Mano a Mano:Templates

Templates

Templates are used to generate characters. Each template represents a certain type of character. The character could be a person, animal, alien, monster or even a machine depending on their template. A template can be a race, species, model, stereotype or archetype. Age categories and sexes can have seperate templates if the differences are significant. The template provides modifiers for most of the character's natural features:

Use this template worksheet to design a template:

Template ________________________________________
Mass   _______ kg - _______ kg
Length _______ m  - _______ m  type:_____________

  Agility  Speed  Health   Power            CP
  _______ _______ _______ ___-___
 (_______+_______+_______+_______)   =   (______)

ABILITIES      Limit Mod  ModCP   SpcCP     CP
______________ _____ ___ (_____)+(_____)=(______)
______________ _____ ___ (_____)+(_____)=(______)
______________ _____ ___ (_____)+(_____)=(______)
______________ _____ ___ (_____)+(_____)=(______)

NATURAL ARMOR          Abs Cvr    AbsCP     CP
______________________ ___ ___ x (_____)=(______)
______________________ ___ ___ x (_____)=(______)

NATURAL WEAPONS  Dex  Reach  Shp   Qty      CP
_______________ _____ ____m _____ _____
                  CP (_____+_____+_____)=(______)
_______________ _____ ____m _____ _____
                  CP (_____+_____+_____)=(______)
_______________ _____ ____m _____ _____
                  CP (_____+_____+_____)=(______)

                     Manual Dexterity CP (______)

                                Total CP (______)

This compact template is easier for players to use:

TEMPLATE ________________________
Mass   _____kg - _____kg
Length _____m  - _____m _________

Agi Spd Health  Power      CP
___ ___ ______ ___-___  _________

ABILITIES               Limit Mod
_______________________ _____ ___
_______________________ _____ ___
_______________________ _____ ___
_______________________ _____ ___

NATURAL ARMOR             Cvr Abs
_________________________ ___ ___
_________________________ ___ ___

NATURAL WEAPONS Dex Reach Shp Qty
_______________ ___ ____m ___ ___
_______________ ___ ____m ___ ___
_______________ ___ ____m ___ ___

Template

This is the name of the template, which can include details such as age group or sex if each sex or age group has a separate template.

Length

Length is the minimum and maximum length of characters represented by the template. Type is the kind of length measured for this template: length, height, wingspan, etc.

Mass

This is the minimum and maximum mass for characters who use this template.

Agility

Agility is roughly based on size, but some templates are awkward or slow moving for their size, and others are surprisingly agile for their size. Agility is on a 0-8 scale with humans in the middle (4 Agi)

Speed Speed is maximum number of times a character of this template can attack per round with a single weapon. Large creatures typically have less speed. Speed emphasizes strength and energy while agility emphasizes coordination and reflexes, but the main difference is that agility affects the success of actions while speed affects how fast actions can be performed.		Speed	Description
		5	extremely fast (shrew, tasmanian devil)
		4	very fast (cat, fighting cock, ninja)
		3	fast (dog, trained fighter, cinematic human speed)
		2	medium (horse, realistic normal human speed)
		1	slow (python, elephant, turtle)
		1/2	very slow (tortoise)
		1/4	extremely slow (sloth)
		0	sluggish (snail, plant, imperceptible movement)

Power (and half power)

Power is the maximum damage a character of the template can cause in a single attack with natural weapons. Creatures of roughly human size and power have 4 power. Creatures with 0 power cannot do any damage with their natural weapons. Half power is the maximum damage a character of the template can cause cause in a quick attack with natural weapons. Half power is power divided by two, rounded down. Half power and power are listed together on the template as a range. If a template has 5 power, then it's half power is 2, and they are both listed under Power on the template as "2 - 5".

Health

The average health modifier for a given size is two times the average power modifier for that size minus eight, but the health modifier is almost never less than -4.

Toughness, agility and strength are all related to a template's size. The following examples should help guide template creation, but some creatures will be stronger or weaker, quicker or clumsier than their mass would suggest.

Example	mouse	rat	cat	human	horse	elephant	whale
mass (kg)	0.02	0.3	5	80	500	8000	50,000
Agility	5	3	2	0	-2	-4	-5
agility CP	75	45	30	0	-30	-60	-75
Speed	1	1	1	1	1	½	½
speed CP	30	30	30	30	30	0	0
Toughness	0	1	2	5	12	40	100
toughness CP	0	5	10	25	60	200	500
Strength	0	1	2	3	8	25	50
strength CP	0	10	20	30	80	250	500
Cover	0	0	0	0	0	10	10
Absorption	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
armor CP	0	0	0	0	0	50	100
Total CP	105	90	90	85	140	440	1025

Abilities

Templates can give characters natural abilities or disabilities, and ability or disability modifiers (Mod). Usually characters can develop ability levels which increase their ability modifier above this minimum value. If the ability cannot be improved by exercise or experience or can only be improved to a certain level, the ability should have a limit (Lim). This limit is the maximum number of ability levels a character of this template can develop in this ability.

Natural Armor

Abs (Absorption) A template can have one or more types of natural armor. Each type of armor can have a different absorption modifier. Absorption is the amount of attack power the armor can block from a single attack.	Abs	Examples
	1	thick hide, scales or guard hairs, light exoskeleton
	2	big scales, small bones in skin, modest exoskeleton
	3	large bony scutes, strong exoskeleton, light shell
	4-5	carapace, bony sheild, heavy exoskeleton, hard shell
	6-9	unbreakable shell, probably quite heavy
	10+	harder than armor found in nature

Cvr (Cover) The cover of each type of natural armor is the number of areas it protects. A template's natural armor can protect up to 5 areas. Only one type of armor can protect a given area.	Cvr	Description
	1	limited armor - protects a specific area of the body like a shield
	2	partial armor - more area(s) covered but les than 50%
	3	extensive armor - at least 50% cover like a shell or carapace
	4	fully armored - covers the whole body but has weak points
	5	tough hide - full cover without weak points

Each area might represent 20% of the body's surface, or the areas may represent five levels of priority: vital targets, main targets, secondary targets, minor targets, and weak points. The total cover of a character's natural armor types cannot be more than 5. If the total cover is 5 then all 5 areas are protected and the weakest part of the armor has unlimited cover (the weakest part of the armor absorbs attack power from attacks with a success level of 5 or greater. See Action/Armor and Weapons.)

Natural Weapons

Dex (Manual Dexterity)

A natural weapon may be a hand or manipulator which is used to wield weapons. (The terms hand and manipulator can be used interchangeably.) A hand's manual dexterity is added to the character's combat modifier with weapons held in that hand.

	Dex		Description
	0		fully developed manipulator (right hand for most humans)
	-1		improved tool-manipulator (left hand for the average human)
	-2		basic tool-using manipulator (ape hand)
	-3		dextrous grasping limb (raccoon paw)
	-4		basic grasping limb

Rch (Reach)

The natural weapon's reach is the maximum range of attacks with the weapon. If the natural weapon is a hand, it's reach is also added to the reach of weapons held in that hand.

Shp (Sharpness)

Sharpness determines whether the weapon's attack power becomes damage or stun. (See Action/Damage.) If the natural weapon is a hand, this sharpness does not affect the damage and stun of weapons held in that hand.

Qty (Quantity)

Having more than one natural weapon allows a creature with at least 1 speed to attack more often. (This is different from having more speed because it does not allow a creature with only 1 speed to do powerful actions.) If a creature cannot use it's natural weapons quickly, they may count as a single natural weapon. For example, an Elephant has both tusks and a trunk that can be used as weapons, but the elephant cannot use them as separate weapons in a combo attack. A character with at least two hands can do a secondary attack with a hand weapon - as long as the character has a weapon in each hand.

Maimed Characters

A character who has lost (or never had) the use of a limb may be effectively slower because of not having secondary natural or hand weapon attacks. The game designer should decide whether characters are allowed to be missing limbs.

Template CP

Template CP is the sum of the template's ability, disability, variability, toughness, power, speed, agility, natural weapon and armor CP.

Template Ability CP

The CP of a template ability is the ability modifier times 15: 15 CP for a modifier of 1 or 30 CP for a modifier of 2.

Template Variability CP

No variability is worth -10 CP. Low variability is worth -5 CP. Medium variability is worth 0 CP. High variability is worth 5 CP.

Template Toughness CP

Each point of template toughness is worth 5 CP.

Template Power CP

Each point of template power is worth 10 CP. A natural weapon point of additional power is worth 5 CP, but natural weapon power does not increase the character's carrying capacity or make it easier to wield hefty weapons in any way.

Template Speed CP

1/4 speed is worth -30 CP. 1/2 speed is worth 0 CP. 1 speed is worth 30 CP. 2 speed is worth 60 CP. 3 speed is worth 90 CP.

Template Agility CP

0 agility is worth 0 CP. 1 agility is worth 30 CP. 2 agility is worth 60 CP. 3 agility is worth 90 CP. 4 agiilty is worth 120 CP. 5 agility is worth 150 CP. 6 agility is worth 180 CP.

Natural Armor CP

The CP of natural armor is 5 multiplied by the cover and absorption. For example, natural armor with 3 cover and 2 absorption is worth 30 CP.

The CP of template's natural weapons is based on their quantity, sharpness and number of hands:

Quantity CP

Quantity CP is based on the total quantity of all of the template's natural weapons. No natural weapons (0 total quantity) is worth -50 CP. A single natural weapon (1 total quantity) is worth -20 CP. Two or more natural weapons is worth 0 CP.

Template Range CP

The range of a natural weapon is worth 1 CP per meter.

Sharpness CP

Blunt sharpness is worth 0 CP. One sharp natural weapon is worth 20 CP, two or more sharp natural weapons is worth 30 CP. One padded natural weapon is worth 5 CP. Two or more padded natural weapons is worth 8 CP. For example, the sharpness of 10 razor blades (sharp) and 10 electro-shock tentacles (padded) would be worth a total of 38 CP (8 + 30.)

Hand CP

Each natural weapon that is a "hand" capable of wielding tools or weapons is worth an additional 10 CP.

Templates can also have various "qualities":

Flight

"Powered Flight" is worth 15 CP. "Gliding" is worth 10 CP. "Soaring" requires Powered Flight or Gliding, and is worth 5 CP. "Parachuting" is worth 5 CP.

Mechanical

Being Mechanical (rather than organic) is worth 3 CP. (Being organic is worth 0 CP and does not need to be specified if the character is not mechanical.)

Sensory Impairment

Blind is worth -70 CP. Deaf is worth -30 CP.

Communication Impairment

Dumb is worth -10 CP. Mute is worth -15 CP.

Physical Impairment

Lame is worth-30 CP. Immobile is worth -70 CP.

Mental Impairment

Inept is worth -20 CP. Unintelligent is worth -40 CP.

Make a Template - Template Generation Example

To demonstrate the creation of a character template, this tutorial will show how to create a human template which can be used for many RPG settings. This template can be used to create most adult human characters, including both men and women.

1. Build - A quick Internet search suggests that average humans are around 75 kg and 1.7 meters tall. Most humans are within 20% of average height but many are more than 10% taller or shorter, so humans have medium variability (worth 0 CP.) Humans have 1 speed (worth 30 CP), 3 strength (worth 30 CP), 5 toughness (worth 25 CP), 0 agility (worth 0 CP), 5 running (worth 50 CP). Humans have no swimming, although individuals can learn to swim, and no airspeed because they cannot fly. 2. Abilities and Qualities - Humans have no special abilities or disabilities. 3. Natural Defenses - Humans have two or more natural weapons, which is worth 0 CP. They have two hands, which together are worth 20 CP. Humans have no natural armor. 4. Template CP - The total CP value of our new human template is 105 CP.

0 variability CP 25 toughness CP 30 strength CP 30 speed CP 0 agility CP 50 running CP 0 ability and quality CP 20 natural weapons CP + 0 natural armor CP 105 template CP

human, 75 kg, 1.7 m height, medium variability, 155 CP
1 speed, 0 agility, 3 strength, 5 toughness, 5 running
2 hands (hand)
2 feet