CHARACTER GENERATION

This page lists the character generation rules I used for this particular campaign. Although I followed the Fuzion rules, there was ample space for customization. Indeed some level of it is required. For example, in deciding which organization should have which level of impact for Contact purposes.

 

Points

Complications

Skills

Talents

Perks

 

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Points
      Players were given the standard amount of points listed in the C:NM book. That is: 65 character points (CP), 50 option points (OP) and 45 power points (PP). However, instead of using the C:NM powers plug-in, I opted to use Jason Dour's Heroic Abilities Plug-in (3rd release). There was no Rule of X enforced and players were pretty much allowed to create any type of character they desired within the context of the campaign's world.
     Interchange of points – PP for CP, CP for OP etc – was allowed under certain conditions. For example, a brick character with few powers, but high Strength would be allowed to use PP to buy Strength.

 

Complications
     Most complications were allowed as long as they were reasonable and did not conflict with the basic premise of the campaign. A new, and world-specific, Complication available is:

Obsidian Imprint      -5 OP
During her pregnancy, your mother was attacked by an Obsidian entity and, as a result, your genetic make-up has become permanently imprinted with Obsidian characteristics. Your hair and eyes are jet black; if you are Caucasian or Asian, your skin is also stark white, if Negroid, extremely dark. The imprint allows you to manipulate the dark energy of Obsidia – aka the Dark Dimension – and it is not uncommon for those imprinted to display other paranormal abilities connected to the dark energy. The catch is that the imprint also makes you a living channel to that dimension that can make it easier to open portals and allow the Obsidians – Obsidia’s inhabitants – to enter our dimension.
   Darkness (Affects Entire Vision Group) [4]
   Distinctive Features: Obsidian Imprint (Easily Conc, Mild, Minor) [-2]
   Obsidian Focal Point (Infreq, Strong, Major) [-7]

 

Skills
     There were a couple of alterations made here. The first one was the reduction of the abrangence of certain skills like Markmanship and Melee. I required my players to specify subcategories when buying those skills. For example, if they bought Markmanship, they had to specify if it was Pistols, rifles etc. The second one was a rewriting of the Language skill. I prefer to have a description of the level of aptitude of a language skill attached to a point value. That makes it easier to make judgement calls during the game about related actions. So, I adpated the language table from GURPS to the Fuzion skill system – I could have used the Champions' one, but I believe the GURPS' one has more granulity.

Fluency	OP
Recognize some important words.	1
Usually understands simple senteces, spoken slowly.	2
Adequate reading and speaking vocabulary. Non-natives will have a thick accent, very amusing to natives.	3
Average native speaker. Non-natives retain a distinct foreign accent.	4
Educated native speaker. Non-natives will retain a slight foreign accent.	5
Full mastery fo the language, including idioms. No foreign accent. Can adopt regional accents if desired.	7
Absolute fluency. If non-native, can think in the language.	9

 

 

Talents
     Besides using the Talents listed in C:NM, I also adapted some from Champions; other Fuzion books, like Sengoku, and house rules from DC Heroes.

Conditioned [X]: +10 END.
Hard to Kill [X]: +5 Hits.
Knack: +1 level with a related group of skills (GM's decision).
Linguistically gifted: +1 level with all languages.
Mystic Talent: capable of manipulating mystical energies (required for casting spells from books or in rituals).
Physically gifted: +1 level in Athletics and related abilities.
Resilient [X]: +1 Rec.
Scholastically gifted: Cultured and with great leaning aptitude; +1 level in related abilities.
Strong Immune System: +3 modifier to resist poisons and diseases.
Strong Willed [X]: +3 Will.
Thick Skin [X]: +2 SD and ED.
Tough [X]: +5 Stun.
Well-Connected: Well-travelled and with several contacts worldwide; -1 point cost in all Contacts.

 

Perks
     This is the Impact Level table for this campaign.

Perk	Impact Multiplier
S.W.O.R.D.	x 4
BuMA, SEAM, Governments, Super-hero teams	x 3
Criminal organizations, Individual super-heroes, Omnicorp	x 2
Companies, Media organizations	x 1

 

Contacts
     In order to give my players  an idea of what each level of a Contact would give them, I adapted the following text from a file on New Advantages for the DC Heroes Roleplaing Game by Ray Winninger. A 1- to 5-point contact is considered Low Level, while a 6- to 10-point contact is considered High Level.

An Individual Superhero: A Low Level contact will (1-2) answer the hero's questions and (3-5) perform quick Power or Skill checks for the hero's benefit, presuming the hero can somehow make contact (it's not so easy to get an appointment with Batman!). A High Level Contact will answer questions and perform lengthier favors. Under normal circumstances, a hero can always make contact with his High Level Contacts.

A Superhero Team: A Low Level Contact allows the hero to (1-2) search the team's data files or (3-5) briefly use the facilities in the team's headquarters. A High Level Contact gives the hero the equivalent of a Low Level Contact (equal to half the level in this contact, round down) with most or all of the team's members, allows him to make lengthier use of the team's facilities, and sometimes allows him to borrow non-essential equipment (this last perk almost always requires a successful Persuasion check).

Should a hero actually join a superteam, he automatically gains a free High Level Contact with that team and maintains this Contact for as long as he remains in good standing with the team and its members (perhaps long after he leaves the team's active membership).

S.W.O.R.D.: A Low Level Contact allows the hero to (1-2) search S.W.O.R.D.'s data files, (3-4) briefly use its facilities and (5) borrow non-essential equipment. A High Level Contact allows the hero to (6-7) make lengthier use of S.W.O.R.D.'s facilities, (8-9) Persuade S.W.O.R.D. to loan him special equipment or (10) conduct simple operations on his behalf.

Earth's Mystical Community: This elite fraternity consists of: Ariel, Minos, Witch Hunter, Nicodemus, Hexa, and other earth-bound characters who share a mystical background. A Low Level Contact allows the hero to ask advice from any of these entities, provided he can locate one of them. A High Level Contact allows the hero to ask one of the entities to use a Power or Skill on his behalf (so long as such an effort is brief and non-threatening), and gives the hero a vague idea as to where he might find the closest member of Earth's Mystical Community ("Witch Hunter lives near Washington, DC.", "I hear that Minos has a club in Milan.", etc).

Scientific Organizations: A Low Level Contact with a scientific organization allows the hero to seek advice or the answers to simple questions. A High Level Contact gives the hero an opportunity to Persuade a scientific organization to loan him special equipment or conduct longer experiments/investigations on his behalf.

The Criminal Underworld: Generally, a Low Level Contact allows the hero to seek rumors and information concerning organized crime's activities within a specific city (specified at the time the Contact is purchased). A High Level Contact allows the hero to seek information concerning organized crime activity on a national level and in other cities.

The Street: On the Street, the difference between a Low Level and a High Level Contact affects the likelihood of the hero turning up useful information.

Media Organizations: A Low Level Contact with a media organization allows the hero to obtain information about any of the stories the organization is currently investigating. A High Level Contact allows the hero to obtain information and to plant useful diversionary and red herring stories within the organizations output. Any character with a Media Contact (whether Low or High Level) can insure that the media organization covers any truly newsworthy event that he brings to their attention.

Government: A Low Level Contact with the government (whether local, state, or federal) allows the hero to obtain information that falls within his contact's area of influence (a State Department official can pass along information concering foreign policy and activities in other countries, for instance, while a Justice Department official can pass along criminal records and information concerning federal investigations). A High Level Contact allows the hero any opportunity to obtain information held by any of the government's branches or agencies. Note that this Contact does not guarantee the hero access to privileged or classified information. The GM should allow a Contact to reveal such information only if it would serve the purposes of the story at hand.

Military: A Low Level Military Contact allows the hero to seek answers to simple questions. A High Level Contact gives the hero an opportunity to Persuade the military to loan him special equipment or conduct simple operations on his behalf. This Contact is especially prone to abuse, and the GM must take extra care to insure that its use does not derail the story or campaign.