Character Development

[Archaeopterix]

Use this thread for questions about creating your character, brainstorming ideas about changes in your character, or anything that deals with OOC decisions about how a character ends up being played.

[Bandages]

Hello, I have been considering one of two options for my character’s foundation:
a) An old military friend who served with Henry during the War, passing through Arkham, hoping to pay a quick visit to an old friend.
b) An acquaintance who has only recently been involved with Henry, perhaps a drinking partner or someone Henry owed money to.
Are either of these viable?

[Priest]

Must we use the Mythweavers character sheet? There is a perfectly good one here, might need a bit of adjusting to fit the 'Quick Start Rules'. Courtesy of Raiko.



Name:
Age:
Sex:
Occupation:
Yearly Income:
College, Degrees:
Birthplace:

Appearance & Personality:
A picture could be added, of course.

Background:
If there are any, a detailed inventory of the countries already visited.

Languages Spoken:

Characteristics
STR
CON
SIZ
DEX
APP
INT , Idea (= INT X 5)
POW , Luck/SAN (= POW X 5)
EDU , Know (= EDU X 5)

Sanity:
current Sanity:
phobias/mental disorders:

Hit Points (= (CON+SIZ)/2):
current Hit Points:
Magic Points:
current Magic Points:
Damage Bonus:

Skills
Occupational/Professional Skill Points: (should be highlighted in italics)
Personal/Private/Hobby Skill Points: (should be preceded by a dot ("."))
Any skill with points added upon creation of character: (should be highlighted in bold text)

Accounting (10%):
Aircraft Maintenance (05%):
Anthropology (01%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art (05%):
Astronomy (01%):
Bargain (05%):
Biology (01%):
Block (DEX x2):
Chemistry (01%):
Climb (40%):
Conceal (15%):
Craft (05%):
Credit Rating (15%):
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Disguise (01%):
Dodge (DEX×2):
Drive Auto (20%):
Drive Dog Sled (20%):
Electr. Repair (10%):
Explosives (01%):
Fast Talk (05%):
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%):
Hide (10%):
History (20%):
Jump (25%):
Law (05%):
Library Use (25%):
Listen (25%):
Locksmith 01%):
Martial Arts (01%):
Mech. Repair (20%):
Medicine (05%):
Meterology (05%):
Natural History (10%):
Navigate (10%):
Occult (05%):
Opr. Hvy. Mch. (01%):
Other Language (01%):
Own Language (EDU×5%):
Persuade (15%):
Pharmacy (01%):
Photography (10%):
Physics (01%):
Pilot (01%):
Polar Survival (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (05%):
Radio Operator (01%):
Ride (05%):
Sneak (10%):
Spot Hidden (25%):
Swim (25%):
Throw (25%):
Track (10%):

Hand-to-Hand:
Fist/Punch (50%):
Head Butt (10%):
Kick (25%):
Grapple (25%):
Fighting Knife (25%):
Small Club/Nightclub (25%):

Firearms:
Handgun (20%):
Machine Gun (15%):
Rifle (25%):
Shotgun (30%):
SMG (15%):

Inventory
Property/Equipment carried on expedition:

[Archaeopterix]

Hello, I have been considering one of two options for my character’s foundation:
a) An old military friend who served with Henry during the War, passing through Arkham, hoping to pay a quick visit to an old friend.
b) An acquaintance who has only recently been involved with Henry, perhaps a drinking partner or someone Henry owed money to.
Are either of these viable?

Yes, either concept works perfectly. So long as the second concept is invested enough to pursue leads when he's learned to be missing.

Must we use the Mythweavers character sheet? There is a perfectly good one here, might need a bit of adjusting to fit the 'Quick Start Rules'. Courtesy of Raiko.

It's not a hard rule, it's just my preference, as it's easier to view at a glance if I need to reference sheets often. You're free to use whatever format you're most comfortable with, so long as the sheet is viewable, and roughly congruent to the others.

[Mr. Handy]

I'm thinking of playing a hobo, a friend of Henry's who knows him from the homeless shelter and/or living on the streets. Not that long ago I got Island of Ignorance, which I backed on Kickstarter. It has a section on hoboes, which will no doubt prove useful. One of the pregenerated characters (Walt "Mashed Potatoes" Johnson) is a hobo, but you might prefer if I create my own. I probably won't have time to create my character before this weekend, though.

The character sheet you have listed above is from Beyond the Mountains of Madness. Several of the skills listed there are unique to that campaign.

I'm not planning on having any starting skills higher than 75 (I rarely do that anyway), but what about the difference in occupational skill points? The Quick Start rules give you EDU x 15, but the rulebook gives you EDU x 20.

[Archaeopterix]

I'd originally learned CoC through the Quickstart, so my own preferences are colored by that a bit. And yes, I do spy Polar Survival on that one, which may not come in too much handy during an Arkham spring.

I have no problem with pregenerated characters, especially not hoboes. If you'd like to use that one, feel free to do so.

For the benefit of the players, EDUx20 is probably what I'll go with.

[Mr. Handy]

Thanks! I looked at Mashed Potatoes' character sheet, and he does have a Sneak skill at 80%. I might make my own character anyway, though.

[Archaeopterix]

You're also free to just swap 5 points over to another occupational skill, for Taters.

[Mr. Handy]

That's probably what I'll do. I can shift them over from Sneak into Hide, which is lower. I don't have time tonight to type up his character sheet, but I hope to do so tomorrow night, or failing that the next day.

[Mr. Handy]

I've posted the character sheet. It and the first paragraph of the background text come from Island of Ignorance, but it's a short enough excerpt that it should qualify as Fair Use. The hobby skill points don't quite add up right. He should have a total of 170, but the hobby points spent on his skills add up to 188. Let me know if you want me to drop 18 of them to even it out. The occupational skill points add up correctly. The only modification I made to the sheet was to reduce Sneak by 5 points and increase Hide by the same amount.

Name: Walt "Mashed Potatoes" Johnson
Player: Mr. Handy
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Occupation: Hobo
Colleges, Degrees: None
Birthplace: Deans Corner, Massachusetts

Characteristics:
STR: 13
CON: 14
SIZ: 13
DEX: 11
APP: 12
INT: 17 (Idea - 85)
POW: 15 (Luck - 75)
EDU: 14 (Know - 70)
SAN: 75



Sanity: 75
Phobias/Mental Disorders: N/A
Maximum Sanity: 99
Hit Points: 14
Current Hit Points: 14
Magic Points: 15
Current Magic Points: 15
Damage Bonus: +1D4

Background: From lonely stretches of the Aylesbury Turnpike to the wild hills of Dunwich, from the hallowed halls of Miskatonic University to the misty streets of Kingsport, one man always seems to turn up. Armed with a fireplace poker and a quick wit, and more luck than any one man has any right to claim is Walt "Mashed Potatoes" Johnson.

When his friend Henry Mosser disappeared, Walt was determined to find him. He is loyal to his friends, and he refuses to give up hope. Besides, people of the streets have been vanishing lately, and he could always be next.

Skills: (Non-default skills BOLD, Professional Skills ITALICS, Hobbies preceded by a DOT)
Accounting (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art (05%):
Astronomy (01%):
Bargain (05%): 20%
Biology (01%):
Chemistry (01%):
Climb (40%):
Conceal (15%):
Craft (05%):
Credit Rating (15%):
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
Disguise (01%):
.Dodge (DEX x 2): 25%
Drive Auto (20%):
Electrical Repair (10%):
Fast Talk (05%): 15%
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%):
Hide (10%): 70%
History (20%):
Jump (25%):
Law (05%):
Library Use (25%):
Listen (25%): 65%
Locksmith (01%):
Martial Arts (01%):
Mechanical Repair (20%):
Medicine (05%):
Natural History (10%): 50%
Navigate (10%):
.Occult (05%): 07%
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
Other Language (01%):
Own Language: English (EDU x 5%): 70%
Persuade (15%):
Pharmacy (01%):
Photography (10%):
Physics (01%):
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (05%):
Ride (05%):
Sneak (10%): 75%
Spot Hidden (25%): 75%
Swim (25%):
Throw (25%):
.Track (10%): 30%

Hand-to-Hand:
Fist/Punch (50%):
.Grapple (25%): 50%
Head Butt (10%):
.Kick (25%): 50%
.Knife (25%): 70%
.Large Club (25%): 75%

Firearms:
Handgun (20%):
Machine Gun (15%):
Rifle (25%):
Shotgun (30%):
SMG (15%):

Equipment:
Fireplace poker (1D8+db damage)
Small knife (1D4+db damage)

[Archaeopterix]

To keep in line with the other characters, I'll prefer if you drop the extra 18.

[Mr. Handy]

I edited the sheet, removing the 18 points from Occult.

[Archaeopterix]

Whenever the rest of the sheets get on, we can start. If you're having trouble, or a lack of motivation, you could also just stick a name and a profession out there, and work on it as we begin with introductory investigating and such. Shouldn't be too many skill checks right away.

[CrowTheAlmighty]

So how long until we start?

Could someone look at my MythWeaver sheet and show me how to apply that to Handy's sheet thing?

[Archaeopterix]

I mostly need a posted sheet from you and bandages, then we can officially start. I've looked over your sheet in PM, and it looks fine. Enough to play with, for sure.

[CrowTheAlmighty]

I posted it here already in Finished characters

[Bandages]

If any of this is wrong please let me know and I'll correct it asap.

Name: Marty La Coix
Player: Bandages
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Occupation: Criminal (Bootlegger)
Colleges, Degrees: None
Birthplace: New York

Background: The son of French immigrants, Marty grew up in New York, never fulfilling the dreams his parents had had for him in their new lives in the United States. Clearly not an academic student, Marty quickly fell into the wrong crowd and found himself far more suited to using his street wise approach and quick wits to earn a living.
Over time, his reputation as a small time crook had caught the eye of the local police and Marty decided to escape the heat, lay low, and move north to Boston. In the last few years, the small crime syndicate he has been affiliated with have been prospering through the distribution of bootleg liquor during Prohibition and Marty has been tasked with expanding this growth in the regional town of Arkham.
Marty has been in Arkham about 6 months and has built a reasonable reputation amongst the underground club and bar scene proprietors.

Relation to Henry Mosser: Henry was one of the first people Marty met during his stay in Arkham, and he immediately thought that his Army credentials would come in use, especially with the law. However, over time, Marty began to confide in Henry and trust his judgement, eventually becoming a reliable friend. Marty had tried to involve Henry with his criminal activities, but Henry had always refused, even cash hand-outs. He is now concerned about the whereabouts of his friend.

Characteristics:
STR: 12
CON:11
SIZ: 11
DEX: 11
APP: 13
INT: 14 (Idea: 70)
POW: 15 (Luck: 70)
EDU: 10 (9+1 for age) (Know: 50)

SAN: 75
Sanity: 75
Phobias/Mental Disorders: Claustrophobic
Maximum Sanity: 99
Hit Points: 11
Current Hit Points: 11
Magic Points: 15
Current Magic Points: 15
Damage Bonus: (23) +0

Here are the links for the rolls:
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4651614/
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4651615/
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4651616/

(22.9.14 Slight edit; 20 points taken from sneak and 10 from disguise and placed into French, makes sense)
Prof Skills: 200 Hobby Skills: 140
Skills: (Non-default skills BOLD, Professional Skills ITALICS, Hobbies preceded by a DOT)
Accounting (10%):
Anthropology (01%):
Archaeology (01%):
Art (05%):
Astronomy (01%):
Bargain (05%):
Biology (01%):
Chemistry (01%):
Climb (40%):
Conceal (15%): 45
Craft (05%):
Credit Rating (15%):
Cthulhu Mythos (00%):
.Disguise (01%): 41
Dodge (DEX x 2): 22
Drive Auto (20%): 70
Electrical Repair (10%):
Fast Talk (05%): 55
First Aid (30%):
Geology (01%):
Hide (10%):
History (20%):
Jump (25%):
Law (05%):
Library Use (25%):
Listen (25%):
Locksmith (01%): 41
Martial Arts (01%):
Mechanical Repair (20%): 50
Medicine (05%):
Natural History (10%):
Navigate (10%):
Occult (05%):
Operate Heavy Machine (01%):
.Other Language (FRENCH)(01%):31
Own Language: English (EDU x 5%): 50
.Persuade (15%): 35
Pharmacy (01%):
Photography (10%):
Physics (01%):
Pilot (01%):
Psychoanalysis (01%):
Psychology (05%):
Ride (05%):
.Sneak (10%): 40
Spot Hidden (25%):
Swim (25%):
Throw (25%):
Track (10%):

Hand-to-Hand:
Fist/Punch (50%):
Grapple (25%):
Head Butt (10%):
Kick (25%):
Knife (25%):
Large Club (25%):

Firearms:
.Handgun (20%): 40
Machine Gun (15%):
Rifle (25%):
Shotgun (30%):
SMG (15%):

Equipment:
.38 Automatic (1d10 Damage)
A lock picking kit
A fake I-D
Small Hip-Flask
Keys to a (Need to research a feasible car for a small time crook)

[Archaeopterix]

Looks all clear at a glance. I'll finish up the intro post and have everything set by tomorrow, ideally.

[Archaeopterix]

Oh, and if people could post their finished sheets in the Finished Characters thread, preferably in a spoiler if it's not a myth-weavers link.

[CrowTheAlmighty]

So, my character is done too. Its in the Finished Characters