starrangers:suggested_characters
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* Paleontology | * Paleontology | ||
* Pharmacy | * Pharmacy | ||
+ | |||
+ | ====== Challenges/ | ||
+ | See that the group fills at least the ++ and + niches below and maybe some of the - niches if wished. | ||
+ | |||
+ | They are rated from ++ (very important) and + (important) down though - (not important) to --(totally non important) | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Animals -- ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Beasts do come up but the amount of interaction is limited. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Allies, in the form of highly capable pets; Animal Empathy; and Animal Friend. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | (p. B121) tied to animal welfare. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Animal Handling; Disguise (Animals); Falconry; | ||
+ | Mimicry (Animal Sounds or Bird Calls); Mount, when the PC | ||
+ | is a beast; Naturalist; Packing; Riding; Teamster; and Veteri- | ||
+ | nary. At higher TLs, add Biology (Zoology), an IQ/H optional | ||
+ | specialty, and Paleontology (Paleozoology). | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Combat ++ ===== | ||
+ | Almost every adventurer needs abilities useful in a fight, | ||
+ | because battles take a while to game out and an incompetent | ||
+ | PC means a bored player. However, combat challenges also | ||
+ | define niches. The difference is that characters who fill pure | ||
+ | combat niches require higher skill levels and more supporting | ||
+ | attributes and advantages than their associates. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | Basic Speed; and Basic Move. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Ambidexterity; | ||
+ | Defenses; Extra Attack*; Fit; Gunslinger; Hard to Kill; Hard | ||
+ | to Subdue; High Pain Threshold; Peripheral Vision; Rapid | ||
+ | Healing; Trained by a Master; and Weapon Master. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Bloodlust, especially for assassins; Callous, ditto; and Sense of | ||
+ | Duty, to one’s own side or some great cause worth fighting for. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: All combat/ | ||
+ | pass combat tasks, so pick matching skills. For example, an | ||
+ | assassin might prefer Fast-Draw, Garrote, Guns (Pistol), Knife, | ||
+ | and other skills for concealable weapons; a sniper needs Guns | ||
+ | (Rifle); and a space marine is likely to know Battlesuit. Com- | ||
+ | mon supporting skills are Armoury, Connoisseur (Weapons), | ||
+ | and Tactics; Animal Handling and Riding, for cavalrymen; and | ||
+ | Savoir-Faire (Dojo), and possibly cinematic martial-arts skills, | ||
+ | for martial artists. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Communications + ===== | ||
+ | Handling an adventuring group’s communications calls for | ||
+ | a clear-voiced language expert. Intercepting enemy messages | ||
+ | demands a good ear, too. Add technical proficiency to | ||
+ | all this. If the PCs aren’t prepared for such challenges, the | ||
+ | adventure may grind to a halt the first time they encounter a | ||
+ | code or a foreign tongue. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Acute Hearing; Cultural Familiarity; | ||
+ | Language Talent; Languages; Penetrating Voice; and Voice. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Computer Operation; Cryptography; | ||
+ | Operation (Comm, EW, Media, or Surveillance); | ||
+ | Repair (ditto); Gesture; Heraldry, because visual codes are | ||
+ | communications, | ||
+ | (Speech); Public Speaking; Savoir-Faire, | ||
+ | social protocols surrounding messages; Typing; and Writing. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Crafting + ===== | ||
+ | Adventurers often face difficulties posed by broken or missing gear, or otherwise find themselves making hasty material | ||
+ | preparations. Entire stories have been written about such | ||
+ | things: raising the barn before winter, building a plane fromthe crash wreckage, etc. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Through the campaign creating and improving items will increase the effectiveness and repairs will be needed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Artificer; Gifted Artist | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Armoury; Artist, especially Interior Decorating, Pot- | ||
+ | tery, and Woodworking; | ||
+ | Repair; Jeweler; Leatherworking; | ||
+ | Mechanic; Scrounging; Sewing; and Smith. If the campaign | ||
+ | features relevant Professional Skills such as Clothmaker, Dis- | ||
+ | tiller, Glassblower, | ||
+ | be an option for very talented individuals. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Deceit - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | The campaign features some criminal and espionage activities but they are not common. Some niche should handle the art of bypassing | ||
+ | security not through force, stealth, or technology, but by pre- | ||
+ | tending to be somebody else. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ is crucial to impersonators (see p. B174). | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Cultural Adaptability*; | ||
+ | Social Chameleon*; Voice; and Zeroed. Traits with an asterisk | ||
+ | (*) may be too cinematic for some campaigns. People with | ||
+ | established alter egos might have Alternate Identity. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Trickster. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Acting; Disguise; Fast-Talk; Forgery, if the deceiver | ||
+ | prepares his own fake ID; Makeup; Mimicry (Speech); and Psy- | ||
+ | chology. Savoir-Faire and Streetwise are useful for passing | ||
+ | oneself off as a “generic” member of a particular social class. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Detective Work + ===== | ||
+ | It’s the rare adventure that doesn’t involve tracking foot- | ||
+ | prints, questioning captives, searching bodies, tossing rooms, | ||
+ | and so on. Most plots have at least one place where the PCs – | ||
+ | – must follow a trail of clues. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Acute Senses, for spotting clues; Empathy, for | ||
+ | detecting lies; and Intuition, for those times when the evidence | ||
+ | is ambiguous. Actual detectives usually have Legal Enforce- | ||
+ | ment Powers and/or Police Rank. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | esty (for the eventual reaction bonus), and/or Sense of Duty | ||
+ | (ditto), too. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Artist (Drawing), for sketching faces from descrip- | ||
+ | tions; Body Language; Computer Operation, in worlds with | ||
+ | databases of fingerprints, | ||
+ | Criminology; | ||
+ | specialty; Detect Lies; Electronics Operation (Security or Sur- | ||
+ | veillance); Forensics; Interrogation; | ||
+ | Research; Scrounging; Search; and Tracking. Intelligence | ||
+ | Analysis is vital for combining all the information if the GM | ||
+ | plans to provide “free” insights on a success. Give genuine | ||
+ | detectives Law (Police) and Savoir-Faire (Police). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Esoterica -- ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | The campaign does feature the occult and paranormal, but in really small amounts. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | If spells are involved, add FP to the list. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Autotrance; Danger Sense; Empa- | ||
+ | thy; Illuminated; | ||
+ | Luck and Serendipity to emulate abstract “blessings.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | ones; and Xenophilia, for those who deal with supernatural | ||
+ | entities. Mystics occasionally exploit problems like Addiction | ||
+ | (psychedelics), | ||
+ | gain. If occult powers exist, then Divine Curse, Weirdness Mag- | ||
+ | net, and related difficulties might even be required. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Autohypnosis; | ||
+ | tune-Telling; | ||
+ | Block; Occultism; Philosophy, the weirder the better; Religious | ||
+ | Ritual; Symbol Drawing; Theology; and any Expert Skill with | ||
+ | an unorthodox subject matter (Conspiracy Theory, Psionics, | ||
+ | Thanatology, | ||
+ | Alchemy, Artist (Illusion), Enthrallment, | ||
+ | Ritual Magic, Thaumatology, | ||
+ | they exist. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Establishment + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dealing with the setting’s apparatus of power can be a | ||
+ | major challenge. This can be the primary job of a niche, or | ||
+ | of several if there are many different authorities to wrangle. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Charisma, for leaders; Claim to Hospitality; | ||
+ | Contacts; Legal Immunity; Patrons; Rank; Reputation; Secu- | ||
+ | rity Clearance; Social Regard; Status; and Wealth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Sense of Duty expected of the position. In some set- | ||
+ | tings, Jealousy or Selfish might be necessary to | ||
+ | seem convincing. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Administration; | ||
+ | Politics); Diplomacy; Economics; Expert Skill | ||
+ | (Political Science); Geography (Political); | ||
+ | Law; Leadership; Politics; Propaganda; Public | ||
+ | Speaking; and Savoir-Faire, | ||
+ | the High Society specialty. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Exploration + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | “How do we get there?” is a classic challenge! While not all adventuring groups have a dedicated navigator, map-maker, and route-finder, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Absolute Direction; Eidetic Memory; and Intuition. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Skills: Navigation above all else. Add Architecture, | ||
+ | indoor exploration; | ||
+ | world in broad strokes; Cartography, | ||
+ | rent Affairs (Regional); Geography; Mathematics (Survey- | ||
+ | ing); Meteorology/ | ||
+ | and Urban Survival, for urban exploration. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Inventing + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Coming up with new technologies is an important challenge | ||
+ | in a long-term campaign with a sci-fi angle. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ is the most cost-effective way to be good at the | ||
+ | many associated skills. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Artificer; Gadgeteer*; Gizmos*; High TL*; Less | ||
+ | Sleep; and Versatile. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | well get points for it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Bioengineering, | ||
+ | gramming, for software; Engineer, for most things; Metallurgy, | ||
+ | for alloys; Pharmacy, for drugs; and so on. Add Current Affairs | ||
+ | (Science & Technology); | ||
+ | site for Engineer; and Scrounging, for parts. Many inventions | ||
+ | call for subsidiary skills, such as Architecture, | ||
+ | Armoury, for weapons or armor; Electronics Repair, for elec- | ||
+ | tronic gadgets; Machinist, for tools; and Mechanic, for vehi- | ||
+ | cles. When permitting Gadgeteer and Gizmos, consider | ||
+ | topping off this list with Weird Science. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Medicine + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Adventurers who engage in chases, combat, and dangerous | ||
+ | athletics need a healer. In horror and technothrillers, | ||
+ | challenges encompass bio-weapons, | ||
+ | matter. Cyberpunk adds performance-enhancing substances | ||
+ | and implants. Sci-fi often features all of these elements. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Empathy; Healer; and Resistant to Disease. | ||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Selfless; Sense of Duty; and Workaholic. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Bioengineering; | ||
+ | optional specialty; Diagnosis; Electronics Operation (Medical); | ||
+ | Esoteric Medicine, especially in fantasy; Expert Skill (Epidemi- | ||
+ | ology); First Aid; Hazardous Materials (Biological); | ||
+ | tism; NBC Suit; Pharmacy; Physician; Physiology; Poisons; | ||
+ | Surgery; and Veterinary. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Military - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Military challenges call for solutions like artillery barrages, | ||
+ | commando raids, sieges, and the sheer mass of manpower and | ||
+ | hardware that an organized fighting force can bring to bear. | ||
+ | Niches that handle military challenges normally tackle | ||
+ | Combat, too. Training ranges from Melee Weapon skills | ||
+ | for primitive soldiers, through Guns, on up to Beam Weapons | ||
+ | for futuristic troops. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Charisma, for leaders; Combat | ||
+ | Reflexes; Courtesy Rank; Fit; Military Rank; Penetrating Voice, | ||
+ | for sergeants and low-TL officers; Reputation, in the form of | ||
+ | medals and decorations; | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | (Service), which is often required; Intolerance of the opposi- | ||
+ | tion; Overconfidence, | ||
+ | and Sense of Duty, to unit or nation, for a reaction bonus from | ||
+ | one’s fellows. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Grunts have Soldier and maybe Tactics; NCOs defi- | ||
+ | nitely have Tactics, and add Leadership; officers resemble | ||
+ | NCOs, but acquire Strategy at the high end; and depending on | ||
+ | the background, Savoir-Faire (Military) might be universal or | ||
+ | matter only at high Rank. To this add technical skills such as | ||
+ | Armoury; Artillery; Camouflage; Engineer (Combat); Expert | ||
+ | Skill (Military Science); Explosives; Forward Observer; Haz- | ||
+ | ardous Materials; Heraldry, especially at low TLs; NBC Suit; | ||
+ | Parachuting; | ||
+ | tion skill for gear that’s largely or entirely military in the setting. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Mobility +===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Many adventuring challenges amount to “Get from A to B,” | ||
+ | but separate A and B with distance and danger. When the whole | ||
+ | gang goes, that’s a job for Exploration and Transportation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes and Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | Speed; and Basic Move. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Enhanced Dodge; Fit; Flexibility; | ||
+ | Balance. If the GM is willing to deem Catfall or a half-level of | ||
+ | Enhanced Move (Ground) “realistic enough,” then add those. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Acrobatics; Body Sense; Breath Control; Climbing; | ||
+ | Escape, for tight squeezes; Free Fall, in space campaigns; | ||
+ | Hiking; Jumping; Running; Sports, especially those to do | ||
+ | with running around; and Swimming. While this normally | ||
+ | means personal mobility, not vehicles, unpowered equipment | ||
+ | counts; e.g., Bicycling, Parachuting, | ||
+ | G Wings), Scuba, Skating, and Skiing. Finally, add Aerobat- | ||
+ | ics, Aquabatics, Flight, and Mount, for those capable of | ||
+ | suitable movement. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Money - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Money makes most game worlds go round and presents PCs | ||
+ | with endless challenges, starting with “How do we pay for our | ||
+ | gear?” Solving these problems is essential in all genres. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Business Acumen; Independent Income; Light- | ||
+ | ning Calculator; Mathematical Ability; Rank (Merchant or | ||
+ | Administrative); | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Workaholic. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Accounting; Administration; | ||
+ | ness), and conceivably other specialties, | ||
+ | macy, for high-powered negotiations; | ||
+ | Gambling; Heraldry (Corporate Logos); Law (Contract or Busi- | ||
+ | ness); Market Analysis; Mathematics (Statistics); | ||
+ | handling, down at street level; Propaganda; and Savoir-Faire | ||
+ | (High Society). These skills assume existing money; add Coun- | ||
+ | terfeiting to make money (literally!) or Prospecting to find gold, | ||
+ | silver, etc. at the source. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Nautical -- ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | If the campaign world has vast bodies of water that the | ||
+ | heroes can’t simply fly over – which describes most interesting | ||
+ | historical settings – then these are likely to pose major chal- | ||
+ | lenges indeed. Like Military (p. 38), this category might | ||
+ | describe everybody but is also a valid niche in itself. | ||
+ | Advantages: Absolute Direction and Perfect Balance. | ||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Xenophilia, because ports are full of foreigners. | ||
+ | Skills: Area Knowledge, for any body of water; Biology | ||
+ | (Marine Biology), an IQ/H optional specialty; Boating; Climbing, | ||
+ | for rigging at lower TLs; Diving Suit; Fishing; Freight Handling; | ||
+ | Knot-Tying; Law (Marine); Meteorology/ | ||
+ | gation (Sea); Scuba; Seamanship; Shiphandling (Ship or Sub- | ||
+ | marine); Submarine; Submariner; Survival (Island/ | ||
+ | Swimming. At TL6+, add Electronics Operation specialties for | ||
+ | equipment commonly found aboard ships, particularly Sensors | ||
+ | and Sonar. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Outdoors + ===== | ||
+ | The challenges of the great outdoors are legion. Unless the | ||
+ | adventurers won’t leave the city, ever, the campaign should | ||
+ | define at least one niche that has the job of dealing with these. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As many of the things happen in the outback, the ability to survive in non civilized places is important. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Absolute Direction; Acute Senses; Outdoors- | ||
+ | man; and Temperature Tolerance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | disadvantage (p. B121) tied to keeping nature pristine. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Area Knowledge, for any expansive outdoor area; | ||
+ | Camouflage; Climbing; Fishing; Hiking; Meteorology/ | ||
+ | Sense; Mimicry (Animal Sounds or Bird Calls); Naturalist; | ||
+ | Navigation; Survival; Swimming; and Tracking. Some ranged | ||
+ | combat skills – Blowpipe, Bolas, Lasso, Net, Thrown Weapon | ||
+ | (Harpoon), etc. – are used more often for hunting than for | ||
+ | fighting. High-tech niches might include Biology (Ecology), an | ||
+ | IQ/H optional specialty; Geography; and Geology. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Performing -- ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Many plots call for the PCs to entertain NPCs, whether that | ||
+ | means placating the king to avoid beheading, impressing some- | ||
+ | one who can provide an introduction or a lucrative contract, or | ||
+ | using a performance as a diversion. Or perhaps the play is the | ||
+ | thing, and the campaign is about putting on successful shows! | ||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Appearance is universally handy. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Then there’s Flexibility for contortionists; | ||
+ | Voice for musicians; Penetrating Voice and Rapier Wit (unless | ||
+ | deemed too cinematic) for spoken-word types; Perfect Balance | ||
+ | for acrobats; and so on. Be sure to suggest these in customiza- | ||
+ | tion notes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | Performers sometimes actively exploit Dwarfism, Hunchback, | ||
+ | Skinny, etc. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Acrobatics; Carousing; Dancing; Fire Eating; For- | ||
+ | tune-Telling; | ||
+ | Performance; | ||
+ | Sports (anything fun to watch); Stage Combat; and Ventrilo- | ||
+ | quism. Behind the scenes, add Artist (Scene Design); Elec- | ||
+ | tronics Operation (Media); Group Performance; | ||
+ | Musical Composition; | ||
+ | Writing, for plays. Some artists are also experts at Connois- | ||
+ | seur (Dance or Music) and/or Current Affairs (High Culture | ||
+ | or Popular Culture). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Plants -- ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Plants might not matter at all to adventurers, | ||
+ | everywhere in most game worlds, they can be a big deal – | ||
+ | whether that means leafy monsters in fantasy, a haunted forest | ||
+ | in horror, a plant-based cure in a medical thriller, or growing | ||
+ | a living in a low-key historical campaign. With rare exceptions, | ||
+ | there’s just enough here for one niche. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Green Thumb and Plant Empathy. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | plants don’t appreciate flame. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Farming; Gardening; Naturalist; and Pharmacy | ||
+ | (Herbal). Most fantasy and cinematic settings add Herb Lore; | ||
+ | high-tech ones might tack on Biology (Botany), an IQ/H | ||
+ | optional specialty, and Paleontology (Paleobotany). | ||
+ | ===== Research + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Heroes occasionally have to look for answers in whatever | ||
+ | repositories of information suit the setting: libraries, the | ||
+ | Internet, etc. While research-related tasks rarely constitute a | ||
+ | whole niche, they can be essential to moving the story forward | ||
+ | – particularly in mystery, occult, and technothriller plots. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ is archetypal. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Eidetic Memory; Intuition; Less Sleep, for | ||
+ | all-nighters; | ||
+ | best libraries. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | goal; and Workaholic. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Administration, | ||
+ | Computer Operation; Current Affairs, for “common knowl- | ||
+ | edge”; Intelligence Analysis; Literature; Philosophy, for | ||
+ | informed insights; Public Speaking, for debating, lecturing, | ||
+ | and presenting expert testimony; Research; Speed-Reading; | ||
+ | Teaching; Typing; Writing; and IQ/H or IQ/VH skills, particu- | ||
+ | larly Expert Skills, concerning abstruse subject matter. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Sabotage - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Many an adventure plot revolves around blowing up, burn- | ||
+ | ing down, or otherwise wrecking things. If the campaign fea- | ||
+ | tures mission objectives or obstacles that can’t be worked | ||
+ | around in more subtle ways, then one or more niches should | ||
+ | specialize in such destruction. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Artificer; Fearlessness, | ||
+ | explosives; High Manual Dexterity; and Luck, for avoiding | ||
+ | unintended accidents. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Architecture, | ||
+ | Engineer (Combat); Explosives (Demolition or Fireworks); | ||
+ | Forced Entry; Machinist; and Traps, for leaving nasty surprises. | ||
+ | Remember that “repair” skills can also destroy: Armoury can | ||
+ | neutralize weapons; Electrician can cut power; Electronics | ||
+ | Repair can short-circuit gizmos; and Mechanic can sever brake | ||
+ | lines and facilitate car bombs. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Science + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Eespecially in sci-fi many problems call for scientific solutions – most often testing | ||
+ | and field-expedient applications. If this stuff is relevant, then at | ||
+ | least one niche should excel at it. In a cerebral game, several | ||
+ | niches might specialize in different areas. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ is the cheapest way to shine at more than a | ||
+ | few of the relevant skills. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Lightning Calculator and Mathematical Ability. | ||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Astronomy; Biology; Chemistry; Geography (Physical); | ||
+ | Geology; Mathematics; | ||
+ | Paleontology; | ||
+ | tal); and any scientific Expert Skill imaginable (Epidemiol- | ||
+ | ogy, Hydrology, Natural Philosophy, etc.). In fiction, | ||
+ | Engineer is frequently associated with science, too. These | ||
+ | often come with some of Computer Programming, | ||
+ | Affairs (Science & Technology), | ||
+ | entific), and Hazardous Materials. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Security - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Except in the most sedate of campaigns, keeping watch for | ||
+ | trouble is important, and there should be at least one niche | ||
+ | tasked with doing so. If this is a central premise – the PCs are | ||
+ | bodyguards, antiterrorist forces, etc. – then every niche ought | ||
+ | to have some of these traits. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Secondary Characteristics: | ||
+ | security challenges. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Acute Senses; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; | ||
+ | Less Sleep; Night Vision; and Peripheral Vision. True security | ||
+ | officers often have Legal Enforcement Powers and/or Rank. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | cers often have Duty and/or Sense of Duty. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Animal Handling (Dogs), for working alongside guard | ||
+ | and sniffer dogs; Body Language; Electronics Operation (Secu- | ||
+ | rity or Sensors); Explosives (EOD); Lip Reading; Observation; | ||
+ | Search; Shadowing; Streetwise, for noticing dodgy situations; | ||
+ | Tactics, for suitable responses; and Tracking. Niches covering | ||
+ | these tasks should add combat skills for the relevant “force spec- | ||
+ | trum”: Intimidation, | ||
+ | Broadsword for a big club or Tonfa for a modern side-handle | ||
+ | police baton), and possibly ranged skills such as Liquid Projec- | ||
+ | tor (Sprayer) and Guns. Police officers know Law (Police) and | ||
+ | Savoir-Faire (Police). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Sneaking + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | In adventure plots, not being detected by enemies comes sec- | ||
+ | ond only to combat. If the entire PC group needs to be circum- | ||
+ | spect, then give all niches a few suitable traits – but even then, | ||
+ | the dedicated stealth expert is a common and necessary role. | ||
+ | Attributes: IQ (DX, not so much, despite the common asso- | ||
+ | ciation between grace and sneakiness). | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Honest Face and Night Vision. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Acting, for not behaving suspiciously; | ||
+ | Holdout, for one’s gear; Housekeeping, | ||
+ | disappear; Observation, | ||
+ | eras; Shadowing; Smuggling; and Stealth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Social Engineering + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | People can be the most puzzling challenge. Manipulating | ||
+ | others and settling conflicts peacefully is a huge niche in | ||
+ | almost every genre. In fact, it’s such a major role that unless | ||
+ | the GM foresees the campaign being wall-to-wall Combat | ||
+ | (p. 36) and Sneaking (p. 40), it’s best to scatter these abilities | ||
+ | across several – perhaps all – templates. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ defines “social intelligence, | ||
+ | “Charisma” or “Charm” attribute does in other RPGs. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Appearance; Charisma; Cultural | ||
+ | Adaptability*; | ||
+ | Honest Face; Pitiable; Rapier Wit*; Smooth Operator; Social | ||
+ | Chameleon*; and Voice. Traits with an asterisk (*) may be too | ||
+ | cinematic for some campaigns. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | fidence, for the reaction bonus from the impressionable; | ||
+ | Xenophilia, to avoid accidental bad reactions from foreigners. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Acting; Carousing; Connoisseur (Wine), or any other | ||
+ | specialty that would impress; Current Affairs (High Culture, | ||
+ | People, Popular Culture, or Travel); Dancing; Detect Lies; Diplo- | ||
+ | macy; Erotic Art; Fast-Talk; Interrogation; | ||
+ | ship; Makeup; Merchant; Panhandling; | ||
+ | Public Speaking; Savoir-Faire; | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Social Sciences -===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The trappings of culture can present | ||
+ | interesting challenges, ranging from spot- | ||
+ | ting art forgeries to determining whether | ||
+ | the tribesmen are cannibals. In high- | ||
+ | action campaigns, the associated traits are | ||
+ | at best part of one niche. In more sedate | ||
+ | tales, there’s room for at least two niches – | ||
+ | arts and humanities – and maybe more. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: IQ is the most affordable | ||
+ | way to be good at lots of suitable skills. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Cultural Familiarity; | ||
+ | guage Talent; and Languages. Cultural | ||
+ | Adaptability also fits, though it’s cinematic. | ||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Anthropology; | ||
+ | tography; Connoisseur (Literature, | ||
+ | Arts, etc.); Criminology; | ||
+ | particularly Headline News, Politics, and | ||
+ | Regional; Economics; Geography (Politi- | ||
+ | cal); Heraldry; History; Law; Linguistics; | ||
+ | Literature; Philosophy; Psychology; Sociol- | ||
+ | ogy; Theology, especially the Comparative | ||
+ | specialty; and many Expert Skills (Egyptol- | ||
+ | ogy, Political Science, Xenology, etc.). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Space ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | As space travel features in the cam- | ||
+ | paign skills for dealing with the curves it throws at the PCs are vital. | ||
+ | Every space voyager should know the basics, but the sea- | ||
+ | soned space-hand is a strong niche of its own. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense; G-Experience; | ||
+ | Tolerance; Perfect Balance; and Xeno-Adaptability, | ||
+ | campaigns with alien cultures. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | quarters, and Xenophilia. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Area Knowledge, for an interplanetary state or even a | ||
+ | galaxy; Astronomy; Expert Skill (Xenology); Free Fall; Freight | ||
+ | Handling; Law (Interstellar); | ||
+ | Physics (Astrophysics), | ||
+ | anything space-related; | ||
+ | Spacer; and Vacc Suit. Electronics Operation specialties that | ||
+ | campaign assumptions make vital to space action also fit; e.g., | ||
+ | Force Shields, Matter Transmitters, | ||
+ | in space opera. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Stealing + ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | PCs often face the challenge of taking what isn’t theirs. This is a | ||
+ | niche unto itself in genres where it matters. In stealth-heavy | ||
+ | campaigns, there’s room for several templates: the nimble-fin- | ||
+ | gered pickpocket, the agile cat burglar, the security-systems | ||
+ | cracker, etc. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: DX and IQ. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Flexibility and Perfect Balance, for | ||
+ | cat burglars; High Manual Dexterity, for pickpockets; | ||
+ | Night Vision. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Architecture, | ||
+ | ing secret doors; Climbing; | ||
+ | Connoisseur, | ||
+ | unobvious treasures worth | ||
+ | stealing; Electronics Operation | ||
+ | (Security); Electronics Repair | ||
+ | (Security); Escape; Explosives | ||
+ | (Demolition), | ||
+ | Filch; Forced Entry; Lockpick- | ||
+ | ing; Merchant, for appraising | ||
+ | the value of obvious loot; Pick- | ||
+ | pocket; Search; Sleight of | ||
+ | Hand; and Traps. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Streets - ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The streets pose problems | ||
+ | that must be solved through | ||
+ | morally (if not physically!) dirty | ||
+ | means: bribery, threats, vio- | ||
+ | lence, and lurking in dark alley- | ||
+ | ways. Solutions to these often | ||
+ | inform a niche, which can be | ||
+ | substantial if all the other tem- | ||
+ | plates are polite and proper. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages and Perks: Alco- | ||
+ | hol Tolerance; Contacts (Crimi- | ||
+ | nal); Danger Sense; Fearlessness; | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | and-nasty Reputation all aid Intimidation. Often, Social | ||
+ | Stigma (Criminal Record) is necessary to be taken seriously. | ||
+ | Skills: Acting, for appearing downtrodden; | ||
+ | (any “tough” locale); Brawling; Carousing; Fast-Talk, for spe- | ||
+ | cious intimidation (p. B202); Forced Entry; Gambling; Her- | ||
+ | aldry (Graffiti Tags); Holdout; Intimidation; | ||
+ | illegal deals; Observation; | ||
+ | Scrounging; Shadowing; Streetwise; and Urban Survival. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Technical Means ++ ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Technical means” is a euphemism for tools with few honest applications: | ||
+ | forged ID cards, poisons, signal jammers, tiny cameras, | ||
+ | truth serums, etc. High-end crooks, spies, and commandos – | ||
+ | | ||
+ | require them to use or confront such stuff. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Those with legitimate support will have a few of | ||
+ | Alternate Identity, Legal Immunity, Rank (Administrative, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | and Sense of Duty (Nation) are common among real spies and | ||
+ | black operators. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Brainwashing; | ||
+ | Computer Programming; | ||
+ | Explosives; Forgery; Holdout; Intelligence Analysis; Interrogation; | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Transportation ++ ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | Travel is a classic motivation for adventure, and thus a large | ||
+ | part of many campaigns. An expert with vehicles, cargos, and | ||
+ | related subjects can tackle numerous challenges. “driver” and “pilot, | ||
+ | on are separate niches. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attributes: DX. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Advantages: Absolute Direction; Acute Vision; Combat | ||
+ | Reflexes; and Signature Gear (Vehicle). | ||
+ | |||
+ | Disadvantages: | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Area Knowledge, possibly of specific transportation | ||
+ | networks; Bicycling; Boating; Connoisseur (Vehicles); Crewman | ||
+ | skills of all kinds; Current Affairs (Travel); Driving; Engineer | ||
+ | (Vehicle Type); Freight Handling; Mechanic; Navigation; Pack- | ||
+ | ing; Parachuting; | ||
+ | and Teamster. Any Electronics Operation specialty | ||
+ | needed for essential vehicle systems may qualify, most often | ||
+ | Sensors and – Comm | ||
starrangers/suggested_characters.1434910861.txt.gz · Last modified: 2018/07/31 23:23 (external edit)