Future Imperfect chapter 2

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Chapter 2: Building a Hero

What is a Hero?

We all know what a hero is in a story. But while story is an integral part of Future Imperfect, it is not everything. This is a game after all, and to understand what a hero is in this context requires high level abstraction.

When a player creates a hero in a game, what he is doing is telling the Master what he wants to do in the game to come. Players want to have some idea how the rules work, and how their hero interacts with the rules, so that they can have a reasonable expectation of when their hero can be successful. By defining the hero with mechanics, a baseline is created to allow all participants to have an agreement as to what a character can do.

Think back to games you have played in the past. When there have been disagreements, what was the cause? In the majority of cases these disagreements arise from a lack of clarity regarding what can reasonably be done based on the character and situation at hand. Maybe the player purchased an ability believing it to work one way, while the GM saw it differently. Maybe the rules in the book are ambiguous.

In Future Imperfect, the Master and Crew should create heroes together and work to foster understanding. The Master should understand not only who each character is and how he fits into the story, but also how that character will interact with the universe. What is the player saying about the game he wants to play?

If a player buys an ability, he wants to use it! If you, as Master, cannot see a situation where this ability is useful, either give it to the player for free, tell the player that it has no place in the upcoming campaign, or adjust your perception and find a way to make that ability useful. Give the players the game they want!

Raw Materials

What follows are the building blocks of a Hero. Read through them, and be sure you understand them well before continuing. This Hero will be your gaming persona for the life of the game, be sure to thoroughly consider all decisions and create a Hero you can enjoy for the long haul.

1. Concept
2. Traits
3. Skills
4. Edges & Flaws
5. Race
6. Impetus
7. Background
8. Gear

Concept

The first step in making your hero is to have some kind of idea who the Hero actually is, inside and out. Where has he been, what has he done, what has he seen, what does he believe? Consider all of your favorite characters from fiction as inspiration, but do not limit yourself to copies of existing archetypes. For instance, there's no reason you can’t be a former marine officer turned lawman or a space pilot who occasionally turns in his customers for bounty.

During the concept phase, try to get in to the head of your future Hero. Really understand the motivation and details that make this Hero the one you want to play. Try and envision how he will interact with the world as well as the rest of the Crew. What will be your role within the Crew? Interacting with the other Heroes will be the cornerstone of every game session.

Traits

Future Imperfect defines the raw physical and mental abilities as Traits. Each character has 8 basic Traits: four physical and four intangible. Traits are rated by column (1-5), and each also has an associated die type. These columns are how they are utilized on Action Cards.

Die Type	Description	Cost	Column	Trait Value
d4	Below Average	-1	I	4
d6	Average	0	II	6
d8	Good	1	III	8
d10	Excellent	2	IV	10
d12	Amazing	4	V	12

In Future Imperfect, abstractions are defined in an effect based manner. The higher the column, the more effective the Hero is at using that trait. If, for example, you wanted to create a Hero who was a world renowned powerlifter, yet in game somehow fails miserably every time strength is involved (maybe due to a psychological problem), this Hero should have a low strength, not a high one. The effect is a Hero who is ineffective when using the Strength trait. Alternatively, the Hero could have a Flaw that causes him to roll lower dice (and use lesser columns) than shown on his character sheet in most conditions.

Each Trait also has a training, from 1-5 (or possibly more, with very experienced Heroes). The training is the number of dice that are thrown when using this trait. See Chapter XX to learn how to read the results. Traits are divided into two classes: corporeal and intangible. If a situation ever arises where one or the other must be chosen, draw an action card and choose corporeal on YES, intangible on NO.

Corporeal

The corporeal traits relate to the physical body of the character. What can he do? How well does he interact with the physical universe at large? Corporeal traits are easily measured or quantified.

Strength

Strength is a measure of brawn and ability to use it. Strength checks and tests are important when moving things, carrying things and when doing damage with melee weapons. The Strength trait determines how much your Hero can lift and carry (Chapter XX).

Dexterity

Dexterity is body control, physical precision and lithe deftness of a Hero. Some examples of when Dexterity is the determining factor are firing ranged weapons, doing precise manual tasks quickly and movement. Dexterity determines the movement speed of the Hero.

Reflexes

Reflexes are the quick reactions and instantaneous movements of a Hero. The most common application of Reflexes is initiative during combat, but it can also be used with the Fast Draw skill, as well in other types of physical contests.

Fortitude

Fortitude is the physical toughness and pain threshold of the Hero. Fortitude is used in stun checks, as well as resisting disease and other effects of physical damage. Fortitude is part of the determination of Concussion Threshold (below).

Intangible

Those traits deemed intangible are much more difficult to measure. They constitute processes which are largely invisible to normal senses (or the senses themselves!)

Acuity

Acuity is the measure of the mental alertness as well as aptitude of a Hero. Acuity is used when searching for something, as well as noticing something passively.

Knowledge

Knowledge is the sum of the education of the Hero as well as the application thereof. Knowledge is the basis for solving engineering and science problems, and also includes memory.

Presence

Presence is the will of the Hero as well as his ability to project that will into the universe around him. Presence is used in initiating and resisting psychological contests (Chapter XX).

Essence

Essence is that extra something intangible that is not quantified by education. Essence is used for bravery, as well as psionics.

Larger Than (This) Life

When exploring the vast expanse of space, some entities will have traits that far outstrip what is possible in a Hero. While it is true that Heroes are the great actors upon the universal stage, the quality of the antagonist determines the sweetness of the success. Some inhabitants of the universe may have traits with columns VI+. The Master has special accommodations for these, and will share them as necessary.

Concussion Threshold

Concussion Threshold (CT) is a special Trait that is derived from your character's Fortitude + Essence trait values. This represents the amount of shock, fatigue, or trauma your character can take before he keels over.

When his CT is reduced to zero or less the character is effectively out of the action. There may be circumstances when the Master may allow limited actions, but in general, the concussed Hero is down for the count. They do not roll Reflexes nor draw cards during the combat phase. Any reserved cards are lost when a character becomes concussed.

Size

Size is the measure of how easily wounds are dealt to your character. When assessing damage, you will take one wound per multiple of your size that is dealt in damage effect. The default is 6, unless you have an appropriate edge this will be your size.

Willpower

Willpower is your resistance level to psychological effects. Think of it as psychological size. Willpower is determined by the column of your Presence. Those with a d4 Presence have a Willpower of 5, d6-d8 are 6 and d10+ are 7.

Stress

Stress is the measure of your character's mental wherewithal. A character who is reduced to 0 Stress is worn out. Stress is equal to Presence Value + Essence Value.

Nerve

Nerve is your character's defense versus fear and compulsion. It is figured as 3+Bravery level.

Skills

Skills are the training and practice a Hero learns during his life. For most people, these skills range from 0 to 4, as shown on the skill Level Table below. When purchasing skills, the initial purchase is at level 0 and costs 1 point. Each additional level costs 1 point during character generation.

Level	Description
0	Trained
1	Competent
2	Professional
3	Expert
4	Renowned

Skill Points

The character generation table lists the number of points you have to purchase skills. During character creation, each skill level costs 1 point, so a 0-point skill costs 1 point, and a 4-point skill costs 5 points. You can’t start the game with a skill higher than 4, although you can raise your skills higher than that later through experience.

Chapter XX lists the standard skills available in Future Imperfect, grouped by the Trait they are normally associated with. Consult the Master if new skills are necessary.

Specializations

"Specializations" are listed below some of these skills. If Specializations are listed, then one must be chosen. Shooting, for instance, must be followed by a pistol, rifle, etc., as well as the appropriate weapon type Specialization. Example: Shooting: Blast Pistol. See chapter XX for a Skill list and a detailed overview of their scope and usage.

When purchasing skills with specializations, choose one when the skill is purchased. To acquire additional specializations, pay one point each. All specializations operate at the highest purchased level.

Sid Scorpio purchases Shooting: Handguns at level 3 and selects blasters as his specialization. He decides that lasers are also a weapon of choice, and pays 1 point to bring that to the equal of his blaster skill.

Edges

Future Imperfect uses two types of Edges: Sharp and Rough. Rough Edges are physical, social or mental handicaps. These are the challenges your Hero faces during his life. Sharp Edges are physical, mental or social perks or background advantages your character enjoys.

The character generation table lists how many slots are available to your character, as well as the total value of the Edges chosen. Since Rough Edges have negative cost, your character may have a negative total cost.

Descriptions of each of the Edges and the effects they have on your character are available in Chapter XX, as well as rules for making your own.

Race

Each character must come from somewhere, both physically and genetically. The former will be covered in the next section, while the latter is covered here. Future Imperfect races are classified two ways. The first is the species, the second is the specific race. You can find more on races in Chapter XX: Populating the Universe.

In Frank Herbert’s Dune, the humanoid inhabitants of Arrakis are called Fremen. Their species is Humanoid, their specific race is Fremen.

Impetus

What moves your hero? Why does he transcend the mundane and achieve the legendary? The motivation behind your hero is the foundation of Impetus. The nuts and bolts of Impetus will be covered in Chapter: XX. Each Hero will have both a general and specific Impetus, and all of the Crew will share a crew Impetus.

Background

In many ways the numbers on a sheet are the easy part in developing an interesting, dynamic Hero. The background is what gives a foundation to the materials you have assembled so far in Hero building. Stitch them together into a compelling narrative, use the Impetus to tie the traits and skills into a cohesive whole, and you will have the beginning of a good background.

Some players prefer to fit together the background during the game. It is ok to take a session or two to let the background coalesce for your Hero. Be sure and keep the Master apprised as to your progress as the game moves forward. Knowing who your Hero is will help him create a more immersive game for all.

Possessions

Each character will begin the game with $2500 worth of gear. Any gear of higher than TL7 may cost extra. Edges may adjust the amount of cash available to a beginning character.

Gear

As was mentioned in the last section, each Hero will begin with a set amount of cash to equip himself. Some Edges will affect this, be sure to consult them when outfitting your Hero.

Items available in the known universe vary considerably, much more than could possibly be listed in this book. If a character wants to buy something not on the list, it's up to the Master to determine the cost.

Ranks

Now that you have developed your concept and have an understanding about Traits, Skills, Flaws, Edges and Races you can begin the specifics of Hero building. The first step in generating a character is ranking the five aspects from 1-5. Alternatively, with Master approval you can spend 15 rank points on the five columns.

Rank	Skills	Edges	Race	Psi	Traits
1	17	5 (-1)	0	W	3 (0)
2	23	8	2	x	4 (1)
3	29	12	4	N	5 (2)
4	35	16 (+1)	7	L	7 (3)
5	43	20 (+2)	10	A	9 (4)

Skills is the number of points to assign to Skills.
Edges is the net cost of all Edges, followed by the total number of Edge slots available.
The number in the race column is the amount of points that can be spent on your race. This includes all racial Edges as well as physical constructs.

See chapter 10 for Species Template costs.

Psi of N means the character is a psionic null (see Chapter XX, Psionics), L is a latent and A is an adept. An x means no psionic potential whatsoever. W is a psionically-weak character.
Traits lists two numbers. The first number is the sum of the values (see Trait table) of the 8 character Traits. Each Trait has a training of 1 by default. The number in parentheses are the extra training points to assign.