CoC Investigator generation / Skillpoints

I made some corrections and additions to this text on 2011-06-12.

I love Call of Cthulhu (the story too, but I'm talking about the RPG here), but the rules are a bit too light or unreasonable for me. As a result, I sometimes like to tinker with them a bit.

The (reasonable) assumption of the game is that the Investigators (PCs) are academics, and that shows in character generation in how many skillpoints the player can allocate for his Investigator. Unfortunately, often the Investigators are not academics, and having a labourer's, say, occupational skills be based on EDU just makes little sense. Also, Listen is a skill in CoC, when the senses really would be more reasonably dealt with as Characteristics (aka Stats), as they are in HarnMaster. I will mostly ignore this last point for now, though, while showing a way to make the skillpoint allocation at least slightly more reasonable (without complicating or even changing the game significantly). At the same time, my suggestion makes other Characteristics become slightly more significant, which is good because they are almost irrelevant in CoC RAW (Rules As Written).

Instead of RAW, allocate points for skills as follows:

For physical skills (such as Listen, Jump, Swim, &c.) allocate points equal to
(SIZ + CON + DEX + (STR x2))x2.
I know this is a bit clumsy, but I think it's best that way.
STR is the least useful skill in the game, and certainly strenght plays a very big role in most physical activities, so it makes sense to give it more significance here.
If the above formula seems unduly complex, you could just use STR x5, but I prefer my formula, at least for now.

For communication skills (Fast Talk &c.) allocate points equal to
INT + POW + (EDU / 2) + (APP x3).
If allowed, players usually use their worst characteristics roll on APP, because it is practically useless in CoC RAW. With this houserule, they might think again.
The above formula could be replaced by a simple APP x5 as well.

For the occupational skills (whatever skills are listed for the occupation, even if in the above categories) the player can allocate now only EDU x10 points. But regardless of the occupation, the player is allowed to use up to EDU x2 of these points for academic knowledge skills (including Natural History, perhaps the most useful and likely knowledge skill for non-academics).
This intentionally reduces the significance of EDU in the game. EDU is still one of the important characteristics because the Knowledge roll is so commonly used, of course.

For hobby skills (any skills) one can still allocate INT x10 points, as per RAW (5th edition at least).

I also allow the players to have a Quirk skill, which can either be rolled from a table I have, or suggested by the player as suitable for his character.

The total of skillpoints thus allocated is about 430 - 460 for average character (plus Quirk), as opposed to the roughly 390 pts awarded byRAW. I do not think this will too greatly increase the skill levels of the Investigators (having a little higher skills might be good actually), but since I have added some skills in the mix (and reduced unarmed basic), this should be even less of a problem. Besides the amount of points, the main difference here is that all characteristics now add skillpoints, instead of them being almost completely based on just EDU. I haven't tested this yet, but will try to, as soon as possible.

I made several test characters to see how the above rule would function. It seems that the range of Skills points using this rule was more limited (355 - 525, that is a range of 170 pts) than it would have been with RAW (290 - 570, i.e. a range of 280 pts). According to this houserule, the characters with (only) high EDU "lose" comparatively and absolutely, by having fewer skill points than they would according to RAW, and also by having fewer points than a more well rounded character would have. But this only seems realistic to me. All other types of characters had more Skill points under this houserule than they would using RAW.

*

I have made some changes to skills, and added some (mostly from Keeper's Compendium). The following are what I now use:

Climb (STR + DEX)
Legerdemain (10)
Block (DEX x2)
Mathematics (EDU x2)

Brawl (35)
Brawl replaces all the Natural Weapons, and does d3 + db knock out damage. (With Martial Arts, a d6 of knock out damage is added.) It is possible to change this damage to normal damage in certain situations (e.g. prone opponent), or with things like brass knuckles or improvised weapons.

Modified Experience Checks for Call of Cthulhu

I experimented with an Experience Point rule for CoC, but in the end was disappointed. Then I chose to use this (something similar to HarnMaster's experience rule):

Using skills is often rewarded by GM in the form of experience checks (marked "x" in the character sheet, next to the skill). The GM can award several of these checks at once. The more checks a given skill already has, the less likely the GM is to award more, but there can be at least as many as five (or perhaps even more) checks in one skill, it used for significant purposes, with significant risk, several times.

At the end of the scenario, or when the GM so decides, the players can make their experience checks. For each check the player rolls twice, so for a total of fice checks he will roll a total of ten times. The roll is on a d100, as per rules: the skill is improved on a roll higher than the current skill. The difference from the rules is that no die is rolled for the amount of increase; instead, only one point is added.

I am now trying this in practise, but since it is very similar to HM, it should work well.