Let's Create Characters For Every RPG: Roll 3d6 six times in order, forever

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Let's Create Characters For Every RPG: Roll 3d6 six times in order, forever

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

SPI was a wargaming company that decided to get into that sweet sweet RPG money a little later than others. They released two RPGs. DragonQuest which is groggy as hell and actually got popular with a certain crowd, and Universe which was groggy as hell and didn't...Guess which one we're going to see?

Character generation in Universe takes 13 steps and way more tables than...oh wait a second, FATAL exists...ignore the hyperbole. These 13 steps are broken up into three sections:

Character Heritage

Character Development

Character Profession

Seems straight forward enough right?

gently caress you Universe...

Character Heritage
Determine 4 Potential Multipliers.
This is a series of 4 numbers that define the character's potential in the areas of physique, coordination, intellect, and social background. Basically these are seed numbers. You roll a d10 and consult the Character Heritage Table to find the potential multiplier for each of the 4 types. I rolled a 5, a 6, a 9, and a 3. This means I have average in physique and coordination (multiplier of 2 for each). An Above Average intellect ((multiplier of 3). And a Below Average social background (multiplier of 1).

Calculate the number of Study Points the character receives.
After finding out what the multipliers are from the step above, the player now adds them together and consult the second column of the Character Heritage Table to determine the amount of initial Study Points the character will receive. 2+2+3+1=8, consulting the table shows that the character will have 4 Study Points.

Determine the character's natural habitat.
gently caress this step...
Okay, this affects initiative and stealth and hunting and tracking and any other skill that would be environmentally based. Lockpicking at the bottom of an ocean say. The concept is okay, but the execution is a pain in the rear end. First you roll 2d10. The first die is the column and the second is the row of the Habitat Table. You add the physique multiplier and subtract the coordination multiplier from the second die. As they are the same and I rolled a 3 and 5...that gives us a 3:HL-WD/HY-NL. Translated it gives us a base rating of 3 in Hills-Wooded and we're from a Heavy Grav- Normal Temperature planet.
Now you take that and fill out the grid...

Simple huh?

Determine the character's Social Standing
Roll 1d10 and then...
"The player rolls one die and modifies the die result as follows:
Double the character's Social Background Multiplier and add the product to the die result.
Add the character's Urban Skill Level to the die result.
Subtract the character's Home Environ Skill Level from the die result (use the number derived from the Habitat Table, if it was reduced to increase Gravity Skill Levels).
Note the social standing result corresponding to the modified die result on the Character Record.
Roll one die again and multiply the die result by the amount of money shown for the acquired social standing. Note this product on the Character Record. Remember, one Tran equals 1,000 Mils."
Okay, I rolled a 10! 10 + (2 x social background multiplier of 1 = 2) + 0 (no Urban Skill Level) - 3 (Environ Skill) =9 I check the Social Standing Table and find the character is from a Skilled Tech Family. This gives the character 1d10 x 1 Trans or 6 Trans with my next die roll and an Initial Skill Point Modifier of +1.

So Ends section 1...

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 05:36

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 01:41

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Lord Frisk posted:

I think everyone should try statting up bird ladies who may or may not be bards.

I could actually do this in Space Opera...

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 18:32

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Whoops! Forget part of Section one Determine the character's Social Standing...

Initial Skill Points. The player rolls 1d10 and add their Initial Skill Point Modifier (+1 in this case and consults the Initial Skill Skill Points Table I roll a 9 +1 = 10. Checking the Table gives my new character 5 Initial Skill Points :woop:

Maxed out...sort of.

Now on to Part Two Character Development...

Choose Fields of Study for the character.
There are seven fields of study. Theoretical science, applied science, business, the humanities, the mind, the body, and the military. It costs 1 Study Point (from Step 2) per field of study. Except for Mind which costs 2. Also you can spend 2 (or 4 for mind0 to take a given field of study twice. Also if Mind is selected you cannot take business or military. There is also a General list which does not require Study Points to take. Going with the psychic theme that has been started, I'm going to take mind twice with my 4 Study Points.

Choose initial skills for the character.
The mind allows me to spend my initial points on these skills. Psionic Boost, Psionic Communication, Life Sense. The general list gives me access to Streetwise, laser/stun pistol, gambling, blades, ground vehicles, urban (only if the character already has urban), and home environ. A maximum of 1 point can be spent per skill out of the Initial Skill Points. I'm going to put 1 into each of the three Psy skills, 1 in Streetwise, and one in gambling

Determine the character's 9 Characteristic Ratings.
"The player determines his character's 9 characteristics one at a time, by using the Characteristic Modifier Chart and the Characteristic Generation Table.
The Characteristic Modifier Chart is used to calculate the effect of the character's potentials and fields of study on each characteristic. The Characteristic Generation Table is used to find the actual rating of each characteristic. More table based fun!

For each characteristic, the player completes the following steps:
1. Add together all numbers listed for the characteristic on the Modifier Chart that correspond to the fields of study undertaken by the character. If a given field was studied twice, double the corresponding number. Note that every character is considered to have undertaken the general field of study and may add its number to the total.

Let's do this...
The 9 Stats are STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, DEXTERITY, AGILITY, INTELLIGENCE, MENTAL POWER, LEADERSHIP, EMPATHY, AND AGGRESSION. General gives a base of 1 to the first 8 Stats. Study of the mind gives a 2 to ENDURANCE, a 4 to INTELLIGENCE, a 6 to MENTAL POWER, a 4 to EMPATHY and a -25 to AGGRESSION. Doubled for studying mind twice gives us 4, 8, 12, 8, and -50 and adding the 1 from general gives us a 1, 5, 1, 1, 9, 13, 1, 9, -50.

2. Check the potential section of the chart to find which potential affects the characteristic and multiply the total determined in Step 1 by the Potential Multiplier. If two potentials affect the characteristic, multiply the total by the first Potential Multiplier and then multiply this product by the second Potential Multiplier.

The Potential Multipliers are linked to the first 8 stats like this STRENGTH(physique, coordination), ENDURANCE(physique), DEXTERITY(coordination, intellect), AGILITY(physique, coordination), INTELLIGENCE(intellect), MENTAL POWER(intellect), LEADERSHIP(intellect, social background), EMPATHY(intellect).
Now our 1, 5, 1, 1, 9, 13, 1, 9, -50 from before is 4, 10, 6, 4, 18, 39, 3, 18, -50.

3. Roll percentile dice and add the final product derived in Step 2 to the dice result. Locate this modified result on the Characteristic Generation Table to find the rating for the characteristic. Mark the rating on the Character Record.
Important: If an Agility Rating of less than 5 is received at this time, it is considered a 5. The Mental Power Rating is divided by 2 (rounding fractions down) before being noted on the Character Record. The Mental Power Rating may range from 0 to 6.
This procedure is conducted nine times when generating a character � once for each characteristic.
Note that no potentials affect the aggression characteristic. The modifiers listed under aggression on the Modifier Chart are simply added to (or subtracted from) the characteristic generation dice result, as appropriate.

Okay, rolls are 52, 70, 85, 48, 63, 96, 03, 41, 38. Add the modifiers from the last part...56, 80, 91, 52, 81, 138, 09, 56, -28. Going to the handy table and applying the rules gives the character-- STRENGTH(5), ENDURANCE(6), DEXTERITY(7), AGILITY(5), INTELLIGENCE(6), MENTAL POWER(5) it was halved from 11, LEADERSHIP(2), EMPATHY(5), and AGGRESSION(1). Stat range is from 1-12 but getting a 12 requires a modified 140 or more. This is possible, just difficult.

And that's it for Part 2.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 21:57

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Character Profession

Choose a profession for the character.
There are 23 professions in the game. To qualify for any one of them requires minimum stats and specific fields of study. As this character went mind twice, it seriously restricts what profession can be chosen. In fact, the only career that is available at first glance is Colonist which has NO prerequisites.
All is not bleak though as there is a loophole. Space Navigation is very Dune-like requiring psychic navigators. Therefore there is a Mental Power Waiver. If a character has a Mental Power of 5 or 6 they can take one of the following list of professions:
Explorer (civilian)
Interstellar Trader (civilian)
Scout (military)
Space Pirate (civilian)
Star Sailor (military)

Space Pirate sounds fun!

Declare how many years the character will practice their profession.
Two of the professions, Colonist and Thinker, can declare how many years they want to serve; from 4-20 in blocks of 4. The rest choose how many they want to serve then roll a d10 and check the Employment Table. If they are military that is the number of years they actually serve. If they are civilian that is the number of years they actually are working in that field during that time.

I want to serve 16 years (4 terms) as a Space Pirate. I roll a 9 and actually serve the full 16!

Determine the effects of age on the character.
The base age is 20. Add the number of years served (if military, colonist or thinker) or number of years declared (if civilian) to that. 20 +16 = 36 years old. Next roll a d10 and add that to your age. I rolled a 4 so that comes out to 40. Checking the Effects of Age Table shows that the character loses 3 points total from physical stats. They are subtracted one at a time from the stats in this order ENDURANCE, AGILITY, STRENGTH, DEXTERITY. So my current stats are ENDURANCE(5), AGILITY(4), STRENGTH(4)

Calculate the number of Skill Points the character receives.
Each profession has a Skill Point Modifier. The Space Pirate's is 6. Roll one d10 add the Skill Point Modifier and the character's INTELLIGENCE and consult the Skill Point Table cross-referencing with actual years of service. I rolled an 8 + 6 + 6 = 20. Cross ref that with 16 years gives me 11 Skill Points.

Choose Skills for the character.
Because the character used the mental power waiver 4 of those Skill Points are already called for. Level 2 in Piloting and Navigation.
I now have 7 points to spend on any of the general or mind fields of study or the Space Pirate skill list. I'll take 1 level in body armor, handguns, and spaceship tech leaving me with 4 points. I'll then buy two levels each in gunnery, and missile guidance. I then list these following skills: paint gun, arc gun, bows, unarmed combat, space tactics, linguistics, disguise, forgery, air vehicles, asteroid mining, planetology, astronomy, weapon tech, near-weightless gravity, laser/stun pistol, blades, ground vehicles, and home environ as Familiar meaning they will be easier to learn later.

Determine benefits the character receives from their profession.
Roll a d10 and add actual years of service to it then check the Benefits Table 8 on the die plus 16 years gives me a type 'E' Benefit package.
First off all Space Pirates receive an Internal Gravity Web which basically keeps you from going splat under multiple gravity accelerations. The Type 'E' gives me Initial Wealth x 10 or 60 Trans cash, and a Terwillicker Type 5000 Battlecraft along with being wanted by the Federation.

And that's it!

Lance Hardjaw -- Psychic Space Pirate Pilot/Nav 36 years old.
STRENGTH(4) ENDURANCE(5) DEXTERITY(7) AGILITY(4) INTELLIGENCE(6) MENTAL POWER(5) LEADERSHIP(2) EMPATHY(5) AGGRESSION(1)

Skills:
Psionic Boost 1
Psionic Communication 1
Life Sense 1
Gamblimg 1
Streetwise 1
Pilot 2
Navigation 2
Gunnery 2
Missile Guidance 2
Spaceship Tech 1
Body Armor 1
Handguns 1

Gear:
Pistol
Civ Level 7 Expedition Suit
Suit Repair Kit
46 Trans cash

Terwillicker 5000 Battlecraft

# ¿ Feb 23, 2014 20:46

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Another day another space game...

This time it's Space Opera, a 1980 vintage game from Fantasy Games Unlimited or FGU. I have a love/hate relationship with FGU games. On the one hand they were interesting concepts, detailed, and full of cool maps and charts as pack ins in their cardboard boxes. On the other, they were insanely complex and riddled with typos and printing errors.

Space Opera is one of the great examples of all of these factors. It tried to do what Traveller did, make a science fiction game that could handle Star Trek as easily as Star Wars...at the same time. It did. Only problem the baseline for 'easy' was somewhere up where Galactus could walk under the bar without stooping.

It is a very very bad game. Contrarily, it was the system that taught me that even if the rules are poo poo, a good GM and good players can save anything.

The Creation order for this one is:

As with Universe this looks simple enough...you have no loving idea.

Select Character Class
This is one feature I do like. You are guaranteed to have the stats to make you viable for your character idea. How? By making the choice of the class affect the stats you receive. I am pretty down with this. Sadly it is one of the few good ideas...
The available classes are Armsman (Soldier), Tech, Scientist: Research, Scientist: Medical, Scientist: Engineering, Astronaut. I am trying to make a bird bard here, so I'm going to go with Scientist: Research. The stat bonus from this are+35 to Intelligence, Intuition, GTA (General Technical Aptitude). NOTE: this is a lump sum which can be distributed among the listed stats. Not a bonus per stat. :smith:

Like Universe this is a game where you roll dice, add a modifier, and consult a table for your final stat score. Good thing? No multipliers. Bad thing? 14 stats...
Physique, Strength, Constitution, Agility, Dexterity, Empathy, Intelligence, Psionics, Intuition, Bravery, Leadership, GTA, MechA, ElecA (A = Aptitude)

Determine Personal Characteristics (Stats)
Okay let's roll them dice...50, 32, 61, 57, 21, 98, 73, 44, 01 (This is amazingly lucky and I'll explain why later), 84, 58, 47, 81, 33. Now we can arrange them in any order we like at least so arranged plus bonus points distributed gives me this...
Physique 21, Strength 32, Constitution 47, Agility 58, Dexterity 61, Empathy 98, Intelligence 84(+12=96), Psionics 01, Intuition 81(+15=96), Bravery 21, Leadership 72, GTA 44(+8=52), MechA 47, ElecA 33

Consulting the chart gives us: Physique 11, Strength 12, Constitution 13, Agility 13, Dexterity 13, Empathy 18, Intelligence 18, Psionics 1, Intuition 16, Bravery 9, Leadership 15, GTA 13, MechA 11, ElecA 9

Determine Planet of Birth
Dice rolling time! First up is Planetary Gravity Field I roll a 17+ on a d20 and that is...

"Space Opera' posted:

17-18 PC is a native of a planet with a gravity field of 1.2 to 1.4 G and is adapted to high gravity conditions. He has Physique -2 in size, but his body mass will be 110% of the normal value for his height. High gravity encourages heavier bone Structure and muscle development. Strength, Constitution, and Agility will be a minimum 11. There is a 100% chance that one of these three characteristics will be +1 (player choice) or a 50% chance that any two will be +1. Strength and Stamina would naturally be improved under such arduous conditions. Agility would also be a factor for 'natural selection', in that clumsy types would likely suffer from a fatal accident sooner or later, while coordinated persons would be better able to react quickly in a surface acceleration field significantly above the norm.

Physique is reduced by 2 to a 9. Well my Strength, Constitution and Agility are all 11 or higher already and I have a +1 to one of those stats guaranteed or a 50% chance to have two at +1. I'll take the guaranteed add in Constitution Monty!

Next is atmosphere. D20 roll is a 16

"Space Opera' posted:

16-17 Moderately high pressure atmosphere: The PC lives in an atmosphere up to 2000mm pressure. His oxygen tolerance is 75mm to 550mm IPP in the lungs. Low pressure atmospheres are not particularly comfortable, and fatigue may set in quickly in low oxygen environments.

and finally the fun one, Planetary Climate. This one is a d100 no less...

"Space Opera' posted:

96 Planetary Type 9: Terran Planet with Extreme Axial Tilt at Inner Edge of Stellar Ecosphere, with conditions as described in section 15.5. Anyone descended from colonists insane enough to choose to settle on such a planet probably has an 'unusual' psychological and cultural profile. The savage Seasonality produces such harsh conditions that any PC who is adapted to the planet will have +1 Constitution, with 75% chance of an additional +1, and a minimum Constitution score of 14. He will also enjoy a +2 on Constitution CRs involving desert survival, arctic cold, and related factors. Survival skills will be superbly turned to dealing with a variety of climatic conditions, with emergency techniques (taking shelter, finding water, reading the violently changing weather, etc,) honed to a fine edge; Unlike other Inner Ecosphere dwellers, the PC will be as adapted to frigid conditions as he is to heat, and can literally withstand the entire range of survivable temperature in which his racial type may live without undue hardship.

...

Okay then +1 to Constitution...again. Constitution of 15. Roll for the extra plus and fail.

Select Character Race
Easy. The avians are the only choice here.

"Space Opera' posted:

The Avians are descended from ground-dwelling birds. (Even in low gravity conditions, flyers do not attain sizes sufficient to make racial dominance on the planet a likely prospect.) A PC will qualify for Avian status upon choice. No characteristics modifiers or requirements need be considered.
Stellar Primary: Types F, G, K
Home Planet: Planetary Types I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9, with gravity 0.6 to 1.25 G.
Radiation Tolerance: Human tolerances apply.
Atmosphere: Human norms apply.
Appearance: Avians are bipedal, with wings evolved into 'arms' with grasping appendages that function efficiently as 'hands'. Avian legs are strong and adapted to running at high speed. Feet typically possess talons suited for kicking and striking at enemies. The head has all of the characteristic avian shape of lesser species, often resembling the features of hawks and eagles, with keen eyes and sharp beak. The head and body are covered with feathers of various hues, males tending to be more decorative than females. The feathers themselves tend toward a downy, almost fur-like appearance and texture. Avian musculature is strong, but body weight is relatively lower than for other species of similar size because most Avians retain hollow bones. Speeds are definitely faster than for most races.
Vision: Avians enjoy excellent binocular vision, as do all preceding races, but rarely see in colour. Night vision is somewhat poorer than that of most humans if the Avian race is adapted to brilliant and medium illumination conditions, but species from dim (Type K) star systems will have excellent night vision. Avians are sensitive to movements, like Felines, and their attention is quickly caught by anyone or anything moving stealthily.
Hearing: Avian hearing tends to be quite good, but depending on the species, a range from Terran human norms to exceedingly acute levels may occur.
Smell: Avian olfactory senses are very poor, racial dependence being On vision.
General Comments: Avians are carnivorous and no known sentient species are plant eaters. Metabolisms are invariably iron-based, although copper-based metabolisms are possible. Most Avians of advanced races are long-lived, often attain 150 years of age, while 'primitives' will also reach respectable levels of 75 to 100 years.
Avians are worshippers of the 'Egg', as perhaps befits their species, and powerful religious as well as patriotic connotations are attached to their native planets, which symbolise the Cosmic Egg of Life. They also have very strange family ties and mate for life. Children, being fixated on their parents by instinctive birth reflexes, are utterly loyal to their elders. Culturally, order of precedence is exceedingly important, and the 'pecking order' of birds is clearly reflected in their according privilege to those who succeed to high rank.

Determine Secondary Characteristics
Let's get our height and weight...
My Physique of 9 on the Humans, Humanoids, Transhumans Canines, and Avians Size Tablesays that the base height of a male avian is 175cm and that I weigh 55kg. However my High-G origins give me a 110% mass and my being an avian means I'm 5% lighter. So that means I'm 57.47kg.

Carrying Capacity is next...

"Space Opera' posted:

Carrying Capacity (CC) is determined by adding a character�s Physique, Strength, and Constitution scores and dividing by 3. The result is then multiplied times his body mass/weight times his racial CC Factor.

Physique 9 + Strength 11 + Constitution 15 = 35 / 3 = 11.67 (the CC Factor is taken out to 2 significant digits as well). 11.67 x 57.47kg x CC Factor of .05 for Avians = 32.52kg

"Space Opera' posted:

pre:

Category 		Amount 		Carried Effect
Light Load 		1/7 CC		None
Moderate Load		1/4 CC		Double fatigue cost for run, climb, or hand-to-hand combat; -1 to initiative determinations.
Heavy Load		1/3 CC		Double fatigue cost for trot; triple for run, climb, crawl, or hand-to-hand combat;
					-3 to initiative;-l to Dexterity CRs(CR = Check Roll bye the bye).
Full Load		1/2 CC		As above, but Cut hand-to-hand combat by 1/4.
Partly Encumbered	2/3 CC		As above, but Cut all movement end hand-to-hand combat by 1/2; -10 from initiative;
					 -5 from Dexterity CRs.
Fully Encumbered	4/5 CC		Triple all fatigue costs; Cut movement and hand-to-hand combat by 1/2; -15 from 
					initiative; -8 from Dexterity CRs.

Damage Factors! (a/k/a Hit points...)

"Space Opera' posted:

Damage factors or DF represents a PC�s ability to withstand physical injury. Initially, the DF is computed by adding Physique, Strength, Constitution, and PC body mass, then dividing that sum by 10. This result is then multiplied by the racial factor.

35 from stats + 57.47 = 92.47 / 10 = 9.247 x Avian racial factor of 2.5 = 23 DF

Shock Resistance rating is equal to Constitution so it's 15 at least that's easy. It's used to determine poison resistance, CPR success and a bunch of other life-threatening checks.

Next is Stamina Factor...

"Space Opera' posted:

The Stamina Factor or SF represents the PC�s energy levels and has a significant effect on his performance under stress and severe physical activity, The Stamina Factor is found by adding the Strength and Constitution scores of the PC, then multiplying the sum by the racial factor. Gravity will modify the SF. If a PC is working on a planet with a gravity field of more than 0.2G higher than the gravity field he is used to, he will require 1 week�s acclimatisation per 0.2G higher, or part thereof. In the meantime, his SF is reduced by 5% per 0.2G the gravity is higher than his natural gravity field. Note: 'natural' refers to the gravity in which he normally works, not necessarily the gravity of his home planet.

Yay. 24 x 2.75 = 66 SF on a 1G world.

Okay that's the Base statistics done. Next time skills!

Humbug Scoolbus fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Feb 25, 2014

# ¿ Feb 25, 2014 23:32

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Time for more Space Opera!

Determine Character Career Experience
Space Opera has Classes, Races and Careers. So far the character is a Scientist:Researcher Avian, but who does he work for?

We may have a few choices...

"Space Opera' posted:

StarForce -- The StarForces are the elite units of the StarFleet, Space Marines, and Special Services Commandos who guard the spacelanes from enemy attack, and who carry death and destruction to the enemy's home planets.

BOSS -- (BUREAU OF STATE SECURITY) BOSS is a paramilitary organisation which combines the duties of such services as MI5, the FBI, the KGB, and similar security institutions.

BRINT -- (BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE) BRINT is the intelligence-gathering agency of the StarForce. Ranks and pay are as for Executive Officers in the StarForce, regardless of specialisation, but only Astronauts can actually command BRINT Starships. BRINT operatives can expect to operate in enemy territory as 'spies' and saboteurs, and may be required to organise and train resistance groups on planets Occupied by the enemy. BRINT agents also keep a close watch on the Bureau of State Security, whose agents are not part of the Military Establishment and evidence over-zealous Police State mentalities which the military authorities resent and deeply suspect�especially in democratic societies. In totalitarian regimes, BRINT is the implacable foe of BOSS and delights in confounding the incursions of BOSS into military affairs.

IPA -- (INTERSTELLAR POLICE AGENCY) The IPA is a paramilitary organisation very similar to the StarForce and BRINT, except that it is charged with maintaining law and order in the volume of space controlled by the StarCulture and concerns itself with criminal activities of an interplanetary and interstellar nature. The IPA maintains naval quality vessels up to Fleet Cruiser displacement and armament in order to combat piracy and to patrol the spacelanes.
Interstellar Survey -- The Department of Interstellar Survey is charged with the exploration of deep space, to discover and chart new planets suitable for colonisation, resource exploitation, etc. Survey personnel are identical to StarForce personnel, insofar as pre-requisites are concerned, with Armsmen the equivalent of StarForce Commandos. The Survey Service operates naval class vessels up to BattleCruiser displacement, as deep space beyond the frontiers tends to produce hostile aliens. The ships are heavily modified for scientific research, however.

Independent Explorer -- The need for new Colony and resource planets is never satisfied, and while the Survey Service does extensive work in the discovery of new planets for settlement and industrial development, independent exploration companies have also entered the field. Freedom-loving adventurers of all classes have taken on this hazardous profession for pure profit. According to Interstellar Law, the discoverer of a planet uninhabited by sentient races becomes a First Claimant to all land and resources on the planet. If the discoverer undertakes the development of the planet, a very costly enterprise until returns are won from that development, he literally owns the planet. In most cases, the Only organisations capable of such development are governments and the great interstellar corporations. However, a discoverer can also sell his interest in his First Claim, the value of the Claim being dependent on the potential of the planet for colonisation or resource development and the difficulties that may be encountered in undertaking such development.

Contact Service and Diplomatic Corps. -- The Contact Service is a highly professional branch of the Diplomatic Corps. All First Contact personnel are Scientists with a strong background in the Social Sciences. Diplomatic Corps personnel are really identical to Contact Service personnel with regard to the qualifications required of PCs. The Diplomatic Corps is merely the political arm of the same department of government--Foreign Affairs.

Merchant Marine -- The Merchant Service is organised on a tight Guild structure. Normally, employment is maintained in one of the Guilds, but a general SpaceHand position may be obtained by any personnel unable to obtain employment in their Guild position.
Most large vessels are owned by large corporations as both the cost of the vessels and the cost of operations are far too high for many private citizens to manage. However. PCs may own ships of corvette and light merchantman displacement.

Planetary Police Force -- The Planetary Police forces are paramilitary law enforcement agencies charged with maintaining law and order on a particular planet or within a local planetary jurisdiction. Planetary police usually have no authority outside their jurisdiction and must depend upon the Interstellar Police Agency to pursue criminals escaping beyond planetary boundaries or to conduct investigations that are interplanetary or interstellar in nature. However, some highly developed
planets may have a number of StarFighters available for high-speed pursuit and for patrol work in the moons, asteroids, and outer planets of the system.which tend to be included in the jurisdiction of a major planet. Thus, while Astronauts are not normally employed by the Police, some systems may have a limited number of positions available.

Mercenary Company -- The Mercenaries are fighting men who have, for the most part, been released from the regular forces. Mercenaries hire Out their services to the large interstellar corporations, to frontier planets that lack sufficient population to maintain a regular planetary defence force and need professional 'stiffening' for their Citizen militias, and to independent merchants requiring a heavy guard for voyages into pirate and enemy infested space.

A BOSS bird bard? Works for me. Space James Bond with feathers and a guitar. The pre-requisites for a BOSS Scientist are Intelligence/11+, Intuition/ 12+, and Strength/10+ and Constitution/10+. As the current stats are Physique (11)9, Strength 12, Constitution 15, Agility 13, Dexterity 13, Empathy 18, Intelligence 18, Psionics 1, Intuition 16, Bravery 9, Leadership 15, GTA 13, MechA 11, ElecA 9 our James Bird easily qualifies. You roll a d20 and consult a table to see how many years you serve I roll a 12 and serve 9 two year tours as a BOSS agent If I wanted to re-enlist, I would need to roll a d20 and try to get (in a BOSS Scientist's case) a 13+. I would get +1 to this roll for each of the following stats...Intel/14+, Intuit/15+, Dex/13+, GTA/14+, Ldr/15+, Brav/13+ so in James Bird's case he would have a +4 and only need to roll a 9+. I think 18 years of honourable service is enough though.

"Space Opera' posted:

All BOSS promotions are based on obtaining 9+ on the roll of 2d6, made every two years at the end of a tour of duty. Ranks below grade/ 3 require a maximum Empathy of 13 to qualify. Ranks above grade/3 require -1 Empathy per rank grade above grade/3, and also minimum Leadership/12. PCs with Empathy/ 1-6 obtain +1 DM on promotion rolls. PCs with Leadership/16+ obtain +1 DM on promotion rolls.

You start at the lowest rank of course which is Rank Grade 0 -- Agent/5 for BOSS. Sadly, as James Bird has a Empathy of 18, he will never get promoted. He's just not callous enough.

Next retirement benefits...

"Space Opera' posted:

BOSS: PCs do not 'retire' from BOSS. Liberal regimes allow personnel to lapse into 'inactive service', but may require them to perform missions at need. Totalitarian regimes permit no retirement at all because the PC knows too much. In the latter case, retirement is unthinkable. A PC in a totalitarian BOSS organisation is assumed to have literally made a 'run' for it and will be a hunted man. In any event, a BOSS agent obtains CR 1000 x 1d10 x rank grade attained in equipment, whether by the beneficence of BOSS or by outright theft in the case of a PC who has deserted. Such equipment may be restricted or top secret, The PC will also be able to choose any three concealable small arms of his choice.

Well that Rank Grade of '0' fucks up any equipment I'll get, so I guess it's 3 concealable weapons and that's all.

Skills finally...

"Space Opera' posted:

Research Scientist: PCs receive 1 SP (Skill Point) x sum of Dexterity, 3x Intelligence, 2x Intuition, and any one of GTA, MechA, or ElecA scores, This yields a range of 7-133 SP, with middle to high values likely. Half of this number of SPs must be spent on scientific skills appropriate to the PC's service career, along with an additional 2 SP x number of years of service before entry into the game. The remaining SPs can be spent to acquire any other desired skills.

Right. Dex 13 + (3 x Intel 18) + (2 x Intuit 16) + GTA 13 = 112 SP. Of these points 92 points must be spent on sciences.

We're going social science crazy here...

General Social Science/9 at 2 SP per level = 18
Comparative Cultures and Xenology/10 at 3 SP per = 30
Linguistics/7 at 5 per =35
Psychology/3 at 3 SP per = 9

Total is 92 SP.

I have 20 more to spend on anything...
First up
Combat Training/2 at (1)2 SP per = 4

"Space Opera' posted:

Combat Training is open to any PC, but civilians pay double theSP cost. Military and Police personnel pay the basic SP cost.Combat training is the difference between an Armed Force and an unruly mob. Personnel with such training have learned to mesh with the requirements of being a part of a disciplined combat team, submerging their individualism in the discipline of the Service and developing required combat skills until they are dependable reflexes.
For each level of Combat Training expertise, a PC acquires:
[list]
[1] Expertise/1 with a chosen group of weapons, These form the nucleus of his subsequent arms specialisations or, if he prefers, a basic knowledge of a variety of weapons in addition to those he develops to a high level of expertise.
[2] Ability to instruct others to his level of expertise with any weapon or combat tactic he has learned himself.
[3] A bonus of +1% per expertise level in all attacks and -1% per' expertise level from attacks directed against him. For example, a PC with CT/8 is attacking a PC with CT/4. The difference is 4, for the CT/8 character has a +4% advantage to hit. The CT/4 character, however, has a difference of 4 (he is 4 levels below expertise/8) and so suffers a -4% penalty when he is attacking the character with CT/8

James actually paid attention in the 'Maim thy neighbor' classes. For his weapons groups', he is picking Needlers and Special Weapons. Special Weapons is so he can use this...

"Space Opera' posted:

The Tech/7 'slug' gun is a uniquely Terran hold-out weapon.
Usually disguised as some 'innocent' personal item, such as a fully functional pocket lighter, wristwatch, pen, etc., it will bear the closest scrutiny, short of a detailed internal examination. The slug gun expels a droplet of highly compressed CX2 gas, which has the property of expanding rapidly in the direction in which it is initially ejected from the weapon. The wave front of expanding gas literally 'puts the slug' on the target, as an ancient Terran saying goes, effectively delivering a massive punch which can shatter bones and inflict massive internal injuries. The slug gun loses power very rapidly with range, and thus it is typically used by Terran Intelligence and Security agents or by Police undercover agents.
A few of the weapons have passed into civilian hands and might be obtained on Terran worlds from the Black Market. They may also be issued from time to time to government personnel for personal protection in situations in which the obvious armaments are either too conspicuous for freedom of action or are forbidden.
The slug gun is responsible for the 'tough' reputation of the Terrans in a brawl. The weapon is characteristically held in the fist (pocket lighter models being very useful for this) and is fired as the PC appears to throw a punch at his opponent. The effects of such a Terran 'love tap' are truly spectacular, as few victims remain on their feet, no mater how big they are, unless they are of 'big game' size.

I'll finish up with Streetwise/3 at 2 SP per = 6 and Perform (Guitar)/10 at 1 SP = 10.

Final James Bird -- Avian Musician and Anthropologist (+ spy...)
High G Planetary Type 9: Terran Planet with Extreme Axial Tilt at Inner Edge of Stellar Ecosphere

Physique (11)9, Strength 12, Constitution 15, Agility 13, Dexterity 13, Empathy 18, Intelligence 18, Psionics 1, Intuition 16, Bravery 9, Leadership 15, GTA 13, MechA 11, ElecA 9

175cm tall, 57.47kg

CC:32.52kg DF:23 SR:15 SF:66

BOSS 18 Years. Left as Agent/5

SKILLS:
General Social Science/9
Comparative Cultures and Xenology/10
Linguistics/7
Psychology/3
Combat Training/2 (Weapon Groups Needlers and Special)
Streetwise/3
Perform (Guitar)/10

GEAR:
Slug Gun x 2
Hold-Out Needler
Guitar

...Oh yeah that Psionics 1?

Space Opera posted:

Psionically �Dead� Characters: Any character with a Psionics (PSI) score of 10 or less will be psionically �inactive� or �dead.� That is, he will be unable to exercise psionic talents himself. He will also be unable to receive telepathic messages, etc, unless these are delivered in the form of a Mental Attack. Such characters will also have a form of natural resistance to psionic eavesdropping,� as their minds cannot be read if they roll equal to or higher than their PSI scores on 1d20. Characters with PSI/1 are therefore �unreadable� with telepathic powers because they will always roll 1 or higher on 1d20. Such characters have the capacity for ShuttleThought, their minds thinking on several levels at once in such a fashion that any Telepath attempting to read them receives only a confusing blur of mental images.

Humbug Scoolbus fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Feb 26, 2014

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 21:46

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Another day another space game...

Unlike the previous two games I've covered, Blue Planet is a very good game. One that really should have an F&F done on it. Today though we are going to make a character. There are no bird PCs in Blue Planet, so how about a Beluga Whale Bard?

Blue Planet is a game set on a water world . Explorations in Earth's Solar System had located a wormhole that allowed FTL travel to the Lambda Serpentis System and back. After several small explorations were accomplished by probes a colony was decided to be set up on Lambda Serpentis II a/k/a Poseidon; a world with 95% coverage of surface water and animal life that was similar to Earth's with some significant changes, such as most mammal analogues being hexapodal to a greater or lesser extant.

This colony called the Athena Project had genetically modded colonists for amphibious survival along with uplifted Bottlenose Dolphins and Orcas as scouts and assistants. Meanwhile a genetically modified crop destroying virus had been released on Earth causing a massive famine known as the Blight. This started a new dark age which lasted almost 60 years until the virus is eradicated. Another ship is finally sent to Poseidon to establish contact with the abandoned colonists and finds they have slipped into an almost tribal level due to all their technology wearing out.

A few years later the corporations move in to begin to explore the economic opportunities.

Develop a character concept. discuss it with the game moderator, and select an appropriate character power level.

The original rules only supported humans, gene-modded humans, bottlenoses, and orcas. The last supplement published, Ancient Echoes, added, Beluga, Pilot Whales, and Common Dolphins. I'm going to create a Beluga musician who was born on Earth and has emigrated to Poseidon to become a missionary. Of the various types of cetaceans, Belugas are renowned for their musical talent.
The three Character Power Levels are: Everyday, Exceptional, and Elite. The game recommends all PCs be Exceptional or Elite. Everyday is for NPCs. This Power level sets the amount of points to be spent on various character choices.
Exceptional sounds good...

pre:

Attributes			3/5
Biomods				2-4 Minor, 1-2 Major
Aptitudes			2/4
Professional Packages		5
Points for Custom Skills	10
Max Skill Level at Start	6

Select a species and record the default attribute scores for that species.

Beluga Whale obviously, the base statistics are:

pre:

BUILD			7
FITNESS			2
AGILITY			0
DEXTERITY		-10	
AWARENESS		1
	CHEMICAL (Not Cetaceans)
	ECHOLOCATION (Only Cetaceans)
	HEARING
	INTUITION
	TOUCH
	VISION
INTELLECT		-1
PRESENCE		0
WILL			0
(Figured Characteristics)
ENDURANCE		+3
REFLEXES		+0
STRENGTH		+0
TOUGHNESS		+0

Modify the character's attributes, using either the point-based or random system.
I'm going to use the point-buy system. The random system may get you more points to work with, but you may not get the statistics you want/need for a concept.

pre:

LEVEL  CHARACTER POINTS
-3				-4
-2				-2
-1				-1
0				0
+1				+1
+2				+2
+3				+4

I'm going to spend 2 Points on PRESENCE raising it to a 2, 1 Point on AWARENESS raising it to a 2, and 1 Point on INTELLECT raising it to a 0. I will drop 1 point from BUILD lowering it to a 6 so I can afford it.

Record the character's abilities. Choose the character's aptitudes.
Now my stats look like this...

pre:

BUILD			6
FITNESS			2
AGILITY			0
DEXTERITY		-10	
AWARENESS		2
	CHEMICAL (Not Cetaceans)
	ECHOLOCATION (Only Cetaceans)
	HEARING
	INTUITION
	TOUCH
	VISION
INTELLECT		0
PRESENCE		2
WILL			0
(Figured Characteristics)
ENDURANCE		4
REFLEXES		1
STRENGTH		4
TOUGHNESS		2

NOTE: The AWARENESS raw score is the average of the various senses. That means you can increase one Sense if you lower another. I'm not going to do that with this character.
Aptitudes:
These are how good you are with groups of skills, like Command, Fine Arts, or Firearms. A Superior Aptitude allows you to roll 3d10, a Strong Aptitude gives you 2d10, and an Average Aptitude is 1d10. As an Exceptional Power Level character I get 2 Superior and 4 Strong Aptitudes. My Superior Aptitudes are Fine Arts, and Culture. My Strong Aptitudes are Communication, Command, Human Sciences, and Tech. This is a very social character and is quite familiar with bureaucracy and the like.

Select biomods for the character and record any changes to the character's primary and derived attributes.
This game is heavy on cybernetics, biological modification, and genetic engineering mainly due an unusual biological component found on Poseidon. (Why all the corporations are so interested.)
I am not going heavy cyber with this guy and am just taking a Sonic Trode

Blue Planet posted:

Cetaceans, especially orcas, seem to universally abhor cybernetic implants, and often have a hard time dealing with humans who are heavily modified. As a result. cetaceans typically interface with computers and other hardware via a unique form of trode.

Basically a neural link so no changes to attributes.

Select one origin package and two background packages for the character.
Skills are gained in 'packages'. I'm going to take...

Blue Planet posted:

EARTH - COASTAL RESIDENT:
Coastal Cetes live in large social groups, usually near human population centers. They tend to have more educational and professional opportunities than their more feral counterparts and enjoy a more stable role in the human world.
Cetacean Culture 3, Earth Culture 1, Language(Interspec) 5, Remote Operation 1

This is because the uplifted Belugas tend to cluster around Baffin Bay in Canada.

I want this to be a suave cete about town, or bay actually, so he gets this...

Blue Planet posted:

UNIVERSITY:
This background represents the basic skills acquired through a general Liberal arts education. While these skills cover only the first year or two at a major university. many students go on to more specialized studies, and the acquisition of these skills is covered by the professional training packages described below.
Computers 1, Earth Culture 2. History 1, Language 3, Politics 1, Writing 2

...twice. For language he is learning Latin (he likes Gregorian Chants...).

Choose professional training packages for the character.
These work much the same as the Origin and Background Packages. They all come in three levels (Novice, Specialist, Expert)and it costs 1 package pick per level. I'm going to take...

Blue Planet posted:

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EXPERT (Musician)
Entertainment is one of the fastest growing industries on Poseidon. Miners and prospectors in town between excursions, scientists tired of collecting specimens, soldiers on leave-sometimes it seems like everyone is trying to escape the day-to-day for a while. And, as is the case in most frontier societies. there are always folks willing to help them. The high demand for entertainment on Poseidon doesn't mean that every two-bit crooner with a guitar is rolling in stock options.
Poseidon has its share of street-corner musicians and starry-eyed dreamers hocking their underwear to pay for another demo recording
Acting 5, Computers 3, Culture (Cetacean) 3, Culture (Colonial) 1, Dancing 5, Earth Culture 4, Electronics 3, History 1, Mechanics 1, Music 7, Negotiation 3, Persuasion 3, Physics 1, Psychology 3

WHALESONG MYSTICISM NOVICE
While human researchers have enjoyed little success in making any sense of its enigmatic philosophy, the Church of Whalesong Theogony remains a powerful force in cetacean culture. This package represents the broad, holistic understanding and skills cultivated through whalesong mysticism.
Astronomy 1, Cetacean Culture 2, Genetics 1, Geology 1, Language (Interspec) 1, Meteorology 1, Oration 1, Persuasion 1, Psychology 1, Theology 3, Zoology 1

COLONIZATION NOVICE
Cetacean colonists are some of the most valuable resources on Poseidon. in both native and newcomer settlements. Their adaptations to the aquatic environment make them uniquely suited to a variety of marine tasks, from aquaculture to fishing.
Animal Husbandry 3, Aquaculture 3. Botany 2. Culture (Colonial) 2, Electronics 1, Fishing 3, Foraging 2, Language (Interspec) 2, Mechanics 1, Meteorology 2, Remote Operation 1, Zoology 2

Allocate points to the character's custom skills.
I've got 10 to work with so I'll buy 2 more in Oration, 3 in Leadership, 3 in First Aid and 2 more in History.

Finally I'll give him a CICADA which is a cetacean ROV and has a rotor drone so he can participate in stuff on the surface. He interfaces with it though his Sonic Trode of course...

Choir Leader
Beluga Missionary and Songmaster.

pre:

BUILD			6
FITNESS			2
AGILITY			0
DEXTERITY		-10	
AWARENESS		2
	CHEMICAL (Not Cetaceans)
	ECHOLOCATION (Only Cetaceans)
	HEARING
	INTUITION
	TOUCH
	VISION
INTELLECT		0
PRESENCE		2
WILL			0
(Figured Characteristics)
ENDURANCE		4
REFLEXES		1
STRENGTH		4
TOUGHNESS		2

pre:

Agriculture 1d10
	Animal Husbandry 3 
	Aquaculture 3
Command 2d10
	Leadership 3
Communication 2d10
	Language(Interspec) 6
	Language(Latin) 3
	Negotiation 3
	Oration 3
	Persuasion 4
	Writing 2
Culture 3d10
	Cetacean 6
	Colonial 5
	Earth 3
Fine Arts 3d10
	Acting 5
	Dance 5
	Music 7
Human Sciences 2d10
	History 4
	Politics 1
	Theology 3
Life Sciences 1d10
	Botany 2
	Genetics 1
	Zoology 3
Medicine 1d10
	First Aid 3
	Psychology 1
Physical Sciences 1d10
	Astronomy 1
	Geology 1
	Meteorology 3
	Physics 1
Survival 1d10
	Fishing 3
	Foraging 2
Tech 2d10
	Computers 5
	Electronics 4
	Mechanics 2
	Remote Operation 3

Humbug Scoolbus fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Feb 27, 2014

# ¿ Feb 27, 2014 23:09

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

FredMSloniker posted:

I wanted to contribute to this thread, but unfortunately I can't seem to find the information I'm looking for. Then it occurred to me that maybe someone in this thread would have that information.

Back in the day (yo), there was a book that allowed you to systemlessly generate characters for roleplaying games. I think it might have been a series, actually, with one for fantasy, one for sci-fi, and so on. I mainly remember it for (a) having some really strange things that could happen to your character; (b) having an unusual alignment system, with several 'good', 'neutral', and 'evil' options; and (c) having had its table of 'derangements' censored (with a label stuck over it with revised entries) because, uh, certain entries on the original table were not politically correct.

Can anyone identify this product? If so, I'll do my best to track it down and make something with it.

Central Casting series from Flying Buffalo .

# ¿ Mar 2, 2014 20:58

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 01:41

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

With the right Remote Unit in Blue Planet it is totally possible...Also there is an Orca crime boss in the setting.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 21:23

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Let's Create Characters For Every RPG: Roll 3d6 six times in order, forever