge: Civics 12 (+17)
Knowledge: Current Events 6 (+11)
Knowledge: Earth Sciences 8 (+13)
Knowledge: History 12 (+17)
Knowledge: Life Sciences 6 (+11)
Knowledge: Physical Sciences 8 (+13)
Knowledge: Tactics 8 (+13)
Knowledge: Technology 8 (+13)
Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 10 (+15)
Language 12: Armenian, Median, Saka, Greek, Coptic, Hebrew, Babylonian, Phonician, Syrian, Lydian, Hyrkanian, Skythian (Base: Persian)
Notice 12 (+18)
Perform: Dance 6 (+14)
Perform: Oratory 12 (+20)
Perform: Singing 6 (+14)
Profession: Herdsman 4 (+10)
Ride 15 (+17)
Search 12 (+7)
Sense Motive 15 (+21)
Stealth 8 (+10)
Survival 8 (+14)
Swim 8 (+12)

Complications
Responsibility: His People
The Truth: May not lie, though any other means of decieving are alright.
Freedom for All: Does no abide slavery (in the ancient world this is actually big enough a thing to be worth a complication)
Fame

Notes: Here’s Cyrus as I see him, and he’s a social monster. His charisma is almost unbelievable (going by the core book’s guidelines at least), and his social skills are pretty much maxed out. The only thing I feel I might have overdone, though just slightly, is his degree of combat skill, but given that it was one aspect needed in good amounts for the Aryan nobility and that one of the pieces of regalia was a warbow I’d say it’s warranted.
Looking over his stats it should be pretty clear that he was one of the greatest men to have ever lived, and if I ever get around to actually making such a list of sorts he’ll easily make it into the top three.

Indian Longbowmen: These guys have apparently been useful for at least one fella over at the other forum and helped him out with setting a game in India.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"The Indian armies during the Maurya period had multiple "layers". The core of the army was a professional standing force that was paid from the state treasurey and equipped by the armoury. The second layer were 'sreni' or guilds of professional soldiers (essentially mercenaries) who were also paid by the treasury and had access to top quality equipment. Neither of these two groups had to worry about availability of equipment.

A third layer were 'allied' troops provided by client states or neighbouring tribal areas. These were typically comprised of warriors (ksatriyas or their equivalent social class), who would have to provide for their own weapons (which were often hereditary).

It was only the fourth layer, the territorial levy, who would have come from a spectrum of social classes (including the vysyas = merchants) and had difficulty procuring good equipment. So the vast majority of the army (except during exceptional times when a full strength force of 200,000-600,000 was called up) would be well equipped.

The noble/warrior class (Ksatriyas) believed that archery was the noblest form of warfare and spent a lifetime training in archery. Predictably archer units formed the core of the infantry in an army, and with the abundance of quality iron and high skill metallurgy two-handed swords were commonplace since metal armour was punishing to wear."

"Historically, the longbowmen of India were a famous and fearsome force, utilized by every effective army ever mobilized in the region - even Alexander the Great took advantage of their easy availability, receiving a number of them in the levy contingents from his newly acquired vassal kings. A century later, as the Baktrian Kings became more settled and grew into the roles of a "Raja," as opposed to a traditional Hellenic Basileos, such archers became a more regular component of their native levy - probably freeing most Hellenes from the lower orders of the psiloi, in order to concentrate them in their "national" phalanx. Even the archery-oriented Saka used them to augment their own foot archers, or to support their cavalry divisions, expanded as more and more cultivated land came under their power. Forunately for the Baktrians, Saka, and even the occassional non-regional power to invade India, longbowmen are a regular feature of the local military infrastructure, and easily accessable to anyone."

Hindus Patiyodha “Indian Longbowmen” PL 6 – 58pts Minion 4

Abilities – 15pts
Strength 16 +3
Dexterity 13 +1
Constitution 14 +2
Intelligence 10 +0
Wisdom 12 +1
Charisma 10 +0

Saves – 8pts
Toughness +3 (+2 Flatfooted)
Fortitude +5
Reflex +4
Will +3/+7

Combat – 20pts
Attack +6 (Ranged) +4 (Melee)
Damage +7 (Two-handed Indian sword) +6 (Longbow)
Defence +6 (+3 flatfooted)
Grapple +7
Initiative +1

Feats – 8pts
Attack Focus Ranged 2
Dedicated
Defensive Roll
Endurance
Equipment 3

Equipment – 15ep
Indian Two-handed sword [Strike 4, Mighty, Improved Critical]
Longbow [Blast (Ranged Damage) 3, Mighty]

Skills 28/4=7pts
Climb 2 (+5)
Intimidate 2 (+2)
Notice 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+5)
Survival 2 (+3)
Swim 2 (+5)
8 more skill points to spend on life-skills

That's basically it for the moment, if anyone wishes for me to continue I'll do so. Any critique is welcome, though the constructive kind most of all quite naturally, and any offers help with the historical notes is certainly appreciated.

[Bootsiuv]

Hmmm, I would just recommend that, since it looks like you're using some of EB's units, you give proper recognition on the "card", or whatever they're set up as.

Aside from that I have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on, but it does look interesting.

*remembers magic fondly, aaaah, the good old days*

[shlin28]

*Gah! Horrible Dungeons&Dragons flashback!*

Er, I mean, great work. But I have always hated D&D, too complicated for a simple person like me

[NightStar]

Luckily I just play G.U.R.P.S, and they list all the number crunching I need for my historical campaigns in books like Rome, Greece, Egypt, Celtic Myths and etc.

[Tiberius Nero]

Those are 3d edition DD mechanics, right? Well, unless Cyrus is a demigod in whatever setting you intend to use him (I do assume you intend to set up an RPG campaign/chronicle in historical times, otherwise why do all that?), his stats are hugely overblown. Not every historical celebrity has to be a level 20 fighter/paladin/mage/priest/omgwtfbbquer like the guy on paper above.

The Indians are ok, although the average soldier wouldn't have 16 strength imo, 14 is ok (16 is supposed to be very good).

IF you are usind DD 3d edition, that is...

[Cadeyrn]

Nope, it isn't 3rd Ed. DnD stats. The system in question is 2nd Ed Mutants and Masterminds, which has a number of differences to DnD though it still uses the most basic of D20 mechanics.

A couple of points in regards to it.

Ability scores, within the natural human range, go from a mere 3 to 25/26. As with DnD 10-11 is judged to be around average with scores up to 15/16 being not very uncommon. Anyone who has archery as a at least somewhat significant part of their life is going to be up there, if not above it. It's likely you all know someone who'd qualify for a 16-18 score in at least one ability. Up in the 20+ range though the number of people qualifying start to dry up fairly quickly, a famed strong-man might get up to 21 or 22, but anyone who goes higher than that is truly exceptional. Cyrus got his incredible charisma score because I figured he, if anyone, deserves to be classified as one of the best throughout history.

Skills and combat capabilities generally go roughly as follows.
0: Untrained, hardly any talent at all either.
1-4: Basic skill, possibly with some amount of innate talent or in rare cases simple a great deal of pure talent. Most militia troops would fall into this, and semi-professionals might well end up here too.
5-8: Professional degree, purely talent isn't going to get one this far without some training. High-grade militia, well-drilled and trained soldiers, high-grade warriors are likely to fit into this skill span.
9-12: Expert, a good deal of training and at least some innate talent is likely needed to get his far. Naturally most elite troops end up here, though some don't quite qualify or are simply even better.
13-15: Anyone here is easily regarded as a master of the skill in question. Few troops of any kind are going to be found here, though the best of the best do surface here.
16+: Undisputed mastery, extraordinarily talent is generally required to qualify. If found in any army this degree of combat skill would likely be harnessed for the royal, or equivilant, guard and leaders/trainers of such groups.

Hope that helps at least somewhat at the moment. I'll try and serve up a description of how combat works differently later on, but at the moment my head is slightly woozy or, how to say, fuzzy due to me being somewhat sick.

But so you might see a slightly more "normal", though less known to the forum, figure I'll include another build here at the end.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Qin Shi Huang Di – The First Emperor (Of the Qin Dynasty) PL 7 – 134pts
Abilities – 38pts
Strength 14 +2
Dexterity 12 +1
Constitution 16 +3
Intelligence 19 +4
Wisdom 18 +4
Charisma 19 +4

Saves – 14pts
Toughness +6/+3
Fortitude +7
Reflex +5
Will +10

Combat – 32pts
Attack +8
Damage +5 (Sword) +4 (Crossbow) +3 (Knife)
Defence +8 (+4 Flatfooted)
Grapple +10
Initiative +1

Feats – 8pts
Benefit: First August Sovereign Emperor of China
Connected
Contacts
Equipment 4
Master Plan
Taunt
Well-Informed

Equipment – 20ep
Armour [Protection 3] – 3ep
Crossbow [Blast 4, Improved Critical] – 9ep
Knife [Strike 1, Mighty, Improved Critical] – 3ep
Sword [Strike 3, Mighty, Improved Critical] – 5ep

Skills – 168/4=42pts
Climb 4 (+6)
Bluff 10 (+14)
Diplomacy 8 (+12)
Gather Information 8 (+12)
Intimidate 12 (+16)
Knowledge: Arcane Lore 4 (+8)
Knowledge: Business 8 (+12)
Knowledge: Civics 10 (+14)
Knowledge: Current Events 8 (+12)
Knowledge: Earth Science 6 (+10)
Knowledge: History 8 (+12)
Knowledge: Physical Science 4 (+8)
Knowledge: Tactics 12 (+16)
Knowledge: Technology 8 (+12)
Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 8 (+12)
Notice 8 (+12)
Perform: Oratory 12 (+16)
Ride 8 (+9)
Search 6 (+10)
Sense Motive 12 (+16)
Survival 4 (+8)
Swim 4 (+6)

Notes: This is Shi Huang Di not particularly long after uniting China, he’s still fairly fit and skilled from his years fighting and leading his armies and hasn’t yet begun to deteriorate in his mental health. He’s somewhat paranoid however and is the only non-guard allowed to bear arms within the court, and he’s also the only one who can mobilise any of the soldiers present. This has lead to him having to fight of at least one assassination attempt on his own.