Character Creation and Discussion

[dualshock71]

Okay, just making sure before I do this, there is still room, correct?

[Mr. Handy]

Yes, there's still room. Welcome to the game! What sort of character are you thinking of playing?

[dualshock71]

Yes, there's still room. Welcome to the game! What sort of character are you thinking of playing?

I have a rough idea. And I'll have to ask that you forgive me if I say something stupid. This is my first time at this in a decade.

Do you just want a general idea, or should I roll everything up? (Again, no tomatoes please, first-timer.)

[Mr. Handy]

Don't worry about it, it's a reasonable question. You can go ahead and roll up your character as soon as you're ready. You should also tell me what your character does, so that I can come up with a list of occupational skills.

[dualshock71]

Don't worry about it, it's a reasonable question. You can go ahead and roll up your character as soon as you're ready. You should also tell me what your character does, so that I can come up with a list of occupational skills.

Thank you.

Okay, after some thinking and a brief look at the rulebook, I'd put him down as a lawyer. Do you require anything else?

[Mr. Handy]

You're welcome. A lawyer will work fine. The list of occupational skills is: Bargain, Credit Rating, Fast Talk, Law, Library Use, Persuade, Psychology, and any one other skill as a personal or era specialty.

I don't need anything else from you before you create your character. Once you're done, you can post your stats and skills in this thread. If you need any help, feel free to ask here. Once your character is done, I'll post your character sheet and get the 1969 In Character threads started.

[dualshock71]

Okay, I think I did this right. I'd say it balances out fairly well; good mentally, rather less good physically.

Basic Information

Name: Alan Gains

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Background: Alan was born in 1933, to David and Sally Gains. The Gains family was rather large, and almost as a whole involved in the military, though David was a strict pacifist and instead devoted his life to the study of law. While Alan did love and respect his father, he was fascinated by tales of fighting, and from his various uncles, grandfathers, and sundry other relatives, he started a life-long love of firearms.

When he reached adulthood, he attempted to enlist in the Army, but failed. With no other real choice, he decided to attend collage, eventually following his father into the law profession. He was an average student, though it was often remarked that he was quite intelligent. He started his own practice soon after being admitted to the bar, and while it has yet to pick up, it’s considered (in the family at least) only a matter of time.

Stats

STR: 9

CON: 10

POW: 15

DEX: 9

APP: 14

SIZ: 11

INT: 15

EDU: 12

WEALTH: 1.4

IDEA: 75

LUCK: 75

KNOW: 55

DAM. BONUS: 0

MAX. Hit Points: 11

MAX. Magic Points: 15

Starting SAN: 75

Skills

Accounting: 10%, Anthropology: 01%, Archeology: 01%, Art: 05%,
Astronomy: 01%, Bargain: 15%, Biology: 01%, Chemistry: 01%, Climb: 40%, Computer Use: 01%, Conceal: 15%, Craft: 05%, Credit Rating: 65%, Cthulhu Mythos: 00%, Disguise: 01%, Dodge: 20%, Drive Auto: 20%, Electrical Repair: 10%, Electronics: 01%, Fast Talk: 55%, First Aid: 30%, Fist/Punch: 50%, Geology: 01%, Grapple: 25%, Handgun: 50%, Head Butt: 10%, Hide: 10%, History: 20%,
Jump: 25%, Kick: 25%, Law: 35%, Library Use: 45%, Listen: 25%, Locksmith: 01%, Machine Gun: 15%, Martial Arts: 01%, Mechanical Repair: 20%, Medicine: 05%, Natural History: 10%, Navigate: 10%, Occult: 05%, Operate Heavy Machinery: 01%, Other Language (Latin): 31%, Own Language: 65%, Persuade: 55%, Pharmacy: 01%, Photography: 10%, Physics: 01%, Pilot: 01%, Psychoanalysis: 01%, Psychology: 45%, Ride: 05%, Rifle: 55%, Shotgun: 50%, Sneak: 10%, Spot Hidden: 45%, Submachine Guns: 15%, Swim: 25%, Throw: 25%, Track: 10%




Decent enough?

[Mr. Handy]

Looks good for the most part. By my count you've only spent 147 hobby points out of 150, so you've got another 3 points to spend on skills of your choice. Your EDU is a bit low for a lawyer (as is your Law skill). Your character might be better suited as a paralegal or public defender. If you want to increase your EDU further, remember that you can make your character older. He's already at least 10 years above the minimum, so if you have not already added 1 to your EDU score, you get that for free - and you can get another +1 EDU if you make him 38. If you've already taken the +1 EDU for age into account, then you can still get another +1 EDU by making him 37. At his current age, he would have come of age during the Korean War. The Army probably would have taken him, but there are all sorts of medical reasons that might cause them not to (allergies, for instance). It looks like you did roll an 11 for EDU, as you listed your Know score as 55. At 12 EDU, it should be 60. You can also increase your EDU by lowering another stat. If you lower one other stat by up to 3 points, you can raise your EDU by the same amount. Each extra point for EDU gives you another 20 occupational skill points. It also raises your Know stat and Own Language skill by 5. Currently you've put 5 hobby points into Own Language to raise it to 65. If your EDU is 13 or more, you get those 5 points back (for a total of 8 hobby points you can spend). Keep in mind that you spent the 240 occupational skill points so far on just the seven listed skills, so you are free to choose an eighth skill to put some of the extra points you'd get into. I also recommend putting more points in Law if you do this.

His physical stats aren't really that bad (just a little below average), but his mental stats can more than make up for it.

[dualshock71]

Many apologies again. You're right. Let's switch him to a public defender, and I'll switch around the stats, change the background (my knowledge of Korean flora and fauna is limited, so can we just assume it's something native and leave it at that, unless we have any plans to visit that part of Asia?)...here we go. Except for the age thing, though. I don't know why, but I like the age. It's a nice number.



Basic Information

Name: Alan Gains

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Background: Alan was born in 1933, to David and Sally Gains. The Gains family was rather large, and almost as a whole involved in the military, though David was a strict pacifist and instead devoted his life to the study of law. While Alan did love and respect his father, he was fascinated by tales of fighting, and from his various uncles, grandfathers, and sundry other relatives, he started a life-long love of firearms.

When he reached adulthood, he attempted to enlist in the Army, but was refused due to a rather severe allergy to a particularly common breed of local insect. With no other real choice, he decided to attend collage, eventually following his father into the law profession. He was an average student, though it was often remarked that he was quite intelligent. He has found work as a public defender, and has begun along what seems to be a profitable future career.

Stats

STR: 9

CON: 10

POW: 15

DEX: 9

APP: 14

SIZ: 11

INT: 15

EDU: 12

WEALTH: 1.4

IDEA: 75

LUCK: 75

KNOW: 60

DAM. BONUS: 0

MAX. Hit Points: 11

MAX. Magic Points: 15

Starting SAN: 75

Skills

Accounting: 10%, Anthropology: 01%, Archeology: 01%, Art: 05%,
Astronomy: 01%, Bargain: 15%, Biology: 01%, Chemistry: 01%, Climb: 40%, Computer Use: 01%, Conceal: 15%, Craft: 05%, Credit Rating: 55%, Cthulhu Mythos: 00%, Disguise: 01%, Dodge: 20%, Drive Auto: 20%, Electrical Repair: 10%, Electronics: 01%, Fast Talk: 55%, First Aid: 30%, Fist/Punch: 50%, Geology: 01%, Grapple: 25%, Handgun: 50%, Head Butt: 10%, Hide: 10%, History: 20%,
Jump: 25%, Kick: 25%, Law: 55%, Library Use: 45%, Listen: 25%, Locksmith: 01%, Machine Gun: 15%, Martial Arts: 01%, Mechanical Repair: 20%, Medicine: 05%, Natural History: 10%, Navigate: 10%, Occult: 05%, Operate Heavy Machinery: 01%, Other Language (Latin): 31%, Own Language: 65%, Persuade: 55%, Pharmacy: 01%, Photography: 10%, Physics: 01%, Pilot: 01%, Psychoanalysis: 11%, Psychology: 45%, Ride: 05%, Rifle: 55%, Shotgun: 30%, Sneak: 10%, Spot Hidden: 48%, Submachine Guns: 15%, Swim: 25%, Throw: 25%, Track: 10%

Better?

[Mr. Handy]

Don't sweat it, character creation can be complicated. Alan doesn't have to be a public defender if you'd rather he has a private practice. Now that he has 55% in Law, he can manage that. It looks like you've shortchanged yourself on hobby points after readjusting the skills. You've got another 10 points to spend by my count. You don't need to repost a character sheet; you can just tell me which skill or skills you want to add them to.

35 (the age you had him at before) is a nice number for age; it's my age too. You don't have to change it if you don't want to.

By the way, what did you mean by the 1.4 next to wealth? Is that how much he has in thousands of dollars (after dividing by 5)?

[dualshock71]

Alright, thank you, back to private practice. 35 it is then, I suppose. And put those extra ten points back into my shotgun skill, please.

We're done, then, yes? The whole shebang starts now, if I recall you correctly, or tonight at least. And yes, after dividing by 5, I came up with that. I think I ended up with a 7, but I'm not 100% sure...I was supposed to round up, wasn't I? Or down, as it were.

[Mr. Handy]

Oh, I see. You rolled a 7 on 1d10. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. There's a table in the rulebook where this 1d10 roll is translated into an amount of money depending on the era. There's no 1960s era listed, so I took the Present listing and divided the dollar amount by 5 for 1969 characters to adjust for inflation. Bill Johns got a 7 on his roll too, but he's in 2009, so he doesn't divide his wealth. You got the same number, so you have his wealth totals divided by 5. This gives you an income of $20,000 per year (which was a lot back then) and $100,000 in assets. Of that total, $10,000 is cash in the bank, $10,000 is in stocks and bonds, and the remaining $80,000 is in other assets (house, car, etc.).

Yes, your character is now fully created. You might want to start thinking about what your character would normally carry, what he'd have at home, and what kind of car he drives (he can certainly afford one). Presumably he collects firearms given his background, so you can tell me what weapons he would have in his home (and if he keeps any on his person or in his car).

Later tonight or sometime tomorrow I'll put your character sheet up and get your thread and Kathleen's started.

[dualshock71]

Alright. Should I post the added information here, or shall I PM it?

[Mr. Handy]

You can post the information here. Remember that any firearms in your collection have to have existed in 1969. If you need help choosing, let me know. I'll also tell you if any of the guns you request are illegal for Alan to own. This mainly affects weapons capable of fully automatic fire, and most guns should be okay.

[dualshock71]

You can post the information here. Remember that any firearms in your collection have to have existed in 1969. If you need help choosing, let me know. I'll also tell you if any of the guns you request are illegal for Alan to own. This mainly affects weapons capable of fully automatic fire, and most guns should be okay.

Alright, tell me if this is implausible:

His collection of real guns is rather small; over the years, he's gained a few rifles (I'm thinking a pair kept in the house, one stored in his car...just in case. Would having a Garand be too much?), a shotgun (not a favorite of his, I'm thinking a 12-gauge pump?), and a couple of pistols (a .45 Revolver kept at the home, I think, and maybe a Derringer, also in the car, also just in case?).

I'm trying to be conservative with the real guns. I'm imagining a lot of replicas, maybe a few old working models, but having just these actually work? Am I overdoing it a little?

I almost do hope there's a lot of sanity loss involved. I would LOVE to see this guy go murderously insane...

[Mr. Handy]

You're not overdoing it. Most serious gun collectors would have much larger collections of working guns, though there's nothing wrong with a small one. An M1 Garand is fine. They were used extensively in WWII, and there are millions of them around. It's quite plausible for Alan to have one (it could even be his father's rifle). Earlier in this thread I posted the stats for one, as Kathleen has one too. I'll list the stats for your weapons here (Bill Johns has the same type of revolver in his attic):

M1 Garand rifle, .30-06: Skill 55% (base 25%), Damage 2d6+2, Base Range 110 yards, Rate of Fire 1/2, Magazine Capacity 8, HP 11, Malfunction 00
12-gauge pump shotgun: Skill 40% (base 30%), Damage 4d6/2d6/1d6, Base Range 10/20/50 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 5, HP 10, Malfunction 00
.45 M1917 revolver: Skill 50% (base 20%), Damage 1d10+2, Base Range 15 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 6, HP 10, Malfunction 00
.25 derringer: Skill 50% (base 20%), Damage 1d6, Base Range 3 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 1, HP 5, Malfunction 00

There will be opportunities to lose Sanity points. You're starting with 75 Sanity, so it'll be harder for you to go completely nuts than for the other characters, but anything's possible.

Your character sheet has been posted in the Character Sheets thread. I may be able to start your IC thread within a few hours.

[dualshock71]

You're not overdoing it. Most serious gun collectors would have much larger collections of working guns, though there's nothing wrong with a small one. An M1 Garand is fine. They were used extensively in WWII, and there are millions of them around. It's quite plausible for Alan to have one (it could even be his father's rifle). Earlier in this thread I posted the stats for one, as Kathleen has one too. I'll list the stats for your weapons here (Bill Johns has the same type of revolver in his attic):

M1 Garand rifle, .30-06: Skill 55% (base 25%), Damage 2d6+2, Base Range 110 yards, Rate of Fire 1/2, Magazine Capacity 8, HP 11, Malfunction 00
12-gauge pump shotgun: Skill 40% (base 30%), Damage 4d6/2d6/1d6, Base Range 10/20/50 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 5, HP 10, Malfunction 00
.45 M1917 revolver: Skill 50% (base 20%), Damage 1d10+2, Base Range 15 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 6, HP 10, Malfunction 00
.25 derringer: Skill 50% (base 20%), Damage 1d6, Base Range 3 yards, Rate of Fire 1, Magazine Capacity 1, HP 5, Malfunction 00

There will be opportunities to lose Sanity points. You're starting with 75 Sanity, so it'll be harder for you to go completely nuts than for the other characters, but anything's possible.

Your character sheet has been posted in the Character Sheets thread. I may be able to start your IC thread within a few hours.

Let's just assume I either have it if I need it (I'm rich in-game and lazy out-of-game ), or can get it. I just listed what I think I'm likely to use. I'm not likely to brake out an elephant gun any time soon, am I?

Alright then. Let's go.

[Mr Zombie killer]

Handy,
Just wondering when i will get a thread to start?
-steve

[Mr. Handy]

I'm going to start your thread soon. I had wanted to last night, but I ran out of time and I really needed sleep. I'd hoped that Sufirjp and OverTheHills would have checked in and created their characters because I had planned to start you all in the same thread, but they haven't even logged onto the board in a while.

[Mi-Go Agent]

There's no way I'd want to run Fischer through this, also...I wasn't even thinking German. Dr. Strangelove was a bad comparison, because it was the first wheelchaired mad scientist I could think of. The guy from Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is closer to what I'm thinking of.

I'm imagining a fiercely competitive American, who, having lost the use of his legs due to an unfortunate accident at a young age, compensated by being even more agressive in his intellectual pursuits. Not long out of college, he's already working for the U.S. government, as far on the other side of the fence from the activists of his generation as possible. I still haven't decided whether he should be in nuclear weapons, aeronautics, engineering, or whatnot, but I'll have the rolling posted on Monday.