Barf Forth Apocalyptica

the swamp provides => Vanguard => Topic started by: Matt Wilson on June 13, 2010, 09:41:47 PM

Title: Characters
Post by: Matt Wilson on June 13, 2010, 09:41:47 PM

The Commonwealth recruits operatives with a wide range of backgrounds. They’re interested in some combination of dedication, competence and ingenuity: whatever gets the job done.

Some would say that leaving solid ground to travel the stars is crazy all by itself. But there you are, taking it even further and risking your life some big damn hero. That’s a bold choice to make. Why are you a part of all this? Choose one:

• Running from Your Past
• Atoning for Your Sins
• The Money’s Good
• Plotting Your Revenge
• Making a Difference
• To Prove Your Worth

The Basics
Every character has the following knowledge and abilities:

• Spacesuit and Zero-G Operations – getting your suit on correctly and walking around in one, not getting sick in free-fall.
• Computer Ops – accessing information.
• Vehicle Ops – driving and simple maintenance on various kinds of vehicles.
• Self Defense – use of fists, small arms and melee weapons.

Who’s in Command?
One character is the captain of your ship and the leader of your team. Being in command means you have responsibility for the welfare of your crew as well as completing the objectives of your mission.

Choose a Command Move:

• Tactical Eye. When you read a charged situation, you can give your crew orders based on what you’ve learned, and if they follow your orders, they take +1 instead of you.
  
• Unflappable. If you get 10+ when acting under pressure, crewmembers who follow your lead take +1.
• Pep Talk. Roll +smooth to inspire your crew. On a 10+ hold 3. On a 7–9 hold 1. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to issue orders, and anyone who follows the order takes +1.
• Leading the Charge. If one of your crew helps you get rough with someone or take something by force, they get +1 to their helping roll.

note: the above moves don't yet seem equally cool -- and I still need a weird based command move. The goal is to make command doable for any character type.

Character Type
Choose a character type that fits your character. Only one of each character type per group, please.

AGENT

Spy, assassin, thief. Whatever you are, you’re a master of infiltration, deception and other covert operations. 

Agent Training: You know how to use lockpicks, security gadgets, and listening devices.

Choose one:

• Working an Asset. When you try to manipulate or seduce another character, roll  +cool instead of roll +smooth.
• Cold. Roll +cool when intimidating or threatening someone instead of +tough.
• Exit Strategy. Name your escape route and roll +cool. On a 10+, no problem, you’re gone. On a 7–9, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave something behind, or take something with you, the GM will tell you what. On a 6 -, you’re caught vulnerable, half in and half out.

Choose one set of stats:

• Cool +2   Tough +0   Smooth -1   Sharp +2   Weird -1
• Cool +2   Tough +1   Smooth +1   Sharp +0   Weird -1
• Cool +2   Tough -1   Smooth +1   Sharp +1   Weird +0
• Cool +2   Tough +0   Smooth +0   Sharp +1   Weird -1

Gear
You get these:

• Pressure Suit
• Medical Kit: (to detail – includes stuff to heal low-level wounds).
• Handcomm
• infiltration toolkit
• tracking devices (tag) and tracking scanner (remote)
• Synthweave coat (1-armor)

And choose one:

• Needler gun (2-harm close)
• Stiletto (2-harm ap hand)

Envoy

Merchant? Diplomat? Dilettante? Either way, you’re a skilled negotiator and a good judge of character.

Envoy Training. You know how to reach people in important places, how to circumvent bureaucratic red tape, and how to demonstrate proper etiquette.

Choose One:

• Connected. when you meet someone important (your call), roll+cool. On a hit, they’ve heard of you, and you say what they’ve heard; the MC will have them respond accordingly. On a 10+, you take +1forward for dealing with them as well. On a miss, they’ve heard of you, but the GM will decide what they’ve heard.
• Wormtongue. You can roll +smooth to threaten or intimidate someone. If they force your hand, your presence alone counts as a weapon (1-harm ap close).
• Sales Pitch. When you meet privately with someone, you can build their loyalty toward you. Roll +smooth.  On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 2. They can spend your hold, 1 for 1, by:
  
  • giving you something you want
  • acting as your eyes and ears
  • fighting to protect you
  • doing something you tell them to
  
  For NPCs, while you have hold over them they can’t act against you. For PCs, instead, any time you like you can spend your hold, 1 for 1:
  
  • they distract themselves with the thought of you. They’re acting under pressure.
  • they inspire themselves with the thought of you. They take +1 right now.
  
  On a miss, they hold 2 over you, on the exact same terms.

Choose one Set of stats

• Cool +1   Tough -1   Smooth +2   Sharp +1   Weird +0
• Cool +0   Tough +0   Smooth +2   Sharp +0   Weird +1
• Cool -1   Tough +0   Smooth +2   Sharp+2   Weird -1
• Cool +1   Tough +1   Smooth +2   Sharp +1   Weird -2

Gear
You get these:

• Pressure Suit
• Medical Kit: (to detail – includes stuff to heal low-level wounds).
• Handcomm
• Spectacular Wardrobe. Taking time to choose an appropriate outfit (not some scruffy synthweave coat) lets you take +1 smooth forward.
• Trade goods or valuables worth 3 fortune

Choose one:

• Concealable pistol (2-harm close loud reload)
• Ornate sidearm (2-harm close loud valuable)
• Decorative sword (2-harm hand valuable)

Scout

You might have charted new worlds, or maybe you scrounged in the ruins for valuable relics. Either way, you’re good at avoiding all the things out there that can kill you in an instant.

Scout Training. You know how to survive in any number of environments. You know how to stay warm, how to stay dry, and what not to step in.

Choose One:

• Uncanny Reactions. Your quick wits and sharp reflexes give you 1-armor if you aren’t wearing armor and +1-armor if you’re wearing 1-armor. If you’re wearing 2-armor it doesn’t help.
• Survival Instinct. When you read a charged situation and act on the GM’s answers, take +2 instead of +1
• Steady. You can roll + sharp when acting under pressure instead of rolling + cool.

Choose one set of stats:

• Cool +1   Tough +0   Smooth +1   Sharp +2   Weird -1
• Cool +1   Tough +1   Smooth +0   Sharp +2   Weird -1
• Cool -1   Tough +1   Smooth +0   Sharp +2   Weird +1
• Cool +2   Tough +0   Smooth -1   Sharp +2   Weird -1

Gear

• Pressure Suit
• Medical Kit: (to detail – includes stuff to heal low-level wounds).
• Handcomm
• Magnilenses (you can assess a situation from a distance)
• Survival kit - includes…
• Synthweave coat (1-armor)

Choose two:

• 6mm Carbine (2-harm close/far loud)
• 11mm SMG (2-harm close area loud)
• 11mm pistol (2-harm close loud)
• Machete (3-harm hand messy)

Warrior

[/b]
By-the-book soldier? Mercenary? You’re at ease in the heat of battle, and you know how to throw your weight around when it’s necessary.

Warrior training. You know how to wear heavy armor and how to use all kinds of complex weaponry like machineguns, rocket launchers, and grenades.

Choose one:

• Seasoned warrior. When you act under pressure, roll +tough instead of +cool.
• Army of one. In a battle, you count as a gang (3-harm gang small), with armor appropriate to the circumstances.
• Battlefield tactics. In a battle, you can roll +tough instead of +rapport to help or hinder a character.

Choose one set of stats:

• Cool +1   Tough +2   Smooth -1   Sharp +1   Weird +0
• Cool +1   Tough +2   Smooth +1   Sharp +0   Weird -1
• Cool +1   Tough +2   Smooth +0   Sharp +1   Weird -1
• Cool +2   Tough +2   Smooth -1   Sharp +0   Weird -1

Gear
You get these:

• Pressure Suit
• Medical Kit: (to detail – includes stuff to heal low-level wounds).
• Handcomm
• Full-body Armor (2-armor)
• 6mm assault rifle (3-harm close/far loud)

Choose two:

• 11mm SMG (2-harm close area loud)
• 13mm  “Gutbuster” pistol (3-harm close reload loud)
• Combat Knife (2-harm hand)
• Grenades (4-harm hand area reload messy)

disciple

[/b]
Possessed of unique gifts, you were trained by the Order of Isabel in one of the secluded monasteries.

Monk Training. You understand religious doctrine and ritual, meditation and prayer.  They might have taught you some martial arts, but don’t tell anyone.

Choose one:

• Rabble Rouser. When you recite holy scripture to a crowd, roll + weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. On a miss, the crowd turns on you. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to make the crowd:
  
  • Bring people forward and deliver them.
  • Bring forward all their precious things.
  • Unite and fight for you as a gang (2-harm 0-armor size appropriate).
  • Fall into an orgy of uninhibited emotion:  lamenting, fighting, sharing, celebrating, as you choose.
  • Go quietly back to their lives.
• Sixth Sense. When you assess a situation, roll +weird instead of +sharp.
• Mind Tricks. When you have time and close contact with someone you can plant a command inside their mind. Roll +weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. On a miss, you inflict 1-harm upon your subject, to no benefit. At your will, no matter the circumstances, you can spend your hold 1 for 1:
  
  • inflict 1-harm
  • they take -1 right now
  
  If they fulfill your command, that counts for all your remaining hold.

Choose one set of stats:

• Cool +0   Tough +1   Smooth -1   Sharp +1   Weird +2
• Cool +1   Tough -1   Smooth +1   Sharp +0   Weird +2
• Cool -1   Tough +1   Smooth +0   Sharp +1   Weird +2
• Cool +1   Tough +0   Smooth +1   Sharp -1   Weird +2

Gear
You get these:

• Pressure Suit
• Medical Kit: (to detail – includes stuff to heal low-level wounds).
• Handcomm
• Scripture
• Holy Staff (2-harm hand)

Role
What purpose do you serve on the ship? Choose one:

• Pilot. You fly the ship and plot FTL jumps.
• Signals. You operate sensors and communications.
• Engineering. You keep the ship’s systems in working order.
• Defenses.  You operate the ship’s weapons.

Bonus Training
Choose one:

• Medic. You can perform medical care in the field with steadied confidence. Without this training, medical care counts as acting under pressure.
• Sniper. You do +1 harm when you use weapons with the “far” tag. If you have this one and Commando, they don’t stack for (close/far) weapons. Silly.
• Commando. You do +1 harm when you use weapons with the “close” tag.
• Jockey. When you’re operating a vehicle, treat its performance score as +1 higher than it actually is.
• Tinker. You can build gadgets in the ship’s workshop.

Secret Affiliation
Whose objectives will you further during your missions? Choose One:

• The White Wind (3-harm 2-armor savage treacherous mobile slaver/hunting pack) – a notorious pirate organization who have terrorized the colonies.
• The Eyes of Isabel (2 harm 1-armor covert fanatical prophet/cult) – a paranoid religious sect obsessed with the Scourge.
• The Crucible (1-harm 1-armor wealthy elitist collector/sybarite) – an alliance of territories who capitalize on lost and alien technology.
• TRIDENT (2-harm 2-armor jackboot special-ops dictator/enforcers) – the secret police of your world’s most aggressive state.
• Jobasa’s Syndicate  (3-harm 1-armor alien criminal alpha wolf/family) – the most influential and stable organized crime syndicate in the Remnants.
• Clan Obor (2-harm 2-armor xenophobic alien hive queen/mob) – an aggressive alien clan who claim humankind as their sworn enemy.