Editing Mano a Mano:Character Creation (section)

=Character Creation=

To create PCs the game will provide the players with a list of templates that players can use to create their characters, occupations which are open to beginning characters, abilities and qualities the character can develop and the maximum total CP of the new character, usually 300 CP.
A GM or game designer may follow similar rules when creating NPCs, but the limitations may be less strict.
(See [[Mano a Mano:Game Design|Game Design]] and [[Mano a Mano:Gameplay|Gameplay]].)
A finished character will have:

* the character's name, age, sex, template, occupation and CP value.
* agility, strength, toughness, stamina, running and possibly swimming and airspeed.
* abilities and qualities
* equipment including natural weapons and armor
* grapple attack, grapple defense, missile defense and melee defense
* best absorption, total cover, stun and damage.

==Description==

Choose a '''name''', '''age''', '''sex''', '''template''' and '''occupation''' for the character. You may also invent a more detailed description and background for your character, appropriate to the game being played. Characters can be ''male'' or ''female'' unless the template lists different options for sex. Age can be described in years, but more often as a category such as ''child'', ''youth'', ''adult'', ''old'', or ''ancient''. 

Occupations give the character advantages, disadvantages, duties or privileges. A character may have any occupations as long as they meet the requirements for those occupations. A character can have more than one occupation if the character can meet the requirements for each occupation at the same time, or no occupation at all. (See [[Mano a Mano:Occupations|Game Design/Occupations]].)

==Build==

A character may be able to have more or less speed, agility, toughness, strength, running, swimming, airspeed, mass and length than his template. 
Youth, adults and older characters are usually within the template's normal variability. To make a small child character without changing the template, you can reduce the mass, length, toughness, strength and running to less than the template's variability normally allows.
After finding the character's total toughness, find the character's ''stamina'' which is 2 times the character's total toughness.

Relatively big characters should have more toughness, strength, mass and length, while relatively smaller characters should have less toughness, strength, mass and length. The following table is a guideline for characters with typical mass, length, toughness and strength relationships, but characters are not required to fit these categories. Template variability limits relative size options. High variability is required for tiny and huge characters, low variability requires normal size, and no variability requires exactly average mass, length, toughness and strength.

{|
! align="left" | Size
! width="5" |
! align="left" | Toughness, Strength and Mass
! width="5" |
! align="left" | Length
|-
| tiny       || || less than half average || || over 20% less than average
|-
| very small || || between 1/3 and 2/3 average || || between 10% and 30% less than average
|-
| small      || || between half average and average || || between 20% less than average and average
|-
| normal     || || between 2/3 average and 50% more than average || || between 10% less and 10% more than average
|-
| big        || || between average and twice average || || between average and 30% more than average
|-
| very big   || || between 50% more than average and three times average || || between 10% and 50% more than average
|-
| huge       || || more than twice average || || over 30% more than average
|}

;more speed (20 CP): A character can have more speed if his template has medium or high variability. If the template's speed is &frac14; or &frac12; the character's total speed will be twice the template's speed. Otherwise the character's total speed will be the template's speed plus 1. More speed is worth 20 CP.

;less speed (-20 CP): A character can have less speed if his template has medium or high variability and the template's speed is greater than &frac14;. If the template's speed is 1 or &frac12; the character's total speed will be half of the template's speed. Otherwise the character's total speed will be the template's speed minus 1. Less speed is worth -20 CP.

;more or less agility (10 CP per level): A character can have more or less agility than his template depending on the template's variability: 0 points more or less if the template has low variability, 1 point more or less if the template has medium variability, or 2 points more or less if the template has high variability. Each point of agility is worth 10 CP. For example, if a character's total agility is 2 levels less than his template's agility, then his reduced agility is worth -20 CP. 

;more or less toughness (3 CP per level): A character can have total toughness up to 50% more than his template toughness with low variability, twice his template toughness with medium variability and 3 times his template toughness with high variability. A character can have less total toughness than his template toughness but never less than 0 toughness. Even a very fragile character usually has total toughness which is at least half of his template toughness. Each point of toughness is worth 3 CP. For example, -3 toughness is worth -9 CP.

;more or less strength (5 CP per level): A character can have total strength up to 50% more than his template strength with low variability, twice his template strength with medium variability and 3 times his template strength with high variability. A character can have less total strength than his template strength, but never less than 0 strength. Even a very weak character usually has total strength which is at least half of his template strength. Each point of strength is worth 5 CP. For example, -2 strength is worth -10 CP.

;more or less mass: A character can have from 30% less to 50% more than his template's average mass with low variability, half to double his template's average mass with medium variability and one-third to 3 times his template's average mass with high variability.

;more or less length: A character can have from 10% less to 10% more than his template's average length with low variability, 20% less to 30% more than his template's average length with medium variability and 30% less to 50% more than his template's average length with high variability.

;more or less running (5 CP per level): A character can have up to 50% more than his template's running with low variability, twice his template running with medium variability and three times his template running with high variability. A lame character can have less running than his template, but never less than 0 running.

;more or less swimming (5 CP per level): A character can have up 1 point more swimming than his template swimming with low variability, 3 points more than his template swimming with medium variability and 5 points more than his template swimming with high variability. A disabled character can have less swimming than his template, but never less than 0 swimming.

;more or less airspeed (5 CP per level): A character can have up to 50% more than his template airspeed with low variability, twice his template airspeed with medium variability and three times his template airspeed with high variability. A crippled character can have less airspeed than his template, but never less than 0 airspeed.

==Abilities and Qualities==
{|
| valign="top" |You may give the character new abilities or extra ability levels beyond template abilities, reflecting the character's individual talent, skill and experience. Each ability level is worth 5 CP. Normally new characters can have no more than 4 levels of each new ability or 4 extra levels in each template ability. A character's total ability modifier is his template ability modifier plus his extra ability modifier. (See [[Mano a Mano:Abilities|Game Design/Abilities]].)

You may also be allowed to give the character weaknesses such as negative qualities (qualities with negative CP) and missing or disabled limbs. Players need the game or GM's permission to create characters with negative qualities that are different from their template. A player also needs the game or GM's permission to make a character with missing or disabled limbs. Characters should not have more than two negative qualities and may be allowed only one or none. The consequences of negative qualities should not be easily avoided. If the character's qualities or natural weapons are different from the character's template, recalculate the character's template CP. (See [[Mano a Mano:Templates|Game Design/Templates]].)
| valign="top" |
<center>'''extra<br>modifier'''</center>

1-2&nbsp;student

3-5&nbsp;expert

6-7&nbsp;master

8-9&nbsp;legend
|}

==Equipment and Natural Defenses==

Natural weapons and armor do not have mass or heft.
(These natural defenses are included in the character's mass.)
The power of a natural weapon is the character's total strength plus the weapon's ''leverage'' if it has the leverage feature.
The attack modifier of a natural weapon is the character's total agility, plus total natural weapon ability, plus the weapon's ''offense'' if it has the offense feature.
The defense of a natural weapon is 10 plus the character's total agility plus total natural weapons ability.
Natural armor does not need power, attack modifiers or defense.
(See [[Mano a Mano:Abilities#Combat Abilities|Game Design/Abilities/Combat Abilities]].)

The character usually begins with the basic equipment required by his occupation. The game may give the character additional equipment or money to buy equipment. A character's modifiers when using an item are listed in the equipment section of the character sheet. These are determined by comparing the character's modifiers to the item's modifiers, and may be different from the values listed on the equipment list for that item. (See [[Mano a Mano:Equipment|Game Design/Equipment]] and [[Mano a Mano:Inventory Management|Character Development/Inventory Management]].)

;Grapple Attack: A character's grapple attack is his grapple ability, plus his agility, plus his strength. For example, if a character's grapple ability is 1, his strength is 1, and his agility is 1, then his grapple attack is 3 (1 + 1 + 1 = 3.)

;Grapple Defense: A character's grapple defense is his grapple attack plus 10.

;Melee Defense: Melee defense is the best defense of the weapons the character is currently using. This is the difficulty of successfully striking or grappling this character.

;Missile Defense: Missile defense is 10 plus the character's agility. This is the difficulty of successfully shooting the character or hitting the character with a thrown weapon.

;Best Absorption: Record the highest absorption of any armor the character is currently wearing here. This is the amount of attack power which will be absorbed by an attack which does not specifically try to avoid that armor. 

;Total Cover: Add up the cover of all the armor the character is wearing and subtract overlapping areas. If the total is 10 or more, or if any of the armor the character is wearing has ''complete'' cover, then the total cover is ''complete''. This is the difficulty  modifier for attacks that try to hit the character in an unarmored area.  

The best absorption can be the total absorption of overlapping armor, and subtracting overlapping areas avoids counting the same covered area twice. For example consider a character wearing a bulletproof ''ballistic vest'' (3 cover, 3 absorption) with a ''rifle plate'' (an optional solid insert which adds extra protection for the heart) with 1 cover and 5 absorption. This character's best absorption will be found where the area covered by the rifle plate (5 absorption) is also backed by the ballistic vest (3 absorption). This absorption is 8 (5 + 3 = 8). The overlapping area is the area covered by the rifle plate (1 cover) which is also completely covered by the ballistic vest, so the total cover is 3 (3 + 1 - 1.) (See [[Mano a Mano:Damage#Armor|Action/Damage/Armor]].)

;Stun and Damage: New characters have no stun or damage.

{{:Mano a Mano:Make a Character}}