Over on RPGNet I was posting in the Rotted Capes thread. I was doing a "Let's create a character!" step-by-step example of chargen. Those are fun and tend to drum up a lot of interest in the game being used. However, I ran into a bit of trouble.
Here is what I have so far. What I guess I'm wondering is if Spider-Man in his earliest days would have been closer to an A-lister or a B-lister. Basically, 150 XP doesn't go real far, especially with its limitation on how many you can spend in specific areas. As you can see below, my attempts to make someone even close to rookie Spider-Man's level are hitting a wall. Can anyone help me out here?
And by the way, love the game so far. I love zombie stuff (obviously) and superheroes, so I'd love to play a PBP game of this over on RPOL.
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Let's create a character! I'll use
MANTIS, my heroine who fits in anywhere. Her powers are similar to Spider-Man's, except based off of a mantid, rather than a spider.
Usually she's closer to an A-lister, but this is her as a rookie hero, so we'll build her at the standard B-lister level.
Step 1: Choose Power SourceMantis is a result of genetic alteration from unethical experiments, so she counts as the Super-Human source. They gain +1 to Vigor as their bonus. As a unique Advantage, I also gain an additional rank to any one power of my choice. It must be an inborn power; one that is personal, in other words. They can't rely on an outside source. As a unique Limitation, Super-Humans may only improve such powers, too, without gaining them from magic, technology or some story-based events. Sounds fair enough.
Step 2: Choose an ArchetypeSupers gamers will be familiar with these. They're a general theme: Blaster, Controller, Heavy (Brick), etc. These give you a list of Primary Powers, which are cheaper to raise with XP, appropriate to that Archetype. They also give you a bonus to one of two Attributes.
While I like Blasters a lot, Mantis is very fast, agile and has superhuman strength. She's most likely a Brawler, which gives the following Primary Powers: Armor, Bestial Transformation, Enhanced Attack, Enhanced Attribute (Prowess or Vigor), Enhanced Sense, Regeneration and Super-Sense. The other close one would be Infiltrator, which gives Quickness or Insight and the following Primary Powers: Adoptive Muscle Memory, Enhanced Sense, Illusion, Incorporeal, Invisibility, luck, Wall Crawl, Wireless.
Mantis
does have wall-crawling as a power, and enhanced senses. Either one would fit the latter. She doesn't regenerate. She can leap and wall-crawl, has low-level flight, superhuman strength (roughly around Spider-Man's at the beginning of his career), superhuman speed and agility (not running speed, but mantids can strike at a speed of 30 to
50 thousandths of a second; her reflexes are even faster than Spidey's), and a host of enhanced senses. Mantids also have really good senses. She fights unarmed. Let's go with Brawler for now. I can always change it if need be. We'll bump up Prowess.
Step 3: Choose Disadvantages, if anyDisadvantages give you a bonus to XP and provide those fun flaws that round out characters. They are separate from Personality Flaws, of which every hero must choose at least one. I'll come back to Disadvantages after I look over Flaws.
Step 4: Choose your Character Flaw and Tagline Looking them over, I think Ruthless is the way to go. It's not so much that Mantis is ruthless as it is that she battles alien urges and cold, savage instincts. Since she was experimented upon, she's lost touch with her humanity and taken on the cold instincts of an insect. So she struggles to find humanity, maybe see if the woman she once was even still exists.
Tagline (which can help you reroll when you spend a Plot Die, once per scene): "Pray all you want, I'm still faster."
Step 4: Purchase AttributesAttributes generally range from 3-9 for B-listers. Each Attribute has both a value and an associated die, as well as a Passive Modifier (which is a really nifty idea) for various things.
Briefly:
Might is raw strength.
Prowess is coordination and dexterity.
Quickness is reflexes and foot speed.
Vigor is health and vitality.
Charisma is force of personality.
Insight is intuition and instincts.
Logic is reason and raw smarts.
Resolve is mental toughness.
You then have different defenses:
Avoidance for dodging,
Fortitude for withstanding trauma and toxins,
Discipline for mental attacks and hardships. Health is likewise divided:
Stamina is a measure of endurance and how many powers you can use during a scene.
Wounds are your ability to take physical damage. Also important, your Burnout Threshold is equal to either Discipline or Fortitude (your choice), which is a permanent choice.
There's a pretty cool Master Values Table for Attributes and Powers. It's open-ended. The score determines your base dice rolled and passive modifier (and maximum lift, throw range, push/drag, top speed). All Attributes start at 3, which gives a base die type of D6 and a Passive Modifier of 2. The scale can go all the way up to Superman strength and beyond, so that's always a plus.
Step 6: Purchase SkillsBuying Skills is done with XP (of which B-listers start with 150), but you can buy "skill sets," which are groupings of related skills purchased for cheaper. You also have a few universal skills everyone starts with.
Skills have Passive Values, too, and those are based on the corresponding Attribute's PV and a base number.
Step 7: Purchase AdvantagesFeats, Talents, Merits, Advantages, that's what these things represent.
Step 8: Purchase PowersIgnored by Skill Heroes, favored by everyone else, it's Powers time!
NOTE! Now that I have the basics done, I'm going to spend my XP all at once. Since you spend it on Attributes, Skills, Advantages and Powers, I'm going to do it all together here.
First thing I want to do is get the right Attributes. Mantis has superhuman strength, speed and agility. For Might, we're wanting about 14-16. But how do we get there? That'd be really expensive! You buy each level of something individually, and the cost is equal to the next rank purchased. I don't see how I can do that and have anything else on just 150 XP.
If I bought it as Enhanced Attribute, though, which is a Primary Power, it'd look something like this for a total of 13 ranks: 1+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13 = 92 points. Ouch! Powers can also be modified by Perks and Flaws, each of which grants an effect and either raises the power's effective rank or reduces it.
There is a problem, however: you can't spend more than half your starting XP in any given area (Attributes, Skills, Powers) during character creation. Unfortunately, this means I'd have to split my XP between buying high Might as both an Attribute and a power, and it wouldn't leave much room left to get the other stuff I need.
58 XP left
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Step 9: Calculate Derivative AttributesStep 10: Choose your GearStep 11: Add the Personal Touches