Character Building: Once Upon A Time in the Weird West

[Mister Andersen]

It's a western. But a mythic western in much the same way Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon took place in an unspecified mythic China or the unspecified "near future" of Iron Man: Armored Adventures. Mythic and anachronistic

So, it's taking place in a time and a place and an ethos that's effectively -- but isn't actually --  the American Old West.  There was a Civil War that's just ended leaving a legacy of suspicion, violence, grief and despotic warlordism disguising itself as progress. There are hostile natives and untrustworthy foreigners. There are those looking for a new life and believing that Justice is something greater than what you can force through the barrel of a gun because there's no one else to count on except yourself and your friends.

But with differences -- for starters, take 50 years off the debut date of weapons and if that takes before 1900 then they're available for use with a +4 error range (automatics) or +1 caliber (revolvers/bolt action). The Red Man is something other than -- but not inferior or superior to -- human. And there are things out there that will break you, hollow you out and use you like a cheap suit.

• Level 8.
• All published non-racial talents. All published specialties. All published classes not requiring high magic. Anything else by permission.
• Black & White. Bloodbath. Corrupt. Fast Proficiencies. Freelance. Forbidden Knowledge. Fragile Minds. Gunmen. Historical. Mercenary. Paranoid. Strange Providence. Violent.

Characters

• Antilles -- "sawbones" -- scientist / medic
• Foproy -- "exiled monk" -- martial artist / ??
• Glimmerat -- "native guide" -- scout / ??
• Sludig -- "gunslinger" -- soldier / triggerman
• Krensky -- "gunslinger" -- soldier / triggerman
• MDL -- "gambler" -- ??/highroller

(click to show/hide)

What posting frequency are you looking at for players?
At least once every couple of days would be desireable.

When do you want character submittals?
As soon as you're happy with them.

Any particular character build guidelines?
Just those listed in the beginning post, bearing in mind that the characters are essentially ronin.

Also, remember I mentioned that the Red Man whose lands are being taken is something other than human? The males use the Red Man talent, the females use the Elf talent to represent an almost 4-Colour degree of sexual dimorphism, but other than that they look like native americans. Halfbreeds, use the appropriate X-Blood feat depending which parent was native.

Red Man (Near Human)
Type: Medium biped folk. You gain the standard bonus feat from your Specialty only if it is Adventurer, Archer, Criminal, Lore Keeper, Operative, Outdoorsman, Prospector, Spiritualist, Tribesman, Vanguard, Wanderer, or Warrior.

• +3 Strength, +3 Constitution, –3 Intelligence.
• You may avoid receiving the fatigued or unconscious conditions from taking damage to your wounds a number of times per scene equal to your starting action dice.
• Once per scene during a Chase or Manhunt Dramatic Conflict, after Strategies are revealed, you may change your Strategy for that round to any other legal Strategy. If two opposing characters use this ability during the same round, both abilities are expended without effect.
• Surprise: You gain a +1 insight bonus to checks to determine surprise. This bonus increases by an additional +1 at Career Levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20.
• Fearless I: You benefit from a +4 bonus with Resolve/Morale checks.
• Grueling Combatant I: Each time an adjacent opponent attacks you and misses, he suffers 1 point of subdual damage.
• Banned Checks: You may not make Bureaucracy/Bribe, Impress/Persuasion, or Networking/Endorsement checks.
• Feral: Once per combat when you roll an error, the GC may spend an action die to grant you the enraged quality.
• Favored Classes: If you possess a higher level in any base class than your highest level in either the Martial Artist or Scout classes, your starting action dice decrease by 2.

Cowpoke.

• Bonus Feat: Mount-Up.
• You gain the Mounts focus for your Drive skill.
• You gain the Exotic Hurled weapon proficiency.
• You gain a +1 insight bonus to Drive & Survival at career levels 1, 4, 8, 12, 16 & 20.

Mercenary replaces Tactical with Rifle proficiency and Autofire with Pummel. Outdoorsman replaces Mounts & Animal Drawn Vehicles with Mounts. Thrillseeker replaces Personal Vehicle with Mounts.

.

All orc Horde feats are removed; use elf Nation feats instead. Bear Nation feat removed. Bison Nation grants Soldier instead of Priest. Falcon Nation removed. Hart Nation grants Thief instead of Captain. Owl Nation grants Sleuth instead of Scientist. Raven Nation grants Lawman instead of Sleuth. Swan Nation removed. Tiger Nation has been removed. Wolf Nation grants the penalty to Charisma instead of Intelligence.

Mounts & Animal Drawn Vehicles removed. Standard Ground Vehicles removed. Heavy Ground Vehicles removed.

Mounts covers all standard riding animals. Animal Drawn Vehicles is what it says on the cover

[MugMug]

I want in (assuming you're recruiting for a PbP, or happen to live down the street ).

Questions:
* What posting frequency are you looking at for players?
* Which publications are allowed?
* When do you want character submittals?
* Any particular character build guidelines?

Walter

[Antilles]

Weird West, eh? Sounds interesting... not an area I've much previous knowledge of, but I'll be willing to give it a shot. How's an ex-army sawbones who saw some things during the war that was just plain wrong, and now never goes somewhere without a small bottle of 'nerve medicine' in his inner pocket sounds?

[Mister Andersen]

Questions & Answers:
See ammended first post. Updates will be posted there.

Weird West, eh? Sounds interesting... not an area I've much previous knowledge of, but I'll be willing to give it a shot. How's an ex-army sawbones who saw some things during the war that was just plain wrong, and now never goes somewhere without a small bottle of 'nerve medicine' in his inner pocket sounds?

Sounds fine.

[foproy]

how about a martial artist?thinking an outcast monk/railroad worker.

[Mister Andersen]

And thus Kwai Chang Caine joins the party.

[Antilles]

So, how's this one looking? Basic backstory is army surgeon who happened to witness a voodoo priest stealing dead soldiers to reanimate, and when he tried to tell people he was deemed unfit to serve in the army. Since then he's been trying to stop this abominable practice on his own, and on the way learned some unpleasant facts about undead and bringing people back to life (forbidden knowledge).

Description:Ex-army surgeon turned undead/voodoo hunter
Name: John Austen 
Codename: Sawbones 
Origin/Class: Veteran Stranger Scientist 4/Medic 4 
Gender: Male 
Ethnicity: Caucasian 
Age: 42 
Height: 174 cm 
Weight: 66 kg 
Hair: Brown, with a touch of gray 
Eyes: Green 

Attributes:
STR  11  (+0)
DEX  13  (+1)
CON  12  (+1)
INT  15  (+2)
WIS  16  (+3)
CHA  12  (+1)

Origin Benefits:
Veteran : 1 free Request check, additional skill points
Stranger : 1 free hint, additional interests, increased stress thresholds

Skills:
Acrobatics      0  +0/+1
Analysis        11 +13/+14
Athletics       0  +3/+4  (18-20 threat range, +3 knowledge check)
Blend           0  +1/+1
Bluff           0  +1
Bureaucracy     0  +2/+1
Computers       0  +2
Cultures        10 +12    (North America, Europe, Central America)
Drive           10 +11    (Mounts, Personal Watercraft, Standard Watercraft)
Electronics     0  +2/+3
Falsify         0  +2/+3
Impress         0  +1
Intimidate      0  +0/+3
Investigation   0  +3/+1
Manipulate      0  +3/+1
Mechanics       6  +8/+9
Medicine        16 +21/+22 (18-20 threat range, +5 knowledge check)
Networking      0  +3/+1
Notice          11 +14
Profession      11 +14    (Surgeon, Scientist, Mechanic, 19-20 threat range, +2 knowledge check)
Resolve         11 +16/+14 (19-20 threat range, +2 knowledge check)
Science         11 +12    (Pharmacology, Engineering, Mathematics)
Search          11 +12
Security        0  +1
Sense Motive    0  +3/+1
Sleight of Hand 0  +1
Sneak           0  +1/+1
Streetwise      0  +3/+1
Survival        0  +6/+4  (18-20 threat range, +3 knowledge check)
Tactics         6  +9/+1


Class Abilities:
Professor : Share Basic Skill feats
Intense Study : Gain a Basic Skill or Advanced Skill feat
Ph.D. : Increase max skill ranks and knowledge check of Medicine
Bright Idea : Roll any Intelligence/Wisdom-based skill check twice
Intense Study : Gain a Basic Skill of Advanced Skill feat
Angel in White : Recover twice the vitality/wound points from action dice
Search and Rescue : Survivalist covers Medicine, gain Advanced Skill Mastery
"Stay With Me!" : Retry failed Medicine checks, automatically succeed.
Patch Up I : Increase error range to decrease time required to make Medicine checks
Resuscitation : May revive a recently killed character
Vehicle Familiarity I : Bonuses to vehicle/mount

Feats:
Bandage : Improves Medicine skill
Fortunate : Request additional action die
Survivalist : Bonus to Athletics and Survival
Fortune Favours the Bold : Increase size of action dice
Advisor : Bonus to Resolve and Profession
Advanced Skill Mastery (Survivalist) : Improved bonus to Athletics, Survival and Medicine
Sidearms Master (Service Pistols) : Improve damage, may render uncounscious


Interests:
Forbidden Knowledge (+1), Drinking, Fine Tobacco, Riddles, Theater, Woodworking, Professional Literature

Subplot
Nemesis: Vodoo Master, Personal Mission: Eradicate Vodoo Cult

Weapon Proficiencies:
Unarmed, Edged (forte), Handgun (focus), Rifle, Submachine Gun, Shotgun

Tricks:
Perceptive Shot : Use Wisdom modifier instead of Dexterity modifier for ranged attacks

Contacts:
Marie Laveau - Streetwise

Derived Values:
Speed: 30 ft.
Vit: 66
Wnd: 12
Stress: 18
Subdual: 12
uBAB: +5
mBAB: +5
rBAB: +6
Fort: +4
Ref: +3
Will: +10
Def: 17
Init: +3
Knowledge: +10
Gear: +11
Request: +9
Wealth: 12 (Lifestyle: 3, Possessions: 4, Cash: 5)
AD: 4d8
Gear picks: 2G, 1E, 3S, 1R, 1V

[Mister Andersen]

Looks good

[glimmerrat]

I'm in - American Indian brave. Stereotypical 'noble savage' right now, but i'm off to reread Last of the Mohicans before I create the guy. That cool?

[Mister Andersen]

You're going to have to have a reason why you're hanging around with a bunch of stupid fraking white men

[glimmerrat]

He owes a debt of honour to one of the group - that would make a nice subplot. His tribe were butchered by outlaws and a member of the group found him, terribly injured but alive and brought him to a sympathetic doctor. He now follows said guy around as his protector. He won't leave until he feels he's paid off his debt.

Alternatively if you don't like that, he could always be a slightly more open minded man who works as a guide/tracker.

[Mister Andersen]

Nah, Ghost Dog sounds good.

[Antilles]

Hey, if you're looking for a backroom doctor who's seen too much death and suffering to turn down a man just because he's one of them dirty in'juns, look no further.

[Mister Andersen]

We've already got a sawbones

[Antilles]

Ah, no, I was merely suggesting that if he wanted a connection to someone in the party, my doc would've helped him if he needed medical attention, and probably woudn't have said no if he offered to help kill zombies and voodoo priests to repay his debt.