Character Creation
Disclaimer
These are all preliminary ideas.....subject to change after more careful consideration and consultation with more experienced GMs.
Character Creation
Power Level Characters will be built on 75 points plus a maximum of 75 disads (total 150 points max) with normal characteristics maxima. This is a "Heroic" level campaign in the Hero System that uses real world type characters. Don’t expect a lot of experience, your characters where chosen because they are experts at what they do.
Point Restrictions At least XX points must be spent on noncombat skills.
Background skills
Characters need not pay for every skill in their background. Some may be taken as everyman skills for no character points. For example, Joe the Lumberjack was born and raised in Grundle, and has worked as an emigrant temporary worker for 10 years in Uusam. He may take the following skills for free: Fluent without accent in Grundle dialect, Fluent with accent in Uusam dialect, Area knowledge Grundle and Uusam 8-, PS lumberjack 8-. If he wants to chop down a tree, he can do that without a roll. If he wants to do something complicated like make a totem pole, that will require a lumberjack roll, which you will likely miss at an 8-. The idea is to provide incentive for a rich background without forcing you to spend character points to simulate it. Obviously GM approval will be required, but you get the idea.
Combat
Luck. All characters must purchase at least 5 character points of luck. This will function similar to WHFRP fortune points/fate points: 5 character poins of luck = 2 reroll per night and can be burned permanently for 1 escape death. I hope to make the world rather lethal, you will need some luck. Taking more than 5 character points of luck will restricted unless it ties in with the characters background somehow.
Martial arts are common. For every 3 martial arts maneuvers paid for, take one additional maneuver for free (3 = 4). For six martial arts or combat maneuvers take three additional (6 = 9). Martial arts are negatively affected by armor, see above. Players can create their own unique marital arts style if desired.
Armor. The following armor are commonly available for all locations (reistant/nonresistant defense): Cloth (0), Leather (2/2), Scale (3/3), Chain (4/4). The following martial arts attuned armor are available but rare and expensive: Kendo Armor (2/4), Karate Armor (2/6), Samurai Armor (6/6).
Martial arts maneuvers with armor:
Leather –1 DCV (unless STR = 15)
Scale –2 DCV (-1 if STR = 15; -0 if STR = 18) (-1 to stealthy rolls)
Chain –3 DCV (-2 if STR = 15; -1 if STR = 18; -0 if STR = 20) (-2 to stealthy rolls)
Kendo Armor -1 DCV (unless STR = 11)
Karate Armor -1 DCV (unless STR = 13)
Samurai Armor –2 DCV (-1 if STR = 15; -0 if STR = 18) (-3 to stealthy rolls)
Weapons Metal weapons are made of poor quality iron, and often break. Also, the trees that grow in the 6 kingdoms are not hard wood trees, thus wooden weapons are also fragile. More durable woods can be imported but are rare and costly. Weapons have a DEF = Active/5 = total DC. For example a Long Sword does 1d6+1 damage = 4 DC = 4 DEF. Characters can specifically target a weapon at –6 for small weapons, -4 for medium and –2 for large. Damage exceeding the DEF breaks the weapon. Also, if a character is attacking and does 3 x DEF (modified depending on hardness of target) in body damage to an opponent, the weapon will break (ie if you hit someone with your Long Sword for 3 x 4DEF =12 body then the sword will break). Blocking an incoming attack may also break your weapon if the attacker DC = 2 x weapon DEF (ie villain has 8 DC attack on a 4 DEF long sword).
Damage Classes. Considering only allowing them to taken for unarmed martial arts to a maximum of +X DC.
Hit locations will be used. One can aim for certain locations at an OCV penalty.
Healing. There is no magical healing, so I am considering making healing realistic (this may make the game unplayable so I may have to introduce healing potions). Stun is healed quickly and powers or abilities can heal stun (for example smelling salts or sternal rub to bring someone around). At 0 Body or below you are bleeding to death and will lose 1 body after 12 segments (ie if you hit 0 in segment 6, then you lose one body next segment 6) until someone has a successful paramedics roll. Body is healed normally (you heal your recovery in body per month; so if you have REC = 6 then you heal 1 body every 5 days). In hard conditions this is half (strenuous activity, fighting, hard travel…), with easy conditions it is double (in a hospital or similar).
Skills
Everyman skills These may be taken for free if they are appropriate to your character:
6 kingdom dialects 8-
Reading and writing (if raised in Uusam, Shin, or Konn) 8-
Deduction 8-
Riding 8- permits normal horse riding and galloping, but nothing fancy
Animal Care 8- permits normal care of horses
Consume Alcohol 8- Due to lack of clean water and poor sanitation, it is common to drink watered down wine/ale, which makes the water safe(er) for consumption. This requires no skill roll. To consume more than one full strength alcoholic beverage will require a roll.
Additional skills
Paramedics: this will be useful to make sure your comrades don’t die…see healing above.
Fung Shui: the design of buildings and cities to maximize the flow of energy or Chi.
Calligraphy: All countries share the same written language, with some minor idiomatic differences. Calligraphy is an art form using the written character.
Cooking: anyone can put meat on a stick and char it over the fire. This is real cooking that will impress the ladies and gentlemen.
PS: Lion Dancing: the traditional art of lion dancing, where two people are in a lion costume. Both need the skill. PS: Lion Dancing provides the ability to do a poor lion dance. Acrobatics and Contortionist complement and enable a complex lion dance.
Chi Centering: Focusing the mind and spirit. Implementation to follow, or to be suggested by an interested player as to how their character wishes to focus their Chi.
Human perception
Area Knowledge: various countries and cities within the 6 kingdoms.
Knowledge skill: history of various kingdoms or 6 kindoms in general.
Languages: The 6 kingdoms speak dialects of the same language. Amongst the Mung, 3 dialects are spoken (western, middle and eastern Mung). Each other country speaks its own dialect. All characters can understand every dialect as an everyman skill. For one point, a character can speak fluently in a different dialect with his native accent. For an additional point, a character can speak fluently without an accent.
Custom Skill/Power Skill: Specific Martial Art Style. This skill would be used to do off the cuff unique martial arts maneuvers. This would be required, for example, if you come from Zongo. “I’m going to jump off that bridge, grab the flagpole, do a triple twist and hit him with my flaming middle finger martial strike right up his ass.” Creative stunts such as this would require a martial arts skill test, but then may be granted bonus +OCV because the opponent is surprised and awed by your prowess. Of course attacking the rectal sphincter would be at –5 OCV due to the small size (unless you are attacking Gabe, then it’s +5 OCV).
Talents
Most talents should be available
Powers
Powers may be allowed to simulate a specific martial art move or other ability with GM approval. Still under consideration but likely to be approved include: Clinging, Damage Reduction 25% (tough in a fight), Healing (stun) with extra time, Knockback Resistance, Lack of Weakness, Life Support, Missile Deflection. HA, HKA, RA, RKA to simulate specific martial maneuvers. I am still considering Running and Leaping.
Power Frameworks are under careful consideration, likely to be prohibited.
