NPC's

[Commander Ramey]

What do you all use for NPC stats for warships? I was looking and I don't really want to stat up a NPC for duty stations of threat vessels, but I need to know their abilities in relation to the ship, same as off camera late shift NPCs on the PC ship.

[Doug Burke]

What do you all use for NPC stats for warships? I was looking and I don't really want to stat up a NPC for duty stations of threat vessels, but I need to know their abilities in relation to the ship, same as off camera late shift NPCs on the PC ship.

In CODA, I've been toying with the idea of using the Reliability modifier for the systems in question in place of NPC stats for any tests. Seems an easy way to do it and it stands to reason that, the better the ship, the better the crew...

[tonyg]

Using the Reliabilty mod seems a bit low (a +C average component is only a +4 mod). How about adding in +2 to reflect that the crew will probably have the approaprate specialties.

Also if we use Relaiabilty, maybe we should use the average relaibilty of all the various components. Otherwise we wind up with ships like the Constitution-class having Fantastic (E/+10) Operations personnel, Very Good (D/+8) Engineering crews, but phaser crews that can't hit the broadside of a barn (B/+2). At least averaging we get a C average (+4) for the entire ship. Of course this will mean than newer ships will end up with better crews than older ships.


Maybe we should just swipe from ICON and double the skill values.

[LUGTrekGM]

I don't bother with anything off-camera, did that for my FASA campaign, long ago, it was too much work.

When I am setting something up, I figure out what the story needs, and work from that basis.

I have NPCs for the ship (mostly headshot pics for flavor), and a very brief sketch bio in mind, using Academy Boxed set Aspect and Foci should they be needed in a scenario.

If I need specific skills, I use best guess for my NPCs. Ditto and moreso for the "Bad Guys", unless it is a long running NPC who needs a story arc and the rest, then I'll detail that out, as needed.

[tonyg]

I don't bother with anything off-camera, did that for my FASA campaign, long ago, it was too much work.

When I am setting something up, I figure out what the story needs, and work from that basis.

I have NPCs for the ship (mostly headshot pics for flavor), and a very brief sketch bio in mind, using Academy Boxed set Aspect and Foci should they be needed in a scenario.

If I need specific skills, I use best guess for my NPCs. Ditto and moreso for the "Bad Guys", unless it is a long running NPC who needs a story arc and the rest, then I'll detail that out, as needed.

We we thinking more along the lines of what the "bad guys" add to thier die rolls in ship combat and such in CODA. Since Starship Combat in CODA requires the ships (both sides) to attempt maneuvers (and make die rolls to accomlish them), some sort of score for the "bad guys" is needed. LUGTrek used to list skill scores for the ships crews (stuff like Weapons 5 or Sensors 4). CODA doesn't.

[LUGTrekGM]

Ah, My mistake. In that case, I'd give them the average of whatever the crew has, or a +1 or +2 over crew average if it was supposed to be a tough scenario.

[Tobian]

That's a neat idea, but I also agree, the reliability modifier is a little too low. It doesn't take much tweaking in the system, for a low level character to have +8 or +10, with their professional skills. As a quick and dirty guide, it's a simple way to do it though!

[tonyg]

Well, let me try and make a few assumptions and see what people think.

In CODA Skill levels range from 1-12, with a +2 bonus for specialization.

Beginning characters typically get a +3 or +4 for their primary skill, plus 2 for an applicable specialization, for a skills of +4 (+6).

In Icon, skills ranged on a scale of 1-6 with specilizations starting 1 pt higher than the base skill (but advanced separately). Most characters start the game with 2 (3) in their priamry skill. So CODA skills seem to be about twice the valu of ICON skills.

ICON Startfleet characters:
The typical officers and crew who have served for a few years usually have a 4 with thier primary skills.

Seasoned/experienced officers and crew (like the people who serve on TOS era Constitution-class starships) typically have a 5 in their priamry skills.

Heroic characters (Kirk, Picard, Spock, Scotty) are the ones who have a 6 in ICON (and then usually in a specialty).

If we go with doubling ICON we get:


So how about:

Crew Grade Skill Total (w/ Specialty)
Untrained A +0 Unskilled/No Roll
Cadet AA +1 +3
Green B +2 +4
Average C +4 +6
Veteran D +6 +8
Elite E +8 +10
*Heroic F +10 +12


*probably only applicable in rare cicumstacles like when the bridge crew are flying a shuttle without any NPCs to "drag down" thier skills.


How does that look?

[LUGTrekGM]

Looks perfectly fine to me, Tonyg.

From what I know of Coda, if you want a generic skill modifier to use for a combat with an NPC Ship crew of experience from your listed experience breakdown, that would seem to be right in there.

[Tobian]

I think that's just about right, and close to where I was.

I guess the only exception to that would be: The crew of a shuttle on an away mission would likewise reflect the parent ship, not just the shuttle's stats. I.e. Tom Paris flying the Delta Flyer isn't a close paralel to it's modifiers!

[tonyg]

I think that's just about right, and close to where I was.

I guess the only exception to that would be: The crew of a shuttle on an away mission would likewise reflect the parent ship, not just the shuttle's stats. I.e. Tom Paris flying the Delta Flyer isn't a close paralel to it's modifiers!

I know. The crew ratings and moifers are really just a quick way to generate stats for an NPC on the fly. In situations where a PC or an NPC imprtant enough for the GM to have stats for the GM has a character sheet to get scores off of.

I am also thinking of just assigning a crew quality rating. Using the system ratings you end up with some wierd results. For example, TNG ships have better components and so wind up with better crews-smething that I don't agree with. Also, due to the progession of weapon ratings and that chart 1.18 cvers TOS thru to TNG, many TOS ships wind up with A or B weapon ratings-resulting in sub par weapon skill scores for the crew. I just don't accpet that TOS era Klingon weapons officers can shoot straight.

[Tobian]

To be honest, a table similar to that could be used for 90% of the game, for unimportant NPC's...

You ask an ensign to pilot the ship... On a galaxy class he is average, on a runabout he is weak... You want to ask a professor about an ancient ruin... if it's the British museum's foremost expert, it's Elite-heroic, if it's a guy in the curio shop, it's average.

These people don't need stats, they just need you to imagine what they are good at and what they are not good at and assign those modifiers accordingly