Character Creation – Typhon Frontier

 

 

 

                Creating a character is relatively simple.  Pick your race, pick your traits, grab a quirk or two, then fill in the details.  Just remember that while your character may be incredibly cool, this is an anime-inspired game and no one is safe from being the butt of a few cosmic jokes.  It’s best to make fun of yourself every now and then so that the gods don’t need to do it for you.

 

 

 

Races:

 

 

 

 

Humans – Humans are the dominant playable race on Bellerephon.  They come in all the varieties of Earth, though after three hundred years on the Zaratan things did get a little mixed.  Culturally and appearance-wise, just about anything goes.  Humans receive 5 points to spend on Traits, and receive one Skill Talent at Rank 2 for free.

 

 

 

Ametyn – The Ametyn are former slaves of the Typhons, freed after the War Angels destroyed the God-Pharoah in the Battle of Planetfall.  The Ametyn have no memories of their origins, which suggests that their psychic bondage has lasted for several generations.  As a result the Ametyn have no culture of their own, a lack that causes many of them to become either disaffected from human society or adopt bits and pieces of Earth culture willy-nilly in an attempt to (over)compensate.  Ametyn appear human, but can usually be identified by their inherent beauty and their gem-colored hair and eyes.  Ametyn hair is often prized for weaving into necklaces, charm bracelets, or even clothing, but if exposed frequently to ultraviolet radiation it will fade.  Turbans and snoods are common apparel.

 

 

 

                Ametyn are almost always psychic to some extent or another, though most are polite in the use of their abilities.  They are also very strong genetically; all children of a human/Ametyn pairing are fully Ametyn.  Such ‘graftlings’ are usually either much better adjusted than your average Ametyn, or a great deal stranger.  Ametyn receive 4 points to spend on Traits, and receive the Beautiful Trait and one Psychic Talent at Rank 2 for free.

 

 

 

Valkyries – The first Valkyries appeared twenty years ago.  At first people assumed that they were some strange offshoot of Ametyn, or a military genetic experiment, but eventually the truth came out.  The Valkyries are the creation of Typhon genesculptors, an attempt at a warrior breed capable of infiltration and fighting humans on their own terms.  Fortunately the Defense Force identified them before they were able to do any serious harm, and a prolonged military campaign eventually wiped out the Tribe that created them.  The Defense Force more or less adopted the surviving Valkyries, hoping to teach them to be productive members of human society like the Ametyn.

 

 

 

                The typical Valkyrie (though the origin of the word is female, it’s used more or less equally for both sexes) is nearly identical to the average human in appearance.  Their defining characteristics are white hair, red eyes, and a tendency to be tall and well-built.  Their strength and grace conceals a host of physical problems, however, thanks to the degraded and imperfect genetic science of the Fenrir Tribe.  Almost all Valkyries require regular enzyme booster shots to be able to digest human food, and while their immune systems can fight off infections and disease as well as other humans, they never develop immunity.  Allergies are common, and infant mortality runs at around 30%.  Valkyries are not fertile with regular humans or Ametyn and they age at 150% of the human rate (reaching maturity at age 12).  For all this, Valkyries are capable of impressive physical performance.  Thanks to the elevated levels of testosterone and other hormones produced by their bodies, they tend to be energetic, competitive, and passionate.  Unfortunately, they can also be temperamental, restless, and antisocial.  Given that the Valkyries were literally created for physical (especially military) pursuits, it’s unsurprising that they’ve gained an only somewhat unfair reputation for being violent, bad-tempered, and crude.  Their Typhon origins also make people somewhat leery of them.  Many Valkyries join the Defense Force, as it is one place where they will find acceptance.  For those who do not, enzyme boosters are available for free at all medical centers and frontier post offices, no questions asked.  Valkyries receive 5 points to spend on Traits, and receive one Physical Talent at Rank 2 for free.

 

 

 

Unique – If you come up with an idea not covered by the other three, and the gamemaster approves it, give yourself 5 points to buy traits, and one talent of any type at Rank 2 for free.

 

 

 

Traits:

 

 

 

 

                Traits are part of what makes your character unique.  They come in two flavors, Talents (which have Ranks to express varying levels of ability) and General Traits (which you either have or have not).  You may only buy Talents at Rank 1 to start with.  There will be opportunities for advancement later.

 

 

 

Physical Talents:

 

 

 

Agility

  1 – You are naturally graceful and you win most footraces.

  2 – If there were still Olympics, you’d have a good chance at a gymnastics medal.

  3 – People trying to kill you should use explosives, your reflexes are too good for any anything less.

 

 

 

Endurance

  1 – You’re a tough sucker.  You can take a few good hits without showing pain.

  2 – Sickness is something that happens to other people.  It takes a lot of beating to put you down.

  3 – You’re not immortal, but “certain death” is more like “kinda painful” to you.

 

 

 

Strength

  1 – You’re pretty strong.  People ask you to help them move furniture.

  2 – People stand back and let you move the furniture by yourself.

  3 – You’re the stuff tall tales are made of.  People call you when the forklift is broken.

 

 

 

Psychic Talents:

 

 

 

Telekinesis

  1 – Picking up small objects with your mind is no problem.  Levitating more than ten kilos wears you out in a hurry.

  2 – Fifty or a hundred kilos doesn’t bother you.  Lifting large objects strains you.

  3 – You can toss around up to a ton with nary a sweatdrop.  Lifting MAVs unaided, on the other hand…

 

 

 

Telepathy

  1 – You can feel the surface emotions and ‘loud’ thoughts of people in close proximity, when you want to.  You can have telepathic conversations with another telepath.

  2 – Telepathic conversations with non-telepaths are no problem for you anymore.  If a subject is willing you can read their memories and get glimpses of their deeper psyche.

  3 – Willingness is a non-issue with you.  You can invade the minds of others and flip through their brains like a paperback.  When you concentrate, you can subvert their consciousness and take control.  People fear you, for good reason.

 

 

 

Defense

  1 – You’ve learned the basics of mental defense.  Casual scanning doesn’t work unless you allow it.

  2 – Your consciousness is shielded to the point where you can avoid being detected most of the time.

  3 – A mighty fortress is your mind.  Even a master of equal strength will have a hard time breaking through your defenses.

 

 

 

Skill Talents:

 

 

 

Lacking a Skill Talent does not mean you are completely unskilled, only that you haven’t shown any particular talent yet.  The average person can drive a car, assemble simple devices by reading the instructions, et cetera, but once they gain Skill Talents they start becoming exceptional.

 

 

 

  1 – Better than average training or natural talent

  2 – Expert-level skill mastery.  You da man, unless of course you da woman instead.

  3 – You’re a fricking genius.  People should live in awe of you, dangit!

 

 

 

Skill List (in no particular order)

Air Vehicles – Things that fly, and MAVs in the air.

Demolitions – Blowing stuff up with style.

Firearms – Human-scale projectile weapons.

Ground Vehicles – Wheels, treads, or repulsors, you can drive it.

Gunnery – Large-scale cannons, automatic weapons, flamethrowers, et cetera.

Launchers – Rockets, missiles, and other such self-propelled goodies.

MAV Piloting – Driving those big shiny humanoid battle machines.

Melee Weapons – Knives, clubs, swords, both human-scale and MAV-held.

Technician – Fixing stuff, building stuff, just about anything with metal and electricity.

Unarmed Combat – Fighting with your hands, feet, head, whatever.  Can be used for MAVs as well.

<Fill-in-the-skill> - Anything not already listed here, such as musical talent or sports or other hobbies.

 

 

 

General Traits:

 

 

 

 

General Traits you either have or you don’t.  They are for adding flavor and fun to a character.

 

 

 

Bad Luck – All kinds of bad stuff happen to you on a regular basis.  Of course, it can have a lot of comedic value for everyone else.

Bad Name – People don’t think too highly of you.  There’s probably a reason for that, even if it’s all a misunderstanding.  Don’t expect any warm welcomes from anybody who doesn’t know you well.  On the other hand, a bad rep can be useful at times…

Beautiful – You are particularly attractive, and people pay attention to you.  Whether you want them to is another story.

Cashey Money – Whether you’ve lead a hard-working life, gotten lucky, or just had rich parents, you have about 6,000 mina in raw cash or bank draft.  What you do with that fine currency is your business.

Crazy Luck – The Great Fuzzy Chaos Gods have made you their Special Friend.  You never know from one day to the next what way your luck is gonna run, but it never runs quietly.  Anything can happen.  Oft times, everything does.

Cute – People pay attention to you, but your looks inspire affection rather than attraction. 

 

Drama Bank – Increases your Drama limit by 2.

Formal Edumacation – Whatever course your life has taken since then, you went to some of the best schools in the Valley.  You probably have a degree of some kind, but in practical terms you know a little something about most everything.  And if you don’t know, you know where to look it up.

Friends on the Border – You’ve really gotten around, and you’ve made enough friends on the Frontier that you can dig up an old acquaintance in all kinds of strange places.  They’ll usually help you out in a pinch, but their resources may be a tad limited.

Friends in the Valley – You know people who know people, and while they’re not all important people most of them live in the Pegasus Valley.  Every now and then they’ll do you a favor, though not necessarily an illegal one…

Good Luck – Everything good (or at least rarely anything bad) happens to you.  This can really get on other people’s nerves.

Good Name – Maybe you’re a hero.  Maybe it’s all a mistake.  In any case, people have heard about you, and what they’ve heard is in your favor.  Unless you do something truly stupid or wrong, they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

MAV Owner – It’s only a Partisan (or an equivalent), but you own it free and clear.  In practical terms this means that you’ll be getting a bigger cut of the profits – but if you ever tick off the mechanic you’ll be in trouble.

Religious Orders – Priest, monk, or shrine maiden, some religion or another has chosen you to be one of its representatives.  The spiritual benefits are hard to pin down, but most places will give at least some respect to a religious figure.

 

 

 

Quirks:

 

 

 

 

Quirks are problems your character has, comedic hooks that will bedevil them (or the people around them) for quite possibly the rest of their lives.  You receive no points for Quirks, they are strictly for role-playing purposes (see Character Advancement).  Taking one Quirk is required, but you may have up to three if you desire.  Selecting more is masochism, and while we don’t necessarily discourage that, it must be approved by the gamemaster.

 

 

 

Allergies – There’s something out that that really wrecks havoc with your system.  In most cases, it’ll make you sneeze or feel kinda sick, but with gamemaster approval it could be a near-lethal weakness.

Angst – You are SUFFERING, dangit!  No matter what you do, someone’s gonna get hurt, so maybe you won’t do anything!  Being whiny and indecisive can be endearing to some people, but most folks find it a pain in the neck.

Bad Eyes – Nearsighted, farsighted, whatever.  Even with the glasses, you don’t see so great.

Bad Talent – Pick a Skill Talent.  You are absolutely hopeless at this activity.  No matter how much effort you put in, you will almost always fail in some spectacular fashion.  Of course, that may lead you to try all the harder to prove yourself…  For the love of Urd, PLEASE don’t choose Demolitions…

Bounty – Someone out there has put money on your head.  Whether they want the rest of you still attached to it may be another story.

Clumsy – Sometimes, you just lose it.  Well, a lot of the time.  You’re an incurable butterfingers, and it always comes out at the worst times.

Crude – You offend people, and chances are you enjoy doing it.  Bad manners, bad hygiene, bad language, you’ve mastered the Way of the Pond Scum.

Easily Distracted – You’re out-numbered two to one, you’ve only got three clips left between you, and –ooh, shiny!

Glitchy System – For some reason or another (hey Valkyries, this means you), your body don’t always work the way it should.  If you ain’t got the medicine to counter it, expect to be feeling some strange physical side effects every now and then.

Hook – Make up a bit of unresolved backstory, and leave an opening or two for the gamemaster to tie it in with his plots.

Naïve – Typhons are Typhons, but people are basically good, right?  Why would they lie?  And surely they’re not actually gonna fire that thing at you…

Nemesis – Somebody out there hates you – enough to try and make you all corpseified and gross.

Phobia – You’re scared of something most people aren’t, and depending on circumstances this could be a real problem.  Or not.

Psychic Tag – Perhaps you were the victim of a telepathic crime, perhaps it was something more consensual, but there’s someone out there who holds a key to your brainpan and can access it any time they want.  Let’s hope they’re friendly.

Recurring Nightmares – Is it a vision of an apocalyptic future, or just too many Krinkle Bars before bedtime?  Either way, you don’t sleep so well.

Secret – Of course I’ve got a secret.  But you don’t think I’d go telling YOU, now, would I?

Synthetic Parts – A significant portion of your body is hardware, several internal organs or a limb or two.  While this can confer some advantages, heaven help you if you don’t have parts handy when they’re needed.

Unique – Think of something not already covered?

 

 

 

Drama:

 

 

Drama is the inherent quality of being a protagonist, and it reflects your ability to make things happen in your favor.  Spend a point of Drama to reroll a failed roll, to convert a regular hit into a Critical, to add an extra 1d4 to a roll, or to make minor story alterations like an opponent accepting a challenge, an abandoned weapon behind a rock when yours breaks, a random cattle stampede, or just about anything else you consider helpful.  The GM won’t charge more than one point of Drama for anything, but bear in mind that the more unlikely the effect you wish to produce with your Drama expenditure is, the more likely he is to twist it or give unintended consequences.  He IS a twisted and evil being, after all.

 

A starting character begins with 1 point of Drama, rechargeable at the start of every game session.  The Drama Bank trait can expand on this.

 

 

The Details

 

 

 

Once you’ve purchased all your particulars, it’s time to put it all together into a coherent whole.  As well as a listing of points, here are a few things that ought to be in your profile:

 

 

 

Name: - Rather obvious.

Birthplace: - While there will eventually be a map, you can easily invent a town of your own.  Cities in the Pegasus Valley tend to be European in nomenclature, while towns on the Frontier tend toward more “western” names.

Age: - If the lady feels like telling.

Background: - Your character does have a past, right?

Personality: - Most characters come equipped with one.

 

 

 

Character pictures are also welcome, though the gamemaster in this case will only accept pictures of artificial origin.  No cropped or photoshopped pictures of real people, please. ;)

 

 

 

Character Advancement

 

 

 

                Character advancement in Typhon Frontier is a little different.  Every so often, the gamemaster will call for a vote in the OOC, all players will cast a vote for one of the characters.  The winning character will receive one advancement point.  They may spend this point to improve their Talents or buy a new Trait with gamemaster permission. Quirks cannot be purchased or removed.