Character Creation

Details of Lastfell
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Joshua
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Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

So, Leagues of Cthulhu has a number of additions compared to Leagues of Adventure. Also, the setting is different. I tried to collect them here, so if you're not sure, you know where to find the changes.

BTW, the Character Generation Cheat Sheet on this site is kinda useful as an index of all options.

Step 1: Archetype
  • These are slightly different as the setting is hugely changed. I don't have a large amount of them written up, but here is a basic list.
  • There's a few ideas in the Gothic Horror book that are good, like Alienist and Mentalist.
  • Unique to Lastfell would be Newcomer, someone who is only recently kidnapped to the setting. Otherwise, it's assumed your parents, grandparents etc. were Newcomers. Newcomer should include what you used to be, like Newcomer (NYC Cop).
  • Please feel free to suggest anything. Also, since these don't have direct game effect, it's okay to fudge a little. A short description of your goal with the character might help a bit better.

Step 2: Motivation
  • For those familiar with Fate, your motivation allows you to earn Style points, which are spent like fate to gain bonus to rolls.
  • Feel free to make up a motivation, chances are it'll just be a variation of something in the book.
  • If your character is obsessed with fighting the Mi-Go, and don't feel like taking Justice or Revenge, perhaps we can work something out. Maybe call it Revolution as it's different enough...
Step 3: Primary Attributes
Unchanged.

Step 4: Secondary Attributes
  • Per the Gothic Horror Book, add: Sanity = Charisma + Willpower (- Elder Lore)
  • As this is a pulp game, there are some talents to ease permanent sanity loss.
  • Also per Gothic Horror: Corruption = 0. Every 5 of these inflicts a bit of degeneration (a physical or mental flaw). It's a way to show falling to madness or being infected by an old one. I'm going to need to fine tune the rules a little.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

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Step 5: Skills
  • For those of you who want to be point efficient... 3 skills at 5 is 90xp... 15 skills at 1 is 30xp... however... skill synergy gives advantages to having multiple skills at mid-levels (+2 per applicable skill)... So, it largely balances out. Also, I will be doing catch-up xp.
  • You still get 4 level 0 skills. Those who adventure are more likely to be multi-skilled. 2 must be taken from your group/guild/cult. See below.
  • Since it's easy to miss, please note that during character creation, buying a skill at 0 takes half a point, as does raising a skill from 0 to 1. So, if you got Fencing at level 0, it takes two and a half points to raise it to three.
  • It takes 1 xp to raise a skill from 0 to 1 after creation.
  • If you want, you may buy level 0 skills after character creation for 1xp.
  • Specializations cost 1/2 a point at creation, and technically you can only have one. They're useful for getting rid of that extra half point from above.
  • Specialized skills are not specializations. Skills like Academics are actually 5 separate skills, unless you take the talent Well-Educated.
    Per GM Fiat, if you take Well-Educated after character creation, you get a refund on extraneous XP spent.
Skill List:
The base book has a good list of skills on p73. There are three additional skills from Leagues of Gothic Horror: Academics (Occult), Alienism, and Focus. (Magic is not used, use Charisma + Willpower or Elder Lore instead.) From Cthulhu, Elder Lore is added. At least one person has chosen to take Martial Arts (from the far east book), but that's very not-common.

A few skills are different in context.
  • Academics: As a reminder, Occult is a discipline you can select for this skill.
  • Alienism (A.K.A. Victorian Psychology): Is useful for dealing with insane people. There's a lot of that in Lastfell. (To the point where you can take 'Crazy' as a specialization for Diplomacy, Intimidation, etc...)
  • Animal Handling: Monkeys are rare. Most exotic animals are rare, but can be newcomers. If you have an elderich horror as a pet (why?), each individual horror would be a separate skill.
  • Anthropology: Is very helpful for interacting with newcomers.
  • Craft: All exist. Tok'l devices are Mechanics. Electronics are rare, but occur often enough to be a valid skill. Generally, in an apartment house or slum, someone will have a radio. Electricity powers the street lights, and it's possible to tap into that.
  • Demolitions: You may specialize in diffusing and setting off tok'l devices (which explode if they run out of cooling water).
  • Elder Lore: CANNOT be purchased with XP or at character creation. There's a lot of rules, to the point it might need a separate post.
  • Expeditions: Is the study of having excursions to strange places, such as the sewers and the corners of the city plates. I can't think of a good way to rename this, but those places are dangerous, and this is the skill for exploring them and keeping your sanity. Also useful for doing proper repairs in strange places. Also, apparently used for Public Works projects, so maybe call it Projects.
  • Gunnery: Is rare outside of mad science. Tanks and other vehicles of war are not mass produced in Lastfell, although the government keeps a small bit of them on hand.
  • Pilot: Only Automotive is likely to be useful. Cars are rare, but happen often enough that it's possible. (more model Ts and such, since nothing is more than 30 miles from anything else.) Trains are a big thing and their control is a bit tricky.
    Only the top level has a high enough ceiling to support air vehicles. Likewise, there are no Nautical places. Mole Machines are ONLY used in the mines of level 0... they can't operate in the city.
  • Ride: Again, carriages are more common that automobiles. Elephants and Camels are relatively nonexistent.
  • Survival: Useful skill, but there's almost no actual wilderness in Lastfell. So, expect to have to adapt this to similar situations.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

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Step Six: Talents and Resources

Talents: These are complicated enough, that I might have to make some specific rulings. There's books that have martial arts and such. Some notes...
  • Magical Aptitude: Is not needed. However, some version of this to start with a ritual might not be terrible. That might work best for a society.
  • Leagues of Gothic Horror has talents that increase your Sanity, and allow you to play a mentalist. These are allowed.
  • Again, to allow for sorcerer characters, there should be some way to mitigate the permanent sanity loss. Perhaps make only the highest Elder Lore discipline count, or something. This would be a talent or two.
  • Leagues of Cthulhu has a number of corrupt bloodlines as talents. Feel free to take those, they're not bad for some of the half-humans.
  • Weird Science: If you have a single item that you didn't invent, you do not need to take this. Just the artifact resource.
    You cannot invent Mi-Go artifacts. Being able to reliably use them might be a separate talent. Being able to use a single one, again, artifact resource.
Resources:
'Normal' characters get followers and rank as level 0. In Lastfel, natives have a group you get rank 0 in, and that will determine the other. Newcomers, we can figure that out. Most newcomers find a local group to connect with for protection and safety fairly quickly.
  • Artifact: This seems like a way to do beneficial mi-go experiments that were done on you. Haven't tried it yet, so, definitely talk to me.
  • Rank: See below.
Rank:
Characters in this setting don't really join leagues. Guilds, Cults, and Organizations, that's a thing. The rules are basically the same, the bad news is we'll be making most of them up.
In general, a guild gives you a choice of 2 out of several level 0 skills and an idea of what kinds of help you might receive. This could be a street gang, the police, or the florists guild. It could be a specific place, like an asylum, or the family business. You do not have to take followers 0, for many guilds Allies, Contacts, or Patrons are more applicable. I'll try to brainstorm a few and put them in a separate thread.
Cults are similar, although, some might allow for Elder Lore to be taken at level 0.
Newcomers generally find someone to take them in. Most have strange skills and that makes them valuable. Those who can't, tend to end up in indentured service to a rich family. (These are also the kinds of people who buy orphans and make them work in sweatshops.) Although, occasionally, a newcomer will simply get a wealthy yet benevolent patron.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

Step Seven: Flaws
Just note that almost all citizens of Lastfell were either directly kidnapped by the mi-go or descended from someone who was. The mi-go maintain the city of Lastfell because it gives a large pool of stock humans for experiments. While free-range humans from earth are preferred, farmed humans are sometimes selected for experiments.
Thus, flaws can be mutations or similar. Like strange puss, or a transplanted crab-claw instead of your left hand.
Feel free to take multiple flaws.

Step Eight: Experience
As noted, if you want zero level skills they cost 1 xp. Similarly, zero level resources cost 7xp. These costs directly discount the cost of buying them up to level 1.

Step Nine: Finishing Touches
When the game starts, there will be a characters topic. Please expect to write a short intro or description of your character. Or talk to someone who is willing to do so for you.

Step Ten: Style
If you took multiple flaws, you only get one style point at creation. Sorry.
The above mentioned character post is worth an additional style point.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

Using these rules it is possible to create characters who are worth radically different XP amounts. It's one of the major flaws of this type of creation. For every 15 xp below the lead character you are, you get +1 xp up to double the xp awarded. This includes both xp from threads as well as the plot bonus xp. Specifics are in its own thread.
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