Mano a Mano:Character Creation

Character Creation

To create a character, you need a pencil and a copy of a template. Typically one player - the GM (Game Master) will give the other players a list of templates and a CP allowance to create their characters. Customize the character by choosing a name, age, sex, build, abilities, occupation and equipment. (You may also be able to give the character weaknesses, such as missing limbs or disabilities.) (See Gameplay/Players and Characters and Game Design/Templates.)

Description

Make up a name for your character. If the template name includes sex' or age category copy these as age and sex on the character sheet; Otherwise, choose the age of the character and a sex appropriate to the template, usually "male" or "female". Age can be described in years or as a category such as "child", "youth", "adult", "old", or "ancient". You may also invent a more detailed description and background for your character, appropriate to the game being played.

Build

Extra Speed

A character can have increased or decreased speed if his template has medium or high variability. He can have a -1 or +1 speed modifier if his template speed is greater than 1. If his template speed is 1 or less he can have half or double his template speed.

Extra Agility

A character can have -1 or +1 agility if his template has medium or high variability.

Extra Toughness

A character can have extra toughness up to half of his template toughness with low variability, as high as his template toughness with medium variability and up to twice his template toughness with high variability. Even a very fragile character usually has total toughness which is at least half of his template toughness.

Extra Power

A character can have extra power up to half of his template power with low variability, as high as his template power with medium variability and up to twice his template power with high variability. A character with more than 0 template power can have negative extra power, but he cannot have low enough negative power to reduce his total power to less than 0. Even a very weak character usually has total power which is at least half of his template power.

Extra Mass

A character can have from -30% to +50% his template's average mass with low variability, from half (-50%) to double (+100%) his template's average mass with medium variability and from a third (-70%) to triple (+200%) his template's average mass with high variability.

Extra Length

A character can have from -10% to +10% of his template's average length with low variability, from -20% to +30% of his template's average length with medium variability and from -30% to +50% of his template's average length with high variability.

Big characters should have more toughness, power, mass and length, while smaller characters should have less toughness, power, mass and length. The following table is a guideline for characters with typical mass, length, toughness and power relationships, but characters are not required to fit these categories:

Size		Extra Toughness, Power and Mass		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

Character Abilities

Abilities

You may give the character new abilities from the list of abilities the game or template allows you to develop. The character can have an extra ability modifier which reflects their level of talent, skill and experience:

	0	no experience
	1	student
	2	expert
	3	master
	4	legend

Beginning characters usually start with an ability modifiers of two or less for an ability not on their templates. For abilities that are on their templates, beginning characters usually start with a modifier no higher than 2 above that ability modifier on their template.

Qualities

You may choose as many qualities as the game allows.

Total Modifiers

A character's total ability modifier is his template modifier plus his extra modifier.

Fractional extra Ability modifiers

Fractional extra ability modifiers in an optional rule. "Fractional extra ability modifiers" is allowing tenths of an extra ability modifier, using one decimal place. (So for example instead of simply having an extra ability modifier of 2, a character might have an extra ability modifier of 1.9 or 2.3 .)

Choosing Occupations

You may be able - or required - to give your character one or more occupations. 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. The game may impose additional limitations, like a minimum or maximum number of occupations. (See Game Design/Occupations.)

Character Equipment

The power of a natural weapon is the character's total power. The combat modifier (Cmb) of a natural weapon is the character's total agility modifier plus total unarmed combat ability modifier. (See Game Design/Abilities/Other Abilities.)

The character usually begins with the basic equipment required by his occupation. The game or GM 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 Game Design/Equipment and Character Development/Inventory Management.)

Encumbrance and Movement

Carrying Capacity

Carrying capacity (CC) is the amount of equipment a character can carry without encumbrance. CC is determined by the character's power.

Power	CC		Power	CC		Power	CC
0	0 g		14	1 tonne		28	110 tonnes
1	500 g		15	2 tonnes		29	120 tonnes
2	1 kg		16	3 tonnes		30	130 tonnes
3	2 kg		17	5 tonnes		31	140 tonnes
4	3 kg		18	10 tonnes		32	150 tonnes
5	5 kg		19	20 tonnes		33	160 tonnes
6	10 kg		20	30 tonnes		34	180 tonnes
7	20 kg		21	40 tonnes		35	200 tonnes
8	30 kg		22	50 tonnes		36	220 tonnes
9	50 kg		23	60 tonnes		37	240 tonnes
10	100 kg		24	70 tonnes		38	260 tonnes
11	200 kg		25	80 tonnes		39	280 tonnes
12	300 kg		26	90 tonnes		40	300 tonnes
13	500 kg		27	100 tonnes		41	320 tonnes

Equipment Mass

Add up the mass of all of the character's equipment and write the total here.

Encumbrance

Encumbrance is the character's equipment mass divided by the character's CC and rounded down. If a character's CC is 10 and his total equipment mass is 29 then his encumbrance is 2. (29 divided by 10 is 2.9, and 2.9 rounded down is 2.) Encumbrance reduces a character's movement.

Stride

Stride is a character's ground movement, or how many meters per round he can move with his feet on the ground. Stride is 4 plus any running ability, with any lame modifier and any encumbrance modifier subtracted. For example, if a character had a running ability of two and an encumbrance of 1, his stride would be 5 (4 + 2 - 1 = 5). (See Action/Movement.)

Water Movement

Water movement is Swimming ability minus encumbrance. For example, if I had a Swimming ability modifier of 2 and an encumbrance of 1, my water movement would be 1 (2 - 1 = 1). (See Action/Movement.)

Air Movement

Only characters who can fly have air movement. Air movement is either flight ability modifier minus encumbrance ability modifier or stride, whichever is greater. For example, if my stride was 1, and I had a flight ability modifier of 2 and no encumbrance, my air movement would be 2 (2 - 0 > 1). (See Action/Movement.)

Climbing Movement

While climbing, movement is one tenth of the difference between climbing ability and encumbrance. If a character's total climbing ability modifier is 3, and his encumbrance is 1, he would be able to travel 0.2 m per round because 3 minus 1 is 2 and 1/10 of 2 is 0.2. (See Game Design/Templates/Natural Weapons and Action/Movement.)

Extra CP

Total CP

A character's total CP value is the sum of the character's template CP and extra CP. Total CP must not be greater than your Character Point allowance. (See Game Design/Templates/Template CP.)

Extra CP

Extra CP is the sum of the character's extra ability, qualities, toughness, power, agility and speed CP.

Maimed Characters

A character who has lost (or never had) the use of a limb may have the lame quality, missing natural weapons or reduced natural weapon quantity. Typically, players need the GM's permission to create characters with missing or disabled limbs. If the character's natural weapons are different from their template, recalculate their template CP. (See Game Design/Players and Characters, Game Design/Abilities/Disabilities and Game Design/Templates/Template CP.)

Extra Ability CP

Ability CP is ability level times ten. An extra ability modifier of 1 (student) is worth 10 CP, 2 (expert) is worth 20 CP, 3 (master) is worth 30 CP and 4 (legend) is worth 40 CP.

Extra Quality CP

If a character has extra qualities beyond what his template defaults to, use the CP normally used for template qualities.

Extra Toughness CP

Each point of extra toughness is worth 3 CP. Extra toughness can be positive or negative. For example -3 extra toughness is worth -9 CP.

Extra Power CP

Each point of extra power is worth 5 CP. Extra power can be positive or negative. For example -2 extra power is worth -10 CP.

Extra Agility CP

The CP value of 1 extra agility is 20 CP. The CP value of -1 extra agility is -20 CP.

Extra Speed CP

If speed is 1/4, 1/2, or 1, doubling speed is worth 20 CP. If speed is 1/2 or 1, halving speed is worth -20 CP. If speed is more than 1, one additional speed is worth 20 CP.

Make a Character - Character Generation Example

This example explains how to make a playable character. Consult the game-specific rules or the Game Master (GM) to find out what Templates and how many Character Points (CP) you can use to make characters. (See Character Creation.) The player starts generating the character with a "template" for the kind of character he is making.

1. Choose the Type of Character You Want to Make

Here we'll assume that we are allowed to use 201 total CP to make a single character whose template is "human." After subtracting the CP value of the template (155 CP) we still have 46 CP to customize the character. (See Game Design/Make a Template.)

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

2. Choose the Character's Build

Now we look at Steven's Template to see how it affects his dimensions and modifiers. Steven is a Human, so his height will be between 1.4 m and 2.0 m (within 20% of 1.7m), and his weight should be between 38 kg and 150 kg (50% to 200% of 75 kg.) We decide to make Steven a short-and-stocky tough guy: 1.6 m tall and 95 kg. We give him 2 extra points of toughness, which uses up 6 CP. Steven's agility (0), speed (1), strength (3) and running (5) will remain unchanged from the Human template. Steven's stamina is 14 (two times his toughness.)

3. Use the Remaining CP to Customize the Character Now we will make Steven more competent and interesting by distributing the rest of his CP. After spending 6 CP to give Steven extra toughness, we have 40 CP remaining for enhancements. We decide that Steven does not have any disabilities or missing limbs, so we'll just distribute the rest of the CP among Steven's abilities. We give him a new one-handed weapons ability with a modifier of 4 (20 CP.) We use 10 CP to give Steven an extra craftsmanship ability modifier of 2. We use the remaining 10 CP to give Steven an extra natural weapons ability modifier of 2. The Human template does not have a one-handed weapons, craftsmanship or natural weapons modifier, so we write a 0 in the right side of the Modifier column for each ability.

6 extra toughness (+2) 20 one-handed weapons (+4) 10 craftsmanship (+2) 10 natural weapons (+2) + 155 template CP 201 total CP value

4. Occupation and Equipment

Steven meets the minimum qualifications to be a Robber. We decide this suits the personality we envision for Steven, so we make his occupation "Robber". This occupation does not give Steven any equipment, but he has made a "machete". (See Game Design/Occupations/Occupation Examples and Character Development/Making Equipment/Equipment Generation Example.)

machete (81 CP, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, sharp)

Steven only has one machete, so we list the item's name as "1 machete". We copy the item's features (just "sharp"), mass (0.5 kg), and heft (3) to Steven's character sheet. Steven's machete has an attack modifier of 4: Steven's agility (0) plus Steven's one-handed weapons ability (2). Steven's machete has a defense of 14: Steven's agility (0) plus Steven's one-handed weapons ability (2) plus 10. The machete's power is 5 and Steven's total strength is 3. Steven's machete power is the highest of these two values (5).

We also fill in the power, attack and defense of Steven's natural weapons. The power of his hands and feet is Steven's total strength, which is 4.. Steven's hands and feet have an attack modifier of 2: his agility plus his natural weapons ability (2). Steven's hands and feet have a defense of 12: his agility (0) plus his natural weapons ability (2) plus 10.

5. Grapple, Defense, Armor

Steven's grapple attack is his 0 agility plus his 0 grappling ability plus his 3 strength, for a total of 3 grapple attack Steven's grapple defense is his 3 grapple attack plus 10, for a total of 13 grapple defense. Steven's melee defense is the best defense of all his natural weapons and hand weapons. His machete has 14 defense, while his hands and feet have only 12 defense, so his melee defense is 14. Steven's missile defense is his agility (0) plus 10, which is 10 (10 + 0 = 10). Steven has no armor so his best absorption and total cover are 0.

Steven, adult male human robber, 95 kg, 1.6 m height, 201 CP
1 speed, 0 agility, 3 strength, 7 toughness, 14 stamina, 5 running
2 unarmed combat, 4 one-handed weapons, 2 craftsmanship
2 hands (hand, 3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)
2 feet (3 power, 2 attack, 12 defense)
1 machete (sharp, 0.5 kg, 3 heft, 5 power, 4 attack, 14 defense)
14 melee defense, 10 missile defense, 13 grapple defense, 3 grapple attack
0 best absorption, 0 total cover, ____ stun, ____ damage