Call of Cthulhu d100 7e (Chaosium)

Next system being added is Call of Cthulhu d100 7e by Chaosium. I'm sure questions will come up as I go but to start: are the skills on the character sheet exhaustive? Should I put all the skills on the char sheet onto the digital sheet? Or prepopulate the skill search with the skills on the character sheet, and allow users to add whatever they need? Also, why are there checkboxes next to skills?

With stats, I see there are two small boxes next to the big one. Obviously the big one is for the stat value, but what do the two small boxes represent?

All in all, seems there's a decent amount to this sheet I don't understand. I'll start work in the morning, but I'll need help to get it working properly.

Well...interesting questions. I'm not sure what is best. I'll start by answering the check box question.

The check box to the left is for marking that the skill has been used successfully. This comes into play during character advancement. When the Narrator decides it is time to advance, each skill that is checked off gets a chance to advance. So a checkbox on those would be helpful for tracking purposes.

This next bit applies to both Stats and Skills. The big box is for the base value. The two small boxes to the right are for noting the half and one-fifth values. When a task is harder the Narrator can impose penalties and quickly referencing those numbers can speed up the game.

Also, knowing the One-fifth value comes in handy for the Impale Rule. I don't know the exact wording on that at the moment, so I won't get to deep into it but if you roll under the one-fifth value in certain circumstances, one achieves a bonus, like a critical success in other games (but also a little different). So it would be helpful to see those two values.

The issue with skills being exhaustive...the short answer is no, the skills that appear on the 7e sheet are not the entire list. Note that certain skills have blank lines underneath them. These are skills that have sub categories or specializations that a player might need to note depending on the Narrator's preference. For example, the Art/Crafts skill. Because a character is good at welding, or pottery may not mean they are good at painting or drawing. The blanks under Fighting(Brawl) leave space for specific martial arts, and under Firearms(Rifle/Shotgun) there is a slot for additional types of weapons like Archery or Machine Gun (again, depending on if the Narrator wants to make those distinctions). Languages and Science also have sub categories that might be needed as you can see. The blank lines that appear under Track are the final catch all. If there is some skill that might be relevant to a player and/or Narrator it can be penciled in.

Then there is the Base Chance Percentage for every skill. For example Firearm(Pistol) comes with a 20% base rank. This is meant to illustrate the "point and click" nature of firearms. At a short distance, under the right circumstances there a bullet will hit its target. So this skill has a higher base chance of success than say, Medicine needed to repair a bullet wound. Anyone can pick up a gun and use it (assuming it has been loaded by someone with the proper knowledge and the safety is off, etc.) but patching up a wound is something not everyone may be able to do successfully. But every character has the potential to be use a skill successfully, so there is a base chance for all skills.

It would speed up the use of a character sheet if the Base Chance Percentage where automatically filled in for a player and then they could fill in a the box to the right if need be. Additionally if you coded the small boxes to somehow do the math for one-half and one-fifth that would help as well.

Round down if a remainder is present.

So I guess, now that I have talked though all of that, my suggestion is to start with all the listed skills and their base chance percentage on the sheet but allow the addition of more skills to the sheet if needed. For example, our game is set in the 1920s and does not need a Computers skill, but a modern setting might and it isn't a base skill on the official character sheet.

Note: The Credit Rating and Cthulhu Knowledge skill don't have a check box for advancement. I haven't read the rules on Credit Rating yet so I don't know why it doesn't have one. Credit Raiting is used as money for the most part so that may be why, but I'm not sure. Cthulhu knowledge is bad for a character to have because it eats away at their sanity, so no one truely wants to have a large amount of knowledge in that area.

Also, I'd point out the Hit Points, Sanity, Luck, and Magic Points. Each of these is initially derived form the Characteristics rolled, but each of them is fluid and separate from the characteristics once play begins. One can gain, but usually just loses points form the original Max Value in each of these. Sometimes the loss is temporary and some time the loss is permanent.

Sanity for example is checked whenever one encounters a creature related to the Mythos. So a Deep One or a Shogoth can cause Sanity loss that might heal, or it could be a permanent drain. Magic spells usually just need a character ot spend a few Magic Points, sometimes they require a sacrifice of magical potential in the form of reducing the maximum value of the Magic Points. So a Current and a Max box will be required for each of those four items.

I think that covers everything, but if I missed something someone else can speak up.

I think you covered it very well. I also think that a current and max box would be helpful for any such resource (like hit points or mana points) on any character sheet that has them.

Visually, would people liek to have the full number scale for stats? Should I go for a max and current, with a color scale underneath? Just the numbers?

For the sake of people with visual impairments, I would vote for just the numbers. I wouldn't want screen readers and color blindness to have issues with a number line and interfere with users ability to play.

You could combat color blindness if the current and maximum values were somehow enlarged and boldened as well, but I don't know enough about screen readers to even begin to know a work around that would accommodate them.

It is a cool idea, but to keep the site accessible to the most people I think keep it simple.

I actually do worry about accessability, as I've heard already that parts of the site are difficult to use. Unfortunately, I don't have the design skills to tackle that problem.

But I guess the question is to list out the numbers like the char sheet or just go for current/total inputs.

Does luck have a max or just a current value?

What would you call the percentage associated with a skill... it's rating?

Ok, almost done, just a few things left:

1) Does luck have a max value? Or just current?
2) I see checkboxes for major wound, temp insane, indef insane. Are those just check boxes?
3) What are the two boxes next to move rate?
4) How do I calculate damage bonus and build?

Once I get the answers to these, I'll be ready to launch.

I can answer some of these, as I just learned character creation.

A1: LUCK is an attribute, not a pool of points. So it's not a "Max value."

A2: I don't know; not having played yet.

A3: I don't know. MOV is another attribute, but the attribute value is determined from the combined DEX and STR. MOV can be 7, 8, or 9 as a base value, modified downward by age. But five times the MOV is the distance in yards or meters that a PC can move in one round. So I suspect one of the boxes is for that. As to the other? I don't know.

A4: You add the character's STR + SIZ, then compare the result to the following table:
STR + SIZ (Damage Bonus) {Build}
2 — 64 –2 –2
65 — 84 –1 –1
85 — 124 None 0
125 — 164 +1D4 +1
165 — 204 +1D6 +2

This is the only one I'm unclear about. if Luck isn't a pool, why is it setup in the same 0-100 pool setup we see for sanity, HP, and MP?

EDIT: Ok, I see, it's a moving stat, a pool capping at 100, but not capped by a user value.

OK, so I've been doing some research. I found a couple posts on message boards that give more insight into these questions.

1. Luck is an attribute AND/OR a pool of points, depending on if the Narrator wants to use an optional rule. Normally, the Narrator will call for a roll and it is Pass/Fail. With the optional rule, Narrators may allow a character to spend their Luck as points to make important checks succeed. Narrator's also have another choice to make: whether a PC can earn Luck or not. The publisher, Chaosium, says that it makes sense when using "Luck as a Resource" a Narrator can award Luck Points back to a PC like they might award Sanity. Generally this will come at the conclusion of a major plot point, or chapter, or whatever you want to call it. So, in this case there is only a need for Current Luck, not a Maximum Luck.

2. From what I'm reading check boxes for major wound/Temp. Inanity/Indef. Insanity are sufficient.

3. The two boxes next to move rate are needed just like the other instances. Apparently the somewhat complicated Chase Mechanics use them, though the way it sounds the x5 and x2 values come up less often than one might expect when you compare it's use to other instances of the multiplied/divided values.

4 spaceseeker19 gave an adequate explanation of Damage Bonus, so go with that answer.

And if anyone wants to read the posts from the other forums I got my answers from there are here and here. And I got my info on the movement rules from this review of the system.

All of this could have been answered if I actually had the rules, but I am waiting for my tax return before I spend anymore money on games.

Ok, I just gotta adjust move and add the wound/insanity checkboxes and it should be ready. Should be live this weekend.

Assuming I don't pass out for half the day, I hope to have this character sheet done today. The last detail I could use advice on is naming. Here's what I'm thinking:

Name: Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium, 7e)
Slug: cthulhu_brs7e

Someone on Twitter mentioned this system uses the BRS system (Basic Roleplaying System).

Thoughts/suggestions?

I've been so slow on reading these forums. I fail. As for the naming stuff I'd say go with what you have now or you could have it similar to the other Call of Cthulhu you have on the site which I think is d20 Call of Cthulhu just to keep consistency.

No worries! As for the name, I'm realizing I didn't account for multiple publishers of similar games or multiple editions of the same game, so I'm trying to figure out a schema. I may end up renaming the d20 CoC to match based on this.

The system is live. I'm barely not passing out, so I'll convert the one game tomorrow.

I like it! Looks good so far though I don't seem to be able to add new skills? The add skill button doesn't seem to create a new box or add the current skill.

Thanks for the report mchung. I'll take a look at that right away.