MTH:Character

CHARACTER

THE SUPERHUMAN TEMPLATE

Because of the great variety in superhuman types—some have exotic powers, others are simply incredibly strong or tough, and others still are nothing but ordinary people with access to vast resources and unique technology—applying the superhuman template works somewhat differently than applying other supernatural templates.

All superhumans automatically receive one dot in Power Level; superhuman characters also receive a number of starting experience determined by the Storyteller (usually 150, but possibly more or less depending on the desired power level of the chronicle). This starting experience may be used to purchase traits in the normal manner during step 5 of character creation ("apply supernatural template"); costs for traits not listed in the core World of Darkness rulebook are given below. A superhuman character may use this starting experience to raise Attributes and Skills above 5 dots.

SUPERHUMAN CHARACTER CREATION

1. Record header information (Codename, Real Name, Concept etc.)

2. Assign Attributes (5/4/3). Purchasing the fifth dot in any Attribute costs two dots, and no Attribute may be increased above 5 at this point.

3. Assign Skills (11/7/4). Purchasing the fifth dot in any Skill costs two dots, and no Skill may be increased above 5 at this point.

4. Assign Skill Specialties.

5. Apply Superhuman template. Record starting Power Level (1) and spend starting experience. Note that the experience spent at this point can be used to increase Attributes and Skills above 5 dots.

6. Record Advantages. Morality dots may be exchanged for additional experience on a 1:5 basis, down to a minimum of Morality 5.

7. Assign Merits (7). Purchasing the fifth dot in any Merit costs two dots. Merit dots may be exchanged for Power Level dots on a 3:1 basis.

8. Spend or record any remaining experience. Record starting Verve (equal to maximum Verve).

(Author's Note: I actually have a .pdf of the character sheet that all this crap gets written down on, but I can't figure out how to upload it. E-mail me at sjenning@tulane.edu if you want the sheet, or if you know how I can put it up here.)

EXPERIENCE COSTS

Power Level: (8 x new rating) per dot

Rank 1 Superpower: (3 x new rating) per dot

Rank 2 Superpower: (5 x new rating) per dot

Rank 3 Superpower: (7 x new rating) per dot

NEW ADVANTAGE: POWER LEVEL

Power Level is basically just that—a superhuman’s relative power level in comparison to the other superhumans of the world. Sidekicks and mass-produced metahuman soldiers would have Power Levels of 1-3, while demigods like Superman or Goku would have Power Levels of 9-10. A character’s Power Level determines the maximum number of dots she can have in any given power, the maximum number of Verve she can possess at any time, and the number of Verve recovered at the start of each scene or from acting in accordance with a Virtue or Vice. However, as the character’s Power Level increases, so does her ego, and she risks becoming isolated from her fellows and losing herself in her own delusions; a superhuman suffers a penalty to all degeneration rolls based on her Power Level.

Power Level	Superpower Maximum	Max Verve / Per Recovery	Degeneration Penalty
1	5	10/1	-0
2	5	11/1	-0
3	5	12/1	-1
4	5	13/1	-1
5	5	14/1	-2
6	6	15/1	-2
7	7	20/2	-3
8	8	30/3	-3
9	9	50/5	-4
10	10	100/10	-5

(Author's note: If anyone has any idea how to format a better-looking table and is kind enough to do so, I will be eternally grateful!)

(Hope this is better :) HTH)

(Much, thanks! - SRJ)

NEW ADVANTAGE: VERVE

Verve represents a superhuman’s ability to use his powers and to exert himself before tiring. Much like Willpower, Verve represents a superhuman’s inner reserves and his ability to persevere through adversity. Verve is measured strictly in points, which the superhuman spends to activate superpowers and to enhance his performance.

• Many superpowers require the expenditure of at least one and sometimes more Verve to activate them. A character may spend any number of Verve per turn to activate superpowers.

• In any situation where a character would spend or lose a point of Willpower, he may elect to spend or lose a point of Verve instead. However, this still counts as the character’s sole Willpower expenditure allowed for the turn; in other words, a character could not elect to spend both a Willpower and a Verve on, say, an attack roll for a +6 bonus.

• A character receives a certain number of Verve at the beginning of each scene, based on his Power Level. A character may also recover Verve once per scene for acting in accordance with his Virtue, and once per scene for acting in accordance with his Vice.

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