While reading MindWanderer’s character creation thread, I started wondering what kind of result you’d get from making a character completely randomly. Not just guided mode, but literally choosing every single ability and detail by random determination. Would they make sense? Would they be fun to play? So I tried it, and made a couple of random characters.
For the steps where you would choose Background, Power Source, Archetype, and Personality: I rolled all the dice indicated, figured out what the results from using those dice would be, then chose randomly from those results. For instance, if I rolled a 1, 6, and 7, the possible results would be 1, 6, 7, 8, or 13. So I would roll a die to randomly choose one of those 5 options.
For abilities, I randomly rolled which abilities the hero would get, and also rolled randomly to see which power or quality the ability is linked to.
For red abilities, I’m first rolling randomly among every power and quality the character has to choose one, then going to the section for that power or quality, and rolling randomly to choose a Red ability from that section.
Finally, after rolling and recording everything, I gave myself permission to make the minimum amount of tweaks to make the character make sense / be playable.
En Pointe
Background: Adventurer
Power Source: Relic
Archetype: Close Combat
Personality: Cheerful
HP: 24
Green 19-24: d10, Yellow 10-18: d8, Red 1-9: d8
Powers: Haunted Rapier d10, Spectral Carriage d8, Intuition d8, Intangibility d8
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Leadership d10, Acrobatics d8, Stealth d6, Swashbuckling Detective d8
Green Abilities
Determination(I): Whenever you Attack an enemy that has inflicted a penalty on you, treat that penalty as if it were a bonus for the purpose of that Attack.
Dual Strike(A): Attack one target using Close Combat. Attack a second target using your Min die.
Throw Minion(A): Attack a minion using Haunted Rapier. Whatever that minion rolls as defense Attacks another target of your choice.
Flexible Stance(A): Take any two basic actions using Close Combat, each using your Min die.
Principle of Stealth(A): Overcome to infiltrate somewhere or avoid detection and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a hero point
Principle of the Detective(A): Overcome to learn hidden information and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a hero point.
Yellow Abilities
Carriage Block(R): When another hero in the Yellow or Red zone would take damage, you may Defend them by rolling your single Spectral Carriage die.
Power of the Sword(A): Boost yourself using Haunted Rapier. Use your Max die. Hinder a nearby opponent with your Min die.
Two-handed Strike(R): Attack using Intuition. Use your Max die.
Red Abilities
Carriage Ride(A): Boost yourself using Spectral Carriage. Use your Max die. That bonus is persistent and exclusive. Attack using your Mid die plus that bonus.
Withering Disapproval(A): Hinder using Leadership. Use your Max+Min dice. Boost yourself or an ally with your Mid die.
Out Ability: Boost an ally by rolling your single Spectral Carriage die.
Story: Arthur McGraw was a relic dealer who fenced treasures stolen from various tombs and museums. When he picked up a haunted rapier he became possessed by the spirit of a French masked vigilante from the 17th century. Though he retains his own personality most of the time, he now feels compelled to right various wrongs in the world, with a sword and a smile. When he is in hero identity as En Pointe, he is unfailingly positive and optimistic. His major powers are his haunted rapier which fills him with sword-fighting knowledge and his spectral carriage: a 17th century horse-drawn carriage that can fly and go right through walls. During combat sometimes the carriage appears out of nowhere to fly in and block attacks. His crime-fighting costume looks like a cross between Zorro and something from the 3 Musketeers.
My Notes: This character seems very playable and fun, despite having been made randomly. I was surprised by the way Signature Vehicle got tied into a few abilities, but I think it’s fun to have a ghostly vehicle that suddenly appears to block attacks. For his “Carriage Ride” red ability I’m imagining the carriage appears and he jumps onto it, fighting from the top of the carriage as it swoops around. The main tweak I made here was getting rid of “Robotics” which he had rolled at d6. It made no sense with anything on the character and wasn’t tied to any abilities. I switched it for giving him Stealth at d6 instead, since he had rolled Principle of Stealth. It would have sucked to play a character with Principle of Stealth but no Stealth ability at all.
That is… intense!