It is the year 2047 and things are going downhill.
Technology has advanced by dizzying degrees and society has suffered for it. The cyberpunk future written about by Gibson has come to pass in all it's dark, dirty glory with a thin veneer of shining optimism sustained by megacorporate greed and an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor. The rich have trideo, holograms, and AI housekeepers. The poor have flatscreen televisions, slums, and gangs demanding protection money.
Maybe you were one of the haves or one of the have-nots, it doesn't really matter now. Because one day, you hacked the wrong file, you stole the wrong valuable, you pissed off the wrong person, or you made a wrong turn. Now, you're living a new life.
Because as it turns out, there's another problem facing the world, and it comes from space. Aliens are real, and they are invading.
You are now part of OMEGA, a global defense pact overseen by the United Nations whose sole mission is to reveal and deal with alien activity and collaboration with aliens. The war is quiet right now, based around abductions and covert attacks, but that could all change in the blink of an eye. You've been trained and sent to command and operate from a small base in Eastern Europe, to cover an important hole in the global radar coverage network OMEGA relies in to intercept activity.
While it may be glorified guard duty, you still have a staff of researchers, engineers and security personnel to oversee and a duty to investigate landed and downed UFO's or investigate rumors of alien activity in nearby cities.
Good luck, you're going to need it.
This is a game for six players who want to play either a cyberpunk human, a human-alien hybrid recovered by OMEGA, or an AI. This is not first-come, first-serve, and the dice rolls are d100-based. While you are free to use whatever dice-roller you want, I prefer to use Unseen Servant.
In any case, while I write up and threadmark the character creation options, please mark down what sort of character you want to play as the following:
-Human
-Child Of Mu
-AI
Human char creation will come first, followed by Mu and then AI.
I guess I will also voice my general interest, but shall wait with a more concrete choice till you have us all salivating over the character creation options~
...on the other hand Gideon's slavish devotion to his moody dice....
1) how close is this to traditional pen and paper RPGS? I have a lot of experience with those, but well the internet isn't in real time (unless you're using roll 20, but I digress).
2) How much time commitment will this require a week?
At first glance this is all going to look confusing, but take your time and remember to ask for help if you need it.
Every character starts with 250 Build Points (BP) to create their character, starting with their attributes.
Attributes:
You have 10 Attributes and of your 250 BP, you can spend a maximum of 120 building your attributes. Your maximum attribute at this stage is 10; traits and augs may bring this number up, but the human maximum is 10.
It costs 2 BP per Attribute Point, and all Attributes start at 0.
Your attributes are as follows: Strength: Your capability for raw, physical exertion and force. Strength is used for your hand to hand damage, your max carry weight in kilograms, and anything else that requires general brute force. Strength is linked to Mass and can never be 4 points below your Mass.
Mass: In short, this is your outright size and bulk. Mass cannot be 4 points less than Strength and vice-versa, meaning high Mass requires High Strength, meaning you'll be a huge bastard at max stats. Mass is used to calculate your Vitality Points (VP) and your Pain Tolerance (PT) for combat.
Endurance: This is your physical stamina and toughness, and good endurance means you can keep going when others collapse. Endurance is used to calculate your Vitality Points and your Exhaustion Tolerance (ET) for combat.
Reflexes: This is fairly obvious, it's how well you react in sudden situations. Reflexes is used to calculate your Sequential Score (SS) which acts as both your initiative and in classic XCOM turns also dictates your Time Units for taking actions in combat. Thus, a high Sequential Score means you react first and can do more. Reflexes cannot be higher or lower than Agility and Dexterity by more than 5 points.
Agility: Your physical fitness, agility impacts a large number of skills and your Sequential Score (SS) and is impacted in turn by your Mass and Strength. For every point of Mass AND Strength over 6, your BASE MAXIMUM Agility is reduced by one. What this means is that if you have Strength 7 and Mass 9, your maximum Agility can only be 6 because of your large size and muscular bulk. Agility cannot be higher or lower than Reflexes and Dexterity by more than 5 points.
Dexterity: Your fine motor control skills, particularly with your hands. Dexterity dictates how well you can do things such as defuse bombs, repair vehicles, or to fire a gun. Dexterity cannot be higher or lower than Reflexes and Agility by more than 5 points.
Intelligence: The indicator of how much raw braininess you have at your disposable, which will be necessary to handle difficult tasks such as hacking alien computers or figuring out how to bypass a rather absurd trap at the bottom of an Egyptian pyramid...in Arizona.
Charisma: An abstraction of having the right looks, voice and attitude, in short the main weapon of the manipulative and the diplomatic, along with entertainers and actors.
Perception: The abstracted quantification of your eyesight, your sense of smell, hearing and touch. Perception is used in driving, piloting and shooting, and is directly affected by traits such as blindness or a deafness.
Determination: Determination is the measure of your willpower and sheer stubbornness in the face of adversity and really difficult situations where you need to keep your cool. While there are few skills that use Determination, you will need it in case of psychic attack or encountering gribblies in the depths of a corporate blacksite's laboratory.
When you have decided your stats, list them as follows:
-Attribute Name: Baseline Stat Value
Trust me, this will make sense later.
Next, we choose your Traits. Again, this will make sense later when I explain it.
Humans can have a maximum of 9 traits across 3 types: Advantageous, Neutral and Disadvantageous. Humans can have a maximum of 3 from each and a minimum of 1 from each. If that was somehow confusing, it means you can't just pick 9 good traits, you can only have three. It also means you need one neutral and one bad trait at MINIMUM, which means you are perfectly free to have only 1 bad trait, so long as you pick 1 bad trait.
This rule only applies to character creation. Future 'perk' traits will just take up any free Trait slots you have, so it might a good idea to save some space for those.
Each trait comes with a cost that either deducts Build Points, or gives you bonus Build Points.
Advantageous Traits: -All Rounder (-15): You can choose an additional skill as a Focus Skill. This trait can be picked three times, choosing a different skill each time. This does NOT cover the cost of the focus skill, meaning that you still have to pay Build Points to pick the Focus.
-Ambidextrous (-8): You can use either hand proficiently, and while it makes it easier to do two things at once, it doesn't remove any penalties completely, reducing your Precentile Probability (the number you need to roll under with a d100) by 1/4 instead of 1/2. Incompatible with One-Armed.
-Attentive (-12): You pay attention to things around you more than other people. You receive a permanent +2 bonus to Perception, but it cannot be less than 5 when choosing this Trait.
-Attractive (-10): You cause people to walk into telephone poles and traffic accidents just walking down the street. You gain a universal +5% bonus in situations where your hot looks would be useful, and a +25% bonus to the initial reaction of members of the opposite sex. Careful though, some people might get jealous of you. Incompatible with Inconspicuous or Disfigured.
-Cat Nimble (-15): You are light and quick on your feet, moving on instinct more than thought. You gain a permanent Sequential Score bonus equal to HALF your Reflexes Attribute.
-Diplomatic (-10): You have a way with words that can convince people without the need for violence, granting you a +35% boost to the Oratory skill. Incompatible with Thuggish, Rude, Hot-Tempered or Rude.
-Educated (-10): You put your brains to work and it paid off. You cannot have Intelligence lower than 4 when choosing this trait and it gives a permanent boost as follows: Applied Sciences +15%, Social Sciences +15%, Oratory +10%. Incompatible with Severe Amnesiac or Thuggish.
-Empathic (-7): You truly are a good listener, unlike those who are superficially empathic. Grants a +30% bonus to all Perception tests when engaged in a conversation with someone, and gives a +20% bonus to non-hostile initial reactions. Incompatible with Sociopathic and Superficial.
-Fearless (-9): You have the guts to give Death the finger while staring it in the eye and are highly resilient to panic and intimidation. You cannot have Determination lower than 4 when you pick this and it grants you a +40% bonus to Determination tests when resisting fear. Incompatible with Paranoid, Wimp or Coward.
-Hard Boiled (-10): Also known as true grit, you are a hard-ass boy or girl whose unpretentious lifestyles and tough as nails attitude makes you incredibly resilient to pain and injury, receiving a permanent bonus to their Pain Tolerance and Exhaustion Tolerance equal to their Determination Attribute. Obviously, Wimps and Cowards can't take this trait.
-Herculean (-10): You are an outstanding specimen of physical power, with stronger bones and muscles than your contemporaries. You cannot have your Mass, Strength AND Endurance stats below 6, and in exchange you receive a permanent +2 Bonus to Strength AND Mass, which can take you above 10. What this means is that if you have Strength or Mass at 10, this can bring it to 12. Cannot be taken with Graceful, Androgynous (Female PC's only, males would probably look like a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure character), Vertically Challenged, or Inconspicuous.
-Highly Flexible (-7): Your joints are capable of a much higher range of movement than normal people, such that if they tried to copy you they'd hurt themselves badly. Your Agility cannot be below 4, but you gain a permanent +2 bonus to it and a +25% bonus to any Agility tests involving contortions. Cannot be taken by those with the Herculean, Corpulent, and Vertically Challenged traits
-HIghly Talented (-12): You possess skills and intelligence that could be considered on the level of a prodigy. You cannot have Intelligence lower than 6, but in exchange get a permanent +2 bonus, and boosts to the following skills: Social Science +10%, Interface +5%, Engineering & Repair +5%.
-Immune: You are immune to a single disease ranging from ones that already exist to the ones on the following list. This can be picked twice, and renders you completely immune to that disease by way of antibodies or unsuitable living conditions for the disease.
-Any disease that exists now. -Myonecrosis Toxica: Known colloquially as Gash Fever, is caused by a mutant strain of a flesh-eating anaerobic bacteria, Clostridium devorans, which is found globally due to it's heat and moisture-resistant spores in outdoor and filthier (such as slums and arcology under-levels) indoor environs. It only infects open wounds, but can be spread by dirty blades or exposed sharp metal. When it does take hold it inflicts a fever and rapidly rots the infect limb to the point it falls off, and will ultimately kill you. Gash Fever can only be treated with the antiiotic Nukaryote Plus, and any limbs that fell off will have to be replaced with cybernetics. -Red Death: The virus officially known as Marburg-II is found in certain species of monkeys and is believed to be related to the extinct Ebola virus. This is an incredibly fast-acting hemorrhagic fever that causes exhaustion, stomach pain and incredibly high blood pressure, followed by bloody diarrhea, convulsions and finally an agonizing death as the blood pressure causes veins and major blood vessels to burst, causing a messy death by blood loss and shock.
-Ingenious (-7): Your ingenuity allows you to think up useful ideas and gain critical insights. What this translates to is that you can ask the GM for a hint to a puzzle or difficult situation.
-Inner Clock (-2): You possess an accurate sense of time, allowing you to accurately guess the time to the nearest few minutes, as long as you get some sleep, as being knocked out will disrupt this sense. Cannot be taken with Oblivious.
-Olfactory Super Sense (-3): You have the nose of a bloodhound, to the point that you can link certain scents to specific people, including the natural scent that all people have even after they've scrubbed themselves squeaky-clean. You gain a +30% bonus to smell-based Perception Tests.
-Photographic Memory (-5): You can memorize images, words and numbers that you read in a flash, even if you only have time to skim the images, giving you a +50% bonus to Intelligence tests to remember important info, but you cannot have Intelligence lower than 4 and cannot be Blind or Oblivious. Does not affect anything you hear unfortunately, only what you see.
-Refinement (-15): Your refined capabilities has an impact on your physical actions, extending the probability of critical success from 5% to 10% for physical actions as long as the Percentile Probability isn't 6% or less. Incompatible with Berserkers or the Clumsy Traits.
-Religious (-6): A strong faith in God, Buddha, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster and in this case your faith grants a one-off miracle. You gain a permanent +10% bonus to Determination tests to resist fear and doubt (except psi-powers), and if your VP total is brought to 0 or below, you instantly recover to 1 VP on the next turn, effectively saving your life. Granted, your beliefs may color your perceptions about strange events, but that's a roleplaying hook.
-Toxin Resistance (-5): This renders you largely resistant to certain toxins and drugs, making them only half as effective in terms of main and secondary effects although their duration and other effects such as withdrawal are unchanged. This can be chosen twice, using the following list for your choices:
-Low Blow: A synthetic heroin substitute created in vast, highly-industrialised processes due to it's cheapness, Low Blow is sold in sterile packets inside prefilled hypodermic needles, is highly addictive, illegal, and produces an euphoric sedative effect along with a powerful anaelgesic effect.
-Tranquizepine: This is a powerful psychoactive sedative, relatively moderate in terms of addictiveness but still widely abused in high-stress jobs such as the corporate world. Users tend to have a dreaming, sleepy look to them, and be very calm and content.
-ProVeritum: One of the most powerful barbituate 'truth' serums in existence, ProVeritum is highly illegal because governments and megacorporations both want to keep it for usage with their forces. OMEGA maintains a supply of ProVeritum for interrogating suspect individuals.
-Water Rat (-6): You take one less AP to move in water during combat, and gain a -10% bonus to Evasion when fighting in the water.
Disadvantageous Traits:
-Addicted (+4): You are permanently hooked on a form of addictive behavior, whether drinking, gambling, online gaming, a favorite and expensive foodstuff, or drugs. You can never kick this habit, and must spend money, time and effort to acquire the necessary means to feed your addiction at least once a day or suffer withdrawal.
-Albino (+6): You were born with Albinism, leaving you with unnaturally pale skin, light blue to pinkish eyes that are extremely sensitive to sunlight, suffering 1-2 points of damage per hour and a -20% penalty to any actions involving vision, including attacking targets. Thankfully, you can deal with the penalty by replacing your eyes with invasive cybernetic prosthetics, though you will still get damaged if you expose skin to sunlight.
-Allergic (+2): You're allergic to something fairly common, whether hayfever to soy, as long as the GM finds it suitable. Exposure to the allergen causes equal amounts Damage and Exhaustion (1 per minute) for several minutes.
-Blind (+12): You are incapable of sight, and no amount of cybernetics will cure this condition if you take this trait. Full-immersion VR still works fine, but you're gonna need a way to move around in the world, and you'll be practically useless in combat. Good for roleplaying though.
-Boastful (+2): You don't know when to shut your mouth and cut the bullshit. This imposes a Charisma test when talking about yourself with other people, because you just don't know when not to brag about yourself.
-Clumsy (+9): You're a klutz on the same level as Archie Andrews and the Three Stooges, locking your maximum Precentile Probability at 90% and any result over 90% on the d100 counts as a Critical Failure.
-Color Blind (+2): You are afflicted with a severe form of color-blindness, causing you to see the world in shades of grey and making it impossible to tell colors of the same shade apart.
-Coward (+4): You shit your pants and try to run the moment the Chryssalids come out to play, giving you a -40% penalty to all determination tests to resist fear.
-Deaf (+4): You are incurably incapable of hearing, automatically failing hearing-based Perception tests. No cybernetics will cure this condition, so get used to conversing in sign language and expecting your comrades to be able to do the same. (GM Ruling: All players will know sign language, because it's useful for more than just talking to deaf people.)
-Deaf Mute (+8): You not only cannot hear, you cannot speak. You can write, you can use sign language, but anyone apart from your team will find it difficult to impossible to communicate with you.
-Disfigured (+7): You are covered in ugly scars, unsightly blemishes and/or imperfections that reduce the initial reaction that strangers will have of you by -25%.
-Dishonest (+4): You're a pathological liar. Apart from the charisma rolls that have to be made when people find out you're lying to them, you can't avoid lying to your friends and even team-mates, which could have...consequences.
-Epileptic (+4): You suffer from potent epileptic fits that cannot be cured when you have this trait, only relieved by your medication. Stress, flashing lights and other erratic sounds and lights can trigger the fits, which last for up to five minutes, causing 3d10 Exhaustion after they end.
-Hearing Impaired (+3): You are only hard of hearing, not deaf, which only imposes a -50% penalty to all hearing tests. Cybernetics can reduce this to a -25% penalty but this condition trait cannot be cured.
-Hemophilic (+6): You have an incurable condition that prevents you from clotting, making cuts and bruises potentially life threatening. This imposes a -25% penalty on first aid attempts to staunch a Bleeding wound.
-Hot Tempered (+4): Your volatile personality is linked with a very short fuse. What this means is that you could be set off by anything, and this means a -30% Determination penalty when you are in a situation where you need to keep a lid on your temper.
-Kleptomaniac (+5): You have an uncontrollable Urge to steal stuff, requiring a Determination test to avoid taking something valuable. With appropriate penalties based on how large/valuable the object is.
-Marked (+1): You have a visible scar or mark such as a tattoo on your body, making you more memorable to anyone trying to identify you, and imposing a -5% penalty to the initial reaction of strangers.
-Masochist (+1): You get off on pain. This is a roleplaying hook, any penalties come from the situation.
-Mute (+3): You are incapable of speech. This trait cannot be cured by surgery or cybernetics.
-Narcoleptic (+2): You have an unfortunate condition that causes you to fall asleep at random, often at teh worst or most important times. Please don't be stupid enough to pick this trait.
-Night Blind (+3): Darkness levels are one level worse for you, turning the dimmest room into pitch blackness. This trait can be cured with cybernetics.
-Oblivious (+6): You aren't stupid per se, you just don't remember things as efficiently or as well as most people. You earn 2 less Experience Index points when using skills, and have a -25% penalty to Intelligence tests involving memory.
-One Armed (+6): You lost your arm and the damage means you don't have sufficient nerve endings intact enough for a cybernetic to be attached.
-One Eyed (+4): Your eye is gone and there's nothing left that can be used to attach to a cybernetic eye.
-One Legged (+4): It's kinda hard to fight aliens with only one leg, don't you think?
-Pacifist (+3): True pacifism means always trying to find the peaceful solution to a problem and while that can be possible with human opposition in most situations, there are those who will not listen to reason. Aliens don't care either way, you're a target or a meal to them. Pacifists cannot attack others unless they pass a Determination test with penalties, although this GM likes to think that a Pacifist being faced down with an alien gribbly looking to lay eggs in their brain is smart enough to realise that killing it might be an appropriate course of action.
-Paranoia (+3): You suffer from some form of delusion, from fantasies about being threatened by mysterious parties to being infected by some kind of unidentifiable illness. The only problem is that most of the time, they are what they are, delusions of a sick mind. This is largely a roleplaying hook.
-Paraplegic (+12): You are incapable of walking or can only walk with assistance, and whatever damage was done to you cannot be cured with modern medicine.
-Phobic (+2): You are deathly and irrationally afraid of something encountered with some regularity. Like cats, or small and numerous holes in things that should not have holes.
-Pyromaniacal (+3): You really, really enjoy burning things. Pyromaniacs must pass a Determination test to avoid burning things, as they constantly feel the need to burn stuff.
-Rude (+6): You are a vile-mouthed, filthy example of a human being, constantly spewing a stream of casual profanity and thus imposes a -50% penalty to the initial reaction of strangers who encounter you, except in some very particular circumstances or encounters.
-Sadist (+1): You all know what sadism implies. This is primarily a role-playing hook.
-Schizophrenia (+12): You are plagued by delusions, hallucinations and other unfortunate mental terrors that can cause you become violent or at risk of self harm. Medication can keep this at bay, but in the long run the character's condition incurable.
-Severe Amnesiac (+20): The Character is made by the GM, and kept secret. Even their true background is kept from you. Only by playing the game and exploring what they can do will they receive information piece by piece.
-Smartass (+3): Nobody likes a wisecracker, or a smartarse. This imposes a mandatory Charisma test for any and all conversations with strangers because you just can't be civil for some inane reason. There may be other effects too...
-Sociopathic (+10): The dictionary definition of sociopathy is a mental disconnect from the typical morality of other people, possessing a warped morality with very little regard for other people, lacking any form of guilt for their more despicable actions. Anyone wanting to take this does so with the expectation that they will be playing an amoral, warped monster who regards their 'comrades' either as inferior to them or as potential if dangerous targets or sacrifices.
-Speech Impairment (+3): You suffer from a speech impediment such as stuttering, slurring, or perhaps an inability to speak clearly because of crippling shyness. This gives a -10% penalty to initial NPC reactions, and imposes a -20% penalty to Intelligence tests for those same NPC's just so they can understand you.
-Superficial (+2): You're a shallow jack-ass who doesn't care about others and while have many acquaintances, hardly have any real friends. Otherwise identical to Smartass.
-Vertically Challenged (+5): You were born a dwarf, unable to grow higher that 4 feet in height. Your agility attribute is reduced permanently by 3 points, and you pay double action points for all movement. You are however, 10% harder to hit in combat, so at least you've got one bright side shorty.
-Vindictive (+2): You don't get mad, you get even, and the range of your revenge depends on the 'severity' of the perceived slight. You have to take a Determination test in order to prevent yourself from taking advantage of an opportunity for revenge on whoever insulted you. On a critical, you find it within yourself to forgive them. Of course, they could always insult you again...
-Wimp (+8): You're a wimp, a wuss, a total crybaby and that shows in the permanent -10 penalty to your Pain Tolerance derived stat, possibly reducing it to 0!
Neutral Traits:
All Neutral Traits have a cost of 0. This makes them free and Neutral Traits are either double-edged or offer no meaningful advantage or disadvantage. In other words, they are largely 'safe' options.
-Androgynous: For some reason, you don't quite look female nor quite male. If a male, you'd probably be a candidate for the 'Bishounen' look while females tend to have boyish features. Things get even more confusing if you play a functioning hermaphrodite, but that's a roleplaying concern.
-Berserker: You are a beast in combat, and probably a little deranged too. In combat, at the end of every turn you take, roll against your unmodified Intelligence, that is Intelligence without any modifications from Traits. If you fail, you add double your Determination to your Vitality Points and ignores any damage and fatigue modifiers for the rest of the combat scene. On the downside, you need Determination 6+ and your first target will be the first thing you see, as chosen by the GM.
-Corpulent: Some fat people say they are more robust. Sometimes they're right and you're one of them. In exchange for a permanent -2 reduction in Agility and a -4 reduction in Endurance, you gain +6 to Mass, taking you above 10 if appropriate, and a cumulative +1 Armour against Impact damage alongside a cumulative +2 armour rating against Cold damage.
-Curious: Curiosity killed the cat, and in your case that means you have to take a Determination test to avoid taking a dangerous risk to find out additional information. If you fail, you HAVE to take the risk. On the plus side, you gain +1 to the Experience Index gain for any skill rolls you make, even ones that result in Critical Failure.
-Extravagant: You just have to show off, and that means anything from custom camouflage patterns on your armour, to extravagant or expensive casual wear, to the priciest and flashiest guns. Anything that makes you stand out. Initial NPC reactions receive a +5% boost if the result is above 0 or a -5% reduction if below zero, your Charisma rises by +1, your Stealth & Sneaking kill is reduced by -10% and you are +50% easier for NPC's to identify since you're so flashy and memorable.
-Graceful: Your Mass and Strength gain a -1 reduction and cannot go above 5 but you gain a +3 Agility boost through your possession of a balanced, lighter body.
-Inconspicuous: This is the exact opposite to Extravagant in terms of effects.
-Jinxed: Please don't pick this. This makes any d100 rolls of 80% and higher into Critical Failures, and it extends to everyone in range of you, with this range determined by your star sign readings, this week's winning lotto numbers, and what underwear you have on at that exact moment. Don't pick this. this will not make you any friends.
-Kamikaze!: You can only pick this with a Determination of 6+, adding a permanent bonus to your Sequential Score equal to your Determination, and extending your critical failure range to 90% and higher. You'll fight hard, and die faster than the others.
-Mild Amnesiac: Also known as Movie Amnesia, you have full access to your skills and Attributes, but your true backstory before coming into OMEGA's care is unknown, which means plenty of opportunities for the GM to unleash hell at just the wrong moments for you.
-Philantrophic: While not technically a pacifist, your kindness and generosity mean that in exchange for a -10% reduction to all combat skills except Throwing, you gain the following: +10% to Social Science, +5% to Craftsmanship, +15% to First Aid, +15% to Advanced Medical Applications, +10% to Oratory, and +5% to Housekeeping.
-Thuggish: You are a rough, violent sort who is not inclined to intellectual matters, giving you a -5% reduction to the following: Applied Science, Advanced Medical Applications, Interface and Oratory. You gain in exchange +5 Pain Tolerance, +15% to Armed Melee, and +15% to Unarmed Melee.
Once you have picked Traits:
Once your Traits have been picked, leaving a space or two for future perks, take note of any that directly modify your Attributes and Skills. For now, write down your Attributes as follows:
Attribute Name: Base Value (Trait-Modified Value)
I bet you're still confused right? When playing the game, you always use the highest value TO THE RIGHT OF THE BASE VALUE. Sorry for the all-caps but that needed emphasis. And you think it ends with traits? Various Augs can raise them higher.
But yes, in general it goes like this: Base Value -> (Trait-Modified Value) -> [Aug-Modified Value]
So long as you remember to always use the value that is furthest to the right unless the GM says otherwise, you'll be fine.
Coming up next, how to stat up a Child Of Mu, and what they look like exactly.
1) how close is this to traditional pen and paper RPGS? I have a lot of experience with those, but well the internet isn't in real time (unless you're using roll 20, but I digress).
2) How much time commitment will this require a week?
1: Eh, as long as you keep an eye on your character sheet and roll dice when I ask, that's the level of closeness. I don't have the time to set up something like a Roll 20 room or a private Discord/IRC room.
2: I try to update when everyone else is posted. So long as you inform me if you're not going to be able to post for a week, and try to post at least once a week, we'll be golden.
I take it Gideon that each point in a stat costs 1 Build Point? And when stats like Agility say can't be higher than other stats by more than 5, does this mean Baseline Stat Value, or Trait-Modified Value?
Also, when traits modify stats such as Graceful, does this mean you can spend 5 points in the affect stats, dropped to 4, or 6 points, dropped to 5? Also the limit of 120 Buildpoint cost for Character Creation Part 1... is that just for stats, or including the cost for traits?
I take it Gideon that each point in a stat costs 1 Build Point? And when stats like Agility say can't be higher than other stats by more than 5, does this mean Baseline Stat Value, or Trait-Modified Value?
Also, when traits modify stats such as Graceful, does this mean you can spend 5 points in the affect stats, dropped to 4, or 6 points, dropped to 5? Also the limit of 120 Buildpoint cost for Character Creation Part 1... is that just for stats, or including the cost for traits?
'You have 10 Attributes and of your 250 BP, you can spend a maximum of 120 building your attributes.' I wrote it out clear as day. Please note that nowhere in there does it say Traits, just Attributes.
Sorry, seems I pulled a 'Missed that one detail' thing that's so common...
That said, is this acceptable as a Negative Trait?
-Phobic (+2): You are deathly and irrationally afraid of something encountered with some regularity. Like cats, or small and numerous holes in things that should not have holes.
--(Large and/or Dangerous Aquatic Life) You grew up by one of the better sections of the surviving Great Barrier Reef. When you were a little kid, going out and swimming or reef diving was one of your favourite activities. Unfortunately, that all changed after a... particular incident when you were 11. Since that day, you've been unable to swim in the ocean, or even get close to the waterline of the beach or anywhere else that had either large and/or dangerous sea creatures. Your parents having a well paying job, for their qualifications and status, didn't want to move, and so you stayed there until you were 15. It didn't exactly help you get over your fear. Then they got a new job! Safe and secure in the inland region near Darwin, but safely away from the sea... Nothing to fear he... Oh god look at those teeth on that crocodile! Yeah, that didn't go so well... When you turned 18, you took a risky, but profitable job to get out of there, and somewhere safe... Unfortunately, it was that job... Well, you're happy enough with your current assignment... after all, it's not like any of the aliens or other stuff you'll be dealing with will look like Aquatic Creatures, now is it?
This good Gideon?
Name: Seraphina 'The Storm' Stormcaller
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Bisexual, preferably Male, Promiscuous
Appearance: Very Attractive. You are the definition of 'Tall, but Slim'. Storm-grey eyes, long dusty brown hair, athletic figure. Your skin is pale enough that you could almost be mistaken for an Albino... if it wasn't for your hair, eyes, and the fact it seems no matter what you do, you can't get skin burnt... or a tan. You get quite a few comparisons to Celtic or Nordic appearances, but neither seem to quite fit. You have usually one or two different coloured hair dyes streaking your hair.
Traits:
Positive:
-Attractive (-10): You cause people to walk into telephone poles and traffic accidents just walking down the street. You gain a universal +5% bonus in situations where your hot looks would be useful, and a +25% bonus to the initial reaction of members of the opposite sex. Careful though, some people might get jealous of you.
-Diplomatic (-10): You have a way with words that can convince people without the need for violence, granting you a +35% boost to the Oratory skill.
-Educated (-10): You put your brains to work and it paid off. You cannot have Intelligence lower than 4 when choosing this trait and it gives a permanent boost as follows: Applied Sciences +15%, Social Sciences +15%, Oratory +10%.
Neutral:
-Promiscuous Bisexual: You like sex, and you aren't that concerned about who you have it with. You also aren't that concerned about sticking with one or two partners. This does mean you get along with people better, but can also cause some problems with jealousy.
You hadn't had sex till your 16th birthday. By the time you turned 18, you'd slept with the majority of teenagers over 16 and under 20 in your local area... at least, if they were attractive enough, interesting enough, or had something you wanted to gain. Male or Female, it didn't matter... and whether they were straight or not didn't either... Though you did have the most trouble with the handful of Gay guys... you only managed to sleep with one or two of them... Incidentally, your local area had a higher than average number of Bisexual girls and lesbians revealed during those years.
-Graceful: Your Mass and Strength gain a -1 reduction and cannot go above 5 but you gain a +3 Agility boost through your possession of a balanced, lighter body.
-Curious: Curiosity killed the cat, and in your case that means you have to take a Determination test to avoid taking a dangerous risk to find out additional information. If you fail, you HAVE to take the risk. On the plus side, you gain +1 to the Experience Index gain for any skill rolls you make, even ones that result in Critical Failure.
Maybe you shouldn't have investigated that cave when you were 11... It was so interesting! But all the sea snakes... sharp coral... octopi... poisonous and venomous fish... the hordes of jellyfish... and those sharks... following you all the way back to the beach... Hell, if your mother hadn't been there to take you to hospital, you might not have made it!
Negative:
-Vindictive (+2): You don't get mad, you get even, and the range of your revenge depends on the 'severity' of the perceived slight. You have to take a Determination test in order to prevent yourself from taking advantage of an opportunity for revenge on whoever insulted you. On a critical, you find it within yourself to forgive them. Of course, they could always insult you again...
When you find out who nicknamed you 'The Storm' they are going to regret it for the rest of their days... and if they weren't the one that made it your callsign, there's going to be two of them...
-Phobic (+2): You are deathly and irrationally afraid of something encountered with some regularity. Like cats, or small and numerous holes in things that should not have holes.
You grew up by one of the better sections of the surviving Great Barrier Reef. When you were a little kid, going out and swimming or reef diving was one of your favourite activities. Unfortunately, that all changed after a... particular incident when you were 11. Since that day, you've been unable to swim in the ocean, or even get close to the waterline of the beach or anywhere else that had either large and/or dangerous sea creatures. Your parents having a well paying job, for their qualifications and status, didn't want to move, and so you stayed there until you were 15. It didn't exactly help you get over your fear. Then they got a new job! Safe and secure in the inland region near Darwin, but safely away from the sea... Nothing to fear he... Oh god look at those teeth on that crocodile! Yeah, that didn't go so well... When you turned 18, you took a risky, but profitable job to get out of there, and somewhere safe... Unfortunately, it was that job... Well, you're happy enough with your current assignment... after all, it's not like any of the aliens or other stuff you'll be dealing with will look like Aquatic Creatures, now is it?
-Addicted (+4): You are permanently hooked on a form of addictive behavior, whether drinking, gambling, online gaming, a favorite and expensive foodstuff, or drugs. You can never kick this habit, and must spend money, time and effort to acquire the necessary means to feed your addiction at least once a day or suffer withdrawal.
As a side affect of your complete lack of interest in the ocean as you went through puberty, and your good looks, you had to double down on the more social side of the popularity contest. By the time you were 18, this had become more... extreme... You usually only stick with a single boyfriend for a month or two at most, sometimes even a girlfriend, before moving on. People notice you get hazardous to be around for their psychological health if you haven't been playingtalking with people enough lately. You are usually the top of the local popularity charts whenever you settle in a new area in short order, and anyone who gets in the way of your rise has... issues for a while... Thankfully, you are good enough at the social skills that no one usually notices, and if they do, your looks are often enough to get away with things, at least long enough to fix them. And if that doesn't work... Well, you're small, fast and agile enough to get out of the impact zone... Though sometimes you just can't help yourself poking people... And it's not like you're addicted to it... you can stop at anytime! Honest! Just... hear me out...
History:
The Children of Mu are the only know human-alien hybrids that are genetically viable with humanity, created at some point in the primeval past by an unknown alien race who ruled the world from an artificial floating construct known, quite obviously, as Mu. The Children were created as workers, soldiers and servants, and who a marked susceptibility to indoctrination which goes a long way to confirming this theory.
The Children were recovered from the Kyohaku Zaibatsu, who in turn recovered a massive container containing millions of embryos. 2000 were successfully brought to term using surrogate mothers, and the Zaibatsu clearly had big plans for the Children before OMEGA stepped in. With no other options for them, and with the need for secrecy, OMEGA began employing the Children as soldiers in their covert war.
Biology and Psychology:
The Children all possess near identical looks and appearances save for variations in hair color; all Children appear as human females with slit-pupiled eyes with metallic irises, typically gold or bronze, light-purple to violet skin that is confirmed to be photosynthetic, and hair that is capable of a much wider variation of shades and can even be two-toned in ways that many OMEGA researchers have actually and officially dubbed 'Anime Hair' due to the wide variety. Children will often have athletic to muscular figures and the largest any single Child might grow in terms of bust is in the range of a low C-Cup, but this is often an exception to the typical A to B-cup range. Ears are all elongated, lending an elfin look to them.
Children have a lower than average tolerance for pain but will often pounce on, playfully nip and rough-house with each other and team-mates, lending further credence to their suspected purpose as soldiers. Children all possess the same personality indicators of being energetic, dynamic and eager to please.
Children were all raised by Kyohaku in poorly-simulated environments but they have a good IQ around the 110-125 mark. Their bodies will remain highly flexible and pliable for the rest of their lives, and they are expect to have a lifespan of around 150 years with very little signs of visible aging or age-related physical deterioration. Children are intensely curious about the outside world and with the range of people with cosmetic bio-mods and transhumanist groups, if they leave the base without an escort they can become very difficult to find, and they are quite good at escaping the base.
Interestingly, unlike human females, Children have an estrous cycle where for two periods of the year, they emit pheremones, are willing to engage in sexual activity, and will sometimes become territorially-possessive of a favoured male towards human females or other Children.
Player Details:
Children do not have normal names. Kyohaku just named them with numbers and the letter designation of 'XG' for Xeno-Genetic. They quickly made up single names for themselves that go in front of their number designator.
For example: Meghan XG-22-90
You must also be aware the Children are not considered human and have no human rights. You can be bought and sold as if you were furniture, except that you would sell for millions of dollars, and the only saving grace is that OMEGA considers you far too valuable for sale, not since they went to the trouble of taking you for themselves.
Children sometimes hiss in combat, or purr when particularly pleased. Otherwise they are honest to a fault, blunt to the point of being insulting, and very loyal to OMEGA and their team thanks to their indoctrination.
Another thing is that Children cannot take cybernetics due to their biology. But they can have cloned replacement limbs done for them.
Special Powers and Abilities:
All Children start with the following special abilities.
Low-Light Vision: All Children consider dark situations to be one illumination level brighter than normal.
Olfactory Super-Sense: Works in an identical fashion to the Trait of the same name.
Broadband Frequency Hearing: The hearing of Children is incredibly sensitive and accurate, and while Children take double damage and exhaustion from loud sounds such as explosions, they have a +20% bonus to hearing-based Perception tests and a further +20% bonus to isolate and locate a specific sound such as gunfire.
Heightened Tactile Sense: The Pain Tolerance of Children is reduced by (Mass/2), but in exchange they gain a +40% bonus to tactile Perception Tests.
Hypermetabolism: Children require twice as much food as normal people when they are unable to photosynthesize for any reason, but in exchange for this they gain several bonuses. Firstly, permanent Attribute Bonuses as follows: +2 Strength, +5 Reflexes, +5 Agility, +2 Perception. Followed by an additional 1d10 to their Sequential Score roll. They heal 4 times as many damage points per day of natural healing, and half the effects of infectious diseases. Toxins and drugs that are deactivated by metabolizing are only half as effective, but this also include beneficial drugs.
The main drawback is that Children are alcohol intolerant, slightly but noticeably warmer which shows up quite well on thermal vision and to touch, and finally they cannot accept cybernetics or bio-mod implants.
Photosynthesis: By exposing a majority of skin for 4 hours a day, a Child of Mu requires only one-tenth the food of a normal person but the same amount of water for hydration.
Creating a Child Of Mu:
Children of Mu are created in much the same way as humans, with some small differences.
Firstly, all Children of Mu have the following Bonuses to their Base Attribute Values: +2 Strength, +5 Reflexes, +5 Agility, +2 Perception
Next, Children of Mu CANNOT take the following Traits: Corpulent, Allergic, Inconspicuous, Herculean, Androgynous, Boastful, Cowardly, Diplomatic, Educated, Hemophilic, Night-Blind, Olfactory Super Sense (because they already have it), Vertically Challenged, and Wimpy.
Apart from these rules, creating a Child Of Mu is exactly the same as statting up a Human.
Coming up next, how to make an AI, Robot parts and the list of Augmentations. After that, purchasing your starting equipment with your remaining Build Points.
Hmm. I will wait for AI building, but I think I might go for an agender transhumanist who used to be in the upper wealthy class, but got in trouble for "ruining the image of the family, and by extension the company". They'd probably be the squad medical peep.
Mass is used to calculate your Vitality Points (VP) and your Pain Tolerance (PT) for combat.