Mano a Mano:Manufacturing and Modification
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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 one percent of this CP value, rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, the difficulty modifier for creating a spear worth 1950 CP is 20. (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 CP of the character's template.
Other Difficulty Modifiers
| Modifier | Reason for additional difficulty modifier | |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | The type of item or artificial character is rare in this culture | |
| +1 | The culture deliberately avoids creating this kind of item or character, | |
| +2 | The artificial character unique life form or prototype, requiring a new template | |
| +2 | The technology used is underdeveloped compared to other technology in this culture |
Examples:
- 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 +2 to the difficulty of creating weapons in that community (+1 because weapons are rare, and +1 because the culture avoids creating weapons.)
- 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 kinds of weapons among the Inca would have a +2 difficulty modifier as a result.
Success Modifier
The success modifier is the modifier of the ability used to create or modify the item or character plus technology, tool quality and culture modifiers from the following tables.
| Modifier | Technology | Tool Quality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +0 | Stone age | Makeshift / lacking materials | ||
| +1 | Bronze age | Low quality / cheap | ||
| +2 | Iron age | Typical / mediocre | ||
| +3 | Steel age | High quality / expensive | ||
| +4 | Industrial | State of the art / very rare | ||
| +5 | Mechanized | |||
| +6 | Cybernetic | |||
| +7 | Futuristic |
| Modifier | Cultural Advantage | |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | This type of item or artificial character is common in this culture | |
| +2 | The culture specializes in creating this type of item or artificial character |
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 8, then the character cannot create or modify the item or character.
If the modifications to an item or character will only increase it's CP by 100 CP or less, the modifications take half as long. If the modifications to an item or character will increase it's CP by 101-200 CP, the modifications take 25% less time.
| Modifier | New or more than 200 CP added | 101-200 CP added | 1-100 CP added | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | |||
| +1 | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 15 minutes | |||
| +2 | 1 hour | 45 minutes | 30 minutes | |||
| +3 | 2 hours | 90 minutes | 1 hour | |||
| +4 | 4 hours | 3 hours | 2 hours | |||
| +5 | 8 hours | 6 hours | 4 hours | |||
| +6 | 16 hours | 12 hours | 8 hours | |||
| +7 | 32 hours | 24 hours | 16 hours | |||
| +8 | 64 hours | 48 hours | 32 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 Modre's ice blades with intent to modify it for his own evil purposes:
| Item Name | Special Modifiers | CP | Mass | Heft | Reach | Pwr | Shp | Cvr | Abs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Blade | (no special modifiers) | 750 | 0.5 kg | 4 | 1.0 m | 3-6 | 2 |
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) | 850 | 0.5 kg | 4 | 1.5 m | 3-6 | 2 |
This modification uses 100 CP to to add 1/2 of a meter reach for to ice blade, making to total 850 CP.
2. Find Difficulty Modifier
Because the Ice Blade's CP is 850, the evil alien's difficulty modifier for making it is 9 (rounded from 8.5.)
3. Find Success Modifier
We start with the evil alien's +1 craftsmanship ability modifier. We add a +5 modifier for his access to this "futuristic" technology (for a total modifier of +6 so far.) The lazer press he uses is "typical" for his futuristic technology, giving him another +2 modifier and making the total modifier +8.
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 9, and his Success Modifier is 8, so his Time Modifier is 1 (9 - 8 = 1.) Looking at the modification time modifier chart, we see it will take the evil alien 15 minutes to add 0.5 meters reach to the stolen Ice Blade.
Artificial Character Example
1. Design the Character
An evil alien decides to make a synthetic clone of Modre. No new template is needed because the clone uses Modre's Sabretooth Penguin template. The clone also has the same build and abilities as Modre, so it also has the same character points: 2500 CP.
2. Find Difficulty Modifier
Because the clone's CP is 2500, the evil alien's difficulty modifier for making the clone is 25.
3. Find Success Modifier
We start with the evil alien's +5 biotech ability modifier. The evil alien is using a alien cloning laboratory (futuristic technology,) adding a +7 modifier (for a total modifier of +12 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 +17.
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 25, and his Success Modifier is 17, so his Time Modifier is 8 (25 - 17 = 8.) Looking at the Time modifier chart, we see it will take the evil alien 64 hours to make the Clone (over 5 days if the evil alien is working 12-hour days.)
