Mano a Mano:Artificial Characters

Creating Artificial Characters

Artificial characters are characters manufactured by other characters. Examples from popular fiction include the monster created by Dr. Frakenstein, and Robby the Robot created by Dr. Morbius. Creating artificial characters works like creating a weapons & armor, except:

• The difficulty modifier is 1% of the new artificial character's CP. For example, creating a new artificial character who will have 2000 character points will have a difficulty modifier of 20.
• A more appropriate ability is used in the place of craftsmanship. A game which allows characters to create artificial characters needs to state which abilities can be used for this. For example, if a character might use an ability called "robotics" to build a lunar rover robot.
• Players may have to create a new template if there is no appropriate template for the new artificial character. The new artificial character may be a unique life form or machine. If the artificial character requires a new template, increase the difficulty modifier by 2.
• If the character is in a culture where artificial characters created with the same ability are common, add 2 to the success modifier. If the character is in a culture which avoids creating artificial characters, add 2 to the difficulty modifier.
• The difficulty modifier is increased by 2 if the type of technology being used to create artificial characters is undeveloped compared to the culture's other technology.

Character makes a Character

1. Design the Character

Modre decides to make a synthetic clone of himself. Therefore no new Template (or character design) is needed. The clone will therefore have 2500 character points.

2. Determine Difficulty Modifier

Because the Clone's CP is 2500, Modre's difficulty modifier for making it is 25.

3. Determine Success Modifier

We start with Modre's +2 craftsmanship ability modifier. Modre happens to have recently discovered an alien cloning laboratory not far from his home, so for the purposes of making this clone he is using futuristic technology, adding a +7 modifier (for a total modifier of +9 so far.) The brain-wave reading cloning vat he uses is considered "state of the art" even by alien standards, giving him another +5 modifier and making the total success modifier +14.

4. Determine Time Modifier

The Time modifier is the Difficulty Modifier with the Success Modifier subtracted from it. Modre's difficulty modifier is 25, and his Success Modifier is 14, so his Time Modifier is 11 (25 - 14 = 11.) Looking at the Time modifier chart, we can extrapolate it will take Modre 512 hours to make his Clone (over 10 weeks if he works 50-hour work weeks.)