Post Modern Archetypes

Here are 6 Archetypes to give you the feel of a certain classic RPG.

To play them just add 5 skill points, select the three hindrances, and buy equipment.

Strong Hero

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6

Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Swimming d6, Throwing d6 +5 skill points

Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 6, Charisma: 0

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Brawler, Brawny

Fast Hero

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d6, Lockpicking d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6 +5 skill points

Pace: 8, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5, Charisma: 0

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Acrobat, Fleet-Footed

Tough Hero

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8

Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Survival d6 +5 skill points

Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 7, Charisma: 0

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Brawny, Nerves of Steel

Smart Hero

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Choose d8+2, Knowledge: Choose d8+2, Notice d6, Repair d6 +5 skill points

Pace: 6, Parry: 2, Toughness: 5, Charisma: 0

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Linguist, Scholar

Dedicated Hero

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Driving d6, Healing d6+2, Investigation d6, Knowledge: Choose d6, Notice d6+2 +5 skill points

Pace: 6, Parry: 2, Toughness: 5, Charisma: 0

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Alertness, Healer

Charismatic Hero

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Gambling d6, Investigation d6, Persuasion d6+2, Streetwise d6+2, Taunt d6 +5 skill points

Pace: 6, Parry: 2, Toughness: 5, Charisma: 2

Hindrances: Select two minor and one major

Edges: Charismatic, Command

Quick Build NPCs

So yon need a villain or supporting cast fast? Here is a quick and dirty way to get you what you need. 

Step zero concept.

Get a good idea of what type of NPC you need. Once you have an idea about what you need then you can move on to crunchy part of the process.

Step one select a stock NPC or Archetype.

Find a stock NPC in the world book your using that best fits your idea. If nothing works then use the civilian. Now that you have the base lets customize it.

Step two determine the number of edge slots.

Look at where the PCs are rank wise and set the number of edge slots.

Novice: 2

Seasoned: 3

Veteran: 4

Heroic: 5

Legendary: 6

If the NPC is a non-wild card subtract one edge of the NPC is supposed to be the main villain for the adventure then add a slot.

Step three allocate the slots.

Select one edge for each slot if there is a Skill or Attribute required for the edge add them. If it requires an edge then you need to use a slot for that edge.

Example: If you want your NPC to have Very Attractive you must also take Attractive thus it cost 2 slots.  

Step four add the finishing touches.

Add two hindrances or if the NPC is not a wild card add one.

Give your NPC a name gear and as much back story as you need.

Step five have fun.

Fantastical Races and Where to Find Them Part II Buy Generic and Save Money!

In the Super Powers Companion 2ed there is a quick mention of there being an Alien race that is the same mechanics as humans but is not human. But wait a minute you say. Why would I want to play a generic race that isn't human or why would I play a human to the stats are the same?  A good question, a big part of that is style and common sense. Fiction is full of many characters that are not human but are not that different from humans. The Red Men of the Barsoom series, or many of the aliens in Star Trek, comes to mind, they where for all intents and purposes the same as humans but are not humans. They just look different. This becomes very important in games that use the Super Power Companion as most of what would be considered a racial ability in other Savage Worlds settings are covered by Super Powers and do not need to be compensated by disadvantages like they would normally be. This blog will be using generic races allot to cover characters where designing a new race would distract from the focus of the build. So with out further delay may I present......

Aliens and Humanoids

Aliens are non-Human PCs that are from Outer Space.

Humanoids are non-Human PCs that are not from Outer Space.

Adaptable (+2): Both races are highly diverse. So they receive one free edge that they have the perquisites for.

Setting the Stage New Setting Rules in Savage Worlds.

Heroes of Cinema  

Ever feel at times staring Savage Worlds pc's are not as bad ass as you would like? Ever want to do a game that's closer to a movie in over the top action than normal games? If so I have a couple of options you might wish to look at below....

Cinematic Hero

A cinematic hero gains the following additional resources during Character Creation:

+2 Attribute Points

+2 Edges

+5 Skill Points

Dark Hero

PC may take an additional Major and two (2) additional Minor Hindrances for Hindrance Points.

Experienced Hero

Gain 20xp and with it 4 advances starting play as a seasoned PC.

Super Normal

Instead of receiving the Arcane Background (Superpowers) your hero instead gains a number of Hindrance Points equal to the number of Super Power points given by the Rising Star option of the player's power lever. Pulp will give 5, Street Fighters 10, Four Color 20, Heavy Hitters 30, and Cosmic 50! Please note the hero may NOT take the Arcane Background (Superpowers) at a later date. Remember in most Savage Super Games the only Arcane Background is Superpowers so spend those points wisely because you most likely got no powers to back you up.  However if the Super Karma rule is in play a super normal may take the extra Major Hindrance for 2 more Hindrance Points as normal regardless of power level.

And a special note if you own a copy of the Savage Setting Slip Stream from Pinnacle Entertainment the Heroism Setting rule is always a great one to throw into almost any game.  

Fantastically (Super) Races and Where to Find Them Part I

Welcome to the first in a series of short articles where I introduce some new races for Savage Worlds Supers games. 

The Necessary Evil supplement Necessary Races by Pinnacle Entertainment introduced the idea of building aliens using Super Power Points. I really like this idea for building races that would be very hard to build using the normal race building rules from the Explores Guide or the Science Fiction Companion, like Giants and Vampires. Use these as a basic building block for your super to give them some background.

Now for some common Super Hero races:

Name: Amazon

Minimum Power Level: Pulp

Suggested Hindrances: Arrogant, Code of Honor, Loyal

Suggested Edges: Attractive, Brawny

Super Powers:

Growth(Lvl1)•Monster (1pt), Super Charisma(Lvl2)• (2pts), Super Skill•Fighting [+2], Shooting [+1] (3pts)

These warrior women are a staple of fiction.

Name: Atlantean

Minimum Power Level: Pulp

Suggested Hindrances: Dependency (Dehydration)

Super Powers:

Aquatic• (2pt), Super Attribute(Lvl1)[Smarts]• (2pts), Super Skill•Swimming [+1] (1pt), Toughness(Lvl1)• (1pt)

Atlantis may be gone but not forgotten as the survivors continue on under the sea. This build is based on the one from the Explores Guide.  

Name: Sentient Ape

Minimum Power Level: Pulp

Suggested Hindrances: Distinctive Appearance (Talking Ape), Loyal, Mean

Suggested Edges: Acrobatic, Berserk, Brawny

Super Powers: Growth(Lvl1)•Monster (1pt), Super Attribute(Lvl1)[Strength] (2pts), Super Attribute(Lvl1)[Vigor] (2pts), Super Skill•Climbing [+2] (2pts), Toughness(Lvl2) (2pt)

Talking Apes were so common in the Silver Age of Comics DC Comics had a one Gorilla on a cover a month policy.

More power!

The Second Edition of the Super Power Companion is a great book. However it seems to be missing a few powers. Here are two that add some flavor.

Gear [2/Level]

Trappings: Billionaire playboy, Gadgeteer, Selling out

Many supers have gadgets, weapons, and vehicles that are integral to there character. As such when this character takes this power she gains amount of cash to buy gear allowed by the GM according to the chart below. You many only take 5 levels of this power and this power may not have any modifiers on it.  

Level                Cash

1                      $10,000

2                      $50,000

3                      $500,000

4                      $1,000,000

5                      $5,000,000

Super Charisma [1/Level]

Trappings: Impossibly Attractive, Pheromones, The "look".

Many Supers are much more charismatic than normal characters. Each level gives the super +2 Charisma with a maximum of 5 levels for a +10.

Modifiers:

Pheromones (-1): Your Charisma bonus from this power only applies to some one that would be sexually attracted to you. 

If your looking for even more powers cheek out Omni Super Skill in the Kerberos Club book by Arc Dream Publishing.

The curtan opens.....

Welcome to the random ideas of a Gonzo Savage Worlds GM.

So I finally went and did it. I started a blog. Welcome to it. In this blog you will see new and altered Archetypes, Races, Edges, Hindrances, Gear, and Powers, along with mini-settings and conversions of non-Savage World settings. I also plan to create Hero Lab files for the stuff I post.

So on with the show.........