Low-Point Dungeon Fantasy RPG Option 4: Freeform

I want starting PCs in the Whiterock campaign to use about 150 points + 25 disadvantage points and 5 quirk points, which doesn't fit the 250-point templates in DFRPG: Adventurers, so I've been looking at various other templating options that scale down in power.  I looked at Dungeon Fantasy on the Cheap, Dungeon Fantasy 15 Henchmen, and Five Easy Pieces.  And now I want to talk about the thing that originally drew me to GURPS many years ago: freeform point-based character generation without templates.

Traditionally, in GURPS, the GM sets a point limit and a disadvantage limit, and says which traits are allowed and which are off-limits, and then the players go make whatever characters they want within those limits.  (Or sometimes the GM gives an incomplete set of rules up front but reserves veto power for characters he finds annoying or abusive, and the rules emerge over time.)  No classes, no templates, just points.  This can be a bit overwhelming to some players, because the GURPS books are big and there are a lot of choices.  So templates were invented to constrain choices, speed character generation, and (sometimes) to funnel PCs into stereotypical niches.  I think templates are great if they're optional; if they help you, use them, and if they don't, don't.  But the Dungeon Fantasy line is unusual in recommending that the templates be mandatory, and I'm not sure that's such a great idea.  I don't think real people fall into narrow niches, and I don't think good characters in heroic fantasy usually fall into them either, and I think mandatory templates throw away one of the great things about GURPS.

And I believe it's entirely possible to make perfectly good DFRPG characters without templates.  The DFRPG books are smaller than the GURPS books, since they're aimed at just one genre.  And making templates optional doesn't mean players can't use them if they want; it just means that if they want to remove Mimicry (Bird Calls) from their Scout and add Lockpicking instead, that's okay.

So I think the best answer to which 150-point templates to use is "whichever you want, or none if you prefer."  The freedom is a bit more work for the players, who have more options for their characters when building them and when coordinating with the other players.  And it's a bit more work for the GM, who has to review and approve beyond "yep, it fits the template."

So, if we let players do anything (within the point limits and allowed traits and GM veto), the next question is whether we give any bonuses for using a template.  One option would be to charge an Unusual Background cost for not using a template.  Another would be to reserve some abilities only for characters that (wholly or perhaps just mostly) match a template.  And the final option would be to not bother, and just let characters buy what they like.  (Of course there are still traits that are prerequisites for other traits: you need Magery 1 and and IQ 12+ and Haste to learn Great Haste, you need Chi Talent and Disciplines of Faith to take Chi abilities, etc.  It's just that you can take your prereqs a la carte rather than committing to a 7-course meal.)  I think I'd rather go without restrictions, unless the players either ask for them or give me sufficiently horrible characters to review that I feel the need to impose some.

So, I think these are basically the final rules I want to go with, for now:

- DFRPG rules only, except when we specifically allow a GURPS rule as a house rule
- 150 points
- 25-point disadvantage limit. (Reduced primary and secondary attributes count against this.  Disadvantages from a racial template do not count against this.  Removing positive traits from a racial template counts as a disadvantage.)
- Sense of Duty: Friends and Companions [-5] is a campaign disadvantage that does NOT count against the limit.
- 5-point quirk limit.  At least 2 of these quirks must be filled in before the start; you can leave the others blank at first but must define them in the first few game sessions.
- Valid races: Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling, High Elf (from Dungeon Fantasy 3), Wood Elf, Half-Elf, Half-Orc
- One free Language at Native, spoken and written, per the usual DFRPG rules
- Another free Language at Accented (from GURPS), spoken and written.
- Use gcs and submit a gcs file to the GM for review.  Name it like <CharacterName><NumberOfPoints>.gcs.  For example, Sheliak at 154 points is Sheliak154.gcs
- If you want to play but don't want to make a character, the GM will have some pregenerated characters available.
- Equipment is per the usual DFRPG rules.  Just about anything in DFRPG: Adventurers will be available at the start.  Note that Cillimar is a small town, so special orders, magic items, etc. may be harder to find later.

I hope that's enough on character generation rules.  Next time I'll try to give some advice on creating a balanced party without mandatory templates.