# So Ends Civilization(Recruiting) [Storyteller]



## Shalimar (Jul 26, 2006)

People go about their lives taking for granted the marvels of modern science.  Automobiles, trains, and plains move across the globe, transporting people and goods hundreds of miles effortlessly.  Telephones, radios, and the internet allow people to communicate across the globe instantaneously.  Firearms are the threat of force that keeps the criminal element, and the predatory wild animals at bay.  Electricity allows people to store food until its needed, and light the darkness... what if the assumption that these modern masterpieces would always work is wrong?  Could you survive?

  The characters are normal people, the super-natural does not play a part in the world.  The game will start in mid-March in 2006, with everything as of the real world, at least as a jumping off point into the game.

Naturally I want the players to have a shot of survival so the game will be starting away from major cities, possibly in the suburbs, or in some other less populated area.  For right now I would like to see character concepts.  Something to keep in mind, while some combat ability might be useful, I don't really want to see Rambo, and brain sweat and technical skill can be even more important then the ability to swing an axe or mow people down with a machine gun.  I would like to see some variety in the character concepts because a good cross section of skills would be quite benificial.

My inspiration for this game is the two trilogies of novel by S.M. Stirling "Island in a Sea of Time," and "Dies the Fire".  As an example of good characters, some of the main characters were a cowboy, an eagle scout, a Marine, an engineer, some SCA hobbyists, a bar owner, etc.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

I am currently trying to decide on which system I will use to run this game, I know that more people are familiar with D20 Modern so I will most likely have a better response with that, however, I am not a great fan of a system theat uses levels.

The two options are D20 Modern, and the World of Darkness Storyteller system.  Wont people post to show their interest, they can have some input into the system that I'll use.

If we go D20 Modern, it'll be Level 2 characters, otherwise it'll be standard World of Darkness character creation.  So tell me what you guys would like.


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## RobotRobotI (Jul 27, 2006)

Are you looking at the WoD1 or WoD2 system?

I'm sort of interested, although I don't have any character concepts handy that I think would be particularly appropriate.  I've got a highschool girl-turned-hunter that I could easily convert back to a normal mortal and then into WoD2.0, but I don't think she'd be much use in a survivalist-centered game.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

It would be the most recent WoD rules if we go that way.  It seems like the system that will get in the way of the story the least.  (I hate the floating difficulties from 1E).


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## Tokiwong (Jul 27, 2006)

I am interested, and I didn't even read anything.


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

I'm still interested.  And as I posted in that other thread over there, I'd prefer d20M.  Of course, you could just use the equipment lists from the PHB, as the modern equipment won't work...


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Agamon said:
			
		

> I'm still interested.  And as I posted in that other thread over there, I'd prefer d20M.  Of course, you could just use the equipment lists from the PHB, as the modern equipment won't work...




One of the problems to get around if we do go modern (and yes, I would definitely pilliage DnD for equipment lists) is weapon proficiencies.  In modern, all the weapons that would be relevant would be covered by one feat (Archaic Weapon's proficiency).  And with the level system it'd be at least awhile before people were able to pick it up, and it would pretty much force everyone to take the same feat at 3rd level.  I prefer the more generic Brawl/Weaponry/Firearms(including projectile weapons) skills from WOD, I could just assess a -1 or -2 for awhile till people are more familiar.


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## RobotRobotI (Jul 27, 2006)

Personally, I prefer WoD for modern games, especially if they're not expected to be over-the-top.

The idea is that the group is going to work together as a party, yes?  The character I'm thinking of would (probably) die on her own, but in a group could be useful.


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

Huh, I'm certainly going to have to pick up these books.  I have trouble picturing what would happen if this were to take place.  I can understand what might happen if it were to occur over a long period of time (something I've given some thought to, as it is a possible future for us).  I suppose there'd probably be a lot of looting (of food, TVs would be useless) and panic and violence.

I assume we would start the game in the normal world and the collapse would happen in game?

I think I like this concept for a character: recently retired major league baseball player.  Late thirties, wife and a couple kids and millions of dollars to live happily ever after with.  Unfortunately, all that money isn't going to mean squat, right?  You'd probably have to do away with the family (maybe not all of them, though) to get him to join up with the other characters, but that would help give him more depth.  And while he's no Rambo, he can swing a mean bat.


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## RobotRobotI (Jul 27, 2006)

Name him Ness, and his wife should be Paula.

>_>


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> One of the problems to get around if we do go modern (and yes, I would definitely pilliage DnD for equipment lists) is weapon proficiencies.  In modern, all the weapons that would be relevant would be covered by one feat (Archaic Weapon's proficiency).  And with the level system it'd be at least awhile before people were able to pick it up, and it would pretty much force everyone to take the same feat at 3rd level.  I prefer the more generic Brawl/Weaponry/Firearms(including projectile weapons) skills from WOD, I could just assess a -1 or -2 for awhile till people are more familiar.




You could always drop the Modern weapon feats for something more like D&D (unarmed/simple/martial/exotic).  That would take modding the classes as well as the weapon lists, though.

If WoD fits the game concept better, I'm happy to go that route.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

The game will start shortly before things change.  I would hope that you guys would form a group, since on your own there wouldn't be much hope for survival.  I'm not quite sure where I am going to start you guys off, but most likely it will be in the mid-west.

Agamon, I wouldn't neccessarily have to do away with the family.  Holding on to what you can, and then working towards the future is going to be a major theme of the game.  I like the concept.  You are right about money being useless though.


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## B_P (Jul 27, 2006)

I'm as newbie as you can get, so I dunno if my vote means much, but I'd prefer the newest WoD system ("nWoD"). I think it would require less tweaking than D20 Modern.

A character idea: a 39 year old high school woodworking teacher, who recently moved into the area from the west coast. A strong, silent, trustworthy type, excellent with hands-on types of things but a bit lacking intellectually.


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

RobotRobotI said:
			
		

> Name him Ness, and his wife should be Paula.
> 
> >_>




I almost didn't get that.  I assume Paula should be good with a frying pan...


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> The game will start shortly before things change.  I would hope that you guys would form a group, since on your own there wouldn't be much hope for survival.  I'm not quite sure where I am going to start you guys off, but most likely it will be in the mid-west.
> 
> Agamon, I wouldn't neccessarily have to do away with the family.  Holding on to what you can, and then working towards the future is going to be a major theme of the game.  I like the concept.  You are right about money being useless though.




Cool.  He'd be pretty bitter about the money, though he wouldn't be completely shallow.

I kinda saw it as maybe a survival-type game, where a family would kinda get in the way.  But if you think it's work, then alrighty.


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## Tokiwong (Jul 27, 2006)

My concept would be burnt out slacker musician, on the cusp of greatness in his mind, living in his parent's garage.

Probably the kind of guy that is always between jobs.


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## Dracomeander (Jul 27, 2006)

I would be interested in this setting. I'm equally familiar/unfamiliar with D20 Modern and WoD2 so either rules set would be fine with me.

My character concept would be a thespian with hobbies of hunting and fishing.

Really like Stirling's work. My sentiments run towards Mike and the Bearkillers. I'm hoping the library will have 'The Protector's War' by the time I get back from vacation.

Said vacation will be from Aug 18th thru Sep 5th. Hope this won't prevent me from joining this game, but will understand if it does.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

It is survival, but hopefully it wont be just immediate surviva, but thats up to you guys.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Dracomeander said:
			
		

> My character concept would be a thespian with hobbies of hunting and fishing.
> 
> Really like Stirling's work. My sentiments run towards Mike and the Bearkillers. I'm hoping the library will have 'The Protector's War' by the time I get back from vacation.
> 
> Said vacation will be from Aug 18th thru Sep 5th. Hope this won't prevent me from joining this game, but will understand if it does.




That sounds good, I don't think the vacation will be too much of a problem.  My sentiments are more with the Bearkillers myself.  I just don't like all the mysticism from the Makenzies, I don't really intend to have that going on.  I'm glad that someone else has read the books and understands some of the problems that might come up, at least out of character.

I am thinking about starting the game in the Missouri area.  It'll take some further thought on the matter.



> My concept would be burnt out slacker musician, on the cusp of greatness in his mind, living in his parent's garage.




Sounds vaguely ok so far.


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## Tokiwong (Jul 27, 2006)

I just want to play a loser


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## B_P (Jul 27, 2006)

So is it safe to say that the 'paranormal' related skills (e.g. Occult) and such from WoD2 can be ignored? This is assuming WoD2 is chosen as the ruleset.


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> I just want to play a loser




That's just asking for it.

"I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me."   

Missouri, he can be an ex-Cardinal then.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

B_P said:
			
		

> So is it safe to say that the 'paranormal' related skills (e.g. Occult) and such from WoD2 can be ignored? This is assuming WoD2 is chosen as the ruleset.




Yes, paranormal skills are going to be pretty useless here.  Ok, at this point I am pretty sure that we are going to use the World of Darkness 2.0 rules.  They are the closest to what we need, and are actually pretty simple to learn and use.

The basic WOD system is that you roll Attribute + Ability on D10s, and 8s-10s are successes.  I'll have a WOD character creation help up tomorrow at some point.  Its fairly easy.  There are 3 categories of Attributes[Abilitiy Scores] (Physical, Mental, and Social), and 3 categories of Abilities [Skills] (Physical, Mental, and Social).  Characters prioritize the 3 categories, and then get points to divy up among the individual attributes and abilites.


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## Tokiwong (Jul 27, 2006)

I know WoD 2.0

Happy go lucky, police officer or US Marshall, watching Eureka, great show thus far.


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## Agamon (Jul 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> The basic WOD system is that you roll Attribute + Ability on D10s, and 8s-10s are successes.  I'll have a WOD character creation help up tomorrow at some point.  Its fairly easy.  There are 3 categories of Attributes[Abilitiy Scores] (Physical, Mental, and Social), and 3 categories of Abilities [Skills] (Physical, Mental, and Social).  Characters prioritize the 3 categories, and then get points to divy up among the individual attributes and abilites.




Yup, I've played some 1E WW games in the past, I get the fundamental concept.  I'll probably have a look at the new book this weekend to get acquainted with the changes.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Here is a pdf of the World of Darkness character sheet that should be helpful in seeing what I am talking about in my tutorial.
The instructions for what you get to spend are at the bottom of the sheet.  My tutorial will give information on what the attributes and abilities actually mean to you.

nWOD Character Sheet


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Character Creation:  The NWOD character creation and stat system is pretty easy to get a handle on.

The first step in character creation is assigning your character's Attributes.

[sblock]Attributes are rated 1 to 5 for ordinary people, and each score suggests the degree of your character's raw capability in that area.

Rank 1  Poor: Unexercised, unpracticed or inept.
Rank 2  Average: The result of occasional effort or application.
Rank 3  Good: Regular practice or effort, or naturally talented.
Rank 4  Exceptional: Frequently applied, tested and honed, or naturally gifted.
Rank 5  Outstanding: The peak of normal human capability. Continuously exercised or naturally blessed

There are 9 attributes, and the 9 attributes are divided up into sets of 3, with each set of attributes having its own theme.  The three sets of attributes are:

*Physical:*
Strength - Physical might. Sheer bodily power. The capacity to lift objects, move items, hit things and people, and do damage.
Dexterity - Quickness. Response time. A delicate touch. Dexterity indicates how quickly and with how much finesse your character responds to his physical world.
Stamina - Sturdiness. Steadfastness. Sheer physical resilience. Stamina is a measure of how tough your character is.

*Mental:*
Intelligence - The raw power of the mind. Cognitive capacity
Wits - The ability to think on one's feet, under pressure or duress
Resolve - The focus and determination to see your character's will done

*Social:*
Presence - Bearing. Stature. Assertiveness. Presence suggests the power of your character's very identity. Attractiveness is only part of the trait.
Manipulation - Charm. Persuasiveness. Charisma. The capacity to play upon the desires, hopes and needs of others to influence them. Manipulation reflects your character's finesse in social situations.
Composure - Poise. Dignity. The capacity to remain calm and appear and actually be unfazed in social and threatening situations, usually harrowing ones.

All attributes start at rating 1, and characters are given additional dots to flesh out their characters.  To assign your attributes, prioritize the categories of attributes from most important to least important.  A characters Primary attribute group gets an additional 5 dots of attributes to assign, the secondary group gains 4 additional dots of attributes to divvy up, and the last group gains 3 additional attribute points to assign. The fifth dot in any Attribute costs two dots to purchase.[/sblock]

The second step in character creation is assigning your character's Abilities (skills).

[sblock]
Skills are rated from 1 to 5, with each score suggesting your character's relative level of proficiency and knowledge in that area.

Rank 1 Novice: Basic knowledge and/or techniques.
Rank 2 Practitioner: Solid working knowledge and/or techniques.
Rank 3 Professional: Broad, detailed knowledge and/or techniques.
Rank 4 Expert: Exceptional depth of knowledge and/or techniques.
Rank 5 Master: Unsurpassed depth of knowledge and/or techniques. A leader in the field.

Mental: the character can roll without having the skill at a -3 penalty
Academics - Academics is a broad-based Skill that represents a character's degree of higher education and general knowledge in the Arts and Humanities
Computer - Characters possessing this Skill have the necessary training or experience to operate a computer.
Crafts - Crafts represents a character's training or experience in creating works of physical art or construction with his hands, from paintings to car engines to classical sculpture.
Investigation - Investigation is the art and science of solving mysteries, examining seemingly disparate evidence to find a connection, answering riddles and overcoming paradoxes.
Medicine - The Medicine Skill reflects a character's training and expertise in human physiology and how to treat injuries and illness.
Occult - The Occult Skill reflects a character's knowledge and experience with the world's various legends and lore about the supernatural.
Politics - Characters possessing this Skill are not only familiar with the way the political process works, they're experienced with bureaucracies and know exactly who to call in a given situation to get something done.
Science - This Skill represents your character's understanding of the physical and natural sciences: biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, physics.

Physical
Athletics - Athletics encompasses a broad category of physical training, from rock climbing to kayaking to professional sports such as football or hockey, and also accuracy with thrown objects.
Brawl - Brawl defines your character's prowess at unarmed combat, whether he's a black belt in karate, a hard-bitten street tough or a college student who's taken a few self-defense courses.
Drive - The Drive Skill allows your character to operate a vehicle under difficult or dangerous conditions. Characters don't need this Skill simply to drive a car.
Firearms - Firearms allows your character to identify, operate and maintain most types of guns, from pistols to rifles to military weapons,  and also bows and crossbows.
Larceny - Larceny is a broad Skill that covers everything from picking locks to concealing stolen goods and everything in between.
Stealth - The Stealth Skill represents a character's experience or training in avoiding notice, whether by moving silently, making use of cover or blending into a crowd.
Survival - Survival represents your character's experience or training in living off the land. He knows where to find food and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental conditions.
Weaponry - As the name implies, the Weaponry Skill represents your character's experience or training in fighting with everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords.

Social
Animal Ken - Your character intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animals to know how they react to situations.
Empathy - This Skill represents your character’s intuition for reading people’s emotions.
Expression - Expression reflects your character’s training or experience in the art of communication, both to entertain and inform.
Intimidation - Intimidation is the art and technique of persuading others through the use of fear.
Persuasion - Persuasion is the art of inspiring or changing minds through logic, charm or sheer, glib fast-talking.
Socialize - Socialize reflects your character’s ability to interact with others in a variety of situations, from talking people up at bars to comporting himself with dignity at state dinners.
Streetwise - Characters possessing this Skill know how life on the streets works and are adept at surviving by its harsh rules.
Subterfuge - Subterfuge is the art of deception. Characters possessing this Skill know how to lie convincingly, and they recognize when they’re being lied to.

To select your skills, Prioritize the three categories with your primary category getting 11 ranks, your secondary getting 7, and your tertiary getting 4 ranks. The fifth dot in any Skill costs two dots to purchase.
[/sblock]

Step 3 in character creation is to give three of your skills specialties, areas of the skill where you excel.  For example Firearms 2 (Bows).  A specialty gives you a +1 modifier to rolls with that skill that involve your specialty.

Step 4 Calculate derived statistics.  Things like Speed, Defense, Willpower, etc.
[sblock]
Health = Size (5 for humans) + Stamina
Initiative = Dexterity + Composure
Speed = Strength + Dexterity + 5
Defense = the lesser of Dexterity and Wits
Willpower = Resolve + Composure
[/sblock]

Step 5 Choose 7 points of Merits
[sblock]
Common Sense (4pts) - Your character is exceptionally grounded and pragmatic, and can
usually be depended upon to make sound, straightforward decisions after a few moments of thought.
Danger Sense (2pts) - You gain a +2 modifier on reflexive Wits + Composure rolls for your character to detect an impending ambush. This kind of roll is typically made prior to the first turn of a surprise attack.
Eidetic Memory (2pts) - Your character has a near-photographic memory, being able to recall vast amounts of observed detail with astonishing accuracy.
Encyclopedic Knowledge (4pts) - Your character is a veritable font of useful (and sometimes useless) information on a wide variety of topics.
Holistic Awareness (3pts) - Your character is skilled in the arts of whole body healing, promoting health and recovery by keeping a person's entire physiology balanced and strong.
Language (2pts) - your character is completely fluent in another language, verbally, and written

Ambidextrous (3pts) - Your character does not suffer the -2 penalty for using his off-hand in combat or to perform other actions.
Brawling Dodge (1pt) - when you spend your action dodging, your defense becomes Defense + Brawl + Brawl (Prerequisites: Strength 2, Brawl 1)
Direction Sense (1pt) - Your character has an innate sense of direction that instinctively allows him to remain oriented.
Disarm (2pts) - When making a normal attack, compare your successes to the opponent’s Dexterity. If you get a number of successes equal to or greater than the opponent's Dexterity, you can choose to have your character disarm him instead of doing damage. (Prerequisites: Dexterity 3, Weaponry 2)
Fast Reflexes (1 or 2pts) - you gain +1 to your initiative for each point in this merit you possess. (Prerequisite: Dexterity 3)
Fighting Finesse (2pts) - You may apply your dexterity to damage rolls with a melee weapon instead of your strength. (Prerequisites: Dexterity 3, Weaponry 2) (you may take this merit once for each weapon)
Fleet of Foot (1-3pts) – Each point spent increases your speed by 1 (Prerequisite: Strength 2)
Fresh Start (2pts) – by spending your action for a turn, you may place yourself anywhere in the initiative order that you choose for the remainder of the fight. (Prerequisite: Fast Reflexes 2)
Giant (4pts) - Your character is seven or more feet tall and over 250 pounds. He is +1 Size (and thus +1 Health).
Iron Stamina (1 to 3pts) - Each dot eliminates a negative modifier (on a one-for-one basis) when resisting the effects of fatigue or injury. (Prerequisites: Stamina 3 or Resolve 3)
Iron Stomach (2pts) - Your character can eat almost anything, under almost any conditions. Add two dice to appropriate Survival rolls. Add three to Stamina to resist deprivation . (Prerequisites: Stamina 2)
Natural Immunity (1pts) - Your character gains a +2 modifier on Stamina rolls to resist infection, sickness and disease. His immune system is exceptionally effective at resisting infections, viruses and bacteria. (Prerequisites: Stamina 2)
Quick-draw (1pt) – You can draw and attack with a pistol or melee weapon with one action instead of the normal 2 actions (Prerequisite: Dexterity 3) A separate Quick Draw Merit must be acquired for use with firearms and melee weapons.
Quick Healer (4pts) – Your character heals from injury in half the normal amount of time (Prerequisite: Stamina 4)
Strong Back (1pt) – Your character gains a +1 modifier to actions involving lifting or carrying heavy weights. She can lift and carry much more weight than her build and body type suggests. (Prerequisite: Strength 2)
Strong Lungs (3pts) - Your character is practiced at holding his breath for long periods of time. He might be a pearl diver or escape artist, capable of staying underwater without aid for longer than most people believe is possible. (Prerequisite: Athletics 3)
Toxin Resistance (2pts) - Your character gains a +2 modifier to Stamina rolls to resist the effects of drugs, poisons and toxins. He’s probably never had a case of food poisoning, much less a hangover. (Prerequisite: Stamina 3)

Disclaimer, social merits will probably be useless, as things fall apart.  
Allies (1-5) - Allies are people who are willing to help your character from time to time. They may be associates, friends of convenience or people who owe your character a favor.
Barfly (1) - No matter what town or city your character is in, he can find his way into the best nightspots with a few quick words and a timely bribe.
Contacts (1-5) - Contacts provide your character information in a particular area of awareness.
Fame (1-3) - Each dot adds a +1 modifier to your character’s Socialize (or Persuasion, where applicable) rolls among those who are impressed by his celebrity status.
Inspiring (4pts) - Your character is able to rally others in times of great distress, renewing their courage and determination in the face of adversity. Make a Presence + Persuasion roll. If the roll succeeds, any individuals who actively assist your character and who are within earshot regain one spent Willpower point.  (Prerequisite: Presence 4)
Mentor (1-5) - This Merit gives your character a friend and teacher who provides her with advice and guidance. Your character’s mentor acts on her behalf, although the Storyteller determines exactly how.
Resources (1-5) This Merit measures your character’s material resources, both possessions and wealth. All characters are assumed to have a job or a source of income (trust fund, parents) that is sufficient to cover their basic needs: food, shelter and transportation.  This merit provides disposable income.
Retainer (1-5) Your character has an assistant, aide, indentured servant or fanatical follower on whom she can rely. You need to establish how this trusty companion was acquired.  Points spent in this merit detail how capable this retainer is.
Status (1-5) Your character has standing, credentials, authority or respect within an organization, group, company or social body. (Prerequisites: Varies)
Striking Looks (2 or 4) - Your character is exceptionally attractive by modern standards; heads turn and conversations stop when she enters a room. For two dots, your character gets a +1 modifier to all Presence or Manipulation rolls when she attempts to use her looks to entertain, persuade, distract or deceive others. For four dots, your character’s looks are angelic; she gets a +2 modifier.
[/sblock]


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

An example of character creation:

Stirling is playing Mike Havel, an ex-marine grunt who now works as a brush pilot in Oregon, flying people where ever they want to go.  Mike is a rugged survivalist from his days in the Marine Corp in Iraq, and even before joining the corps he worked as a miner in Michigan.

Prioritize Attributes:
Mike has been doing physical work his entire life, So Stirling decides that physical is Mike's primary category.  He starts with 1 dot in each attribute, and gets 5 more dots to spend between Strength, Dexterity and Stamina.

[sblock]Growing up a minor made Mike physically powerful, and joining the corps didn't hurt at all, so Stirling spends 2 dots on Strength, giving Mike a 3.  Next he spends 2 points on Stamina figuring that Mike is used to extended effort after carrying an 80 pound field kit through the desert.  That leaves Mike 1 last dot for dexterity giving Mike a 2, 

Next Stirling Decides Mike's second priority is Social, he is used to dealing with people, having been a non-com, so he gets 4 dots to divy up in the Social Category.  Stirling puts 1 dot in each of Prescence, Manipulation, and Composure, making him about average in each.  Next he slips the extra dot into prescence, giving him a 3, to show that he just has an air of 'I know what I'm doing, listen to me'.

Last Mike divides 3 dots of attributes among Intelligence, Wits, and Resolve.  Stirling puts 1 in each giving him 2s across the board for average mental scores.[/sblock]

Prioritize Skills:
Stirling decides that most of Mike's abilities lay within his physical abilites, and that brainsweat for Mike is a distant last, leaving Social skills as secondary.

[sblock]Mike gets 11 dots of skills to spend on Physical skills:
Athletics 2
Brawl 2
Drive 1
Fire Arms 2
Stealth 1
Survival 2
Weaponry 1

Mike now has 7 dots to spend on Social skills:
Expression 1
Intimidation 2
Persuasion 2
Socialize 1
Streetwise 1

Mike now has 4 dots to spend on Mental skills
Computers 1
Medicine 1
Politics 1
Science 1 [/sblock]

Choose 3 specialties:
Stirling chooses to give Mike
Driving 1 (Airplanes)
Fire Arms 2 (Automatics)
Brawl 2 (Dirty Tricks)

Now Stirling calculates all of Mike's derived stats
[sblock]
Health = 8 (size + stamina)
Will power = 4  (Resolve + Composure)
Size = 5 (Human)
Defense = 2 (Dexterity + Wits + Size)
Initiative Mod = 4 (Dexterity + Composure)
[/sblock]

Finally Mike gets 7 dots of merits to round him out:
Iron Stamina 2 (2pts)
Striking Looks (2pts)
Resources 3 (1pt)


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## Mimic (Jul 27, 2006)

If I had more time I would be all over this.


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Primarily what I am looking for in characters is people who aren't just collections of stats for no apparent reason.  So far things look fine on that count, but characters should also have skills that add to the mix.  Keep in mind, with everything that happens, people are going to be looking towards their own survival and that of their family and friends.  If people aren't really useful to each other then there isn't much reason to keep them with you if they are only another mouth to feed.  Doctors, Craftsmen, Hunters, these people are going to be worth their weight in gold (not that gold would have any  intrinsic value) if you consider that you can't just go to a doctor's office if you get sick, or a hardware store.


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## B_P (Jul 27, 2006)

Meet Julian Penrose, a 39 year old high school woodworking teacher who can build and repair almost anything.

[sblock]Julian grew up in California, and was frequently pushed around in high school for being overweight. His studies suffered greatly as a result of this bullying. He took up jogging and lifting weights to deter the bullies, but was still on the verge of falling into a life of drugs and depression. His father, trying to keep Julian from turning to drugs and alcohol to deal with his problems, let Julian stay one summer with an uncle who loved woodworking. That summer, Julian finally had found something he loved in woodworking and tinkering.

He later became a high school teacher, where he was able to work with his two great loves in life: woodworking and troubled children. On weekends he  volunteers as a counselor for troubled teens, teens who have similar problems that he once had, where he introduces them to various hands on skills such as construction.
[/sblock]

Attributes:
Julian to this day tries to mantain his weight through jogging and light weight-lifting, reflected in high strength and stamina.
He is fairly intelligent, but has great resolve which shows in his patience fixing things and perfecting his various crafts.
Socially, Julian isn't very outgoing, a result of his troubled boyhood. However, he is able to keep his composure in stressful situations, which was helpful in deterring bullies and is now useful in dealing with troubled teens.
[sblock]Intelligence (2)
Wits (2)
Resolve (3)

Strength (3)
Dexterity (2)
Stamina (3)

Presence (2)
Manipulation (1)
Composure (3)
[/sblock]

Skills:
Notably - 
Crafts (4). Exceptional at crafts, he can build or fix almost anything given even meager supplies.
Athletics (4). As an avid runner, he is in excellent shape.
Stealth (3). Julian can blend in well, a technique he learned in his boyhood to avoid trouble.
[sblock]Academics (1)
Crafts (4)
Science (2)

Athletics (4)
Brawl (2)
Larceny (2)
Stealth (3)

Empathy (2)
Persuasion (1)
Streetwise (1)
[/sblock]

Skill Specialties:
[sblock]Crafts - Repair Item. Again, Julian has an uncanny ability to repair items after a few minutes of studying.
Athletics - Foot Chase. He loves running, and can keep up with almost anybody on foot.
Empathy - Identify Motives. A skill he honed while working with distressed teens.
[/sblock]

Derived Statistics:
[sblock]Health = 8
Will Power = 6
Size = 5
Defense = 2
Initiative Mod = 5
Speed = 12 (Includes +2 from 'Fleet of Foot' skill, below)
[/sblock]

Merits:
[sblock]Danger Sense (2). Frequently ambushed during high school during breaks, Julian began to recognize signs of danger.
Brawling Dodge (1). Something learned in his childhood.
Fleet of Foot (2). His speed is a consequence of his running for the past 20 years.
Iron Stamina (1). Stamina gained with long distance running.
Natural Immunity (1). 
[/sblock]


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## Shalimar (Jul 27, 2006)

Julian looks very good B_P, he is the type of character that I'm looking for, and would be very useful to have.


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## Agamon (Jul 28, 2006)

My entry:  Darren Harver, 36-year-old retired St. Louis Cardinals 2nd baseman.
[sblock]Darren Harver grew up in northern California, the son of a mechanic (father Kenneth) and dentist (mother Gail).  He led a mostly uninteresting childhood.  Well, aside from his uncanny ability to hit a ball with a stick.  Drafted by the Mets, he was traded early in his MLB career to the Cards, where he starred at second base for 15 years.

Darren retired last season due to waning production.  He could certainly still play, but not to the level he was used to, and decided to end his career while still near top form.  He now lives very comfortably, spending time with his family: wife Jody, and his kids, 11-year old daughter Cindy and 7-year-old son Hunter.[/sblock]

Darren is still very physically fit.  He was an all-around good player: big enough to hit the ball far, agile enough to hit it well, and fast enough run the bases and play well defensively.
Darren played a fairly big role in leading the team in the clubhouse, as well, eventually developing into a good leader.
His talent at baseball left academics to the back seat.  Darren was never very good in school, and he went straight from high school to professional baseball.
[sblock]Intelligence 2
Wits 2
Resolve 2

Strength 3
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

Presence 2
Manipulation 2
Composure 3[/sblock]

Skills:
Darren is an athlete, first and foremost.  His second love has always been the great outdoors, though.  As a child, his family took many vacations to parks across the western U.S. and as an adult he has continued to spend off-seasons 'roughing it'.
[sblock]Crafts 2
Investigation 1
Medicine 1

Athletics 5
Survival 3
Weaponry 2

Expression 3
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 1
Socialize 2[/sblock]

Skill Specialties:
[sblock]Athletics (throw and catch)  Throw the ball, catch the ball.  He did it a lot and was pretty good at it.
Weaponry (bat/club)  He's never swung a bat at anything but inanimate objects, but if push came to shove, he'd do fairly well defending himself with one.[/sblock]

Derived Stats:
[sblock]Health = 7
Will Power = 5
Size = 5
Defense = 2
Initiative Mod = 8 
Speed = 14[/sblock]

Merits:
[sblock] Fame 1
Fast Reflexes 2
Fleet of Foot 3
Iron Stamina 1[/sblock]

You didn't ask for Virtue/Vice, but Darren's would be Fortitude/Pride.


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## Einan (Jul 28, 2006)

I'd like to get in on the ground floor of this.

My concept is Sam Hardwick, Anthropology professor and expert in millenial cults.  Specifically Sam teaches at the University of Evansville, Indiana and is currently on sabatical writing a book on the Padanaram settlement near Bedford, IN.  (Padanaram is a millenial settlement/commune in Indiana that believes the end of the world is nigh and the only way to survive is to wait out the troubles until the Lord comes for the chosen.)

Sam is a bit of a cynic, but living with various millenial cultists has given him a few useful skills.

Character sheet to follow..

Einan


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## Shalimar (Jul 28, 2006)

I've been thinking it over, and discussing it on the White Wolf boards, and I am going to add three more merits that will be availible during character creation:

Additional Attribute (4pts) you gain 1 extra attribute dot to place where you wish
Additional Ability (2pts) you gain 1 extra dot to place in any ability.
Additional Specialty (1pt) you gain 1 additional specialty for each merit point spent.


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## Shalimar (Aug 2, 2006)

I'd like to apologize for not posting in the past week, things have gotten pretty busy for me, but hopefully they'll settle down after fridaay and I'll be able to give the game the attention it deserves.

Agamon, my concern with your character is the intelligence of 1.  That doesn't really depict someone who hasn't had much use for academics, since defaulting on academics means you roll your inteligence at a -3 penalty, it depicts someone who has a fairly low IQ, and most likely a low functional level. I'd suggest looking over the 1 attribute dot for 4 merit dots if you want someone who is street smart and not booksmart.

Sounds ok Einan, I'd like to see some stats for it.

I'd also like to see some stats on Toki's musician.

Dracomeander, I like your character concept.  The vacation isn't a problem, shoot up some stats, or if you need help feel free to ask, and I'll be more then willing to walk you through.

B_P Julian is good.


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## Agamon (Aug 2, 2006)

Like I said, I'm something of a newbie here, so I'll take any advice I can get.  So are you basically saying putting one dot in any attribute makes for a useless PC?  I just figured it fit the character type.  Book smart, he ain't.


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## Shalimar (Aug 2, 2006)

No, putting only one dot in a stat doesn't make for a useless character...depending on the stat.  Generally speaking, a 1 in a stat can be considered a moderate to a major disability.  when making an attempt at something that you don't have the relevent ability with your character suffers a penalty to his dice pool.  For Physical and Social abilities its a -1 penalty to the dice pool, however, for mental abilites, the penalty is a -3.  That on its own signifies someone who isn't book smart, basically, unless your intelligence is a 5, its pretty much blind luck as to whether your character knows something since you only roll 1 die.

If your looking to make a character that hasn't applied themselves academically, but isn't mentally disabled, an intelligence of 2, but with mental abilities as your lowest priority is for you.  A character with an intelligence of 1 is mentally handicapped, to the point that they might have trouble dealing with the normal world.


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## Agamon (Aug 2, 2006)

Ah, I see.  Fair enough, and an easy change to make.

Hey, what if I made him like a Will Farrell character?  Would a 1 Int work? p Just kidding)


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## Dracomeander (Aug 2, 2006)

Here's the intial stab at my character concept. Might still want to flesh out a bit more of the background.

Ryan Chase, 34 year-old caucasian Insurance Agent and semi-professional Thespian.

Background:
[sblock]Ryan grew up in a family that liked outdoor sports and was introduced to hunting and fishing at a very young age. He did enjoy those activities with his family, but when he hit his teens and didn't develope the physique to be competative at the popular team sports, he started looking around for other activities in school. That is where he discovered his knack, and learned an enjoyment, for live theatre. His natural presence and general popularity lead him into student government where he developed contacts that insured his finding a good college to continue to develope his theatrical talents.

In college, he discovered his was not the only talent that could perform the parts he wanted and realized he needed to work to understand all aspects of the theatre. He applied himself not only to improving his presence on stage but to also learning the various skills needed backstage to create a production. During his brief vacations, he still enjoyed meeting his family for time in the wilderness fishing and hunting, but now his hunting was done with a camera since he couldn't get away from the stage during the actual hunting seasons.

Upon graduating college, Ryan applied himself trying to make it as a professional actor. Of course with acting not being the most reliable of professions, he supplemented his income with retail sales, restaurant wait staff positions, and unskilled construction jobs. Finally, he discovered insurance sales gave him a job where he could take advantage of his ability to deal with people and have enough time to spend in theatrical endeavors.

Realizing he was never going to break into the top tier of actors, he finally took a position in the insurance company in a metropolitan area with a respectable community theatre and has spent the past four years integrating himself into both the community and the theatre.
[/sblock]

Attributes:
[sblock]Intelligence 2
Wits 3
Resolve 2

Strength 2
Dexterity 2
Stamina 2

Presence 3
Manipulation 2
Composure 3
[/sblock]

Skills:
[sblock]Academics 1
Crafts 1
Investigation 1
Politics 1

Athletics 1
Brawl 1
Stealth 2
Survival 2
Weaponry 1

Animal Ken 1
Empathy 2
Expression 3
Persuasion 2
Socialize 2
Subterfuge 1
[/sblock]

Specializations & Merits:
[sblock]Empathy - Reading Others
Expression - Acting
Persuasion - Salesmanship

Direction Sense
Eidetic Memory
Natural Immunity
Strong Back
Striking Looks (2 pts)
[/sblock]

Derived Stats:
[sblock]Health 7
Willpower 5
Size 5
Speed 9
Defense 2
Initiative Mod 4
[/sblock]


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## Einan (Aug 4, 2006)

Sam Hardwick, Religion and Sociology Professor

Sam has spent the last few summers and winter breaks living with the Padanaram commune, a group who believes that the end of the world is nigh and man must be ready to live through the troubles that will follow.  He's never been much of a woodsy type, but living in the commune with meager comforts has toughened up a bit and given him a few skills, mostly in survival and hunting.  He's not a survivalist (yet) but he's taken the first step down that path.  After this experience, he's now retreated to a small cabin to write his book, an academic study of the beliefs of the cult and its implications on the social structure of the commune.  He's a bit worried about what the cult will think of him when it's published, but since he'd vowed to himself to be brutally honest, he has no choice but to write the truth as he sees it. 

Sam is single, having divorced his first wife after they grew apart during his long dissertation writing and PhD candidacy.  He's dated a few people, but none seriously.  He's five foot eight, one hundred seventy five pounds with greying brown hair and a trimmed beard.  He usually wears jeans and simple shirts with a leather jacket.  He tends toward talking too much on obscure subjects and can be charming when he really tries.  He doesn't often try.  He prefers to let others judge him as he is, rather than how he seems.

[sblock]Primary Stats: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3
Secondary Stats: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Tertiary Stats: Presence 2, Manipulation 1, Composure 3

Skills:
Primary: Social
Animal Ken 1, Empathy 1, Expression 2, Persuasion (Logic) 4, Socialize 2, Subterfuge 1
Secondary: Mental
Academics (office politics) 3, Investigation 2, Occult (Cults and Beliefs) 2
Tertiary: Physical
Athletics 1, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Survival 2

Derived Stats
Health = 8 (size + stamina)
Will power = 6  (Resolve + Composure)
Size = 5 (Human)
Defense = 2 (Dexterity + Wits + Size)
Initiative Mod = 5 (Dexterity + Composure)

Merits: 
Additional Ability 2 pts
Encyclopedic Knowledge 4 pts
Direction Sense 1 pt
[/sblock]

Einan

Sorry this took so long.  I just picked up Dies the Fire and I dig it so far.  Let the End Begin!


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## Dracomeander (Aug 13, 2006)

It's been a week with no activity. Just wondering if this game is going to be a go.


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