Board Thread:Character Discussion Board/@comment-26084195-20151119205607

I intend to do an RP based off of the roleplaying game Shadowrun. But I'm going to make sure all of you go through the process of creating a character for it, so that there can be no arguments over whether a character can or cannot do something! So, here goes. First, you'll want to know that you have 400 points to spend on your character. I recommend he be a signature character. The beginning step is to determine his species. However, first you should know what each of a character's attributes does.

Attributes: A character’s attributes—Agility, Body, Reaction, Strength, Charisma, Intuition, Logic, and Willpower—represent the raw mate- rial that makes up every person: her body and mind, what the charac- ter has done with both, and what’s inside the person that makes her unique. Because attributes can be improved during the course of a char- acter’s life, they represent something more than genetics. Physical Attributes Agility (A) represents fine motor control—manual dexterity, flexibility, balance, and coordination. A character with a low Agility may be someone with an inner-ear problem, one leg that is shorter than the other, or a simple klutz. Higher Agility ratings may belong to charac- ters that are “natural” athletes. The Body (B) attribute determines a character’s resistance to outside forces. It represents the character’s cardiovascular fitness and endur- ance, immune system, how well she heals, her tolerance for drugs and alcohol, and, to some extent, her muscle and bone structure and weight. Low Body could mean a character is skinny and frail-boned or has bad eating and health habits. High Body means a character is better fed, tough as nails, has strong bones with some spring to them, and an immune system that won’t quit. Body does not necessarily correlate with physical size—a fat, out of shape character likely has a low Body, but a small character who is wiry and athletic may have a high Body. A character’s Reaction (R) is, quite simply, her physical reflexes—how quickly she can react to a changing situation, and how well she can dodge the physical slings and arrows that shadowrunning brings. A character with a high Reaction is more likely to be on top of a situation and will be in a better position to react to danger, while low-Reaction characters will lag behind. Strength (S) denotes what a character’s muscles can do, including things such as raw lifting power and running speed. Strength is some- what dependent on a character’s size and metatype. If your character is a 5’3” tall, 115-pound human girl, she’s unlikely to possess an un- augmented Strength attribute of 6. On the other hand, dwarfs have a muscle density that rivals that of reptiles. Characters with low Strength may be small, skinny, or slight, or simply too busy to work out. A high- Strength character may be tough and wiry, know how to use her body to her best advantage, work out every day, or simply be fraggin’ BIG. Mental attributes Charisma (C) is a nebulous attribute. More than just looks, Charisma rep- resents a character’s personal aura, self-image, ego, willingness to find out what people want and give it to them, and ability to recognize what she can and can’t get out of people. A whiny demeanor, a me-first attitude, or an inability to read body language or subtle hints are just a few traits that can give a character low Charisma. A character with high Charisma might simply enjoy entertaining others, may excel at making friends and/or manipulating people, or may be all flash and fun with whomever it is today. A high-Charisma character might deliver jokes at the right moment, have a sexy way of carrying herself, or com- mand respect because her timing is always impeccable. Intuition (I) covers “mental alertness”—the ability to take in and process information, to read a crowd, to assess a situation for danger or opportunity. A character with little Intuition may be unobservant, may rarely think things fully through, or could simply be “slow.” A character with a high Intuition is adept at making the best of a bad situation, knowing when to leave before an encounter escalates, noticing small clues, and working from instinct. Logic (L) represents a character’s memorizing ability and raw brain- power. It denotes how fast a character learns, how much she can re- member, and how well she can execute pre-planned sequences. A Logic-lacking character might get overwhelmed when confronted with a lot of details and may have a poor memory—especially for facts and figures. Characters with a high Logic rating will likely be excellent book-learners, able to deal with computer and magic theory with ease, and capable of building (and tearing down!) machinery and electronics. Willpower (W) keeps a character going when she wants to give up, or enables her to control her habits and emotions. Willpower determines whether or not a character is going to take charge of her life. A charac- ter with low Willpower might defer to other people when big decisions are being made, for example. A high-Willpower character is more as- sured and possesses a never-say-die streak. Such characters go down to the monowire because that’s exactly the fragging point. Willpower also represents a character’s cool under fire, her ability to resist intimida- tion and manipulation, and her resolve to stick to her guns when the pressure is on. Special attributes A character’s Edge (E) represents that special something that can turn the tide and save the day—a successful gut check, a moment of brilliant inspiration or creativity, or a once-in-a-lifetime physical feat. Edge is a combination of luck, timing, and the favor of the gods. Characters with low Edge are unlikely to get unexpected breaks in life, much less win the lottery. A high-Edge character, however, is graced with good fortune and has an uncanny ability to succeed despite the odds. Edge can be spent at certain points in the game to help tip the odds in your character’s favor. Unlike other attributes, Edge provides Edge points that may be spent in certain ways—once used, these points are not regained until certain in-game events occur, at the discretion of the gamemaster. Essence (Ess) is a measure of life force, of a body’s wholeness. It rep- resents the body’s cohesiveness and holistic strength. Things that are invasive to the body, such as cyberware and bioware, reduce Essence. If a character abuses her body repeatedly with chemicals, toxins, or even just negligence over a long period of time, she may lose Essence as well. Long-time drug addicts and chipheads who have done permanent damage to their systems have lost Essence. Lost Essence can never be regained (short of the Essence Drain critter power). When Essence declines, Magic and Resonance decline by the same amount. All char- acters start the game with an Essence of 6. A derived attribute, Initiative (INI) is the sum of Reaction and Intuition, plus any additional dice from implanted or magical reflex enhancers. As it sounds, Initiative is used to make Initiative Tests which determine the character’s Initiative Score for a Combat Turn. Any en- hancements to Reaction and Intuition also affect Initiative. Some implants and magic may give a character extra actions to take in each Combat Turn. These are noted as extra Initiative Passes on the character’s record sheet. The maximum number of Initiative Passes a character can have is 5, but most character types can only ever achieve 4. Magic (M) is a measure of the ability to use magic and of the body’s attunement to the mana that flows through our plane. Those with strong Magic ratings are able to handle powerful magic and mana ma- nipulation. Those with weak Magic ratings are more sensitive and more easily drained by the use of magic. Those with no Magic rating have no magical capabilities and are tuned out from the magical realms. Serious damage to the body and invasive additions such as cyberware and bio- ware reduce the Magic attribute. Magic and Resonance are mutually exclusive attributes. A character who possesses a quality that grants a Magic of 1 or higher cannot have a Resonance attribute. Resonance (R) is a special attribute for technomancers, characters able to manipulate the Matrix with their minds alone. Resonance is an attunement to the echoes and transmissions that permeate the electronic world, an alignment with the wireless ge- stalt. The exact nature of Resonance is even more controversial than magic—some claim that Resonance is a form of magic that has adapt- ed to the virtual and augmented realities of the modern world, others claim that Resonance is some new stage in the evolution of metahuman consciousness—but no one knows for sure. Resonance and Magic are mutually exclusive attributes. A character who possesses a quality that grants a Resonance of 1 or higher cannot have a Magic attribute.

You may only spend 200 points on attributes. Each attribute point costs 10 points.

Now, determine your metatype and what attributes he/she has.

 The following is a representation of the attributes each race is capable of. The numbers represent the minimum/maximum of the attribute. Human attributes (costs 0 points to be Human): B: 1/6 A: 1/6 S: 1/6 R: 1/6 I: 1/6 L: 1/6 W: 1/6 C: 1/6 INI: 2/12 E: 2/7 Orc attributes (costs 20 points to be an Orc): B: 4/9 A: 1/6 S: 3/8 R: 1/6 I: 1/6 L: 1/5 W: 1/6 C: 1/6 INI: 2/12 E: 1/6 Special Orc bonuses: low-light vision Dwarf attributes (costs 25 points to be a Dwarf): B: 2/7 A: 1/6 S: 3/8 R: 1/5 I: 1/6 L: 1/6 W: 2/7 C: 1/6 INI: 2/11 E: 1/6 Special Dwarf bonuses: 2 extra dice for tests to resist pathogens and toxins Elf attributes (costs 30 points to be an Elf): B: 1/6 A: 2/7 S: 1/6 R: 1/6 I: 1/6 L: 1/6 C: 3/8 INI: 2/12 E: 1/6 Special Elf bonuses: low-light vision

Now, for qualities. Qualities are those special things that your character has all of his own. Magic is a sort of quality, as is high pain tolerance, iron guts, a photographic memory, etc. You can spend 35 points on positive qualities, and have 35 worth of negative qualities. You guys pitch me an idea for a positive/negative qualities, and I'll tell you it's legitimate effects and how much it's worth. Here are a few that some of you will want to use:

Adept: costs 5 points Adept characters use their magic in a radically different way than  other Awakened characters, by channeling magic through their bodies  and minds; they do not cast spells or conjure spirits. Instead, they use their magic to increase their physical prowess. Purchasing this will grant access to the Magic attribute, which may be used to purchase adept powers (which I will list if anyone picks this).

Mystic Adept: costs 10 points This is an Adept that can use some of his magic power to gain Adept powers and the rest to cast spells and summon spirits.



Magician: costs 15 points: Also unlocks the Magic attribute, this quality allows you to cast spells, speak to and summon spirits, and see magic, and other such abilities.

Drake: costs 65 points, doesn't count toward total 35 point limit for qualities. The Drake is a person who can, at will, turn themselves into a miniature Dragon. They always have 1 point in the magic attribute no matter what, but cannot use adept powers or cast spells unless the necessary quality is purchased. When in Drake form, they can fly, gain bonusses to their strength and body and agility and reaction, and can breathe fire.



Here is an example of a character:

 Name: Jaeger

 Species: Human (costs 0)

 B:4/6 (costs 30)

 A:2/6 (costs 10)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> R:5/6 (costs 40)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> S:2/6 (costs 10)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> C:1/6 (costs 0)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> I:4/6 (costs 30)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> W:5/6 (costs 40)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> L:2/6 (costs 10)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> INI:9/12 (I+R)

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> E:3/7 (costs 10)

<p dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Attributes:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Aptitude (heavy weapons) +10

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Erased (within 24 hours) +10

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Gene grafted +5

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Genetic compatibility (cyberware) +10

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Incompetent (etiquette) -5

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Uncouth -20

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Distinctive style (appearance) -5

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Mild addiction to simsense -5

<p dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> Total points cost so far: 180 <ac_metadata title="Shadowrun roleplay-character creation!" notify_everyone="1447966567"> </ac_metadata>