[OOC] Session Zero: Character Creation

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Dec 1, 2019 4:02 pm
I'm posting this here, as I think folks are overlooking this chart. This setting is unique in that you can upgrade and diversify your unarmed attacks with XP. The chart below lists "weapons," but they're actually unarmed attacks that you purchase with XP. My preference for flavor reasons would be that y'all buy into this aspect of the setting, but it is your XP at the end of the day. :)

Unarmed Attacks List

All characters begin with the basic unarmed attack for no XP cost. However, you may purchase the following attacks with XP to give your character more versatile arsenal of unarmed strikes, takedowns, and other attacks. (Note that we will not be using the reach rules.)

https://i.imgur.com/Tl5FcQS.png
https://i.imgur.com/Ss6ZhbG.png

Choke Slam

Attempting this attack requires the attacker already have an Advantageous or Superior Position in a grapple, or that the opponent is immobilized. Upon a successful attack with the choke slam, the target is automatically knocked prone, as if the attacker had triggered the Knockdown weapon quality.

Choke Submission

If a choke submission is successful, it downgrades the difficulty of the next choke submission attack against the same target once, unless the target successfully escapes. If making a choke attack against a target that is already incapacitated, reduce the choke submission’s Crit Rating by 1, to a minimum of 1, for each successive attack against an incapacitated target.

Clothesline

The move does take a moment to set up, but if well-executed, it can be a game changer. If a clothesline attack is successful and activates the knockdown quality, the player can spend 2 Advantage or Triumph to cause the target to also be either Staggered or Immobilized for one round as they writhe in pain on the ground.

Dropkick

On a successful attack with the dropkick, triggering the Knockdown weapon quality requires one fewer Advantage to activate than normal (minimum 1 Advantage). No matter the outcome, the attacker is considered prone after the attack is resolved.

Elbow

Elbow attacks ignore one point of Melee Defense, unless an opponent is wearing a fully enclosed helmet.

Head-Butt

If a head-butt attempt generates 3 Threat or Despair, the character making the attack is staggered for two rounds, regardless of if the attack triggered the Concussive quality or not. In many cases, characters can perform head-butts even if they are bound, immobilized, or suffering from other conditions or situations where they cannot reasonably perform other unarmed attacks.

Joint Submission

If a joint submission is successful, it deals damage as normal, and that character is considered to have a superior grappling position. Should the attack deal a critical hit, roll as normal on the Critical Injury Result table. After looking at the result, the attacker may choose to inflict the Critical Injury, or withhold dealing the Critical Injury and write down the result and wait until the next turn. This may give their opponent an opportunity to escape. However, if the opponent fails to escape, when it is the attacker’s turn, they may again make the same attack. If successful, and the attack triggers a Critical Hit, they may add their previous result to the new roll, to a maximum Critical Injury Result of 130.

Kick

A basic striking attack, but one that is exhausting over time.

Knee

If you have an advantageous position in a grapple (no matter if you’re standing or on the ground), reduce the crit rating of knee attacks by 1 (minimum 1). Reduce the crit rating twice if you have a superior position (minimum crit rating 1).

Pile Driver

Attempting this attack requires the attacker already have an Advantageous or Superior Position in a grapple, or that the opponent is immobilized. Upon a successful attack with the pile driver, the target is automatically knocked prone, as if the attacker had triggered the Knockdown weapon quality.

Punch

The bread-and-butter of many fighting styles.

Takedown

If a takedown attack is successful, it automatically activates the Ensnare 1 weapon quality without spending any Advantage. Further, if the attacker does not have the Advantage necessary to activate the Knockdown weapon quality, they may delay dealing damage by one round, and bank any excess Advantage for their next attempt. On their next turn, assuming the target hasn’t successfully escaped the grapple, the attacker may make another takedown attempt. After tabulating the check results, if the attack is a success, they may choose to add the banked Advantage to activate the Knockdown weapon quality, or bank more Advantage. If the Knockdown weapon quality is activated, then damage is calculated from the results of the most recent check.

Unarmed Attack

The standard unarmed attack can narratively represent all manner of unarmed strikes, including those on Table 4–1. Every character begins with this attack. However, the character using this attack has incomplete training, and their punches, kicks, knees, and elbows use inefficient technique, dealing less damage than other, trained fighters.
Dec 2, 2019 1:17 am
I was reminded of starting money.

Rolls

Cash money - (1d100)

(24) = 24

Dec 2, 2019 1:42 am
Oh we get a d100 on top of the 500 to start? Awesome!

Rolls

Cash - (1d100)

(43) = 43

Dec 2, 2019 2:48 pm
OOC:
I need to do my motivations but don't have my files on my new phone.

Rolls

Pocket Money - (1d100)

(79) = 79

Dec 2, 2019 4:27 pm
Eskaton says:
Oh we get a d100 on top of the 500 to start? Awesome!
This is starting pocket money, so you can't spend it until play begins. But yes. :)
Dec 2, 2019 4:29 pm
Remnant says:
OOC:
I need to do my motivations but don't have my files on my new phone.
To some extent, the charts in the books are just suggestions, so feel free to go off-script for your four Motivations. If you have the Star Wars books, I find the various Moralities and Motivations from those books are good for ideas.
Dec 2, 2019 5:46 pm
I ended up buyin 1 attack and have adjusted my sheet to reflect this. Genesys emporium doesn't have a good way to hack this in that I've figured out yet so my pdf is a bit behind
Dec 3, 2019 2:17 am
Hey all!

I'm new to the party and excited to join. Let me know if I'm missing somewhere that I can see everyone's character sheets, but I believe we've got a couple strikers (boxer and martial artist), and one grappler. I was leaning toward a grappler, so that works out well.

I'm leaning toward a Laborer archetype, with a Warrior career. He has a blue-collar job... I was picturing Storefront or Gym, but I could be the surprisingly B.A. janitor/gardener/etc. just about anywhere.

I'll get to work on my actual character sheet tomorrow, but where are we thinking for our headquarters?
Dec 3, 2019 3:12 am
As I build my character, I want to make sure I understand... If I have 1 rank each in Brawl (Grappling), Brawl (Striking), and Knee, what is my actual roll when I knee someone? Does it matter if I have them grappled when I knee them?

I'm trying to figure out how much to diversify my attacks without spreading myself too thin.
Dec 3, 2019 3:45 am
Hey, Kermit! Your concept sounds good to me. I'll leave it to you and the other players to agree on a single HQ and figure out how you all are related to it. You could all have a similar role, or, as you suggest, some of you could be staff while the others are users of the gym/dojo/shop/whatever.

To answer your question about strikes, if an unarmed attack is tied to one skill or the other, you would only be able to use it with that skill. So, the Knee special attack is tied to Brawl (Striking); if you wanted to use it, that's the skill you'd roll.

That said, this is a narrative system, so there's nothing to say we can't narrate you striking someone with your knee even if you don't have that special attack. The generic unarmed attack everybody gets can include virtually any strike or grapple (including knee strikes). It's all in how you describe what you're doing (or I do).

So why the special attacks in this setting? The various special attacks that cost XP represent specialized training in a particular strike or grappling move. They diversify what you can accomplish unarmed. You'll notice that these attacks all have special effects that the basic unarmed attack does not. A Knee, for instance, does +1 damage, which is nice, but its real utility is that it has Pierce 2 (ignoring some of your opponent's Soak, or damage resistance), and it has the Disorient 2 quality, meaning you can make it more difficult for your foe to strike back if you succeed and get some advantage to spend.

So, to answer your question, all of you can probably benefit from a rank in each of Brawl (Striking) and Brawl (Grappling), but you'll eventually have 2, 3 or more ranks in your personal specialty between the two. (You can always take a rank in a skill that isn't a Career Skill; it just costs +5 XP per level.) Grapplers in particular get some really nice bonuses versus an opponent if they can get an improved or superior position over them. That compensates somewhat for lack of more focus in Brawl (Striking).

Hope this helps!
Dec 3, 2019 5:29 am
Welcome. Glad to have you and awesome to have a grappler join the team! Very much looking forward to playing with you.
Dec 3, 2019 1:04 pm
Quote:
To answer your question about strikes, if an unarmed attack is tied to one skill or the other, you would only be able to use it with that skill. So, the Knee special attack is tied to Brawl (Striking); if you wanted to use it, that's the skill you'd roll.
Thanks! I think that explanation helps. So then in this case, I'd roll a single upgraded die, because I have one rank in Striking. And when I spend XP on a Knee attack, I'm unlocking that type of attack. It's not that we're buying skill ranks in a bunch of different attacks, it's that we're unlocking their use at all. So the XP spend on each special attack is a one-time spend, and then it uses the relevant skill moving forward.
Dec 3, 2019 1:46 pm
Don't mind me just picking stuff

Rolls

Rand stuff - (4d100)

(316494) = 135

Dec 3, 2019 3:03 pm
KermitThePog says:
Thanks! I think that explanation helps. So then in this case, I'd roll a single upgraded die, because I have one rank in Striking. And when I spend XP on a Knee attack, I'm unlocking that type of attack. It's not that we're buying skill ranks in a bunch of different attacks, it's that we're unlocking their use at all. So the XP spend on each special attack is a one-time spend, and then it uses the relevant skill moving forward.
Exactly. Think of the special attacks as "unarmed weapons" that you always have access to. They never upgrade, but the underlying skill to use them does.
Dec 4, 2019 2:23 am
I think I could use an update on where everyone stands regarding HQ. For me dojo or gym are my first choices, but I'm not entirely picky if we choose something else.
Dec 4, 2019 3:12 am
My role came up Storefront which kind of fits for a multi background group.
Dec 4, 2019 3:13 am
Also not picjy here. Gym makes sense for my char concept but dojo less so unless I've been hired as a private eye by the owner or sensei or another member of the party tbh. I could rejuggle my backstory maybe if people are dead set on dojo.
Dec 4, 2019 3:20 am
The advantage of the dojo is that it's easy to just say that you take lessons there, even if it's not your real "home base." Storefront might work in a similar way; even if you aren't the owners or shopkeepers, you could be customers. The important thing is to pick a base that you all feel some sort of attachment to, but the nature of that attachment can be highly varied.
Dec 4, 2019 3:40 am
Yeah tbh storefront could work really well for me. Maybe I ran late on rent for my office so i just hang out in front of a store and take meetings there, or use it as a spot I source informants or something. I think a gym we all work out at makes as much sense as a dojo. I don't see my current character concept as somebody who really studies the martial arts so much as just instinctual with a knack for fighting, but I'd be happy to rework the concept if everybody else wants to go dojo
Dec 4, 2019 2:40 pm
There's still time to hash something out while I review characters. But if it comes to it, we can do a rank-order vote or something, with each of you listing your two two or three choices in order of preference.
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