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[File FUDGE6b, #8 of 10.]
FUDGE: Freeform, Universal, Do-it-yourself Gaming Engine A Free Role-playing Game (RPG). Copyright 1992, 1995 by Steffan O'Sullivan Version: June, 1995 ==================== 6 Tips and Examples (Continued) ==================== 6 Tips and Examples 6.3 Character Examples 6.34 Science Fiction Characters 6.35 Miscellaneous Characters 6.4 Class and Racial Template Examples 6.41 Ranger Template (Fantasy Character Class) 6.42 Broad Class Templates 6.43 Fantasy Race: Cercopes 6.5 Animal & Creature Examples 6.6 Equipment Examples - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.34 Science Fiction Characters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - 6.341 Captain Wallop of the Space Patrol - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - This character is from a cinematic Space Opera campaign, so the limits are high. GM limits: 4 attributes (4 free levels); 50 free skill levels, w/maximum of 1 Superb, 3 Greats, 8 Goods; 2 free gifts; one free Supernormal power, subject to GM approval. Attributes: (4 free levels, 6 taken, balanced by fault) Body: Good (1) Reason/Mechanical: Great (2) Perceive/React: Superb (3) Willpower: Fair (0) Skills: (50 Free levels, 56 taken, balanced by fault) Acrobatics: Good (3) Acting/Disguise: Great (4) Barroom Savvy: Good (3) Blaster: Superb (5) Computer Operation: Fair (2) Diplomacy: Good (3) Electronics: Good (3) Familiarity with Major Planetary Systems: Good (3) Gunnery: Great (4) Haggle: Fair (2) Hard Sciences: Fair (2) Mimicry: Mediocre (1) Navigation: Good (3) Pick Up Languages: Fair (2) Piloting: Great (4) Repair Scoutship Systems: Good (3) Stealth: Great (4) Unarmed Combat: Fair (2) Zero-G Maneuvering: Good (3) Gifts: (2 free gifts, 4 taken, balanced by faults) Handsome Reputation as Hero Never disoriented in zero Gravity Rank of Captain in the Space Patrol Supernormal Powers: (1 free Supernormal power, 1 taken) Able to key in on one mind up to a mile (1.5 km) away and follow the trail on Good Situational roll or better every 15 minutes. Faults: Amorous heartbreaker - love 'em and leave 'em Bravery indistinguishable from foolhardiness Fanatic patriot Must obey senior officers in the Space Patrol - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - 6.342 Seihook - Alien from Aldebaran - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - The erlesti are a non-humanoid race from the star system Aldebaran. An erlest resembles a collection of animated twine and moss-covered rock of less than half human mass. It digests the moss through its "skin" - but to a human observer, the moss appears to be digesting the erlest. Erlesti can also use the "twine" pieces as straws to drink fluids - alcohol affects them as it does humans. While erlesti have nothing resembling hands, they have strong psi powers that enable them to manipulate their environment and even travel space. Erlesti are friendly with humanity - "interesting auras," they say, "always interesting." In general, they are bewildered by red tape, dislike war, value their families above all things, and like comfort, but don't seek extreme wealth. Their Damage Capacity is determined by their Size attribute (their small size and increased density balance out to the same Scale as humans); Perception is determined by Empathy Skill, which they say extends to inanimate objects, and refuse to use any other word to describe the ability. Psi attributes rate raw strength; psi skills fine manipulation of that strength. Erlesti are hermaphroditic (they exchange "twine" with each other to procreate), so Seihook is both male and female. GM limits: 8 attributes (5 free levels); 40 free skill levels, w/maximum of 1 Superb, 3 Greats; 2 free gifts; Supernormal Powers count as attributes - no extra cost. Attributes: (5 free levels, 7 taken, balanced by fault) Empathy Power: Fair (0) Levitation Power: Good (1) Reasoning: Great (2) Reaction: Fair (0) Size: Good (size of 4-year old human) (1) Telekinesis Power: Great (2) Telepathy Power: Good (1) Will: Fair (0) Skills: (40 Free levels, 40 taken) Bar Etiquette: Fair (2) Barter: Great (4) Empathy Skill: Great (4) Folklore: Fair (2) Hard Sciences: Mediocre (1) History: Fair (2) Knowledge of Alien (incl. Human) Customs: Good (3) Levitate Other: Fair (2) Levitate Self: Superb (5) Medical Skills: Good (3) Psychology: Great (4) Telekinesis Skill: Good (3) Telepathy, Dampen Thoughts: Poor (0) Telepathy, Read Thoughts: Fair (2) Telepathy, Project Thoughts: Good (3) Gifts: (2 free gifts, 4 taken, balanced by faults) Can't feel physical pain (no penalty for being Hurt or Very Hurt) Animals do his bidding in simple, non-threatening matters on a Great Empathy *Power* roll or better Tolerant of Appearances - Never disgusted by any alien form Wealthy (for an Erlest) Faults: Practical Joker (for example, loves to "speak" in bad accents in thought projection) Gossip Coward - fears death - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - 6.343 Screamer (Frederick Grant); Occupation: Decker - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - Cyberpunk character by: Stephan Szabo GM limits: 7 attributes (3 free levels); 30 free skill levels, w/maximum of 1 Superb, 4 Greats; 2 free gifts; Cybernetic enhancements count as gifts, not supernormal powers. Attributes: (3 free levels, 5 taken, balanced by fault) Body: Good (1) Charisma: Poor (-2) Intelligence: Superb (3) Quickness: Good (1) Reaction: Great (2) Strength: Fair (0) Willpower: Fair (0) Skills: (30 Free levels, 30 taken) Computer Build/Repair: Great (4) Computer Programming: Superb (5) Computer Theory: Great (4) Cycle: Fair (2) Electronics: Great (4) Firearms: Great (4) Matrix Etiquette: Good (3) Street Etiquette: Fair (2) Unarmed Combat: Fair (2) Gifts: (2 free gifts, 6 taken, balanced by faults) Cybernetics, Datajack Cybernetics, Can multitask cognitive processes Cybernetics, Thermographic Vision Cybernetics, Flash Compensation Cybernetics, Telescopic Sight Lucky Faults: Bloodlust Doesn't care if he lives or dies Manic/Depressive Multiple Personality Overconfident - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.35 Miscellaneous Characters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - + - + - + - + - + - + 6.351 Fan Yin Wong, Ghost - + - + - + - + - + - + - + Fan Yin is from a campaign where all the PCs are ghosts with low karma levels. She must do a number of good deeds before she can risk being reborn again, but her ability to influence the material world is limited. GM limits: 12 attributes (6 free levels); 25 free skill levels, w/maximum 1 Superb, 2 Great; no free gifts, but 6 Supernormal Powers, with constraint on the number of uses per day; 2 personality faults required, do not count for trading purposes. NOTE: the supernormal powers are described with "uses per day" and skill levels. The default skill level is Poor; it takes one gift to raise a supernormal power each level above Poor. Attributes: (6 free levels, 4 taken, balance taken as 6 skills) Appearance: Great (2) Charisma: Fair (0) Dexterity: Good (1) Fitness: Good (1) Mechanical Aptitude: Poor (-2) Mind: Fair (0) Perception: Superb (3) Reflexes: Good (1) Sanity: Mediocre (-1) Strength: Fair (0) Will: Fair (0) Wisdom: Mediocre (-1) Skills: (25 free levels, 31 taken, balanced by attribute levels) Accounting: Good (3) Animal Care: Fair (2) Area Knowledge (easy): Good (2) Athletics: Poor (0) Bargain: Good (3) Computer Use: Fair (2) Driving: Fair (2) Folklore: Fair (2) Knowledge of Detective Fiction: Great (4) Lying: Fair (2) Move Quietly: Mediocre (vs. other spirits) (1) Outdoor Skills: Mediocre (2) Sciences: Mediocre (1) Women's Magazine Lore: Superb (5) Gifts: (0 free gifts, 2 taken, balanced by faults) "Green thumb" - knack for making plants healthy (even as a ghost!) Single-minded - +1 to any lengthy task Supernormal Powers: (6 free Supernormal Powers, 5 taken. 1 traded, plus 2 Faults taken, to raise these 4 levels) Pass through Walls (6/day): Fair Screech (temporarily paralyze multiple living people) (3/day): Mediocre Affect Dreams (1/day): Poor Control Vermin (3/day): Poor Read Minds (4/day): Mediocre Faults: Fear of spiders (even as a ghost) Worry Wart Waffles - can't make decisions until forced to Obsessed with regrets over missed opportunities - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + 6.352 Cassandra Pine, Vampire Private Investigator - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + Modern vampire character by Deird'Re Brooks GM limits: 10 Attributes (5 free levels), 60 free skill levels, w/maximum of 1 Superb, 4 Greats, 2 free gifts, 3 free supernatural powers. Attributes: (5 free levels, 7 taken, balanced by fault) Appearance: Fair (0) Charisma: Fair (0) Dexterity: Great (2) Humanity: Mediocre (-1) Intelligence: Good (1) Perception & Alertness: Great (2) Stamina: Good (1) Strength: Fair (Scale 3) (0) Willpower: Good (1) Wits: Good (1) Skills: (60 free levels, 60 taken) Animal Handling: Mediocre (1) Area Knowledge, home city (easy): Good (2) Athletics: Fair (2) Computer: Fair (2) Control Power: Mind Control (VH): Fair (4) Control Power: Psychometry (VH): Fair (4) Dodge: Good (3) Driving: Good (3) Electronic Security: Great (4) Firearms: Good (3) Intimidation: Good (3) Investigation: Superb (5) Knife: Fair (2) Language: Spanish: Mediocre (1) Law & Police Procedure (hard): Fair (3) Research: Great (4) Stealth: Good (3) Streetwise: Great (4) Subterfuge: Good (3) Tae Kwon Do (hard): Good (4) Gifts: (2 free gifts, 2 taken) Contacts in police force Night Vision Supernormal Powers: (3 free Powers, 8 taken, balanced by faults) Extraordinary Speed Can change into Mist Form Mind Control Only immobilized by stake through heart Psychometry Regeneration Scale 3 (unobservable) Can change into Wolf Form Faults: Burns heal slowly Low financial resources Mind control needs eye contact Must sleep most of the daylight hours Violent when enraged (NOTE: The following three faults count as 2 faults each) Burned by Sun Needs blood to live Dangerous Secret - she's destroyed if it's revealed - + - + - + - + - + - 6.353 Chicory, Bunny - + - + - + - + - + - Chicory is a character in a game where rabbits are the norm, and humans are giant monsters. The scale is therefore relative to rabbits. GM limits: 6 attributes (3 free levels); 40 free skill levels, w/maximum 1 Superb, 3 Great; 2 gifts, 1 Supernormal Power. Attributes: (3 free levels, 7 taken, balanced by faults) Dexterity: Good (1) Health: Good (1) Perception: Superb (3) Smarts: Great (2) Speed: Good (1) Strength: Mediocre (-1) Skills: (40 free levels, 52 taken, balanced by faults) Acrobatics: Terrible (-1) Area Knowledge: Good (3) Detect Traps: Great (4) Fighting: Good (3) Gambling: Good (3) Herb Lore (hard): Superb (6) Knowledge of Burrow Construction: Good (3) Knowledge of Humans (VH): Fair (4) Knowledge of Non-Rabbit Behavior: Good (3) Language: Bug: (hard) Fair (3) Language: Common Bird (hard): Good (4) Language: Mouse/Rat (hard): Great (5) Mechanical Skills: Terrible (-1) Mimic Non-Rabbit Sounds (hard): Fair (3) Move Quietly: Fair (2) Spring Traps: Fair (2) Storytelling: Fair (2) Tracking: Great (4) Gifts: (2 free gifts + 1 Supernormal Power; 4 gifts taken, balanced by not taking a Power.) Unafraid of Loud Noises (unlike most rabbits) Never Forgets a Scent Strong Will Night Vision Faults: Nosy Compulsive Gambler Phobia: Canines Jealous of Anyone Getting More Attention - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - 6.354 Squeegee Fizzle, Cartoon Chimp - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - Squeegee is a time- and space-hopping chimpanzee in a universe without physical laws as we know them. *Real* loose rules on this one, folks! There is no death in cartoons: get your characters to a Heal-O-Ray machine and they'll be fine. GM limits: 3 Supernormal Powers allowed, at least 4 faults required; otherwise: no limits - take what you want, and we'll talk about it. Attributes: (no limit; 7 levels taken, anything else at Fair) 3-D Agility: Good (1) Cheek: Great (2) Imagination: Superb (3) Nose: Good (1) Notices Things: Great (2) Patience: Poor (-2) Resistance to Alien Stuff: Good (1) Willpower: Mediocre (-1) Skills: (no limit, 37 taken) Acrobatics: Good (3) Area Knowledge of the Known Universe: Good (3) Fruit Lore: Superb (5) History: Mediocre (1) Language, Most Alien: Fair (2) Make Silly Noises: Superb (5) Make the Sound of One Hand Clapping: Fair (2) Mechanical Skills: Terrible (-1) Move Quietly: Great (4) Pilot Space Ship: Mediocre (1) Recall of TV SitCom Episodes: Superb (5) Tell Believable Whoppers: Fair (2) Throw Things: Good (3) Tooth-and-Nail Fighting: Good (3) Zap-O-Stun Gun: Great (4) Gifts: (no limit, lots taken) Always keeps his cool . . . well, usually Never Forgets a Banana Acrobatics skill is Superb for Swinging; no penalty to other skills while Swinging Doesn't value Sanity highly Supernormal Powers: Quadridextrous Never lost in space Can think of a Devastating Comeback (stuns opponent five rounds), on a Superb or better Cheek (attribute) die roll Faults: Easily Distractible Compulsive Liar Will do anything for a banana Enemy out to get him: Evil Scientist, Dr. Carnage --------------------------------------- 6.4 Class and Racial Template Examples --------------------------------------- See also Section 6.342, Seihook, as an example of a science fiction racial template. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.41 Ranger Template (Fantasy Character Class) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - See Section 6.12, Templates, for a discussion of character class templates. This is a *sample* template - the GM should customize to her own game, including adding or deleting attributes, gifts, skills, etc. The GM may allow a beginning character to be a ranger apprentice, rather than full ranger. An apprentice is one or two levels less than a full ranger in any given attribute or skill. Ranger requirements: Attributes: Dexterity: Good or better Intelligence: Fair or better Perception: Good or better Strength: Good or better Gifts: None mandatory. Recommended gifts include Animal Empathy, Absolute Direction, Combat Reflexes, Night Vision, other combat gifts. Faults: A ranger should not be the type of person who dislikes being alone. Some rangers work for the authorities, which might imply a Duty and/or a Vow of Obedience. Skills: Area Knowledge: Fair or better Bow: Good or better Climbing: Fair or better Mimic Animal Sounds: Fair or better Move Quietly: Good or better Riding: Fair or better Scouting (the skill of observing and remembering): Fair or better Spear or Sword: Good or better Survival: Good or better Woods Lore: Good or better - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.42 Broad Class Templates - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For a loose and easy game, the GM can assign each character class levels for the broad skill example groups in Section 1.32, Skills. This makes an ideal game for teaching role-playing to beginning players, or when playing with large numbers of players. For example, the GM decides the players can be one of seven different character classes: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Magician, Cleric, Diplomat/Scholar, Jack of All Trades. Each of these characters can be defined as follows: Beginning Fighter: Physical Attributes: Great Mental Attributes: Mediocre Psyche Attributes: Poor Animal Skills: Mediocre Athletic skills: Great Combat skills: Great Outdoor skills: Fair Social skills (Fellowship): Fair All other skills: Poor Beginning Ranger: Physical Attributes: Good Mental Attributes: Fair Psyche Attributes: Poor Animal Skills: Good Athletic skills: Fair Combat skills: Good Covert skills: Fair Craft skills: Fair Outdoor skills: Great All other skills: Poor Beginning Rogue: Physical Attributes: Fair Mental Attributes: Good Psyche Attributes: Poor Athletic skills: Fair Combat skills: Mediocre Covert skills: Great Manipulative skills: Great Merchant skills: Fair Social skills (Fellowship): Mediocre Urban skills: Good All other skills: Poor Beginning Magician: Physical Attributes: Poor Mental Attributes: Good Psyche Attributes: Fair Craft skills: Mediocre Knowledge skills: Fair Spiritual skills: Fair Supernormal Power skills: Great All other skills: Poor Gift: Supernormal Power Beginning Cleric: Physical Attributes: Poor Mental Attributes: Fair Psyche Attributes: Great Animal Skills: Fair Craft skills: Mediocre Knowledge skills: Fair Medical skills: Good Social skills (Formal): Good Spiritual skills: Great Supernormal Power skills: Fair All other skills: Poor Gift: Divine Favor Beginning Diplomat/Scholar: Physical Attributes: Poor Mental Attributes: Great Psyche Attributes: Mediocre Artistic skills: Mediocre Knowledge skills: Great Language skills: Good Manipulative skills: Good Medical skills: Fair Social skills (Fellowship): Mediocre Social skills (Formal): Great Spiritual skills: Mediocre Technical skills: Mediocre All other skills: Poor Beginning Jack of All Trades: Physical Attributes: Fair Mental Attributes: Fair Psyche Attributes: Mediocre Animal Skills: Mediocre Artistic skills: Mediocre Athletic skills: Mediocre Combat skills: Fair Covert skills: Mediocre Craft skills: Mediocre Knowledge skills: Mediocre Manipulative skills: Mediocre Merchant skills: Mediocre Outdoor skills: Fair Social skills (Fellowship): Good Social skills (Formal): Mediocre Spiritual skills: Mediocre Technical skills: Mediocre Urban skills: Fair These character classes are merely examples for a simple fantasy game. The GM can change or ignore any that she wishes and create new character classes. She can also create classes for other genres, such as for a science fiction setting. Each character class has unlisted Knowledge skills appropriate to its class. For example, a fighter has Good Knowledge of tactics, determining weapon quality, judging how well-trained an army is by observing it for a while, etc. Likewise, a rogue has Good Knowledge of types of locks, how many guards a wealthy merchant might have, the value of a given material for disguising oneself, etc. Some skills listed in Section 1.32, Skills, as being under one heading fall under another in certain cases. For example, a rogue would be Great at climbing, even though Climbing is listed as an Athletic skill. In this case, it's a Covert skill. The ability to move quietly is listed as a Covert skill, but a fighter would be Fair at it, and a ranger Great. Character development in this system is handled normally. The GM must decide at some point whether to continue to use broad skill groups or to break skills down into finer divisions. Each skill must be raised separately if the GM decides to break the broad groups into finer distinctions. If the GM likes keeping the skills together as groups, then raising an entire skill group level should cost more experience points than in a system with narrowly-defined skills - perhaps as much as ten times the cost. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.43 Fantasy Race: Cercopes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cercopes (or Kerkopes) were originally a pair of brothers in early Greek mythology. By the first century BC, however, mythological writers had expanded them into their own race. It is in this later definition that they are used here. Cercopes (singular: cercop) are a small, apish race that love to play tricks and pranks on anyone they can. Born thieves, some of them even dared to steal Heracles' weapons! When he caught them and tied them to a pole for punishment, they amused him so with their jokes and banter that he let them go. Players should not attempt to play a cercop unless they have a roguish sense of humor. Cercopes are small humanoids with ugly, apelike faces and a prehensile tail. A cercop stands about four feet high (120 cm), but generally stoops a bit. The face is not hairy, but both sexes tend to have long sideburns that often meet under the chin - this hair does not continue to grow, but stays the same length, as monkeys' hair does. The bodies have some scant hair on the back, and the tail is furred except for the final six inches (15 cm). Arms, legs and chests have no more hair than the average human male does, and they wear clothing - with a tail hole. Their feet resemble monkeys' feet, but they cannot manipulate things well with them. They are not fond of shoes, only wearing them when attempting to disguise themselves as another race. Cercopes stand upright most of the time, but lean forward to run, with the tail acting as a counterbalance. Their tails are strong enough to be used in combat and to aid in climbing. However, a cercop cannot do fine manipulation (such as pick a lock) with its tail. Cercopes speak their own language, and need to learn another to speak with the rest of the party. The average cercop has a Mediocre Strength and Damage Capacity, but a Good Dexterity. Their intelligence runs the same range as humans. Cercopes have the racial gifts of Exceptional Balance (+2 to any action requiring balance, even in difficult situations), the Ability to Land on their Feet with no harm from twice the distance a human could, and Prehensile Tail. Their racial faults are Impulsiveness (act first, think later), Compulsive Jokers (practical and otherwise), Kleptomania, Unattractive Appearance to other races, and Bad Reputations as Thieves and Tricksters. They have a bonus of +1 to the following skills: Acrobatics, Move Quietly, Climbing and Fast Talk. They have a -1 penalty to use any weapon of Medium size or bigger. The net result is that it counts as a fault to be a Cercop. Since anyone playing such a character actually gets some useful bonuses if playing a thief, the GM should be sure to enforce the faults - especially the Bad Reputation. NPCs will have a hard time trusting a cercop, usually with good reason. This racial template gives a strong incentive to creating a thief character. However, it is possible to make a cercop warrior or even cleric if desired. Certain faults can be "bought off." That is, a character may have a gift of Not a Kleptomaniac - but it costs one gift, which would nullify the free fault level. However, the Unattractive Appearance and Bad Reputation cannot be bought off - these are inherent prejudices in others, not in one's self. A cercop character could take a fault: No Tail - perhaps he lost it in battle. This would give extra levels to overcome the -1 penalty to all medium and large weapons if a character wished to be a warrior cercop, for example. ------------------------------- 6.5 Animal & Creature Examples ------------------------------- Non-PC animals need not be built using level limits. Just define what traits are essential to the animal, and let it go at that. The Strength Scale refers to Section 2.3, Non-humans. Damage may include a "weapon deadliness" factor for teeth, claws, and, in some cases, body optimized for combat (usually carnivores). Dog: Perception: Great to Superb (Smell should be Scale: Dog) Strength/Mass Scale: -7 to 0 Skills: Mediocre to Superb (tailor to specific training received; examples include attack, guard, guide, track, hunt, and tricks) Melee Combat: Fair to Superb Damage Capacity: Good to Great Cat: Agility: Great to Superb Scale: -6 or -7 Skills: Survival, Hunting, Playing Gifts: Night Vision, Nine Lives (e.g., each time a cat receives damage that would kill it in one blow, check off one life and don't count the damage. There are other ways to play this, of course, such as a Legendary Dodge ability.) Faults: Independent-minded, Curious, Lazy, Vain Damage Capacity: Fair to Superb Horse: Strength: Scale 3 Good to Great Endurance: Good Speed: Scale 4 Good to Great Skills: Mediocre to Superb (tailor to specific training received; examples include riding, driving, racing, fighting, and various tricks) Faults: Tailor to specific animal (Runaway, bites, kicks, etc.) Damage Capacity: Mediocre to Good Camel: Strength: Scale 2 Good to Great Endurance: Great to Superb Speed: Scale 3 Mediocre to Good Skills: Mediocre to Superb (tailor to specific training received; examples include riding, driving, packing) Gifts: Desert Survival Damage Capacity: Fair to Great Elephant: Strength: Scale 8 Good to Superb Agility: Good to Superb Skills: Mediocre to Superb (tailor to specific training received; examples include riding, hauling, stacking (logs etc.), tricks) Gifts: Exceptional animal intelligence Faults: Males subject to Musth (annual madness) Damage Capacity: Good to Superb Falcon: Courage: Fair to Superb Agility: Good to Superb Speed: Scale 5 Fair to Great Strength: Scale -6, Fair to Superb (Scale may be from -8 to -4 to reflect sizes from sparrow hawk to eagle) Skills: Mediocre to Superb (tailor to specific training received; examples include manning (a measure of the degree of taming), hunting ground mammals, hunting birds, aerial acrobatics, trained to the lure, etc.) Gifts: Flight Damage Capacity: Fair to Good Lion: Perception: Great Melee Combat: Great Stalking: Great Dodge: Fair Strength: Scale 2 Fair to Great Fault: Lazy Damage Capacity: Fair to Superb Grizzly Bear: Perception: Good Melee Combat: Good Dodge: Fair Strength: Scale 3 Fair to Great Fault: Berserker Damage Capacity: Fair to Great Cobra: Perception: Good Melee Combat: Great Dodge: Good Supernormal Power: Poison, +4 damage bonus Fault: Bad temper Damage Capacity: Poor Skunk: Melee Combat: Poor Ranged Combat: Good, short range Dodge: Poor Supernormal Power: Noxious Fluid (blinds, incapacitates, renders foul) Damage Capacity: Terrible Giant Spider: Melee Combat: Good Dodge: Poor Supernormal Powers: Poison (paralyzes), Web (Good Difficulty Level Strength roll to break) Damage Capacity: Good Griffin: Perception: Great Melee Combat: Great Dodge: Good Supernormal Powers: Flight, Tough Hide (light armor) Strength: Mediocre to Great, Scale 4 Damage Capacity: Good to Superb Dragon (customize to taste): Melee Combat: Good to Great Ranged Combat: Good, short range Dodge: Mediocre Supernormal Powers: Fire Breath (+2 damage), Flight, Tough Hide (-1 to -3), Charm with Eyes, Magic Potential (some of them) Fault: Greedy Strength: Scale 3 to Scale 9, Fair to Great Damage Capacity: Fair to Great ----------------------- 6.6 Equipment Examples ----------------------- It's possible to define equipment in FUDGE character terms. This is probably unnecessary, but can be done if desired. Equipment from any technological level, stone age to science fiction, can be detailed this way. A piece of equipment can be defined by as many FUDGE traits as are needed: attributes, skills, gifts or faults. For example, an old, battered sword found in a damp dungeon has: Attributes: Sharpness: Terrible Durability: Poor Fault: Looks Shabby. Such a weapon is treated as a club for damage, rather than a sword (no Sharpness bonus). The GM may require a Situational roll every few combat rounds: the sword breaks on a Mediocre or worse result from parrying or being parried. And finally, some people will make fun of anyone carrying such a shoddy-looking weapon. When the sword was new, however, it had: Attributes: Sharpness: Good Sturdiness: Great Gift: Beautifully Made In that case, it would indeed merit the +1 for Sharpness (perhaps any Sharpness level of Mediocre to Good gets the +1 Sharpness bonus, while duller blades get no bonus, and better blades might get an *additional* +1 bonus). It also would never break under ordinary circumstances, and its appearance probably earns its owner a positive reaction from many people. A bejewelled magic sword found in a dragon's hoard might have: Attribute: Appearance: Superb (+3 to impress those who value wealth) Gift: Troll-slaying (+3 to hit when fighting Trolls; such wounds will never heal) Fault: Dedicated Purpose (it tries to control the wielder to hunt trolls) Skill: Dominate Wielder: Fair (Opposed action against a Will attribute) A different magic sword: Supernormal Power: Flame Creation (+2 damage) Skill: Flame Shooting: Great. Range: three yards (meters) Fault: Flame Creation only works on a Good or better Situational roll Of course, even if the flaming missile fails, it can still be used as a regular sword, so it's not exactly worthless in such cases. As a final example, consider a science fiction double-seat fighter spaceship: Attributes: Acceleration: Great Handling: Superb Speed: Good (Scale 15) Size: Fair (Scale 8) Skills: Navigation: Good Targeting: Superb Auto-pilot: Fair Food Preparation: Poor Entertainment: Mediocre Gifts: Turret-mounted Laser Rifles, above and below Bucket Seats in the bridge Hyperdrive Can be used in an atmosphere or in deep space Faults: Non-standard parts (expensive to repair) Unattractive exterior Cramped sleeping quarters Airlock squeaks annoyingly Ordinary, every-day equipment should not be detailed out in this manner. There is no need to define a canteen, for example, as anything other than "metal, one quart (liter) capacity." Even for equipment that may have an impact on the game, such as weapons or thieves' tools, you do not need to have any more information than "+2 offensive damage factor" or "+1 to Pick Locks skill." It's best to restrict defining equipment in FUDGE character terms to the truly extraordinary (such as magic items). Another use is when the equipment's powers may be used in an opposed action: in a car race, for instance, you need to know the relative speeds and handling capabilities of the vehicles as well as the skills of the drivers. A battle between spaceships is another good example. Equipment with personality, such as sentient magic items or advanced robots, may be treated as full-fledged FUDGE characters if desired. [End of Chapter 6 and of FUDGE proper. The Addenda begin in file FUDGE7a.] |