GURPS Character Creation: Just the Basics! Part 7B

Okay! Welcome back, Gamelings!

We are nearing the home stretch here.

Speaking of stretching, you should do that. Muscle cramps are the worst!

Alright! Let's hit this thing head on! We're almost done!

Missile Weapon (DX/Varies)

Default: Special

This is a collection of skills (one per class of missile weapons). Missile Weapon skills are based on DX, and default to DX-4 if Easy, DX-5 if Average, or DX-6 if Hard.

Gunner:

Beams/lasers (Easy)

Cannon (Easy)

Machine Gun (Easy)

Guns:
Light Anti-Armor Weapon L.A.W. (Easy)

Pistol (Easy)

Rifle (Easy)

Shotgun (Easy)

Submachine Gun (Easy)

Flamethrowers:
Flamethrower (Easy)

Other:
Blowpipe (DX/Hard)

Bow (DX/Average)

Crossbow (DX/Easy)

Natural Sciences/TL (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This skill is the knowledge of sciences such as biology, astronomy, Geology, Chemistry, etc. If you can think of a science that you believe fits this skill, talk to your GM and let them decide. 

Naturalist (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This is basically your knowledge of the land and it's plant life and wildlife. You know which plants are poisonous, which are tasty, and which ones turn your tongue purple!

Navigation/TL (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

You can navigate your way through any terrain using maps, instruments, etc. Various types of Navigation include: Sea, Air, Land, Space, and Hyperspace. A successful roll tells you where you are or lets you plot a course.

Observation (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill lets you observe interesting or dangerous situations without being seen.

Occultism (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill is the study of the mysterious and supernatural.

Photography/TL (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to use a camera competently and to produce recognizable and attractive photos.

Physician/TL (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-7

The ability lets you treat the ill and injured and prescribe medication and care. Make a skill roll to hasten natural recovery from injury and whenever the GM requires a roll to test general medical competence or knowledge.

Pickpocket (DX/Hard)

Default: DX-6

This skill lets you steal things off of someone's person or plant something on them without them noticing.

Public Speaking (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill gives you a general natural talent with spoken word.

Research/TL (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill is the ability to be a successful bookworm and library regular. Roll against skill to find a useful piece of data in an appropriate place of research if the information is there to be found.

Riding (DX/Average)

Default: DX-5

This skill gives you the ability to ride a specific kind of mount. Make a skill roll when you first try to mount a riding animal, and again each time something happens to frighten or challenge the creature.

Scrounging (IQ/Easy)

Default: IQ-4

This is the ability to find, salvage, or improvise useful items that others can’t locate. Each attempt takes an hour.

Search (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill gives you the ability to search in, on, under, and around areas to find things that aren't in plain sight. The GM rolls once per item of interest. For deliberately concealed items, this is a Quick Contest of your Search skill vs. the Holdout or Smuggling skill used to hide the item. If you fail, the GM simply says, “You found nothing.”

Shadowing (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill gives you the ability to follow a person through a crowd without being seen. Roll a Quick Contest every 10 minutes: your Shadowing vs. the subject’s Vision roll. If you lose, you lost the subject; if you lose by more than 5, you were seen.

Shield (DX/Easy)

Default: DX-4

This is the ability to use a shield, both to block and to attack.

Social Sciences (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

Each Social Science (Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, etc.) is it's own skill so add them separately.

Smuggling (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to conceal items in baggage and vehicles.Roll against skill to hide an item from casual inspection. In an active search, the searchers must win a Quick Contest of Search vs. your Smuggling skill to find the item.

Stealth (DX/Average)

Defaults: DX-5

This skill lets you go practically anywhere without being seen or heard. A successful roll lets you conceal yourself practically anywhere, or move so quietly that nobody will hear you, or follow someone without being noticed.

Survival (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to live off the land, find safe food and water, avoid hazards, build shelter, etc. To live safely in a wilderness situation, you must make a successful Survival roll once per day. Failure inflicts 2d-4 injury on you and anyone in your care.

Swimming (HT/Easy)

Default: HT-4

This is your ability to stay afloat in emergency situations or skill in traversing the watery terrain. Roll against the higher of Swimming or HT to avoid fatigue or injury due to aquatic misfortunes.

Tactics (IQ/Hard)

Default: IQ-6

This is the ability to outguess and outmaneuver the enemy in small-unit or personal combat. On a success, you start the fight in an advantageous position as determined by the GM.

Throwing (DX/Average)

Default: DX-3

This is the ability to throw any small, relatively smooth object that fits in the palm of your hand.

Thrown Weapon (DX/Easy)

Default: DX-4

Axe/Mace

Knife

Shuriken

Spear

Tracking (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the skill that allows you to follow an animal or man by the tracks they leave or the plants that they disturb. Make a Tracking roll to pick up the trail, then roll every 15 minutes to avoid losing it, at a modifier ranging from 0 for soft terrain to -6 for city streets.

Traps/TL (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill enables you to build and safely nullify traps!

Vehicle Skills (DX/Varies)

Default: Varies

Vehicle skills default to DX at -4 (easy), -5 (average), or -6 (hard); motor vehicles also default to IQ, at similar penalties.

Available types:

Bicycling (DX/Easy)

Boating (DX/Average)

Driving (DX/Average)

Piloting (DX/Average)

Submarine (DX/Average)

Writing (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This skill means that you can write in a clear or entertaining manner. A successful roll

means the work is readable and accurate.

Guess what, buddies! 

We made it! We did it!

It drove us all a bit batty for a while...

But it's done now!

Now all you have to do is buy your armor, weapons, and whatever else you want to carry with you on your journey! 

I will create a masterpost and link to all of the tutorials part 1-7B!
Just search for "Masterpost" in the search bar over our Instagram feed.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with me!

GURPS Character Creation: Just the Basics! Part 7A

Howdy doody, gamelings, and thank you for taking a break from your Pokemon Go to read this!

This is our 7th (and LAST) installation Part A of GURPS Character Creation: Just the Basics!
This would be, by far, the longest post to date...So I am splitting it into two posts.



Let's dive right in, shall we?
(Remember: If any skill seems to fit your character or catch your interest, write it down (WITH ALL OF THE INFO) so that you can add it to your character sheet later!

Alright, here we go.

I will write them out in this format: "Name/TL (base/difficulty)" Then I will add the default info (when available) and I will write a short blurb telling you about it.

Acrobatics (DX/Hard)

Default: DX-6
This is the ability to perform gymnastics, stunts, parkour, etc.

Acting (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to fake moods, emotions, and voices, and to lie convincingly over a period of time.

Animal Handling (IQ/Average)

Default: IQ-5

This is the ability to train or work with animals. You must roll against the skill for every command you give the animal.

Area Knowledge (IQ/Easy)

Default: IQ-4

This is just how well you know the people, places, and things in a particular area. It is usually only applied to your "home base".

Armoury/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to craft, modify, and/or repair a certain class of weapons or armor. Your first successful roll lets you identify the problem (if it isn't glaringly obvious) and a second one lets you repair it.

Brawling (DX/Easy)
Default: None
This is your unarmed combat. Roll against Brawling for a punch and roll against Brawling-2 for a kick.

Camouflage (IQ/Easy)
Default: IQ-4
You can hid yourself and your stuff really well! You know how to use whatever is available near you to make yourself blend in to any surrounding.

Carousing (HT/Easy)
Default: HT-4
This is your ability to get your party on! Succeed a Carousing roll, under the right circumstances, and you could get a +2 bonus on a request for aid, information, or a general reaction. A failed roll means you made a fool of yourself; you get a -2 penalty on any reaction roll made by those you caroused with.

Climbing (DX/Average)
Default: DX-5
This is your ability to climb just about anything, you monkey you!

Computer Operation/TL (IQ/Easy)
Default: IQ-4
This is your ability to use a computer to do basically anything (much like you are doing right this very moment! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUN)!!! Of course this is dependent on Tech Level. Jack the ripper couldn't use a computer (thank goodness).


Computer Programming/TL (IQ/Hard)
Default: None
This is the ability to write and debug computer software. You MUST roll to write, debug, or figure out a program.

Crewman/TL (IQ/Easy)
Default: IQ-4
This is the ability to serve as a member of the crew of a large vehicle of some sort. This skill includes familiarity with “shipboard life,” knowledge of safety measures, and training in damage control.


Criminology/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is you getting you CSI or NCIS on! You study crimes and criminals! Make a skill roll! If you succeed, the roll allows you to find and interpret clues, guess how criminals might behave, etc.

Diagnosis/TL (IQ/Hard)
Default: IQ-6
This is the ability to tell what is wrong with a sick or injured person, or what killed a dead person through hints or ruling out impossibilities.

Disguise/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is you getting your cosplay on! This skill is using clothing, makeup, prosthetics, etc. to make yourself look, feel, and sound like another person. A good disguise requires a Disguise roll
and 30 minutes to an hour of preparation.


Electronics Operation/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This skill lets you use electronic equipment. Make a skill roll in an emergency situation or for “abnormal” use of equipment.


Electronics Repair/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This lets you figure out and fix what is wrong with specific electronic equipment.

Engineer/TL (IQ/Hard)
Default: None
This skill lets you design and build technological devices. If you make a successful roll, you design a new system, diagnose a glitch, identify the purpose of a strange device, or improvise a gadget to solve a problem. If you fail the roll then you...well... don't do any of that.

Environment Suit/TL (DX/Average)
Default: DX-5
This is training in the use of a specific class of protective suit.
Battlesuit/TL: All kinds of powered battle armor and exoskeletons.
Diving Suit/TL: All types of hard diving suits.
NBC Suit/TL: All forms of hazardous materials gear.
Vacc Suit/TL: Any kind of spacesuit.

Escape (DX/Hard)
Default: DX-6
This is your ability to Houdini your way out of pretty much any situation. Your first attempt takes 1 minute. Each attempt after the first takes 10 minutes!

Explosives/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
You can work with explosives! This includes the ability to set up, disarm, and dispose of bombs and other explosives.


First Aid/TL (IQ/Easy)
Default: IQ-4
This is your ability to give medical attention in the field. Make a skill roll to halt bleeding, suck out poison, give artificial respiration to a drowning victim, etc.

Forgery/TL (IQ/Hard)
Default: IQ-6
This is the ability to create fake official documents such as ID Cards, Passports, Birth Certificate, Building permits, etc. When you use a forged document, make your Forgery roll each time it is inspected – unless you roll a critical success on your first attempt. Failure means someone spots the forgery.

Gambling (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to play, and succeed, at games of chance! A successful Gambling roll can (among other things) tell you if a game is rigged, identify a fellow gambler in a group of strangers, or “estimate the odds” in any tricky situation.

Hiking (HT/Average)
Default: HT-5
This is how long and far you can travel by foot! Make a Hiking roll before each day’s march; on a success, increase the distance traveled by 20%.

Holdout (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to hide items on you or someone with you (most of the time with their permission). An item’s size and shape govern its concealability, from +4 (BB-sized jewel or a postage stamp) to -6 (crossbow or a heavy sniper rifle).

Humanities (IQ/Hard)
Default: IQ-6
All Arts or Humanities (History, Literature, Philosophy, Theology, etc.) are their own separate skill so go ahead and add whichever ones you'd like.

Influence Skills (Varies)
Default: Varies

Diplomacy (IQ/Hard):
Default: IQ-6
Negotiation and compromise.

Fast-Talk (IQ/Average): 
Default IQ-5
Lying and deceit.

Intimidation (IQ/Average):
Default: IQ-5
Threats and violence.

Savoir-Faire (IQ/Easy):
Default IQ-4
Manners and etiquette. Mainly useful in “high society” situations.

Sex Appeal (HT/Average):
Default: HT-3
Vamping and seduction, usually of the opposite sex.

Streetwise (IQ/Average):
Default: IQ-5
Contacts and subtle intimidation. Only useful in “street” and criminal situations.


Interrogation (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to question a prisoner! Roll Interrogation vs. the prisoner’s Will for each question. Each question requires 5 minutes. If you succeed, you get a truthful answer. If you tie or lose, the prisoner either says nothing or lies to you. If you fail the roll by more than five points, they tell you a good, believable lie!

Jumping (DX/Easy)
Default: None
This skill represents trained jumping ability.


Karate (DX/Hard)
Default: None
This skill represents any advanced training at unarmed striking, not just the martial art of karate.
Roll against Karate to hit with a punch (at no -4 for the “off” hand), or Karate-2 to hit with a kick.

Law (IQ/Hard)
Default: IQ-6
This skill is your knowledge of laws and codes of the places you are travelling to or through. A successful roll lets you remember, deduce, or figure out the answer to a question about the law.

Leadership (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to lead a group of people. Make a Leadership roll to lead NPCs into a dangerous or stressful situation.

Lockpicking/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your ability to open locks without a combination or key. Each try requires one minute. If you succeed the roll, each point over your success takes 5 seconds off of the required time.

Mathematics/TL (IQ/Hard)
Default: IQ-6
This skill makes you good with numbers and measurements!

Mechanic/TL (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
You are able to diagnose and/or repair any mechanical object. A successful skill
roll will let you find or repair one problem.

Melee Weapon (DX/Varies)
Default: Special

This is a group of skills (one for each weapon type). Melee Weapon skills are based on DX, and default to DX-4 if Easy, DX-5 if Average, or DX-6 if Hard.

Fencing Weapons
Rapier (Average)
Smallsword (Average)

Flails
Flail including morningstars and nunchaku (Hard)

Impact Weapons
Axe/Mace (Average)

Pole Weapons
Polearm (Average)
Spear (Average)
Staff (Average)

Swords
Broadsword (Average)
Knife (Easy)
Shortsword (Average)
Two-Handed Sword (Average)

Merchant (IQ/Average)
Default: IQ-5
This is your skill in buying, selling, and trading goods.



Okay. Intermission time. Go grab a bite to eat, a drink, a nap, etc. and meet me back here in a few for Part 7B: The Final Creation.

GURPS Character Creation: Just the Basics! Part 6

Welcome back, Gamelings!
We're almost done creating our character!!

How super exciting is that?

Today we will focus on Quirks and some information on Skills.

So grab a snack, some caffeine, and a comfy chair.
This might take a while.

Let's start with 

Quirks...
Quirks are small, strange personality traits that are neither advantages or disadvantages.
Example: Gluttony is a disadvantage; but if you can only eat or drink something if it is the color indigo, that's a quirk.

You can have up to 5 quirks at -1 points each.
A mental quirk is seen as a personality trait and must either require you to make a decision, require a certain action, or limit your actions/ give you a small penalty.

Mental quirks, though minor,  MUST be played! If you are scared of spiders and go rolling in a pit of tarantulas, what are you even doing? The GM WILL penalize you for bad roleplaying.
Follow the rules.

A physical quirk does not HAVE to be roleplayed (although it is much more fun that way) but it does give you minor penalties in play.

Skills:
Skills are certain things you are knowledgeable in (kung fu, chemistry, cooking, etc.). Your character, in order to stand out from every other character in the game world should have a particular set of skills.

You will start your campaign with a few skills and can acquire more through training as the campaign continues! Your skills are measured in skill levels. 

Let's say that you have LiamNeeson-16 (Note: This is not a real skill...unfortunately), that means that your LiamNeeson skill is at level 16. 

(That's a pretty high LiamNeeson)

When it is time to make a move, you (or the GM) will roll 3d against the level of the appropriate skill modified for the situation. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your skill level, you succeed!
Congratulations!

But a roll of 17 or 18 is always a failure so, there's that. 

Skills (Controlling attributes):

Each skill is based off of a controlling attribute. 

There are 4 types of skill bases:
ST-based: Skills only depending on your brute strength. These are fairly rare skills.

DX-based: These skills rely on coordination, speed, and agility.
IQ-based: These skills require intelligence, creativity, and reasoning.
HT-based: These skills rely on just how physically fit you are.

Skills (Difficulty Level):

Just like in the real world, some skills take more time, study, and practice to master. The more time/study/practice that a skill requires, the harder the difficulty level is and the more points you must spend to achieve it.

Easy: These are skills that pretty much anyone can do given a short learning period.

Average: These are skills used by people every day at work, at home, in social situations, and even in combat.

Hard: These are skills that require intensive formal training.

Skills (Tech Level):

Some skills are different or evolve depending on the tech level. Those skills must be learned at your tech level or lower. (Higher Tech Level skills can be learned in game but only if you have a teacher and the skill is not IQ-based).
YOU MUST NOTE THE TECH LEVEL ON YOUR CHARACTER SHEET WITH THE SKILL!
Example: If you have navigation/TL2, you can chart the stars and whatnot... However, if you have navigation/TL8, you would just get on your phone, click GoogleMaps (or the equivalent) and use that for your GPS.

Skills (Buying):

In order to learn or improve skills, you have to spend character points... That is just the way things work. The point cost of a certain skill depends on 2 things:
The difficulty level

+
the final skill level you want to be at.

Here is a handy-dandy chart found in the GURPS Lite book to help you out!

Let's say that you are learning an IQ-based skill and your IQ is at 12. Let's also say that you wish to end up at IQ+2 and the difficulty is hard. That means that your point cost will be 12.

Skills (Defaults):
Most skills will have a default level. This is the level that you can TRY to do it if you have had no training whatsoever. If a skill has a default level, everyone can do it!
It's like an exclusive club... but with everyone... and not a club.
A skill USUALLY defaults to its controlling attribute (ST, DX, IQ, or HT) at -4 if Easy, -5 if Average, or -6 if Hard.
If a skill has NO default level, it is far too complex. It requires training!

If your skill's basic attribute is higher than 20, you must treat that attribute as a 20 when figuring out the default skill level. (Even if your character is superhuman.)
Only individuals from a society where a skill is known may attempt a default roll against that skill.
As an example, let's say your skill is snowshoeing... if you came from an area similar to the Sahara desert, you do not get to attempt a default roll. What do you know about snow?
Nothing.
That's what.
Not a darn thing.

Alright folks.
That will be it for this post!
Our next post will be the ENTIRE LIST of skills...

The Chronicles of Darkness - Character Creation Continued, Skills/Derived Traits

Welcome back folks to the second installment of our character creation seminar, or… post.

Needs more darkness

In our first entry, we went over the background of the World of Darkness and got our Attributes sorted out. This time around, we’re going to get into Skills and Derived Traits.

Skills are exactly what it says on the box. Each one determines how well your character does in a certain field. There are also Skill Specializations, which further augment those abilities.

Similar to how we decided how to allocate our attributes, we choose a Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary category of skills, between Physical, Mental, and Social. Only, this time, we get eleven skill points in Primary, seven points in Secondary, and four in Tertiary.

Gotta have priorities

The skills are pretty simple themselves!

Physical – Athletics, Brawl, Drive, Firearms, Larceny, Stealth, Survival, Weaponry

Mental – Academics, Computer, Crafts, Investigation, Medicine, Occult, Politics, Science

Social – Animal Ken, Empathy, Expression, Intimidation, Persuasion, Socialize, Streetwise, Subterfuge

Many of these are self-explanatory, for example, Firearms determines your skill with guns and the like, while Academics shows how educated you are. Some are a little more nuanced, like Crafts, which covers all crafting from carpentry to soldering electronics, to even basket weaving.

One main difference from before is that Skills start at 0, where Attributes started at 1.

Everyone's got a passion

 If you decide that you want a skill at 5 dots (to show that your character is world-renowned for his/her ability to do the thing) the fifth dot costs an additional skill point (only at creation) for a total of 6 points. This will make the character super specialized, but weak in other areas.

Once your skills dots are allocated, you then choose three skill specializations to give to one or more skills you have dots in. For example, an MMA fighter that put three or four dots in Brawl may want Muay Thai and Grappling as two different Brawl Specializations, and put his third one into Intense for Intimidate. The Specializations are meant to be specific, not broad, so a Firearms Specialization in Guns isn’t appropriate, but one in Pistols is. What’s appropriate for your character or not is up to a discussion between you and your Storyteller. Each specialization gives you an effective additional dot in that skill for the purpose of that specific thing.

Will Smith knows all

Your skills come into play when trying to do things covered by that skill, combined with an appropriate attribute. For example, the aforementioned MMA fighter tries to grab an opponent. He would a number of d10s equal to his Strength plus his Brawl, adding his Grapple Specialization. Let’s say he has a Strength of 3 and a Brawl of 4, which would total 8 dice. Then you would subtract the Defense of the opponent (explained later in this post,) which we’ll say is a 3, bringing his dice down to 5. Rolling those 5 dice, he gets 5 6 9 4 2. Any die that comes up with an 8 or higher is considered a success, so for this purpose, he gets the grab. Some rolls may have a required number of successes to actually succeed. For instance, trying to hack into a fairly secure computer may require 3 successes to complete instead of 1.


This is what a veteran sheet looks like

*For supernatural characters only!*
You add the supernatural template (explained in later posts) before determining derived traits!


Don't tell your mortal friends

Now, on to our derived traits. They are called derived traits because they are determined by other dots on your sheet.

The first is your Health boxes, which is determined by your Stamina dots plus your character’s Size (almost always 5 for an adult human). Our MMA fighter is pretty tough, so his Stamina is 4, giving him 9 total Health boxes.

Next, we have Willpower, which you get from your Resolve plus your Composure. Willpower is used to augment your dice pools, and is refreshed by your Virtue and your Vice (details in a later post.)

Now, we have Speed, which is your characters Size (again, usually 5) plus their Strength and Dexterity. This determines how far they can run in a single turn of combat (3 seconds)

Then, your Defense. This is what you use to dodge attacks coming at you. You use the *lower* of your Wits or Dexterity.

Finally, your Initiative modifier. At the start of combat, each character rolls a d10 and adds their initiative modifier to that roll. The Initiative modifier is your Wits plus your Composure. Whoever has the highest Initiative score after the roll goes first in a fight.

As the dots on your sheet change, so do these. For instance, if you get another dot of Dexterity, you change your Speed, Defense, and Initiative to match!

The Rock may or may not return

Next time, we’ll talk about Merits and start talking about the different types of Supernaturals!

GURPS Character Creation: Just the Basics! Part 5

Ladies and gentlemen,
Boys and girls,
GAMELINGS!

We have come to the Disadvantage (disad) post of our character creation tutorial series.

"What is the definition of a disadvantage?"

Well the GURPS manual defines a disadvantage as:

"a problem or imperfection that renders you less capable than

your attributes, advantages, and skills

would indicate."

"Why would I want to give my character disadvantages?"
Well other than REALISM...
Disadvantages have negative point costs!

That means that you get more points to put into your character elsewhere!

The GM will usually put a cap on the disadvantages you can give your character.

A good rule of thumb for GMs is 50% of the total point cost.

Example: If the total character point allowance is 80 points and your GM has set the disad limit at 50%, you get -40 points for disads!

Other restrictions on disads would be:

Negated Disadvantages: 

You cannot take a disadvantage that one of your advantages would negate! 

Example: you have Acute Hearing, you cannot also have Hard of Hearing.

Villain Disadvantages: 

Some disads are just not "hero" material. I mean, a hero with Intolerance isn't much of a hero at all.  The GM is free to deny them to characters. They are, however, found in villain characters.

Some mental disads don’t affect you all of the time those disads give you a chance to control your urges. These will be marked with a "*". In circumstances likely to trigger your problem, roll 3d against a target number of 12. A roll

of 12 or less means you succeed and shrugoff your urge. A roll of 13 or higher means you fail and suffer its effects! 

This is a self-control roll. 

You never have to roll!
It’s actually good roleplaying (and a heck of a lot more interesting) to give in willingly.

Alright, brace yourselves...
it's time for the list of disadvantages...

Bad Sight:

You have bad eyesight. This gives you a -6 to vision rolls and a -2 to your hit in combat. If the campaign (or your character) is at a tech level high enough to correct it (with glasses or contact lenses) this disad costs -10 character points. If your tech level is too low to correct it, it costs -25!

*Bad Temper:
You are not in control of your emotions! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! In any stressful situation you must make a self-control roll. If you fail the roll, you must insult, attack, or act out against the cause of the stress. This is -10 points!

*Bloodlust:
You want your enemies dead.

DEAD dead.
No matter what...
Dead.
This means that all, or the majority of your attacks must be killing blows and you will put in extra shots just to make sure you have really killed them.
Whenever you are in any situation with your enemy (accepting surrender, taking a prisoner, waiting behind them in line at Starbucks while they take forever figuring out what they want) you must roll a self-control roll. If you fail the roll, you try to kill them... even if that means breaking the law, compromising stealth, wasting ammo, violating orders, or pouring insane amounts of boiling-hot coffee down their throats. The chance to go ballistic in your friendly neighborhood Starbucks costs -10 points.

Code of Honor:
This is a personal "code" of ethics that you stick to. The specifics can vary but the intentions must be "Honorable". 

An informal code that applies only among your peers is worth -5 points. 

A formal code that applies only among peers, or an informal one that applies all the time, is worth -10 points. 

A formal Code that applies all the time, or that requires suicide if broken, is worth -15 points.

*Curious:
Now, everyone is a little bit curious. A normal character might ask questions like, "Where does this hallway lead?" or  "What is that light up ahead?" But you? No. That simply won't do. You ask the real questions like, "What does this mildly poisonous plant taste like?" and "Is the fur on this angry lion's nose softer than the fur on it's tail?" You can make a self-control roll. If you fail, you investigate even though you KNOW it could be very dangerous and potentially deadly. (Again, you never HAVE to roll... just keep things interesting and assume that you are gonna pet that hangry lion on the nose.) This costs -5 points

Delusions:
You believe a few things that are just not true...at...all.

There are a couple of levels of just how delusional you really are:

A Minor Delusion affects your behavior, and anyone around you will soon notice it (and react at -1), but it does not keep you from functioning more-or-less normally. -5 points.

A Major Delusion strongly affects your behavior, but does not keep you from living a fairly normal life. Others will react to you at -2. -10 points.

A Severe Delusion affects your behavior so much that it may keep you from functioning in the everyday world. Others react to you at -3, but they are more likely to fear or pity you than to attack. -15 points.

*Gluttony:
Good food and drink are the true loves of your life. You must ALWAYS have an abundance of them in your stores. If you are presented with a piece of food or drink that you should (or NEED to) resist, you can make a self-control roll. If you fail, you gobble it down despite the consequences. This costs -5 points.

*Greed:
You lust for wealth. You will literally do anything to obtain it.Whenever riches are offered (even if it's a trap) you can make a self-control roll. If you fail, you might almost die, but you got that gold, dammit! Small sums do not tempt you as much if you are already rich, but if you are poor you will pretty much chew your arm off to get those riches! Good for you...
This costs -15 points.

Hard of Hearing:
You're not deaf but you have some hearing loss.
I SAID, "YOU'RE NOT DEAF BUT YOU HAVE SOME HEARING LOSS!"
You have -4 on any hearing roll or any roll where it is imperative that you understand someone.
Go ahead and take that -10 points while you walk into that cave that we told you not to go into.

*Honesty:

You must obey the law, and do your best to get others to do so as well. In a lawless area, you do not get to just go crazy. You act as though the laws of your own home were in force. You also assume that others are honest and good unless you know otherwise.

Make a self-control roll whenever you are faced with the choice to break an unreasonable law. If you fail, you MUST obey the law no matter what the consequences. If you succeed, you break the law but must roll a self-control roll afterward. If the second roll is failed, you must turn yourself over to the authorities with haste. This little lovely bit of glory will get you -10 points.

*Impulsiveness:

You have no patience for thinking it out or conversation. You are a doer! If you are alone, you just act without putting thought into anything. If you are a part of a larger group and you MUST talk it through, you do so quickly and get to the action. Make a self-control roll whenever it would be BEST to wait, think, or talk it out. If you fail, you MUST act immediately. This bit of fun will cost -10 points.

Intolerance:

You dislike, distrust, and have a general prejudice against someone, someones, or anyone and everyone!
Other players or NPCs will react at -1 to -5 depending on just how much of a prick you are (This is up to the GM, of course).

Thoroughly intolerant you react at -3 toward anyone not of your own class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or species (pick one). Total Intolerance of this kind is worth -10 points.

Specific Intolerance aimed at one particular class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, or species is worth from -5 points (commonly encountered victim) to -1 point (are victim).

Jealousy:
You have to be the very best
Like no one ever was

Ahem... Sorry...
You get super upset if anyone seems better than you in any way! You reject any plans made by someone "better" than you and hate when they are the center of attention. If an NPC is jealous, the GM will apply a reaction penalty of -2 to -4 toward the people the NPC is jealous of. This will get you -10 points.

*Lecherousness:
You hit on everyone and everything.You can't help it. You even spout a few lines at yourself in the mirror. Make a self-control roll whenever you are near (for more than a passing moment) a member of the sex that your character finds attractive.
If the other person is Handsome/Beautiful you get -5 slapped onto that roll.
If the other person is Very Handsome/Very Beautiful you get -10 slapped onto the roll.
All of this debauchery costs -15 points.

*Obsession:
Your life has one mission and you will not rest until it is fulfilled!
Make a self-control roll whenever it would be BEST to deviate from your goal. If you fail, you must continue on your quest despite what that may mean for you, your party, and your campaign.
If your obsession is a Short-Term Goal, it costs -5 points.
If your obsession is a Long-Term Goal, it costs -10 points.

*Overconfidence:

You believe that you are far better at something than you really are. Make a self-control roll every time the GM thinks you are being too cautious. If you fail you MUST continue as if you are DEFINITELY able to handle the situation. Fake it til you make it, people!

You receive +2 to reaction rolls made by young or naive characters who believe you to be the superhero you think you are. However you receive -2 to reaction rolls made by people who know better. 

This all costs -5 points.

Pacifism:
You abhor and (attempt to) abstain from violence.
You are either:

Reluctant Killer: You get -4 to hit a person (only people) with a deadlyattack, or -2 if you can’t see his face. If you kill someone, roll 3d – you’re morose anduseless for that many days. -5 points.

One Who Cannot Harm Innocents: You may fight – you may even start fights – but you may only use deadly force on a foe that is attempting to do you serious harm. -10 points.

*Phobias:

A “phobia” is a fear. The more common an object or situation, the greater the point value is for a fear of it. If you have a phobia, you may only temporarily master it by making a successful self-control roll. Even if you master a phobia, you will be at -2 to all IQ, DX, and skill rolls while the cause of your fear is present, and you must roll again every 10 minutes to see if the fear overcomes you. If you fail the self-control roll, you will probably pee your pants and cry like a little baby. Heck, even the THREAT of the phobia requires a self-control roll at +4. 

Some common phobias are:

Blood (Hemophobia): -10 points.

Darkness (Scotophobia): -15 points.

Heights (Acrophobia): -10 points.

Number 13 (Triskaidekaphobia): Roll at

-5 if Friday the 13th is involved! -5 points.

Spiders (Arachnophobia): -5 points.

Sense of Duty:
You feel a strong commitment to a person or group of people. There is nothing that you won't do for them and you could NEVER abandon them. The point value is based on the size of the group your commitment is aimed at.

Individual: -2 points.

Small Group: -5 points.

Large Group: -10 points.

Entire Race: -15 points.

Every Living Being: -20 points.

*Truthfulness:
You cannot and WILL not tell a lie. Make a self-control roll whenever you must keep silent about something. Roll at -5 if you actually have to tell a lie! If you fail, you blurt out the truth. You have a permanent -5 to Fast-Talk skill, and your Acting skill is at -5 when your purpose is to deceive. This gets you -5 points.

Unluckiness:
Your party should probably leave you behind when they head into that casino. You have HORRIBLE luck! I'm talking "fall through a window into a pot of lemon juice and getting out to roll in salt" kind of luck. Once per play session, the GM will arbitrarily and maliciously make something go wrong for you. The GM is not allowed to kill you with "death by bad luck" but pretty much anything north of death is fair game! This crap-shoot is -10 points.

Vow:
I know what you are thinking...
Trust me.. I do..
"But a vow is a good thing, right?"
Suuuuuuuure. I mean... it CAN be...
But let's just say that your vow was to never ever in your entire life drink water until someone has had some first and, oh no, you're all alone. Guess who shrivels up and dies from being dehydrated. Yep. You! The GM is the final judge on point value but it is basically put on a scale of how inconvenient it is for you!

Minor Vow: Silence during daylight hours; vegetarianism; chastity; or something itty bitty like that.. -5 points.

Major Vow: Use no edged weapons; keep silence at all times; never sleep indoors; own no more than your horse can carry; or other semi-crazy vows. -10 points.

Great Vow: Never refuse any request for aid; always fight with the wrong hand; hunt a given foe until you destroy him; challenge every knight you meet to combat; or something else insane (here's looking at you Waterboy...).  -15 points

Hey.
Guess what.
You did it!
We made it through!
Now pick and choose which disads fit your character, throw them up onto your character sheet, gather up all of those extra points, spend 'em, and (as always) check with your GM!

Next time we will cover Quirks and some Skills.
(Skills will be broken up into 2 posts because hot damn there are a lot of them)

See you next time, Gamelings.
I need a nap!

The Wizards go Marching

Welcome to the Spiral

Creating a character in Wizard1o1

Today I will be talking with you about the wonders of character creation in Wizard101.

(all links will be provided at the end of the article)

Once we Create an account with KingsIsle (the development company), and install the game we shall open the game itself.

(this is the game launch screen)

It will need to patch every time you open the launcher, otherwise you will be waiting for years to actually start playing.

When it has finished click “play”, and let the Magic begin!

That is the character selection screen. This is where your Wizards will be waiting to choose between them whenever you log in to play.

Click the “New” button on the lower part of the screen.

Now the fun begins!  You will be given a personality test, this test will determine what magical school you will best fit into.

(There are several questions, please answer honestly J)

 OR you can skip the test all together and choose whatever school you would like.

You will now go through some basics, Gender, Face, Hair Colour, Name.

When you get to Naming your character you will be presented with a “name wheel”

Due to the family friendly nature of this game you will not be able to name you character whatever the fuck you want to.  In other words it’s to prevent Shitsticks from naming their characters “ShitStick”.  As a mother and gamer, I personally LOVE this feature. You really do have a vast choise of things you can name your character….. and for those playing as a boy, you can even name your character “Luke SkyWalker” (yes I HAVE seen this)

(So original, much thoughts)

Now that we have our character created, we enter the game world, and to the office of Headmaster Merle Ambrose.

WELCOME YOUNG WIZARDS TO THE SPIRAL!

MAY YOUR ADVENTURES BRING YOU MANY NEW FRIENDS, AND LASTING FRIENDSHIPS!

See you in the Spiral, good luck!

Enter the Spiral here:

Wizard101

For those that already play, but need a little bit of help:

Wizard101 Wiki