The following tables and charts may be used to aid in the character creation process. Further information is provided on the pages cited.
Creation Process
1. Choose a Concept: What's your character going to be like? Noble knight, bookish scholar, apprentice spellcaster, squid-faced fish salesman?
2. Choose Character Type: The Character Type determines the general power level and nature of your character, and sets some basic ground rules for the power level of your character when compared to other characters. The higher up on the scale you are, the more powerful your character is. Human-level mortal types also get to start their careers with 20 Drama Points to everyone else's 10 - and they'll need them, especially if they're playing in the same field.
These are the character types available to play:
| Type | Attribute Points | Quality Points | Drawback Points | Skill Points | Drama Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal: Kid | 10 | 10 | Up to 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Mortal: Teenager | 15 | 10 | Up to 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Mortal: Adult | 15 | 10 | Up to 10 | 20 | 20 |
| Mortal: Badass Normal | 20 | 10 | Up to 10 | 25 | 20 |
| Champion/Monster: Fledgeling | 20 | 20 | Up to 10 | 20 | 10 |
| Champion/Monster: Journeyman | 22 | 20 | Up to 10 | 25 | 10 |
| Champion/Monster: Master | 25 | 20 | Up to 10 | 30 | 10 |
This determines how many points you get to work with in the next few steps.
3. Attributes: What are your character's natural abilities, both mental and physical? Attributes cost one point per level to level five, and three points per level after that. At least one point must be put into each Attribute. The human base maximum is six, and a human-average score would be a two.
4. Qualities and Drawbacks: What innate advantages or penalties affect your character? Do they have personality traits that make life harder for them, or talents that make life easier? Benefits - mundane or supernatural - are paid for with Quality Points; you can earn more Quality Points by taking Drawbacks, up to your Drawback Points limit.
5. Skills: What does your character know? The system uses a variety of main skills and the ubiquitous Wildcards - chances are if you can't logically fit an area of expertise into one of the main categories, or if you want to reflect more specialized knowledge than a main category would imply, it requires a Wildcard.
6. Finishing Touches: This is where you decide the character's name, appearance and other characteristics. Distinctive habits or mannerisms, hairstyle, scars, tattoos, piercings fashion, music/video tastes, and other traits that might make the character recognizable.
| Type | Attribute Points | Quality Points | Drawback Points | Skill Points | Drama Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal: Kid | 10 | 10 | Up to 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Mortal: Teenager | 15 | 10 | Up to 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Mortal: Adult | 15 | 10 | Up to 10 | 20 | 20 |
| Mortal: Badass Normal | 20 | 10 | Up to 10 | 25 | 20 |
| Champion/Monster: Fledgeling | 20 | 20 | Up to 10 | 20 | 10 |
| Champion/Monster: Journeyman | 22 | 20 | Up to 10 | 25 | 10 |
| Champion/Monster: Master | 25 | 20 | Up to 10 | 30 | 10 |
| Four-Color Folk: Paragon | 25 | 25 | Up to 10 | 40 | 10 |
| Four-Color Folk: Demigod | 25 | 25 | Up to 15 | 50 | 10 |
| Four-Color Folk: Power That Is | 30 | 30 | Up to 15 | 60 | 10 |
| Con / Str | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 34 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 |
| 2 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 34 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 |
| 3 | 26 | 30 | 34 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 |
| 4 | 30 | 34 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 |
| 5 | 34 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 |
| 6 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 |
| 7 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 |
| 8 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 | 82 |
| 9 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 | 82 | 86 |
| 10 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 | 82 | 86 | 90 |
| Strength | Lifting Capacity |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | 50 lbs x Strength (Strength 5: 250 lbs) |
| 6-10 | 200 x (Strength - 5) + 250 lbs (Strength 10: 1250 lbs) |
| 11-15 | 500 x (Strength - 10) + 1500 lbs (Strength 15: 4,000 lbs/2 tons) |
| 16-20 | 1,000 x (Strength - 15) + 5,000 lbs (Strength 20: 10,000 lbs/5 tons) |
| 21-25 | 1 ton x (Strength - 20) + 5 tons (Strength 25: 10 tons) |
| 26-30 | 2 ton x (Strength - 25) + 10 tons (Strength 30: 20 tons) |
| Success Levels Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Roll | Success Levels | Description |
| 9-10 | 1 | Adequate |
| 11-12 | 2 | Decent |
| 13-14 | 3 | Good |
| 15-16 | 4 | Very Good |
| 17-20 | 5 | Excellent |
| 21-23 | 6 | Extraordinary |
| 24-26 | 7 | Mind-boggling |
| 27-29 | 8 | Outrageous |
| 30-32 | 9 | Superheroic |
| 33-35 | 10 | God-like |
| +3 | +1 | It just keeps getting better… |
| Name | Roll Basics | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aim | Perception + Gun Fu, or Perception + Getting Medieval, or Brains Score | None | Adds Success Levels to shooting roll. |
| Bow Shot | Dexterity + Getting Medieval - 2, or Combat Score - 2 | (4 x Strength) Slash/stab (to maximum of 20). | Ranged attack modifiers apply. |
| Break Neck | Strength + Kung Fu, or Muscle Score | (4 x Strength) Bash | If defender at -10 Life Points, Survival Test or neck broken (dead). |
| Catch Weapon | Dexterity + Kung Fu - 5, or Combat Score - 5 | None | Ranged defense action; +5 damage taken if failed. |
| Chainsaw | Dexterity + Getting Medieval -3, or Dexterity + Mr. Fixit -3, or Combat Score -3 | 6 x (Strength +1) Slash/stab | Maximum of 60. |
| Choke | Strength + Kung Fu, or Muscle Score | (Strength - 1) Bash | Asphyxiation damage. |
| Crossbow | Dexterity + Getting Medieval, or Combat Score | 16 Slash/stab | Ranged attack modifiers apply. |
| Decapitation | Dexterity + Getting Medieval – 5, or Combat Score - 5 | Varies by weapon | Total damage multiplied by five, target beheaded if killed. |
| Disarm | Dexterity + Getting Medieval - 2, or Dexterity + Kung Fu -3, or Combat Score -2 | None | Resisted by Parry. |
| Dodge | Dexterity + Acrobatics, or Dexterity + Getting Medieval, or Dexterity + Kung Fu, or Combat Score | None | Avoid getting hit. |
| Fast-Draw | Dexterity + Gun Fu -3, or Dexterity + Wild Card (Fast-Draw), or Combat Score -3 | None | Gunslinger trick, does not replace Gunshot roll. |
| Feint | Intelligence + Kung Fu, or Intelligence + Getting Medieval, or Brains Score | None | Adds Success Levels to next action. |
| Flamethrower | Dexterity + Gun Fu -2, or Combat Score -2 | 6 points, all fire; then 3 points per Turn until target out | Flammable items ignite! |
| Flamethrower (Makeshift) | Dexterity + Gun Fu -2, or Combat Score -2 | 3 points, all fire; then 3 points per Turn until target out | Item may explode, flammable items ignite! |
| Grapple | Dexterity + Kung Fu + 2, or Combat Score + 2 | None | Body grapple impairs all moves by -1; limb grapple impairs moves with those limbs by -2; neck grapple sets up for special maneuvers. |
| Groin Shot | Combat Maneuver - 3 | Varies by attack | Tough on boys, see maneuver |
| Gunshot | Dexterity + Gun Fu, or Combat Score | Varies by weapon | Ranged attack modifiers apply |
| Head Butt | Dexterity + Kung Fu - 2, or Combat Score - 2 | (2 x Strength) Bash | If target grappled, she cannot defend; if attack misses, attacker takes damage |
| Jump Kick | Dexterity + Kung Fu - 3, or Combat Score - 3 | 3 x (Strength + 1) Bash | Acrobatics + Dexterity roll first; add all Success Levels to damage |
| Kick | Dexterity + Kung Fu - 1, or Combat Score - 1 | 2 x (Strength + 1) Bash | Done with style and grace, of course |
| Knockout | Dexterity + Kung Fu - 2, or Dexterity + Getting Medieval -2, or Combat Score -2 | Half damage of attack | Lights out, see maneuver |
| Lasso | Dexterity + Getting Medieval -4, or Dexterity + Wild Card (Lasso), or Combat Score -4 | 2 x Strength Bash | Damage applies only if victim's neck is roped |
| Melee Weapon | Dexterity + Getting Medieval, or Combat Score | Varies by weapon | Good ol' fashioned hack, slash, crush and maim |
| Parry | Dexterity + Kung Fu, or Dexterity + Getting Medieval, or Combat Score | None | Defense action, -2 against ranged attacks |
| Punch | Dexterity + Kung Fu, or Combat Score | 2 x Strength Bash | Basic knuckle sandwich |
| Rocket Launcher | Dexterity + Gun Fu -2, or Combat Score -2 | 100 points at ground zero, 35 points in 2 yard radius, 10 points within 5 yards | All Fire damage |
| Slam-Tackle | Strength + Sports, or Muscle Score | 2 x Strength Bash | Football or other roughhousing tackle |
| Spin Kick | Dexterity + Kung Fu -2, or Combat Score - 2 | 2 x (Strength + 2) Bash | Kick for the cool folks |
| Stake | Dexterity + Getting Medieval | 2 x Strength Slash/stab | Classic vampire-slaying weapon. |
| Sweep Kick | Dexterity + Kung Fu -1, or Combat Score -1 | Strength Bash | Knocks target down if successful |
| Takedown | Strength + Kung Fu, or Muscle Score | Strength Bash | Knocks target down if successful |
| Through the Heart | Combat Maneuver -3 | Varies by weapon | x4 damage; x5 damage if using material vulnerability |
| Throw Weapon | Dexterity + Getting Medieval -1, or Combat Score -1 | Varies by weapon | Range 2 yards plus 2 yards/Strength |
| Toss | Strength doubled -4, or Muscle Score -4 | Strength Bash | Must Grapple first, minimum Strength 4 |
| Vampire Bite | Dexterity + Kung Fu, or Combat Score | 2 x Strength Slash/Stab | Requires a successful neck Grapple first; after a hit, vampire can choose to automatically inflict 3 x Strength basic damage per round from draining without an attack roll, and opponent must make a Willpower (not doubled) roll to take any action while being drained |
| Whip | Dexterity + Getting Medieval -2, or Dexterity + Wild Card (Whip), or Combat Score -1 | None | Handy for a lot of things, Willpower doubled roll to resist pain |
| Wrestling Hold | Strength + Kung Fu -2, or Muscle Score -2 | None | Must Grapple first, defender is at -1 per Success Level |
| Weapon | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifle | 16 | Bullet; can fire bursts; use rifle ranges |
| Axe | 5 x Strength | Slash/stab; can use two hands |
| Baseball Bat | 4 x Strength | Bash; use this for any heavy club; can use two hands |
| Baton | 3 x Strength | Bash; use this for any light club |
| Big Ass Pistol | 18 | Bullet; use pistol ranges |
| Big Ass Sword | 5 x (Strength + 1) | Slash/stab; uses two hands |
| Big Knife | 3 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Big Pistol | 15 | Bullet; use pistol ranges |
| Black Powder Bomb | 20/12/5 | Damage listed is at ground zero, 3 yards, and 6 yards. Additional bundles add 5 to ground zero damage, 2 to other damage, and increase range by 1 yard and 2 yards, respectively. Bash/fire; use throw ranges; could scatter. |
| Blunderbuss | 25 (regular), 15 (wooden) | Slash/stab; use rifle ranges |
| Bow | 4 x Strength | Slash/stab; maximum damage 20; use pistol ranges |
| Break Neck | 4 x Strength | Bash; must Grapple |
| Buffalo Rifle | 22 | Bullet; use rifle ranges |
| Chainsaw | 6 x(Strength +1) | Slash/stab; max damage 60 |
| Choke/Strangle | 1 x (Strength – 1) | Victim cannot breathe |
| Crossbow | 16 | Slash/stab; use pistol ranges |
| Dynamite | 25/15/6 | Damage listed is at ground zero, 3 yards, and 6 yards. Additional sticks add 5 to ground zero damage, 2 to other damage, and increase range by 1 yard and 2 yards, respectively. Bash/fire; use throw ranges; could scatter. |
| Energy Disruptor | 15 | Bash; use rifle ranges; triple damage to living beings; armor piercing |
| Flamethrower | 6, then 3 per turn until out | Fire; use pistol ranges |
| Flamethrower (Makeshift) | 3, then 3 per turn until out | Fire; three yard range |
| Flare Gun | 9 | Fire; use pistol ranges; possible blinding and ignition |
| Grenade | 30/20/8 | 30 at ground zero, 20 within 3 yards, 8 within 5 yards. Bash/fire; use throw ranges; could scatter. |
| Head Butt | 2 x Strength | Bash |
| Holdout Gun | 12 | Bullet; use pistol ranges; concealable |
| Hunting Rifle | 20 | Bullet; use rifle ranges |
| Jump Kick | 3 x (Strength + 1) | Bash; add Success Levels of Dexterity + Acrobatics roll to damage |
| Kick | 2 x (Strength + 1) | Bash |
| Knife | 2 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Lasso | 2 x Strength | Bash; only causes damage to victim's throat; triple damage to living beings |
| Musket | 17 | Bullet; use pistol ranges; takes (12 - Success Levels) Turns to reload |
| Pigsticker | 2 x (Strength – 1) | Slash/stab |
| Pistol | 12 | Bullet; use pistol ranges |
| Pistol Crossbow | 10 | Slash/stab; use pistol ranges |
| Popgun | 9 | Bullet; use pistol ranges |
| Punch | 2 x Strength | Bash |
| Quarterstaff | 3 x (Strength + 1) | Bash; uses two hands |
| Shotgun | 20 | Bullet; use pistol ranges |
| Slam-Tackle | 2 x Strength | Bash; knocks target down |
| Sniper Rifle | 30 | Bullet; use rifle ranges x 2; good with scopes |
| Spear | 3 x (Strength + 1) | Slash/stab; uses two hands |
| Spin Kick | 2 x (Strength + 2) | Bash |
| Stake | 2 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Submachine Gun | 9 | Bullet; can fire bursts; use pistol ranges |
| Sweep Kick | 1 x Strength | Bash; knocks target down |
| Sword | 4 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Takedown | 1 x Strength | Bash; knocks target down |
| Taser Rifle | 5 | Knockout effect; use pistol ranges |
| Tommygun | 12 | Bullet; use pistol ranges; autofire |
| Thrown Axe | 4 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Thrown Knife/Stake | 2 x (Strength -1) | Slash/stab |
| Thrown Pigsticker | 1 x (Strength -1) | Slash/stab |
| Thrown Spear | 3 x Strength | Slash/stab |
| Toss | 1 x Strength | Bash; knocks target down |
| Tranquilizer Gun | 1 | Puts target to sleep; use rifle ranges |
| Whip | 2 x Strength | Bash; may cause loss of actions |
| Winchester Rifle | 18 | Bullet; use rifle ranges |
| Difficulty | Modifier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EASY | +5 or more | Generally only necessary when something that would normally automatically succeed is under particular issues - extreme intoxication, missing hands, that sort of thing - and is relevant enough to 'check.' Climbing a ladder doesn't usually require a roll unless you are exceptionally impaired. |
| MODERATE | +3 to +4 | Most average applications of a skill in day-to-day life are considered a check at +4; a proficiently skilled person (skill 2) with average statistics (stat 2) will always succeed under these circumstances (min roll 9 = 1 success). Climbing a rope ladder is usually easy unless you happen to be distracted. |
| AVERAGE | +1 to +2 | Fairly routine uses of a skill that are somewhat complicated - say, feeding the crocodiles at the zoo you work at without agitating them - or challenging tasks that are slightly easier than normal due to extenuating circumstances (sneaking up on someone who is moving to pick up a quarter). Pulling yourself up a knotted rope is fairly easy, though uncoordinated people might have some problems. |
| CHALLENGING | No modifier | Most uses of a skill in adventure situations qualify as Challenging; one success is the minimum level of success to qualify, although more successes mean better results, and in a contest of skills, he who rolls higher wins. Hauling yourself up a reasonably normal rock face without equipment is usually Challenging. |
| DIFFICULT | -1 to -2 | Some situations are trickier than others; for example, climbing up a rock face is Challenging, but climbing that same rock face after a recent rainstorm when the rocks are slippery is a Difficult task. Human experts expect a decent chance of failure on their first attempt, or recommend equipment that offers positive modifiers to compensate (good climbing gear, for instance, would give positive modifiers, modifiers to offset specific penalties, and/or mitigate the effects of failure.) |
| VERY DIFFICULT | -3 to -5 | As a rule, Very Difficult tasks are exactly what you'd think - tasks that even an expert is likely to have trouble with. Decapitation has an effective modifier of Very Difficult; it's not easy to chop off someone's head even if they have no idea you're about to try it. Surpassing a Very Difficult challenge may require Working Together, excellent equipment, taking actions and using other skills to lower the effective difficulty, and a helping of Good Luck or Drama Points to even barely succeed, let alone do so impressively. Climbing a rock face that is covered with ice and snow without good climbing tools, harness, and spikes, is very hazardous to an expert's health; novices are unlikely to stand a chance without an extremely lucky break. |
| HEROIC | -6 to -9 | Heroic tasks are extremely difficult, and while superhuman beings may be able to manage, your average Mortal cast should approach any task of Heroic difficulty with extreme caution and planning, as it is extremely unlikely that they will succeed otherwise. Climbing a rock face quickly in the middle of a blizzard is the type of Heroic action you may need to reconsider attempting until conditions are better unless you absolutely have to. |
| INHUMAN | -10 or worse | Inhuman tasks are those that your everyday mortals simply aren't expected to accomplish without the intervention of Fate on their behalf, a heaping helping of luck, and/or a level of skill and ability well beyond the average. Inhuman tasks generally require a lot of Working Together in large groups to even approach at a slow pace; you can climb Mount Everest in the worst weather possible if you have plenty of expert support, years of climbing experience, excellent equipment, patience, drive, and perhaps a little bit of luck. Likewise, inhumanly difficult tasks such as parrying a bullet can be accomplished by humans… with insanely complicated rigs and careful control of all variables, and the budget to hire the Mythbusters. |
| Armor Type | Armor Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leather Jacket | 2 | Typical biker's jacket with lots of zippers or a Watcher's scholarly jacket |
| Heavy Clothes | 2 | Designed to resist extremes of cold; -1 to Dex while worn. |
| Leather Armor | 3 | A standard leather overcoat, helmet, and arm and leg protectors. |
| Chain Mail | 8(4) | Second value is used against Bullet attacks. |
| Dermal Armor (Chainmail) | 8(4) | Second value is used against Bullet attacks |
| Dermal Armor (Kevlar) | 10(5) | Second value is used against Slash/stab attacks |
| Plate Armor | 12(6) | Second value is used against Bullet attacks |
| Bulletproof Vest | 10(5) | Second value is used against Slash/stab attacks |
| Combat Armor | 12 | Worn by combat soldiers and SWAT teams |
FULL DEFENSE: +3 to all defense actions; no attack actions allowed.
FULL OFFENSE: +2 to all attack actions; no defense actions allowed.
KNOCKED DOWN: -4 to all actions; no attack actions for one Turn.
MULTIPLE ACTIONS: -2 per action, cumulative; extra actions limited by Dexterity.
MULTIPLE OPPONENTS ON ONE TARGET: +1 per additional person; maximum +4.
SHORT RANGE: no modifier.
MEDIUM RANGE: -1 to hit.
LONG RANGE: -3 to hit.