Step Away from the Dungeon

I've been saying it ever since 3.5: Play something that isn't D&D. And it seems a large amount of people are now just figuring that out.

But why? Is it just contrarianism that keeps me from wanting to play the biggest, most popular game? I wish. It's more of a multitude of smaller reasons and personal beefs.

Plus, you know, there's the fact that they sent the Pinkertons after that one person. How about their attempts to modify the OGL? And let's not forget what I perceive to be attempts to push D&D into a purely online space, laden with microtransactions and AI, while shutting out smaller game shops. Maybe I'm wrong about that last one. I hope I am.

I hate listicles, but here's a small one.

1. I don't care much for medieval fantasy

That's a pretty easy one right there. It's not that I hate the genre. I liked the LOTR movies. I played the hell out of Oblivion and Skyrim - unmodded, even. And I even own PDFs for three different versions of Pathfinder (1E, 2E, and SWADE).

But overall, I find the genre kind of done-to-death. I'd much rather explore a world of supers, sci-fi, cyberpunk, alternate history, "Weird West," or something else. While a lot of other people were hard into D&D, I was playing TMNT, Robotech, Shadowrun, RIFTS, and more.

Again, this isn't some sort of hipster contrarianism. If you like D&D, keep liking it. Don't let the words of some internet rando sour you on that thing you enjoy.

2. Homogenization

It was really hard trying to get people to try literally anything new in the years of 3.5. I literally had someone look me in the face and say they wouldn't play anything except D20.

It was a weird time to be in a gaming store. It was as if people weren't aware of other universal systems (many of which, in my opinion, were far less clunky).

For a huge chunk of the general public, WotC owned all of the tabletop space. And that felt grimy to me.

3. Clunky

I've played 5E a few times. I do not care much for the system. Having played Savage Worlds, Cypher System, ICRPG, and even GURPS 4E, I just really can't get around a lot of 5E's mechanics.

Savage Worlds' "wound" system does a lot better than incessantly counting hit points, as does Fate's physical / mental stress counter. Even the notoriously clunky Shadowrun has a better way of tracking damage. Ouch.

Honestly, try out some combat or skill tests in other systems, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

4. Supporting small creators

That's pretty much it. Maybe you can chalk this one up to contrarianism, but I like supporting small game studios, rather than large multinational conglomerates.

Long story short: The early-to-mid 2000s were a boom time for indie RPGs. You were just too busy playing 3.5 to notice.

S John Ross's Pokethulhu is what happens when you combine Lovecraftian horror with the adorably collectible monster-catching franchise.

Billy Logan

Home Village: Otisburg

Aspect: Decomposing

Grade Level: 8

Sanity: 5

Phys Ed: 4

Shoplifting: 4

Pokethulhu Lore: 5

Talking Trash: 5

---

Ninja Burger is a game of food delivery, seppuku, and backstabbing.

Kyuzo Tatsuya

Job Title: Deliverator

Ninja: +0

Deliverator: +2

Fleeing: +2

Dirty Fighter: +2

Following Orders: -2

Background: A former mercenary who decided delivering burgers was safer. Now he's having doubts.

Element: Bamboo

Clan: Stalking Ox

Matter of Honor: I will never turn down a dare.

Today's character is for a mico-RPG called No Comply, which is about skateboarders saving their city from aliens. The way I hear it, the creator of the game is one handsome devil, clever like a fox, and humble, too.

"Brian, didn't you make this game?"

Uh... Hey. Maybe I did. But it's free!

No character sheet today, because the game doesn't include one. I was limited for space. Don't look at me like that!

Fakey Jake

STATS

Aggro - 1 (he's a lover, not a fighter)

Gnar - 3 (Jake will skate circles around you)

Brains - 2 (Your average intelligence)

Cool - 2 (He knows how to talk to people, but he's no schmooze)

ARCADE TOKENS: 4 (Your starting amount)

I spent most of today working and then switched into GM mode, so I didn't have time to make a character for a more in-depth system. And so "rules-lite" it is.

Did I mention the game is free?

I even made a cool trailer for it, using nothing but stock footage and royalty-free music!

White Wolf made a Street Fighter TTRPG.

I'm going to type that again, in case it slipped past you. White Wolf, the company behind the World of Darkness games, made a TTRPG (technically a "Storytelling Game") based on the Street Fighter video game series.

And it's really good. In fact, it's so close to the World of Darkness games, it'd theoretically be possible to have your Brujah throwing Hadoukens while a Wendigo shot Yoga Fire.

You know I like to "Up the Punx" when I'm making these characters, so here's Quincy. He's a London punk rocker, he is. He'll proper bash you in the gabber, innit.

He's famous for being a musician, like, but now he's trying to be a proper Street Fighter, right? Swear on me mum.

Maybe he ain't got the best knowledge, but that Hyper Fist will learn you to give him any Barney. So you'd better watch your gob, otherwise you're getting a fist in the cobblers, savvy?

ATTRIBUTES

Physical

Strength: 3

Dexterity: 3

Stamina: 4

Social

Charisma: 3

Manipulation: 2

Appearance: 3

Mental

Perception: 2

Intelligence: 3

Wits: 2

ABILITIES

Talents

Alertness: 1

Intimidation: 2

Insight: 1

Streetwise: 3

Skills

Blind Fighting: 3

Drive: 2

Leadership: 1

Stealth: 3

Survival: 1

Knowledges

Arena: 1

Computer: 1

Investigation: 1

Medicine: 1

Mysteries: 1

Style Lore: 1

ADVANTAGES

Backgrounds

Fame: 3

Allies: 2

Contacts: 2

Manager: 2

Techniques

Punch: 2

Kick: 1

Block: 1

Grab: 2

Athletics: 1

Focus: 1

RENOWN

Glory: 1

Honor: 2

Chi: 2

Willpower: 5

Health: 10

SPECIAL MANEUVERS

Hyper Fist (4)

Deflecting Punch (1)

Sometimes you need to play a fun, rules-lite RPG like Risus. Like the opening paragraph says, it makes a great "emergency" game, for when a few people in your group flake, and you want to do a little one-shot.

You know who's an underserved demographic in TTRPGs? Juggalos. Oh, don't look at me like that. When's the last time a Juggalo did anything to you? Yes, that's what I thought. Personally I'm not a Juggalo, but every one I've met has been a solid person. So, you know, get over that.

Circus P. Nutz is a Juggalo Vigilante. He was unfairly framed for a crime he didn't commit, and now he travels across the nation, helping Juggalos in peril. So he's like a one-man A-Team. Or a J-Team even.

Cliches:

Juggalo (4)

Vigilante (3)

Investigator (2)

Rapper (2)

You might notice that's 11 points. That's because...

Hook:

Wanted by the Cops

I can't say enough good things about Straight to VHS, from its die pool system to the creator's love of late 20th Century action movie cheese. The game is in a free public beta right now, but I really hope 2025 is the year we get a "final" published edition. The world needs this.

Character creation is pretty simple: You choose two Tropes and a single Gimmick, and then follow the instructions listed on those. You can be a Vampire Police Cop, a Batteries Included Shredmeister, a Chesty Troubled Athlete, or even a Vampire Werewolf. Take that, White Wolf! After that, you have $200 to spend on gear.

I went with Martial Artist and Police Cop for my tropes, with "No Body, No Death" as my gimmick. More about this later.

I'd say my favorite part about character creation in Straight to VHS is the brief questionnaire on the second page. This encourages you to "flesh out" your character, and actually do some characterization and roleplay. High marks for this.

NAME: Maxx Chainstick

TROPE 1: Martial Artist

TROPE 2: Police Cop

GIMMICK: No Body, No Death

ATTRIBUTES:

ACC: 0

ATH: 3

CHA: 1

INT: 2

SPY: 0

STR: 1

SKILLS:

Acrobatics +1

Persuasion +1

Police Work +2

FLAWS

Firearms -2

Being Cool -2

MOVE DISTANCE: Far

HERO FEATURES AND NOTES:

Add 1D6 to Unarmed Attacks

If a melee attack against you misses, you can move yourself or your opponent anywhere within Close rainge.

If you're "off the grid" somewhere that separates you from both your car and a lawful populace, gain a Token at the start of each Scene.

INVENTORY:

Nunchaku +2 ($90)

Handgun +1, Far range ($90)

$20

Badge

Cop car

ACC + RANGED WEAPON = 1

STR + MELEE WEAPON = 3

SPECIAL ABILITIES

PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT: (Once per act, minor action) Inspire self or an ally. Target gets 2 tokens and heals 2 + on their # of montages in HP.

BAD EDIT: (Once per scene, free action) Turn in a token to take a single extra action at any time, on anybody's turn.

KATA: (minor action) Once per Scene, put on an intimidating martial arts display. Every present enemy loses 1d6 on all rolls before your next turn. If used outside an Action Sequence, gain a Token instead.

WHIRLWIND: (major action) Once per Act, unleash a whirlwind of a melee attack that targets every enemy within Close range.

FREEZE!: (minor action) Once per Scene, show your badge to a target and say something like “hold it, dirtbag!”. On their next turn, the target can't use a major action. If used outside an Action Sequence, your target has a -3 Problem on their next roll in this Scene.

GOOD COP / BAD COP: (free action) Once per Scene, heal 1 HP by faithfully upholding the law. Or earn a Token by violating the law to "get results".

NO BODY, NO DEATH: (minor action) Once per Act, put yourself in a dire a situation and tell the others to run. As long as the other Heroes don't actually witness your “inevitable” death, you will rejoin the team in the next Scene with a wild tale of survival.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE? Spiky bleach-blonde hair with brown eyes and eyebrows. A blue headband, tied in the back. A sleeveless police uniform, with a black karate belt wrapped around the waist. Hands are wrapped in boxer's tape.

WHAT TROUBLES YOU? This city is being taken over by a criminal element, and only my friends and I can stop it. Being a cop only gets me so far. There are times when I must work outside the law.

WHAT'S YOUR DREAM / GOAL? After the city is free of crime, I hope to make my way up to Chief of Police, where I'll teach honor and discipline to my new recruits. Our martial arts prowess will keep the city clean and safe.

WHAT'S AMAZING ABOUT YOU? I'm the youngest student ever to achieve a black belt, and the second-youngest ever to graduate the police academy. I got a lot of grief for my age. But now that I'm older, I have twice the experience of somebody my age. Who's laughing now?

The Star Wars TTRPG license has bounced around through a few companies. But the first was published in 1997 by West End Games.

Some of you may have heard "defunct RPG from the 1980s," and your ears perked up like excited dachshunds. You are my people.

While Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game does have an in-depth character creation schema, it's recommended that new players just grab a template and run with it. So that's what I did. It's "Cyborged Pirate" named Grubes Catbite. If you catch the reference, you're also my people.

DEXTERITY 3D+2

Blaster

Blaster Artillery

Brawling Parry

Dodge

Grenade

Melee Combat

KNOWLEDGE 2D

Business

Intimidation

Languages

Streetwise

Value

MECHANICAL 3D

Astrogation

Capital Ship Gunnery

Repulsorlift Ops

Space Transports

Starship Gunnery

Starship Shields

PERCEPTION 3D

Bargain

Command

Con

Forgery

Gambling

STRENGTH 2D+2

Brawling

Stamina

TECHNICAL 3D

Armor Repair

Blaster Repair

Demolition

Droid Repair

Security

EQUIPMENT

Flashy clothes

Cybernetic arm

Lots of gaudy rings and trinkets

Comlink

Vacuum suit

2000 credits standard

Blaster pistol (4D damage)

MOVE: 10

FORCE SENSITIVE: Yes

FORCE POINTS: 2

As someone who has loved Fudge since the 1990s, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about FATE at first. But I have to say the system has grown on me in recent years.

Let's get right into the character.

Harry Cantankerous (not his real last name) is a minor punk rock celebrity turned paranormal investigator. As the story goes, he's haunted by the ghost of another minor punk rock celeb, Forty Ounce Fred (who happens to be a ghost from my "Ghostbusters: Punk is Dead" one-shot scenario).

Unfortunately, he's not much of a people person. And that can often lead to more closed doors than anything else. Still, he's good at figuring out if a place is actually haunted.

ASPECTS

Punk Rock Paranormal Investigator

Not a People Person

Haunted By the Ghost of Forty Ounce Fred

Breaking and Entering

Z-List Celebrity

SKILLS

Great (+4): Investigate

Good (+3): Fight, Notice

Fair (+2): Athletics, Provoke, Lore

Average (+2): Shoot, Stealth, Contacts, Physique

STUNTS

Arcane Expert

Fight Dirty

Get Under Their Skin

You know what the world needs? More offbeat TTRPGs. The hobby can be about so much more than just swords-and-sorcery, cyber-noir combat, big robots in space. There are TTRPGs to suit almost anything you want to do, from DJing a late-night radio station to fishing to save your hungry village.

Enter This Compleat Breakfast, which has you taking on the role of a cereal mascot. Your cereal might stay crunchy, but the system doesn't. Playing cards are the main mechanic here, and they show up in both character creation and action resolution.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I'm a sucker for TTRPGs that use card decks. Whether it's Savage Worlds' initiative system, card decks for random encounters, This Compleat Breakfast's entire resolution mechanic, I just love the feeling of flipping and shuffling cards during an adventure.

Director Higu-Crunchy is imploring you to "Keep Rolling" these sweetened oats and marshmallow zombies into your mouth. That's right! It's One Crunch of the Dead, the horror-inspired cereal that you eat in a single take!

STATS

Crackle: 6

Pop: 3

Snap: 6

The Director is great at thinking on his feet and moving fast, but he's not very durable.

LUCKY CHARMS

Clubs

Jack of Clubs

Queen of Clubs

Jack of Diamonds

King of Diamonds

Queen of Hearts

King of Hearts

PRIZES

Finger Puppets x2 (I drew two 2's in a row)

Mystery Ball

Mini Binoculars

There are games, systems, and settings out there to suit every taste. All you need to do is "step out of the dungeon" (hey, that's the name of this blog!) and see what else is out there.

One of the reasons I'm taking part in the Character Creation Challenge is to spotlight some various TTRPGs that aren't D&D. Hopefully at least one person will read one of my posts, get curious about a system or setting I mentioned, and they'll give that a try. If that happens just once, I feel I've done a good job.

This is another game that isn't D&D. In fact, it has another D. D Und D Und D is a game based on the letter D and various word combinations. Your attributes and character class must start with the letter D. You get an abstract bonus to rolls, based on your character class. But you also get a letter bonus, based on some combination of letters in that class.

Enter Dirk Daguerre, a Detective.

ATTRIBUTES

Dash: 3

Deduce: 9

Duel: 6

Dedication: 6

Dirk is pretty capable in a fight, and he's sharp as a tack when it comes to figuring things out. But do not expect him to move quickly.

CLASS NAME

Detective

ABSTRACT BONUS

Bonus whenever attempted action involves solving a case.

LETTER BONUS

Bonus if the Und skill ends in -ive.

DETAILS:

Dirk Daguerre is a detective from Davenport, by way of Denver. He has been dispatched to doggedly determine the details of dastardly deeds done by dirty delinquents, and will divulge the data to the district deputies and donors.

Cyberpunk RPGs would be nothing without a street doc. Rather than just relegating this role to an NPC, I thought it'd be great to create one. So here's Specs, a character for Sprawlrunners. If you're unfamiliar with that, it's basically Savage Worlds Shadowrun. All of the grime and fantasy-meets-cyberpunk atmosphere, but without so much crunch.

This character was made using Savaged.US.

ATTRIBUTES

Agility: D4

Smarts: D8

Spirit: D6

Strength: D6

Vigor: D6

SKILLS

Academics D4

Athletics: D4

Common Knowledge: D4

Driving: D4

Electronics: D4

Fighting: D4

Healing: D8

Language (Sprawlspeak): D8

Notice: D4

Persuasion: D6

Repair: D6

Research: D6

Science: D6

Shooting: D4

Stealth: D4

Specs is okay at a lot of things, but she's very good at healing, and decent at science and repair. She's also got a D6 in shooting, for those difficult jobs.

DERIVED STATS

Pace: 6

Parry: 4

Toughness: 5

Not much to write home about here. She's on par with most Novice Savage Worlds characters.

ARMOR

Armor clothing: 4 - Toughness 7 (2)

GEAR

Bullets, Pistol

Kit

Medpack

Wealth: 4 Logistic Points

Maybe I could have bought some more gear here, but I want Specs to travel light. She has a repair kit and a medpack, so she can fix both flesh and chrome.

HINDRANCES

Code of Honor (major)

She'll do anything it takes to stabilize somebody. This often gets her into more trouble than she expects.

EDGES

Implanted

Chromed

Connections

Her cybernetic eyes (why they call her "Specs") assist her in examining and diagnosing problems.

WEAPONS

Pocket Pistol / 2D6-1 / Range: 10/20/40 / AP 0 / ROF 1 / Shots 10 / Weight 1

CYBERWARE

Cybereyes

Infravision (for cybereyes)

Low Light Vision (for cybereyes)

Camera (for cybereyes)

Not every tabletop roleplaying game has to be about going on epic quests, or revolting against your corporate cyber-overlords. Sometimes you just need to do some rasslin'.

World Wide Wrestling is one of the best games you're not playing right now. It'll make a TTRPG fan out of wrestling marks, and it'll certainly make a "smark" out of any RPG player. And if you're already a fan of both, stop reading this post and get your hands on some WWW.

Not only is it a fantastic wrestling RPG using a PbtA-lite system, but both the first and second editions are filled with fantastic essays about wrestling culture, fandom, and more. "Professional Wrestling: Burlesque for Boys" from First Edition is a must-read, in my opinion.

I could gush about World Wide Wrestling for literal pages. But you're here for a TTRPG character, aren't you?

Joey Revolt was originally named Joey Revolution until I realized there was literally a wrestling show with the word "Revolution" in its name. He wears a black button-down shirt, a checkerboard tie, and ripped jeans or jean shorts (depending on ring temperature).

THE ANTI-HERO

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan

Entrance: Ska!

STATS

Body: -1

Look: 0

Real: 1

Work: -1

WANTS

A Championship Title!

YOUR MOVES

Anything you need to do to win

Mouth of the People

I intentionally did not fill out "Heat," because that should be worked out once all players are at the table.

Have you heard of the Crazy 8s rules-lite game engine? Probably not. Because this was the unfortunate cover art for the first edition, and this is the cover for Cyber 8s. In fact, almost all the cover and interior art for the first edition is like that. Just really embarrassing CGI "cheesecake," art. And that's a shame, because the system itself is actually pretty decent for an extremely rules-lite game.

But since I'm trying to make characters for a bunch of different systems, let's go ahead and get some Crazy mother-loving 8's happening.

I'm happy to report the Second Edition art has steered way from the "PS3 Character Chic" aesthetic. But this is going to be a character for First Edition. Have courage.

Everything in Crazy 8s is based on the number eights. You have eight points to buy skills. You get 8,000 credits to buy gear. You roll 2D8 and add your bonuses. You start with eight health and eight Awesome Points. It's eights all around.

So here's... uh... I mean... The character's name is... Oh, nice. There's no place to write your character's name. So let's just call her Kit. She goes by "Specs" to her friends, because of the prominent cybernetic eyeballs.

SKILLS

Armed Combat 2

Ranged Combat 2

Sneak 1

Computers 2

Medicine 1

GEAR

Sneak Gear (Bonus 6 to stealth rolls)

Advanced Hackdeck

Trauma Patch x10

Heavy Firearm (+5)

SPECIAL

(I had no idea where to put the cyberware, so I put them here)

Reflexes, Basic

Cybereyes, Advanced

Targeting System for Cybereyes

Seriously, though. What is going on with that Crazy 8s First Edition art? One character is literally just wearing five-point harness with a vertical belt to cover the, uh, "region." That cannot be comfortable.

You know what cyberpunk needs? Horrorpunk. Think about it. Cyberpunk generally is a high-lethality setting, full of gloomy skies and people with bits of metal jammed into their nervous systems. It's everything Glenn Danzig ever wrote about. Whoa-oh-oh.

So here's Gary Bonely, a devilock-sporting Rockerboy for Cyberpunk RED. He's got a bass guitar and he's not afraid to use it. Go go go!

Cyberpunk RED is mad crunchy, and this is coming from a dude who has two milk crates of Shadowrun books. Just typing all of Gary's stats took me more time than it took to generate whole characters for other systems - with a pencil! A-whoa-oh-uh-oh.

My favorite thing about Gary is how his arch-nemesis is a former band member who thinks Gary did him wrong. If you know anything about old punk bands (specifically a certain horrorpunk band), that doesn't narrow it down in the slightest. Whoa-oh-oh-ay-oh!

Role Ability: Charismatic Impact

Humanity: 61

Hit Points: 45

Seriously Wounded: 22

Death Save: 5

Attributes

INT: 5

REF: 6

TECH: 7

COOL: 7

LUCK: 7

MOVE: 7

BODY: 5

EMP: 6

Awareness Skills

Concentration (WILL): 4 / 8 / 12

Conceal / Reveal Object (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Lip Reading (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Perception (INT): 4 / 5 / 9

Tracking (INT) 0 / 5 / 5

Body Skills

Athletics (DEX): 4 / 7 / 11

Contortionist (DEX): 0 / 7 / 7

Dance (DEX): 0 / 7 / 7

Endurance (WILL): 0 / 8 / 8

Resist Torture / Drugs (WILL): 0 / 8 / 8

Stealth (DEX): 4 / 7 / 11

Control Skills

Drive Land Vehicle (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Pilot Air Vehicle (x2) (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Pilot Sea Vehicle (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Riding (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Education Skills

Accounting (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Animal Handling (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Bureaucracy (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Business (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Composition (INT): 5 / 5 / 10

Criminology (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Cryptography (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Deduction (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Education (INT): 4 / 5 / 9

Gamble (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Language (INT) - Streetslang: 2 / 5 / 7

Language (INT) - Native: 4 / 5 / 9

Library Search (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Local Expert (INT) - Jersey: 4 / 5 / 9

Science (INT): --

Tactics (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Wilderness Survival (INT): 0 / 5 / 5

Fighting Skill

Brawling (DEX): 5 / 7 / 12

Evasion (DEX): 4 / 7 / 11

Martial Arts (x2) (DEX): 0 / 7 / 7

Melee Weapon (DEX): 4 / 7 / 11

Performance Skills

Acting (COOL): 0 / 7 / 7

Play Instrument (TECH) - Bass Guitar: 4 / 7 / 11

Ranged Weapon Skills

Archery (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Autofire (x2): 0 / 6 / 6

Handgun (REF): 5 / 6 / 11

Heavy Weapons (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Shoulder Arms (REF): 0 / 6 / 6

Social Skills

Bribery (COOL): 0 / 7 / 7

Conversation (EMP): 4 / 6 / 10

Human Perception (EMP): 0 / 6 / 6

Interrogation (COOL): 0 / 7 / 7

Persuasion (COOL): 4 / 7 /11

Personal Grooming (COOL): 4 / 7 / 11

Streetwise (COOL): 5 / 7 / 12

Trading (COOL): 0 / 7 / 7

Wardrobe & Style (COOL): 4 / 7 / 11

Technique Skills

Air Vehicle Tech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Basic Tech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Cybertech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Demolitions (x2) (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Electronics / Security Tech (x2) (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

First Aid (TECH): 4 / 7 / 11

Forgery (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Land Vehicle Tech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Paint / Draw / Sculpt (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Paramedic (x2) (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Photography / Film (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Pick Lock (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Pick Pocket (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Sea Vehicle Tech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Weaponstech (TECH): 0 / 7 / 7

Armor

Head SP 11 / Penalty 0

Body SP 11 / Penalty 0

Weapon

Heavy Melee Weapon / DMG 3 / Ammo - / ROF 2

Very Heavy Pistol / DMG 4 / Ammo 8 / ROF 1

Lifepath

Personality: Friendly and outgoing

Motivation: Friendship

Your (General) Cultural Region: North American

Clothing Style: Generic Chic (Standard, Colorful, Modular)

Hairstyle: Devilock

Affectation You Are Never Without: Skeleton gloves

Languages: English, Street Slang

Your Original Family Background: Corporate Technicians. Middle-middle class, with comfortable conapts or Beaverville suburban homes, minivans and corporate-run technical schools. Kind of like living 1950s America crossed with 1984.

Childhood Environment: In a decaying, once upscale neighborhood, now holding off the boosters to survive.

Your Family Crisis: Your family was scattered to the winds due to misfortune.

How Do You Feel About Most People? I like almost everyone.

Most Valued Person in Your Life? A friend

Most Valued Possession You Own? A musical instrument

Your Life Goals: Get off The Street no matter what it takes

Friends

Ivie Macleod (I dunno who this is. The generator put this name in the sheet and I couldn't edit it)

Gear

Agent

Computer

Glow Paint x5

Instrument

Pocket Amplifier

Radio Scanner / Music

Video Camera

Ammunition: Teargas Grenade x2, V. Heavy Pistol x50

500 Eddies

Role Specific Lifepath

What Kind of Rockerboy are You? Musician

Are You in a Group or a Solo Act? In a Group

Where Do You Perform? Nightclubs Around the City

Who's Gunning For You / Your Group? Old group member who thinks you did them dirty

Cyberware

Okay, fine. Here's another medieval guy. When it comes to fantasy settings, I always liked playing as rogues, fast-talkers, and people who do more than just hit things with swords. So here's this guy, Gaff Silvertongue (what a creative name, I know).

Yesterday I did a Pathfinder for Savage Worlds character. So now he's just a regular Pathfinder character. Enjoy.

He started life as a courier, before realizing it was far more lucrative to just help himself to a few things. He's good at talking himself both into and out of situations.

Ancestry: Hujman

Background: Courier

Class: Rogue

Attributes

Strength +2

Dexterity +4

Constitution +1

Intelligence +1

Wistom +0

Charisma +1

A level one character who leans more toward getting the hell out of the way than fighting.

Armor Class 17 (Base 10 + Dex 4 + 3 Prof)

Fortitude 4 (1 Con + 3 Prof)

Reflex 9 (4 Dex + 5 Prof)

Will 5 (0 Wis + 5 Prof)

Hit Points 17

Skills

Acrobatics 7

Arcana 1

Athletics 5

Crafting 1

Deception 4

Diplomacy 4

Intimidation 4

City Lore 4

Occultism 1

Performance 4

Society 4

Stealth 7

Survival 3

Thievery 7

Perception 5 (Wis 0 + Prof 5)

Speed 25 Feet

Strikes

Dagger 7 (Str 4 + Prof 3) 1d4+2 P

Shortsword 7 (Str 4 + Prof 3) 1d6+2 P

Class DC 17 (Base 10 + Key 4 + Prof 3)

Ancestry and Heritage Abilities: Versatile Human

Ancestry Feat: General Training

Background Skill Feat: Glean Contents

Class Feats and Features

Trap Finder

Rogues Racket (Scoundrel Racket)

Sneak Attack

Surprise Attack

Inventory

Backpack

Bedroll

Chalk

Flint and Steel

Rope

Rations (2)

Torch (5)

Waterskin

Soap

Wealth

2 SP

12 GP

Actions and Activities

Dirty Trick

I don't make it that much of a secret that I'm not really into medieval fantasy. I don't hate it. And I'm not going to tell anyone else not to enjoy it. Please, like the stuff you like. Never let anyone put a damper on that. But it's never really been my "thing."

Having said that, sometimes you just want to roll up a dungeon dweller. So here's a Pathfinder for Savage Worlds character!

A while back, I tried to think of the most "edgelordy" character name I could think of, based on my own name (Brian Transplant). I came up with "Bronin Thornsword," and I've kind of been in love with how ridiculously dark / brooding that sounds. He's the type of guy who makes every corner a dark corner.

And he's got a trademark weapon, the titular "Thornsword." It's just a basic longsword, but you try telling him that!

I even made him in HeroForge! Look at how adorably edgy he is.

Okay, let's get into it!

Attributes

Agility D8 - He's nimble. You gotta give him that.

Smarts D6

Spirit D6

Strength D8

Vigor D6

Skills

Athletics D4

Battle D4

Common Knowledge D4

Fighting D8

Healing D4

Intimidation D6

Notice D4

Persuasion D4

Riding D6

Stealth D6

Survival D6

He's good at hitting stuff with a sword, and pretty okay at a few other things. He even knows Riding, although he has no trusty steed... yet.

Derived Statistics

Pace 6

Parry 6

Toughness 5

He's about average here.

Hindrances

Driven (minor): Prove himself to his village. They all laughed and said he was an "edgelord." But once he beats a dragon or something, they'll stop laughing! (Spoiler: No, they won't)

Heroic (major): Part of proving himself is to butt into every conflict he can, to try and be the big savior. Is this altruism or just him trying to make a name for himself?

Loyal (minor): Well, okay. He does put his friends first. Every bad boy has a soft side.

Edges

Fighter: He's good at thwacking things with a sword.

Quick: Like I said before, he's nimble, and gets to go earlier in initiative.

Trademark Weapon (longsword): There's nothing particularly interesting about his sword, but he seems to be better at using it than he is with other weapons.

Armor

Leather Leggings - Toughness 7 (2)

Leather Jacket - Toughness 7 (2)

Gear

Traveler's outfit

Adventurer's Kit

He travels with the barebones amount of gear needed to get through the day.

Weapon

Sword, Long (Str+D8)

It's his "Thornsword." There's not much thorny about it. But do not tell him that to his face.

Languages

Common

Goblin

Dwarven

Elven

He hangs out in taverns a lot, and has picked up a few foreign tongues.

Special Ability

Martial Flexibility

Starting Wealth

In my last entry, I talked about how "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1990) could help you run better combat. This is the sequel to that piece, which is about a sequel to the movie.

I can already see that look in your eyes. "You're still on that Turtles thing?" Yes, I'm still on that Turtles thing. These are great combat encounters, and you can learn from them!

Have you seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze? Surprisingly it wasn't the longest movie title of 1991, but it still holds up.

There's a scene in which the turtles find themselves in a secret TGRI laboratory, trying to find the last canister of ooze. Just when they found out there's only one tank left, the Foot Clan show up, with their old buddy Tatsu.

This time, they're in a game of "keep away." The Foot want that canister of ooze for nefarious reasons. The Turtles want it for... Well, they never really explained what they would have done with it. Not important.

During an incredibly brief fight (seriously, it's just over two minutes of screen time), the ooze canister changes hands a few times before it ends up with the Foot. Tatsu then tosses a smoke bomb, orders his ninja to "vanish," and high-tails it out of there. These four green guys can't catch a break.

What lessons can you learn from this as a game master?

Keep combat brief. This fight didn't go on any longer than it needed. Once the ooze was in Tatsu's hand, he felt no need to stick around. Your NPCs should be the same way. This isn't Skyrim. If there's no need to continue a fight, your NPCs should be smart enough to bail. Combat does not always need to be a "last man standing" proposition. Don't force it to be.

Give them something to fight for, again. More than just smacking each other with weapons, the Turtles and Foot Clan are both trying to grab an object. This is a good way to make players (and NPCs) consider their next moves carefully. Do they attack, or try to grab, hand off, or intercept the McGuffin?

Block those exits! Why didn't the Turtles just leave once they had the canister? Might have something to do with the swarm of Foot ninja in their way. As a GM, you should make it feasible to escape, but it will take some doing.

Give your players a chance. As many times as the Foot ninja got their hands on that canister, the Turtles were able to get it back. But once Tatsu got his mitts on it, the fight was over. If you're going to spam multiple enemies at your players, make them easy to defeat individually (but still a challenge in large numbers).

Combat can be a plot hook. The bad guys got away with the ooze. Now the players know what their next goal is: Find the jerks.

Are the gears turning in your head yet? Maybe have your players fight some bad guys while they're both trying to grab an item. Give them a limited number of combat rounds. Whoever's holding it at the end of the countdown, that's the side that "keeps" it. If the players win, come up with some reason the bad guys don't persist. If the baddies win, give them some clever escape (smoke bomb, etc.), but drop clues to their move.

But even if the players don't succeed, use their failure to move the story forward. And do not announce "you only have six rounds" or something like that. Just quietly keep track behind your screen.