OOC: Character setup & discussion

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Q.Q Elf
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OOC: Character setup & discussion

#1 Post by Q.Q Elf »

This thread is for talking about character generation.

Here's the online character generator, for your reference.
http://darkliquid.co.uk/playground/numenera/

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Mister-Kent
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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#2 Post by Mister-Kent »

Here's the first one I'm trying out, made with the playground. Other Foci I considered were "Fuses Flesh and Steel" and "Works the Back Alleys". The jack is attractive to me, because I'm interested in trying the glaive-nano hybrid version of it, as opposed to the straight thief.

I am a Mutant Jack who Crafts Unique Objects

Pools
Might (Edge: 0)
11 + -
Speed (Edge: 0)
12 + -
Intellect (Edge: 0)
13 + -

Skills
Training in one task of your choosing (not attack/defense)
Trained in creating 2 types of items
Trained in identifying the function of any kind of device
Abilities
Practiced With Light and Medium Weapons
Flex Skill
Two Tricks of the Trade from: Bash, Hedge Magic, Pierce, Practiced in Armour, Skill With Defense, Thrust, Trained Without Armour, Combat Ruse, Decipher, Gather Rumours, Rope Trick, Sabotage, Tracer, Vision

Equipment
Clothing
Two weapons
Light Armour
An explorer's pack
A pack of light tools
Two cyphers (chosen for you by the GM)
One oddity (chosen for you by the GM)
A bag of light tools
Tools required to make the two kinds of items you know how to make
Any normal level 1 or 2 item you are able to make
An oddity chosen by the GM

Other Details
Notes
Further adjust your stat pools according to the specific mutations you choose
Add 1 to any stat pool's Edge
Pick another character. They start with an extra item of mundane equipment you made for them.
Shins
You have 8 shins to spend.
Cyphers
You can bear up to 2 cyphers.

References
Mutant
Numenera Rulebook pg. 123
Jack
Numenera Rulebook pg. 40, Players Guide pg. 28, Numenera Character Options pg. 14
Crafts Unique Objects
Numenera Rulebook pg. 58, Players Guide pg. 44
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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#3 Post by Q.Q Elf »

Alright... lots of concepts there.

Cyphers are single-use items that give you specific effects. You're limited in the amount of Cyphers you can carry (otherwise, bad stuff (tm) will happen), but the point is to use them... and then I give you more. Cypher examples... a pill that cures poison, a device that causes stuff to explode, a belt that projects a force field for a limited amount of time.

Oddities are numenera that are multi-use, but have no obvious & glaring use in a game. A crystal that hums when you touch it, a pair of shoes that never gets dirty & keeps your feet always dry, a bracelet that makes you immune from getting pregnant while worn.

As for "level 1" or "level 2" object... "level 1" objects are simple things to craft, like a torch or a serviceable war club. "level 2" objects are non-trivial to produce (but still not impossible to make), like an arrow or a simple shelter. A bow is level 3, a sword is level 4, an oddity would be at least level 5. So an extra level 1 or level 2 object isn't that complex.

As for "types" of objects... the book lists a few skills, and I think "type" of object could correspond to the kinds of skills Monte lists in the book (page 107, for those following along). They correspond to D&D skills, I think. Armorsmith, weaponsmith, glass blowing, Bowyer/Fletcher, carpentry and/or woodcraft, stonemason, blacksmith, leatherworker, etc.

...

Mutant... will have negative connotations in the Steadfast. In the Beyond, not so much... but your character will be with people from the Steadfast.
You get a choice (one of the following).
  • 2 beneficial mutations (random)
  • 3 beneficial mutations (random) plus 1 harmful mutation (random)
  • 1 powerful mutation (random) plus 1 harmful mutation (random)

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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#4 Post by thesniperknight1 »

I am a Weird Nano who Controls Gravity

Pools
Might (Edge: 0)
9 + -

Speed (Edge: 0)
11 + -

Intellect (Edge: 1)
15 + -

Skills

Trained in numenera knowledge
Inability at pleasant social interactions
Training in understanding and identifying numenera

Abilities

Sense for the Weird: At GM discretion weird things related to numenera or it's effects call out to you. You can sense them when within long range and if they are dangerous or not
Practiced With Light Weapons
Two Esoteries from the following: Hedge Magic, Onslaught, Push, Scan, Ward,

Equipment

Clothing
One weapons: Buzzer
A book about the Numenera
Three cyphers (chosen for you by the GM)
One oddity (chosen for you by the GM)
Pen-sized oddity that displays the weight of objects it is pointed at in symbols only you can read

Other Details

Background:
Davorin Urthadar is an orphan that comes from The City of Bridges in the Sea Kingdom of Ghan. From an early age he felt that he was different from the rest, when he looked at the air, he can communicate with small particles within the air using what he acknowledged as telepathy. At first he can only ask them to do minor things but slowly he became almost one with them (Psionics). His parents left him and his big sister Brehana to live by themselves after drowning in the unforgiven sea by the help of a heavy storm that sent their boat to the bottom of the ocean. Davorin was only 9 when it happened, and as his sister of 12 years old came to tell him he went out of control. The powers of controlling gravity within him awakened and went off the handle causing his sister her left eye and left him with an emotional scar for life, even though his sister never blamed him, he blamed himself with no end. His sister had to start working at the age of 12 in the docks to support herself and Davorin, even though people were opposed to a child working at first but she worked hard enough that people acknowledged her and she quickly built a reputation for being one of the youngest sailor.

Davorin lived the next 10 years in isolation hardly speaking to anyone but his sister and a few people who have become acquaintances with him somehow through weird circumstances or part time jobs. He spent most of his time next to the sea, first just to take his frustrations out but slowly he became infatuated with it because no matter how hard he tried to attack it with gravity the rest of the water gets in the way, he trained everyday with the sea as his enemy until he mastered his powers. He grew to enjoy the sea and everything about it in the end.

One day, he was coming back home and he overheard a conversation between his sister and a man who asked for her hand but she refused out of fear of alienating her young brother. At that moment, Davorin realised that all this time he has been holding back his sister as she was trying to play the role of the whole family for him. He wrote a long note thanking his sister and apologising for all the pain he caused, asking her to live her life to the full and assuring her that she doesn't need to worry anymore. He took no more than what he needed to survive and said goodbye to the sea as he left on his own journey.

Notes
Distinctive Physical Quirk: His right arm and left leg intermingled with nano particles making it shine bright blue and detached from the body.
Brehana Urthadar, his sister, lost her left eye when Davorin couldn't control his gravity powers
Shins
You have 4 shins to spend.
Cyphers
You can bear up to 3 cyphers.

References

Weird
Numenera Character Options, pg. 30
Nano
Numenera Rulebook pg. 32, Players Guide pg. 21, Numenera Character Options pg. 10
Controls Gravity
Numenera Rulebook pg. 56, Players Guide pg. 42
Last edited by thesniperknight1 on Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#5 Post by Q.Q Elf »

Cool. I would point out that the obvious gaps around the two characters would be social interaction (a weirdo and a mutant), and possibly physical tank (combat).

Otherwise, I need to take some time and flip through my PDF before I say more.

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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#6 Post by Q.Q Elf »

So... with Controls Gravity, the point is that your character has additional mobility & gains more at higher tiers. In any case, it shouldn't be difficult to engage this during the adventure.

Your Weird quirk... I think it needs to be a physical feature, not just an action. It sets your character apart in an obvious way, and not just in situations where he would be uncomfortable (and snap his fingers). This would be a "Distinctive Mutation" per the corebook, even if it's not strictly a genetic mutation.

Between your Weird character & Mister-Kent's Mutant, I think we'll necessarily push the mutant prejudice angle at some point.

...

Anyway, we still need 1 or 2 more players. I'll keep advertising. There's more I can say about your options, but I guess we'll just leave it as is for now.

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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#7 Post by thesniperknight1 »

how about the skin in his right hand and left leg is intermingled with nano particles making it shine blue. Would that be a distinctive mutation? And if it is, should I delete the original quirk?

Also, the use of Gravity, do I just stick with the specific uses listed or can I make use of it by creating my own attacks or uses. Such as create a gravitational field around an enemy to pull all projectiles towards them? or simply make a speed based enemy hover to make him lose his footing?
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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#8 Post by Q.Q Elf »

thesniperknight1 wrote:how about the skin in his right hand and left leg is intermingled with nano particles making it shine blue. Would that be a distinctive mutation? And if it is, should I delete the original quirk?

In general, yes, shining blue skin would be a distinctive mutation... but the details need to be worked out. It has to be Weird, in a disturbing way (partly to justify why your character is so awkward in social situations). The book says things like "a third eye on the side of your head", or "your arms don't actually connect to your body", or "you have no nose".

So, maybe the shining light patters resemble insects or spiders or maggots that move along the surface of the blue skin (but don't actually do anything else except look disgusting to people). Does that make sense?

You can get rid of the original quirk if you like.
thesniperknight1 wrote:Also, the use of Gravity, do I just stick with the specific uses listed or can I make use of it by creating my own attacks or uses. Such as create a gravitational field around an enemy to pull all projectiles towards them? or simply make a speed based enemy hover to make him lose his footing?
I think Gravity can be used as the descriptor for your Onslaught esoterie (which is an offensive "spell"), which is similar to other abilities like Bears a Halo of Fire (everything is based on Fire).

So you don't need to stick to specific uses. Try to work the Gravity control into your descriptions of what your character does. It should color everything that your Nano does in the game. Does that make sense?

(Ha. I just noticed that the rulebook example for a Nano is Shanna's "Graceful Nano who Rides the Lightning". That must be her thing.)

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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#9 Post by thesniperknight1 »

got it, thanks :)
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Re: OOC: Character setup & discussion

#10 Post by Q.Q Elf »

Mister-Kent wrote:Here's the first one I'm trying out, made with the playground. Other Foci I considered were "Fuses Flesh and Steel" and "Works the Back Alleys". The jack is attractive to me, because I'm interested in trying the glaive-nano hybrid version of it, as opposed to the straight thief.
As you can see, Crafts Unique Objects doesn't start off the strongest, but it gains power later as a prime user of cyphers and artifacts. (an "any class" focus)

Fuses Flesh and Steel makes you a cyborg, a construct, or some other biomechanical being. This is also in-game license for me to introduce NPCs that choose to discriminate against your character. Otherwise, it's consistently strong. (also an "any class" focus)

Works the Back Alleys is the thief. (mostly Jacks and Glaives).
Two Tricks of the Trade from: Bash, Hedge Magic, Pierce, Practiced in Armour, Skill With Defense, Thrust, Trained Without Armour, Combat Ruse, Decipher, Gather Rumours, Rope Trick, Sabotage, Tracer, Vision
Ok.

Bash, Pierce, and Thrust are combat moves for blunt, ranged, and slashing weapons (respectively).

Hedge Magic is the ability to use nanotechnology manipulation to do small tricks and abilities. Cleaning a small area, changing the color of an object, heating up cold food.

Practiced in Armor. Armor gets tiring to wear, and this reduces the penalty to wear armor.

Trained without Armor. This makes you Trained for Speed defense checks.

(I'll comment on the others later)

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