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Recently while creating a character for a campaign, I rounded out my character with the optional stuff that included Birth Order, Disposition, Height, Weight, etc.

Now under Birth Order I rolled the Twins option, the GM asked for the Twin to be rolled up. Now the question is: Are the Twins Fraternal or Identical and how to determine their starting rolls before Skills and OCC bonuses to attributes?

I can partially answer this question in relation to Fraternal Twins. Rolls for the 8 attributes are independent of each other.

Identical Twins are not so straight forward, which of the 8 attributes start with the same score (initial roll) and which ones do not. Obviously Skill and OCC bonuses to the 8 attributes can result in different final scores.

Why not? Sounds like you've got a good plan. Roll fraternal twins up differently, and for identical start with the same base scores further modified by skills and occ's as appropriate.

if in a fantasy setting and coming from a magic family, one twin would get a double portion of magic while the other would follow a man-at-arms path.

in a modern setting, they will end up similar except the ways they each choose to differentiate from the other twin.

With PSI, that would have duplicate or complementing powers.

As to the stats, identical twins would have the same stats except where their training changes them.
Fraternal twins stats would be just like two different chars.

Roll all stats differently except for PB which is rolled once and used for both.

csbioborg wrote:

Glistam wrote:Why not? Sounds like you've got a good plan. Roll fraternal twins up differently, and for identical start with the same base scores further modified by skills and occ's as appropriate.

Yea. I could get behind this idea here. I makes sense and is logically sound allowing for just the right amount of diversity for the right reasons.

Why not? Sounds like you've got a good plan. Roll fraternal twins up differently, and for identical start with the same base scores further modified by skills and occ's as appropriate.

That is just it though, I do not think all the 8 attributes would be duplicated. PB definatly. But I can not see Attributes like PS and Spd being governed by genetics in this case.

IQ: Not sure, some studies with Twins raised seperately might indicate yes due to similar career paths, but together they might be different
ME: This one I can sort of see, since psycological disorders can run in the family
MA: Not sure here
PS: Definatly no if they persue different interests while growing up.
PP: Possibly I would think
PE: Sort of see this, resistance to disease and such
PB: Since they are supposted to look alike, that would be a given
Spd: I can't see it, for the same reasons on the PS score.

For Identical twins, yes, Physical and Mental attributes would be the same.

Genetically they would be the same. That is the whole point about identical twins. They were 1 egg fertalized by 1 sperm, which split and became 2 babies. They have the exact same genetic makeup. There are whole conventions dedicated to how alike these twins can be (from general looks, down to how close the fingerprints are). It's also a big reason why identical twins are used a lot for testing nature vs. nurture arguments. Is something genetics or how we are raised?

Physical skills already adjust physical attributes, so if one twin becomes a body builder and the other not, those skills chosen will adust it appropriately. And many of the newer Palladium games have O.C.C.s that adjust mental attributes as well. So again training will adjust those appropriately.

If you want identical twins that are as far apart as can be, roll a D2 and that is the points different attributes can be different. But attributes still have to be within 1 of each other

For example, lets say all their states are even 9s. I roll 1D2 and roll a 2. Twin one raises PS to 10, but must lower another attribute to 'even' the roll and choses MA. Twin 2 cannot Raise MA, or Lower PS as that would give them a 2 point 'gap', but can chose to raise PE and lower IQ. so now there is a 4 point 'difference' in attributes as a base for each character. Getting beyond this is making characters which are not Identical Twins


Fraternal twins, no. They are just as any other 2 siblings. 2 different eggs feralized by 2 different sperm cells

pawsplay wrote:Genetics account for only about 50% of your IQ in real life, and for other things, it's even less. I mean, what is the genetics of ME?

Um where did you get these figures? it wasn't in any biological anthropology class I ever attended.

And even if you are a 'nurture' is better than 'nature' person. Identical Twins will normally be raised together, under almost identical situations, identical parenting, etc. So both the nature and nurture (unless separated at birth) is going to be extremely close.

Autism, Downs syndrome, etc. are genetic. They do affect IQ hugely. Same thing in the other direction. Smart parents usually have smart kids. It's why Doctor, lawyer, Professor sperm gets more money than bum sperm.

In game terms it's fun to consider identical twins to have identical starting scores. There's no Palladium precedent for it though so if it doesn't mesh with how you feel it si in real life then don't handle it that way.

Although the game does support characters who are considered carbon copy clones to not roll 3D6, but rather very set scores that rarely differ by more than 1D6 from person to person. So that's an actual Palladium Books way to handle identical twins: Have one character roll their ability scores then make the second twin roll 1D6 for each stat and add their sibling's ability score -3 to the result.

I'll see if I can find the books where players roll up characters who are considered to be identical/clones of each other in order to support this.