Mano a Mano:Manufacturing and Modification

Manufacturing and Modification

Some abilities can be used to create or modify items or even other characters. Characters created by other characters are called artificial characters. Examples from popular fiction include the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein, and Robby the Robot created by Dr. Morbius.

A game's equipment list will describe how each ability is used. For example, craftsmanship ability can be used to create armor and weapons from an equipment list, to modify armor and weapons, or to create new items designed by a player or GM. (See Game Design/Abilities/Craftsmanship.) A game might also have a "robotics" ability that allows you to build a lunar rover robot, or modify such a robot by mounting a gun to it.

Difficulty Modifier

Find the character point (CP) value that the item or character will have after it is created or modified. The difficulty modifier is this CP value divided by 50, rounded up. For example, the difficulty modifier for creating an item worth 170 CP is 4, because 170 divided by 50 is 3.4, which rounds up to 4. (See Game Design/Equipment/Equipment Lists and Game Design/Equipment/Equipment CP.)

Some modifications affect things the character inherits from their template such as limbs, natural weapons and armor, speed, agility, power and toughness modifier. Use the template CP rules to determine the CP value of the modifications. For example, if an extra limb is added to a character the CP value is the difference adding the extra limb would make to the character's template CP.

Add a +1 circumstance modifier to the difficulty modifier if the type of item or artificial character being created is rare in this culture, or if the culture deliberately avoids creating this kind of item or character. For example, if robots are common in a certain setting, but other types artificial characters are not, then add +1 to the difficulty modifier when a character creates a non-robot character like a clone or genetically engineered monster. If weapons are forbidden in a pacifist community, add +1 to the difficulty of creating weapons in that community.

Add a +2 circumstance modifier to the difficulty modifier when creating an artificial characters who is a new type of life form or prototype (with a new, unique template), or when creating an item or character based on a technology not found in this culture. For example the Inca empire had many well-developed technologies for it's time, but it did not have steel for making some equipment, like swords and plate armor. A character making those specific kinds of weapons among the Inca would have a +2 difficulty modifier as a result.

Success Modifier

To find the success modifier multiply the total modifier of the ability used to create or modify the item or character by a technology factor then add circumstance modifiers.

Factor		Technology
1/2		Stone age
1		Bronze age
2		Medieval
5		Industrial
10		Modern
20		Futuristic

Add a +1 circumstance modifier to the success modifier if this type of item or artificial character is common in this culture, or if the best quality, state-of-the-art tools and materials are used. Add a +2 circumstance modifier to the success modifier if the culture specializes in creating this type of item or artificial character.

For example, a character with 2 craftsmanship ability making an item with the best tools and materials available (+1 circumstance modifier) in an industrial society (technology factor of 5) has a success modifier of 11.

Time Modifier

If the success modifier is greater than the difficulty modifier, then the time modifier is 0. Otherwise the time modifier is the difficulty modifier minus the success modifier. Use the chart below to find the time required to create the item based on it's time modifier. If the time modifier is greater than 16, then the character cannot create or modify the item or character.

If the modifications to an item or character increase it's CP by more than 50 CP, the modifications take as much time as creating a new item or character. If the modifications to an item or character will only increase it's CP by 25 CP or less, the modifications take half as much time. If the modifications to an item or character will increase it's CP by 26-50 CP, the modifications take three-quarters as much time.

Modifier		New or more than 50 CP added		26-50 CP added		1-25 CP added
0		30 minutes		22 minutes		15 minutes
+1		60 minutes		45 minutes		30 minutes
+2		2 hours		90 minutes		60 minutes
+3		4 hours		3 hours		2 hours
+4		8 hours		6 hours		4 hours
+5		16 hours		12 hours		8 hours
+6		32 hours		24 hours		16 hours
+7		60 hours		45 hours		30 hours
+8		120 hours		90 hours		60 hours
+9		240 hours		180 hours		120 hours
+10		480 hours		360 hours		240 hours
+11		1000 hours		750 hours		500 hours
+12		2000 hours		1500 hours		1000 hours
+13		4000 hours		3000 hours		2000 hours
+14		10,000 hours		7500 hours		5000 hours
+15		20,000 hours		15,000 hours		10,000 hours
+16		40,000 hours		30,000 hours		20,000 hours
+17		100,000 hours		75,000 hours		50,000 hours
+18		200,000 hours		150,000 hours		100,000 hours
+19		400,000 hours		300,000 hours		200,000 hours
+20		1,000,000 hours		750,000 hours		500,000 hours

Surgery

Modifying organic characters requires surgery.

When a character performs surgery, a success roll is required. The surgeon's medicine ability is used for the success roll, and the difficulty of the surgery is added to the roll against success. Superficial operations like cutting hair or sharpening claws, which only affect non-living tissue, do not require a roll. Surgery which does not directly affect vital organs has a difficulty between 0 and 5. Surgery which affects vital organs or involves other major changes has a difficulty between 5 and 10.

If the roll succeeds, healing from the surgery only affect the character's performance for a few days. If the roll fails, the character must spend an extra month healing. If the roll fails by more than 5, the character dies.

Difficulty		Type of Modification
0		no living tissue affected (sharpening claws)
2		no significant effect on organs, muscles or bones (implanting an explosive device.)
4		modifications to non-vital organs (removing an appendix)
6		significant muscle or skeleton modification (amputation, limb lengthening)
8		modification to vital organs or peripheral nervous system (heart transplant, new limbs)
10		major modifications involving central nervous system (add a new head and spinal column)

Make an Item - Equipment Generation Example

We will use our Steven character from the character creation example to make a new weapon. (See Character Creation/Make a Character.) Steven has craftsmanship ability with a modifier of 2.

1. Design the weapon

We decide Steven is making a "machete". The mass of the machete is 0.5 kilograms, worth 1 CP. The machete's 5 power is worth 50 CP. The machete's 3 heft is worth -30 CP. The total CP is 21 so far. (-30 + 60 + 1 = 31.) Having no shots feature (not requiring ammunition or reloading) is worth 20 CP. We add 20 CP for the sharp feature for a final total of 61 CP. In other words, Steven wants to make this machete:

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

2. Find the Maximum CP We start with Steven's craftsmanship modifier (2). We subtract 1 from this because Steven is only taking a few days make the machete. We add a circumstance modifier of 1 because his culture specializes in making machetes. We multiply the result by 50 CP because Steven is in a culture that has "ancient" technology. The maximum CP is 100 CP: (2 craftsmanship ability - 1 time modifier + 1 circumstance modifier) × 50 technology CP.

3. Compare Maximum CP to the CP of the Designed Weapon

Since the maximum CP (100) is equal to or greater than the Machete's CP (61), Steven is able to make it.

Modify Weapon Example

1. Design the Modified Weapon

An evil alien steals one of Steven's machetes with intent to modify it for his own evil purposes:

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

The evil alien wants to elongate the handle to give the weapon more reach, so that it will be this weapon:

Item Name	Special Modifiers	CP	Mass	Heft	Reach	Pwr	Shp	Cvr	Abs
Ice Blade	(no special modifiers)	1750	0.5 kg	3	1.5 m	3-6	S

This modification uses 100 CP to to add 1/2 of a meter reach for to ice blade, making to total 1850 CP.

2. Find Difficulty Modifier

Because the Ice Blade's CP is 1850, the evil alien's difficulty modifier for making it is 19 (rounded from 18.5.)

3. Find Success Modifier

We start with the evil alien's +2 craftsmanship ability modifier. We add a +5 modifier for his access to this "futuristic" technology (for a total modifier of +7 so far.) The nano-bot lab he uses counts a "high tech" even for his futuristic technology, giving him another +4 modifier and making the total modifier +11.

4. Find the Time Modifier

The Time modifier is the Difficulty Modifier with the Success Modifier subtracted from it. The evil alien's difficulty modifier is 19, and his Success Modifier is 11, so his Time Modifier is 8 (19 - 11 = 8.) Looking at the modification time modifier chart, we see it will take the evil alien 32 hours to add 0.5 meters reach to the stolen machete.

Artificial Character Example

1. Design the Character

An evil alien decides to make a synthetic clone of Steven. No new template is needed because the clone uses Modre's Human template. The clone also has the same build and abilities as Modre, so it also has the same character points: 3050 CP.

2. Find Difficulty Modifier

Because the clone's CP is 3050, the evil alien's difficulty modifier for making the clone is 31.

3. Find Success Modifier

We start with the evil alien's +4 biotech ability modifier. The evil alien is using a alien cloning laboratory (futuristic technology,) adding a +7 modifier (for a total modifier of +11 so far.) The brain-wave reading cloning vat he uses is considered "state of the art" even by alien standards, giving him another +4 modifier and making the total success modifier +15.

4. Find the Time Modifier

The Time modifier is the Difficulty Modifier with the Success Modifier subtracted from it. The evil alien's difficulty modifier is 31, and his Success Modifier is 15, so his Time Modifier is 16 (31 - 15 = 15.) Looking at the Time modifier chart, we see it will take the evil alien 16384 hours to make the Clone.