Nov 23, 2021 7:37 pm
And now we reach the tenth and final step of character creation and one that seems to be the final nail in the frustration coffin that is character creation in the Spycraft 2.0 character creation system that is the Gear Selection/Management - and oddly is most beloved by those veterans in the game as one of my players have aptly put it once 'It's a gun nut's wet dream'.
What at first glance seems daunting and confusing is actually quite simple after that initial walk through.
While your typical fantasy tabletop RPG (or even the video game variety) places great emphasis on gear acquisition with character's obtaining an ever expanding inventory of gear and riches Spycraft 2.0 boils the gear system down to what the PCs would believably have on hand or carry day-to-day. I'm sure if you needed something it could be found in your character's (or your own for that matter) garage or storage shed/unit but it wouldn't be believable nor practical for your character to say 'yeah, I have a pair of handcuffs at home --- err, probably best not to ask --- just let me run home and get them. Be back in 30'. So with that in mind ...
If we follow through Chapter 4 of the Spycraft 2.0 core rulebook the first step is to distribute the characters Wealth points (provided by Class and sometimes Origin). Harper's Talent (Privileged) provides a +1 bonus to Wealth, her Specialty (Operative) provides a +1 bonus to Possessions (a category of Wealth), her Class (Intruder) provides Wealth 1, and her Charisma modifier provides an additional +1 at first level.
Wealth is an abstract representation of of a character's personal holdings, or rather the stuff they deal with when not on mission such as their home and personal vehicle. Some however does spill into missions like his personal possessions, available cash, and personal style (clothing). Wealth is divided into three categories - Lifestyle, Spending Cash, and Possessions - all beginning at 1 and going no higher than 10. The bonuses stated above may be distributed across the three categories as per the players desires (with the exception of Harper's bonus for Operative that specifically states it increases Possessions).
Lifestyle: 3. Since she is an international business woman (yet still young) I feel that a Lifestyle of 3 - that provides an average (or common) look and gives the option of a loft / private suite / one bedroom home - fits her cover.
Spending Cash: 1. As above, being young, one would not expect Harper to have access to large amounts of spending cash. I would imagine most things are bought with credit card.
Possessions: 3. Being a secret agent though, one would expect she values her 'toys'.
Lifestyle - Your character’s Lifestyle establishes the size and splendor of their home and vehicle, as well as their basic appearance, that will effect social activities and getting ahead in their organizations or networks. Per Table 4.1 Lifestyle, a Lifestyle rating of 3 gives example homes of Loft, Private Suite, and One Bedroom Home. I like the idea of Harper, in maintaining her cover as a businesswoman, would have a Loft within the City (the City in this case being Washington DC) and in looking at housing prices and neighborhoods deemed 'safe' within Washington DC I am attracted to the Southwest Waterfront area (near Nationals Park and Audi Stadium) as it looks to be an up and coming neighborhood and is relatively close to Langley.
Table 4.1 Lifestyle allows for Caliber 1 vehicles at rating 3 (Caliber sorts all gear into reasonable categories by effectiveness, readability, et. with Caliber 1 being the most common/lowest level). Car, mid-size Sedan is a Caliber 1 vehicle and I like that it offers (2) upgrades. So in staying with Harper's cover as a business woman her personal vehicle will be a Mercedes E-Class (Silver) with the Security Package 1 and Structural Reinforcements upgrades. Would take credit for this selection but it was what Mitch Rapp, as stated previously the source material inspiration for this concept, drove early in his career (until the original author passed away and the author who has since taken over that has an affinity for Chargers).
Per Table 4.1 Lifestyle, the example Appearance is Average (common street look) and offers a +0 to Appearance Bonus on social interaction skills. I can live with that, saying that her business dress is functional and up to date but not flashy or attention grabbing and her everyday attire - she seems like a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl (maybe more tactical than trendy).
Possessions - Are the items that Harper (and any PC) will have access too during and outside of missions and are his own personal equipment. Table 4.2 Possessions allows for 1 Caliber III, 1 Caliber II, and 3 Caliber I items selected from any category - though typically it is up to the GM to approve and determine that your Possessions are in line with your character concept and background. Ideally this gear will be an 'own the gear you carry' situation where you want to insure that you are carrying gear vital to your skill set and abilities that you do not want to rely on your Faction or social Network to provide (i.e. if you were a soldier or the 'muscle' of your gaming group of PCs you would probably want to make sure that you have a gun tailored to your skills and abilities with you at all times). As Harper's concept is more intruder / sneaky (much like Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell) and typically intrusion and burglary occurs at night it seems that gear should be tailored with that fact in mind.
Possessions:
Night Vision Goggles (I)
Lockpicking Kit I (I)
Average Low Profile Armor with night camo upgrade (III) and Silence - PR3 Gadget (II)
You will notice that I have (1) Caliber I pick remaining. I could follow the B&E route and pick up a Climbing Kit I or a weapon if I would prefer not to rely on the CIA to provide Harper with a weapon.
Possessions:
Night Vision Goggles (I)
Lockpicking Kit I (I)
Sig Saur P239 9mmP (I)
Average Low Profile Armor with night camo upgrade (III) and Silence - PR3 Gadget (II)
Spending Cash - A character's savings he can bring into play during missions with the majority of the character's finances tied up in investments, retirement, etc. and is the amount that the character can only shift a limited amount into savings for use without upsetting their portfolio.
Spending Cash = $100 x Spending Cash x Spending Cash ($100 x 1 x 1) or $100
Spending Cash is fluid currency and may be used for any appropriate in-setting expense, from bribes to legal and black-market purchases based on an item’s street value.
Common Items - Common Items are equipment that isn’t listed in any gear category, not worthy of a full gear pick. Some Common Items are inexpensive items readily affordable to the average person, while others have single, obvious functions. Others are simply not useful enough to warrant a gear pick.
All Common Items share the following limitations.
• A Common Item may not grant a gear bonus greater than +1
nor inflict a gear penalty greater than –1.
• A Common Item may not be used to attack as anything other
than an improvised weapon (see page 346).
• A Common Item may have no more than 1–2 very simple rules
beyond its "common sense" application, as determined by the GC.
This is another area where a new player gets very frustrated and can feel at a loss of what to do or how to go about selecting common items. Common Items are one of my favorite things about the system - items that provide some benefit but do not use up a gear pick and flesh out the character that makes them unique. If you think about what you carry everyday (look at YouTube for EDC or every day carry) you probably can fill out most of the picks with out much thought or effort, just apply your real life items to your character.
Common Items (14):
Rucksack
Dynamis Lopro Belt
Pocket Knife - –2 gear penalty with attack checks, a –2 gear penalty with damage, and your error range increases by 1. Further, any error suffered with the weapon renders it destroyed. Finally, a character’s Strength bonus is never added to an improvised weapon’s damage
Combat Flathead - –2 gear penalty with attack checks, a –2 gear penalty with damage, and your error range increases by 1. Further, any error suffered with the weapon renders it destroyed. Finally, a character’s Strength bonus is never added to an improvised weapon’s damage; +1 to Mechanics checks (meaning the -4 penalty for not having a mechanics kit becomes -3)
Leatherman Multitool
Smart Phone - +1 gear bonus to Knowledge checks
(2) prepaid cell phones
Resco UDT Watch
Penlight
Zip ties
binoculars
Yeti Rambler 36 oz.
Zippo
Reputation: 2
What at first glance seems daunting and confusing is actually quite simple after that initial walk through.
While your typical fantasy tabletop RPG (or even the video game variety) places great emphasis on gear acquisition with character's obtaining an ever expanding inventory of gear and riches Spycraft 2.0 boils the gear system down to what the PCs would believably have on hand or carry day-to-day. I'm sure if you needed something it could be found in your character's (or your own for that matter) garage or storage shed/unit but it wouldn't be believable nor practical for your character to say 'yeah, I have a pair of handcuffs at home --- err, probably best not to ask --- just let me run home and get them. Be back in 30'. So with that in mind ...
If we follow through Chapter 4 of the Spycraft 2.0 core rulebook the first step is to distribute the characters Wealth points (provided by Class and sometimes Origin). Harper's Talent (Privileged) provides a +1 bonus to Wealth, her Specialty (Operative) provides a +1 bonus to Possessions (a category of Wealth), her Class (Intruder) provides Wealth 1, and her Charisma modifier provides an additional +1 at first level.
Wealth is an abstract representation of of a character's personal holdings, or rather the stuff they deal with when not on mission such as their home and personal vehicle. Some however does spill into missions like his personal possessions, available cash, and personal style (clothing). Wealth is divided into three categories - Lifestyle, Spending Cash, and Possessions - all beginning at 1 and going no higher than 10. The bonuses stated above may be distributed across the three categories as per the players desires (with the exception of Harper's bonus for Operative that specifically states it increases Possessions).
Lifestyle: 3. Since she is an international business woman (yet still young) I feel that a Lifestyle of 3 - that provides an average (or common) look and gives the option of a loft / private suite / one bedroom home - fits her cover.
Spending Cash: 1. As above, being young, one would not expect Harper to have access to large amounts of spending cash. I would imagine most things are bought with credit card.
Possessions: 3. Being a secret agent though, one would expect she values her 'toys'.
Lifestyle - Your character’s Lifestyle establishes the size and splendor of their home and vehicle, as well as their basic appearance, that will effect social activities and getting ahead in their organizations or networks. Per Table 4.1 Lifestyle, a Lifestyle rating of 3 gives example homes of Loft, Private Suite, and One Bedroom Home. I like the idea of Harper, in maintaining her cover as a businesswoman, would have a Loft within the City (the City in this case being Washington DC) and in looking at housing prices and neighborhoods deemed 'safe' within Washington DC I am attracted to the Southwest Waterfront area (near Nationals Park and Audi Stadium) as it looks to be an up and coming neighborhood and is relatively close to Langley.
Table 4.1 Lifestyle allows for Caliber 1 vehicles at rating 3 (Caliber sorts all gear into reasonable categories by effectiveness, readability, et. with Caliber 1 being the most common/lowest level). Car, mid-size Sedan is a Caliber 1 vehicle and I like that it offers (2) upgrades. So in staying with Harper's cover as a business woman her personal vehicle will be a Mercedes E-Class (Silver) with the Security Package 1 and Structural Reinforcements upgrades. Would take credit for this selection but it was what Mitch Rapp, as stated previously the source material inspiration for this concept, drove early in his career (until the original author passed away and the author who has since taken over that has an affinity for Chargers).
Per Table 4.1 Lifestyle, the example Appearance is Average (common street look) and offers a +0 to Appearance Bonus on social interaction skills. I can live with that, saying that her business dress is functional and up to date but not flashy or attention grabbing and her everyday attire - she seems like a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl (maybe more tactical than trendy).
Possessions - Are the items that Harper (and any PC) will have access too during and outside of missions and are his own personal equipment. Table 4.2 Possessions allows for 1 Caliber III, 1 Caliber II, and 3 Caliber I items selected from any category - though typically it is up to the GM to approve and determine that your Possessions are in line with your character concept and background. Ideally this gear will be an 'own the gear you carry' situation where you want to insure that you are carrying gear vital to your skill set and abilities that you do not want to rely on your Faction or social Network to provide (i.e. if you were a soldier or the 'muscle' of your gaming group of PCs you would probably want to make sure that you have a gun tailored to your skills and abilities with you at all times). As Harper's concept is more intruder / sneaky (much like Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell) and typically intrusion and burglary occurs at night it seems that gear should be tailored with that fact in mind.
Possessions:
Night Vision Goggles (I)
Lockpicking Kit I (I)
Average Low Profile Armor with night camo upgrade (III) and Silence - PR3 Gadget (II)
You will notice that I have (1) Caliber I pick remaining. I could follow the B&E route and pick up a Climbing Kit I or a weapon if I would prefer not to rely on the CIA to provide Harper with a weapon.
Possessions:
Night Vision Goggles (I)
Lockpicking Kit I (I)
Sig Saur P239 9mmP (I)
Average Low Profile Armor with night camo upgrade (III) and Silence - PR3 Gadget (II)
Spending Cash - A character's savings he can bring into play during missions with the majority of the character's finances tied up in investments, retirement, etc. and is the amount that the character can only shift a limited amount into savings for use without upsetting their portfolio.
Spending Cash = $100 x Spending Cash x Spending Cash ($100 x 1 x 1) or $100
Spending Cash is fluid currency and may be used for any appropriate in-setting expense, from bribes to legal and black-market purchases based on an item’s street value.
Common Items - Common Items are equipment that isn’t listed in any gear category, not worthy of a full gear pick. Some Common Items are inexpensive items readily affordable to the average person, while others have single, obvious functions. Others are simply not useful enough to warrant a gear pick.
All Common Items share the following limitations.
• A Common Item may not grant a gear bonus greater than +1
nor inflict a gear penalty greater than –1.
• A Common Item may not be used to attack as anything other
than an improvised weapon (see page 346).
• A Common Item may have no more than 1–2 very simple rules
beyond its "common sense" application, as determined by the GC.
This is another area where a new player gets very frustrated and can feel at a loss of what to do or how to go about selecting common items. Common Items are one of my favorite things about the system - items that provide some benefit but do not use up a gear pick and flesh out the character that makes them unique. If you think about what you carry everyday (look at YouTube for EDC or every day carry) you probably can fill out most of the picks with out much thought or effort, just apply your real life items to your character.
Common Items (14):
Rucksack
Dynamis Lopro Belt
Pocket Knife - –2 gear penalty with attack checks, a –2 gear penalty with damage, and your error range increases by 1. Further, any error suffered with the weapon renders it destroyed. Finally, a character’s Strength bonus is never added to an improvised weapon’s damage
Combat Flathead - –2 gear penalty with attack checks, a –2 gear penalty with damage, and your error range increases by 1. Further, any error suffered with the weapon renders it destroyed. Finally, a character’s Strength bonus is never added to an improvised weapon’s damage; +1 to Mechanics checks (meaning the -4 penalty for not having a mechanics kit becomes -3)
Leatherman Multitool
Smart Phone - +1 gear bonus to Knowledge checks
(2) prepaid cell phones
Resco UDT Watch
Penlight
Zip ties
binoculars
Yeti Rambler 36 oz.
Zippo
Reputation: 2