When the Melee and Wizard microgames were the sum of The Fantasy Trip, typical starting warrior characters had an IQ of 8 and 24 points to split between ST and DX. In my experience, they seldom had a ST lower than 10, and most were 12 or 13. With the dynamics of talents added to the mix with the advent of In the Labyrinth there was added incentive to allocate more points to IQ at character generation, and this seems to have been reinforced by the Legacy Edition rules for increasing attributes and learning new talents with XP. The Legacy Edition also nerfed the advantages of great strength found in the original In the Labyrinth. As can be seen by perusing RPG forums, this all has led some to believe that ST is something of a dump stat in TFT, offering little for investing in it compared to DX and IQ. Although that is not my belief, I do think that ST could use a little love. What follows are a few simple house rules that reward increasing a character’s ST.
Wearing Armor
A character with ST 16 or higher can ignore the armor’s movement penalty by 2.
Dealing Damage
A melee weapon does +1 damage for each point of ST its wielder has beyond that required to use that weapon, up to a maximum bonus equal to the number of normal damage dice used. Thus, a javelin or spear cannot get a ST-based damage of more than +1, a broadsword or morningstar could get no more than +2, and a battleaxe +3. Missile weapons require a slightly different approach, since a ST 15 figure can’t put any more power into an arrow from a longbow than a ST 11 one; it is the bow, not the archer, which determines the arrow’s maximum velocity. However, a character might have a bow that requires more ST to use it, again using the formula of +1 damage for each ST above what is normal for that type of bow, up to a maximum bonus of +2. Treat such a bow or crossbow as a fine weapon when considering the cost and expertise required to make one.
Withstanding Damage
I’ve added a new talent that, like Toughness, has a rare ST-based prerequisite. Unlike Toughness, which actually reduces damage, this talent would make a character more able to be hurt without suffering the effects of injury other than death. Also offered is a new corresponding handicap which does the opposite.
IQ 7 Rugged (1 for level one, 2 for level two) Characters with this talent must take one extra point of damage per level of Rugged (two max) before suffering a DX penalty or falling due to injury. Prerequisite: ST 14 for Rugged I, ST 16 for Rugged II.
IQ 7 Sturdy (1 for level one, 2 for level two) Sturdy I allows a 4d/ST saving roll to avoid falling due to injury; roll 3d/ST with Sturdy II. Both levels of Sturdy allow a character to remain conscious if their ST reaches zero or less by succeeding on a 4d/ST roll, modified by -1ST per point below ST 0 (example: a ST 14 character wounded down to -2 ST would need to roll 12 or less on 4d). Prerequisite: ST 14
Frail (1) Characters with this handicap suffer -2DX after receiving four points of damage in one turn, are knocked down on only seven points of damage, and suffer -3DX when they have 4 or less ST left.
The material presented here is my original creation intended for use with the The Fantasy Trip system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without permission. The Fantasy Trip is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.
Musings from Myriangia