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SampleCharacterExplanation

Template for a character for a VDP game.

The idea is to do a bit of precalculation during character generation, so as to reduce the amount of calculation to be done during play. These values are used in the Resolution System to determine the chances of success of a character action.

Name: should contain the full character name, as it might be printed on a passport.
Species/Race: depends on setting, for example, Humanoid will do for a space-opera game, but a game set in 1970s post-collapse America should probably indicate ethnicity.
Gender: should indicate what the character identifies as. It's not really likely to come up much in most settings, but it might in, say, a Victorian scientific romance game involving a sinking airship.
Age: Playing kids or elderly folks should come with a physical attribute penalty, but that's for the group to settle on.

Origin: The planet, or nation, or town, or culture that the character is from. Can be a useful plot hook.
Attibutes

VDP Primary Attributes

(Suggestion: If values are equal across a row or a column for NPCs, condense them, for example BODY=2 or RESILIENCE=2)

Special: 0/12 (This indicates the "special" pool points available to the character: it can represent magic, ki, grit, karma, metanormal advantage... depending on the setting. Omit if none).

Timing : Default(3)+Highest(BA,MR)+Training(0) (Can be improved.)
Movement: Default(3)+BR+Training(0)= 4 Ground
Traits: None

Proficiencies: None

Skills: 5xp (Indicate the total number of XP spent on skills)
Awareness (MR) 1 (1xp) (Indicate the skill name, its base stat, its level, and the number of XP spent on it: 1 is 1xp, 2 is (2+1)=3xp, 3 is (3+2+1)=6xp and so on
Brawling (SP) 2 (3xp)
Aimed Fire (MR) 1 (1xp)
(Suggestion: Make use of Backgrounds if you want to start from a template rather than from scratch)

Backstory:

Keep it between one and five paragraphs please!

This is a character template for a Left Beyond game. Chargen is explained here. For use: remove the notes and replace the sample data.

CharacterName is a character for the test Left Beyond game.

Blank character sheet available for quick copy/paste

Character

Stats

Note: 3 represents the weighed average for all races. PC stats start at 2. 10 points can be spent to raise stats. Raising a stat to 3 costs 1, raising a stat to 4 costs 3, raising a stat to 5 costs 6. Lowering a stat to 1 refunds 1.

Derived stats

NC Powers (ATT-2)

• Power
  • Explanation of effects (In Left Beyond, these should be kept subtle; uncanny dodge is OK, throwing fireballs is not)

Note: These are innate narratives that the character can manifest around themselves. Focus determines how often they can be used and Attunement determines how effective they are.

Traits

• Trait
  • Perk:
  • Drawback:

Note: Characters may have 0-2 traits, each of which is composed of a perk and drawback.

Action Skills

Important Note: The skill budget is 20, of which 5 go to action skills, 5 to nonactions, and 10 free. Raising a skill from 0 to 1 costs 1, raising a skill from 1 to 2 costs 2, etc. A skill cannot be higher than the lowest of the stats it depends on. All skills must depend on one or two stats. Note that 2 of the 5 nonaction points MUST be tied up by Farming (1) and Carpentry (1).

Sample skills:

• Mountback Riding (3)
• Sailing (1)
• Sharpshooting (1)
• Explosives (2)

Note: 15 points can be distributed here: 1 point in a skill costs 1, 2 point costs 1+2=3, 3 points 1+2+3=6 and so on. Action Skills encompasses combat, acrobatics, in general things done when timing is important.

Other Skills

Sample skills:

• NC scripting (1)
• NC anisotropy (1)
• Ship Management(1)
• Cooking (1)
• Infotech(1)
• Field Medicine (2)

Note: 15 points can be distributed here: 1 point in a skill costs 1, 2 point costs 1+2=3, 3 points 1+2+3=6 and so on. Other Skills encompasses those things which can happen without immediate time constraints.

Narrative control is specialized into reification, scripting, and anisotropy (other).

Stuff

Note: A list of your character's possessions, in order of availability: On Person - Backpack - Stashed. Assumed to be on your character's person unless specified otherwise.

Backstory